Tag Archives: romance

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The Den

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17207004

The Den (Vampire’s Witch Saga #1)

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
This was almost like a stream of consciousness type of thing. The story seemed to proceed from point to point without any real feeling about anything. It was a ramble that had me trying to figure out what was going on for the first 5 (five) chapters with no idea what it was about. The characters were never really fleshed out and did not make me care about them but I felt they might do something interesting at some point, but they didn’t. The dialogue seemed awkward and not thought out, and the descriptions of locations could have been crisper and more visual. Not awful but not what I had expected it to be.

Skyla Jane Judge is a girl who has drifted through life with no real goals, feeling different from all those around her. She has always had strange abilities that she used sparingly because she was told that they were a curse by her mother. They said she was a witch. Just before graduating from college a psychic tells her something that could change her life forever and she is not surprised. When she and her friend move to New York she is still drifting, then she meets Alex and starts on an adventure which will find her in a new city, with new people who claim to know her and seem to want more than she may be willing to give.

Skyla was a character who I wanted to like but she was so drab and seemed to allow life to happen to her instead of really living. She finally grows a backbone at the end, or so it seems, but it is a bit late to really redeem her. Alex is mysterious but still transparent to the reader, you know exactly what he is about from the moment they meet and remains so. The rest of the characters are just background noise with no substance at this point.

I am debating with myself whether to try the next book and see if things start to pick up since it was left on a cliff hanger. I wouldn’t say don’t read this but go in knowing that the action is weak, the heat is lukewarm, and the characters are a bit annoying.

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A Bit of Bite

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17726877

A Bit of Bite

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a quick and great read! I have never read anything by Cynthia Eden before and if this is an example of what I can expect from future reads then I am very happy to have found her. Though this was a short novella it was tight and gave me the benefit of getting the characters known quickly and easily. The story was fast paced but left me with the feeling of knowing what was going on and why these things were happening. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book and these characters.

Sheriff Ava Dushaine was assigned to Crossroads, Mississippi as the paranormal liaison in the area. When the paranormal community made themselves known 10 years ago they were assigned areas within the states that they could reside in, this usually had both werewolves and vampires living in close proximity to each other. The people of the towns close to them are wary and feel that they are in danger from the having the supernatural so close to them, and someone is stoking that fear even higher.

With three murders of humans in a short period and the bodies being found on the land between the paranormal land Ava has to solve this quickly. When the Alpha, Julian Kasey, shows up at the murder scene she has no choice but to take him in for questioning. What she doesn’t realize is that things are more complicated than she would have ever thought and her life may hang in the balance.

This was an exciting story about what a person will do in order to gain what they want and who they will sacrifice for that goal. It is also about gaining love even in the midst of bad things. Definitely worth reading and giving you a taste of what you can look forward to in the future.

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Annihilate Me

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18078242

Annihilate Me Vol. 1 (Annihilate Me #1)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a great book which caught me completely off guard. Because of the title I was expecting something a lot steamier than what it ended up being, this was a good thing however. The writing drew you into the plight of the characters and made you want to follow along and find out how their lives would turn out. It held my attention from the beginning to the end and had me wishing there were just a few more hours available so I could finish instead of having to wait for the next day. I was very glad to find that volume 1 was a full novel and not just an introduction or a type of serialization. The characters all have great personalities which only adds to the story itself, you get a chance to know something about them and why they act the way they do in situations. I think the language used is appropriate for the character based on their personalities and the way that they are purported to live and to have been educated.

Jennifer and Lisa have moved from Bangor, Maine to New York after graduating college four months ago. Lisa is a budding writer whose first book on Amazon has done very well, she is self-published, and is currently working on her second book. Jennifer graduated with her MBA in business and is hoping to land her dream job so she does not have to return home, but things are looking a bit dismal. After four months of interviews Jennifer is no closer to a job than when they arrived and her money is starting to run out, she hates that Lisa is more or less having to support them both. She has one more interview coming up and hopes that this will be her break, if not she is going to have to come up with another plan.

When she arrives for her interview the woman interviewing her is less than professional, she wants to know why someone with her qualifications would want a secretarial job and dismisses her without a thought. Jennifer is upset and while trying to hold it together in the elevator meets a man and pours out her dislike for the interviewer to him thinking she will never see him again. To her surprise she gets called back by the hateful woman for an interview with the owner of Wenn Enterprises. She has no idea what is coming but the job is not what she thinks it is and is going to change her life.

This is more than just an erotic story or even a simple romance story. It’s about two people who have been damaged in ways that neither has been able to deal with alone. This story has moments of fun, glamour, sweetness, sorrow, paranoia, and true friendship. It was a nice beginning in the story of two people from different worlds who are going to try to meld those worlds to create something richer for them both. I would highly recommend this!

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Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs

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12702453

Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs (Jane Jameson #1)

by Molly Harper (Goodreads Author), Amanda Ronconi (Narrator)
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was one of those rare laugh out loud, make people stare at you books. I can say without a doubt that I have fallen in love with Jane Jameson and Gabriel Nightingale. The story progressed rapidly from beginning to end with no slow points to make you pause, it was just such fun to follow as it unfolded. The language was perfect and did not make me wonder about what was being talked about and seemed perfectly natural for the characters. The characters themselves are so natural they remind you of people you may have met in your life, that includes the vampires who just seem like anyone else. This is what I think a small town would be like, though I have never lived in one.

Jane Jameson is a librarian who has always loved her job and done it well, then for no reason she no longer is employed. Depressed she heads out to drown her sorrows at a bar and while doing this runs into an interesting man, Gabriel, who actually can talk books and proceeds to drink the hurt away. When she leaves the bar Gabriel walks her to her car and she leaves for home, but unfortunately never makes it there. Three days later she wakes to find that everything in her life has changed and she is in a strange house. Now not only is she unemployed she is a vampire, and lucky for her they have come out of the closet. She is also lucky that her sire is one sexy man.

For Jane however nothing ever goes smoothly. All she wants to do is get on with her new existence but someone seems to have other plans for her. Jane finds herself the target of gossip in the community and the target of a murder investigation only days after being born into the life. She is being stalked by someone who wants her out-of-the-way and she does not know who would want to harm her or those she loves.

I really liked this and Jane in particular, she was sarcastic, pushy, sympathetic and a world of things in between. I listened to this and think it lent more to the story because of the narration of Amanda Ronconi who gave life to the characters in such a wonderful way. If you are looking for a good story, with lively and fun characters then this is the place to go.

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Keep Me Ghosted

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17695088

Keep Me Ghosted (Sophie Rhodes Ghostly Romance #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a light and easy read that flew by because the characters were fun and made me want to find out about them. The story was simple and yet still pulled me in with a mystery and ghosts who refused to leave. I read this in the course of a few hours and felt satisfied at the end that everything was as it should be. The characters were well-defined and there was a feeling of seriousness but it had a light touch with a nice romance, even if it happened a bit quickly. Things progressed at a rate that was easy to follow.

Sophie has been looking for job and she has a friend who keeps making things more difficult for her, this friend just happens to be a ghost and her best friend. When she goes to her latest interview the interviewer has a similar friend who does not seem inclined to share him, even with an employee. There is something not quite right about the ghost that has attached itself to Cal, Sophie’s new boss, and she starts to look into it as things start to escalate in the office. Falling for your boss is bad but falling for your boss when he has a psycho ghost is even worse and she needs to find a way to put her to rest before she causes serious harm to someone.

I liked the fact that I there were some serious moments but that there were also moments that gave me a chuckle here and there. Sophie’s ghost friend Marmaduke was a treasure, both a good friend and protector who just wanted Sophie to be happy. You get some light romance, a bit of paranormal activity, some ghostly angst, and mystery. Very enjoyable and most would probably find it so.

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A Vampire’s Christmas Wish

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18660543

A Vampire’s Christmas Wish

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a nice short read that was good but made me feel like I was missing something more. There is an introduction that gives you some background on the character but you don’t get to really know him. The story moves along fairly quickly with introduction of more characters who we also do not get to know nearly well enough before everything starts to happen. I think I just wanted more information about who they were before I had to care about what they were going through. But overall it was still an interesting story that held my attention and left me with a smile.

Janus Morano is a master vampire has been looking for the reincarnation of his lost love through time. They had been happy once, and he wishes that it could be the same again. Deidre Helm has had a tragic history and has compounded it with her life choices. When Janus sees her he feels like she could be the one he has sought for so long. Now he must keep her alive long enough for her to remember him and accept who he is.

I liked Janus even though I would have liked to know how he became a vampire and when. He seemed like a vampire who had a big heart and endless love in him. Deirdre on the other hand kind of annoyed me. She runs off with a strange man and then proceeds to act like he kidnapped her or something, a weak and whiny woman, the worst kind. There was also an issue with the fact that words were missing, misused, misplaced, and whole phrases made no sense, which did make for a rough read.

I enjoyed it none the less.

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White Lion’s Lady

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18866183

White Lion’s Lady (Warrior #1)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am so not a fan of historical romances but this has changed my mind about the genre, at least where this author is concerned. I may even try others. 🙂 This was a great read with characters I could feel down to my toes and in my heart. The settings were so vivid that I could see them in my mind, which is a wonderful experience when you can become that immersed in a book. This grabbed me and refused to let me put it down without a fight as I moved from chapter to chapter wanting to find out just one more thing before putting it down for the night.

Isabel de Lamere(Izzy) meets the person who will fire her young imagination and heart when she is eight years old and finds herself lost in the forest. To her rescue comes Griffin of Droghallow, a boy who has dreams of someday becoming a great and honorable knight. They are in each others company for only a short time, but for Isabel it is long enough to form an attachment for the foster son of the Earl and to keep something dear to him for ten years in the hope that one day she can return it.

Ten years later and Isabel has had a hard life to contend with, she is the ward of the King and has been given in marriage to a man she has never met. This character is strong, confused, and knows her duty. I liked her because of all those traits but also because she could change and follow more than just the rules she had set for herself. She was also naive, but that was to be expected for the time period, she had been sheltered and really knew nothing of the world. Griffin on the other hand had seen to much of the world and had changed a great deal from that bright-eyed boy. His life took a dark turn and all he wants is to start fresh. When they meet again it is not a sweet reunion but one they will never forget.

This was an exciting story with sword fights, court intrigue, betrayal, romance, and some nice love scenes. It was both heart wrenching and pulse pounding in equal measures. I cried, laughed, and cheered. Great ending, just want I wanted and needed! I cannot wait to read the next in the series.

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Highland Song

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Highland Song (Highland Brides, #5)

Highland Song (Highland Brides #5)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I rarely do historical romance of any type but I’m glad I took a chance on this. It is a novella length novel so goes pretty quickly, but does not sacrifice character or story. The story is easy to follow and flows seamlessly from action to action with the characters acting as they would be expected to for the time period for the most part. The characters are believable for me since I have no idea how they would have acted truly, so I found them to be interesting and kind of fun.

Gavin Mac Brodie is the youngest with two older brothers and a younger sister, they have all married happily and he is the last holdout. Gavin does not deal women and living with his brothers has become intolerable with having to hear them at night. He decides to build a home of his own, where he will not have to worry about women or his recent loss of faith. While working on the house a mysterious woman shows up and changes his mind about everything.

This is a romance but has elements of royal intrigue and the feuds which happened in the highlands between the Scots and English crown. This is one you simply have to read and enjoy.

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The Mating

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7785207

The Mating (Law of the Lycans #1)

 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was not expecting to enjoy this so much when I started it. Once I started it was impossible for me to stop because I became so wrapped up in what might happen next. The characters were really great and made me care about what was going on and how they would react to what I already knew. The plot was simple and yet still complex enough to keep you turning the pages as the action played out. I had never read anything by Nicky Charles but can see why so many people have said such good things about these books, they are able to really take you away.

The story starts out simply with a girl, Elise, being informed that she will be mated to a man that she has never met. While she is less than happy about it, because she thinks herself already in love, she would never think of not doing it. Her intended, Kane, has agreed to mate her because he is an Alpha and it is time he started a family. Elise must leave home and start life in unfamiliar territory, with people she does not know and there are things going on which she cannot understand within this new group. Things which could be dangerous to her and those around her.

I started not liking Elise because she seemed so whiny and childish, and I really hate whiny people, but she came around and grew a backbone. Kane I liked from the beginning because he sounded impossibly hot but also understanding and sweet. The rest of the people around him were well drawn out and I ended liking all of them except for Marla who was a snake and done just as well. Nothing like having someone to really dislike in a story, makes it more interesting and fun.

I suggest reading this book and the rest just like I plan to do!

 

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French Quarter

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9627179

French Quarter (Hot in the City #1)

 
My rating : 5 of 5 stars
I was so surprised by this, in a pleasant way. The story moves very quickly, almost to quickly from introduction to action though I am not complaining. I liked that it was moving at break neck speed but still managing to give story with enough tension to keep you engaged. I liked the characters from the beginning was very happy to follow them on their journey of discovery about themselves. The characters each have distinctive personalities that you can relate to either negatively or positively which allows for being pulled into their plight. I love the setting of New Orleans, though I have never been there reading this made me want to visit even more. However, I am sure it is nothing like it was characterized here, as much fun as it would be if it were.

Liz Marsh is a recent transplant to New Orleans, she moved there with her fiancé from Maryland when he was transferred for his job. Liz was always an obedient child who grew into an obedient woman, always doing as she was told. After 6 months Todd, the fiancé starts to stay out late every night and Liz believes he is having an affair and decides to find out for certain what is going on.

Jack Wade is a private eye who works and lives in the French Quarter, he is Cajun and one good-looking man. When Liz walks into his office and asks him to find out what her fiancé is up to he initially turns her down because he no longer takes cases like that. But after a little persuasion and flirtation he takes on the case and finds out what she wants to know very quickly.

For Liz it is a moment of liberation and for Jack the start of something he could never have expected. What started as a job for one and a search for truth of the other turns into a sexual odyssey that neither could have expected when she walked through his door. But when that second door opens you need to make sure that the first one has been closed because otherwise things can go dark when you least expect it.

After reading this I cannot wait to read about the other Marsh sisters. If the decadence and hedonism are even half of what has been seen here, then sign me up for a move to the Big Easy!

 
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