Haunted on Bourboun Street by Deanna Chase

hauntednewartThe Particulars: Paranormal Romance,  Selfpublished, available as e-book and in print

The Source: Freebie from Smashwords

The Grade: C+

The Blurb:

Jade loves her new apartment ̶ until a ghost joins her in the shower.

When empath Jade Calhoun moves into an apartment above a strip bar on Bourbon Street, she expects life to get interesting. What she doesn’t count on is making friends with an exotic dancer, attracting a powerful spirit, and having feelings for Kane, her sexy landlord.

Being an empath has never been easy on Jade’s relationships. It’s no wonder she keeps her gift a secret. But when the ghost moves from spooking Jade, to terrorizing Pyper, the dancer, it’s up to Jade to use her unique ability to save her. Except she’ll need Kane’s help—and he’s betrayed her with a secret of his own—to do it. Can she find a way to trust him and herself before Pyper is lost?

 

 

The Review:

This is the first Deanna Chase novel that I have read.  I am often a bit wary when it comes to selfpublished books, since they are often hit or miss for me.I was pleantly surprised by this one.

I liked Jade. It was interesting to follow her as she settled into her new apartment on Bourbon Street.  I liked her new neighbors and co-workers, they were an motley crew with secrets, but all of them felt genuine to me.  One thing I liked was how Ms Chase dealt with the prejudices regarding strip clubs.  Just because you work in a strip club, you don’t have to be criminal.

I liked Kane, he was kind, but he also had a strength that it felt like Jade needed, not that she was weak.  Their romance was a slow one, and I liked that both of them struggled with jealousy occassionally. The  search  for a way to exorcise the ghost made their relationship deepen.

But their relationship wasn’t the only thing affected by the ghost. As their search for ways to exorcise the ghost went on, more and more secrets was revealed. And as more secrets was revealed, the dangers increased.  But they stopped the ghost, finally, even if it cost them a lot.

The biggest problem I had with this book was very subjective. I liked it, but it lacked that something that turns a good book into a great book.  But I liked it enough to put the next book on my To Buy list.

 

Anticipated November releases

 

This is a bit late, I know, but I am leaving for World Fantasy Con in Brighton tomorrow so I have been busy packing 🙂

 

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There’s nothing in the world Army Sergeant Vic Carponti loves more than his wife and his country. Smart-mouthed and easy tempered, he takes everything as a joke . . . except his promise to come home to his wife, Nicole, for Christmas. As he prepares to leave for his latest deployment into Iraq, Vic will do everything he can to shield his beautiful, supportive wife from the realities of war . . . and from his own darkest fears.

As a career army wife, Nicole Carponti knows just what to expect from her husband’s tour of duty: loneliness, relentless worry, and a seemingly endless countdown until the moment Vic walks through the door again. But when the unthinkable happens, Nicole and Vic’s bond is tested like never before and changes everything they believe to be true about the power of love and the simple beauty of being home for the holidays.

I loved Because of You, unfortunately Until You didn’t work as well for me, but I am looking forward to reading this novella.

 

Two oppokinked-186x300nents must confront the cause of their obsessive fury in the latest Novel of the Elder Races…

As a harpy, Sentinel Aryal is accustomed to dealing with hate, but Sentinel Quentin Caeravorn manages to inspire in her a burning ire unlike anything she’s ever known. Aryal believes the new Sentinel to be a criminal, and vows to take him out as soon as the opportunity arises. But the harpy’s incessant wrath has pushed Quentin to the limit, and forces him to make a deadly vow of his own.

To put an end to the conflict, Dragos, Lord of the Wyr, sends them on a reconnaissance mission to the Elven land of Numenlaur. Forced to work together, Aryal and Quentin’s mutual antagonism escalates. Each fight draws forth more passion—culminating in an explosively sexual confrontation. But when their quest reveals real danger, Aryal and Quentin must resolve their differences in ways beyond the physical, before the entire Wyr is threatened.

Aryal! Do I need to say more? I cannot wait to read Aryal and Quentin’s story. In fact, I won a copy, so I expect it arrives sometime next week ( Or if I am really lucky, it arrives tomorrow, before I leave):)

 

 

 

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The Bermuda Triangle. Pirates. The Peanut. What could possibly go wrong?

Dragos Cuelebre needs a vacation. So does Pia, his mate. When the First Family of the Wyr head to Bermuda for some much needed R&R, it’s no ordinary undertaking – and no ordinary weekend in the sun. Between hunting for ancient treasure buried beneath the waves and keeping track of their son, Liam—a.k.a. Peanut, whose Wyr abilities are manifesting far ahead of schedule—it’s a miracle that Pia and Dragos can get any time together.

They’re determined to make the most of each moment, no matter who tries to get in their way.

Two Elder Races stories in the same month? Score! Plus I love Pia and Dragos 🙂

 

 

Over the past18151246 year, Travis Coleman lost the two people he allowed closest to his heart. Both gave him ultimatums—then left. Hell if he needs that kind of pain again. Time to move forward without the friends he thought might save him from his dangerous cravings.

When Ashley Sims returns to Rocky Mountain House, her rambling lifestyle isn’t all she’s hoping to change. Travis snagged a piece of her, and while getting tangled in his issues again might be crazy, she hasn’t given up on him.

Nine months ago, Cassidy Jones walked away to stop his best friend from making a huge mistake. Temptation lingers, though, and when Travis shows up on his turf accompanied by a sensually uninhibited woman, the combination tosses fuel on the banked fire.
Passion flares among the three of them, as hot as the summer days. But are they willing to push the limits, and fight for love?

Warning: Dirty fighting, dirty talk, dirtier sex—secrets are coming out. Get ready for ménage a trois and cowboy-on-cowboy action, with ropes and crops and the kind of relentless love strong enough to set a man

I have been waiting for Travis book ever since I read the first Six Pack novel. And now it is here.

 

 

15808695New York Times bestselling author Maya Banks’ enthralling saga continues as two men, and one resilient woman hiding from the past, brace themselves for an emotional storm of unavoidable danger and unmatched desire…

Lauren Wilder fell for the wrong man, trusted the wrong man, and she paid a very dear price for it. Now broken and wounded, she’s retreated to the bosom of the Colter family and the unshakeable love and support they offer. But the man she once loved and trusted is not without his own power, and he’ll use every bit of his money and resources to make sure he gets Lauren back, no matter whom he destroys doing it.

Liam and Noah were hired by Lauren’s brother to watch over her. But with danger looming, they head to the Colorado mountains—where Lauren has found temporary sanctuary. In her wounded eyes, Liam and Noah see the woman she once was—and could be again. They’re determined to show her everything a man can be—someone who will love her, cherish her, satisfy her, and when the time comes, put their very lives on the line for her

The Colters’ Woman was the book that introduced me to Maya Banks, and this is the last book in the series. ( At least for a long time, I think.)

Review: Scribd’s subscription service

I have mixed feelings about Scribd, since an author search on their webpage is as likely to turn up an pirated copy, as it is an legal copy. Because of that, I was torn when they announced at a worldwide subscription service for 8.99 with the first month free, but decided to give them a try.

 

The Content:

I wasn’t sure what I expected when I downloaded the app, but I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t do any in depth searches, but they have the big names from Kleypas, Gibson and Heyer within romance, to Gaiman, Hobbs and Kim Harrison within Fantasy. And a lot of other authors that I have been wanting to read. This makes sense, since they signed with Harper Collins, Sourcebooks , Kensington and others, which gives them a big catalogue.

 

The App:

I downloaded the Android app, since I have an Android phone. The app was easy to navigate, and it was easy to find titles to read. Unfortunately, the app made my eyes tired. Fast. In the Kobo app, I can read one book before feeling eyestrain. Maybe I would have had less problem, if there was more settings available.  You could adjust text and background, but you couldn’t adjust the light contrast  within the app.

 

Will I keep the subscription?

Probably not. Maybe I would have, if I had had a tablet to read on,  since I was happy about the content, but the combination of a small smartphone screen, and no ability to adjust the light turned out to be a deal breaker for me.

Who is it for?

Voracious readers that like to read on their phone or tablet, or owns a rootable e-reader ( Nook or Sony PRS T1).

A round up of e-book subscription services

 

 

Oyster and eReatah have recieved a lot of media attention recently, and especially Oyster was called the Netflix for books. But what if you live outside the US? What are the options then? First, this list is very European centered, because I didn’t find much informations about non European services, even if I am sure they exist. ( I know a Chinese company planned a subscription services last year.)

24Symbols is a Spanish start up. In English they have mostly public domain books, but in Spanish they have a rather good sortiment of popular titles. What more, I get the impression that they are working on getting more content. Right now they have around 15 000 e-books

 

Litfy is a Swedish startup, and normally I would be that only offers books in the public domain. I have no idea if they are planning on getting more recent content.

 

Ridr and Mofido is both Danish but they have a different approach. Riidr costs 10 dollar, and is a lot like Kindle Lending Library, in that the customers only can download one e-book or Audiobook per month. Mofido costs a bit more, but allows the reader to reads as many books he/ she wants. I am not sure how many e-books Riidr offers, but Mofido offers around 5 000

 

Skoobe is a German start up, that is owned by Bertelsmann and Holzberger. They costs 10 euro per month, but offers the first month for half the price. They have 25 000 titles right now, and I think they have a rather good sortiment. ( Or at least they should, considering who owns them!). Their webpage hints that they are launching in English soon. I am crossing my fingers that they will not be US or UK only.

 

Scribd also launched an subscription service recently, which works the same way Oyster does. With the exception that their service is worldwide and offers both Android and IOs apps. A longer review is coming.

What about Sweden, where I live,are there any subscription services available?

 

Yes. But they offer a mix of e-books and audio books. E2go offers pollets, 1-4 books for 15-25 dollar. Storytel’s e-book subscription haven’t launched yet, but they offer streamed audiobooks for 30 dollar, and their plan is to offer e-books for an additional 5 dollar. There are also a couple of publishers that offers subscriptions, but there isn’t any kind of all you can read subscriptions. Without the audiobooks, I am not sure that a subscription service would be viable since Sweden have a very good library system. In fact, right now all e-books distributed through Elib is available at libraries. I have a feeling that might change soon, since both Elib and Publit are launching more flexible library systems.

 

That said, if a store, say Bokon, offered subscriptions for English and Swedish e-books, I would leap on it. Even if Bokon are planning on offering some sort of subscriptions ( because there is a tab in my account called Subscriptions), I doubt it will include English e-books since that would be too complicated.

Friday Bargains: A mix of good books

Dixie Rebel by Patricia Rice is free at Amazon and BN right now.  ( Yes, I already have it, but I downloaded it again since I wanted the new, spiffy cover. 🙂 )

Matchbox Girls by Chrysoula Tzavelas is 1.99 right now ( What are you waiting for? It is a bargain price for an awesome book. No idea how long it will last.)

Samhain has re-issued several of Shiloh Walker’s  backlist stories with spiffy new covers, and to celebrate they are 30 % off this week.

Breaking point by Pamela Clare is on sale for 1.99 right now. I haven’t read anything by Pamela Clare, but I have heard good things about her books. *ponders* Although, I think I have one of her historicals in the TBR pile. ( Or maybe I am mixing her up with Tiffany Clare..)

Harlequin offers a bundle of B J Daniels Cardwell novels for 0.99 right now. I read the first one 2-3 years ago, and liked it but I never got around to buy the next two books in the series.

Harlequin also offers a bunch of books for free ( this is more or less permanent free reads. But I recommend the Raeanne Thayne book, it was very good.)

This week, Harlequin have changed their Freebie Friday offer, and now you choose which books you want to add. Which makes it a much better deal, in my opinion.

 

Review: Opposite Forces by Adrienne Giordano

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The Particulars: Romantic Suspense, Carina Press, available as e-book.

The Grade: C+

The Source: Purchased at Kobo
The Blurb:

Jackson Lynx always has a plan. He wouldn’t be Vice President at Taylor Security if he wasn’t steady, smart and reliable. But as capable as he is, he’s not perfect. Approaching the one-year anniversary of kicking his prescription-drug habit, the last thing Lynx needs is temptation. Celibacy is part of his recovery plan. But then Jillian Murdoch asks for his help…

Jillian loves her job–managing pharmaceutical distribution–and she’s suspicious when an unscheduled delivery shows up late on a Friday night. Then someone breaks into her home and, terrified, she asks Lynx to install a security system. Grateful for his help, she’s wary of her attraction to him… She recognizes the Serenity Prayer on his mirror and can’t get involved with an addict.

But when they uncover dangerous secrets they’ll have to trust one another. Their lives, and their hearts, depend on it.

The review:

The two Adrienne Giordano novels I have read so far, have been a hit and miss for me. I loved Relentless Pursuit, and struggled with Man Law, but when Carina Press offered this for 2.99 I decided to buy it. And even if not everything in the book worked for me, I am glad I did.

Lynx and Jillian were both down to earth persons. I liked that their journey from casual friends to something more showed both their internal struggle and why they struggled. I liked that Lynx was determinded to not fall of the wagon, even if he struggled every day with his addiction. Jillian on the other hand knew the dangers of living with an addicted person. I’ll admit that there were times when I wondered if they would end up together or not.

The suspense part was what kept me reading, long into the night. The stakes gradually increased, as they figured out what was going on. As they tried to figure out what happened, the bad guys became more and more desperate to stop them. One thing I liked, was that both Jillian and Lynx played an important part in discovering what was going on. Sometimes when I read Romantic Suspense, it feels like that the heroine’s sole purpose in the book is to be pretty. Not in this book. Jillian was stubborn, and refused to let the bad guys win. And I cheered her on for that decision.

The biggest problem I had with this book was that while I liked the characters, I didn’t feel any romantic spark between them. To be fair, this isn’t necessarily the book’s fault but something I often struggle with when it comes to Romantic Suspense.

Hidden Gems: The Blood of the Southland novels by David B Coe

Technically, I suppose I should have highlighted his  Winds of the Forelands, but I haven’t read them yet. Although they are on my wishlist.  This is a deliciously complex trilogy. It is about love, about revenge, about prejudices, about courage. Among other things. The plot is well crafted, the world intriguing, and the characters flawed.

 

1120984 Grinsa, who nearly single-handedly won the war of the Forelands, has been banished because he is a Weaver, a Qirsi who can wield many magics. He and his family seek only peace and a place to settle down. But even on the distant southern continent, they can’t escape the tension between his magical folk and the non-magical Eandi. Instead of peace, they find a war-ravaged land awash in racial tension and clan conflicts. Worse yet, his own people try to harness his great power and destroy his family.

Amid the high tension of clan rivalry comes a plague that preys on Qirsi power across the Southlands with deadly results. When the disease is linked to an itinerant woman peddling baskets, one old man takes it upon himself to find answers in the secrets of her veiled past.

With wonderfully creative magic, dark secrets, and engaging characters faced with a world of trouble, Coe deftly weaves an epic tapestry that launches a richly-entertaining new saga in an unknown land.

 

3675851David B. Coe created a richly textured, unique world in his Winds of the Forelands, and topped himself with The Sorcerer’s Plague, his first novel set in the Southlands of the same world. Divided by clan rivalries and ancient feuds, suspicious of magics wielded by longtime enemies, the folk of the South have lived in a state of truce for generations. But peace is shattered when a woman looses a deadly plague on the magical Qirsi people.

While some people seek to prevent the spread of the plague, others see in this disaster a unique opportunity. With the magical folk weakened by the decimation of the plague, their unmagical enemies might be able to defeat them and take back lands lost in an ancient war. Haunted by the specter of what would be a tragic and devastating new war, the Southlands are aflame with rumors of violence, pestilence, and treachery.

Coe weaves together engagingly complex characters, unique, unusual magic, political intrigue and a compelling, unpredictable story into a captivating epic that will enthrall fantasy readers. A potent brew conjured by a masterful storyteller

 

A bitter old6916069 woman’s curse has set in motion events that have felled innocent lives across an already war-weary land. She has paid the ultimate price, and an end to the curse is at hand, but her evil has created chaos and destruction.

Qirsi all across the Southlands are dying from a plague that turns their own magic against them, allowing an Eandi army from Stelpana to boldly march into their territory. But magic has many faces, and the Qirsi aren’t the only ones cursed; even as Stelpana’s force wins battles, an insidious magic has corrupted the spells of their sorcerers, and what began as a military triumph is suddenly jeopardized. The future of the Southlands hangs in the balance, as the deeds of previous generations wreak terrible consequences on both sides in this misbegotten war

Review: Turning up the heat by Laura Florand

TheHeat_Cover_400x250-187x300 particulars: Contemporary Romance, AOS Publishing, available as e-book

The Source: Purchased at Kobo

The Grade: B

The Blurb:

After eleven years of marriage, Léa Laurier knew her husband.  Knew how he could take on responsibility for a world-famous restaurant, a wife, and her two teenage siblings at nineteen years old and never falter, never tire.  Knew his drive and his ambition, that took him to the stars.  Knew how briliant his gray eyes looked when they met hers for just one moment across a host of cameras.  She didn’t know why she was so tired.  She didn’t know why she needed to just get away.  For a while.  Maybe a week or two.  A month.  She’d be back.

After eleven years of marriage, international superstar chef Daniel Laurier knew his wife.  Knew how she could lavish caring on everyone, her siblings, his staff, and most especially him.  Knew the way her face lit up when he won yet another television contest, and the way she hugged him for it.  Knew how her hair smelled when he sank into bed exhausted at one in the morning.  He didn’t know what to do when he came home from a consulting trip to find she’d disappeared to remote South Pacific island:  I just needed to get away for a little while.  A week or two.  I’ll call you.

As the whole solid world under his feet turned into a sandcastle in the tide, Daniel knew only one thing:  whatever was wrong with his marriage or his wife, he wasn’t losing her.  So as a top chef, he did the one thing he always knew how to do:  turn up the heat.

 

The Review:

Laura Florand have been on my TBR list for a long time, but I was a bit reluctant to buy her Kensington novels, since they cost 11 dollar ( And yes, I know they have been on sale, but the sales have been US only). So when I saw this novella, I snapped it up. After reading it, I am glad I did.

No matter what subgenre, the healing of a strained marriage is one of my favorite tropes. So maybe I was pre-disposed to like this story. I enjoyed Lea and Daniel’s story. From the moment Lea just feel she has to get away from her hectic life, to Daniel’s reaction to her sudden decision to go on a vacation. The bulk of this story took place at Tahiti, and it felt like the perfect place for the story. Just the two of them on a tropical island, spending time together, talking, making love. What I liked was that their relationship wasn’t healed over night, that Lea recognized the danger it posed. By taking time, they had time to sort out their misconceptions.

At the end of the book, it felt like both of them had healed, and were devoted to what was important.

The biggest problem I had with this book was Daniel. He felt a bit cold and distant in the beginning of the book, even if I  never doubted that he loved his wife.

WWW Wednesday Oct 16

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To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…


• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently reading:

BitingNixie3x4.5_medium

I am enjoying this, even if I have problem with romance novels told from 1st POV. But I like Nixie’s snark, the setting, and her interactions with her friends.

 

 

 

jenny_450

This is the last in The Windham series, and while it is sweet and touching, I don’t feel a spark between Jenny and Elijah. But then I have that problem with most of Grace Burrowes Christmas novels. Don’t ask me why.

 

 

 

Recently Finished:

Print

This have been on my wishlist for awhile, and I am glad that read it. Overall, I liked it, even if some of the author’s phrasings rubbed me the wrong way.

 

 

Reading next:

I am not sure. I am in the mood for erotic romance, but I am not sure what to read from the TBR pile. But I have a lot to choose from!