Author Archives: karenjvjohnson

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Angel 6.0: Escape

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25269581

Angel 6.0: Escape (Angel 6.0 #2)

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

This stepped it up and I am going 4.5 stars for this second entry in the tale of Angel and her adventures across the galaxy. Once again I was pulled into the story right from the start. The story is progressing and giving us more situations that Angel has to deal with. She grows during her journey, though she remains somewhat childlike in her thinking you can see the analytical side of her too. The new characters are somewhat interesting but could use a little more chance to be fleshed out.

Angel has settled into life on the Gran ship and is happy as long as she has Jason, the other prisoner who has a personality worth dealing with. Though she is being used by the Captain on the ship, it is not so bad because he knows what she is. She worries she will lose Jason if and when he finds out.

Jason said they would be rescued and he was right, in a way. When the rescue comes things do not go to plan for the rescuers and they find themselves with a passenger that they had not planned on. Once again Angel finds herself among strangers who hold her life in their hands. The thing is, does she even want to continue on.

The story deepens and Angel is still evolving and becoming more complex. The heat level drops a little but only because our girl is dealing with some issues that keep coming back to plague her. If there were not some complications it would not be nearly so worth reading.

Once again I highly recommend!

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A Shiver of Light

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19417217

A Shiver of Light (Merry Gentry #9)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have been waiting for the continuation of this story since the last book ended and I think it was worth it. People complain about how descriptive LKH is about everything in her books, but this is not a short story and so I want to know what’s going on with everything I can. This is about creating a scene that is visual and brings you into the story itself, that is what happens here, you cannot help but be pulled in because you know what the setting is so well. It has been five (5) years and I was happy to have the men described to me in minute detail, it gave me a thrill to sit back and see them again after so long. I love this series and the characters who populate it. They are like friends who have been on vacation only to come back for a visit that is not nearly long enough.

Merry is very heavy with child and about to deliver any day, she cannot find out who the father or fathers are until then. That is both a good thing and bad thing since Taranis, the King of Light and Illusion and Merry’s uncle is claiming that he is the father of one or all of her babies from his rape of her. Though she was pregnant when he raped her, he is delusional and believes she consented and was grateful for his rescue. It’s hard enough becoming a parent without having your crazy, powerful uncle trying to claim them and you as a prize.

With everything else that is going on Merry is finding herself being taken to those who carry her nail around their necks as a talisman. She has become a kind of deity to them though she refuses the title. She and the men she love are all waiting for the children but are also dreading the fight they know they will face in order to stay safe and keep their children safe from harm.

This book was a lot more tame than any of those before it as far as violence and sex. With the coming of the babies things have been toned down for the time being. There is happiness, love, lust, pride, loss, and redemption to be found between the pages of this book. If you love or even like the of LKH you will be happy with this entry. I just hope it is not the last we will be hearing from Princess Meredith Nic Essus and loves.

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Hunted by Treaty

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Hunted By Treaty (Qui Treaty Collection #3)

I received a free advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

As has been the case since the first book, this one is perfect in every way. The characters are richly portrayed and make you like them from the moment you meet them. The story while similar to the others is just different enough to keep the interest in what is happening in that world. I was immediately drawn into the story and the lives of the people on this new planet with a twist. I really like this series because the characters are so interesting and full of contradictions. They hate what they love and cannot fully reconcile the feelings sometimes but still move forward.

Raiss Tyrone escapes from his K’lahn captors and goes on the run in hopes of getting back and rescuing his team. He finds himself on a planet inhabited by humans and K’lahn seeming to work together. What he has found are some of those originally abducted from Earth in the first K’lahn raids and taken to be used as slaves in the mines on this planet. As he makes his way across the planet he finds only a lone half-breed girl willing to help him.

Crendea is the child of a human woman and K’lahn man. She hates what she is because she feels that she can never be accepted by humans or K’lahn’s fully. She has been able to keep from changing through sheer will but when she becomes stressed it becomes harder to do so. When she spots Raiss her first thought is to help him get away before he can be captured by the Qui who have come for him. She does not expect him to be much different from those she knows but finds someone who seems to understand who she is and how she feels.

The men here are all Alpha males but they also have a soft side, they actually cry, which can be sexy in its own way. The women are usually very strong, and this is no exception because she lives her life being mostly shunned but does so with dignity. The heat level was taken down just a bit but the story made up for it. Do Not miss this!

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Hard Wear

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24958927

Hard Wear (Hot Alpha Billionaire Book 1)

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
I received this book for free in exchange of an honest review.

I give this 4.5 stars because I really enjoyed it but it did have some moments that slowed me down. The story is totally enjoyable and while it may not have grabbed me from page one, it more than made up for it as it continued. The narrative flows along perfectly, it is not rushed and allows you to get a feel for everyone as they are introduced into the story. The characters are very well realized and seem so real that you can’t help but feel what they feel. The love story is done just right for me, things don’t move to fast or to slow but the attraction is immediate and feels right.

Chase Tanner has everything he wants in life except someone to truly share it with. He goes to Laketon for a vacation and to check on his store when he spots a woman who peeks his interest. When he notices that she is wearing Soft Wear jeans he knows that she wants the same things that he does, now he will have to convince her of it.

Kali Benson is a divorcee who moved to Laketon to start a new life after she was more or less dumped by her younger husband. Kali has lived in Laketon for the past two years happily without any male companionship. She feels it is better to be single than have the wrong man in her life, the problem is she does not recognize a good one when he shows up.

I really liked Kali because she had been hurt but had found a way to take the sting out of her rejection and move forward with her life. I really, really liked Chase! He was the kind of alpha male any woman would be glad to have, I certainly wish he existed in my world. He is the kind of Dom I could go for. This had just the right amount of heat to make keep me happy. If you enjoy a bit of Dom/sub play, nothing to heavy, then you will like this.

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Angel 6.0: Concubine

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25057922

Angel 6.0: Concubine (Angel 6.0 #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

I was totally not prepared for this in the least. I have read this author before, and loved the other series but was not sure about a space opera. Well, I can say that I have been pleasantly surprised because I found myself liking this from the moment I started reading. I had a feel for the side characters fairly quickly and thought I understood the main character well also. The story flowed perfectly and gave a sense of where it was going to be taking you as it continued. The language seemed appropriate for each character and conveyed who they were.

Angel is different from all those on Nugene Station and she knows that better than anyone. She is an experiment but she is also more to the man she views as her father. The Gran area race of Cat warrior/flesh traders who come to Nugene for bodies to use in their trade.

Angel has been hidden from the Gran on their visits to the station, but in one fateful miscalculation they see her and decide that they must have her to add to their stock of human workers. That one glimpse causes Angel’s world to spin out of control and she finds herself on an adventure she would not have chosen.

Angel seems almost childlike at first, like even though she has the body of a woman she has not really matured. Then you get to see that she is just emotionally open to everything and everyone. I like her for the strength she has and the vulnerability. I can see her growing and becoming a powerful force. I will be continuing to read to find out. Oh yeah, and the sex is so hot it almost melts your device! 🙂 I recommend this highly!

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The Zombie Axiom

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18883640

The Zombie Axiom (In the Time of the Dead)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I liked the idea of this story from the first time I read the blurb. It sounded somewhat different from the stories I had read in the past. With that being said it was very hard for me to become engaged with the story for a large portion of it. I never really did feel much for any of the characters, they never fully came to life for me. I was never really able to connect to any of the characters except for small instances near the end. The characters were not completely real to me, they seemed to almost be nothing more than stereotypes. The story did progress well and moved from point to point fairly nicely. The language was easy to follow and seemed to work for those characters as they were drawn. I will also say that I did not particularly like the way it was laid out, two chapters for a book of 311 pages made it hard to pace it.

After a meteor shower some of the people of Connisburgh start to act in murderous ways attacking their family and neighbors for no apparent reasons. Things start so slowly that at first no one notices what is happening. Three people get a front row seat to the apocalypse as it begins even though they are not sure what is happening right away. Virgil is a vet who would rather avoid people at all costs than get close to anyone, Sasha is a nurse who has an abusive home life but is a true survivor, then there is Derek, a Sensei in Akido who has a calm that nothing seems able to rattle.

These people and others will find that things may seem bad at first but that they can get even worse. There is an unknown variable that is pushing to help destroy humanity and our little band has no idea.

While it was not something that grabbed me and held my attention until the end, it did still entertain once I finally got into it. The confrontation could have come earlier since I had been promised that there would be one but it did materialize, if a bit late. I did find that the ending has at least sparked an interest in the next book. I do hope the alien aspect gets a little more play in the next installment.

Zombies good so if you like them I say give it a try.

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Sudden Backtrack

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23264806

Sudden Backtrack (The Hollows #13.1)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I was under the impression that this was going to be Al’s story, like him having the last word after all was said and done. This was nothing like what I expected. I was actually kind of bored while reading it, something that has never happened with one of Kim Harrison’s books. This just seemed like an after thought more than anything else, not a thought out short. I didn’t mind the length but I did mind that it was not a better short. It gets 3 stars because I love the characters even if I do not particularly like the story being told.

Newt and Gally (Al) have escaped but are trying to spin a curse on the elves which will affect their future children and they have chosen one of their hunters to be the one to spread it.

This was more about Newt than Al and it did give me the reason that she felt so close to Rachel. This I would say to read if you just want one more look at the world of the demons. It is very limited.

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Exiled

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Exiled (Brides of the Kindred #7)

 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

It’s kind of obvious that I love these books and am always happy to read a new one. I have not been disappointed yet and will be continuing as long as they do! This was another great entry in the Brides of the Kindred series as far as I am concerned. From the first sentence I was ready to sit back and be taken away on my adventure to the stars. The story as always flows perfectly with multiple story lines to keep you aware of what is happening with all your favorites. The language is fun and flirty at times and at others deadly serious when needed when it suits the character. The characters themselves are well fleshed out, including the new ones, and have personalities that are diverse and give them a life beyond the page.

Lissa and Saber were raised as brother and sister when Lissa was orphaned as a child. By the laws of their clan they are not allowed to be together as mates, something that both of them want more than anything. Lissa is banished to First World and becomes a Priestess of the Goddess while Saber stays on his world and is being groomed to be the next Chieftain.

Lissa volunteers to make a trip to Yonnie Six in order to bring back scrolls which had been stolen and sold. These scrolls hold the key to getting rid of the Hoard and ending the darkness. When Saber hears this he asks to go with her so that he can protect her and make sure that she returns in the same condition she left in. Neither are prepared for what they will have to do in order to procure the scrolls and get away with their lives. Yonnie Six is a decadent planet where women use men as slaves, both sexual and domestic, and brutality is a way of life. Shy and reverent Lissa will be posing as the Mistress of Saber, her body-slave, and will have to get closer than either thought they would be able to.

Meanwhile, Draven has hatched a plot to cause chaos on the mothership and is using L a shadow caster who has her own reason for hating the Kindred. Together they hope to get revenge for the perceived slights that they both have sustained.

This was an exciting book that kept me on the edge for most of the book. I was ranting at it when I thought something I would hate to see happen seemed about to occur. I got a good laugh at the craziness on the mothership and felt for them as well. I got to catch up with characters who I have come to really like and appreciate. Not to mention that there were some really good, hot sex scenes to sink into. Love this series and hope it does not end soon!

 

 

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Kidnapped for Christmas

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5998144

Kidnapped for Christmas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have found my way to another of the marvelous Evangeline Anderson’s titles. Having read only one series for so long every new discovery makes me glad that I found this author. While not a long story it manages to give you some romance along with a Dom who knows what he is doing and a sub who never knew she was one. The characters are fun and sexy and very well realized. The settings are good and make for easy visualization as well as the props alluded to. I will admit I knew what was going to happen fairly quickly but it did not take anything away from the story. It actually made me want to see exactly how it was going to play out.

Sabrina and Jilly are sisters but while they have similar hair color and eye color their body types are completely different. Sabrina is super skinny while Jilly is a plus size girl. Sabrina is impulsive and headstrong while Jilly is a bit straight-laced and responsible. When Sabrina makes a plan for herself and then flakes Jilly gets a chance to walk on the wild side.

I cannot say anything more or I will give it all away. This is super hot with a hunky Dom who made me wish I was a sub. If you like a hot read and do not have a problem with a little BDSM then go for it. You will find a lot to like.

“Hey.” He caught her chin in one hand and lifted it so that she had no choice but to look at him. “It’s all right,” he rumbled, as though he understood everything. “It’s hard at first, admitting you want to give in. To let someone else do whatever they want to you without a fight. But it’s okay. Some of us are wired to be submissive, some of us are wired to be dominant. You can’t fight what’s inside you any more than you can change the color of your eyes or how tall you are. You can try to disguise it, but in the end what you really want always comes through.”
― Evangeline Anderson, Kidnapped for Christmas Evangeline Anderson
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Thirteen Roses

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23480236

Thirteen Roses Book One: Before: An Apocalyptic Zombie Fable

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I do love a good zombie story! The one thing that did kind of annoy me about this one is that it seemed like it took so long to get to the zombies. Don’t get me wrong, I was enjoying the lead up completely, it’s just I was looking all over for the zombies. I like the way the characters were introduced one at a time in order to give you a feel for who they are. It gave me a chance to decide if I liked them or not, meaning whether I was going to be rooting for or against them. I liked the use of interludes to give more background on the state of things as they unfolded. This was definitely a different type of zombie story with what seem to be spiritual/religious undertones.

A flower seller who appears to be nothing special but who speaks like a very well-educated man, and is much more than anyone would believe. Flowers are given to seven carefully chosen people for reasons that can mean life or death for them. One of those people has the ability to cause the release of a plague that will devastate the world and it seems to have been made possible by someone associated with our flower seller.

You have to read this in order to truly appreciate it. Angels, demons, the almighty, and an interesting cross of humanity. I want book two to be just as interesting as this one because I am highly motivated to read it as soon as it comes out. Great characters, good action, nice premise, and kind of fun. I would call it a must read.

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If you have not yet read book 1 do so immediately!

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