I have no idea how long it lasts, but right now Shiloh Walker’s awesome steamy Contemporary Romance is 5 cent over at only indie.
Month: May 2012
Book recommendation: Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews
Some people have everything figured out—Andrea Nash is not one of those people. After being kicked out of the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea’s whole existence is in shambles. All she can do is to try to put herself back together, something made easier by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend Kate Daniels.
When several shapeshifters working for Raphael Medrano—the male alpha of the Clan Bouda and Andrea’s former lover—die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate…and must work with Raphael. As Andrea’s search for the killer leads her into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta, she knows that dealing with her feelings for Raphael might have to take a back seat to saving the world…
Review: Strange Neighbors by Ashlyn Chase
The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Sourcebooks, available in print and as e-book.
The Source: Purchased at Allromance
The Grade: C+
The Blurb:
He’s looking for peace, quiet, and a little romance…
There’s never a dull moment when hunky all-star pitcher and shapeshifter Jason Falco invests in an old Boston brownstone apartment building full of supernatural creatures. But when Merry MacKenzie moves into the ground floor apartment, the playboy pitcher decides he might just be done playing the field…
A girl just wants to have fun…
Sexy Jason seems like the perfect fling, but newly independent nurse Merry’s not sure she’s ready to trust him with her heart…especially when the tabloids start trumpeting his playboy lifestyle.
Then pandemonium breaks loose and Merry and Jason will never get it together without a little help from the vampire who lives in the basement and the werewolf from upstairs…
The Review:
This is another unread book that I decided to read on a whim. I am glad I did. This wasn’t a perfect romance, far from it, but it made me laugh and smile.
In many ways, this book felt like I was dropped into the house, and could follow Merry’s life there. From the moment she met Jason, to the first tentiative steps through their romance. Their arguments, their first kiss. Her interactions with the odd neighbors. Dealing with what it meant to be dating a celebrity.
Merry wasn’t the only one struggling. Jason had his own reasons to worry. He knew that if she reacted badly, he would be in a lot of trouble.
And then there are the neighbors. I loved the neighbors. From the snarky ghost, to the phone sex actress witches, the vampire squatting in the cellar. Oh, and did I mention the Werewolf in the cellar?
One important subplot in the book was the search for the ghost’s murderer. I loved how all the tenants tried to help and solve it, in the best way they could.
The biggest problem I had with this book was ironically enough with the romance. I never doubted their HEA, no matter what life tossed at them. And it tossed a lot of them. Jason’s secrets, nosy paparazzis, nosy family. And honestly, a part of a good romance is the feeling of satisfaction, that despite everything they end up together.
Curiosity Friday: Kens in Kilts
This is a book trailer that Tessa Dare made for Maya Banks a couple of years ago, but since it is hilarious it is well worth watching.
Review: Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh
The particulars: Paranormal Romance, Berkley, available as print and e-book
The Source: Purchased at Kobo
The Grade: B
The Blurb:
Used to cold silence, Faith NightStar is suddenly being tormented by dark visions of blood and murder. A bad sign for anyone, but worse for Faith, an F-Psy with the highly sought after ability to predict the future. Then the visions show her something even more dangerous – aching need… exquisite pleasure. But so powerful is her sight, so fragile the state of her mind, that the very emotions she yearns to embrace could be the end of her.
Changeling Vaughn D’Angelo can take either man or jaguar form, but it is his animal side that is overwhelmingly drawn to Faith. The jaguar’s instinct is to claim this woman it finds so utterly fascinating, and the man has no argument. But while Vaughn craves sensation and hungers to pleasure Faith in every way, desire is a danger that could snap the last threads of her sanity. And there are Psy who need Faith’s sight for their own purposes. They must keep her silenced – and keep her from Vaughn…
The Review:
What I like most about Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series isn’t the romance. No, it is the world. ( Ok, I might be exagerating a bit). The world she has created is detailed, and varied. There is the cold emotionless Psy that governs the world. The territorial changelings, that craves touch. And humans of course. Together they create a world that is stratified with Psy on top and the changelings and humans beneath., At least if you ask the Psy. Tossed into the world is memorable characters.
This book is no different. The picture that she painted of Faith’s life before she met Vaughn gave me goosebumps. My heart went out to Faith when she fretted about wheter or not she would go insane.
As a changeling, Vaughn is Faith’s total opposite. He craves touch, he is violent.
That said, I loved the way he patiently coaxed Faith out of her shell, and helped her grow into the woman she should have been.
So to the weak spots.
It might be because of me, but the sexual tension I felt… flickered. Most of the time it was hidden in the tension to reach the end. I also didn’t like how she treated the mating bond. It felt as if she realised that they needed to be mates, and added the discovery.
Also, the book felt… unbalanced. I felt that the only one that changed in the book was Faith. Vaughn was the same person at the end of the book as he was at the beginning.
Review: Yorkshire by Lynne Connolly
The Particulars: Historical Romance, Samhain, available as e-book and in print
The Source: Amazon freebie ( also available at BN and Sony)
The Grade: B+
The blurb:
Rose Golightly is a country girl who thinks her life will continue on its comfortable course, but a series of events changes that for good. On a visit to the ancestral estate of Hareton Abbey, Richard Kerre, Lord Strang, enters her life. A leader of society, a man known for extravagance in dress and life, Richard is her fate. And she is his.
Richard is to marry a rich, frigid woman in a few weeks, and has deliberately closed his heart to love. Then a coach accident throws his wounded body into Rose’s arms.
With one kiss, Richard and Rose discover in each other the passion they thought they’d never find.
But the accident that brought them together was an act of sabotage. Somewhere, in the rotting hulk of a once beautiful stately home, a murderer is hiding. Richard and Rose set out to solve the mystery, and find the layers of scandal go deeper than simply determining who is guilty. And that doing the right thing could separate them—forever.
The review:
Lynne Connolly have been on my To check out list for awhile, so when I discovered that Samhain offered the first book in the Richard and Rose series as a freebie, I decided to download it.
And I am glad I did. This story hooked me from the start. I loved the setting. The derelict manor, and how she with small touches showed how bleak life had been there for Lady Harcourt.
I also liked the down to earth way Rose and her family is described. They are in the upper echelons of the middle class, and they are happy to be middle class.
This was an stark contrast compared to Richard and his family. They are nobles, and it showed.
I could understand the worry Lizzie felt when she realised that Rose was attracted to Richard, since Richard had a certain reputation. Not to mention that he was engaged.
A lot of the enjoyment with this book stems from the characters.
Most of the focus is on romance between Rose and Richard. How they struggled with the attraction they felt to each other, and how they decided to act on it. I liked that both of them knew that their relationship would have an hard path towards their HEA.
Then there is Rose’s family. I loved quiet feelings between Jacob and Martha. The bubbly excitement of her sister Lizzie.
That said, this novel has its weak spots. While the romance is fascinating, the mystery subplot felt a bit predictable, both when it came to what happened, and who caused it. The major problem I had was that it felt likethey stumbled upon the biggest clue purely by coincidence.
Still I do plan to read more books by Lynne Connolly in the future.
Book recommendation: Dragon Justice by Laura Anne Gilman
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In my time with PUPI, formally known as Private, Unaffiliated Paranormal Investigations, I’ve seen a lot. Learned a lot. And not all of it’s been good. But what we do-make people accountable for crimes committed with magic-is important work. Still. Even I need to take a break every now and again. Or so I’ve just been told (ordered). So hey, vacation. Maybe I’ll finally figure out what’s going on with the “special bond” between me and the bossman, Benjamin Venec. Venec seems to like that idea-he’s invited me down to join him on a jaunt to Philly. But no sooner do I arrive in the City of Brotherly Love than we’re called in to look at a dead body. And that’s when life gets really complicated….
*sob* The last Cosa novel. And I am sure it is as awesome as the rest of the books. You have read them, right? If not, you can start with Curse the Dark.
Pre-order it from : Amazon, BN, Book Depository
Charity Sunday: Gone Reading
I first discovered Gone Reading over at the Bookbinge, I think. Gone Read is a new webstore that sells reading related merchandise. They have everything from t-shirts to book journals. And the best part of it? They donate 100 % of their after tax profits to charity organizations. Can it get better than that?
Friday Bargains
The current Samhain freebie is Yorkshire by Lynne Connolly ( Review comes next week), it is available at Amazon, BN and Sony.
Available home by Vicki Lewis Thompson is available for free at all major retailers
Carina Press bargains: First, they have a 20% discount on Erotic Romance.
But the biggest bargains are the following pre-orders for 0.99:
Guarding Jess by Shannon Curtis
Jessica Pennington’s work as an etiquette coach requires her to be polite and proper at all times, especially now that she has a book coming out. The only thing that rattles her reserve is the increasingly violent emails and texts from her persistent stalker. With the book launch in jeopardy, she reluctantly hires a bodyguard.
Noah Samuels hates stuck-up, prim people like Jessica. He’s more the blunt, straightforward type. But to advance up the ranks at McCormack Security, he has to take the high-profile assignment. After a near miss on his first day on the job, Noah realizes that the stalker isn’t just hype cooked up to sell books–the threat is real.
As the stalker escalates from letters to letter bombs, Noah sees a vulnerable side of Jessica that rouses more than just his protective instincts. But can she let down her guard long enough to trust Noah before it’s too late?
On leave for Thanksgiving, the last thing marine lieutenant Talia Barnett expects to find is Liam Brodie waiting for her at the airport. He’s had a starring role in her fantasies for the past two years, and although she’d love to make them a reality, she has a dark secret that prevents her from taking things further.
A former marine, Liam’s specialty is planning tactical operations, and that’s just what he plans to do to win Talia. The woman has kept him at arm’s length for too long, and this time he’s finally going to claim her–body and heart.
What begins as comfort quickly turns hot. When Liam shows Talia a hint of the dominant nature inside him, the submissive part of her flares to life. Though she desires him, she’s going back on deployment and doesn’t want to dump all her drama on him. Will he find a way to break through the protective walls around her heart and convince her they have a future that goes far beyond the bedroom?
37,000 words
If you live in the US, there are some In store Kindle sales at Best Buy and at Walmart ( ends on Saturday).
Curiosity friday: Musuem of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
When I stumbled upon this, I knew I had to post it. I have never read Orhan Pamuk, but I applaud his initiative. Why? Well just watch the video clip