Tag Archives: romance

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Marked

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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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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.