The Marrying Season by Candace Camp (Legend Of St Dwynwen #3)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Historical Romance

Publisher: Pocket Books

My Copy: Sent

Reviewer: Pam

Genevieve Stafford, the younger sister of the Earl of Rawdon (A Summer Seduction), is an icy but beautiful aristocrat. Determined to make the sort of marital alliance expected of a woman of her station, she becomes engaged to the scion of another noble family. However, when Genevieve finds herself entangled in scandal, her fiancé breaks things off. Shamed, she has no recourse but to retreat to the family estate…until her brother’s friend, Sir Myles Thorwood, offers to marry Genevieve and salvage her reputation. Genevieve expects to have a loveless marriage of convenience, but the handsome, charming Myles has other things in mind. As the two of them work to discover who engineered the scandal that could have ruined Genevieve’s life, Myles shows Genevieve just what it means to be man and wife. Genevieve finds it difficult to resist the passion Myles evokes in her, but can she risk losing her heart to a man she thinks sees their union as only a duty?

Genevieve Stafford is considered the ice princess; she is a very reserved and quiet woman. Her brother is getting married and now her grandmother is ready for her to make a perfect marriage match without any scandals. So seven months later she does just that, she is engaged to the perfect and boring Lord Dursbury. However the scandal sheets seem to have her in their sites, saying that it is just a matter of time before he calls the wedding off.

Sir Myles Thorwood is a friend of Genevieve’s brother, Alec and had always been around her family, they were close enough that when together that rarely talked without arguing or disagreeing over something, one of the only times you would see them enjoying each other’s company was when they were dancing, as she thought he was one of the best dancers around.

At a party, Genevieve is passed a note from Myles asking her to meet in the Library, however when she gets there, he is not there, instead she finds an intoxicated Foster Langdon who has often bothered Genevieve, he tries to kiss her and as she is struggling, Myles enters the library, followed closely by Lord Dursbury and his step mother. Through no fault of her own, she is ruined.

Immediately Lord Dursbury calls off the wedding bringing truth to what the scandal sheets were predicting. Myles, being the gentleman that he is, offers to marry Genevieve, however at first she turns him down. She eventually says yes after talking to her grandmother, brother and friends and realizing there is no other way out of the scandal.

The marriage takes place right away and they leave for his country home, but before they get there he wants to stay in a small cottage on his estate to help her adjust to her new life. Everything is going well until distrust and misunderstandings surface about that night in the library.

This was a very enjoyable romance of childhood friends who grow up, have to deal with scandals and then find love. Genevieve and Myles have known each other forever as he is good friends with her brother Alex, and although they do not see each other much and may snip and argue but they genuinely like each other. When they marry, they even get along for the most part, however distrust and miscommunication tear at their thin bond.

I really liked Myles, he is such a wonderful gentleman who is willing to do what is needed to help a friend and he was always trying to find the right words when Genevieve is being so stubborn, trying to make her feel better. And stubborn is truly what Genevieve is, throughout the whole book. She is portrayed as this ice queen however most of her attitude is because she is awkward at socializing and is nervous, but she does not help her cause when she has trouble trusting that someone would help her just because, she was very frustrating for me as I was waiting for her to believe in Myles.

The story is romantic and sweet without much drama until the end as they try to find out who wants to damage Genevieve’s reputation even after she is married. The chemistry works well and they are a great couple, especially when they first get married and were by themselves at the cottage, without distractions they were able to get to know each other. Unfortunately reality gets in the way and distrust settles in. I enjoyed the banter back and forth during the times they were getting along; they seemed to be great friends. This is the third in this trilogy however each book can be read independently, you do see the other characters from the first two books but it is very easy to know who they are and their stories.

Overall a wonderful story that will appeal to all historical romance fans.

I give The Marrying Season by Candace Camp 4.0 stars!

Badlands Bride by Adrianne Wood

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Historical Western Romance

Publisher: Pocket Books

My Copy: Sent

Reviewer: Pam

Lily Highfill has spent long years in Denver, exiled from her wealthy, high-society family in Boston. With a betrothal to a titled Englishman nearly in her pocket and an invitation to return home to Boston in hand, Lily thinks her future is set and decides to spend her final month out West at her grandfather’s fossil dig in the Colorado badlands. Then a famous frontier journalist enters the bone hunters’ camp and stirs up trouble—and her heart.

Mason Donnelly used to be one of the most popular writers west of the Mississippi, but after several dry months, his career has hit rock bottom. One big story could put him back on top, and he senses that there’s more to this fossil dig than dinosaur bones. But a feisty heiress with a knack for finding trouble is about to derail all his plans in ways he could never imagine….

I really enjoyed this book – it took me on a surprising journey from the beginning to the end.

Mason Donnelly is a 28 year old reporter who was working for a newspaper. Recently he felt that he had lost his edge and had not been writing up to his usual excellence. He now knows he is not the only one that felt that way as his boss at the newspaper told him to take some time off and recharge. So he ends up in Colorado at an archeological dig that he visited a year ago and wrote an article about, to see if he could restore his writing ability.

He visits Charles Highfill a wealthy businessman, who is financing the dig, they look for fossils in different places around the country for his museums back east. Mason wrote an article a year ago about Highfill’s expedition, some thought he was harsh on Highfill, claiming he was a wealthy man that did not do much to help with the dig. Mason is known for telling the truth and not glossing over details, which makes him very popular to readers of his articles.

Lily Highfill is the 22 year old granddaughter of Charles Highfill. She is learning the ropes with her grandfather and spending time with her fiancé Cecil before heading back to Boston. She has lived in Denver for the past eight years with her aunt Evaline, as she was a very difficult teen and was voicing her feelings loudly about her mother re-marrying, much to her mother’s dismay. She is trying to find where she belongs in this world and believes she is ready to return to Boston even though the one time she visited she felt out of place. When Lily meets Mason for the first time she recognizes his name and is at first turned off because she does not feel he treated her grandfather fairly in his article but eventually comes around.

Cecil St John is Lily’s fiancé, a man her mother adores and would welcome into the family. Lily likes him well enough however wonders why he is not more affectionate toward her and at times hates the way he talks to her and disregards her drawings of the fossils. She likes Cecil and does not really notice how he treats her until Mason points it out to her and realizes he is not the man for her.

While the expedition has several weeks left to go Cecil and Highfill notice sapphire gems sprinkled among the samples they bring in from the dig, they are worried that it will bring gem hunters to the area which would trample and create havoc around the dig site. Highfill also does not want Mason to know about the find, as he does not want him to write an article bringing more publicity to the site. Because they are worried about Mason finding out, they push him to leave which only makes him more curious about what is going on. His reporter mind starts to work again and he is excited that the words are beginning to flow.

Lily and Mason spend time together and begin to grow close but realize Lily wants to go (or should go) back to Boston and Mason is a wonderer and has no real destination in mind for the near future. As the dig wraps up they start to talk about what could happen when out of the blue Cecil tells Mason about the sapphires. Mason is intrigued and is suspicious about the timing, he tells Lily he must go to Denver but will return in three days. Yet it is seven days before he returns and he brings her Aunt Evaline back with him. He has found out something important about her grandfather and wanted her aunt with her when he tells her. Mason goes to Highfill and Cecil to show proof and tell him that he is writing a story about everything. Highfill tries to reason with Mason and makes some interesting offers, however Mason is outraged and leaves. When Lily and her aunt come to the tent to talk, there is a struggle and Lily’s aunt makes a stunning announcement that will change Lily’s life forever.

As Lily returns home with her grandfather, Mason takes off toward the west. There are things that must be settled and secrets that are revealed before apologies and forgiveness can begin.

I was very surprised about how much I liked this book. The story was engaging and unpredictable. Lily was a very intriguing character and I loved that Mason is a beta hero. The chemistry was great between them, as they started as friends and then later became much more. They grew as people in the short time they were together. The story was captivating and kept me turning the pages until the end, not only was the end interesting, there were several surprises that caught me off guard.

I give Badlands Bride by Adrianne Wood 4 stars!

Last Man Standing by Cindy Gerard (Black Ops Inc #7)

 

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Pocket

My Copy: Sent

Black Ops, Inc. operative Joe Green is determined to bring to justice the man responsible for former team member Bryan Tompkins’s death. He’s convinced the ambush that killed Bryan was no coincidence, but a setup. Unsure of the consequences of the battle he’s about to start, Joe distances himself from both his Black Ops, Inc. team members and the woman he loves, Bryan’s sister, Stephanie Tompkins. But Stephanie knows there must be some reason Joe broke it off, and when she hears Joe’s charged with a murder in Sierra Leone, she wastes no time in breaking him out of prison. Then they must unravel the mystery behind the ambush, and bring resolution to a long-ago betrayal….

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Joe knows that to truly keep Stephanie safe he has to break her heart. He has plans for revenge that don’t include a girlfriend and having him come back anything less then whole would tear her apart. Fifteen years ago his brother in arms was killed in the line of duty but Joe knows there is more to the story then what was officially said. His friend was murdered and now he finally has the chance to get his revenge and shed light on what actually happened that day. Until he is captured and beaten daily with no hope of ever seeing the light of day again.

Just seeing the picture of Joe being led into a foreign prison is enough to tear a hole in Stephanies heart. With Joe’s Black Ops team out of commission she has to go in alone and no one is going to stand in her way. Sure, she’s in way over her head but she will do what it takes to get him out.  The plaint, soft Stephanie was who Joe left behind but this new Stephanie has no problem jail breaking a innocent man and laying everything on the line to do so. Alone with a band of military street kids, Stephanie is about to show “mean” Joe Green what exactly she is made of.

 

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Last Man Standing in the seventh book in Gerard’s Black Ops Inc series and it certainly delivered in the action department! Almost from the first page there is something going on and the reader is instantly thrown in to the mind of Joe. It’s obvious from the start that he is deeply in love with Stephanie and has a ton of guilt over it. Out of a misplaced sense of duty he wants to protect her and in order to do that he has to break her heart. He has to cut ties with Stephanie in order to finally go back and get revenge on her brothers death from fifteen years ago. Just like most men though he caves and has one last night with her even though she can tell he is leaving. Stephanie comes across as a very loving and patient person in the beginning. Not someone I could see being involved in a high stress rescue and so I was worried about how she would act once Joe gets captured and she has to go rescue him on her own.  Stephanie is nothing but resourceful the entire book. Upon seeing Joe in the prison her backbones seemed to instantly harden and she literally became like a different person. I was fascinated with the change in her entire demeanor.

Joe and Stephanie together was very steamy. Joe spends a lot of the book being weak and slightly incapacitated and he makes more qualms about hating it. Stephanie nurses him back to health though and the effect was so loving, so sweet, that I said “awwwww” a lot. Well and “oooooo” when Joe realizes that even though he has no strength to walk, little Joe wasn’t listening to those limitations. Heh. He reacted to just the smell of Stephanie, and let’s be honest, they are in a 3rd world country with hardly any running water. She couldn’t smell that good ALL the time.

I loved the addition of Suah, the local teenager who had been snatched off the street at a young age and military trained. Out on his own now after the fall of his leader in the last book, Suah joins the fight to save Joe from the prison and smuggle him out of the country. It was sad to see a boy at such a young age have the knowledge he had and knowing what he had endured. I loved how he tried to hide his like for Stephanie and Joe behind his hardened expression and that they could both see right through him.

The only downside to this book was the ending. I thought there was a lot of lead up to taking the head honcho down and then not much action associated with it. The villain has a heart condition and so I figured there would be some obstacles with the final scene between Joe and him but it just seemed over way to fast. I was a bit let down by that.

I loved the huge epilogue at the end of this one. There is information on every couple in the series and it’s nice to know what they are doing now. Even if I haven’t read all the books in this series, each character is talked about in each installment. Lots of babies crawling around everywhere.

Last Man Standing is an excellent edition to Gerards military series! Wonderfully written, engaging and action packed, this one will keep you reading! I fully recommend this series!

I give Last Man Standing by Cindy Gerard 4.5 stars! 

Feature: Heir of Danger by Alix Rickloff

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Pocket Books

Find The Author: website/facebook/ Simon & Schuster page

The third book in Alix Rickloff’s devilishly sexy Irish regency paranormal romance series.

A man too dangerous to live. . .

After seven years outrunning enemies, friends, and his own soul-crushing memories, Brendan Douglas is risking everything on a desperate mission. He has vowed to thwart the evil mage Máelodor’s plans to unlock the past and reshape the future . . . unfortunately the precious treasure  that is the key to success lies with a woman he jilted seven years before.

A woman determined to find a life of her own. . .

When her golden-eyed childhood hero abandoned her at the altar—disappearing in a storm of magic and mayhem, destruction, betrayal, and disaster—Elisabeth Fitzgerald struggled to overcome her humiliation and loss. Finally, she has found a new fiancé and a comfortable future. Then, the one man she thought she would never see again appears—among her wedding guests. Brendan Douglas has returned.

An inescapable destiny. . .

It’s not just that Elisabeth is promised to another; Brendan knows he is drawing her into terrible danger. But he cannot resist the bewitching, brave, wholly unexpected woman his youthful nemesis has become. He promised to sacrifice everything, but is he willing to sacrifice Elisabeth?

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The Rest of the Trilogy:

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.47

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Average Goodreads Rating: 3.30

My review

Feature: Susanna’s Choice by Sara Luck

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Historical Romance

Publisher: Pocket Books

Debut novelist Sara Luck bursts onto the romance scene with this sultry Western set along the Oregon Trail.

Susanna Ward Kirkland, a journalist for the Virginia City Pioneer, was raised by Gus and Minnie Kirkland after her parents died on the wagon train coming West. Her foster father wants her to marry Jesse, his son, and out of a sense of obligation, she agrees. Then Susanna meets Rab Trudeau. A wealthy businessman who lives in San Francisco, Rab has interests in a silver mine in the Comstock Lode. But unscrupulous mine managers are manipulating the stock prices, aided by the very paper that employs Susanna. A strong attraction develops between Susanna and Rab, but it is fraught with obstacles. Can Rab and Susanna find the happiness they seek?

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To Find out more about Sara Luck check out her Simon and Schuster profile!

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Here is a pic of a few cowboys I found. I doubt any of them have actually rode a…..horse..but they sure are pretty A horse isn’t what I’d want them on anyway. Hey hey! Get your mind out of the gutter. I was totally thinking tractor. Have you ever heard that Kenny Chesney song, She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy? *wink wink*

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! 

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! 

Hunter Of Shadows by Nancy Gideon (Moonlight #5)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Pocket

My Copy: Sent

The secrets he knows about her could get him killed.

Transferring to the New Orleans Police Department, Detective Silas MacCreedy has a hidden agenda: to secure his clan’s place once again in the Shifter hierarchy. What he didn’t count on was stumbling upon a sexy assassin who could shred his best intentions and lead him into a dangerous dance that threatens to engage his heart.

But the ones he doesn’t know . . .

Monica Fraser knows just how to make a man beg—for his life. But she has no clue how to fight her attraction to the fiercely intense detective who seems determined to get in her way, both professionally and intimately.

. . . could kill them both.

When emotional attachments to the past and an unexpected glimpse of a different future have her questioning her deadly purpose, Nica must discover the truth about her secret abilities in order to free herself from the forces that control her. But that freedom comes with a price—trusting those she’s been ordered to eliminate.

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Trained assassin Nica is used to living on her own and truthfully she likes it better that way. Her entire life has been lived moment to moment, connections with people just brought pain. She may be able to kill a man with little emotion, but denying her attraction to the fiercely guarded Silas, is something she doesn’t know how to handle.

Silas has his own secrets. Secrets he can’t afford to forget. A job he can’t afford to do. People are counting on him infiltrating the New Orleans police department and bringing home what he was sent to collect. The last thing he needs to is fall for the assassin that seems to always be showing up.

Nica has powers emerging she knows nothing about and she needs Silas to help her figure out what is going on. The few people she is coming to understand better then herself, are the very same people she is supposed to kill.

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Hunter of Shadows is one of those books that you try a lot to love. You want to love it. You keep telling herself to read more. But in the end you are disappointed and feel like you ordered something and the waitress brought you something completely different.

I started Hunter Of Shadows thinking that even though the story seemed to center around a different couple, that we would still get to see a lot of Charlotte and Max. Unfortunately they don’t have much of a role in this one and for that I felt let down. Oh, they are still there, some. Just not in the fashion I wanted them in.The previous main couple has been relegated to secondary roles for this book and after being the center for four other book, this didn’t feel right.

I didn’t really like Nica. I can’t put my finger on why exactly. She had this tough exterior, which normally I can go for because eventually they soften up, if only for the main hero. This just didn’t feel like that. She spent much of the book referring to Silas has basically a booty call. She never wanted to give into the feelings she had. Then, all of a sudden she flipped and was in love with him and couldn’t live without him. It like like she walked from one room and into another and her whole personality changed.

Add to this that Silas was in a round about way cheating on his childhood sweetheart and I just couldn’t like him. He had this girl back home that he has promised he would come back to. They were friends for years and as they grew into adults, thrown together by tragedy, Silas promises they will be together after he comes back from his assignment. Then he goes off and meets Nica and they start sleeping together…while this other girl is waiting at home. What? Now I’m not normally one that draws a line in the sand….and there is definite gray area since Silas had never actually slept with this other girl….BUT…you can’t go telling a girl that she should wait for you, that you will be together, then go sleeping with some smoking hot assassin. Even if you’re doing it out of some misguided sense of family duty. Yes, I know that was a huge run on thought….my mind doesn’t do punctuation.

Alan also makes appearances in this one because he has been temporarily partnered with Silas. I wish Alan would make up his mind about his wife. He either loves her and can stomach the fact that she is a shifter. Or he doesn’t and he needs to move on. He has found a way to work with everyone else…but his wife is still out in the cold. I don’t get it. The boy you claim you love is suffering because you’re treating him like a leper. Man up and take action, or leave, because hanging around can’t be easy on either of them.

It’s safe to say I just had issues with Hunter Of Shadows. I tried, I really did, but ultimately I just didn’t like it. I hope the next one focuses more on who I had come to love, Charlotte and Max. Or give me characters I can get behind.

I give Hunter Of Shadows by Nancy Gideon 2.75 stars

Unclean Spirits by M.L.N. Hanover (The Black Sun’s Daughter #1)

Available: Now Amazon/B&N

Type: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Pocket

My Copy: Sent

In a world where magic walks and demons ride, you can’t always play by the rules.

Jayné Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers reality isn’t quite what she thought it was. When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it’s all hers — and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College.

Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their own ends of power and domination. Jayné finds it difficult to believe magic and demons can even exist, let alone be responsible for the death of her uncle. But Coin sees Eric’s heir as a threat to be eliminated by any means — magical or mundane — so Jayné had better start believing in something to save her own life.

Aided in her mission by a group of unlikely companions — Aubrey, Eric’s devastatingly attractive assistant; Ex, a former Jesuit with a lethal agenda; Midian, a two-hundred-year-old man who claims to be under a curse from Randolph Coin himself; and Chogyi Jake, a self-styled Buddhist with mystical abilities — Jayné finds that her new reality is not only unexpected, but often unexplainable. And if she hopes to survive, she’ll have to learn the new rules fast — or break them completely….

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The last thing Jayné expects when she finds out her uncle Eric died is that he was a demon fighter or that he was fabulously wealthy. She has never believed in things that go bump in the night and now faced with the very definition, doesn’t know where to begin. In order to get revenge on the guy behind her uncles death, Jayné is not only going to have to believe, but eat and breathe it all too.

Assembling her rag tag team of helpers are Erics confidants, Midian, Aubrey, Ex and Jake. All guys Eric has worked with prior, but not one truly knew the man. Each has their secrets and Jayné will have to unravel each of them if she has any hope of making this work. Seems she may have some dormant secrets of her own.

In a world where magic reigns and Randolph Coin is the ringmaster, Jayné will need to use every trick in her arsenal. Even a few she doesn’t know about yet.

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I picked up Unclean Spirits not knowing what to expect. I absolutely LOVED it! First off, this is a urban fantasy through and through. Don’t go into it thinking its a paranormal romance because it isn’t. There are a few romantical (my blog, it’s a word) moments but nothing to set your sheets ablaze.

Jayné is a completely kick ass heroine. I thought faced with the information she was given, she handled everything as a person living in the real world might. Denial followed by sick acceptance is pretty much the route most humans would take. I thought she was wonderfully written with a edge that I liked. No rainbows and pretty colors. She was down to earth and spoke from the heart. She understood the gravity of the situation and after a few failed attempts finally took that head on.

The world building is superb. Enough to keep me turning the pages and not skipping around. Unclean Spirits gives you just enough information while leaving some questions open for the following books. I love how in Hanover’s interpretation, supernatural beings are basically spirit demons, hitching a ride in a human host.  Taking over people like The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers is an idea that I had yet read so it instantly hooked me. I am curious what will become of Jaynés tattoo and how it will factor into the upcoming storylines. I know there has got to be more to it then what we were told in this one.

The secondary characters all added their own spice to the story and I loved that. Aubrey and Jayné have a little something going but the focus of the story stays true. Ex is the stoic ex-priest who kicked butt when he needed to. He literally reminded me of that movie Priest. Wearing black clothing and being all goth. I can’t tell if he has a daddy complex with Jayné or if he has a crush on her. Jake with his zen like calm who looked at the situation from a non-violent point of view. And finally, Midian, a 200 yr old cursed soul that just wants to be free. You ever see that episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, when Buffy dies and everyone else comes together to take over her role and they basically get their ass kicked on a nightly basis? Yeah, Jayné and her team are like that…at first. They learn quickly though and what results is a awesome book and journey we get to take with them.

I fell in love with book one of The Black Sun’s Daughter (and I have no idea why its called that yet) series! I can’t wait to read book 2, which I have and will be reading shortly!

I give Unclean Spirits by M.L.N. Hanover 5 stars!