The Pleasure Of Your Kiss by Teresa Medeiros

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Historical Romance

Publisher: Pocket Books

My Copy: Sent

Ashton Burke is a legendary adventurer who has spent the past ten years roaming the globe to forget the girl he left behind. His devil-may-care life is interrupted when he’s hired to rescue his brother’s kidnapped fiancée from a sultan’s harem. Too late, he discovers she is none other than Clarinda Cardew, the very same girl who made off with his jaded heart a decade ago.

The last thing Clarinda wants is to be trapped in a palace of sensual delights with the man whose irresistible kisses still haunt her sleepless nights. Although he vows he is only doing his job, Clarinda quickly realizes that allowing Ashton to rescue her may put her yearning heart in even greater peril. In a journey that takes them from the delicious intrigues of a sultan’s court to the glittering ballrooms of London, Ashton and Clarinda resume the steps of their dangerous dance only to discover the most seductive pleasure of all may be love itself

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Ashton wants nothing more then to ignore his estranged brothers pleadings to find his kidnapped fiance. When he finds out the fiance in question in the beautiful Clarinda, though he definitely wants nothing to do with it. She is someone from his past that he really doesn’t want to deal with. He goes after her to find not only her but to finally try to make amends with his brother. When seeing Clarinda brings back old feelings, Ashton starts to wonder if Clarinda is with the right brother after all.

Making the best of things is something Clarinda excels at. She did the entire time she was growing up. Winning people over and making friends has never been hard. Now, kidnapped and engaged to a sultan she is trying to make the situation better…until she can get away. She never expected her savior to be the one man she swore she never wanted to see again.

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The Pleasure of Your Kiss is an extremely lushly written historical romance that is sure to please lovers of the genre. Medeiros perfectly blends the language of the time with plenty of emotion. I enjoyed this one for the most part. Clarinda and Ashton were well matched and their push and pull between them worked well.

Clarinda wants nothing more then to forget the rake that is Ashton. After their torid, young love affair he had promised to wait for her and he broke that promise. Years later she is set to marry his brother. I found that odd. Even though Ashton and his brother are estranged there has to be a chance that the man you swear you don’t want to see will come around. It fit well into the plot though so I figure that’s what the author was going for.

So Clarinda and her best friend get kidnapped on their way to meet with her fiance and in turn he calls on his brother to go rescue her, not knowing of their scandalous past. Ashton wants to turn down the job simply because he is under the impression she did not wait for him and not the other way around. Misinformation all around folks.

The sultan that has taken Clarinda declares he is to marry her and add her to his harem of brides. He is not completely what he seems and though he comes off like a jerk the majority of the book, in the end he is surprising. I liked his character and his begrudging ways. Not many characters can pull off evil to decent and yet Medeiros managed to make me care about him and understand his flaws and position he has to uphold.

I think my main dislike was that while I liked the characters, the whole thing was just sort of predictable. I always seemed to know what was going to happen one step in front of when I read it. Because of that I didn’t have this great love for Ashton and Clarinda. I liked them yes, but I didn’t love them. I didn’t have that tingle that I get when I’m so involved in a book that I can’t put it down.

Lovers of historical romance should really enjoy The Pleasure of Your Kiss. From regency England to the sultry desert surroundings lush with riches this book will take you on a journey of discovery, of reigniting past loves and of finding yourself along the way.

 

I give The Pleasure Of Your Kiss by Teresa Medeiros 3.50 stars!

Darker Angels by M.L.N. Hanover (The Black Sun’s Daughter #2)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Pocket Books

My copy: Sent

In the battle between good and evil, there’s no such thing as a fair fight.

When Jayné Heller’s uncle Eric died, she inherited a fortune beyond all her expectations — and a dangerous mission in a world she never knew existed. Reining in demons and supernatural foes is a formidable task, but thankfully Jayné has vast resources and loyal allies to rely on. She’ll need both to tackle a bodyswitching serial killer who’s taken up residence in New Orleans, a city rich in voodoo lore and dark magic.

Working alongside Karen Black, a highly confident and enigmatic ex-FBI agent, Jayné races to track down the demon’s next intended host. But the closer she gets, the more convinced she becomes that nothing in this beautiful, wounded city is exactly as it seems. When shocking secrets come to light, and jealousy and betrayal turn trusted friends into adversaries, Jayné will soon come face-to-face with an enemy that knows her all too well, and won’t rest until it has destroyed everything she loves most….

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Receiving a middle of the night phone call from a desperate ex-FBI agent shouldn’t have been run of the mill. For Jayné though, it’s becoming average. Fresh off taking down a rider infestation Jayné gets pulled back into the fray with one phone call. Karen Black needs her help finding a serial killer rider in New Orleans with very little time to spare. Karen is everything Jayné wishes she could be and with the clock winding down they need to work together to save the life of a upcoming voodoo priestess.

Along with her band of merry men, Jayné will learn more about her uncles past, and more about riders intentions. With second chances being slim and deceptions running high, Jayné will need all the help she can get. Including those that come from an unlikely source. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

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Ok…wow. There is something magical about this series that makes me tune out everything around me and simply get lost in a different world. Once I pick one up I can’t put it down till it’s done, and even then it’s on my mind for hours afterward. Hanover has created a world in which nothing is what it seems and everyone may be out to get you.

Darker Angels picks up a few months after Unclean Spirits ends. We find Jayné and the guys in Athens, Greece going through Eric’s vast empire of properties looking for information to add to their growing catalog of information. Right off the bat you can tell they are exhausted, and yet Jayné takes a case that involves quite a bit of energy and know how. I understood her willing to help but thought it was a bad idea to jump head first into something while you’re still in the middle of researching Erics things. I think she may have a bit of adult ADD in that respect. Throughout the course of the book she has to take a good long look at herself. First by wanting to be like Karen. Then be realizing that she is who she is and she has to make things work or risk her team falling apart of ending up dead. She needs to step up and be in charge.

Aubrey and Jayné’s conflicting emotions play a big part in her journey of self discovery. She takes a long look into why she had issues with his separation from his wife, and why after so many months she still hadn’t given him the divorce papers his estranged wife had left in her care. Growing up in such a strict household played a part as well as secrets from her past that finally come to light.

Ex, I felt horribly bad for. It’s been obvious from the start that he has a thing for Jayné though she is completely naive and clueless to his feelings. Him and her have a lot in common, mainly their inability to not blame themselves for the actions and reactions of everyone around them. They both shoulder the blame for everything and at times it can get a bit trying because it seems like they spend a good chunk of the book having to be told they are not to blame for every little thing that happens to the group. He is terribly human and that makes him flawed though he tends to believe he isn’t. This one proves that he can’t see anything blinded be emotion.

Jake is strangely quiet the majority of the time. It can be hard to read him because his face is a master of not changing expression. He is integral to the plot though and without him I think Jayné would crack under the pressure. He grounds her and allows her free reign of her emotions when they talk. He offers advice when needed and a shoulder to cry on. I often hope he gets some booty at some point because, honestly, he deserves some happiness. We do find a bit more about his background in Darker Angels and he becomes a sounding board for Aubrey in his time of conflict as well. After this one, they will have a few more things in common.

Unlike other urban fantasy’s I’ve read, Jayné isn’t all puppies, kittens and rainbows. She sees the world as it truly is. Maybe she doesn’t understand a lot of it yet…but she acknowledges it and respects it. She’s quickly learning that even though her uncle Eric went it alone, that he could have been so much more if he’d had the help of true friends. That maybe, even though he was the expert, Jayné has a better chance at succeeding because of what resources she has available to her.

I want to know more! I have a feeling based on this and the past book that Jayné hasn’t even scratched the surface of who or even what she is. There is something inside of her and I highly doubt her uncle put it there with his magical wards. She seems oblivious to the clues everyone is giving her to look within herself for the power the riders seem to fear in her. Her mysterious tattoo may even be the key.

 

I give Darker Angels by M.L.N. Hanover 5 stars! 

The Last Awakening by Rachel Firasek (Curse Of The Phoenix #2)

Available: Amazon/B&N

Type: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

My Copy: Blog Tour

For three hundred years, Arabella’s life has been one meaningless death after another. In a cruel twist of fate, Osiris–god of the Underworld–gifts the phoenix her mortality and returns her voodoo magic. If she fails to harness her wayward magic and save a man worthy of a second chance, she’ll forfeit her power and her soul–forever.

Ex-soldier Greyson Meadows desperately wants to be freed from the nightmares and guilt that haunt him after the tragedy that brought him and Ari together. Confronted by the waif of a woman who forces him to face his worst fears, he resists, fighting the need to keep his personal demons hidden instead of setting them free.

When Ari becomes the target of her own magical blunder, it’s not just her life in danger, but now the one of the man she loves.

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Ari has been waiting years to be free of her Phoenix but now that it is happening she doesn’t much like the odds. Her last job ended in the horror of dead bodies. All but one. She did her job and saved the soul she was sent after, but he isn’t out of the woods just yet. Greyson was broken long before the near death experience and now he is in danger of sinking into oblivion. Oblivion named alcohol. If sri is to truly save this remarkable man, she will have to use all her tricks. Including letting her heart finally guide her again.

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Oh my goodness, how I loved this novella! Rachel Firasek has a dedicated reader in this girl! I really liked the first novella in this series, The Last Rising, and this one took it a step further and was even better!

The best thing about Rachel’s work is that she blends paranormal aspects with real life believability that I don’t find in many authors. Ari is several hundred years old voodoo priestess who had been sentenced to life as a Phoenix by the God Osiris after a botched attempt to save a ailing person in her village resulted in the death of everyone instead. Her vulnerability was astounding for a woman who is essentially a calling card of death. She has never been able to forgive herself for the accident in her village and even though she saves one soul each time she is reborn, others aren’t so lucky.

Greyson was a really complex character for a novella but I instantly liked him. A war veteran who had lost his unit in a ambush attack, he drowned his sorrows in the bottle. Constantly drinking to ease his pain. Just when he is starting to make a recovery from the pain of his PTSD, he is involved in a incident at the dorner store that leaves him the only survivor….again. He is a guarded character who believes he isn’t worth anyones time or affection. Certainly not worthy of the beautiful Ari.

Both Ari and Greyson has some major baggage. Ari, having been released from her Phoenix, only has a limited time to help Greyson heal from his past. Greyson completely stubborn and not wanting any help to ease his pain. I felt for them. Their conversations felt true and had it not been for the paranormal, completely normal.

I hope the next book stars Osiris…because wow. He is stoic, kinda crabby but in The Last Awakening we also see his softer, caring side. I find myself drawn to every word about him. *Hint hint* I NEED MORE OF HIM!

With each novella I read of Firasek’s, the better they become! I can’t wait for the next one! The Curse Of The Phoenix series is one that I recommend as a must read!

 

I give The Last Awakening by Rachel Firasek 5 stars!

Warrior’s Redemption by Melissa Mayhue (Warrior #1)

Available: Now Amazon/ B&N

Type: Paranormal-ish Romance

Publisher: Pocket Books

My Copy: Sent

Malcolm MacDowylt, laird of Clan MacGahan, is a man ruled by guilt. His wife’s death, his struggling clansmen, even his sister being held prisoner—all hangs on his shoulders. As a descendent of the Norse gods himself, he’s not surprised when his Faerie “mother-in-law” arrives determined to deliver justice for his treatment of her daughter. At least not until that justice appears in the form of a woman whose every look speaks to his very soul…A woman who claims to come from 700 years in the future.

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Malcolm, Laird of his Scottish clan has bigger problems then a visiting mother in law spouting off about fairies and magic. War is coming and his focus should rightfully be there. When his meddling mother in law Eleysria warns him of a girl who he must rescue he dares not to brush her off. Who he finds is Dani, a woman from the future with no idea how she came to be 700 years in the past, and in Malcolms strong embrace.

Dani never once believed that the fairy Goddess would send her to the past. She’s not quite sure she even believed the fairies were listening. Now she is stuck in historical Scotland with no way home. In order to throw off Malcolm’s evil half brother, she agrees to pretend they are betrothed to hopefully throw him off his game to take over Malcolms territory.  The problem with pretending is that, at some point, it becomes real.

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I’m not sure where to start this review. I really enjoyed the book but I can’t seem to get into words why exactly. You may just have to take my word on it. To start with I’m not quite sure what to label this book. It’s a mix of historical, contemporary and paranormal romance all rolled into one and usually that would annoy me. Melissa Mayhue makes it work and work well and so I ended up really liking the characters and their interactions.

Dani is our heroine. She is spunky and true to herself and her belief in fairies. Regardless of what others may think of her, she holds fast to her beliefs. On Halloween night she makes a plea to the fairy goddess to finally be rid of her boring life. To be taken to where she is needed, where her destiny is. She is beyond shocked when to fill her destiny she gets sent back to 700 years in the past. I loved watching how she adjusted to historical Scotland. How she reacted to Scottish Laird, Malcolm upon waking in his arms the first time. The girl has a mean punch! For a girl that should be rightfully confused with her surroundings, she is extremely brave and doesn’t hesitate when the people she is coming to care for are in danger. Included in those is Malcolm. Pretending to be engaged is one thing, but actually starting to feel like it is another.

Having already lost one wife, Malcolm doesn’t believe he can take care of anyone, let alone this woman claiming to be from the future. He bears the weight of a ton of pressure. With a war approaching, with his own brother, he spends a lot of time stressed out. His half brother leads a rival clan and Torquil isn’t known for his patience. He also has Malcolm’s sister, who he holds in high regard because of her visions. Malcolm knows he must get her back safely and soon before Torquil exploits her abilities for his own gain any further. Further complicating his life is his ex mother in law, Elesyria, who, along with the goddess, is the reason Dani has shown up in the first place. His reasoning tells him fairies aren’t real but the fact are screaming that they are. I liked his willingness to see outside the box and go with his gut. He isn’t fully healed from losing his wife and here comes Dani with her sassy mouth and directness that, as a laird, he isn’t used to people expressing.

I found Malcolm to be a highly engaging character. First off I have a thing for accents and Scottish, even in my head, sounds HOT. Secondly he stood up for what he believed in and when given the opportunity to buy his way out of a sticky situation, he instead surrendered myself. That’s just not something you see (or read) a lot of. I found the vulnerability endearing. On the flip side, upon hearing about his capture, Dani goes into warrior mode and become the heroic hero. The flip of roles was just flat out good reading.

Readers that enjoy a bit of a mix to their romance heavy on the time travel should really enjoy this one. It’s light-hearted and easy to read and I didn’t once find myself cursing the number of pages between the covers. There is very little sex and what there is feels more like a “fade to black” type of scene. I would say if anything I wanted more emotion. There are times that I didn’t feel the connection that was growing between Malcolm and Dani. I read the words but that spark was lost to me several times.

 

I give Warrior’s Redemption by Melissa Mayhue 4 stars! 

Bodyguard by Jennifer Ashley (Shifters Unbound #2.5)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Self Pub

My Copy: Bought

Elizabeth Chapman is saved from an armed robber by a giant Kodiak bear who shifts into a large, well-muscled, and fully bare human. But when it’s revealed that the robber is the brother of a dangerous criminal, Elizabeth finds herself the target of a vendetta.

Ronan, the Bear Shifter, takes her to Shiftertown, where she finds that mateless Ronan takes care of Shifters who have no families or clans of their own. Having grown up in foster care herself, Elizabeth can only admire how protective Ronan is, even while she chafes at the confinement.

But Ronan will only let her leave the safety of Shiftertown if he becomes her 24/7 bodyguard. Elizabeth finally agrees. The trouble is, the sassy human Elizabeth is triggering Ronan’s long-buried need to find himself a mate.

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Elizabeth doesn’t need anyone but her sister. She is the girls (well, woman now) protector and she insists on keeping it that way. Elizabeth learned a long time ago not to have faith in anyone but herself. Everyone else will turn on you given the chance. When her store is robbed and bear shifter, Ronan steps in to save her life, she assumes he must have an ulterior motive. Why else would he help? Watching him interact with other shifters and those he has taken under his..err wing…is changing her perspective about people and shifters a little at a time. Ronan doesn’t seem to want anything other then to keep her safe.

Being the foster father for bear cubs left on their own, Ronan already has his hands full. The feisty Elizabeth though needs his help and with the mate claim upon him, he vows to keep her safe at any cost. Getting her to understand is another problem entirely. Ronan isn’t interested in a few nights, he wants forever. Elizabeth needs to trust him if he is ever to win her heart.

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I was so excited when I saw the Pride Mates series had a novella out! Though to be honest, for a novella, this is quite long. However, since I am in love with this series, that didn’t matter to me at all! Ronan has made a few short appearances in the last two books, and I was intrigued them, so I am glad he got his own book. There is just something about bear shifters that I love. Dare I say they might be my favorite? Everyone loves a teddy bear right? These men are generally loners (hello, bears don’t travel in packs because they are bad ass and don’t need to), they want their space. They are big and can roar and tower over the biggest of the big cats. When you get them alone though, they are soft spoken and totally gentle and a girl just wants to say “awwww”. Ronan was no exception to any of these standards….and he was more. Oh so much more. I loved his instant devotion to Elizabeth and how he felt he needed to protect her when he knew virtually nothing about her. His affection and devotion carried over to his role of foster father to the misplaced bear cubs he had taken in and was caring for. He was lonely despite his surroundings and recognizing a mate in Elizabeth, his protection instincts quickly took over. Eerily calm at all times, he was scary and large and just a guy I fell in love with a bit myself.

 

I found Elizabeth to be a flawed character even though I did like her. She had run away from a bad relationship in her past and had essentially erased her identity. I found it hard to believe that a man with as many connections as her ex had, couldn’t figure out where she was all this time. Especially since the thug Julian found her out within days. I did like her protective notion as far as her sister went and thought her and Ronan were very much alike in that aspect. But, at times Elizabeth came off more as a controlling parent and less like a loving sister. She was very hard to warm up to people because of her foster home upbringing and I got that, but I wanted her to put her trust in Ronan and the shifters earlier then she did. Up until she made the decision to love Ronan, she was just completely mistrusting. Her pit pocketing ability was a quirky habit I enjoyed in her character and read well with her upbringing. Even though she was standoffish the majority of the book, I did enjoy her internal dialogue and her thought processing of the shifters. Her snarky comments were well timed and I enjoyed her personality.

Bodyguard is a great addition to the Pride Mates series and I am so glad I took the time to read it!

 

I give Bodyguard by Jennifer Ashley 4 stars!

Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis (Lucky Harbor #3)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Grand Central

My copy: Netgalley

Breaking rules and breaking hearts

Free-spirited Chloe lives life on the edge. Unlike her soon-to-be married sisters, she isn’t ready to settle into a quiet life running their family’s newly renovated inn. But soon her love of trouble–and trouble with love-draws the attention of the very stern, very sexy sheriff who’d like nothing better than to tame her wild ways.

Suddenly Chloe can’t take a misstep without the sheriff hot on her heels. His rugged swagger and his enigmatic smile are enough to make a girl beg to be handcuffed. For the first time, instead of avoiding the law, Chloe dreams of surrender. Can this rebel find a way to keep the peace with the straitlaced sheriff? Or will Chloe’s colorful past keep her from a love that lasts . . . and the safe haven she truly wants in a town called Lucky Harbor?

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Chloe is used to living her life safely, well…mainly. Her ambitious nature taken down by her severe asthma. She gets her kicks by daring herself to do things no asthma sufferer should be doing. Thrills from these adventures are what gets her through the days. That and her travels as a in demand spa treatments across the country.

Running the local inn they inherited, Chloe and her sisters are laying down their own roots in the small town of Lucky Harbor. Soon she is staying behind more often than traveling. Her thrills are coming in the form of the hard muscled town sheriff , Sawyer. The man ignites a breathlessness in her that has nothing to do with her medical condition.

Sawyer has no business falling for the reckless redhead, but unfortunately he can’t seem to get her out of his head. She is integrating herself into his stony emotional state and there is nothing he seems to be able to do about it. Suddenly the sheriff needs to not only worry about the criminals, but the state of his heart as well.

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It’s no secret I am a huge fan of Jill Shalvis. I try and read everything I can get my hands on by her and I find her writing to be highly engaging and realistic. Her characters often find themselves in funny moments and the conversation is often laced with wit and sarcasm.

I enjoyed Chloe because she wasn’t your typical heroine. She has some limitations that she certainly tries her best to make up for in other areas. Being severely asthmatic prevents her from  being as reckless as she wants to be. She definitely makes up for it in other areas though. She is a Vespa riding, adventure seeking, out spoken female that takes nothing from no one. In doing so though she has erected these emotional walls that not even her sisters have been able to breach. Having been raised be a free spirit mother who shied away from laying any roots down has had a affect on Chloe in her adult life. She has been unable to connect long term. Always wanting to continue with her out of state spa jobs and only sticking around home when absolutely needed. Chloe finds herself referring to Lucky Harbor as home and realizes that she has been running from the life she has wanted for years, but was scared to commit to.

Sawyer is a straitlaced Sheriff who has counted on his job to define him after his tumultuous teenage years. He has been trying to make up for his mistakes for years. Living only for the job. I rooted for him to make amends with his father after so many years. I wanted him to let Chloe in even before she realized that was what she wanted. They had a slow simmer that was based on friendship with mutual lust. He was portrayed as a hulking kind of man though I pictured more of the teddy bear variety. His readiness to take her asthma into account was so sweet, I melted just a little.

While I enjoyed the plot of Head Over Heels, I never felt the emotion I believe Shalvis was trying to get across. Sure, it was cute. I did find some parts to be long winded and easily skimable. I also didn’t think there was as much witty banter as I have found in her past work. I simply “liked” the characters and the book. I didn’t love it. Those who enjoy her past work will probably find this one ,if not love it. I simply wanted a bit more in the connection, banter and even the action. I did enjoy the criminal sub-plot and thought it was well played at the climax.

Head Over Heels is an easy going contemporary romance. Light hearted romance is a Shalvis specialty and those that love the Lucky Harbor series will undoubtedly enjoy Chloe and Sawyer’s story.

I give Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis 3.50 stars!

Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione (Lords Of Deliverance #2)

 

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Grand Central

My Copy: Sent and Bought

The signs are everywhere…disastrous world events. Evil rising up, unleashed upon the innocent. The prophecies were there…but no one listened. Until now. The time has come for those who can either usher in Doomsday…or prevent it. They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Arik Wagner, a soldier with the U.S. Army’s paranormal unit, the R-XR, kissed a girl and liked it. And then he went to hell as punishment. Where he’s spent weeks being tortured…and plotting revenge.

Limos, Horsewoman of the Apocalypse, isn’t your average girl. She’s immortal, dangerous, and her fiancé is Satan himself. In a moment of weakness, she gave in to her desire and kissed Arik, triggering her fiancé’s wrath – and his claim on her. In order to save Arik, and the world, Limos must make a dangerous pact with her recently turned evil brother, Pestilence. A deal that might just cost her her soul…and her heart.

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Limos has a lot of guilt and regret built up over her centuries of existence. Everything her brothers know of her is built on a lie. Satan’s bride is having some serious second thoughts. Starting with the human Arik. Something about him drives her crazy in a way she isn’t used to.

When a single kiss lands Arik in hell…literally…all he can think about is revenge. Revenge on the one woman who managed to crack his tight lidded emotions. Except Limos invades his nightly dreams and it’s the only thing that keeps him going through the torture.

Pestilence is stepping up his attempt to bring about the Apocalypse and outing his sister in his past sin will definitely help drive a wedge between her and the brothers. Limos and Arik must confront the past lies if they are ever to be happy with their future.

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Oh boy, where do I start? Should I go through bullet points about why I love Larissa Ione and her work? Or should I take the easy way out and just run screaming through the streets professing my undying love for this series? Well I just moved and am new in this neighborhood…so maybe I won’t do that. What would the neighbors think? They’d think I loved Larissa Ione’s work that’s what!

Immortal Rider was everything I expected it to be and oh so much more. If you can’t tell by this point, I flipping loved it. In Eternal Rider we met Ares and Cara and learned who the Horsemen are and what they were created for. Apocalypse. Death. War. Famine. Pestilence. With each seal that breaks one of them becomes their worst nightmare.

Immortal Rider brings us to the next sibling…Limos…the sole female horseman…err horsewoman? She has lived with centuries of guilt riding her over the way she came to know her brothers. These lies have chipped away at her resolve and even though she is no longer the person she was when she told them, they eat at her. As lies always do, they come back to haunt her when Pestilence threatens to expose everything to Ares and Thanatos about her past. A past that includes a hardened upbringing and an engagement to Satan himself. Not that she minded at the time. Now that she has essentially grown up though she’s realizing that isn’t who she wants to be.

Her and Arik together, oh my. There is something about the role reversal in this book that I adored. Limos being the strong immortal one and Arik being the human. I mean, Arik was probably the strongest human male ever, but still…just a human. How many men could be dragged to hell, tortured within an inch of their lives and still not break. I loved Arik so much. So strong and moral and ok ok, downright gorgeous.

Readers also get a more in-depth look into the myth and lore surrounding the Horsemen and what Pestilence is going to further the upcoming Apocalypse. I have no idea how Larissa is going to turn him around, but I KNOW Reseph is still in there somewhere. I KNOW IT…

I think the most interesting part of Immortal Rider is the romance. It’s completely unconventional in the respect that Limos can’t have sex. Her Satan made chastity belt of needle sharp points makes intercourse impossible..you know, unless the male is willing to lose their appendage shortly after it touches her. Shockingly most aren’t. Arik works around her belt with a resolve to solve its riddle and get her out of it…and her upcoming marriage. So without a lot of down and dirty nastiness, there is a sweetness with Limos as Arik learns she doesn’t have the experience he thought she did. Ok, there is some nastiness…but you know what I mean.

Immortal Rider is a great book and another win for Larissa Ione! I didn’t once scan over or skip anything. The connection with the characters is spot on and I felt like I really knew them. The Lords of Deliverance series is paranormal romance at its finest! If you haven’t read this series, then you are missing out on something epically wonderful!

I give Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione 5 stars!

Omega Mine by Aline Hunter (Alpha and Omega Shifters #1)

Available: Amazon/ B&N

Type: Erotic Romance

Publisher: Ellora’s Cave

My Copy: Bought

A bond forged in blood. Fealty given to the one he desires above all others.

Graced with the ability to shift into any form, Diskant Black is the absolute authority when it comes to New York shifters, and as the Omega of the city, his word is law. Protecting the shifter races is more than a job, it’s a predisposition ingrained since birth-nothing is more important.

Until a chance encounter with a tiny female sets fire to his blood, brings him to his knees and turns his world upside down. Ava Brisbane is more than he bargained for in a mate-beautiful, fragile . . . human. If he wants to keep her by his side, he’ll have to sacrifice a portion of his soul to establish a bond that can never be broken.

Unfortunately, the timing couldn’t be worse. Shepherds-hunters of all the shifter races-have arrived in New York. To protect the woman he can’t live without, Diskant will have to stand against those who have come to start a war.

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Being left alone is all Ava wants. To get her family heirloom back she has to do jobs on the side of a shady group of people intent on studying the supernaturals in her city. her unique ability to ride the minds of all but shifters makes her a asset the organization. One she tries her best to avoid. One attack in a dark alley leaves her extremely vulnerable and nearly a snack for a hungry vampire.

Diskant, the omega alpha of the city, never turns his back on a beautiful female in distress and he isn’t about to start now. The moment he sets his eyes on the female in question he knows he’s in trouble. He has finally found his mate, whether Ava knows it or not. Now he will stop at nothing to make her his forever. This is good news for Ava because there are factions out there that will be coming, and with Diskant by her side she will finally be safe.

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I really enjoyed this highly erotic shifter story! While the majority of the book is indeed erotic (lots and lots of sex sex sex), it actually has a good story going on in between all that smexing. It’s no secret I have a thing for alphas, in fact I’m highly vocal about it. While some women shy away from the borderline violent, demanding natures of these men, I scream from the sidelines…MORE!!! I love a man like Diskant that knows what he wants and he just takes it. To hell with whatever anyone else thinks. The woman needs convincing? Well, sure, seduce her until she is a puddle at your feet then take what is rightfully yours. Diskant isn’t taking no for an answer. To do so would only result in him being slowly driven crazy with wanting something he couldn’t have. So what we readers get is the slow sensual dance that occurs between a man and a woman that hasn’t choosen what she wants. His convincing Ava that he is her future, her only choice, and she will stay with him..wow, hot!

As a heroine I thought Ava stood well on her own. I never expected this tiny female to have as much spunk as she did. She was unafraid of things most people would run screaming for the hills about. I enjoyed her snarky nature and her ability to put Diskant in his place several times when he needed to be. The woman had her fundamentals and even if she bent a bit for Diskant she never gave up everything. Her telekinetic abilities were useful and once she got used to Diskant were well played by her. I hope we get to find out more about her growing abilities in later books as it was left kind of open like more would be available later.

In Omega Mine the readers get a chance to meet a bunch of other characters who are just itching for their own books I’m sure. They need their stories told too! Emory and Trey are hopefully in the works as we see a lot of them in Omega Mine. Emory is slowly going out of his mind because the woman he loves and has started to mate with is part of the Shepard society. A group of religious fanatics bent on destroying the “abominations” of God. Nothing gets a bee up my bonnet quicker then doing something horrific “in God’s name so I instantly disliked these loonies. Trey is Emory’s brother and is the alpha of the wolves. There is not an ounce of softness about him so I am eager to see what kind of woman can handle his aggression and controlling nature. Even Preston (the alpha of a group of cats), though stuffy seemed to want to find his mate and settle down.

The one thing that I thought was lacking in Omega Mine was the absence of actual shifting. We are told that Diskant shifts a few times in order to get somewhere faster and all that…but really, there isn’t much shifting being done. I would have loved a fight scene with shifting or something of that nature. Since Diskant is a Omega and his body houses many beasts it would have been great to see more of that in the flesh. Since the majority of the book is erotic I’m sure it is hard to fit everything in though so I can understood the authors dilemma, but seeing as how it is a full length novel I thought a bit could have been added in that degree.

Omega Mine is an explosive start to a new erotic romance series! Full of panty dropping male shifters and heart stopping sex marathons, those lovers of erotic romance are sure to be pleased!

 

I give Omega Mine by Aline Hunter 4 stars! 

Hot Text by Cari Quinn

Available: Amazon/ B&N

Type: Erotic Novella

Publisher: Ellora’s Cave

My Copy: Sent

Sometimes what you think you want and what you need are two very different things.As a technical editor, Jeffrey Maddox deals with plenty of words, leaving him few to spare on people, except his baby sister. To keep Daisy from wrecking her newly rehabbed life by shacking up with her older, married lover Lonny, he impulsively texts Lonny’s wife, Karyn. And then meets her at a coffee shop on a snowy night, ostensibly to convince her to stay with her philandering husband.But soon texting turns to sexting. After spending the night getting to know Karyn, Jeff wants something much more personal—Lonny’s wife. For himself.Despite her misgivings about Jeff’s intentions, Karyn can’t fight their attraction. She’s still not divorced, though she knows there’s no way she’ll return to her husband. But maybe an amazing night of conversation—and even more amazing lovemaking—can lead to more than just one night of hot text.

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Known for being a surly, unapproachable guy, Jeff needs to lighten up. Unfortunately finding out his baby sister is sleeping with a married man doesn’t help his attitude. The guy claims to be separated but still…that equals marriage in Jeff’s mind. When he finds the guys cell phone he decides to take action. Whether or not the guys wife knowns about his affiars, he’s about to inform her of what kind of man she is married to.

Karyn knows all about her husbands illicit affairs, she is just past the point of caring. He asked for a divorce and she agreed. Their marriage is over as soon as she can get herself to actually sign the papers. When a man calls her about finding her estranged husbands cell phone she grudgingly accepts his invitation to meet to get it back. Meeting a stranger in a coffee house probably isnt the smartest move but karyn is tired of being the prim and proper one. She is yearning to let loose and be someone different.

With Jeff, Karyn gets what she wanted in the form of a hot and steamy one night stand. One night where she can let go of her inhibitions and be the woman she has caged inside. And it all started with a little hot text….

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I have never been a lover of the one night stands. Sure, back in my younger days I may (or may NOT if my mother or my husband is reading this) have had my share of flings.   Erotic nights of passion? Probably more like nights of drunken bliss. But yeah, you get me. The one night stand has never appealed to me in the long run. I find it highly doubtful that the person you wake up next to the next morning with a raging hangover, is meant to be “the one”. More like “OMG what the hell is that THING over there and did I sleep with it”.

In Hot Text we meet Karyn and Jeff, two dysfunctional people that crave some attention. Karyn has a horrible self esteem problem brought on by years of a loveless marriage and a cheating husband. Jeff, a moody guy that is way to involved in his sister’s love life and not paying attention to why he’s been racking up his own broken marriages. When Jeff finds Lonny’s (Karyns hubby) cell phone he thinks he will get back at the guy balling his baby sister by informing the wife of her husbands charades. When they meet though, the sparks fly and later that night he is sending her naughty texts and asking for a booty call. Which she agrees to because she is so blown away that Jeff finds her attractive. What follows is some seriously smoking hot sex scenes involving paint and wine amongst other things. The problem for me lies in the connection. I just didn’t feel any. The sex was hot. The prop usage was WOWIE. The writing was good. I just didn’t get why they were so into each other. The mystery maybe…the spontaneity perhaps. I felt superficial heat between them but nothing that would cement their involvement with each other.  Then the next morning Jeff starts wanting more. While I found it a bit funny that the guy was wanting more it did give him brownie point in my eyes. What blew me away is that he said he’d give her time and he actually did. Not just a few days, a week, until her divorce was finalized. Nope, he gives her a YEAR. What? Say again? I’m saying to myself, I don’t care how great that sex was, I’m not waiting a year for anyone to get their act together. Kinda made him seem sad that he’d be able to give her a year. That he has nothing else to do but wait for her to get her life together.

While I did love the heat associated with this novella, I think, in this case, the length hurt it. It wasn’t long enough for me to get invested or to care about the characters emotions.

For the heat infused storyline I am giving Hot Text by Cari Quinn 3 stars!  

Infatuation by Melissa Schroeder (A Little Harmless Military Romance #1)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Erotic Novella

Publisher: Self Pub

My Copy: Sent

Francis McKade is a man in lust. He’s had a crush on his best friend’s little sister for years but he has never acted on it. Besides that fact that she’s Malachi’s sister, he’s a Seal and he learned his lesson with his ex-fiancé. Women do not like being left alone for long months at a time. Still, at a wedding in Hawaii anything can happen—and does. Unfortunately, after the best night of his life, he and Mal are called away to one of their most dangerous missions.

Shannon is blown over by Kade. She’s always had a crush on him and after their night together, it starts to feel a little like love. But, after the mission, Kade never calls or writes and she starts to wonder if it was all a dream. Until one night, her brother Mal drags him into her bar and grill and Shannon gets the shock of her life.

Kade isn’t the man Shannon knew in Hawaii, or even the last few years. Twelve hours of torture changes a man, especially one who had never felt so vulnerable. He still can’t shake the terror that keeps him up at night. Worse, he is realizing that the career he loves just might be over.

Shannon is still mad, but she can’t help but hurt for the man she loves. He is darker, a bit more dangerous, but beneath that, he is the Kade she’s known for so many years. When he pushes her to her limits in the bedroom, Shannon refuses to back down. One way or another, this military man is going to learn there is no walking away from love—not while she still has breath in her body.

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Kade has had a crush on his best friend Malachis sister, Shannon, for years. The tough Navy Seal has never had the guts to ask her out though until she practically throws herself at him at a family wedding. Now given the opportunity he is going to take it and run. One night will never be enough though and he swears after his mission he will be back for her.

When that mission goes awry though, Kade can’t bring himself to call her. He isn’t the same man who left her bed. Now tormented by nightmares and bruised, he doesn’t think he’d be good for her. He’d only end up hurting her.

The sexy Seal that left her bed is not the man who returns but Shannon is determined all the same. Her Seal is still in there and if she has to play the sub to his dom then she will. Working through his issues will test all the boundaries Kade has ever had…in and out of the bedroom. Shannon may be his saving grace.

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Infatuation is the first is a sub-series of Melissas “Harmless” books featuring military men and I must say, this reader is loving it! I instantly loved Kade and his dominant ways. Oh my *fans face* the man had a rock hard body to die for and a playground in his fingers! He could light Shannon up with one touch like a bottle rocket. His level of sensuality was off the charts. There is just something about a military man, with their solid dedication to EVERYTHING *ahem ahem* that really does it for me. Though, like any man, he was completely blinded to what his issues were. I felt for his situation, having to watch his friend die is something you don’t just “get over”. I’m sure the sexual athletics Shannon and he did nightly helped ease his soul some, but it was obvious he was in pain…emotionally.

This brings to light a subject I touched on in another military review I did recently.  We really need to take care of our returning troops. They are often shoved aside and essentially forgotten. The horrors that they live during wartime do not just go away when they plant their feet back on home ground. Why are we surprised when they commit suicide or worse, when they kill other people in a depressed rage? These men and women need to be treated with the respect they deserve and honored with the best we can give them.

Ok, soap box over, back to the review.

Shannon was a female character I could really get behind. Sassy and outspoken and willing to do what it takes to help her man. I just loved her ability to show Kade who was boss and bring him to his knees without saying a word. Her relationship with her family was well developed and I loved the kidding and bantering between her and Mal.

Speaking of Mal, boy do I hope he gets his own story. The man needs to settle down and stop sowing his seed in every cute female that looks his way. He also has a bit of healing to do himself after the failed mission. It’s downplayed by him, but even though he was knocked unconscious for the majority of it, doesn’t mean he isn’t suffering the after effects.

Oh and Deke, the “older” man. Loved his flirtatious demeanor and the grumbling between him and Kade. He mentions his ex-wife briefly and I think they are due for a reunion as he is still in love with her. He had this gentleman quality to him that was magnetic. Can’t wait to learn more about him!

Can’t tell you all enough that if you like erotic romance, you need to be reading Melissa Schroeder….FANTASTIC! Infatuation will rev you up and leave you gunning for more!

I give Infatuation by Melissa Schroeder 4.50 stars!