Dec 22, 2015

ARC Review: A SEDITIOUS AFFAIR (Society of Gentlemen, #2) by K.J. Charles




  Summary:

K. J. Charles turns up the heat in her new Society of Gentlemen novel, as two lovers face off in a sensual duel that challenges their deepest beliefs.

Silas Mason has no illusions about himself. He’s not lovable, or even likable. He’s an overbearing idealist, a Radical bookseller and pamphleteer who lives for revolution . . . and for Wednesday nights. Every week he meets anonymously with the same man, in whom Silas has discovered the ideal meld of intellectual companionship and absolute obedience to his sexual commands. But unbeknownst to Silas, his closest friend is also his greatest enemy, with the power to see him hanged—or spare his life.
 
A loyal, well-born gentleman official, Dominic Frey is torn apart by his affair with Silas. By the light of day, he cannot fathom the intoxicating lust that drives him to meet with the Radical week after week. In the bedroom, everything else falls away. Their needs match, and they are united by sympathy for each other’s deepest vulnerabilities. But when Silas’s politics earn him a death sentence, desire clashes with duty, and Dominic finds himself doing everything he can to save the man who stole his heart.



Connect with the author:



Review:

Rating: 5 stars!!!



A Seditious Affair, book two in another awesome series penned by the incredible KJ Charles, is one of my 2015 favorites. In a year when luck wasn't always on my side when I was choosing my reading material, I did make one excellent decision and started reading books by KJ Charles. Some were great, and some were even better. A Seditious Affair... well, I'd need many positive adjectives to describe all my love for this book. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more.  

Reading A Fashionable Indulgence, which is the first book in this series, made two things clear. One: I was going to enjoy immensely reading about this group of men, and two: Silas & Dominic's novel would be my favorite. There is still one book to come, but I strongly believe my prediction was correct.

 "A man needs to be cruel to be kind."

I don't want to say this was love at first sentence, but love at first chapter it sure was. It had the elements of the story I would look forward to throughout the book. 

As you may or may not know M/M D/s romance novels, if done right, are my favorite kind. It's been awhile since I've read a romance like that, and Dominic and Silas and their bedroom games that really weren't games at all reminded me why they are my favorite. Not to mention it is what brought them together and what made them live from Wednesday night to Wednesday night, so I was extra glad for those games. What I appreciated the most was Silas's imaginative ways to satisfy Dominic's submissive needs when he himself had limitations regarding what he would or wouldn't use. Plus, this story is set in 1819, which makes me admire it all even more. 

The D/s dynamic between the main characters was one of the things I loved about this book and found in the first chapter. Another would be their discussions. Whether they were discussing books or politics, I always liked hearing their often much different opinions on the matter at hand, and the arguments that would ensue. And their opinions were different as they come; Silas was a lower-class radical often busy printing seditious libels, and Dominic was a gentleman working for the Home Office whose job was apprehending people like Silas, and was after Silas, though he was not aware of it for quite some time as in all those Wednesday nights they spent together, they never revealed their names to each other. Their differences were numerous and difficult to deal with, but they always had Wednesdays.

Politics had a notable presence in the story. I'm someone who finds everything politics-related disgusting. Those parts, especially those tragic historical events that were included in the novel left me feeling sad. It was a filthy business then, and it is now. Nevertheless, it did not manage to make me like this book less. If anything, the difficult situation Dom and Silas found themselves in for being on the opposite teams made me more eager for them to get their much-deserved happy ending. And let me tell you, the tender moments between these two made my heart melt.  

A Seditious Affair is the second book in the Society of Gentlemen series. The first third of the novel or so overlaps the events in A Fashionable Indulgence, but even so I'd say it could be read as a standalone, but why you want to skip that lighter, funnier beginning? For me, both were great reads, but this one is my personal favorite. I did like seeing the past main characters, Harry and Julius, and Ash from the short story The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh (which is also wonderful!). I have to say I was rather disappointed by Richard in this installment, but still I'm excited for his book. Now, if only I could make April come sooner.

Overall, a fantastic book! That's all.  
 


***ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***


Until next time, happy reading!




XOXO,
 

Dec 21, 2015

Blog Tour/ Character Bio: “Blood Enchantment (Blood Series, #6)” By Tamara Rose Blodgett





Blood Enchantment 
(Blood Series, #6)
by Tamara Rose Blodgett

Blurb: 
Julia's spirit is crushed as she sits trapped in the Singer bunker while heaven knows what happens to her people in the evil hands of Praile.

Meanwhile, the insidious demon's spore flourishes, reeking havoc on what makes her angelic. Now it's a waiting game until Julia and Scott are released from their forced protection into a potential second catastrophe.

Adi and Slash have fallen prey to the corrupt Were, as Tramack doggedly seeks that which he does not deserve. Can Tessa and Tahlia escape? Will Lanarre royalty cage Tahlia, or will Drek set her free?

Does Lazarus escape the depths of hell, only to fail in his pursuit of the ultimate forbidden fruit?





Character BIO


NAME: Julia

TALENT: Rare One

BLOOD SINGER: As a sub-species of humanity who possess the most pure blood of all (Angelic), paranormal talents are a natural part of their lives. The Rare One holds the prophesied pivotal role as queen of her people. With a myriad of different paranormal gifts, she is foretold to unify her own species and the other who run parallel to the Singers.

CAREER: Julia has a lot on her shoulders and as such, she is fiercely guarded from those other species of shapeshifters, Were and vampire who would want her for their own. Julia's talents have been “becoming” since book #1, but now a catalysis event has occurred which will mature all her talents at once. Her role is to unify her species, beginning with the devastated Region One.

HAIR: Champagne/Strawberry blonde, waist length, loose waves.

EYES: Amber/whiskey colored.

BODY: Julia has never been athletic but as her powers have grown, so has her strength. Standing at 5'4” she has the typical coloring and size of a Singer female, yet behind the fragile Singer exterior is a female who is formidable.

PERSONALITY: Julia began as a gentle soul in book #1. She'd had a hard life as an orphaned child living with an aunt who didn't want the responsibility of raising her brother's child. When her new husband is killed, and Julia discovers she is essentially the “blood messiah” to a ton of different supernatural groups, she has to dig deep to shore up a core of steel she didn't know she possessed. Julia's deeply loyal to her friends and loved ones and sacrificial to a fault.

HABITS: She tends to hesitate when violence is needed. She loves to run, and would read a great book if the chaos would still for two seconds. 



STATUS: Soul-meld to Scott.

PASSION: Hanging on to who she is, with a world teeming with otherness.

QUOTE:
“... Julia found she couldn't love someone who tried to kill her, call it self-preservation...”


About The Author

Tamara Rose Blodgett is the author of over seventy titles, including her New York Times bestselling novel, A Terrible Love, and the international bestselling TOKEN serial, written under the pen name Marata Eros. Tamara writes a variety of dark fiction in the genres of erotica, fantasy, horror, romance, suspense and sci-fi. She and her husband live in the midwest with their four sons and three disrespectful dogs. Tamara's #1 hobby is reading; she loves interacting with her readers.











You can find Tamara Rose at 

           



Giveaway





Presented By


Dec 19, 2015

ARC Review: WINTER ORANGES by Marie Sexton




Summary:


A Love for the Holidays charity novel

Jason Walker is a child star turned teen heartthrob turned reluctant B-movie regular who’s sick of his failing career. So he gives up Hollywood for northern Idaho, far away from the press, the drama of LA, and the best friend he’s secretly been in love with for years.

There’s only one problem with his new life: a strange young man only he can see is haunting his guesthouse. Except Benjamin Ward isn’t a ghost. He’s a man caught out of time, trapped since the Civil War in a magical prison where he can only watch the lives of those around him. He’s also sweet, funny, and cute as hell, with an affinity for cheesy ’80s TV shows. And he’s thrilled to finally have someone to talk to.

But Jason quickly discovers that spending all his time with a man nobody else can see or hear isn’t without its problems—especially when the tabloids find him again and make him front-page news. The local sheriff thinks he’s on drugs, and his best friend thinks he’s crazy. But Jason knows he hasn’t lost his mind. Too bad he can’t say the same thing about his heart. 


* * * * * * *

Twenty percent of the proceeds from this title will be donated to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) National Help Center.

Founded in 1996, the GLBT National Help Center is a non-profit organization that provides vital peer-support, community connections and resource information to people with questions regarding sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Utilizing a diverse group of GLBT volunteers, they operate two national hotlines, the GLBT National Hotline and the GLBT National Youth Talkline, as well as private, volunteer one-to-one online chat, that help both youth and adults with coming-out issues, safer-sex information, school bullying, family concerns, relationship problems and a lot more.

To learn more about this charity or to donate directly, please visit their website at glbthotline.org.



 

Connect with the author:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 




Review:


Rating: 3.5 stars.

Winter Oranges is my first novel by Marie Sexton. Before this I'd only read her short story To Feel the Sun, a sweet and sad story that left me wanting to read more by this author. Like that shortie Winter Oranges was a sweet love story, sad at times, but with a much happier ending. 

Although I wouldn't exactly classify this as a holiday romance as it happens over a longer period of time, that time does include a few winter holidays, so if you are looking for holiday reads, this could work.  

What's special about this romance novel is that one of its main characters is a man who'd been trapped in a magical prison for 150 years, which makes this the right choice for readers who like a magical twist to their romance stories. I'm not one who looks for those specifically, but I don't mind them. In fact, most have been a positive experience. Winter Oranges did have me wondering how some things were possible, but I thought the author found good solutions for the main characters to overcome the limitations set by that magical prison. 

 
The plot of Winter Oranges is clear from the blurb: Jason, wanting to get away from his less than stellar acting career and the pesky paparazzi, moved to to a secluded house far away from Hollywood. He wished to be left alone, but soon realized it would impossible because he had a ghost on the premises, Ben. I call Ben a ghost even though technically he wasn't one, but a man caught in a magical prison only able to project under certain circumstances. Jason is the only person who's been able to see him in a very, very long time. After the initial shock on Jason's part wore off, they started spending a lot of time together, becoming friends who later became boyfriends. It's all written in the summary in much prettier sentences than mine, but the story itself is quite lovelier.


The best and my favorite part of Winter Oranges was Ben. He was such a sweet character words fail me to describe him properly. After so many years of being trapped and no one to communicate with, he wasn't bitter or full of despair. He had his periods of sadness -- how could he not -- but he was still able to feel joy for experiencing all the little things we take for granted. Ben's excitement and gratitude for everything Jason did for him made me smile throughout the book. Truly, the highlight of this story is Ben.


Jason, on the other hand, didn't make much of an impression. It's only been days since I finished reading this book, and even though the novel is written entirely in Jason's POV, when I think of it, the first thing to come to mind is the adorable Ben. The second is awful Dylan. I'm trying to think of a way to express what I thought of Dylan without saying I hated him, but, really, I could barely stand to read the scenes with him. I disliked him at the very beginning when Jason's relationship with him was revealed. It seemed like a bad situation for Jason's heart, and it was one of those times I wished to tell a fictional character to have some self-respect and throw that... Dylan out of his life. My opinion of him didn't change. If anything it got worse. I'll admit he played a role in Jason and Ben reaching their happy ending sooner than they would have on their own, but it's not enough. They may all be best buddies after everything, but I don't think he deserved their quick forgiveness.


Before I went on my rant about Dylan, I'd started writing my thoughts on Jason or lack thereof. On the one hand, I liked all the things he did for Ben, on the other, I hated how he let Dylan push him around, and he had let him for years. It wasn't easy to read. But, overall, he was okay. His heart was in the right place.


The romance developed slowly but surely. Some parts I liked better than others, hence this 3.5 rating. The friendship between Ben and Jason that preceded the romance I enjoyed reading about, and in the end I was happy they got their HEA, and that's what matters most.


I may not be part of the majority blown away by Winter Oranges, but, overall, I did like this sweet magical realism romance with the cutest "ghost" ever who enjoyed watching Seinfeld.


***ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***
 
 
*Winter Oranges is a part of Love for the Holidays: A Charity Bundle Benefiting the GLBT National Help Center available here.  

*Purple read another book from that bundle, Rebound Remedy. You can find her review here.



Until next time, happy reading!




XOXO,
 

Dec 17, 2015

Review: IT'S A WONDERFUL TANGLED CHRISTMAS CAROL (Tangled, #4.5) by Emma Chase





Summary:

Drew and Kate play a hilarious encore to New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Emma Chase’s “highly entertaining” (RT Book Reviews) debut Tangled in this sexy take on A Christmas Carol, in which three dream women remind Drew that no gift could be better than his life with Kate…

After a blowout fight with Kate about his workaholic habits sends Drew to the office in anger on Christmas Eve, he falls asleep at his desk. There, three lovely holiday spirits magically visit him to teach him that every moment is precious and that he should never take his family for granted. But when he wakes up, will he just write it off as a dream?

Originally published in the sizzling anthology Baby, It’s Cold Outside, this irresistible novella is the perfect holiday treat!





Buy Links:




Connect with the Author:





My Review:




Rating: 3.5 stars.

Drew Evans. He's come a long way from that "flu" episode. One thing's the same, though: he's still a self-centered, arrogant, lovable asshole. It was such a nice treat to see that even eight years into his relationship with Kate, he still managed to get himself deep into trouble. Wow, eight years... Wow... Now, Drew, trouble, go!

Drew, ever the ambitious businessman and very close to getting a new important client made a bad call as a husband, father, and family man in general: he went to work on Christmas Eve. Kate was obviously furious and disappointed, but Drew, living in his Drew bubble didn't understand what the big deal was. He wasn't exactly in the holiday spirit. He thought Ebenezer Scrooge had the right idea. And after that night, he'd have a lot more in common with Scrooge.

To show him the error of his ways, Drew was visited by three spirits, each one bringing him closer to learning a lesson he'd never forget. The spirit of Christmas past took him to his childhood when he was only five and, if you'll believe Drew, "fucking adorable", and made a special Christmas wish. The spirit of Christmas present showed him what his five-year-old son was wishing for. The third spirit was not there to show him the future, but to make him appreciate his present by showing him an alternative one.

Of course, in the end, Drew came through, as he always does, and everything was right once again.


It's a Wonderful Tangled Christmas Carol is a great holiday story for the fans of the Tangled series. I am a fan, myself, so I am rather surprised I haven't enjoyed it more. Don't get me wrong, I did like it, but not as much as I thought I would. It could be because I was feeling tired while I read it, but I suspect it's mostly due to the fact I'm enjoying this new series by Emma Chase, The Legal Briefs, and that Sustained has become my favorite book by Ms. Chase, and Jake my favorite hero she's written about. Yes, reading this novella confirmed Drew was dethroned by Jake in my eyes.


I think I would have liked this more had I read it last year when it first came out. Alas, it was part of an anthology, and I decided to wait and see if it would be published separately. Luckily, it was. Unluckily, I had to wait a whole year.


Oh, there is a bonus story in this edition. Ever wonder how Drew proposed to Kate? Well, the answer can be found in Indecent Proposal .


Overall, it was a fun, sweet Drew Christmas story. Whoever liked reading about Drew Evans from his POV will not want to miss it.



My reviews of the previous books in this series:

Tangled  |  Twisted   |   Tamed  |  Tied   

and other books by Emma Chase: 

Overruled  |  Sustained



Until next time, happy reading!


XOXO,


 


By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night, she toils away bringing her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. Writing has always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Overruled/Emma-Chase/The-Legal-Briefs-Series/9781501102035#sthash.7oPZtRxt.dpuf
By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night, she toils away bringing her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. Writing has always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Overruled/Emma-Chase/The-Legal-Briefs-Series/9781501102035#sthash.7oPZtRxt.dpuf

Dec 12, 2015

REVIEW: LONG WAY DOWN (Calloway Sisters #4) by Krista & Becca Ritchie

 


Authors' links:

SUMMARY 

With a seven-year age difference, Ryke & Daisy have faced an uphill battle in the eyes of the world and their families. Known as the most adventurous, fast-paced couple — their next step has always been elusive to the rabid media.
Behind the scenes, heartbreaking troubles continue to test Ryke & Daisy’s resilience and shape their future together. 
They promise:
To never slow down. 
To never compromise who they are. 
To never abandon their love for each other. 
But preserving their happiness also means adding more risks. Ones that Connor Cobalt wouldn’t even take. As a professional free-solo climber, Ryke is no stranger to risk, but his next step with Daisy wagers more than just his health. 
With their lives on the line, Ryke & Daisy head towards the vast, wild unknown in this epic final conclusion to the Addicted series.

MY RATING:


MY REVIEW:

Favorite Sayings from Ryke Meadows:
Daisy's favorite: I fucking love you.
Willow’s: I don’t fucking understand Tumblr.
Lo’s: Fuck you, you fucking fuck.
Lily’s: Fucking fantastic.
Rose’s: No means no. Better yet, fuck no.
Connor ’s: Connor Cobalt is a fucking narcissist.

It has been extremely difficult to write this review. Firstly because this is the last Addicted / Calloway Sisters book, and I simply refused to accept that this amazing, inspiring, empowering series could be over. However, now that some time has passed (I’ve finished LWD weeks ago), I’m not sad. In fact, I’m happy that we got 9 books to read about these 6 amazing characters, and – we’re staying in the Addicted world. The saga continues with the new generation. As long as the twins are writing, I’ll be content; good books will be coming our way.

He never gives up on me, even when I disappear at night. Even when I wane like the setting sun. His love is unyielding and exists to cloak me through heartache, through misery, through laughter and pain. I love him in every moment.In every smile. In every frown.And I will love him after every long way down.


Furthermore, the second reason why I find it difficult to write this review is because I didn’t love LWD as much as I hoped I would. And it truly pains me to say that; because we’re talking about the epic finale of my favorite series. And I know Krista & Becca Ritchie gave their absolute best to give us LWD in all of its epic glory. 

I like to say my reviews are always honest, therefore I feel like I cannot overlook the fact some tiny little details bothered me. I wish I loved this book as much as Fuel the Fire, but when I compare the two I cannot help but feel something was missing here. And trust me, this has nothing to do with the fact Coballoway is my favorite couple. When I first read Hothouse Flower, I think I even loved it a tiny bit more that Kiss the Sky. I also adore Addicted After All with all my heart, and Lilo is not my favorite. So! 

These things that influenced my liking of the book are kinda spoilery, but I’ll try my best to explain myself.  Well, the first thing deals with something that happens very early on, and it's just an issue I personally couldn't connect with, maybe a choice I wouldn't make, maybe even something that went tiny bit against my feminist views, and I was surprised, sad even. 
Eventually, I accepted it and the second half of the book went more smoothly. And that brings us to the second issue which deals with the pacing of the book. For me, the second half was a lot more enjoyable than the first. And yes, these books are character driven (it’s even stated at the beginning of the book), but I couldn’t help but feel that some scenes were drawn out.

Now, that I’ve got that off my chest, I can talk about the things I loved! And there are plenty of those. If I start listing all the causes of my love and devotion to this series, I’ll never finish this review, so I’ll just focus on Ryke & Daisy (the Wolf and the Sun) and Long Way Down.

Don’t be afraid of the unknown in tomorrow. Don’t be afraid of death. There is no worse life than a hollow one. So be alive every second of every fucking day.

LWD was a pretty heavy book. First we have the issue of Daisy’s illness, then her constant battle with depression, but for me, the central focus was on Ryke. This was his book. As we all know, Ryke lives and breathes rock climbing, and here we see something happen that shakes his core and determines his future. Seeing Ryke suffer, who is the strongest, the most enduring one of them, was not easy. 
There was this overall feeling of sadness permeating the whole book and there was something heartbreaking about watching Daisy and Ryke fall. It broke my heart really, seeing them dealing with all the shit that was being thrown their way. 

And I think back to all of our Grand & Daring Stakeouts, and how we were never really upset if we didn’t catch a potential flour-bomber. The stakeouts weren’t about the future—just about staying happy and content within the moment.

But it also made my heart lift, seeing how they dealt with all of their struggles. Daisy and Ryke inspire me, because that - staying happy and content within the moment – is the whole point. I feel like I could learn a lot from them, and that’s why I’ll forever treasure this book and memories made with Ryke & Dais. The way they go through life is spontaneous sure, daring even, but so so right! Their relationship is healthy, caring, I love how Ryke asks Daisy every day: “How are you feeling?” And 30 years from now he still will. With Long Way Down we got the essence of Ryke and Dais, and I loved it, and I love them. Your attitude towards life shapes your experience. Thank you, Daisy and Ryke, you’ve taught me a valuable lesson.

And I’m sorry if my review was too long, but oh well, it was inevitable. I’ll finish it off with my favorite quote from the book:

We’re still young. We still have so much life left to live. I’d rather live in the middle of all the glorious things than the teasing start or the bitter end. That’s just today though. Maybe my theory will change tomorrow.Maybe everything will be new and different again. I smile at the thought.Oh, the thrill of it all.


xoxo,
Beatrix
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...