Review/Series spotlight/Giveaway: The Alpha's Daugher by Jacqueline Rhoades

Title: The Alpha's Daughter (Wolvers, #3)
Author: Jacqueline Rhoades
Source: Author
Genre: Paranormal Romance (wolf-shifters)
Length: Novel (398pgs)
Reviewer: CaroleDee

There is a balm in Gilead, to heal the wounded soul…

 
Jazz Phillips is on the run, fleeing from a fate most females in her pack accept as their lot in life; an arranged mating, something Jazz thought wasn't in her future as the Alpha's daughter and only child. She doesn't want to be the next Alpha's Mate. She doesn't want to be anyone's mate. She likes her life just the way it is until she finds herself stranded in the mountain town of Gilead, home to a small and close knit pack of wolvers. Once there, she begins to question her life as it was and begins to wonder about what it could be, especially in the arms of the wolver the people call Doc.

Doc Goodman claims to have settled in Gilead because he saw a need for his services, but in fact, he's a runaway, too. He's rejected his wolver heritage and the warring politics that stripped him of everything he loved most. He's biding his time, waiting to die, until he meets the blue haired, foul mouthed beauty who shows him there are still things worth living for and the most important of them are worth fighting for

Another fantastic read by Jacqueline Rhoades!

In a world where almost anyone can independently publish a book it can become tedious to wade through the mediocre to find a winner and I'm here to tell you that you can put those waders away because Jacqueline is a sure thing! I've read everyone of her books and fell in love each time!

The Alpha's daughter is a bit different than previous entries into the Wolver's Series. This time we get a female shifter that knows the ins and outs of Wolver politics. Unfortunately she comes from an archaic pack that treats women like crap. In an attempt to escape a forced marriage she flees and finds herself in a back-water Appalachian town and it's pack. When the local pack doctor takes her in she quickly learns that life in Gilead might be simple, but it's anything but boring.

Filled with hilarious characters, a romance that builds, an action filled climax, and a bitter-sweet rise to power this book has it all!

Treat yourself and pick up The Alpha's Daughter today.


*While this is book 3 in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone.
Although, seriously, you're going to want to check out the rest of them because they're awesome ;)

Be sure to check out Jacqueline's other books!

The Wolvers Series:

The Alpha's Mate (Wolver # 1)
Welcome to Rabbit Creek....
City girl Elizabeth Reynolds hopes to find peace and contentment in the small Appalachian town of Rabbit Creek. Okay, so the bucolic cottage she’s rented turns out to be a dilapidated cabin without phone service, but the people she meets are wonderful. Friendly and down to earth, they welcome her with open arms. It’s just like moving to Mayberry… if Andy and Aunt Bea were wolves.

Only an outsider would call them werewolves. They’re wolvers, a community of man/beasts that have lived in these hills since their ancestors emigrated from Scotland three hundred years ago. And that gorgeous Chief of Police, Marshall Goodman, the guy she met while covered in mud and wearing granny underpants? The one who sends her heart spinning? He’s their Alpha and his pack is under attack from outside forces. Elizabeth, being a sane and reasonable woman, wants no part of any of this, but if she refuses to risk her life and her heart, the people she’s grown to care about will lose everything and she’ll lose the one man she was born to love.

 
The Alpha's Choice (Wolver #2)
Katarina Bennett stopped believing in fairytales a long time ago. Prince Charming doesn't exist. Careful planning is what makes dreams come true and that's what she's spent her adult life doing. Now those plans have fallen apart. She's lost everything; her fiancé, her job and her home.
Determined to make a new start, Kat takes a job as a governess and teacher for five orphaned children and finds herself in an old Gothic mansion in the middle of nowhere with people who aren't what they seem.

Charles Goodman is the Alpha of his wolver pack, the modern descendants of an ancient line of man/beasts who've hidden among the human race for centuries. Charles has his hands full with taking his pack in a new direction and dealing with dissention in the ranks and doubts about his own abilities to lead, but when he meets his feisty new employee, he begins to believe in a future he didn't think possible.

Together, Charles and Kat, Alpha and Mate, set out to prove all things are possible and fairytales do come true.


The Alpha's Daughter (Wolver #3)
There is a balm in Gilead, to heal the wounded soul…

Jazz Phillips is on the run, fleeing from a fate most females in her pack accept as their lot in life; an arranged mating, something Jazz thought wasn't in her future as the Alpha's daughter and only child. She doesn't want to be the next Alpha's Mate. She doesn't want to be anyone's mate. She likes her life just the way it is until she finds herself stranded in the mountain town of Gilead, home to a small and close knit pack of wolvers. Once there, she begins to question her life as it was and begins to wonder about what it could be, especially in the arms of the wolver the people call Doc.

Doc Goodman claims to have settled in Gilead because he saw a need for his services, but in fact, he's a runaway, too. He's rejected his wolver heritage and the warring politics that stripped him of everything he loved most. He's biding his time, waiting to die, until he meets the blue haired, foul mouthed beauty who shows him there are still things worth living for and the most important of them are worth fighting for. 

Guardians of the Race series: 

Guardian's Grace (Book 1)
Grace Masters always dreamed of a family she could call her own and always knew that for her, those dreams would never come true. Yet here she is, in an old Victorian home, living and loving under the cover of night. Who knew the source of her lifelong torment was really her gift as a Daughter of Man or that this gift could be controlled and used for something good? Who knew there was another race called the Paenitentia who live side by side with humans? Who knew that demons were real? Grace certainly didn't until one fateful night when her world falls apart and comes together again in a place where she finally belongs.

Sometimes a person just knows when something is right and destined to be. Sometimes convincing someone else of that fact is a little more difficult. Canaan ad Simeon is that someone else. Canaan is Liege Lord to a House of Guardians whose job is to protect the Race from a demon threat many no longer believe in. Already breaking away from the outdated traditions that are depleting their numbers and threatened by a hierarchy resistant to change, the last thing Canaan needs is to fall for this innocently sexy Daughter of Man.
But fall he does, with a mixture of comedy, drama and romance that will touch your heart.


Guardian's Hope (Book 2)
Hope parsons has heard about the evil of demons since she was a child in the little isolated community where she grew up. Demons were part of the outside world; demon sex, demon drink, demon music, demon woman. According to her father, her mother was evil, too.

This is Hope Parson’s world until she finds a box her mother hid years ago and the remnant of a letter her runaway sister wrote begging for help. This is the impetus she needs to embark on a journey out into the world and the city where she hopes to find her sister and learn more about her mother’s legacy. Once there, she learns her father was wrong about most of the evils of the outside world. Unfortunately, he was right about one; living, breathing demons are real.

Nico ad Nimeni, with his dark charm and magazine cover good looks, is a recent addition to Canaan ad Simeon’s House of Guardians. As a Guardian of the Race, it’s his job to protect his people, the Paenitentia, along with humankind from the demons who cross over, but Nico knows there are other kinds of demons than those who stalk the night, like the ones that plague a man’s soul and insist he stand apart.

When circumstances bring Hope to the House, she finds a place where everything she knows about good and evil is turned upside down. In this world of witches and demons, vampires and Paenitentia, she learns that things are not always what they seem and that a shy, over-sized country girl can find love in the arms of a suave sophisticate.


Guardian's Joy (Book 3)
JJ Justice has spent her adulthood lost and alone and vulnerable to the haunting of a past she can’t remember. It’s no wonder she feels different from other people and not surprising that she chose the police force as a way of standing up for others who are defenseless against the evils of the world, but when her only friend and partner is brutally murdered by a creature not of this world, JJ discovers a greater purpose. She is called to hunt the monsters only she can see. Once again, she resigns herself to living her life alone.

Guardian of the Race, Bernardo ad Tormeo, longs for a woman of his own, one that’s as fun loving and loyal as his Liege Lord’s Lady, Grace, and as soft and gentle as his fellow Guardian’s mate, Hope, but the chances of meeting such a woman seem slim to none. What with the nightly patrols and his gaming business, he hasn’t the time to go searching for love. Besides, he’s seen too many matings that didn’t work out.

Nardo is sworn to protect his people and their human cousins from the demons who cross over from the Otherworld. He never thought he would be hunting a vampire; just like he never thought of falling in love with a leather clad ex-cop who can kick demon butt with the best of them.
How do you romance a woman who thinks more of knives than roses? And how do you help her fight the demons of her soul when she can’t remember who they are? Nardo doesn’t know, but he’s determined to find out. He only hopes he and his new love can find the answers before a monster from Joy’s past takes away the only woman he will ever love.

Hidden Mountain Series: (Contemp Romance)

Preston's Mill (Book 1)
When her disastrous marriage ends in the most humiliating way, Meg Hanson doesn’t know what to do or who to turn to. Unhappy with her life as it was and unwilling to become what her mother and sister envision, she retreats to the little Appalachian town of Prestons Mill, the place where her father was raised. Meg has promised herself six months away from the influences of home to find out who she is and what she really wants out of life.

Her Great Aunt Annie doesn’t hold with such nonsense, but she does believe that good food, hard work and fresh country air have the power to heal the soul and she sees in Meg a soul that belongs to the mountain.

Coming from wealth and privilege, Meg isn’t sure at first what to make of a place where much of your wardrobe comes from Gorton’s Farm Supply and the only coffee available is what’s brewed at the Downtown Café. However, it doesn’t take long for her to become attached to the people of Prestons Mill with their blunt honesty and strange speech or to reluctantly fall for the boy who kissed her under the apple tree when she was only ten. He’s grown into an intriguing man with problems of his own.

JT Preston is burdened with his family’s past sins, sins that prevent him from seeking the life he’s always envied and longed for. Annie thinks this is nonsense, too, and sets about bringing Meg and JT together, but nothing is ever as easy as it sounds.

When a coal company makes plans to begin mining the mountain, Meg and JT find themselves in the middle of the battle between those who consider it progress and those who see it as the end of a way of life. Greed rears its head, people are hurt and lives are endangered, Meg’s most of all.

Giveaway Time!
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For news on upcoming books and other info be sure to check out Jacqueline at her

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Review: Twilight Hunger by Maggie Shayne

Title: Twilight Hunger (Wings in the Night #7)
Author: Maggie Shayne
Source: Self Purchased
Genre: Paranormal Romance (Vampire)
Length: Novel
Release Date: September 1, 2006
Reviewer: Jasmyn

When struggling screenwriter Morgan DeSilva uncovers the ancient leather diaries in the attic of an old house in Maine, she is swept into the seductive world of a long-dead madman who had believed himself a vampire. Now, though Dante's story has made her rich and famours, Morgan is wasting away.  At night she dreams of him, an erotic fantasy so real she can see the marks on her neck, feel her life's blood draining from her.  Almost as if he were real... "He comes to her at night.  Watching her.  Wanting her."

She is one of The Chosen.  She can be his, if he desires.  And he desires it so much that he is filled with a terrible fear.  He knows that his kiss can save her from destiny's curse, and from the enemies who stalk them both.  But to save her, he must trust her.  With his life.  With his love.  With the promise of immortality.

Maggie Shayne's Wings in the Night is one of my all time favorite vampire series so far.  The world builing is so perfect and the characters flawed in just the right ways.  Book seven takes us away from the group we have seen throughout the rest of the series, so it's a great place to start if you want to jump in at the middle.  There are actually two stories that intertwine in this one.  We have Morgan DeSilva and Dante, and we have Mad Maxie and her group of friends.  They collide about half way through is a totally unexpected way that completely changed what I thought was going to happen.  It was a perfect twist (especially since it happened earlier in the book than most.)

Morgan DeSilva comes of as a bit of a bitch and I almost didn't like her at first. But then she realizes that Dante is a real person (err vampire) and a whole new side of her shows through.  As a very old vampire, Dante is fighting his own personal issues as well.  One being his sire, Sarafina.  We are intriduced to her in the very first sentence and I hope that there might be more about her in a future book.

Mad Maxie was the perfect personality counter to Morgan.  A happy girl that loved her some conspiracy theories - but only the kind that were true.  Max plays a key part in every page of the book, even when she isn't really there.  I hope there's more about her soon as well.  I believe it's a good sign when a book ends with a HEA for my main characters and I hope for more more more because the secondary ones are so wonderful.  Unfortunately that was also the draw back in the book.  They sometimes stole a little too much of the spotlight from the main couple.

There are seventeen books in the Wings in the Night series and I'm slowly working my way through them.  I want them to last awhile.

Review: THE DARE: The Chronicles of Katrina (Book One) by Karin Tabke

THE DARE: The Chronicles of Katrina (Book One) by Karin Tabke 

Author: Karin Tabke   

Source:  I received a copy from the author via Net Galley for an honest review.

Genre:  Erotica

Length: eNovella

Reviewed by:   Artemis           

THE DARE is a contemporary erotic romance with the signature Tabke hot cop. 

THE DARE

I dare you…

Dr. Katrina Winslow has always known who she is; an elite scientist, a certifiable genius and ultra-reserved when it comes to love and relationships. So when a simple game of truth or dare offers the cool doctor the opportunity to shed her lab coat and glasses and put on a pair of sexy stilettos, she accepts the dare. But will shedding her inhibitions fulfill her every desire and help her discover if she can be truly daring or will it cost her everything?

Two men, one a sexy stranger, and a night of no holds barred passion…

What would you dare to do?

THE DARE: The Chronicles of Katrina (Book One) by Karin Tabke

***Author’s Note: This is book one of a four part series.***

Review: Bad Mouth by Angela McCallister

Title: Bad Mouth

Author: Angela McCallister

Source: Author request in exchange for an honest review

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Length: ebook 247 pages

Publisher: May 20th 2013 by Entangled: Covet

Reviewer: Cerridwen

After her ex-husband’s obsession with vampires, Valerie Craig is on a mission to stop transformations. Of all vampires, Kade Rollins is the worst of the worst, but when multiple murders plague Seattle, Val is forced to enlist his aid. Kade’s crude wit and seductive nature attract her like no other, but she can’t ignore his violence toward his human servants, no matter her yearning to forget.

She’s torn when she learns Kade may be behind the murders. Val's worked hard to protect humans from vampires, but the truth surrounding the murders could ignite a bloody battle between their races, one humans are sure to lose. Someone is pulling strings to build a vampire army and spark the war—setting Kade up to kick it off. But if she trusts the vampire prince, she risks her job, her integrity, and her heart if he betrays her as all the men in her life have.

I was hooked with this one from the first 2 pages. McCallister was able to take the characters and the vision and make it light hearted without loiosing the seriousness of the plot. When I laugh one minute and clench thighs the next , yippee its a good book.

Valerie is a strong independant woman that is hell bent on making sure she keeps a professional composure about the investigation. In comes Kade. The dark vamp with the mouth that wont stop spurting off exactly what he thinks and in words that burns her ears. In turn that burning starts to ignite a fire that neither of them can help.

She is constantly telling him to watch his mouth and the lack of romantic words during forplay is hilarious. At least to me it was.

Things get difficult because Valerie is full blooded human and she has sworn off vamps in all ways. Kade is able to sneak his way in though and things change for him as well. Watching him melt away that tough personna was great.

McCallister was also able to create a new type of vampire world.  I am always on the watch for how an author can create a new world and not make it seem like things have been stolen from other books. She has done well with this.

Totally recommend this is you like dark haired vamps that don't hold back when they talk to you. ENJOY!!

Monica McCarty’s Highland Giveaway Celebration! Enter to win books 1-6’Giveaway!

This is a Random House giveaway. 2 lucky US winners will receive books 1-6 of the Highland Guard series, so please fill out the rafflecopter to enter. 

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Review: Eternity (Immortals & Magick #1) by: Teresa Federici

Title: Eternity  (Immortals & Magick #1)
Author: Teresa Federici
Source: Review Request 
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 571 pages Paperback
Reviewed by: Emi 

**I received a copy of this book for an honest review**

Anna Greer is a quiet microbiologist with her feet planted firmly in reality. Her life gets turned upside down when she finally meets her elusive employer, Gareth Macgregor. Gareth is mysterious, sexy, powerful…and a vampire.

Soon she's drawn into a world she only thought was mythical, creatures and beings that existed only in nightmares that turn out to be very real.

Anna and Gareth are drawn together in a fight for their lives and Anna finds that there is a part of her that has lain dormant since her childhood, a power that could save them, or mark them for death.

Gareth’s powerful enemy would stop them from finding what Gareth has been trying to find for centuries—a cure for vampirism and a love that transcends time.

I thought Eternity was a great read! If I could have skipped out on some sleep to finish it, I would have.

Anna is a microbiologist trying to find a cure or at least a breakthrough for the disease XP, which is what her mother died from. Coincidentally it is the same disease that her employer suffers from and is secretly working on but for different reasons, he’s a vampire. When Anna meets Gareth she is drawn to him in ways she can’t even believe or explain to herself. While trying to figure out what’s going on with the whole infatuation with Gareth, she finds herself being stalked by someone else too. And as she was working late one evening, her lab is broken into and she is attacked. The sense of being watched and of odd things going on around her and Gareth’s mysteriousness,  bring her back to her childhood when she would “see” things and her mother would chalk it up to an overactive imagination. But now that she is older she’s not quite sure if she can do the blame game anymore, so she does some research. Here is where we are introduced to Teagan & Harley, I love these ladies, they confirm Anna’s suspicion about Gareth and let her know what she truly is and help her grow her powers a bit. Anna is thrown into a world she never thought existed or at least hoped it didn't  and on top of that she’s in the middle of a feud between Vampire and maker. With all of the attacks and Anna’s lack of control for her new found power, Gareth enlists the help of an old friend, Noah. They all work together, though begrudgingly for some of them, to help Anna and beat Gareth’s evil maker.

I loved all of the characters in Eternity, even the enemies. It was a great read and I am definitely looking forward to reading the next one.   

Bewitching You by Viola Estrella: Book Trailer!!

A love spell gone wrong. An interfering ghost. A nosy mind-reading grandmother. And a psychic man-hating mother. To say Sofia Good's life is a mess might be the understatement of the century. But when her visions forecast a love worth fighting for, she's willing to do just about anything to meet the man of her dreams.

 See more by Viola Estrella at http://violaestrella.com/

Review: WEREWOLF WEDDING by L. VanHorn

WEREWOLF WEDDING

Author:    L. VanHorn       

Source:  I received a copy from the Author for an honest review

Genre:  Erotic PNR

Length:  Novella

Reviewed by: Artemis 

             

Upon arriving at the castle of her sister's intended, Wisia can't help but wallow in jealousy. Her little sister, Varina, gets to marry for love while she had to marry a horrid dosser of a man to better her parents' standing in their pack. But, dutiful sister that she is, she is determined that Varina have the best wedding the kingdom has ever seen.

Letters exchanged in the planning of the wedding with her sister's new pack's liaison, Gerik, can't begin to prepare Wisia for meeting him. He takes her breath away, and so much more. Planning together in person proves to be a challenge that leads them both to delicious distraction. It doesn't help that her sister seems to be arranging for her to spend every moment possible with the man.

As the wedding arrives what started as a tryst becomes something much more, something that becomes even more complicated at the traditional reception orgy. Will she be able to walk away from the only man who has ever touched both her and her wolf, making her feel like a complete woman?

Contains explicit sex.

Review: At War in the Willows Trilogy By: Kiki Howell

Title: At War in the Willows Trilogy 
Author: Kiki Howell
Source: Review Request
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: 326 pages PDF
Reviewed by: Emi 

**I received a copy of this book for an honest review**

What chances could you take to keep your true love with you forever? 

Would you go against the rules of society, your family and risk everything you have ever known? 

Would you go to any length to save the one you love, even if what must be done could possibly cause their death? 

The Willows is a resort town run by vampires, werewolves and witches. Here, their true identities are kept secret from humans, and intimate relations between the individual clans are strictly forbidden. 

When it becomes known that the vampire Amberlyn has fallen in love with the werewolf Kane, the tedious line of their co-existence has been crossed. Caught in the crossfire of this revelation, Drake, the vampire clan leader and Amberlyn’s maker, is killed along with an innocent witch. These deaths spark a series of horrific events leading to an all out War In The Willows. 

Unexpected close encounters, bodies ripe with need, and situations beyond their control lead to forbidden relationships. Now three vampires, a witch, a werewolf and a human must ride along the edges of the rules. They will attempt once unthinkable romantic entanglements despite all those who oppose their relationships, while fighting for their lives as well. 

With the Willows full of violence and bloodshed, meetings and magic amiss, will the clans ever be able to find peace among them again? Or, will this war destroy the Willows? 

In Book 1, Amberlyn’s vampire brother, Isaac, always one to kick ass first and deal with the consequences later, kidnaps a witch, Winter. He intends to find out what type of retaliation the witch clan is planning against the vampires and werewolves. In doing so, he finds so much more then he bargained for. 

By Book 2, Isaac and Winter devise a plan to try to get the Elders of the clans talking peacefully. But, things don’t go as they’d hoped, and the fighting between the clans becomes more devious – deadly. Now, Devin, another vampire of Drake’s making, steps in to help pick up some of the pieces. 

When Book 3 begins, it is Devin who hides the biggest secret; he’s in love with a local human. In a moment of desperation – of love – Devin sweeps this human, Sara, away to his home in order to keep her out of harm’s way. 

*Sighs* Forbidden love, is there anything more romantic than that?!

I think this is the most romantic novel I've ever read. 

So obviously I have a very weird view of romance since this trilogy is full of action and crazy witches and other supes who love to stir the crazy pot, but the love between the main characters in each story is amazing! True love cannot and should not be stopped because of physical differences between two people. This trilogy hits home in quite a few ways. For people like me who are in interracial relationships and for people of the same sex, we all struggle with this kind of judgment and prejudices. It just made me love the book even more. It has a very interesting plot and is full of action, and the steamy parts are very nice ;).  The first story is with Isaac & Winter and where the plot is introduced.  His sister Amberlyn, who is a vampire, falls in love with a werewolf, we normally see this in other novels, but here in the Willows it is strictly forbidden. The Willows is a resort town where plenty of humans come and go and the ones that live there are kept in the dark of the true identities of the supernturals. And a place where Vampires, Werewolves, and Witches coexist with a truce of sorts, but are strictly forbidden to engage in, and have relationships with each other. Isaac is on his way back to the Willows because he receives word from his Vampire Grandfather that his maker Drake has been murdered. Once there, he plans to get all of the information he needs by any means necessary, and this is how he encounters Winter. While trying to find out what has happened and what the other clans have planned, he starts to develop feelings for her. But because a love between a Vampire and a witch is not only, not allowed it would also bring more trouble to the impending war between the clans, so he tries to ignore his feelings. While trying to figure out how to go about this relationship with each other, violence starts to break out in the Willows. Isaac & Winter along with the help of Amberlyn, Kane and their grandparents, work together to  try to prevent the situation from escalating in front of humans.  But he can no longer deny his love for Winter, so he finally gives into it and tries to figure out a way to work thru this hard time in the Willows. The second installment is the story of Amberlyn and Kane. Here we find out how they started and what happened when they came out into the open. Isaac & Winter try to find a peaceful way to bring the clans together and have a meeting of the leaders and Elders to defuse the situation and compromise on new laws for the clans, so they enlist the attendance of Kane & Amberlyn. But things get out of control once the witches start scheming again. We’re also introduced to Devin in this installment, another vampire sibling of Isaac and Amberlyn. The third installment is about Devin & Sara, he is a vampire but his love interest is actually worse than Amberlyn and Isaac, he’s in love with a human. I have to say that I loved all three of these stories but Devin’s is my favorite. I almost teared up with this one.  They spend a night together and they both feel the same way about each other. It just tore me up to read how much they wanted and loved each other but couldn't be together, that they were saying goodbye even though they didn't want to. The fighting between the clans continues but it seems to be escalating to the point of no return. This group of crazy witches has really done a number on the town, the clans, and even the innocent bystanders. But will the town survive?  

I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy, and definitely recommend it! 

Review: Furious Lust by Elise Hepner

Title: Furious Lust

Author: Elise Hepner

Source: Author Request in exchange for an honest review

Published: January 25th, 2013

Published by: Secret Cravings Publishing

Reviewed by: Cerridwen 

One mistake can change a life—let alone an eternity.

Tisiphone’s a revenge demon working for Hades in the Underworld torturing damned souls. When she escapes for three days under the sun with a human male, her leash is pulled tight. Tisiphone’s banished from the Underworld to Earth and stripped of her demonic powers. But that’s not what drives her horrendous nightmares.

Cithaeron’s human life was dedicated to revenge, until a demon walked into it. The wickedly intense, sensually destructive Tisiphone takes over his life with probing questions and haunting caresses. It’s over in a blink. After centuries of torture in Limbo, Hades brings him back for a judgment call that could change their intertwined lives—dead or alive.

Their future is in their past. Their lust can burn each other to the ground. But they’ve got to learn to work together or they’ll both go to Hell for good.

The concept for this book was great. I love the fact that there is mythology worked into it without making it too historical.  The characters are strong and struggle with thier past lives while trying to adjust to the new ones they've been forced to take.
This book came in spurts for me ( no puns intended I promise). The beginning was really good, then it dwelled off a bit. A little later got good again. I think for me it was missing some descriptive elements. It became hard to "see" characters and where they were.
The sex scenes were very hot, steamy, and painful. Not painful in a bad way but in a very good way if your into that type of thing. (wink wink, LOL)
Overall I would recommend this book for a quick read. As I said the concept was good, just needed a bit more for me.



Review: The Devil's Heart by Cathy Maxwell

Title: The Devil's Heart (The Chattan Curse #3)
Author: Cathy Maxwell
Sourse: FirstReads
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Length: Novel
Release Date: April 30, 2013
Reviewer: Jasmyn

They call her the Unattainable. Lady Margaret Chattan spurned every suitor for her hand, vowing never to marry. The only way to break the curse plaguing her family for two centuries is this ultimate sacrifice. But now her brothers' lives are in danger. Determined to save them, she risks her very soul by traveling into the heart of the highlands to battle a force that has transcended time.

Heath Macnachtan is not superstitious. Laird of the most independent, nonconforming, madly infuriating clan ever to grace Scotland, he believes he has his hands full. And then, a woman lauded as one of the most beautiful in England, arrives on his doorstep with wild accusations and a mystical quest . . . one that just might help him discover who murdered his own brother.

But the real danger for Heath and Margaret is not a supernatural foe, but a very real love that could destroy them both.

The Devil's Heart was a fun quick read, but it did leave something a little lacking.  I couldn't seem to connect to the main characters very well.  Lady Margaret Chattan has earned the name Unattainable by snubbing her nose at all potential suitors.  But she often complains about how alone she is.  While I very much  look up to her for decision to hunt down the sourse of the curse on her family, I wondered throughout the whole story why it took the family so long to try and fix it?

Heath Macnachtan is a somewhat typcial Scottish Laird.  He cares for his family, his people, his land, and the rest can be damned.  Until he meets Margaret.  One of my absolute favorite scenes (and recurring joke throughout the story) was the scene where the met outside his house and "argued" for the first time.  It was very memorable and unique and I wish the rest of the story had kept that feeling.

As a lover of paranormal, I would have liked to see a little more of the witch and the curse manifested along the way.  At times I was almost able to forget that it was "real" as it disappeared from the forefront of the storyline.  This was a very well-written and thought out story - I think I was just expecting something a little different and something a little more paranormal.

Review: Fifty Shades of Alice Through the Looking Glass by Melinda DuChamp

Title: Fifty Shades of Alice Through the Looking Glass (Fifty Shades of Alice Trilogy #2)
Author: Melissa DuChamp
Source: Self Purchased
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella
Release Date: August 17, 2012
Reviewer: Jasmyn

FIFTY SHADES OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND WAS JUST THE BEGINNING...
Eighteen year old Alice recently had an unprecedented erotic experience.  But her adventures have only just begun to heat up.

NOW SHE MUST TRAVEL THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS...
After breaking up with her boyfriend, Lewis, Alice enters a strange fantasy world where every pleasure - no matter how kinky - is indulged.

INTO TOTAL ECSTASY!! WITH TWO EXCLAMATION POINTS!!
Alice is subjected to amorous escapades beyond her wildest dreams, and taken to the very limit of her sexual endurance.

During her carnal encounters with all manner of men and woman, she is teased to tears by a bondage master, thoroughly used in a three way, enlightened to the sensual joys of a female touch, taken to a sex shop to test different erotic toys, given several special piercings, and is dragged to the HDO where she must fight the frumious Jabbercocky to save all of Looking Glass Land.  And you know what we mean by "fight"...

This is for those with dark desires, who wish to explore erotic excess beyond the plain vanilla of everyday life.  Follow Alice through the looking glass, if you dare...

Some may argue that this is not a romance.  I would argue very differently.  There is a heroine and a hero (even if we don't see a whole lot of him). The couple must overcome an obstacle in order to be together (Alice's closed-mindedness).  And of course there must be a HEA - and is there ever!! 

Alice's adventure begins with her favorite white rabbit again and she is instantly thrust into a new and exciting world.  The book (which is quite glad to be an ebook instead of a regular book you might trip over if it happened to be lying on the floor) is filled with wonderful puns and even occasionally makes a joke at its own expense.  Yes, the book knows it's a book.  The style of writing is priceless and so very much fun to read.  Alice must learn to be more open minded about people before she can become a Queen and return home.

We see a few of our favorite characters: Humpty Dumpty, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and a very unusual version of the Jabberwocky - all presented with their own very unique twist.  If you haven't read this series, I would definitely tell you to add it to your "must read" list.  The only downfall is there was supposed to be a third book that has not yet been released.

Review: Memory of an Immortal Heart by Kita Bell

Title: Memory of an Immortal Heart
Author: Kita Bell
Source: Author Request
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novel
Release Date: May 5, 2013
Reviewer: Jasmyn

One night, driving on an abandoned road in rural Vermont, Brand Kade's deepest instincts stir when he finds a beautiful silver-eyed female lying naked in the snow.

Like Brand, Eva is a Kaspian - an immortal shape-shifting blood tiger.  And like Brand, Eva is haunted by her past.  When it becomes apparent that the ruthless woman who kidnapper and tortured Eva wants her back, Brand knows he must protect her.

Eva may be immortal, but in her short life she's learned that forever doesn't last - especially when it comes to those she loves.  All Eva has left is her sister, who she must return to.  But for once, Eva hesitates: for she is not certain she can leave so easily.  Not when it is Brand she is leaving behind.

And Brand has a secret of his own he is keeping from Eva, a secret that draws on all his memories of the past: Eva is his amati.  Eva is Brand's "forever".

When their desire explodes, neither Brand nor Eva are prepared for passions that drive them beyond all the wildest expectations of the immortal heart.

July Top Picks

Hi everyone! We here at Bitten thought it's be nice for you to be able to see what our top staff picks were for a month in one convenient location.
So allow me to introduce Monthly Top Picks! This is were the books that we though were the best of the best in the last month of reviewing will be found. Now not all reviews will be able to submit due to time constraints and living a life, but we hope that you enjoy what will be offered!

For the month of July we have.......

Caroledee's pick

Captive by K.M. Fawcett

AN IMPOSSIBLE JOURNEY

The last thing Addy Dawson remembers is a blazing inferno and freezing river water overtaking her lungs. When she awakens, Addy finds herself on a strange, alien planet, trapped in a cell with no doors, no windows-- and to her horror-- a naked warrior who claims to be her mate.

AN UNDENIABLE PASSION

An alpha gladiator, Max is forced to breed and produce the finest specimens for the Survival Race, a deadly blood sport created by the alien rulers of Hyborea. To rebel means torture - or worse - yet Max refuses to become the animal his captors want him to be. But their jailors will not be denied, and soon Addy and Max find themselves unwilling players in this cruel game. Pushed to the limit, they will risk everything for the chance at a life free from captivity. And though fate brought them together as adversaries, Max and Addy will discover that when they're together, there's nothing in the universe that can stop them .

Jasmyn's Pick:

Hunted Dreams by Elle Hill

Her history, her whereabouts, her name: She knows nothing.  Nothing but her current reality: a constant stream of horrific, surrealistic scenarios in which she fights not only monsters and unseen attackers but also her own pain and despair.

Reed Jayvyn is an ex-Army vet, penniless and living in his truck.  After saving a young man from attackers, he finds himself embroiled in a superhuman drama between the Broschi and the Clan, two groups engaged in a centuries-long war.  Worse, he finds he is on of the - a Broschi, a psychic vampire that feeds off the pain of humans.  But Reed's greatest surprise comes each night, when he finds himself dreaming of a fierce, nameless woman.

She is dreaming.  So says the handsome man who uses his heretofore latent psychic ability to flicker in and out of her dreamscape.  With Reed's help, she slowly learns more about who she is, why she is here, what trauma in her past keeps her locked inside her mind.  Meanwhile, Reed explores his own heritage,discovering enemies and allies in unexpected places.

But most important to Reed is freeing this woman caught in an endless loop of nightmares, someone he considers in every way to be the woman of his dreams.

Emi's Pick:
  Gone with the Wolf by Kristin Miller

CEO and alpha werewolf Drake Wilder has given up the search for his one true love. When he discovers that she’s a secretary in his company, Drake’s primal instincts kick into overdrive. 

What he wouldn’t give to have her fingers rake over his body instead of the keyboard… 

Free-spirited bartender Emelia Hudson wants nothing more than to make her Seattle-based bar succeed. But when profits decline, she slips into a dress suit and secures a nine-to-five. After learning that her bar has become property of Wilder Financial, Emelia is determined to get some answers. 

Two can play the ruthless business game. If only her attraction to the boss wasn’t so intense… 

When Drake’s twin brother senses that Drake has found his match—and now inherits their father’s billion dollar estate—he hatches a plan to take Emelia out. Drake vows to protect her at all costs, but he might have to pay with his own life.

Laurie's Pick:
  Desires of a Dark Lord by Jae Lynne Davies 

Ordered to claim the soul of a particular human woman, rare incubus demon, Ronan accepts the challenge with the promise of power and freedom.

He meets his target—curvaceous attorney, Ginevra Gimes and vows to deliver her every desire so long as she promises her soul in return. But when the two connect on a level neither one expects, Ginevra and Ronan succumb to mutual passion.

While an undeniable bond exists between them, can he surrender her to another or will he risk eternal slavery to claim her for himself?