Tag Archives: romance

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Ashes to Ashes

by

19370020

Ashes to Ashes (Experiment in Terror #8)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reading this book was bittersweet for me because I knew that there was going to be only one more when I finished this one. So I have to say that this one turned out to be one of the most scary adventures that Dex and Perry have been on so far, and as usual their personal life had to make an appearance in the midst of the terror. The characters have continued to grow and change throughout the series, starting as one-dimensional and arriving here as fully formed people who can make you feel their fear, their passion, and anything else which may pass over them. The story is always entertaining because you never really know what might be around that next corner or who might find something behind them unexpectedly.

Dex, Perry, and Rebecca are not going very far from home for their next episode of Experiment in Terror, making a move back to the beginning and the place that they met. There is a school on the Oregon coast that was originally a Sanitarium used for housing TB victims, most of them children. Thousands died within its walls, some of the disease and others with the help of those charged with taking care of them. The building is being haunted and they have been requested by a teacher who has seen and heard things as well as a student who communicates with some of the ghosts.

Perry’s family is still upset over her move to Seattle and into the apartment of Dex, who they hate. They are running a campaign of doubt with Perry, who has a habit of falling for their disinformation. How can she allow them to get into her head and make her doubt her feelings for him or his for her. Dex has shown that she is his world and home, she needs to get with the program.

My only problem is that they seem just as scared now as they did when they first started out. You would think that they would have at least gained a little thicker skin where the ghosts are concerned. This is full of the love they share, the dark and scary place, danger to mind-body and spirit, and the determination they always show in the face of chilling odds. Perry & Dex forever ∞

“When I first met you, I knew, somehow, that you were going to change my life. I just didn’t know in what way. I didn’t know that you’d make me love you. And most importantly, I didn’t know that you’d make me love me. Baby, you make me see the good in myself and the good in everything on this damn earth. You chase my ghosts away, and…” He cleared his throat, and to my surprise, I saw his eyes were watering. Oh fuck. Please don’t cry, Dex, cuz I will fucking lose it. He swallowed hard, blinking tears back. “And you bring me peace. I can’t thank you enough for being in my life. And I want you there for the whole journey. Through everything—the good and the bad, the batshit crazy and the sane, the scary and the sexy. Especially the sexy. Just you and me, baby, until death do us part.” Somehow I found my voice. “Even though we’ve only known each other for eight months?” I asked quietly, afraid of his answer. But he just smiled up at me. “Time has no bearing on the truth. And what we have, that’s true as fucking anything.” He gave my hand a squeeze and reached into his pocket. I sucked in my breath, feeling all my emotions flood me at once, and watched as he took out a beautiful, sparkling ring, and held it poised at my finger. He gazed at me, and it was like I saw every moment we had with each other captured in his eyes. “Perry Palomino, kiddo, baby—will you be my wife?” I didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes!” I blurted out in a sob as the tears started”
― Karina Halle, Ashes to Ashes  Karina Halle

 

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Forever Changed

by

17827517

Forever Changed (Mystic Wolves #4)

 My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have been a fan of this series since stumbling across Mystic Wolves and falling in love with Mason and Darcy. This book picks up the day after their mating ceremony and brings with it not a great start to their lives together but more revelations that could cause them harm. These two never seem to get a break. The writing is fast paced and engrossing bringing out more about all the characters as it moves to a surprising conclusion. The characters are always well fleshed and give you a feeling of being someone you could get to know and like or someone you would avoid at all costs. I love the descriptions of the place they live and can visualize it so easily that it feels like a place I would like to visit and maybe even stay for a while.

After all the trials that they have had to endure Darcy and Mason finally have their mating ceremony and become husband and wife, the Alpha and his mate only to have their happiness come crashing down as more bad news is given to them. A dark evil is coming for Darcy from out of the past and they have to find a way to stop it or her body and soul could be at stake. Devlin, the vampire who has been her best friend since she was a girl drops another bombshell along with this news which causes tension between him and her new mate and friend also. To find the answers they need they leave their home and travel across the country to try to find some type of solution before the evil finds them.

This was a great installment that had me crying for Darcy and all that she had endured. While she did not seem very strong or assertive when we first met her, she has grown into a strong woman who can take care of herself and those she loves when needed. Mason has always been a strong male figure but we get to see that he has a tender side and that his love for her will have him doing whatever it takes to protect his mate and keep him with her forever. Their story touches my heart and I want them to be together and to be happy. Love this and I think anyone would enjoy their story.

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A Stolen Heart

by

22758333

A Stolen Heart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received this ARC from the author for an honest review.I was drawn into this story from the very first page because it started with a sequence that went right to the heart of the story. I loved the characters because they seemed so real and a part of their surroundings without fading into them. The dialogue felt modern in tone but still seemed to fit the time and people who were using it. This was just a really great story that held me enthralled and in a world that was part of a time I could only imagine. Each element flowed into the next keeping it moving as you met new characters and found out more information about the inhabitants of the town.Alexandra and her brother Hugh live on a ranch in Kansas, and the year is 1850. They have had many tragedies befall them and others on the surrounding ranches which all lead back to one man who is terrorizing them all in the name of greed and lust. Alex and Hugh have opted to play Robin Hood to thwart their own Sheriff of Nottingham, but he has countered with someone to take them down.

Jarett is a hired man who is to protect a shipment from thieves who have struck several times in the past. The unfortunate thing is that even though other robberies have been free of injuries, this time things become bad for both sides. Jarett wants revenge and stays around to find the person who almost made him sing soprano. Not an easy thing in a town that hates the man he works for.

When Jarett meets Alexandra he starts to lose some of that focus as he finally meets a woman who makes him think about more than just a one night stand. The road to happiness is not easy for either, but getting there is half the battle.

I loved that the point of view seemed to switch between or mains so that you could have a better idea of what they were thinking. This had everything you could want in a story set on the frontier. There are ranchers, horses, cattle rustling, barn burning, fallen women (saloon workers), a corrupt sheriff, a vicious land baron, and some pretty hot sex for the time. Jarett is the kind of man any woman would be glad to have, even an independent one like Alexandra.

If you love stories with cowboys, horses, and holding on to what you worked for, then you will love this. I recommend this highly!

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The Word Exchange

by

18666199

The Word Exchange

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book seems to cover a number of genre’s including science fiction, mystery, and romance. The story is basically about the use of language and how it is used and how we would be affected without it. The story starts slowly but builds to a point that you become thoroughly engrossed with what is happening and trying to figure out who and what is behind things. The language is good but sometimes just a little over the head of someone who does not know about library science with references to people who you may have never heard of. I just looked them up to see who they were and learned something in the process. The characters are well written and you can’t help but have an opinion on them because you get a chance to really know those who are central to the plot and get a good look at the others.

Anana and her father Doug work for the Dictionary working on the NADEL (North American Dictionary of the English Language) and are preparing the 3rd edition for print. Doug is totally anti-MEME (a device used for everything from movies to banking) and has caused the deterioration of language because of its invasive nature into the minds of the public. Things seem to be going well though Anana is heartbroken over her breakup with Max, her boyfriend of 4 years and the mastermind behind a game which invites people to make up words, which he sells to Synchronics. This company is trying to corner the market on words and their meanings.

When people start to show signs of aphasia and illness it becomes a race to find out who or what is causing it and to find a cure before the world becomes infected.

This is an entertaining story but it is about more than words, it seems almost to be a cautionary tale about how technology can take away more than we are willing to lose if we are not careful. The romance is very low-key, mostly pining about lost love or not having the guts to say you love someone. The mystery elements are nicely done though you have an idea who is behind it but you need the why. I also have to say that Anana annoyed me a great deal of the time, she seemed to want to get killed to me because she did not really think much for someone who came off as smart and capable, but was acting like a five-year old who just had to be rebellious. Other than her I enjoyed the other characters and the action. This gave me something to think about and I like that.

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Chained

by

19035622

Chained (Brides of the Kindred #9)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Well here we are at number nine in the series and things keep getting more interesting with each new bride and each new warrior we meet. Even though I can see a bit of a formula in the construction of the stories but this does not take anything away from the development of the characters or each unique situation these couples find themselves in. The worlds they travel to are always so different and strange but at the same time familiar in some way that makes you feel like you could travel there and fit in. I am drawn in every time and am never disappointed when I start my adventure across the galaxy with my kindred guy.

Korexiroth, known as The Demon on the blood circuit has been bought by Lady Pope’nose as her newest body slave and she plans to break him or have him die, she really does not care which. Maggie Jordon is an earth girl and scientist who has been given permission to go on an expedition to Gaia with a married kindred couple but first they must make a stop on Yonnie Six to make a delivery to Lady Pope’Nose. Maggie is a bit of a klutz and knows it, when she is asked to go down to Yonnie Six anything can happen and none of it all good. Her simple mission to trade a collar for documents belonging to the kindred goes side ways when she decides to free the slave that Pope’nose has paid a great deal for. Kor and Maggie end up traveling a great distance together and apart before they find their way to each other.

There were a few things that bugged me about Maggie like the fact that she kept talking about her fiance who was obviously not a good fit for her, but you would have thought he was the greatest guy around. The more I heard about Donald the more he annoyed me, it also seemed as if someone likes The Big Bang Theory a lot because he reminded me a lot of Sheldon from his aversion to kissing to the way he talks.

These are some of the hottest books with some of the hottest alien men I have read. The love scenes are super hot and always leave me with a smile. I laughed a little, cried a little, and was ready to yell at everyone a lot. My emotions were all over the place and they were not settled even at the end. Enjoy this entry.

“Her hand shook as she raised the loincloth and she gave a little gasp at what she saw beneath. Even only half hard, he was big. Way bigger than anyone else in her limited experience—especially Donald whose equipment reminded her of a shy, skinny worm afraid to come out of its hole.”
― Evangeline Anderson, Chained  Evangeline Anderson
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Sin City

by

9753487

Sin City (Hot in the City #2)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a very hot series and gets better every time I read one. I was grabbed right out of the box by the prologue which gave me all the incentive I needed to continue reading. It had one of the hottest phone sex scenes I have ever read and got me interested in both the characters who were involved. The characters were also all written extremely well from the mains to the side ones you get to know something about who they are. The situations depicted were beautifully written and definitely made the temperature rise for me. I loved the setting because I love the place, Las Vegas is my idea of heaven, partly because it was an anything goes place, not so much anymore.

Diana Marsh lives in Baltimore and has a great family, though they tend to be a bit controlling. When her sister in New Orleans breaks ranks and decides to go her own way for love, Diana decides that she must give up her bad girl ways and be the good girl her family wants. That is easier said then done since she has been flirting with a co-worker by phone and email for months, and she is very interested in him, even though they will likely never meet.

Marc Davenport works in the corporate office in Las Vegas and has been calling on Diana regularly for her help on various problems. He has also been flirting shamelessly with the attractive woman in marketing whose picture he has committed to memory. He knows she has a boyfriend, though she does not seem into him, but he really wants to get to know her better. That chance presents itself when a team member leaves and they need a woman to complete their task, and Adrianna calls in Diana to help them. How good can you be when there is a hot man waiting to do the most delicious things to you, how good would you want to be.

Great story with characters who are smart, sexy, and very human. This has BDSM play, mmf play, and mff play. Recommend to all.

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Marked

by

13320713

Marked (Eternal Guardians #1)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I wasn’t looking for one but seems like I have found a new series that I have to read. This book just creeped up and grabbed my attention. I have a new author who knows how to lay it out and make you want to read until dawn. I started this and wasn’t particularly drawn in, then in the next instant I found myself unable to put it down. I kept telling myself I would read just one more chapter, but ended up still reading at 3am, not good for a work day. This was one of those books that you fly through because it is going at breakneck speed and you don’t want to wait to find out what is coming next. But then it ends and all you can think about is getting to the next one as soon as possible to continue to that next adventure. The romance here was just what you would want, not to fast, even though they are fated but with enough obstacles to make it interesting. The characters are so well fleshed that you come to know enough about them to really care for them and want things to work out for them.

This was a great take on Greek mythology which can be stale in some hands. Instead of trotting out the same old gods we get to see what happened to the half mortal children of those titans. There is only direct interaction with a few of the actual gods and they are the ones who are always interesting.

Theron is a direct descendent of Heracles (Hercules)and the leader of the Argonauts, those who sailed with Jason on his quest. He is loyal to the King and will do what is needed to save his race, even if that means sacrificing his own happiness. Casey (Acacia) is just a girl, or so she believes who works at a strip club at night to help make ends meet, by day she owns and operates a bookstore which had belonged to her grandmother.

Casey has no idea that a place called Argolea even exists or that the gods of mythology are real. She just knows that she has never seemed to fit in with anyone outside of her family and connections were something she could not make. Then a mysterious man comes into her life and things get a lot more interesting and dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Theron must help to fulfill the prophesy which could help save his race but is he willing to send an innocent girl to her death in order to do so, that is his dilemma.

Love, love, loved this! I think Casey has become one of my favorite female characters because she has a backbone and will not back down just because she is faced with someone bigger and stronger than she is. Give me a girl who can hold her own and I am hooked every time. This had the right balance of romance, violence, betrayal, revenge, redemption, and hot sex. Can’t wait to get to the next one!

“Some nights, a woman just wanted to bash her brain against a wall to keep from screaming.”
― Elisabeth Naughton, Marked
Elisabeth Naughton
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The Judge

by

20431728

The Judge (The Elite #3)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have loved this trilogy from the first sentence of the first book and would be just as happy if I got to spend little more time with the characters. I feel like I know each and every one of them personally and that they are friends who are about to move away for good. This is a plea for maybe a chance to find out how things went after for them. 🙂 The characters have from the beginning been very well fleshed out and real, whether they were good guys, bad guys, or somewhere in between. They react and interact in a way that feels genuine to who they are supposed to be. They are a part of this world and you have no doubt about that for a minute. This story begins directly as the second book ends, with the Island playing host to many Elite families and preparing for war.

Connor Moore passed the ancient tests which would declare him as the Judge and been accepted by the five Elite families as their leader in this fight. The most important thing for Connor at this moment however is the fact that Laren has been taken and how quickly they can get to her rescue. Lu wants to run off without a plan but Connor and his father understand they need to be sure of what they do.

When Laren is found it is discovered that Vercin has found a way to turn off the Elite gene, which means he could destroy them without much effort if it is used as a weapon. Connor does not wish to kill but he may find that Vercin is not going to give him any choice, it is a matter of kill or be killed. The final battle for the future of both mankind and Elites is drawing near and everyone will have to sacrifice to keep from being overrun by a tyrant who would be king.

This had one of the best battle scenes I have ever read! It was seen from multiple points of view which give you a glimpse of how things were going in varying locations around the area of battle and allowed you to check in with characters who you may have been worried about. This was visual and visceral for me as I held my breath fearing that someone I cared about would be killed or injured badly. I think that everyone needs to read these books and enjoy the growth of a boy to a man.

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Ivory Terrors

by

21848242

Ivory Terrors (The Cavaliers #3)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have enjoyed this series from the first book and actually wish that we could have just one more so that I could see how things turn out for everyone after they have gotten past the worst. I love the fact that historical facts as well as fictions are interwoven giving it a richer feel and giving a fuller life to the characters. I have fond characters that I really liked and some that were kind of annoying but always got some type of reaction from me, which means they are well established in mind as more than two-dimensional. Descriptions of locations are so vivid that you can almost see them. I was immediately drawn back into the story of vampires who have forgotten their humanity and see killing a few people as nothing in the grand scheme of things.

The action starts right on the heels of the last book with Harriet still unconscious after George has mesmerized her and kidnapped her from the summer party. She is not allowed to wake until they arrive at their destination and finds herself in France with him, her mother and the man she has always believed to be her father, though he, was supposed to be dead. What she finds is that she has been brought to a man/vampire who wishes to kill her enemies but also wishes to kill the only father she has ever known, Augustine, who he hates for abandoning him. He wants Harriet’s help in setting up all his enemies and gaining him the power to take the Cavaliers in another direction. But does Harriet want to see Augustine dead, even if he is somewhat ruthless he has always been good to her.

The Roundheads are still out there and plotting their own retribution for the Cavaliers unaware of a third-party plotting to decimate their ranks. They are also not aware that a traitor has infiltrated their ranks and is working against them. When things finally come to a head everyone will be surprised by what is learned and what is lost.

This was a great way to end a series that has been riff with conspiracies from the very beginning. Betrayals were a way of life for all those involved whether human or vampire, love was given and taken away only to be redirected, lying was taken to a high art. I was very glad to get the full story behind Augustine because he was a big part of this and finally knowing what he had gone through to make him who he was made this so much more interesting. The only thing that annoyed me was who Harriet ended up with, really, him! While I loved everything else that was my one sticking point. Harriet went up and down for me because she was so mercurial about everything from her family to the men she claimed to love, but in the end she did what I would have done.

If you want to step off into a world that has beautiful men, fabulous parties, and more death than the law allows, then you have to read these books. I’d still like another one! 🙂

Look for the arrival of this last in the Cavaliers trilogy on May 1st.
  “Harriet dreamt of someone well dressed and flamboyant, who spoke like the lead in a black and white film, who drank champagne like other people drank Carling and who could talk about history and philosophy and life for hours, without making themselves sound like an idiot. Someone who made romantic gestures, who was generous to everyone and extravagant towards her. Someone, for preference, who rowed and had the muscles to prove it. When she was really having a bad day, someone with a title. Every time a well-meaning access scheme leaflet tried to reassure her and all the other state school applicants that Oxford wasn’t wall to wall Old Etonians permanently dressed in tuxedos, she died a little inside.”  ― Georgiana Derwent, Oxford Blood
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Logan’s Acadian Wolves

by

18457827

Logan’s Acadian Wolves (Immortals of New Orleans #4)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was another great entry in the Immortals of New Orleans series. I am never disappointed and get great characters, great action, great romance and a mysterious person in the shadows who needs to be found. The introduction of new characters and old ones who have become like family is handled in a way that makes it plausible, for the world where  the supernatural exist, and easy to follow. The narration and language are always well done with few if any typos and grammar errors to drive you crazy. All the characters have a back story that helps you get to know who they are and what their place is in the current and past story if necessary.

Logan had been the Beta for Tristan and his friend for many years, but when he goes to check on things in New Orleans he finds that Marcel is dying and insists that he become the Alpha of the Acadian wolves when he dies. This is not something that Logan has ever considered but for his friend he takes the challenge. This means returning to his roots full-time and facing challenges from those who did believe that he should lead them.

Logan has been dreaming of a woman who he watches be murdered over and over again. Then he finds her running through the streets being chased by vampires and unwilling to disclose why. Wynter has grown up around wolves and understands many things about pack life but not what it means to be attracted to the Alpha. She has been working on something that could have bad results if it falls into the wrong hands and those hands are looking for her because they want her back along with the knowledge she carries. Logan has no idea what or who he has allowed into his pack and the danger that he has brought among them.

I loved Logan the first time I read about him with Tristan, he is hot and forceful and all male. But he does not like being lied to and he can hold a grudge easily, he is also loyal and kind. He is everything you could want in a man and then some. Wynter is a sweet girl who gets in over her head but is brilliant and a good match for Logan.

Alright, we know I recommend this because I think it’s wonderful. Now this one is not as hot as the others but gives some good action sequences along with a love story that has a lot of rocky moments that make them together even better.