Author Archives: karenjvjohnson

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Taming Val

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23634964

Taming Val (The Romanovsky Brothers #1)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This author is one that I have never read before but find that she has a way of writing that I find works very well for me. The characters are very vibrant and real because of how they interact. This for me gives them a feeling of believability that is important. I like them and want to keep reading to find out how they handle the situations placed in front of them. Once I started I did not want to stop and had a couple of late nights so I could finish as soon as possible.

Valentin “Val” Romanovsky is a 28-year-old man who has led the life of a rich playboy for years and more or less enjoyed himself. Then he gets a diagnosis that could mean he will be alone for the rest of his life if he does not take matters into his hands immediately. This problem prompts him to confide in a woman who has lived with his family for years and is considered to be a sister by his brothers. He on the other hand has treated her badly all these years and she offers to help him regardless.

Zoey Black has lived with the Romanovsky’s since she was 14 years old and view them as her family, even Val who seems to hate her. What she does not see is that his aloofness hides a secret he does not want to come out. She is also hiding from something from herself that will make her decision to help much easier.

This was hot, hot, hot! The story had an air of mystery, betrayal, and family dysfunction. I loved this and am ready for book two. The Romanovsky brothers are all hot and I want to hear from each one, four books may not even be enough. Enjoy this!!

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Deadly Quicksilver Lies

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23820357

Deadly Quicksilver Lies: A Garrett, P.I. Novel (Garrett Files #7)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I love Garrett, have ever since I read the first book and always want to read more. This time while I basically liked it I was not taken away with this particular story. Everybody seemed lackluster and the story was not very interesting. I missed the Dead Man in the overall story since he gives a kick to everything going on with Garrett. Dean was another missed figure for me since he makes Garrett so crazy by running his house like it was his own and not Garrett’s.

Bottom line, I enjoyed it because it was a Garrett tale but did not because the story was not very engaging. But I will be reading the next one because they have such interesting characters most of the time.

“Pull up a step, Ace,” I told him. He did, but he had the fidgets. He kept looking for his lucky exit. I told him, “I didn’t really want you. But I can’t get ahold of Winger.” Not that I’d tried. “What? Who?” “Your girlfriend. Big blond goof with no common sense, always has an angle, never tells the truth if a lie will do. Her.” “Part of that fits everybody in this thing,” Morley said. “Even up on the Hill, they turned the truth to quicksilver.” “Untruths, too.” “Quicksilver lies. I like that.” “Deadly quicksilver lies.” I spotted friend C.J. Carlyle. “Look who missed the slaughter at Maggie Jenn’s place.”
― Glen Cook, Deadly Quicksilver Lies: A Garrett, P.I. Novel Glen Cook
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home

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1270615

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #1)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Definitely worth taking the time for if you are a fan of Buffy! This is a really good way to continue the story and introduce a new dimension of the Buffyverse. It can be an introduction for those who have never seen the show or just a great way to catch up with the characters. Loved it!
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The Gifted Soul

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22428690

The Gifted Soul

by Jeannie Ingraham (Editor), Sharon Prudente (Editor), Nada Orlic (Illustrator)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Based on the blurb and cover I was thinking that I might not enjoy this a great deal. But I have to say that it was not the case at all, I was very pleasantly surprised . I found myself pulled into the story immediately because I really like the main female character from the beginning. There are some glitches with grammar, spelling, and word use in some places but nothing to severe as to draw away from the narrative for long. The main characters are very well fleshed out with the secondary characters having enough depth to still keep things moving smoothly.

Sophie Walters is a junior in high school and has been able to avoid being found out in the Sweeps since she was in the sixth grade. She is one year away from never having to worry about it ever again, then something goes wrong. Sophie can see auras, ghosts, and read minds with touch, she is sought after for these abilities like so many others around the country. Now she is going to be sent away from her home and friends to an institution for others like her.

Lyle Raider ferreted out Sophie even though her administrator could not prove she was gifted. He is the reason she is now going to a school for kids with abilities like hers. But something is not right there and soon Sophie and her new friends will find themselves going against the grain to save themselves and others.

This had a little teen angst with some good psychic abilities on display. Definitely a good read for anyone who likes stories with a paranormal theme. Recommended for all ages!

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Sexy as Hell

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16089712

Sexy as Hell (More Than Men #1)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I’m kind of torn on the rating I want to give this, so I am going with 3.5. This was basically a good story from an author I had never read before and so wanted to try at least once. The characters are not fully defined as to who they are and the story does not seem fully realized. I wanted more about what was actually going on and maybe some background on the characters that we meet so abruptly with only minimal explanation. The dialogue works well and at least makes them feel like a part of the world.

Seth was about to die when he was given the choice of becoming immortal and working for the Archangel Michael or facing his fate. For fifteen hundred years he has fought demons and sent them back to hell as an immortal warrior in the service of Michael but things are about change. Seth is being targeted by a succubus who has managed to find him and knows who is and wants to take his soul. The problem is that the temptation is going to almost more than he can resist.

The sex scenes were nice but not really hot as I expected. I liked Seth but would not have felt totally let down if he had died. Camille I had a hard time warming up to because she was such a blank slate as far as who she was. I still think it is worth reading and I will be reading the next book because it sounds pretty interesting.

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American Vampire

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10949690

American Vampire (Vampire for Hire #3)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was another good entry in the life of Samantha Moon, a woman who makes me proud one minute and wanting to choke her the next. The characters and plots get more interesting and intricate with each new book and the addition of new characters make it even better. The flow is always good with the story moving along effortlessly from place to place and person to person.

This time Sam finds herself with a case she did not seek out but that she wants to solve very badly. A call from a child who said her mother has been killed and she is with the man who did it. She has also met her cyber buddy Fang in the flesh and finds out that he has been stalking her for a while because of clues she gave him. Her life is further impacted by the illness of her son which is serious and makes her think of doing the unthinkable to save him. This is not the best week she has ever had.

There are always multiple plots playing out and that keeps thing fresh and moving. It is very much like real life because in life we don’t just deal with one thing at a time but sometimes more things than we want to. These books give a very real look at the world. I seem to like Kingsley more than Sam does, since she seems to have a child’s view of the justice system where only good people get to have lawyers. I don’t trust Fang yet, but maybe he is not as bad as I think.

If you have read the first two you are going to like this one.

“Kingsley got up, and as he did so, he flashed me the goods. Whether he meant to or not, I don’t know…but holy sweet Jesus. Did I really just see that? My God, how did he walk around with that thing? Kingsley, defense attorney, werewolf—and now, apparently, pervert—sat next to me and gave no indication that he had just given me the mother of all peep shows. “I’m going to let you in on a little secret,” he said, and knocked back the rest of his wine like it was booze-flavored Kool-Aide. “It’s not a secret,” I said. “And it ain’t little.” “Excuse me?” “Never mind.” But I caught the smallest of shit-eating grins on his face. “Go on,” I said, shaking my head. “And this time try to keep the robe closed.”
― J.R. Rain, American VampireJ.R. Rain
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Erotic Diaries of a Warlock

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18134250

Erotic Diaries of a Warlock: Book 1 of 3

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This was nothing like what I was expecting when I bought it. I cannot say that I particularly liked it but I did not totally dislike it either. There was no true story here that I could find. I mean it was supposed to be about this person finding out who he was but I could not follow completely because it did not go in a linear fashion. This is supposed to be being written by an actual Warlock, but if that is the case he should have gotten a ghost writer. There was simply not enough of a story to keep me from being bored and stopping and starting multiple times. The narrative was kind of disjointed and did not flow well from chapter to chapter or even within them in some instances.

This is the story of Justin, as he is to be called, and his journey to find himself as a warlock.

This has the word erotic in the title and I did not really find it to be so at all. I was actually a bit disturbed to find scenes between a prepubescent boy and older woman in sexual situations. I could not in recommend this to anyone. I will not be reading the next two books if this what I can expect. No real story, no heat, no interesting moments.

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The Awakening

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18304155

The Awakening (The Marriage Diaries #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first thing I have ever read from this author, and I am so glad I found it. Now there was no major character development here but I think that it will be a part of the series as it continues. The characters are likeable however and there seems to be a great deal of potential for them. The language seems appropriate for who they are and their lives. The first few pages didn’t pull me in but it was easy-going by the time I had been reading for 20 minutes or so.

The kids are out of the house and Jillian Noble is ready to add a little spice to her life. She and Dean have a nice love life but she is ready for more and hopes to find that her husband is willing to go along with the changes she wants to make. To feel him out about it Jillian is going to his office to seduce him.

Dean Noble is a good-looking man who loves his wife. What she does not realize is that he has fantasies that he has never thought would be fulfilled because he is afraid of truly letting go. When his wife does something so hot and sexy as to seduce him in his office, he wonders if it is time to let the beast out.

This was a pretty hot introduction to a couple I think are only going to get better. I say give it a go!

“Shit.” Dean scrubbed a hand along his jaw and gave Jillian a stern look. “You made me forget all about the meeting I had scheduled for this afternoon with a very important client.” She should have told him she was sorry, but honestly, she wasn’t the least bit contrite about seducing her husband. “Then I guess I should be going.” She stood up, and so did he. Just as she turned to walk around his desk, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back around again. His heated gaze roamed over her disheveled hair, then her face, and he smirked that confident, cocky smile of his. “You do realize, don’t you, that you look like you’ve just been fucked.” She didn’t miss the possessive inflection in his voice. Already, she sensed a change in him, a darker edge that excited her. “I feel like it, too,” she said, unable to deny that she was very tender in the most delicious places. “Do you think anyone will notice that you had your way with me when I walk out of your office?” “I’m sure they will.” And he wanted them to! The rogue.”
― Erika Wilde, The Awakening  Erika Wilde
http://www.amazon.com/AWAKENING-Marriage-Diaries-Book-ebook/dp/B00BCRVAAO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436670666&sr=8-1&keywords=the+awakening+by+erika+wilde
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Killer Twist

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15755628

Killer Twist (Ghostwriter Mystery #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read the fourth book in this series first and was so happy with it that I had to go back to the beginning and see where it all started. Surprisingly enough this book was just as good as the one I originally read. The only real complaint I have is that it lagged in the beginning, though it at least gave a little background on the main characters as it did so. Once it starts to move it does so at a nice pace that actually helps to build the suspense as it introduces more suspects. I found the dialogue to be just right to elicit the emotions and feelings they wanted.

Roxy Parker is a ghost writer, which means she is hired by those wishing to write their memoirs to make it sound intelligent and well written, and she does not get any credit. Roxy is just fine with that as long as they continue to pay her and she can continue to pay her bills. Roxy also has a rather macabre hobby, she collects crime clippings, mostly about murders which her boss calls her “Book of Death.”

Roxy has been hired to ghost write the memoir of the wealthy society matron Beatrice Musgrove. So far things have been very tame and somewhat boring, but then Beatrice says that she has a few revelations coming up that will make for more interesting reading. Days before she is to see Roxy and reveal her true secrets she is murdered in her home and it is declared a suicide, which Roxy does not believe for one minute. She launches her own investigation and finds that some things might be better left alone.

I had a good idea of who the killer was well before the end but it was still fun finding out if I was right or not. A good mystery always has enough red herrings that you make mistakes more than you get it right at the beginning. There was one thing that annoyed me greatly about Roxy and it was the fact that she liked Merlot, I hate Merlot. A little light romance or at least an attempt at romance on the part of one character. Good clean mystery.

“https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/15411105-karen”
http://www.amazon.com/Killer-Twist-Ghostwriter-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B006LAAUHG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435621232&sr=8-1&keywords=killer+twist
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South Beach

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12842552

South Beach (Hot in the City #4)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was another nice story in the series that gave us a look at someone not directly linked to the March sisters but who was in Las Vegas with one of them at the same company. The characters as just as well laid out as usual and you will either like them or hate them. The set-up is familiar but at least different enough that you do not feel like you are reading the same book as before with different names, which could happen when things are close like this. The local is another that made me want to go and lay out and just enjoy the sun and gorgeous men.

Holly Pettit’s life took a turn that she never expected when she was an idealistic 18-year-old working for the summer at a South Beach Hotel. After that summer her world fell apart because of a man and the course of her life became something that she has not been exactly proud of since then. Trey Kennedy is the man who made her love him and then suddenly left her life without a word.

Holly and her friend take a vacation at the Imperial Palms Hotel where they both worked ten years ago never expecting to run into Trey. But while out at the pool who comes along and seems to still be working there but the man himself.

This was very hot and not for anyone who does not like some heat with their tale. The love story was a little thin but that was alright because it still worked.Quick read for a lonely night.

“https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/15411105-karen”>View all my reviews