REVIEW: Archangel's Viper (GH series, #10) By Nalini Singh

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Genre:

Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance

Summary on Goodreads:

Enter New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s breathtakingly passionate Guild Hunter world with the story of a woman who isn’t a vampire or an angel…or human…

Once a broken girl known as Sorrow, Holly Chang now prowls the shadowy gray underground of the city for the angels. But it’s not her winged allies who make her a wanted woman—it’s the unknown power coursing through her veins. Brutalized by an insane archangel, she was left with the bloodlust of a vampire, the ability to mesmerize her prey, and a poisonous bite.

Now, someone has put a bounty on her head…

Venom is one of the Seven, Archangel Raphael’s private guard, and he’s as infuriating as he is seductive. A centuries-old vampire, his fangs dispense a poison deadlier than Holly’s. But even if Venom can protect Holly from those hunting her, he might not be able to save himself—because the strange, violent power inside Holly is awakening…

No one is safe.

REVIEW

“They let you drive now?" he said in a wondering tone of voice calibrated to get under her skin. "I leave for a couple of years and miss kitty's first steps. Did anyone take photos for the baby album I sent you?"

"It's full of pretty pictures." Holly bared her teeth at him in a caricature of a smile. "Honor is a little concerned about how I keep drawing you with your head cut off," she said in a deliberately thoughtful tone, "but an artist must follow her instincts.”

If you ever read one of my reviews of this series you are more than aware that this is one of my favorite uf/pnr series out there and that since book #5 I've become an obssessed fan-girl a hardcore fan of the potential next couple Aodhan & Illium. I might even say that I started that theory or was one of the first fans that saw the potential, so of course that after every next book I'm religiously praying that Nalini Singh will finally succumb to my dirty mind and that the next installment will be theirs, but the 10th book is actually Venom's book, so tough luck poor Purple, maybe next time. :'( xD

But, despite slight disappointment I was still fairly excited for this book, because Venom, a centuries-old vampire with his seductive viper's eyes has definitely been one of the most intriguing GH characters. I got even more excited after I read that he'll find his partner in Holly, Uram's mysterious creation. Unforutunately, when the book was finally published I was still in the phase "I've lost my reading mojo", so it took me some time to give it a chance, but when I did - I could not stop.

Without spoiling anything, my impression of this is installment is that the story was good, uber action-packed and suspenseful, but I'll have to agree with other fans who also described it as a bit lacking, especially in the romance department. The parts I've enjoyed the most were their witty and snarky dialogues that never failed to entertain me. That's why 3.5/ 5 stars. In the meantime, my never-ending prayer for Aodhan's & Illium's book as in mm couple book continues...

RATING: 3.5 / 5 stars

xoxo,

Purple

REVIEW: Feversong (Fever #9) by Karen Marie Moning

Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance

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Synopsis: #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning returns with the epic conclusion to her pulse-pounding Fever series, where a world thrown into chaos grows more treacherous at every turn. As Mac, Barrons, Ryodan, and Jada struggle to restore control, enemies become allies, right and wrong cease to exist, and the lines between life and death, lust and love, disappear completely.

Black holes loom menacingly over Dublin, threatening to destroy the Earth. Yet the greatest danger is the one MacKayla Lane has unleashed from within: the Sinsar Dubh—a sentient book of unthinkable evil—has possessed her body and will stop at nothing in its insatiable quest for power.

The fate of Man and Fae rests on destroying the book and recovering the long-lost Song of Making, the sole magic that can repair the fragile fabric of the Earth. But to achieve these aims, sidhe-seers, the Nine, Seelie, and Unseelie must form unlikely alliances and make heart-wrenching choices. For Barrons and Jada, this means finding the Seelie Queen who alone can wield the mysterious song, negotiating with a lethal Unseelie prince hell-bent on ruling the Fae courts, and figuring out how to destroy the Sinsar Dubh while keeping Mac alive.

REVIEW: 

"Life isn’t about waiting for peace to arrive, it’s about learning to thrive in the midst of war. There’s always another one on the way.”

 

The 9th installment of the Fever series, Feversong, was without a doubt one of the most expected books of 2017 not only on my list, but I think on the list of every urban fantasy/paranormal romance junkie around the world, moresoever after *that* thrilling, mouthdropping cliffhanger of Feverborn #8. It had huge potential, but was that potential met? Hm, well, whereas up until the previous book my answer was always positive, this time I'm not so sure.

K.M.Moning outdid herself with every next book in this series, so the expectations of the fandom at book #9 were enormous. When it comes to my reading expirience- I read more than 500 pages long book in 3 days and enjoyed it for the most part, while at other parts it tended to become quite exhausting with its detailed descriptions of the things I was less thrilled about (yes, I am looking at you Queen Aiobheal.)

All in all, without spoiling anything, my conclusion is that despite all its little imperfections I don't regret a bit spending daylight and nights in the apocalyptic, paranormal world of Mac, Jerricho Barrons and the rest of the Nine, Jada, Christian, Dancer and the rest of the gang and I can't wait to do it again. Highly recommended series!

RATING: 3.5/5 stars

"The most critical, defining battles we wage in life, we wage alone. Against ourselves.” 

xoxo,

Purple 

#REVIEW: Behind the Hands That Kill (In the Company of Killers #6) by J.A. Redmerski

Genre: 
Romantic Suspense/ Thriller

Buy The Book: AMAZON / B & N  / BD

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Reading Order:

#1 - KILLING SARAI
#2 - REVIVING IZABEL
#3 - THE SWAN & THE JACKAL
#4 - SEEDS OF INIQUITY
#5 - THE BLACK WOLF
#6 - BEHIND THE HANDS THAT KILL
#7 - SPIDERS IN THE GROVE

Synopsis:

Even professional killers need vacations, but for Victor Faust, his vacation in Venezuela is about more than relaxation and time alone with Izabel Seyfried. It is a chance for him to come clean to Izabel: to tell her the truth about why he sent her to Italy with his brother, the truth behind his interest in Nora Kessler, and about his knowledge of Izabel’s child with her former captor. But before Victor can spill his soul, reality proves that for some killers, vacations are just pipe-dreams.

Attacked and kidnapped, Izabel finds herself stuffed in a suitcase, while Victor later wakes up imprisoned in a cage. In any other situation, Victor would find a way out and save himself and the woman he loves—but not this time. When the identities of their kidnappers are revealed, Victor loses all hope, and begins the mental process of accepting his and Izabel’s last moments together. And Izabel’s final moments of life.

As if his circumstances are not complicated enough, members of Vonnegut’s Order are finally closing in on Victor. And when they do, he comes face-to-face with someone else he once knew and loved, who could either help him, or make a grave situation much worse. Victor’s past has finally caught up with him: the women he has cared for, loved, and killed; the families he has destroyed; the unforgivable crimes he has committed. And now he must face the consequences, and pay the ultimate price for absolution.

But when it is all over, Victor may not have the strength to pick up what is left and move on. Because the event changes him. Because love changed him. And because, unlike before when he thought it is was for the best, he cannot imagine a life without Izabel in it.

REVIEW 

"I am a monster in the shadows; the blood of many stains my gnarled hands;
the souls of the innocent are forever caught in my blade-like teeth. So how can this be, that even an ounce of light be given to a monster such as me?"

My biggest fear after I've finished the magnificent previous installment of ItCoK series - The Black Wolf was that the author will turn this one into some kind of melodramatic & soapish love triangle and anyone who's met me knows how much I love love triangles. Or better say despise them. I just can't stand the never ending drama and cheesiness they bring into the stories and I've even given up on some of my beloved series because of this. But this is Redmerski we're talking about, whose last two installments have literally blown my mind, I still can't decide which book do I adore more The Black Wolf #5 or Seeds Of Iniquity #4, so, as they say- the resistance was futile. I just had to know!

And now I finally know... There is no *beep* love triangle, people!!! (Btw. kudos to you, Redmerski  for that.) And yes, I liked this installment for the most part, but there is... ...unfortunatelly a lot of melodrama of different kind which brings me to the biggest problem of this book when it comes to my reading expirience: Just how much mind-fuck is too much mind-fuck??? I know, you never expected me to say this since I always said that dark, edgy, thrilling and provocative mind-fucks are my favorite type of reads and they still are, but here it is. I've said it and I even mean it, lol.

Just how much more can you complicate the story and keep hitting us with this new, shocking twists and at the same time maintain the excitement and the most important the credibility of the story? Well, in my opinion, Redmerski had its up and down moments in this installment, maybe even more of the later ones. But that's just me. As far as I've seen most of the fans think otherwise and I repect that. 

What I loved the most when it comes to this installment is the introduction of the new characters and their background stories. Victor and Izabel annoyed me tremendously. I think it's time for them to step back and give spotlight to other more interesting, bad-ass characters. Or if not- cut out with the melodramatic crap and bring back the old confident and deadly Viktor & Izabel we love and know. That's why my rating for this book is: 3/5 stars.

xoxo,

Purple

REVIEW: The Paper Swan by Leylah Attar

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Author links:

Website / Twitter

*BOOK SUMMARY*

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit.

They lie.

For 21 days she held on.

But on Day 22, she would have given anything for the sweet slumber of death.

Because on Day 22, she realizes that her only way out means certain death for one of the two men she loves.

A haunting tale of passion, loss, and redemption, The Paper Swan is a darkly intense yet heartwarming love story, textured with grit, intrigue, and suspense. Please note: This is NOT a love triangle.

A full-length, standalone novel, intended for mature audiences due to violence, sex and language. Subject matter may be disturbing for some readers.

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MY RATING:

***MY REVIEW***

And – here is my first 2016-favorite! 

Revenge. Mexican cartels. Action. Hot sex. Drama.

Basically, everything you may need. 

I have no idea why I choose to read this book. I guess I just wanted something light. And that’s when biggest surprises happen! I was so swept with the story, I couldn’t stop reading. I was reading the Paper Swan before my classes, while eating, during breaks, when I should’ve been studying, I couldn’t stop; I had to know what happens next, where the story would take me. 

If you close your eyes and think about someone you love, what comes back is not a precise list of hair color, eye color, or the things that go on their driver’s license. Rather, it’s the bits and pieces that seep through your consciousness, the things about them that you never realized were storing away.

I liked the writing, there were some really poetic passages. I also liked the characters, they felt real to me, and I loved their chemistry (Skye + Damian). Moreover, I liked the story, my favorite part is that it spans over the years, so we really get to know the characters.

I think this book would be perfect for a movie! There are some things towards the end that could’ve been avoided (drama drama), but all movies have those unexpected twists, so it was fine. For a book like this one, it was even suitable. 

Therefore, I must admit I rather enjoyed this! I recommend this to anyone who wants a fast, action-packed story, but also filled with emotions and hot, yet tender romance. The author managed to perfectly balance all the elements. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for Leylah Attar.

In the grand scheme of things, we do the best we can, all of us, and we make up our stories as we go along; we write them and direct them and project them into the world. And sometimes we get other people’s stories, and sometimes we don’t, but always there is a story behind a story behind a story, linked in a chain that we can only see a small part of, because it’s there when we’re born and it continues after we’re gone. And who can comprehend all of it in one lifetime?

xoxo,

Beatrix 

Cover Reveal: Dirty Promises by Karina Halle

Blood. Sex. Revenge.

Being king comes at a brutal price.

 

Drug lord Javier Bernal has sliced and diced his way to the top of the Mexican drug trade, presiding over the country's largest cartel. But his rise to power comes at a brutal price: the death of his sister, Alana. Devastated and wracked with guilt, he turns away from his new wife, Luisa, forcing their marriage into a steady decline. But it isn't until she's pushed into the waiting arms of Esteban Mendoza, his right-hand man, that Javier realizes everything he's lost.

And it isn't until he learns the truth about Alana, that he realizes everything there is to gain.

Blood will spill.

Cities will burn.

Heads will roll.

Because Javier will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.

And what he wants is raw, ruthless revenge.

Dirty Promises is the third and final book in the Dirty Angels Trilogy. While the other two books - Dirty Angels and Dirty Deeds - can be read as standalones, it is recommended you read at least Dirty Angels before reading Dirty Promises.

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EXCERPT

All my life, I thought I could operate under my own code of morals and ideals. It was no different than most, I supposed. The cop who has to shoot someone in self-defense. The soldiers that go to war and raid villages in the name of freedom. Everyone makes excuses for what they do, because they believe in it. Because they believe they are in the right.

I had always thought of myself as a somewhat civilized, almost classy, narco. I at least wanted to bring purpose and grace to what I did. I didn’t believe in killing mercilessly. I believed in mercy, in forgiveness, in giving people second chances. I believed in letting people go after I got what I wanted from them.

I believed that to snitch was an outrage, that even though we were dealing and fighting and killing to be in a billion dollar industry. I believed that religious celebrations were to be respected. I believed that family came first. I believed that women and children would not be harmed.

For a moment, I thought that perhaps I had lost my mind. Never mind the needless, senseless deaths that were already at my hands over the last few months. Never mind that I had broken promises to others, to myself. Dirty, filthy promises. It was then and only then that I knew I had lost who I was. That every moral fibre that I based myself on was threadbare and I was close, oh so close, to losing all sense of myself forever.

It scared me. I watched Luisa leave the room and though I was reeling from her own words, the callous ones that reached deep inside me and left a scar, I knew I might have damaged her beyond repair. I could heal myself in time, but could she? Would we?

I didn’t think so.

From the USA Today Bestselling author of Love, in English and The Artists Trilogy, comes a dark romance about a good girl and a very, very bad man. It’s a deliciously twisted take on forbidden love, set among the drug cartels of hot, steamy Mexico and is not for the faint of heart. It contains explicit sex, violence, abuse, drug use, bad language and sexy Mexicans. You have been warned…

For Luisa Chavez, a twenty-three year old former beauty queen, a better life has always been just out of her reach. Sure, she’s had men at her feet since she was a young teenager but she’s never had the one thing she’s craved – security. Having grown up in near poverty, her waitressing job in Cabo San Lucas can barely let her take care of herself, let alone her ailing parents. Every day is another unwanted advance, every day is a struggle to survive.

When Salvador Reyes, the depraved leader of a major Mexican cartel, takes an interest in her, Luisa is presented with an opportunity she can’t afford to pass up. She’ll become Salvador’s wife and exchange her freedom and body for a life of riches – riches she can bestow upon her deserving parents. But Luisa quickly finds out that even the finest wines and jewels can’t undo the ugliness in her marriage, nor the never-ending violence that threatens her every move.

Soon, Luisa is looking for an escape, a way out of the carefully controlled life she’s leading. She finally gets her wish in the worst way possible.

As it is, being the wife of Salvador makes her an ideal target for rival cartels and there’s one particular man who needs Luisa as part of his cartel’s expansion. One particular man whose quest for power has destroyed lives, slit throats and gotten him out of an American prison. One particular man who will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.

That man is Javier Bernal. And he wants Luisa. He wants to take her, keep her, ruin her.

Unless she ruins him first.

Some men were born to create empires, some women were meant to be queen.

**Dirty Angels is the first standalone novel in the Dirty Angels Trilogy, in which all books feature or involve different characters. The character of Javier Bernal is from The Artists Trilogy, and while reading TAT is recommended if you want additional insight into this twisted character, it is not required.**

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Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of Where Sea Meets Sky, Racing the Sun, The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Waxman Leavell Agency and is both self-published and published by Atria Books/Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle , on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com  and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.

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Mini REVIEW: Bare-Knuckle Love (Rabid Mongrels MC, #1) by K.A. Merikan

Genre: 

MM Contemporary Romance/ Adult

Buy The Book: 

Free On MMRomanceGroup !!!

Connect With The Author:

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Synopsis On Goodreads:

--- Fight to the death. Love to the bone. ---

Jason is back in his home town and trying to make money the only way he knows - in an illegal MMA fight. Bare knuckles. Hardly any rules. All he needs to do is... lose. 

The Rabid Mongrels Motorcycle Club bet against him, and they are set to make a killing, but when Jason spots his high school crush in the audience, he can’t bear to lose. All he wants is to have Hyde notice him. He gets more than he bargained for when Hyde turns out to be the president of the MC, now out for his blood. 

To survive, Jason will have to make a deal with the blond devil. No matter how manipulative and vicious Hyde can be, he is a dark wet dream come to life, and Jason can’t keep his hands to himself. Soon enough, the self-destructive lust he has for Hyde becomes a dangerous obsession that takes Jason to the most forgotten corners of his soul. 

POSSIBLE SPOILERS:

Themes: Outlaw motorcycle club, criminal activity, abuse, sexual orientation issues, second chances, enemies to lovers, first time, coming home, alternative family, blackmail

Genre: M/M dark erotic romance, suspense, drama

Length: ~34,000 words

WARNING: Adult content. Explicit gay sex, strong language, violence, mentions of past animal abuse, mentions of past child abuse. Reader discretion advised.

RATING: 3.75/ 5 stars

*** REVIEW ***

I rarely rate short novellas/stories more than 3 stars, because they always seem lacking in comparison to full length novels, but I was so tempted when it comes to Bare-Knuckle Love by K. A. Merikan. 

Dark, raw, thrilling, emotional & deliciously dirty.

Bare-Knuckle Love is not for those faint of heart, because despite the story's shortness (around 90 pages) it dealt with some heavy subjects, such as: cage fighting, other scenes of violence and a bit of humiliation kink, so if these things are out of your comfort zone I think that it's better for you to stay away from this freebie.

I didn't rate it with full 4 stars because:

~ it ended just when it became so good.

~ I wanted to see more of Hyde's emotional side and more emotional scenes between him and Jason.

You should definitely give it a try:

~ if you're a fan of dark & kinky mm romances

~ if you're a fan of biker ft. mm fighter romance

~ if you're a fan of enemies-to-lovers romances

My dirty mind says: Bring on the next one! ;)

xoxo,

Purple