The Submissive by Tara Sue Me (The Submissive Trilogy #1)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Erotic Romance

Publisher: Penguin

My Copy: Sent

Reviewer: Nikki

Abby King has a secret fantasy.

New York knows Nathaniel West as the brilliant and handsome CEO of West Industries, but Abby knows he’s more: a sexy and skilled dominant who is looking for a new submissive. Yearning to experience a world of pleasure beyond her simple life as a librarian, Abby offers herself to Nathaniel, to fulfill her most hidden desires.

After only one weekend with the Master, Abby knows she needs more, and fully submits to Nathaniel’s terms. But despite the pleasure he takes in Abby’s willing spirit, the Nathaniel hidden behind the rules remains cold and distant.

As Abby falls deeper into his tantalizing world of power and passion, she fears that Nathaniel’s heart may be beyond her reach—and that her own might be beyond saving…

Not long ago I said that I was tired of the scarred millionaire BDSM trope. While I still stand fully behind that The Submissive managed to keep me interested through the entire book and I found myself looking forward to book two when I finished the last page.

Abby is looking for her first dom, but not just any dom…she only wants one man. Rich CEO, Nathaniel. The aloof, almost cold demeanor he projects seems to be perfect for her sexual needs and she’s sure she can crack him. With no experience Nathaniel should turn her away, but her innocence and determination intrigues him enough for a trial weekend. But what starts as a trial ends up consuming them both.

I think the biggest thing I liked about this book was Abby. She was realistic when other heroines of this genre are just annoying. I enjoyed how she submitted to Nathaniel but always managed to get her opinion across quite clearly. She was never meek and spoke up regularly. She was strong where I have found others lacking. When pressed against her hard limit she may have hesitated but she didn’t break. She held firm and did what was best for her. I liked that about her.

Nathaniel was a puzzle and he pissed me off with his inability to fully let Abby in. He slightly redeems himself towards the end with his emotional breakthrough but he spent the majority of the novel barely functioning on a human level. He tries to deny himself any attachment to Abby which results him in hurting her over and over again. I look forward to where the author takes him in the future.

At its heart though, this is just another 50 Shades book. It can’t be overlooked that its clearly fan fiction. It reads like a copy of a copy just like every other bdsm fan fiction that is flooding the market today. If you’re looking for something new this book won’t provide it for you. While I found this one to be slightly more well done then the other fan fiction genre I’ve read lately, it is what it is. I have nothing against fan fiction per say, just of blatant reproductions without originality. These books are all starting to blend together.

I give The Submissive by Tara Sue Me 3 stars!

Read Humane With Jill Shalvis

This May, I’m pleased to support Penguin Group (USA)’s Read Humane® 2013 campaign to fight animal cruelty.  We would like to welcome spokesperson and bestselling author Jill Shalvis to our blog today, where she is sharing with us her family’s animal rescue story discusses her Animal Magnetism series with a piece entitled “Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks!”

 

Read Humane® is an initiative created by Penguin Group (USA) in 2012 to support our furry friends in honor of National Pet Month (May).  As part of the Read Humane® 2013 campaign, six special edition, animal-themed mass market paperbacks have been reissued featuring the official Read Humane® seal.  Penguin supports the fight against animal cruelty with a $25,000 donation, regardless of sales, to The Humane Society of the United States’ Animal Rescue Team.

 

For more information, and complete lists of the six participating authors and book retailers, please visit Penguin Group (USA) or view the official Read Humane® Prezi here.

 

And remember to join the conversation on Twitter with @BerkleyRomance and @HSUS throughout May by using the hashtag #readHumane.  Followers are encouraged to Tweet about Penguin’s animal friendly books, share their own rescue stories, and join in other pet themed conversations.

 

Jill Shalvis is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over four dozen romance novels, including her fun contemporary Animal Magnetism series, which promotes animal rescue dogs. Jill is a 3-time National Readers Choice winner, and lover of animals! More information about Jill and her collection of fabulous romance titles can be found at www.JillShalvis.com.

 

***

 

My Rescue Story, by Jill Shalvis…

 

At any point, on any day in the Shalvis abode, there are animals.  All of them rescued, always.  It’s become somewhat of a family tradition, rescuing animals in need, and we’ve found that not only is it a nice thing to do, we get a really great pet out of the deal.

 

A couple of years ago, our house was fairly full.  Okay, so it was straining at the wall joints.  We had Ashes — our rescue Border Collie/Australian Blue Heeler.  Sadie – our cat who thinks she’s a dog.  Micky – a field mouse rescued from the high school science lab.  And four teenage girls.

 

Actually, it wasn’t a house.  It was a zoo.

 

But a year before we’d lost Izzie, our beloved brown lab.  And we missed having two dogs.  Yes, we’re crazy.  Anyway, on that fated day I’m about to tell you about, Alpha Man (my husband) had heard about a yellow lab puppy who needed rescue.

 

No.  No way.  I was adamant.  I had enough on my plate.  But Alpha Man just wanted to go make sure the lab was okay.

 

So we left the mountain…

 

 

And drove…

 

 

And drove…

 

 

We were following the sketch directions from a guy who knew a guy who had told us about a woman who lived out in the middle of nowhere, and I mean NOWHERE, and she rescues animals.

 

The landscape was like something out of a Criminal Minds episode, so we were wary at first.  We had no idea what we were going to find.  A box of puppies, or a meth lab … nothing would have surprised me.  I was a little worried because the kids were with us, but it turned out the place was fifty acres of love.

 

Any animal in need is welcome.

 

 

Even the funny looking ones…

 

 

The woman had goats, horses, turtles, geese, snakes, angry chickens … you name it and she had it.  She was rehabbing it, doctoring it, loving it … whatever the animal needed.

 

We’d gone because of the rumor of the puppies, the yellow labs.  And she did have two puppies.  She’d rescued them out of a horrible situation.

 

 

But the yellow lab wasn’t the one who stole our hearts.  Nope, it was her little baby brother.  The runt.

 

 

He was filthy and living in a hovel. And the minute he saw us, he came alive. Wriggling, happy, loving. All you had to do was touch him and he writhed in joy and dropped to the floor for a belly rub.

 

 

And once he was picked up by the teenagers and loved up by them, he didn’t want to get down.  I tried.  I tried hard.  But the thing had wriggled his way right into my heart.  I remember looking at Alpha Man, laughing and crying at the same time.

 

“You didn’t want another dog,” he reminded me.

 

I told him to zip it.  We were taking this dog and that was that.  Besides, there was the little matter of him being in my arms and refusing to be put down.

 

So we never put him down again.  Meet Frat Boy…

 

 

***

 

Why Dogs Make Great Sidekicks, by Jill Shalvis…

 

Now that you know a little bit about my rescue story, I want to share with you some of the inspiration for my Animal Magnetism series.  One of the fun things about writing this series is developing complex and lovable characters… that just happen to be adorable dogs!  Here’s why dogs make great sidekicks…

 

1. Because when you’re on the mountain trail and you come across an angry mama bear and her baby cubs, your dog will run like hell.  This will warn you to run like hell as well.  Just be careful because if your dog is like my dog, he will throw you under the bus (or in this case bear) to get home before you do.

 

2. Because when all the cookies are gone you can totally blame your cookie loving dog.  No one has to know that you ate all the cookies yourself.  And your dog can give you dirty looks for blaming him but he can’t actually talk and dispute your story.  Solid alibi.

 

3. Because if you’ve eaten in a way that disagrees with your stomach, there are never any worries.  Your dog will always, ALWAYS, out stink you.  And if he doesn’t, you can still point the finger at him.  Again, he can’t talk and dispute your story.

 

4. Dogs are not just great sidekicks but they also make great a really great wingman.  If you’re single, you can totally put your dog to work at charming the person you’re interested in.  Just make sure that person likes dog drool and dog hair all over everything first.

 

5. There is never a need for a pillow or extra blanket because your dog will always be willing to get into bed with you and share body heat.  Always.  Just be forewarned.  Being a great sidekick is not the same thing as a good bed partner.  They have a habit of being a total bed hog.

 

***

Thank you so much, Jill for sharing your stories with us!  If you have enjoyed Jill’s stories please feel free to show your support in our comments section below and by visiting the other participating websites/blogs…

 

Read Humane® Blog Tour 2013!

For more information on Read Humane® please visit Penguin Group (USA).  To view more special features from spokesperson Jill Shalvis, please visit the following websites/blogs; each website/blog will feature a unique perspective on Read Humane, so be sure to stop by each for a new and exciting experience!

 

4/29/2013            USA Today’s Happy Ever After                   Special Feature!

4/29/2013            Fresh Fiction                                                      Spotlight

4/30/2013            RT Book Reviews Online                              Special Feature!

5/1/2013              Happily Ever After Reads                              Spotlight

5/2/2013              Teresa’s Reading Corner                                               Spotlight

5/3/2013              The Book Reading Gals                                  Spotlight

5/4/2013              Book Crack                                                          Spotlight

5/5/2013              Love Romances & More                                                Spotlight

5/6/2013              Books-N-Kisses                                                 Spotlight

5/7/2013              RT Book Reviews Online                                               Spotlight

5/8/2013              Cocktails & Books                                             Spotlight

5/9/2013              The Book Pushers                                            Spotlight

5/10/2013            Kindles & Wine                                                 Spotlight

5/11/2013            My Book Addiction & More                         Spotlight

5/12/2013            Eye on Romance                                              Spotlight

5/13/2013            eBook Obsessed                                              Spotlight

5/14/2013            My Friend Amy                                                 Spotlight

5/14/2013            Pretty Fluffy                                                       Spotlight

5/16/2013            The Romance Dish                                           Spotlight

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5/17/2013            Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind                 Spotlight

5/18/2013            Romantic Book Affairs                                   Spotlight

5/19/2013            Ramblings from This Chick                            Spotlight

5/20/2013            Under the Covers Book Blog                       Spotlight

5/20/2013            The Romance Studio                                      Spotlight

5/21/2013            Chick Lit Reviews                                              Spotlight

5/26/2013            The Reading Café                                             Spotlight

5/27/2013            Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews            Spotlight

5/28/2013            Stuff and Nonsense                                        Spotlight

5/29/2013            Thoughts in Progress                                      Spotlight

 

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Publisher: Berkley

My Review

After a tragic stint in the National Guards, Adam Connelly returns to Idaho and to Belle Haven, the animal shelter he owns with his brothers. All Adam wants is to be alone. Then he opens the door to the past—the woman whose heart he once broke. Still gorgeous, still tough-as-nails, but this time, unusually vulnerable.

Holly Reid learned the hard way to never depend on a man for anything. Now, of all men, it’s the last one she wants to see, and the only one she needs. Her father has gone missing in the Bitterroot Mountains and she could use someone with tracking skills to help find him.

For Holly and Adam, each with their ghosts, a trek this desperate, this unpredictable, and this intimate, will have its share of risks—including opening their hearts one more time

Stranded With A Billionaire by Jessica Clare (The Billionaire Boys Club #1)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Penguin

My Copy: NetGalley

Reviewer: Pam

The Billionaire Boys Club is a secret society of six men who have vowed success – at any cost. Not all of them are old money, but all of them are incredibly wealthy. They’re just not always as successful when it comes to love… Billionaire Logan Hawkings needs a vacation. He’s had a rough time after the death of his father and the betrayal of his fiancée. But with a visit to a recent business acquisition—a private island resort in the Bahamas—he has a chance to mend his broken heart. When a hurricane blows in, a misplaced passport and a stalled elevator bring Logan together with an unusual woman named Bronte. She’s unlike anyone he’s ever met—down to earth, incredibly sensual, and even quotes Plato. She also has no clue that he’s rich…

Bronte Dawson, a waitress from the Midwest, is stranded with the hotel’s domineering yet sexy manager Logan. What’s the harm in a little fling when it’s just the two of them, alone in paradise? But after several steamy island nights in Logan’s arms, Bronte’s ready to give her heart—and her body—to the man in charge. But she soon discovers there’s more to Logan than he’s told her…a billion times more. Now, Bronte’s caught in a whirlwind affair with one of the world’s most powerful men. But can their love endure their differences or will it all just blow over?

Logan Hawkings is a very arrogant man who buys failing businesses and turns them around to make a profit, he may be arrogant but he is also very wary as he has been burned by those that only want him for his money.

Logan and his college friends are all billionaires and have helped each other succeed in business since they got out of school. They formed this club consisting of the six friends and get together once a month to share ideas and bounce things around, while playing poker. Hunter, one of the club members tells Logan about an island retreat for sale that needs a lot of work, something right up his alley.

Bronte Dawson just wanted to have a fun vacation, she won a trip from a radio station and so far she has a lousy roommate and it has been raining. Some vacation! And now she finds out they are evacuating because of a hurricane. As she gets ready to board the bus, her roommate asks for a favor and so Bronte heads back to their room to look for a passport. She is on the way down when the power goes out, the elevator stops and she is stranded, with a gorgeous man of course.

Logan and Bronte are stuck for several hours while the storm batters the run-down resort; they finally realize they will have to help themselves, when they are out; they see the mess the hurricane has made and also realize everyone got off the island but them. They find food, shelter and some clothes and spend a few days getting to know each other, in many ways as they wait for the storm to end before they can be rescued.

When they are finally rescued and are back in civilization Logan suddenly turns cold and dismissive and she finds that he lied about himself the whole time they were stranded. She is pissed and calls a taxi. He is amazed that she ran, however eventually finds her and tries several different high handed ways to get her back. Both of them must learn to give and take if they want to make this relationship work.

This is a fun, sweet and entertaining beginning of a series, although fairly predictable. About six billionaires that became friends in college and now get together once a month, they help each other obtain their dreams. I like the idea of a boys club, however what fun it would be if there was a woman billionaire invited to join? They keep it very secret and I found it humorous when Logan brings Bronte to visit, to show he trusts her with everything and the others actually rough him up a bit, because Logan may trust her but the others do not know her yet.

The story flows well and I had no problems reading straight through to the end as Logan and Bronte deal with trust issues, respect issues and even a little control issues. Logan was a jerk to her when they got back to the real world but was a kind soul while they were stranded. I did want to hit him but I believe Bronte was able to handle him quite well. I liked Bronte; she was a quirky woman that loved to quote the classics and was not about to take any crap from anyone. I also liked the secondary characters, the two women who help Bronte while she is in New York, his assistant Audrey and her sister Gretchen are fun and engaging, I also liked the others in the club and look forward to their stories, especially Hunter; I am a sucker for the scarred and tortured hero.

I give Stranded with a Billionaire by Jessica Clare 3.75 stars!

Hard Mated & Lone Wolf by Jennifer Ashley (Shifters Unbound #3.5 & #4.6)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Penguin

My Copy: Bought

Reviewer: Nikki

A short novel of the Shifters Unbound series. Spike, a wildcat Shifter and the champion fighter of Shiftertown, is stunned when Myka, the best friend of a dying human woman, announces that Spike has fathered a cub. What’s more, the mother is giving the boy to Spike to protect and raise. 

Myka, who’d been raised by an abusive stepfather, is not sure that a wild fighter named Spike is the best man to bring up the cute little jaguar cub. She goes to Shiftertown to check out Spike, and finds that the man behind the name is a lonely Shifter who’s lost most of his family and is a fierce caretaker to those he has left. 

Spike is torn between the cub and his duties as tracker to the Shiftertown leader, and begs Myka, the only person who understands, to help him. He starts to like the sassy Myka, a horse trainer who’s not afraid of working with animals, even if they’re wildcats who turn into humans. 

When Spike’s job puts his cub and Myka in danger, Spike is forced to choose between those to whom he’s pledged his loyalty and his need to protect the woman and cub he’s come to love.

The Shifters Unbound books are one of my favorite shifter series to date. Jennifer Ashley definitely knows how to write an engaging story that includes everything I want in shifter romances. In this short novel readers get to know more about Spike, the shifter who is always present but is scarily silent, preferring a threatening presence over threats.

When Spike finds out he has a son and the mother is dying he quickly swoops in to become a father. He takes to being a father fairly easily and wins over the trust of his cub quickly. Not so trusting is Myka, the best friend of the mother who passed. The tattoo’d badass shifter in front of her can’t possibly be a good father and she vows to keep en eye on him out of a promise she made to her friend to watch out for her son.

While these are shortened in length I never feel like I get cheated out of a good story with Jennifer Ashley. She somehow manages to make even the short ones feel longer and complete. Each novella offers readers a chance to reconnect with past characters and introduces more. I love reading about the hierarchy within the shiftertown and welcome any chance to read more, especially the original Austin shiftertown.

Spike and Myka together (love the names BTW) worked well and Ashley even treats readers to an action packed ending that really ties together books 3 and 4. The shifters in her books actually shift too which is nice. It bugs me when I’m reading paranormal romance with no actual paranormal. Though reluctant at first, Myka finally realizes that not only does she not have to worry about her friends son, but that she didn’t know all that much about shifters to begin with. I loved Spike and his larger then life attitude that had no trouble being humbled.

Hard Mated is an awesome addition to a series I’ve come to expect greatness from!

I give Hard Mated by Jennifer Ashley 4 stars! 

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Penguin

My Copy: NetGalley

Reviewer: Nikki 

Ellison Rowe, a Lupine Shifter, makes it his goal to protect Maria, once held captive by ferals, from male Shifters looking for mates. He likes Maria’s resilience and fire, but she’s been broken, and Ellison wants more than anything to heal her. When a new danger threatens Shiftertown’s cubs, Maria partners with Ellison to stop a cold-blooded criminal.

.

Ellison has been in several Shifter Unbound books and he’s finally getting his story told. He’s the goofy wolf shifter who is always quick with the witty comebacks. He’s become a staple in this series and he’s set his sights on Maria. A lovely beauty who is skittish from an abusive past at the hands of feral shifters. Ellison knows he has to go slow with her but other unmated shifters in shiftertown are making that next to impossible. Torn between wanting to go slow and his unbridled need to feel her beneath him Ellison vows to protect her against everything and everyone, even if that means putting a mate claim on her.

Maria was a great heroine because she made such huge strides in such a short time. She’s justifiably nervous around shifters but knows that Ellison especially would never hurt her.  Even knowing that she is still apprehensive of him but she can’t deny the pull she feels from him.

The way Ellison and Maria flirt was just so honest and sweet. There wasn’t anything hot and heavy going on and instead there was a warm pull that had them joined before they even knew what hit them. Ellison utilizes such restraint with Maria and is was nice to see Maria finally step up and take some action of her own towards the end.

When faced with the attempted abduction of town cubs Maria and Ellison join forces against a faceless enemy in order to protect what’s theirs. An awesome thing about shiftertown is that they pull together in times of need. The children might not be physically be theirs but that doesn’t mean they don’t feel the threat to them just as intensely.

I simply cannot wait for Tiger Magic which is out soon! Over the course of the last few books we’ve gotten a chance to know him a bit but I’m interested to see where Ashley takes the experiment that resulted in such a fearless, amazing man.

I give Lone Wolf by Jennifer Ashley 3.50 stars! 

The Conquest of Lady Cassandra by Madeline Hunter (Fairbourne Quartet #2)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Historical Romance

Publisher: Jove- Penguin

My Copy: Sent

Reviewed by: Pam

HER PRIDE. HIS PREJUDICE. THEIR PASSION. As headstrong as she is beautiful, Lady Cassandra Vernham defied convention when she refused to marry the man who had compromised her. Now, estranged from her family, Cassandra struggles to make ends meet. A recent auction of her jewels has brought her a modicum of relief, but one of the most valuable lots was never paid for by the highest bidder: handsome, rakish Viscount Ambury. Cassandra needs that money badly, and not to buy a new hat

Ambury has only to look at Cassandra to begin imagining her in his bed… He has not settled that outstanding debt for a reason. He suspects that the expensive baubles were stolen, perhaps even by Cassandra herself. Erotic fantasies about her notwithstanding, the vixen is not to be trusted, for she has already destroyed his good friend—the man she refused to marry who later lost his life in a duel, which Ambury suspects was fought over Cassandra. But nothing is as it seems… As the seductive lord and the scandalous beauty are drawn together, the passion that flares between them will illuminate shocking secrets that will change both their lives forever…

Lady Cassandra Vernham is a troubled woman; her brother is making threats against her Aunt Sophie trying to get Cassandra to do his bidding. She wishes her friend Emma could advise her however today is Emma’s wedding day and she does not want to burden her. Her brother Gerald,

the Earl of Barrowmore is threatening to find a home for her Aunt Sophie, to take her away, he does this so Cassandra will marry a man who Gerald wants. She has tried to thwart him; however it is getting harder as he is getting more menacing. She desperately needs money to take Sophie away from her brother.

Yates Elliston, Viscount Ambury and heir to the Earl of Highburton knows mutual friends of Cassandra, he and Cassandra have known each other for several years however their conversations have usually been brief. She sold her jewelry several months ago at Fairbourne’s auction house; and Ambury had purchased the best piece, a pair of sapphire and diamond earrings, but he has yet to pay for them. Lately their communication has been in writing with her doing most of it asking when he would be willing to pay her. Ambury tells Cassandra that he will pay her for the jewelry as soon as her aunt tells him how she came to own the earrings.

Six years ago Cassandra refused to marry a man her brother favored, Barron Lakewood, he also was a friend to Ambury, Southwaite and Kendale, all influential men in London, Southwaite happens to be the man her best friend, Emma is about to marry. Lakewood later compromised Cassandra and both their reputations paid a high price. She did not care and still would not marry him. A short time later he died in a duel defending a woman, many think was Cassandra however no one has ever found out and Penhurst (the other partner in the duel) is not talking even though he will soon face a jury to decide his fate. None of the three men approve of Cassandra, mostly because they do not want her reputation tainting Emma and Southwaite’s sister Lydia.

Ambury lives a very frugal life, his father is not generous, but men have other options in the world and he turns his love and talent for solving puzzles into an occupation. He does investigating for clients that need information; they usually desire discretion so he does not worry that he will be found out. So he is using his skills to find out about the earrings his father believes are stolen. He has always known about the earrings and recognized them when he bought them as they are the ones his great-grandmother is wearing in a portrait.

Gerald is getting restless and starts to put a plan into motion, telling Cassandra to visit her mother for a few days, yet while she is away Gerald has Sophie removed from her home. Cassandra is devastated when she hears about it and when he promises to release Sophie she agrees to marry his choice. Yet Ambury has a plan and goes to Gerald to offer marriage to Cassandra, however Gerald refuses. But Ambury gets a special license anyway and goes to talk to Cassandra. She agrees to a marriage of convenience for her aunt.

Many secrets are revealed as the stories are unwound, who owns the land the Gerald seems to want and is in trust, where did Sophie get the earrings, what does Ambury’s father and mother know about it all, and what really happened that day that Cassandra was compromised by Lakewood and the reason she refused to marry him. Oh so many questions to be answered before the book ends.

This was another great story by Ms Hunter. I have enjoyed many of her books as she always writes intriguing characters that grow into relationships through trust, friendship and eventually love. The men are usually intellectual, not as alpha; the women usually are also very intelligent and want more out of life than other women of the time period. This book does have a slower start however this is typical of Ms Hunter so stay with it as it picks up and ends with a flourish when most all the secrets are revealed. The dialog is witty and clever; I really enjoyed the banter between Ambury and Cassandra as their common goals and friendship leads to trust and love. I enjoyed Ambury’s sharp intelligence and loved that he played a mean violin. I also enjoyed the secondary characters that we have met before and have a prominent role here. I am looking forward to Kendale falling hard in the next book and what of Penhurst and Lydia?

I give The Conquest of Lady Cassandra by Madeline Hunter 4 stars!

No Turning Back by HelenKay Dimon (Hanover Brothers #1)

Available: March 19, 2013 Amazon/B&N

Type: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Penguin

My Copy: Sent

Reviewer: Michelle

The Hanover brothers inherited some bad behavior from their con artist father. Now three strong women will make honest men out of them.

After ten years in the Army and four overseas deployments, Declan Hanover is ready for life away from a military base. Sweetwater, Oregon, a sleepy coastal town, seems like the perfect place to start over. His plan is to work out a deal with his brothers and the bank to let him keep the estate they’ve inherited, Shadow Hill. But he wasn’t prepared for Leah Baron, whose family lost everything to his father’s cons—including the house Declan intends to make his own…

Leah thinks Declan is just like his conman father. He possesses a bad boy charm that makes her heart pound, but that doesn’t mean she can trust him. All she wants is to get close to him so she can get her house back. But Declan has other ideas. He doesn’t mind being in close proximity to Leah—as long as it’s in the bedroom…

No Turning Back is the first in a series of three books about the Hanover brothers. I’m a big fan of trilogies and series revolving around brothers, sisters or close friends. I like when there is a recurring theme or storyline because you feel like you are revisiting old friends when the characters show up in book after book.

Charlie Hanover was a thief and a con artist and he left behind a legacy of distrust and dishonesty for his sons. Declan, the middle brother, showed up in Sweetwater to check out the estate he, Callen and Beck had inherited from their grandmother. After a decade of military life he was ready to settle down and thought fixing up her house would be a good start. Unfortunately the people of Sweetwater were wronged by Charlie and they were definitely still holding a grudge. Declan and his brothers were guilty by association simply because of who their father was.

Leah Baron had lived her whole life knowing Charlie Hanover was the enemy. She was just a girl when her dad lost his money and his wife, but over time, the anger and bitterness fueling her father’s need for revenge became a part of her as well. She spent countless years investigating Charlie and his family in hopes of finding justice for her dad. When Declan Hanover came to town, she planned to make him an offer he couldn’t refuse and buy his property so he’d leave sooner rather than later.

What neither of them counted on was the instant attraction they immediately felt for one another. Declan knew he was persona non grata in that town, but he was determined to live his life on his terms. He liked the property, he liked the small town atmosphere and he really, really liked Leah. Unfortunately Leah did NOT like him. She wanted him and she was intrigued by him, but a lifetime of hate for anything Hanover was hard to get past.

My biggest problem with this book was Leah’s blind devotion to her father. She seemed like a smart, savvy lady and yet she refused to acknowledge that he was crossing the line by making Charlie’s sons pay for their father’s crimes. Even her best friend (Mallory, and I’m hoping she’s going to end up with Callen!) tried to make her see the light more than once. Leah actions were so over the top throughout the whole book. She refused to believe in Declan or their relationship, while at the same time jumped into his arms at every opportunity. She refused to stand up for Declan or even herself and I really couldn’t understand why she took such care with her relationship with her father when it was so toxic. She enabled him in the worst way by promising to fulfill his quest for revenge.

Declan and his brothers were strong, smart and sexy. He was almost as confusing as Leah, though, in that he kept waffling between putting up with her because he wanted her and changing his mind about staying in the town. He tried to be so supportive with her, but I really couldn’t understand what her appeal was for him. She lied to him, kept up her hidden agenda until it was almost too late, and let her father’s feelings color her budding relationship with Declan way past what I thought was acceptable.

I liked the storyline and I liked the hints of the stories we got for Beck and Callen. I wish Ms. Dimon had given Declan a more worthy heroine. I understand that Leah had issues thanks to her father, but she had almost no backbone and no mind of her own for most of the book. I wanted her to be more invested in herself and Declan instead of letting her father be the driving force in her life. This was the first book I’ve read by Helenkay Dimon, and I hope she doesn’t have a penchant for “too stupid to live” heroines because I’m looking forward to the rest of this series.

I give No Turning Back by HelenKay Dimon 3.5 stars.

Shadow Of Night by Deborah Harkness GIVEAWAY

“Together we lifted our feet and stepped into the unknown”—the thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller A Discovery of WitchesDeborah Harkness exploded onto the literary scene with her debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, Book One of the magical All Souls Trilogy and an international publishing phenomenon. The novel introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782.
Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending,Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.
Deborah Harkness has crafted a gripping journey through a world of alchemy, time travel, and magical discoveries, delivering one of the most hotly anticipated novels of the season.

PREORDER LINKS: Amazon/B&N

I have one copy of Shadow Of Night plus some awesome swag (buttons and a temporary tattoo) to give away to one lucky US winner! Thank you to the great people at Viking/Penguin for allowing me to participate!  Open until 7/11/12 @ 11:59pm EST with winner announced shortly after. 

Have you read A Discovery Of Witches yet? I highly suggest reading that one first because the story line is continuous from book to book – check it out- My Review HERE - A little bit Twilight, a little bit Harry Potter! 

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

BUY LINKS: Amazon/B&N

A Discovery Of Witches GIVEAWAY

Did everyone know that one of the most popular books of 2011, A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness, has now been released in paperback? No? You didn’t know? What? Well…technically it’s being released December 27th. No fear though, I have a giveaway for everyone today! Not only is the paperback coming out but the movie rights have been bought by Warner Brothers. So who knows…one day we may get to see these on the big screen!

To one random commenter in the US or Canada you can win a copy of your very own! I will leave the contest open until December 26th and will announce the winner on the 27th.

 

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

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EXCERPT

*Taken from DeborahHarkness.com*

The leather-bound volume was nothing remarkable. To an ordinary historian, it would have looked no different from hundreds of other manuscripts in Oxford’s Bodleian Library, ancient and worn. But I knew there was something odd about it from the moment I collected it.

Duke Humfrey’s Reading Room was deserted on this late-September afternoon, and requests for library materials were filled quickly now that the summer crush of visiting scholars was over and the madness of the fall term had not yet begun. Even so, I was surprised when Sean stopped me at the call desk.

“Dr. Bishop, your manuscripts are up,” he whispered, voice tinged with a touch of mischief. The front of his argyle sweater was streaked with the rusty traces of old leather bindings, and he brushed at it self-consciously. A lock of sandy hair tumbled over his forehead when he did.

“Thanks,” I said, flashing him a grateful smile. I was flagrantly disregarding the rules limiting the number of books a scholar could call in a single day. Sean, who’d shared many a drink with me in the pink-stuccoed pub across the street in our graduate-student days, had been filling my requests without complaint for more than a week. “And stop calling me Dr. Bishop. I always think you’re talking to someone else.”

He grinned back and slid the manuscripts—all containing fine examples of alchemical illustrations from the Bodleian’s collections—over his battered oak desk, each one tucked into a protective gray cardboard box. “Oh, there’s one more.” Sean disappeared into the cage for a moment and returned with a thick, quarto-size manuscript bound simply in mottled calfskin. He laid it on top of the pile and stooped to inspect it. The thin gold rims of his glasses sparked in the dim light provided by the old bronze reading lamp that was attached to a shelf. “This one’s not been called up for a while. I’ll make a note that it needs to be boxed after you return it.”

“Do you want me to remind you?”

“No. Already made a note here.” Sean tapped his head with his fingertips.

“Your mind must be better organized than mine.” My smile widened.

Sean looked at me shyly and tugged on the call slip, but it remained where it was, lodged between the cover and the first pages. “This one doesn’t want to let go,” he commented.

Muffled voices chattered in my ear, intruding on the familiar hush of the room.

“Did you hear that?” I looked around, puzzled by the strange sounds.

“What?” Sean replied, looking up from the manuscript.

Traces of gilt shone along its edges and caught my eye. But those faded touches of gold could not account for a faint, iridescent shimmer that seemed to be escaping from between the pages. I blinked.

“Nothing.” I hastily drew the manuscript toward me, my skin prickling when it made contact with the leather. Sean’s fingers were still holding the call slip, and now it slid easily out of the binding’s grasp. I hoisted the volumes into my arms and tucked them under my chin, assailed by a whiff of the uncanny that drove away the library’s familiar smell of pencil shavings and floor wax.

“Diana? Are you okay?” Sean asked with a concerned frown.

“Fine. Just a bit tired,” I replied, lowering the books away from my nose.

I walked quickly through the original, fifteenth-century part of the library, past the rows of Elizabethan reading desks with their three ascending bookshelves and scarred writing surfaces. Between them, Gothic windows directed the reader’s attention up to the coffered ceilings, where bright paint and gilding picked out the details of the university’s crest of three crowns and open book and where its motto, “God is my illumination,” was proclaimed repeatedly from on high.

Another American academic, Gillian Chamberlain, was my sole companion in the library on this Friday night. A classicist who taught at Bryn Mawr, Gillian spent her time poring over scraps of papyrus sandwiched between sheets of glass. I sped past her, trying to avoid eye contact, but the creaking of the old floor gave me away.

My skin tingled as it always did when another witch looked at me.

“Diana?” she called from the gloom. I smothered a sigh and stopped.

“Hi, Gillian.” Unaccountably possessive of my hoard of manuscripts, I remained as far from the witch as possible and angled my body so they weren’t in her line of sight.

“What are you doing for Mabon?” Gillian was always stopping by my desk to ask me to spend time with my “sisters” while I was in town. With the Wiccan celebrations of the autumn equinox just days away, she was redoubling her efforts to bring me into the Oxford coven.

“Working,” I said promptly.

“There are some very nice witches here, you know,” Gillian said with prim disapproval. “You really should join us on Monday.”

“Thanks. I’ll think about it,” I said, already moving in the direction of the Selden End, the airy seventeenth-century addition that ran perpendicular to main axis of Duke Humfrey’s. “I’m working on a conference paper, though, so don’t count on it.” My aunt Sarah had always warned me it wasn’t possible for one witch to lie to another, but that hadn’t stopped me from trying.

Gillian made a sympathetic noise, but her eyes followed me.

Back at my familiar seat facing the arched, leaded windows, I resisted the temptation to dump the manuscripts on the table and wipe my hands. Instead, mindful of their age, I lowered the stack carefully.

The manuscript that had appeared to tug on its call slip lay on top of the pile. Stamped in gilt on the spine was a coat of arms belonging to Elias Ashmole, a seventeenth-century book collector and alchemist whose books and papers had come to the Bodleian from the Ashmolean Museum in the nineteenth century, along with the number 782. I reached out, touching the brown leather.

A mild shock made me withdraw my fingers quickly, but not quickly enough. The tingling traveled up my arms, lifting my skin into tiny goose pimples, then spread across my shoulders, tensing the muscles in my back and neck. These sensations quickly receded, but they left behind a hollow feeling of unmet desire. Shaken, I stepped away from the library table.

Even at a safe distance, this manuscript was challenging me— threatening the walls I’d erected to separate my career as a scholar from my birthright as the last of the Bishop witches.

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Thank you to the wonderful people at Penguin for allowing me to have the contest!

Bloodstone by Nancy Holzner (Deadtown #3)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Penguin

My Copy: Blog Tour

Boston’s diverse South End is known for its architecture and great restaurants, not its body count. So when mutilated human corpses begin turning up in the area, the entire city takes notice. The killer—dubbed the South End Reaper—uses a curved blade for his grisly work. And even though there’s no real evidence pointing to a paranormal culprit, the deaths are straining the already-tense relations between Boston’s human and inhuman residents.

As the bodies pile up, Vicky, her formidable aunt Mab, and her werewolf boyfriend Kane investigate, only to find that the creature behind the carnage is after something much more than blood…

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Bloodstone is a urban fantasy that has a bit of everything within it’s pages. Lots of action, a bit of romance and a world that included damn near everything you can think of. I had not read the previous two books and I think that hampered my experience a bit. This is definitely one series that I would say it’s best to start from the beginning. I felt lost for most of the book and had a hard time connecting with the characters or story line. Had I read the last two I think I would have felt more invested in what was going on and would have had different reactions to this one.

I will say one thing, Nancy Holzner knows how to write an action sequence! There was so many things happening in this book that these were definitely in high demand. I thought that Vicky was completely kick ass and held her own against all the creatures that seemed to constantly be lurking around. I liked the unquie way she went about vanquishing ghosts and demons as a day job. Being barred to Deadtown might have held her back in some ways, but it gave her the edge in others. She was in high demand in her field work. I loved Kane her werewolf boyfriend and I found that I bought into their relationship, even though the romantic in me wanted more on that side…but since this is more UF I understood that there wasn’t.

There is one thing though, and maybe it’s because I’ve been reading a lot of UF and paranormal romance. I get tired of the scenario where all paranormals are segregated from the “normal” humans. I think I like the story lines where the paranormals are more in hiding. I guess I like to think humans would be better…when in all reality segregation is probably would what happen. So sue me, I like to be positive. But I think I just find that a lot of story lines are blurring together, this is just one example of that. I do love Nancy’s guest post today though explaining the background of Deadtown and after reading that I have a new found appreciation for what I found between the pages of Bloodstone. It gave me something to focus on.

Bloodstone is a dark and gritty addition into the urban fantasy genre and fans of the Deadtown series won’t be disappointed! Nancy Holzner gives her readers a tale of survival and cunning with a twist of magic and excitement. Vicky is a heroine not to be messed with and to do so is only inviting pain and retribution!

I give Bloodstone by Nancy Holzner 3 stars!