Showing posts with label Iva. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iva. Show all posts

Mar 11, 2014

Carnal Secrets (The Phoenix Pack #3) by Suzanne Wright


Buy the book:
Amazon / 

Author's:

Summary:

"Half-shifter Shaya Critchley may hold a submissive role in her pack, but she’s done taking orders. After her Alpha wolf mate refused to claim her—but committed to interfering in her life—she took off. Now she hides from him, posing as a human in a town full of anti-shifter extremist groups. She thinks he’ll never find her again, and that suits her just fine. But she’s wrong.

Nick Axton can barely control his feelings for Shaya, but he could never claim her—not if he truly cares for her. The degenerative brain condition he keeps secret would ultimately leave her with a burden rather than a mate. But when Shaya runs away, Nick can’t bear the thought of never seeing her again. After tracking her down, he discovers Shaya’s feisty and passionate side in the process…a side he’d never seen before.

Under the menacing gazes of territorial local packs and violent human extremists, Nick vows to finally claim the spirited Shaya…and despite her initial resistance, Shaya just might find his fiery determination to be the ultimate aphrodisiac."

Rating:



Review:

BEFORE reading I thought: Bring on Nick and Shaya. But first, make the bastard suffer!

Now AFTER reading: Considering I got more then 40 likes on GoodReads on a two-sentences review of a book before it was published (really - LOL), at least I could do was read it. I absolutely loved Feral Sins. Werewolf romance is my ultimate guilty book-pleasure and that one was just the way I like it - strong main characters, possessive Alphas which comes with the hotness factor, and lots of laugh. The second book fell a little short for me, so I wasn't expecting much of this third one. It even sounded like it will be of the same cup as the other books. Also Nick pissed me off for refusing Shaya before but now I actually feel bad for wishing him to suffer which he did. And a lot. I bet all you ladies that liked my review before reading want to unlike it now, right? I understand perfectly, lol.

Shaya was a great heroine, I sympathised with her. I wouldn't do anything different then she did. Nick kept a lot of secrets from her. What's a girl gotta do? And Nick was the sweetest guy - extremly patient, self-sacrificing, romantic.. You can't help but love a guy that fights for his girl and doesn't give up no matter what.

The problem I had with the book that it often got too... sentimental, mushy. The hotness lacked a lot and I see others missed that. Nick even promised some light bondage and play but it never actually happened. I liked the side story of what was happening with the human exstremists - I like my romance with some pot action; and that Trey and Taryn and the rest of the Phoenix pack made some appearance. All in all, I liked it more then I thought I would. Can't wait to see who's next!

PS: I want a story with Roni! Should Dominic be her match? I see something there...

Until next time, 


Jan 14, 2014

Blog Tour: Vendetta by Autumn Karr and Sienna Lane



Hosted by: As the Pages Turn




Genre: Contemporary Romance (Forbidden)

Release Date: December 15, 2013

Purchase links:

Goodreads:

Summary:

Please note: this is not dark romance.

I am not a good man.
I have lied and cheated and stolen. I've decided between life or death, like it was my due. None of it matters, not anymore. These are not my sins.

I see her raise her hands, the dark metal she's clutching reflecting the moonlight. Her finger trembles as she cocks the gun pointed at me. Her eyes are cold, determined, but I know.
I know her.

My name is Devon Andre and I confess my sin. I am not a good man because this is the woman I love.

She pulls the trigger.

* Standalone contemporary romance.
* Mature reader advised due to sexual content and strong language.


Rating:



Review:


When I stumbled upon this book, I was so excited about it! The blurb had that secretive, lures-you-in effect and I liked it. When I was in with the blog tour, I thought Christmas came early. And then I saw some of the 2 stars.. 3 stars.. and I was afraid to read it, so I just lowered my expectations. But it turns out - I was pleasantly surprised!

The thing is - all the stuff people mention in their reviews as negative are true in a big part. There really are some things that don't fit in or are somewhat unreasonable, though I don't agree with people who disliked that we weren't clued in with the real relationship and past of Devon and Leighton until the half of the book. I kinda liked that - it was different. Most authors give you all the little secrets right at the beginning. Now, we were left wondering what was happening between them. What I want to say is - the book may have several flaws, but I was NEVER, not in one moment, bored! Seriously. I didn't even eye-roll.

The mob stuff and the whole setting was really cool, the story with the final villians was great too - the authors know how to put an action or thriller effect in it. And the characters?. They were good, but a little work on them, especially taking care of some acts that contradict the way they were characterized, would do well to the book. But overall, I liked both Devon and Leighton.

Devon, as the heir of the Andre family, knew how to act and survive in the world of mobs, knew when to get tough and do criminal things when they're necessary. His feelings toward Leighton were pretty strong and his internal fight between revenge and love was interesting, I liked that it wasn't stretched, the guy knew right away that the solution to killing is not more killing, especially someone you care about deeply. I would have seriously given this book a star less, maybe even two, if the main twist was his difficulty to decide if to kill Leighton for revenge or 'love her for the rest of their lives'. Yeah, right, now that deserves an big-ass eye-roll!

Leighton was the most confusing of them. She had a lot of her strong moments, I liked her fighting and determined spirit, but she's so sensitive too, or I better say, in love. I didn't feel her worry or panic enough about the situation she was in. Though I loved how they both understood that family really does come first, even before love, so they weren't all mushy too much. Big thumbs up for that!

In the end, the book is flawed, but nothing stood out as wrong too much. I absolutely enjoyed reading this, the style of writing suited me really well, and with regret about the book finishing too fast and some things left hanging there unexplained (didn't bother me a lot), I can honestly say that I would read anything similar to this these authors dish out.



Now, for the excerpt that reminded me how hot is it between these two. Nothing like sweet, ol', forbidden romance *fanning myself*



Excerpt:

His mouth slides down my throat, his warm breath tickling the sensitive skin of my neck, and a shiver runs through my body. That’s all it takes from him; he has such an effect on me, always has. Holding me tight against his body, he talks into my ear.
“I couldn't get you out of my fucking mind. Every living thought I had was stained by you, out there in the darkness, my hands all over your body, your fingers running through my hair, your moans and sighs. I fucking hate you for being my weakness.”

His mouth finds mine, and he bites on my lip, punishing me. “I needed to get you out of my head, out of my heart, out of my soul. You owned me, and I wanted myself back.” His hand tangles in my hair, and he pulls it back harshly, exposing my neck. “I just want myself back,” he ends on a whisper, and then his teeth skim my neck, making my breath hitch.
He trails his mouth up over my throat, his hand making its own way down my stomach, where he finds the button of my jeans and pops it open. He kisses along my jaw as he slides the zipper down, and reaches his hand into my panties. I gasp as his fingers slowly inch down and he slides first one, then two, and starts to explore, thrusting them in and out in a delicious rhythm. He pulls my head back gently and kisses my lips. His hand travels down the side of my face, over my collarbone, between my breasts and down to my stomach, finding its way under my shirt, cupping my breast. I moan as he rubs my clit with his thumb, making me quiver with his probing fingers, and his tongue delves into my mouth, stopping only to bite on my lips. I can feel his arousal pressing into my side, and it turns me on even more knowing thatI have this effect on him. I hide my face in his neck, biting gently as the first wave of pleasure hits me. My thighs start shaking and Devon wraps his arm around my back to hold me up. I tear my mouth away from his neck and archmy back into the wall behind me, cursing as the pleasure starts to take over my body.

“Leighton,” Devon growls. I open my eyes and look into his as I ride the climax, his heavy-lidded, burning gaze making me lose myself even more.

Tour wide giveaway: 



The tour wide giveaway is open internationally. Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST 01/20/2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Autumn & Sienna bio:

Sienna Lane and Autumn Karr are two friends with a joint love of reading, writing, candy, and Disney heroes (and Disney songs, of course.)

When they aren’t scheming against fictional characters, or talking about their favourite books, you can find them ogling tattooed models and trying to figure out how to get them to do a cover shoot for their next book.

Together they wrote VENDETTA, releasing this December, and hopefully many more books to come.They love to hear from readers, so don't hesitate to contact them through their Facebook page.

Authors contact info:
Autumn Karr
Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter

Sienna Lane
Facebook / Goodreads

Joint Sites
Facebook / Blog


Until next time, 


Jan 11, 2014

Blog tour: Awaken (Spiral of Bliss #3) by Nina Lane




Tour Hosted by: Literari Author Services




Genre: Contemporary Romance 18+
Publication Date: January 7, 2014

Goodreads: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17927182-awaken?ac=1

Purchase links:

Arouse (book 1): Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes
Allure (book 2)Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes
Awaken: Amazon / Barnes & Noble 
Summary:

“I love that you love me, professor.”

“I love loving you, beauty.”

Since their intense, passionate beginning, Professor Dean West and his wife Olivia have fought dark secrets and betrayal in order to save their marriage. Now reeling in the aftermath of a personal tragedy, Liv and Dean are driven further apart by a vindictive threat to Dean’s career.

Struggling to stand on her own for the first time in years, Liv is determined to defend her husband and prove herself. Then an unexpected letter dredges up old insecurities and endangers Liv’s newfound independence. As Dean fights for his professional life, he is forced to confront his worst fear when he discovers that he can’t protect his beloved wife from her own painful past.

Rating:




Review:



"I want to stay faithful, guard your honor,
Seek peace, obey
Fear, serve and honor you,
Until death,
Peerless Lady.

For I love you so much, truly,
that one could sooner dry up
the deep sea
and hold back its waves
than I could constrain myself
from loving you..."


written by Guillaume de Machaut.



What a beautiful poem, right? Now imagine the sexy Professor Dean West reading it in French.... Okay, instant swoon! I loved the concept of courting, Liv asked of Dean to strengthen their marriage after the rocky road the past months were for them. And he was so very, very good at it. This poem is telling us about love being so great that it's irresistible. And that is exactly what Dean and Olivia are - so irresistibly in love - able to survive all challenges and trials that are thrown to them. They did survive it all, and now come the last tests.

I fell in love with this series about a month ago, and thank God the final book wasn't so far away, or else there would've been some begging involved. I absolutely adored the first two books, total 5 stars - the fact this series is about an already married couple was such a refreshment that I finished both of them in almost one sitting. The third book, fortunately, has everything the other ones have too.

It was just as much as romantic and passionate. Just as much as intense and and emotional. 

"I'm at your feet forever, Olivia Rose," I whispered the instant before our lips met. "I'll move heaven and earth to give your whatever your want, what ever you need."
"Oh, Dean." She pressed her hand to the side of my face. "All I need is you." And then the kiss, a perfect harmony of the stars and planets that started my universe all over again.

Liv is finally coming into herself, starting a new business, becoming someone that has a new meaning in life and who is doing something that makes her happy. I was immensely happy for her!



Dean is trying to be the husband Liv needs, but he still has some trouble doing that. His problem is that he was never confident enough that his wife can handle the ugly truth and every mess in his life. That is the root of all the twists in this series. But he's slowly understanding this and doing his best to give his wife freedom and a place beside him, not behind him to always guard and protect. 

The situation with his student Maggie is very delicate, and I wondered how Ms. Lane would resolve that. Being accused of such a thing is really big for any professor and something they ever come alive and complete from. This was one of my favorite parts, because something was happening. Not like a large part of the book containing too much sexy time. Yes... I can't believe I'm saying 'too much sex' and 'Dean West' in one sentence but it's possible. It was just so overwhelming that I started eye-rolling. I wanted some actual plot and that never, not once lacked in the first two books. I'm still really bummed about it.

But all in all, Spiral of Bliss is definitely one of my dearest series, something I will hold close to my heart always. And will totally read again. As should you, not only married people, but everyone who is a romantic at heart or just wants some damn sexy professors. This just has it all. Kudos to Nina Lane, can't wait for more of her work!


Giveaway:

Tour-Wide Giveaway

About the Author:

 USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances and spicy erotica. Originally from California, she loves traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Nina also spent many years in graduate school studying art history and library sciences.

Although she would go back for another degree if she could because she’s that much of a bookworm, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer. Nina’s novel The Erotic Dark hit #1 on Amazon’s Erotica Bestseller list.

Connect with the Author:


Until next time,


Dec 4, 2013

Open Confessions (London Brown) by Leila DeSint


Buy the ebook:

Author's:

Summary:

Confessions of a Philanthropist (London Brown #13)

A glimpse of the monster within.

I’m Rhys Christos Edward Stowell, a philanthropist on the verge of exile from a suffocating state of corruption. My lack of conformity to perceived norms has earned me a reputation of being difficult. I rather like it that way.
Beguiled by a woman who uses the oldest profession to torture herself and punish those that love her, I’m ever her dutiful friend. But I want much more…
After years of being neatly boxed in the friend category, she offers me surrender. Or the semblance of it….

Confessions of a Daughter/Whore (London Brown #14)

This body belongs to me and I'm going to use it.

I’m Desniah Williams. Is that what you think? I'm convinced we're London Brown and these are still my confessions. And I will plunge you into…

Confessions of a Politician (London Brown #15)

The sweet yet painful taste of her. 

I'm Caden Jacob Carrington (V) the Fifth. The truth is most men's salvation, but not for men like me. Politics is my chosen affliction. I lie for a living, or massage the truth to suit me. The one constant about truth is that it's identical to the theory of relativity: neither uniform nor absolute in the minds of men.
So why is it so important for me to uncover the truth about Desniah Williams, a.k.a. London Brown, when neither will willingly provide facts…


Review:


Everyone who knows me in the world of books and who have been following this blog for some time know that I'm fascinated by the London Brown series for almost a year. I've read these novellas and studied them and wrote reviews in detail which you can find HERE(for the first book) and HERE. I also did interviews with 2 of the characters(HERE and HERE). And still after this next part, I fell in love with its complexity and brilliance even more. The world the author created is a world of one woman with two personalities. Desniah, the primary one, a woman sexually abused as a child, created a 'stronger' version - London Brown - now a provocative escort, fearless and doesn't care about anybody but herself; to protect herself from the all the emotional consequences of the abuse. Two men: Caden, a man Des loved since childhood, as he did her but circumstance and cruel fate keep them apart; and Rhys, the dangerous rebel with dark desires and a wicked mind and the only one able to help Desniah to become stronger. It seems.

What makes this series so special to me is the unpredictable and shocking way it's told. You're constantly glued to the scene, the intricate style of writing makes it all so vivid, like you're there and you feel the tension and it keeps you at the edge of the seat, so intense you can hear yourself breathing through it. And then some moments, your heart stops, then starts beating so fast while you're wondering what the ever loving fuck is going on. Even when you sometimes expected the unexpected before it happened, it strikes you so damn hard. This is only the beginning of what these characters make me feel. But the thing I love most about it is the smart way it's written - it doesn't look complicating at all, but then you start picking out the clues and pieces that hide behind everything the four of them say or think.

And all the characters are so original and unique. You won't see this type of thing anywhere. From Rhys, the guy that gives a new meaning to calculated mind manipulation. His darkness, his unconventional, dominant but also affectionate toward Des personality attracted me at first. But it's not only the dark sexual desires that hide behind his facade, there are things that make him far more dangerous and poisoning. 

Desniah was starting to get our of her shell. She began a relationship with Rhys, something that finally made her feel safe and sure to fight London, who was slowly overtaking her body. But being desperate for affection is a dangerous thing. Rhys is now doing things that make her confused once again and London is taking the chance to weaken her undeniable connection to Rhys. It's a game of who has more mind strength and power. And London has some dirty weapons in her arsenal and boy, did I forget how dirty she can get.
"..you believe this is your body and yet you cannot even take control back. I've got to be the one to set you straight."

It completely and utterly killed me and I'm desperate for what is to come next. As I read on, the way I see all of the characters just keeps getting changed and I can't get enough of it.

Welcome to the world where masks they hide behind are people's main choice of weapon; where nobody is safe from their past mistakes coming back to haunt them and where future is hanging in the balance but could be forever ruined so easily.


Until next time, 



Nov 28, 2013

Dream Man series by Kristen Ashley


Author's:

Summaries with buy links:

Rating:

Review:



Hawk. Brock. Mitch. Tack.

 Sexy commandos, wild under-cover agents, sweet and protective cops, badass bikers.. this series has it all! What they all have in common? They're their women's dream men. Every single one of them - in their own way. But hot, Alpha, possessive, caring, take-no-shit but understanding and smart - that's what all of them are.
Oh, who the best is, I have no idea! Every singe book amazed me all over again.

Okay, maybe book one Mystery Man with Cabe "Hawk" Delgado is my favorite. Badass, kinda superhuman, commando, sexy as all f*ck! And Gwen is my favorite heroine of all the four books - she was totally the funniest and coolest woman I have ever read about! She made the book two times better! She's tough, witty, never backed down from something she wants, or hid what she thought. These two were way cool, but they showed such emotion too that I cried a few times.

The second book, Wild Man, is often described as the least favorite of the four even though it's still worth a five star. To me, Brock Lucas and Tess were second best, after Hawk and Gwen. I don't know - there's just something sexy about a hot older guy knowing and going for what he wants and what he wants is the sweet, loyal and just perfect for him cake maker Tess O'Hara. But fear not, Tess has some backbone in her too! This book was even more emotional since it deals with some heavy stuff, but it's also emotional in a romantic sense. Brock may be a wild thing, but he's a sweetheart too. So, wild and sweet - mix it up and you've got yourself a winner.

The third book, Law Man, well, I'm a little conflicted with that one. It was great really, truly a 5 star, but Mara, the heroine, took shy and insecure to the extreme. She wasted too many years on her fantasies never daring to even talk to the guy. Poor Mitch was trying to get to her for so long! But when it happened it was sooo cute. This book is more about family then any other in the series. There are kids in most books but Billie and Billy here have big roles. It's about becoming a couple with a stable relationship so they can raise Mara's little cousins when their dad went to jail. I loved the angst it had, love the all-around family-feeling it had alongside Mitch and Mara developing their connection and Mara building up her confidence too. The book was totally cute with a side of hot-damn alpha!

The forth book and the most anticipated one since everyone keeps raving about Kane "Tack" Allen and I loved him since book one, but I gotta say, Motorcycle Man didn't quite amaze me. Maybe I expected too much, but either way I can't say I didn't like the biker stuff and Tack and Tyra butting heads being all stubborn and well, hot. Tack with all his goatee-d, sexed-up, older biker dude character and the caveman, 'I'm the boss', possessive vibe made this girl like things she never thought she would. I especially loved how Tyra didn't put up with Tack when he became overbearing, she explained to him that to make it work they both have to adjust their lives. Then all went much better.

What I love in this series is the KA humor, great plot structure with some suspense thrown in every book, the hot, hot, hot times (this woman knows her alpha sex scenes) ,but most of all - the emotion the characters express and the bonds these men forged protecting their women from every danger. I was often left in tears and always the happy ones. This series turned out to be one of my favorite, and I was so happy that KA didn't finish with this world and continued it in the Chaos series centered more about the Chaos MC whose president is our own favorite Tack Allen. So later guys, I have some hot bikers to read about!!


Until next time, 


Nov 20, 2013

(Autumn Taboo Review) Want by Stephanie Lawton


Buy the book:

Author's:

Summary:

"Julianne counts the days until she can pack her bags and leave her old-money, tradition-bound Southern town where appearance is everything and secrecy is a way of life. A piano virtuoso, she dreams of attending a prestigious music school in Boston. Failure is not an option, so she enlists the help of New England Conservatory graduate Isaac Laroche to help her.

She can’t understand why he suddenly gave up Boston’s music scene to return to the South. He doesn’t know her life depends on escaping it. Julianne must face down madness from without, just as it threatens from within. Isaac must resist an inappropriate attraction, but an indiscretion at a Mardi Gras ball-the pinnacle event for Mobile’s elite-forces their present wants and needs to collide with sins of the past.


Will Julianne accept the help she’s offered and get everything she ever wanted, or will she self-destruct and take Isaac down with her?"


Rating:




Review:

Want turned out to be much more then I expected. 

As part of our new feature - Autumn Taboo, we are reading books about student/teacher relationships. This book, in its basis, it about that. Julianne Becker is a 17 year-old talented piano-player and is preparing for her audition for New England Conservatory. After her mentor gets sick, comes the mysterious Isaac Laroche who himself graduated in NEC. Who better to teach her?

So it started really great, big potential with Julianne slowly recognizing Isaac as a man. She's an abused teenager with a psychologically sick mother and a lot of pressure for her future. The hot and very intense new teacher coming in the picture is no help. It's no surprise how she had self-esteem problems and was very conflicted about everything in her life. Slowly, she went totally whack-o and even though her actions would normally make me hate her, I really didn't. Julianne was batshit crazy and totally freaky at times, and she annoyed the hell out of me most of the time. But she was supposed to. I was actually fascinated and started to love the story even more.

“We don't always get what we want. And sometimes, when we do, it's not worth the price.”

And Isaac was not less interesting. With the whole town judging him about a past relationship and how it turned out (which I will not spoiler to you), coming to like your new teenage student is so far from what he needs right now it's not even funny. And that whacks with your mind too. He found himself in a delicate situation where want, need, ethics and destiny are all having a hell of a battle.

So who is to blame when two damaged people go even more off the deep end together? Julianne, I can understand, but that doesn't mean Isaac is the bad guy here.

See? Saying this is a book about student/teacher relationship would be totally wrong. Telling you that it's about an abused girl who was just trying to chase her dreams and wants is not enough too. This is a book where grave mistakes are made, actions are done that drive these two to madness, but redemption is still possible. And the ending showed just that. It was very open, anything could happen, but a light shines in that darkness. Julianne just has to fight to keep it.

It was beautiful.




Until next time, 



Nov 5, 2013

(Blog tour) Second Chances by Jo Briggs


Tour schedule:



Release date: June 27th 2013
Publisher: Daydream Books
Purchase: Amazon



Goodreads link: 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18133262-second-chances



BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Layla Keyes is back in England. Much has changed in the five years since she moved to New York to pursue a modelling career - On the outside she appears independent, self-assured and enjoying running her own successful fashion label.

On the inside she is determined to take back what she lost five years ago when misunderstandings allowed a jealous third party to manipulate and interfere in destroying her relationship with Evan Carter.

Evan Carter has spent all that time pretending to not be affected by the loss of Layla from his life.

A twist of fate brings the two back together as they are forced to share a few days alone.

Can their love be rekindled despite the secrets they still have to confess to each other?

Review:

You see, sometimes relationships are over because the persons involved turned to be too different and couldn't get on. Sometimes,  personalities clash and their temper gets the better of them. Sometimes, people cheat, hurt intentionaly, or just plain get bored with each other. There are a lot of reasons people break up. But sometimes, the couple is perfect for one another, but life's circumstances became too much and people need a time out. But there is a thing called a second chance. And as the tittle says, this is a book just about that.

I have to say that the first chapter/prologue was my favorite - the break up. It was so intense and emotional and completely brilliant in showing how much a seperation hurts even if it is needed. Layla and Evan went through a lot that past month - Layla's parents died and then they lost their unborn child. That a lot of stress and hurt at once, and they drifted off in their grief and anger, creating a gulf between them. It even hurt to be together so Layla left.

Five years later, a lot happened - kids came up, relationships formed and broke, a certain someone did everything to keep Layla and Even from getting in contact but they finally came together it it wasn't awkward at all which I was surprised about. After 5 years apart even loving each other still tents to make you uncomfortable. At least, I find that rational much. But the author didn't waste time on misunderstandings. As soon as Layla and Evan met again, they realized they have to work out everything between them. I guess I liked that - they really discussed a lot and that's great in relationships. Just not so exciting in books. The story was there - perfect set up, good enough style of writing, promising story. But it lacked a boom, a little bigger drama effect. I think the fact that they are both born and breed in high class, all elegant and sophisticated that made it a little boring. But I DO applaud the author for the way she portrayed the rich, pretty authentic - it's not just the money, it's the whole way of life.

So, the book was pretty good - the steam was surprisingly high, kinda funny when you compare the normal conversation and sex, but there wasn't anything that screamed unique and memorable, and that's why it's only an interesting enough story. I recommend it for all of you that like second-chance romance.


Giveaway:




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

As well as writing, Jo Briggs also enjoys reading; her favorite classics include Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion and Jane Eyre having studied English Literature before moving onto Art and Graphic Design. Current genre of choice on her iPad are angsty steamy romances. Particular favorites at the moment are by S.C Stephens, R K Lilley, Sylvia Day and Jodi Ellen Malpas. Jo is also a regular visitor to eBook readers anonymous to keep her addiction under control.


facebook.com/DaydreamBooks | twitter.com/daydreambooks

Until next time,


Oct 24, 2013

Phoenix by Raine Anthony


Buy the book:

Author's:

Summary:

In a small town in Cornwall, a fighter and a schoolteacher meet. 

Dangerous. Bad News. Killer. This is what Phoenix sees when he looks in the mirror.

Shy. Timid. Afraid. This is what Eve sees in her own reflection.

But when Eve looks at Phoenix she sees a strong, handsome, sensual man. And when Phoenix looks at Eve he sees a beautiful, untouchable, heavenly creature. Together they will help each other to escape the labels they have lived with for so long.
Will the ghosts of their pasts return to hinder their happiness?
Or will true love lead to freedom?

Phoenix is a story of two lonely souls trying to find solace in one another’s hearts.


Rating:



Review:

"If the soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who committed the sin, but the one who causes the darkness."


This book started out really good. Eve is starting a new chapter in her life as a history teacher in a new town and a new house close to nature. Free from her abusive brother and the traumas of her childhood he caused which made her into a scared, timid woman with zero confidence and some claustrophobia. She is determined to try and change her life, shed her fear and start living a normal life. But she never dreamed she will meet someone that will help her with that.

"When I said you weren't ready for all of me, it was a lie. Because the truth is that I am not ready for all of you."

Phoenix is the town mystery. A 30 year-old handsome carpenter - quiet, keeps to himself, not interested in making friends and especially relationships. But the new neighbor turns out to be hard to avoid. He has some very big secrets about his past life and where he came from. And Eve finds him fascinating. As does he her. The mutual interest sparks a desire to get to know each other. 

I really liked this beginning. Often, I came across books that had characters with dark pasts, the typical one being the heroine who got abused and the hero there for the rescue and comfort. But those were beyond cheesy and unreasonable. The women are like two different people - one the dark part, the "oh, poor me!" with scars from past experiences, too afraid and without confidence to do anything. And the other, the sex machine, hot and feisty without trying, absolutely awesome in bed. And that's damn annoying and actually very unrealistic.

Eve.. Now Eve was very different from that. She was portrayed as so innocent and honest, almost child-like. You could really see the victimized person, but also the fighter! She challenges herself numerous times throughout the book, fighting the part of her that wants to run away and hide. And Phoenix was there to push her even more, to become who she really is. Eve fell in love with the part of him she recognized in herself. They were two souls that understood each other and healed together. Because Phoenix was a victim too, one who was made a killer, convinced that he is just as horrible as those how captured him. Beyond redemption. It was beautiful to read about them.

Because this is a story of two people lucky enough to find each other

Unfortunately, the book went downhill in the second part. This book is also quite erotic and explicit. I never expected it too be this hot. The piano oral sex scene was just wooah! (And yes, I said piano and sex in the same sentence. Damn ovaries exploding.) but this part of the story felt weak compared to the main theme. It was all good and very hot....



... but there was too much of it. A little twist here and there, but the only thing I really liked toward the end is the epilogue from Phoenix's POV. That, and the prologue, were the only chapters with his thoughts and I'm very sad that there wasn't more of it. Phoenix is even more intense then Eve. But nevertheless, this is a book that is not to be set aside. Very emotional and self-discovery-type, I definitely recommend it if your like it a little spiced-up too.


"I see myself as the caterpillar, living inside my exoskeleton, never showing my real self to anyone expect for Harriet. I was still inside that exoskeleton when Phoenix came along. I wasn't sure if I wanted to break free but he encouraged me, taught me how to spread my wings and fly. I saw what he had survived, how he had managed to preserve his mind after all the dark things he was forced to do, and it gave me strength. If Phoenix can survive what he has suffered then I can surely survive what I have."

Until next time, 

Oct 9, 2013

Series Review: Psy-Changeling #1-12 by Nalini Singh



SERIES LIST: (Goodreads list )

1. Slave to Sensation
1.5 "The Cannibal Princess" - free short story
2. Visions of Heat
3. Caressed By Ice
4. Mine to Possess
5. Hostage to Pleasure
5.5 "A Gift for Kit" ~ free short story
6. Branded By Fire
7. Blaze of Memory
8. Bonds of Justice
9. Play of Passion
10. Kiss of Snow
11. Tangle of Need (2012)
12. Heart of Obsidian(2013)
13. Untitled (2014)
14. Untitled (2015)





Two of the strongest Changeling packs in North America are the DarkRiver Leopards, controlling the San Francisco area, and the SnowDancer Wolf Pack, in control of the rest of California. The icy and emotionless Psy are under the control of a powerful council of seven beings with very different goals. And some of the humans, often thought to be the weakest of the three races, have decided to level the playing field.

Find all the books by this author to buy:


Author's:


Series review:


For the last few months my love for paranormal books and series came back. Hot shifter novellas were always a guilty pleasure, and still are. But I wanted to start a series with a whole world of different characters creating one amazing experience. Immortals After Dark was my first one a couple of years back, and then the love grew with Black Dagger Brotherhood. Three months ago I fell in love with Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld and then came Psy-Changeling and the series worth ever praise you can think off.

I dived into the books and couldn't get out to write a decent sentence or two about one book. Only managed to review in detail the first one, which you can find HERE. And then I devoured the rest and here I am writing a series review of all the 12 books instead of one of them.

The best thing about this series is the world-building. Nalini Singh's characters are part of a triumvirate of species - the Psy, humans and the changelings. Or better said - the emotionless psychic  race, the underdog and the wild, temperamental animal shifters. Every book contains people from all of the races but mostly Psy and changeling. And that is the fascinating thing about this - Singh managed to combine people from two seemingly completely opposite races into a romance - the emotionless and those who can't function without emotions. But she showed us that not everything is what is seems like - even those who live without emotion because of their unpredictable and dangerous psychic abilities have flaws.

Psy are a picture of perfection to the public, the superiors that this the "animals" are lesser being, but two packs from San Francisco are now out to prove them wrong - the DarkRiver leopards and The SnowDancer wolves. They rise from the shadow and show the world that the Psy Council can't beat them in their own city. They are out to protect their family and even the Psy that managed to worm into their hearts, that proved they are not made of stone, they too can love. Many stories from this series are about that - a Psy - changeling couple and I liked them very much, some more, some less. Dorian(book 5) and Judd(book 3) are probably my favorite stories from those.

But I already said that I love shifter stories and these leopards, especially the wolves go way deep into my special character-love shelf. I love absolutely all of them - Lucas and Hawke, the Alphas - theirs are the books I love the most. Especially Hawke... Oh boy, that man made me meld in book 1 and his is the 10th one!! I'm even guilty of skipping two books(7 and 8) to get to his sooner!

Out of the others, the best one are book 6 about a leopard and a wolf shifter and the last one - Heart of Obsidian - which is the only one about two Psy. It's amazing how the previously thought villain turned out to be the most positive character. Kaleb's is definitely the most epic pnr book I have ever read. Not lying.

I don't even know what else to say! There is so much I can't put into these lines that could make you read this! I will only say that it's not perfect - there are many down-sides and different ones in every book, mostly the fact that the plot is a little slow and has a similar pattern, but the up side is that there is much action going on, even some suspense. Everything takes a world-wide effect later that is so epic, I have no words for Ms Singh's talent. The angst is also sometimes high. The urge to scream in awesomeness is through the roof! 

Give it a chance, especially if you read paranormal, at least the first book - it will give you a pretty good insight into the series. I promise you, it's so easy to fall in love :)

Until next time,



Oct 6, 2013

Autumn Taboo: Student&Teacher Affairs


Hello our lovely, way too hot people!
We are gathered her today to..... talk about our new feature on Way Too Hot Books.
Every season has it-topic and this year it looks like taboo fantasy of every high school girl is coming true! Well, at least in books.
 We decided to join the hype, so welcome to our
Autumn Taboo!


What does that mean?
Considering that all of us girls gathered around Way Too Hot Books are in one way or another involved in school or teaching, for us love affairs between students and teachers is greatest taboo of them all. 
What will we do?
Read.
 As you can see, we found some books that are talking about this topic. If you know for book that fits to what we're looking for, don't be shy and tell us. If you're author and you have book that talks about student/teacher relationship and you'd like to be part of this, contact us. If you're fellow blogger and you like this idea, join the fun. Just as a sign of your support, link us up in your posts and leave comment here. We would love to hear your thoughts and read your reviews.

How long will this last?
We do not have strict timelines, but we're hoping that we'll manage wrap up everything until the end of November.

Way Too Hot Books is part of Rachael Wade's new book blog tour and you'll get a chance to win e-books of her Preservation series. Leah Reader and Evan Revees will answer some of our questions ( if you want us to ask them something specific, let us now). We'll try to get more goodies for you.:) 
Also, If I Stay by Evan Reeves is featured tomorrow here, so stay tuned. 

We really hope that this will work out and that you'll join our conversations. 
Much love,
Glass & Iva & Purple & Red

Oct 3, 2013

ARC review: What He Really Feels (He Feels Trilogy #2) by Lisa Suzanne


Author's:

Buy the book:
Amazon / Amazon UK


Summary:

"He told her How He Really Feels and had his heart broken. Now Travis Miller is trying to move on from the greatest heartbreak of his life by getting out of town. But two nights before his big move to California, Travis meets a mystery woman who grabs hold of his broken heart and gives him hope that he can piece it back together. Will Travis ever figure out What He Really Feels, or will he be stuck on his first love forever? Will he find his happily ever after? 

What He Really Feels contains some adult situations and is intended for mature readers."


Review:


What He Really Feels is a sequel to How He Really Feels. You can find my review for that one HERE. After reading the first book I was very excited about the second book about Travis - the best friend who got dumped by the woman he knew and loved his whole life - Julianne, the heroine of the first book. We already know that she complicated her relationship with Travis in a very stupid way - by using him. I felt so bad about that and just wanted to hug the poor guy. And I desperately wanted a HEA for him! And this is where book two complicates things more then I thought...

We enter "What He Really Feels" with events that happened in the previous book from Travis' POV. This first 30% of the book was him dealing with the aftermath. I felt his hurt so deep. I praise the author for writing a believable course of thoughts and action Travis experienced. It's extremely hard dealing with emotional hurt. Especially when it comes from being betrayed by the person you loved most of your life.

 The angst was too much sometimes and I found myself a little taken aback. So, I already said book 1 was very beautiful, almost fairy-tale like - a romance that made the little girl in me swoon. But somehow I thought Travis will be different. I guess I like my men a little more bad-boy in books. Travis was just too sentimental, too emotional, at least for me.

Still, he went on a sting of one night stands that lasted a bit too long then necessary if you ask me. But at that time, he met a woman that changed him - that made him realize that there are more great and beautiful woman out there and Jules somehow blocked that out completely for him, made his blind for endless possibilities. He met a woman and had a one night stand with her - but that one night was enough to affect him deeply. She disappeared and left him behind in ache for her. All his thoughts were now centered not only on Jules, but on the mystery woman too.

Unable to take all that happened to him he decides to move to San Diego. And ding-ding - that is where fate steps in. We meets the mystery woman again - in a very sensitive situation.

Well, I gotta say that this meant-to-be reunion was a little too cheesy. I mean, come on. And then Travis and Lindsay develop strong feelings too fast, too soon. Travis is still hurting and Lindsay has issues from her previous boyfriend. Forming a new reckless and passionate relationship is just a recipe for disaster. Travis was bound to make a mistake with all the emotional overload and pressure.

But he's still a romantic guy and knows how to redeem himself. The way he was courting her was a little silly and too much but still heart-swooning. It never hurts to indulge and spoil a girl with beautiful gestures, yeah?

And then Jules complicates it all. After those final pages made me realize this series in more then a simple cute romance. It a big romance... Triangle? Quadrate? I don't even know anymore. All I see is more drama to come. And I can assure you it's going to get big and epic. I admit I felt a little bored throughout the book, but that ending which is not a cliff but still left me hanging with my mouth open.


If you enjoy your romance with lots of steam and with equal measure of beauty and emotion, with a good dose of drama, this is a series for you.

Until next time,





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