Tag: Paranormal Romance

ARC Review:The Wicked by Thea Harrison

On By MikaelaIn Paranormal Romance
The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Samhain Publishing, available as e-book
The Source: Review copy from the author
The Grade: B
The Blurb:
A Novella of the Elder Races

For a librarian with a focus on rare magic books, Olivia’s new job is a dream come true. She has been hired as part of a team to help manage the safe transportation of the collection of books owned by the Vampyre sorceress Carling Severan. The fact that the library is located on a mysterious island in an Other land only heightens the adventure.

Head of security for the expedition, Sebastian Hale is tired of his rootless life of adventure and finds himself attracted to the calm, beautiful librarian. But he is living a personal nightmare. He has been hit with a curse that is slowly taking away his sight, and he doesn’t know if he will survive the results.

But the powerful feelings growing between them, along with Sebastian’s inner turmoil, take a backseat when they learn there is a traitor lurking among their expedition team. With Elder Races politics and a priceless library on the line, they’ll have to rely on each other to survive the experience.

The Review:
When Thea Harrison asked on Twitter for reviewers, I jumped on the chance. And I am glad I did. This was an excellent addition to the Elder Races Universe.
The story takes place on Carling’s Island, located in an Otherworld. It was intresting to follow the preparations for their trip there. It also felt right that it wasn’t easy to get to the Island, and the fact that part of the journey was the most dangerous one.
I really enjoyed Olivia’s and Sam’s romance. It felt nuanced. There was a sexual attraction between them , but they also talked with each other. I also loved the supporting characters, from Phaedra ( and I am having my fingers crossed that she will get her own story) to Bailey.
The plot wasn’t unique, but it was well crafted. I enjoyed the romance, with a dash of mystery tossed in. It was intresting to watch Sam struggle with his curse, and the despair he felt over it.
The biggest problem I had, was that I felt that the story should have been longer. For example, the part of the book that focused on Olivia, and her work to pack up the library felt… shallow. As a result, I didn’t feel the impact when the disaster finally struck. It was more ” Oh, the villain finally acted.”

Review: Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations
WARNING: Contains mild spoilers ( the name of the hero and the heroine) 

The Particulars:  Paranormal Romance, Berkley, available as e-book and in Print

The Source:  The bookstore
The Grade: B
The blurb:

Step into New York Times bestseller Nalini Singh’s explosive and shockingly passionate Psy-Changeling world…

A dangerous, volatile rebel, hands stained bloodred.
A woman whose very existence has been erased.
A love story so dark, it may shatter the world itself.
A deadly price that must be paid.
The day of reckoning is here.

From “the alpha author of paranormal romance” (Booklist) comes the most highly anticipated novel of her career—one that blurs the line between madness and genius, between subjugation and liberation, between the living and the dead

The Review:

I snapped up a copy when my local bookstore by mistake started selling this book too early.  (I got a bit lucky, since they had computer issues, so they couldn’t see that the book had a hard street date 🙂 ) This  is an excellent addition to the Psy Changeling series.

The world of the Psy is crumbling in this book, and there were a lot at stake.The plot was fast paced, with  a deft mix of action and romance.   I couldn’t stop reading, as the book builds toward the final confrontation with Pure Psy.  There were times were I hated Pure Psy for the decisions they made, and the lines they crossed.  
Interwoven in this is the romance subplot.  It was exquisite.  From how Kaleb guided Sahara back out of her shell, to how Sahara started to rebuild her life.  What I liked was how Kaleb opened up with Sahara. And the things he revealed was heart wrenching.   I liked Sahara. She had a spine, which made me cheer for her. I also appreciated that she made her own path during the book. And her gift made me shiver, yet it made sense in a way. I loved how Kaleb and Sahara grounded each other, and created something that was whole from two flawed halves.

Maybe it was because I had been looking forward to this book for so long, but I had some trouble sink in to the story.  Because of that I had trouble connecting with Kaleb and Sahara. It is possibly that it partly stems from  my uncertainty if  they were too scarred to truly love at times. But when they got their HEA it felt right, and they had earned it..



 


ARC Review: Throne of Oak by Dana Marie Bell

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Carina Press, available as e-book

The Source: Net Galley
The Grade: C+
The Blurb:
Vampire Dragos Ibanescu, Mayor of Maggie’s Grove, is about to lose his mind. His mate, the dryad queen Mina Chainey, refuses to have anything to do with him after her ordeal at the hands of an evil witch. If he doesn’t mate with her soon, he may lose control of the beast within him—a force far more dangerous than anyone in town knows…

Mina’s nightmares of her time with the witch haunt her. The Queen of the Forest can’t muster the strength needed to fight her terror. Unable to leave the Throne, she vows she will not accept Dragos until she can stand at his side as an equal. But the nightmares are only growing in strength, and soon she realizes that there’s more to her pain than simple fear.

Dark forces are converging on Maggie’s Grove, and a horde of hunters stalk supernaturals from the shadows. Only by uniting in body and mind will Mina and Dragos find the strength to defend their home.

 
The Review:
I have been waiting for this book ever since I read Blood of the Maple, so when I saw the galley at Netgalley I requested it on the spot. I must admit that I have mixed feelings after reading it, though. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as good as her other novels and novellas.
It was nice to revisit Maggie’s Grove. I liked how Ms Bell revealed more and more of Dragos background through the novel. It was also intresting to find out how the Dryad rulers lived and what a dryad could do.
The main characters was intresting. It was fascinating to get know them, and to find out how the past had scarred them. I liked that both of them were strong leaders, but they weren’t invincible.
It was also intresting to see the interaction between Dragos and the other leaders of Maggies Grove. I was amazed at how patient Dragos could be sometimes. Sure, he had a temper, and he let it loose when it was needed. But he showed a lot of restraint.
The big weakness for me was the plot. Or rather the first quarter or so. It felt very… jumpy. It jumped in time. One week here, one week there. And as a result, I struggled with  feeling the romance between Dragos and Mina. Don’t get me wrong, I liked them a lot and I apprecitated that both of them had their own problems to face that propelled the plot forward. But when it came to romance I was more intrested in the romance between Eddy and his mate.

Review: Fated by Lauren Dane

On By MikaelaIn Paranormal Romance
The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Samhain, available in print and as e-book
The Source: Allromance

The Grade: B
The Blurb:
 Could there be any worse fate than a road trip from Seattle to L.A.—with one’s mother—to attend a wedding? Why yes, when one isn’t married yet, like Megan Warden. Toss in a grandmother and a carload of already married sisters and it’s a recipe for sneaking sips of “special” coffee while someone else drives.

Shane Rosario has better things to do than attend a wedding where his father’s relatives will be at him nonstop about getting married and having children. If it weren’t for seeing his anchor bond, Layla, he’d have taken a pass on the entire weekend. It would be easy, since he’s become adept at hiding who and what he is.

When the two weren’t even looking, Fate steps in and before they know it, their bond is sealed. Bonded pair, married in the eyes of their people. Two people tied together in every way. Trouble is, Shane’s not sure he wants all that comes with Megan. And Megan’s certain she’s not willing to live outside her pack, pretending to be human.

The distance between them is more than geographical. It’s a widening gulf rapidly filling with resentment…an emotional divide only acceptance could bridge. Can Shane can accept himself to cross it? Only if they let love take control.

Warning: The usual players – hot sexing, pushy Warden males and the women who keep them in line, some EMO (read: grab your hankies) and bad words.

The Review:
I read an excerpt from this one a couple of months ago, and was hooked. Unfortunately, I was also broke so it got wishlisted. Until now. Let me tell you, it was well worth the wait.
I loved the banter between Megan and her family. They might get exasperated at each other occasionally, but it was clear that they loved each other. They were comfortable with the fact that they were werewolves. Which is a contrast to Shane who is used to hiding who he is, living among humans. It was touching to see Shane struggle with who he was, and it made sense that he clung to his old life since that was all he knew.
The attraction between Megan and Shane sparked from the moment they met. Their romance was a whirlwind, but I liked that their path to a HEA wasn’t smooth. The issues they had to work through felt very human, and believable. It was interesting to see how the Anchor bond worked, and how it also affected the relationship between Megan and Layla.
It was interesting to get a glimpse of how living outside the pack affected a werewolf. It felt as if it was possible in theory, but I loved how Ms Dane showed why it had made Shane a mess.
That said, I felt that it went too fast between the first mating bliss, to the start of their issues. The issues made sense, but I wished the book had been a bit longer and Megan’s growing frustration had been shown instead of told.

Review: The Hob by Dana Marie Bell

On By MikaelaIn Paranormal Romance
The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Samhain Publishing, available as e-book
The Source: Purchased at Allromance
The Grade: B+
The Blurb:
When the Black Queen kidnaps one of the White Queen’s nephews, Robin Goodfellow is sent to ensure that the young prince safely returns to the bosom of his family. True to his role as Oberon’s Hobgoblin, he is ready for anything…except meeting his truebond, the very delicious, very human Michaela Exton.

Michaela has dreamed about a flame-haired rogue named Robin Goodfellow since she was a little girl, but everyone knows Puck doesn’t really exist. In real life, it’s a dark-eyed man named Ringo who makes her heart beat faster.

She is closer to her dream man than she thinks, and nobody knows it better than Robin, who wears the guise of Ringo. But there’s competition for her love in the form of Lord Raven, who holds a secret that will rock the foundation of Robin’s world. As a Black Court delegate does the unthinkable, leaving an enraged, grief-stricken Robin hanging onto his humanity by a thread, only Michaela has the power to bring him back from the killing edge—if she survives.

The Review:
I have wanted to read the Hob’s story ever since I read Believe in Me. And it was well worth the wait.
I loved this book in so many ways. There was the setting, a Fairy Con in Philadelphia. It was a stroke of genius to have the latest dance of between the courts taking place there, hiding in plain sight. It was intresting to get a glimpse of how the different courts viewed humans.
Both the main characters and the secondary characters fascinated me. I loved Michaela for her open heart, and her dedication to her craft. Robin.. was his normal awesome, ass kicking self, despite courting Miranda. I could totally, understand his friends mirth. ( And that’s all I am saying, or I’ll wind up in spoiler territory) It was intresting to get to know new secondary characters. Both Kael and Raven was intriguing, but in their own way. I also liked how they gave a glimpse into life at the White Court and the Black Court.
The plot was fast paced, and filled with unexpected twists. I couldn’t stop reading as Robin and Michaela started to fall in love. I loved how they did it surrounded by members of all the courts, some of them friendly, some of them less friendly. While there was no doubt who Michaela would choose, it was intresting to follow the interaction between her, Robin and Raven.
The only weakness in this book was that I wish there had been some scenes showing Michaela’s reaction to Oberon’s decision. Since it did affect her life, in a way that would at least have me freak out a bit.

Review: Revelation by Lauren Dane

On By MikaelaIn Paranormal Romance
The Particulars:  Paranormal Romance,  Samhain Publishing, available in print and as e-book
The Source: Purchased at Books on Board
The Grade: B-
The Blurb:

He has the one thing she never thought she deserved. A place to belong…
At long last, Kendra Kellogg has found her sister—but she’s no closer to filling the gaps in her past. The magick that brought them together makes them targets for dark mages intent on finishing what started with their mother’s murder.
As if her life wasn’t chaotic enough, in barrels the one thing she doesn’t expect, Max de La Vega. He’s six-and-a-half-feet of cocoa-brown alpha male. He’s strong, intelligent, sexy and intense. Everything she’d wanted in a man. And he scares the hell out of her. Still healing from a disastrous past relationship, she wonders if she’ll ever have that kind of forever.
The next in line to run his jaguar jamboree, Max is unused to hearing “no”. Once he knows what he wants, he assumes he’ll get it. And he wants Kendra. She deserves happiness and it’s his mission to give it to her.
When dark mages attempt to steal her magickal energy, Max’s cat agrees with the man—Kendra is his to protect and he will stop at nothing to keep her safe. She can push him away as hard as she likes, he’s not going anywhere.


 The Review:
This is the second book in the De La Vegas series, and it is as good as the first book, Trinity.
It was intriguing to delve more into the world, and see how witches lived. From how they used magic, to how they struggled with change. I also liked to see how mages was affected by the magic they stole, and how they constantly was on the hunt for a new source to drain.
I liked Kendra, she had a streak of independence and sassyness that appealed to me. It was a hoot watching her and Max banter, and occasionally butt heads, as they took the first steps in their relationship.
The plot hooked me from the start. I liked how Kendra started to make a new life in Boston, at the same time as she connected with her sister. The plot twists took me by surprise, yet made sense. I I liked how several separate threads turned out to be connected. It was fascinating to watch Kendra struggle with her scars from the past, and at the same time take her place in the Jamboree.
So what I didn’t like. It felt like their romance happened so fast. I know they had know each other for a couple of months, but it felt like much shorter in the book.

Review:Trinity by Lauren Dane

On By MikaelaIn Paranormal Romance
The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Samhain Publishing, available in print and e-book.
The Source: All Romance
The Grade: B-

The blurb:
Renee Parcell loves her life. Her smoothie/coffee cart business is successful, and she’s deeply in love with her boyfriend, Galen. He makes her laugh, he’s gainfully employed, and he satisfies her as only a sexy cat shifter can. He even puts the toilet seat down.
Yet they both sense something in the air. An anticipation that leaves them both unsettled.
Tall, blond and gorgeous Jack Meyers, Enforcer of National Pack and one of the most beautiful men Renee and Galen have ever seen. When he stumbles into Renee’s life, the riddle of their expectation is solved—Renee is Jack’s mate. What surprises them all is when the three of them touch, magick creates an unexpected triple bond of witch, cat and wolf.
Even as they learn to navigate the steamy intricacies of their bond, a threat looms over Renee. First in the form of resurrected memories, then in the shape of darker magicks someone is aiming at her. Set on stealing her inherent powers—even her life.
Renee can stand to lose almost anything, except her mates. But there seems to be no talking them out of laying everything on the line for her…

 The Review:
This review is a sign of the power of the re-read. I read Trinity for the first time last year, and I liked it. But, then out of the blue I was hit by an urge to read more of Lauren Dane’s Paranormal Romances, so I decided to re-read it.
I liked the World that Lauren Dane had created. It was intriguing and believable. From the close knitted way of both the jamboree and the National Pack, to the way not everyone loved Renee.
I also liked how well intigrated the supernatural was into the society. While they didn’t tell everyone they met that they were shifters, they didn’t struggle to keep it a secret.
I loved Renee. She was a wonderful mix of independence and generosity. I liked the glimpses I got of her past, even though they were heartwrenching.
Galen was hot, supportive and just the right kind of possessive. In other words: just like I want my alpha heros. Jack was hot, supportive, but I liked that he pushed Renee into opening up.
The plot was well written, and engaging. It hooked me from the start. I liked how Renee’s past and present got caught up with each other, but also how it gave rise to more questions, and more trouble. But I’ll admit that I wished that story had given a better glimpse into the reasoning of the villain.
That said, I had a lot of trouble with the swift transistions. One moment they were in a public place, the next they were somewere else and having sex. It might be that I simply missed the lines that took them home, but it was a bit confusing.

Review: The Lure of Song and Magic by Patricia Rice

On By MikaelaIn Paranormal Romance

The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Sourcebooks, available in print and as e-book
The Source: Allromance
The Grade: B+
The Blurb:
Her voice was a curse…

When Dylan “Oz” Oswin’s son is kidnapped, the high-powered producer will do anything to get him back. Desperately following an anonymous tip, he seeks help from a former child singing sensation called Syrene, only to find she’s vowed never to sing again. Immune to her voice but not her charm, Oz is convinced she holds the key to his son’s disappearance—and he’ll stop at nothing to make her break her vow.

Only he can make her sing…

She knows the devastation her talent can bring. There’s more than a child’s life at stake, but Syrene cannot unleash her dangerous siren’s voice upon the world, even for a man who is impossible to deny.

The Review:

This have been on my wishlist for a long time, but I never got around to buy it until now. And I am glad I read it. This is Patricia Rice at her best.
The book hooked me from the start. The California setting felt believable, and I liked how the citizens of El Paso supported Pippa. I liked how they were depending on farmers and tourists, and how it made their economy vulnerable.
And.. Into this Oz storms. I liked Oz, and how he was prepared to do anything to find his son. It would have been easy for Pippa be steamrolled by Oz, but I liked how she stood her ground, and refused. It was intresting to meet the rest of the inhabitants, and Conan. Who was geeky like always.
The plot was fascinating, and I liked how everything was connected. Pippa’s past, Oz missing son, the villain. What I also liked was how Pippa slowly started to step out of her shell, and start to heal from the past scars.
So what I didn’t like. Sometimes I got confused over when the kidnapping happened, if it had happened when Donal was a baby or when he was older.

Valentine’s Day Bargains

On By MikaelaIn Paranormal Romance

Since today is Valentine’s Day, there is a lot of one day bargains going on. 

Allromance offers a 50% rebate on all eligible books.
Samhain offers a 30%  off coupon code. 

Feral Magic by Robin D Owens are discounted to 0.99 at Amazon and BN. Today only.. 
Hotter than hot by Tina Leonard is a free pre-order from Samhain.
.
Freepartay offers free books from a lot of authors, among them Stephanie Bond.

They don’t advertise it on their webpage, but Carina Press have discounted a lot of their erotic romances.

ARC Review: Wolf Nip by Vivian Arend

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations, Paranormal Romance, reviews
The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Samhain Publishing, available as e-book
The source: ARC from the author
The Grade: B
The Blurb:
Cat got your tongue?

Tessa Williams is looking to make her mark outside the family business, and the unusual landlocked paddle wheeler she spots in Haines, Alaska, strikes her as the perfect location. Only the owner is being difficult, refusing to sell. Still, she’s sure that replacing her written queries with a little in-person charm is all she’ll need to shortly have her Eco-tour B&B on the road to success.

Local wolf-slash-owner of said vessel, Mark Weaver, isn’t hanging on to the landmark building out of spite. There are more reasons for holding back the sale than are easily explained on paper. A face-to-face meeting to resolve the matter only confounds it—when Mark recognizes Tessa as his mate.

But she’s a cat…and cats don’t do insta-mates.

The sexual attraction between them isn’t in question, just everything else. He wants her. She wants twue wuv. His wolf can’t figure out what the holdup is. Her cat thinks the entire situation, and the pack, are rather amusing.

Somewhere in here is the beginning of a beautiful relationship—if they don’t drive each other mad.

Warning: One hyper cat, one laid-back wolf. Inappropriate use of permanent markers, and a heaping side dish of cat/dog jokes. Shenanigans (read: nookie) in front of a roaring fire. Spiced liberally with sarcasm. Enjoy!

The Review:
This is the latest Granite Wolves novella, and I had a blast reading it.
I enjoyed reading about Tessa and Marks romance. From their first meeting, when Mark’s wolf says ” Mate!” and Tessa balks. It was intresting to see the differences between wolves and cats, and how their animals tried to nudge them into mating.
That said, I admired Tessa for her strength to hit the brakes, and insisting that they got to know each other first.
Following Tessa and Mark as they worked on renovating the paddlewheeler was a crashcourse in compromises. But it was also a case of mates complimenting each other, which they did in a beautiful way.
I giggled when I read about Tessa’s meeting with the pack. I liked how she held her ground, and grudingly won the pack’s respect.
The biggest problem I had was with Tessa. I liked her, but I never felt I saw how her emotions to Mark developed from attraction to love. Maybe that was why her lightbulb moment that she loved Mark felt rushed.