Tag: Lauren Dane

Review: Fated by Lauren Dane

On By MikaelaIn Paranormal Romance
The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Samhain, available in print and as e-book
The Source: Allromance

The Grade: B
The Blurb:
 Could there be any worse fate than a road trip from Seattle to L.A.—with one’s mother—to attend a wedding? Why yes, when one isn’t married yet, like Megan Warden. Toss in a grandmother and a carload of already married sisters and it’s a recipe for sneaking sips of “special” coffee while someone else drives.

Shane Rosario has better things to do than attend a wedding where his father’s relatives will be at him nonstop about getting married and having children. If it weren’t for seeing his anchor bond, Layla, he’d have taken a pass on the entire weekend. It would be easy, since he’s become adept at hiding who and what he is.

When the two weren’t even looking, Fate steps in and before they know it, their bond is sealed. Bonded pair, married in the eyes of their people. Two people tied together in every way. Trouble is, Shane’s not sure he wants all that comes with Megan. And Megan’s certain she’s not willing to live outside her pack, pretending to be human.

The distance between them is more than geographical. It’s a widening gulf rapidly filling with resentment…an emotional divide only acceptance could bridge. Can Shane can accept himself to cross it? Only if they let love take control.

Warning: The usual players – hot sexing, pushy Warden males and the women who keep them in line, some EMO (read: grab your hankies) and bad words.

The Review:
I read an excerpt from this one a couple of months ago, and was hooked. Unfortunately, I was also broke so it got wishlisted. Until now. Let me tell you, it was well worth the wait.
I loved the banter between Megan and her family. They might get exasperated at each other occasionally, but it was clear that they loved each other. They were comfortable with the fact that they were werewolves. Which is a contrast to Shane who is used to hiding who he is, living among humans. It was touching to see Shane struggle with who he was, and it made sense that he clung to his old life since that was all he knew.
The attraction between Megan and Shane sparked from the moment they met. Their romance was a whirlwind, but I liked that their path to a HEA wasn’t smooth. The issues they had to work through felt very human, and believable. It was interesting to see how the Anchor bond worked, and how it also affected the relationship between Megan and Layla.
It was interesting to get a glimpse of how living outside the pack affected a werewolf. It felt as if it was possible in theory, but I loved how Ms Dane showed why it had made Shane a mess.
That said, I felt that it went too fast between the first mating bliss, to the start of their issues. The issues made sense, but I wished the book had been a bit longer and Megan’s growing frustration had been shown instead of told.

Anthology of Awesomeness: Marked

On By MikaelaIn Writing

Look what Lauren Dane just posted! I knew something was up from the hints they dropped on twitter. Squee! The only drawback is the release date: Feb 2014.
The blurb:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lauren Dane takes you into a brand new world in ALL THAT REMAINS. Summer Killian falls fast and hard when Charlie arrives in Paradise Village. But the heat turns all the way up when she learns Charlie is also with Hatch – the man she loved three years before. While she’s not sure she’s cut out for a triad, neither man is going to give her up.
Take a ROCKY RIDE with New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Vivian Arend as she leads you back to the Six Pack Ranch. Anna Coleman might be the law around Rocky Mountain House, but bad boy Mitch Thompson knows that under the stiff RCMP uniform is a woman with a passion for speed and pleasure that matches his own, and he’s not giving up until she’s his.

Kit Rocha returns to Sector Four in BEYOND TEMPTATION. A promise to a dying friend backfires when Noah Madsen finds that the girl he was supposed to rescue is all grown up–and wearing O’Kane ink. He wants to protect her from the secrets of their past, but she wants him. And an O’Kane woman always gets what she wants.

Review: Revelation by Lauren Dane

On By MikaelaIn Paranormal Romance
The Particulars:  Paranormal Romance,  Samhain Publishing, available in print and as e-book
The Source: Purchased at Books on Board
The Grade: B-
The Blurb:

He has the one thing she never thought she deserved. A place to belong…
At long last, Kendra Kellogg has found her sister—but she’s no closer to filling the gaps in her past. The magick that brought them together makes them targets for dark mages intent on finishing what started with their mother’s murder.
As if her life wasn’t chaotic enough, in barrels the one thing she doesn’t expect, Max de La Vega. He’s six-and-a-half-feet of cocoa-brown alpha male. He’s strong, intelligent, sexy and intense. Everything she’d wanted in a man. And he scares the hell out of her. Still healing from a disastrous past relationship, she wonders if she’ll ever have that kind of forever.
The next in line to run his jaguar jamboree, Max is unused to hearing “no”. Once he knows what he wants, he assumes he’ll get it. And he wants Kendra. She deserves happiness and it’s his mission to give it to her.
When dark mages attempt to steal her magickal energy, Max’s cat agrees with the man—Kendra is his to protect and he will stop at nothing to keep her safe. She can push him away as hard as she likes, he’s not going anywhere.


 The Review:
This is the second book in the De La Vegas series, and it is as good as the first book, Trinity.
It was intriguing to delve more into the world, and see how witches lived. From how they used magic, to how they struggled with change. I also liked to see how mages was affected by the magic they stole, and how they constantly was on the hunt for a new source to drain.
I liked Kendra, she had a streak of independence and sassyness that appealed to me. It was a hoot watching her and Max banter, and occasionally butt heads, as they took the first steps in their relationship.
The plot hooked me from the start. I liked how Kendra started to make a new life in Boston, at the same time as she connected with her sister. The plot twists took me by surprise, yet made sense. I I liked how several separate threads turned out to be connected. It was fascinating to watch Kendra struggle with her scars from the past, and at the same time take her place in the Jamboree.
So what I didn’t like. It felt like their romance happened so fast. I know they had know each other for a couple of months, but it felt like much shorter in the book.

Review:Trinity by Lauren Dane

On By MikaelaIn Paranormal Romance
The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Samhain Publishing, available in print and e-book.
The Source: All Romance
The Grade: B-

The blurb:
Renee Parcell loves her life. Her smoothie/coffee cart business is successful, and she’s deeply in love with her boyfriend, Galen. He makes her laugh, he’s gainfully employed, and he satisfies her as only a sexy cat shifter can. He even puts the toilet seat down.
Yet they both sense something in the air. An anticipation that leaves them both unsettled.
Tall, blond and gorgeous Jack Meyers, Enforcer of National Pack and one of the most beautiful men Renee and Galen have ever seen. When he stumbles into Renee’s life, the riddle of their expectation is solved—Renee is Jack’s mate. What surprises them all is when the three of them touch, magick creates an unexpected triple bond of witch, cat and wolf.
Even as they learn to navigate the steamy intricacies of their bond, a threat looms over Renee. First in the form of resurrected memories, then in the shape of darker magicks someone is aiming at her. Set on stealing her inherent powers—even her life.
Renee can stand to lose almost anything, except her mates. But there seems to be no talking them out of laying everything on the line for her…

 The Review:
This review is a sign of the power of the re-read. I read Trinity for the first time last year, and I liked it. But, then out of the blue I was hit by an urge to read more of Lauren Dane’s Paranormal Romances, so I decided to re-read it.
I liked the World that Lauren Dane had created. It was intriguing and believable. From the close knitted way of both the jamboree and the National Pack, to the way not everyone loved Renee.
I also liked how well intigrated the supernatural was into the society. While they didn’t tell everyone they met that they were shifters, they didn’t struggle to keep it a secret.
I loved Renee. She was a wonderful mix of independence and generosity. I liked the glimpses I got of her past, even though they were heartwrenching.
Galen was hot, supportive and just the right kind of possessive. In other words: just like I want my alpha heros. Jack was hot, supportive, but I liked that he pushed Renee into opening up.
The plot was well written, and engaging. It hooked me from the start. I liked how Renee’s past and present got caught up with each other, but also how it gave rise to more questions, and more trouble. But I’ll admit that I wished that story had given a better glimpse into the reasoning of the villain.
That said, I had a lot of trouble with the swift transistions. One moment they were in a public place, the next they were somewere else and having sex. It might be that I simply missed the lines that took them home, but it was a bit confusing.