Review: Take What You Want by Jeanette Grey

Posted on March 19, 2013March 17, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | A Reviews> blog tours> book reviews

Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: ebook
Genre: contemporary romance
Length: 113 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Date Released: March 12, 2013
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

She needs an escape…and he’s exactly what she had in mind.

College senior Ellen Price spends every spare minute studying to get into medical school. Until spring break yawns before her, as empty as her wallet.

With no money to hit the beach, she fills her empty to-do list with a plan: for just one week, she will become the kind of take-no-prisoners woman she secretly wishes to be, starting with the hot guy at the bar. It’s a no-risk situation: at the end of break, he’ll head back to his campus, and she’ll go back to hers. No muss, no fuss.

At first, Josh Markley isn’t sure what to think when the quiet, intense beauty from his pre-med classes approaches him for a night of casual sex. Even more mystifying, she doesn’t seem to return his recognition. But if she wants to play “strangers in a bar”, he’s game.

Their passionate night is a welcome respite from life’s stress, but afterward, Josh realizes he wants more—from himself, from life, from Ellen. Except she still thinks he’s a one-off she’ll never see again. Confessing the truth now—before she figures it out on her own—could shatter the fragile beginnings of just what the doctor ordered. A forever love.

Warning: Contains mistaken identities, a sometimes-glasses-wearing hottie, deep questions about figuring out what you want from life, and a red-hot college romance.

My Review:

Can you change who you are? Can you pretend to be someone else?

Take What You Want by Jeanette Grey is sex-into-love story about the power of positive thinking, or maybe that’s the power of turning lemons into very wicked lemonade.

Ellen Price has always been a good girl. Not in the sense of being a goody-two-shoes, but in the sense of being responsible. She’s a pre-med student and she’s barely making ends meet between financial aid and waiting tables.

She’s envious and pretty bummed when all her much-better-heeled friends (literally as well as figuratively) run off for senior year Spring Break to the Bahamas. Ellen can’t afford the trip.

So instead of moping around her apartment, she hatches a very cool plan. She takes Spring Break from herself. For one week, instead of being shy, retiring, studious Ellen in her fade-into-the-background clothes, she’ll be glamorous, sexy, take-charge Ellen in a new wardrobe. Bought on sale, of course.

New Ellen won’t be a student, she’ll just be a waitress. New Ellen goes to a bar, empty of students, and picks up the hottest guy in the place.

She doesn’t recognize Josh Markley without his trademark glasses. But Josh recognizes her. He’s been fascinated with Ellen since the first time he saw her, freshman year.

He thinks she’s playing a game. and he doesn’t care. He’s just fine with the idea of casual sex with the hottest girl he’s ever seen.

Until the next morning, when he wakes up and realizes that he wants more than just sex. And he can’t figure out how to stop the game they’re playing. Or whether Ellen wants to stop playing and reach for something real.

Escape Rating A-: This story just works! I could see Ellen just deciding that she wasn’t going to take it any more, and try to be different from her usual self. Her self-talk as she experimented made her experience much more plausible. It was hard for her but she kept trying, even as she got in deeper and deeper with Josh.

It also made the story richer seeing things from Josh’s point of view. At first it was just sex, but then he figured out that he wanted more and started to date Ellen instead of just going back to her place. It was difficult for him to switch from casual sex to a real relationship. That’s not an easy transition in real life.

These two had fantastic chemistry from the very first page! I expected my iPad to start sending out smoke signals, which would be very bad. But Ellen and Josh were on fire for each other, and stayed that way throughout the book. They were lucky, and Ms. Grey’s handling of their story was so well done, that instead of burning out, they lit something that could last.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Guest Post: Night Demon Launch Party + Giveaway

Posted on March 18, 2013March 17, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | ebook giveaway> Giveaways> Guest Posts

I’m very happy to be part of the launch party for the release of newest entry in Lisa Kessler’s fabulous Night series, Night Demon! I’ve been waiting for this one ever since I poured through Night Walker almost a year ago. Night Thief last fall was just a marvelous tease, so I can’t wait to sink my teeth into Night Demon. See if you don’t agree!

Gretchen Finch’s job would be much easier if she weren’t alone in the jungle with a brilliant recluse whose every glance sets her on fire. But the more she focuses on her work, the closer she gets to unlocking the mysteries of a terrible creature—the Night Demon—that threatens the world as she knows it. Though her scientific mind tells her it’s impossible, she’s beginning to believe the ancient Mayan tales as the sinister jungle comes alive around her.

Lukas Smith has spent hundreds of years searching for answers to his immortal Night Walker nature. As a series of ancient glyphs become clear, he’s about to find out more than he’d ever hoped, but the more he learns, the more his fate intertwines with the Night Demon, and the harder it becomes to hide his immortal secret from the beautiful, intelligent Gretchen.

Together, they must find a way to stop the inexplicable violence and mass destruction surging across the earth before the Night Demon destroys more than just mankind.

To find more about this book or to purchase it, check out Goodreads – Amazon – B&N

Also, check out the first book in the series, Night Walker, as well as the prequel, Night Thief.

Lisa Kessler is an award winning author of dark paranormal fiction. Her debut novel, Night Walker, won a San Diego Book Award for Best Published Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror as well as the Romance Through the Ages Award for Best Paranormal and Best First Book.Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.

When she’s not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, performing with the San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego.

To learn more about Lisa, look for her on her website, Facebook, or Twitter.

~~~~~~GIVEAWAY~~~~~~

To celebrate the launch of Night Demon, Lisa is giving away four prizes: A $25 Amazon gift card, a Mayan Glyph necklace, a signed paperback of Night Walker, and an ebook of Night Thief.

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The Sunday Post AKA What’s On My (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 3-17-13

Posted on March 17, 2013March 24, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

It’s official. Galen is a sorcerer. Make that Sourcerer. Let me explain.

Every March 15, Library Journal names 50 people in the library community as “Movers and Shakers” in a very splashy issue of the magazine. It’s a pretty big deal. I’m very proud to say that this year my husband Galen was one of those 50. He’s listed as one of the “Tech Leaders” of course. The official title of his article is “Open ‘Sourcerer'” for his work with open source library automation software. The picture at right is shamelessly scanned from the print copy a friend at LJ sent us. The online version of Galen’s profile will be posted on March 19.

(If you’re wondering about the penguin, he’s Tux, the mascot for Linux, the giant open source Unix project. It’s a geek thing.)

And now I’ll float down from Cloud 9 and get back to my usual blog recap.

There are a few hours left to get in on the Lucky in Love Blog Hop. Just a few rapidly disappearing hours. The prize here at Reading Reality is a $10 Amazon Gift Card, but there are over 300 blogs participating in this hop. Surely there must be a few, or a few dozen, books and gifts cards you would like to take a chance on before it’s too late?

Speaking of giveaways, the Lauren Clark giveaway has another week to go, so you have plenty of time left to put your hat into that particular ring. Lauren is giving away a signed copy of her very funny and excellent women’s fiction/romance Dancing Naked in Dixie as well as five $10 Gift Cards to the winner’s choice of either Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Let’s do a rundown of all of last week’s events, just so we can see everything at a glance:

B Review: The Bughouse Affair by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini
B+ Review: Merry Ex-Mas by Sheila Roberts
B+ Review: Cards & Caravans by Cindy Spencer Pape
B+ Review: Stardust Summer by Lauren Clark
Guest Post: Author Lauren Clark is All Shook Up + Giveaway
Lucky in Love Blog Hop
Stacking the Shelves (38)

There are three events going on this week. Wow!

Tomorrow, Reading Reality will be part of Entangled Publishing’s Launch Party for Lisa Kessler’s Night Demon. Lisa’s Night series has been a blast so far (I reviewed both Night Walker and Night Thief), so I’m pretty happy to celebrate the release of Night Demon. (That sounds like we’re letting a demon out of the Rift, doesn’t it?) There are giveaways involved, so some lucky readers will be able to find out just how much fun this series has been so far.

On Tuesday, Jeanette Grey will be back to talk about her latest book, Take What You Want. This is a very hot contemporary romance (I finished my review and will be posting it on Tuesday, too) Jeanette will be giving away a copy of Take What You Want to one lucky commenter, and this is definitely a book worth wanting.

Speaking of books worth wanting, Nina Croft is going to be here on Thursday to talk about things she wants. Nina will have Top Ten list for us, and she will also be giving away a copy of her new paranormal romance, Bittersweet Blood.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone. I hope you have a very lucky day. If you must drink something green, better the green beer than this particular green liquid. It’s the Chicago River dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day, an annual tradition. It looks awesome but I wouldn’t drink it.

Stacking the Shelves (38)

Posted on March 16, 2013March 16, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Stacking the Shelves

Fellow book blogger Jo Jones is on an around-the-world cruise. Not only is she blogging about her trip on her travel blog (Jo Jones, Traveling Lady) and posting some fantastic pictures, she’s also whittling down her TBR stack and posting reviews on her book blog (Mixed Book Bag). I envy her twice.

My stack isn’t quite as big as it looks. The Jessica E. Subject 1 Night Stand books I bought were part of a 5-book “bundle” that is FREE this weekend at Amazon. They’re also very short. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. So there.

For Review: (ebooks)
Big Sky Summer (Parable #4) by Linda Lael Miller
The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler
The Cinderella Makeover (Suddenly Cinderella #2) by Hope Tarr
The Darwin Elevator (Dire Earth #1) by Jason M. Hough
Hunter by Jacquelyn Frank, writing as JAX
Never Too Late by Amara Royce
Night Demon (Night #2) by Lisa Kessler
The Pleasure Project by JAX, Jenna McCormick and Cassie Ryan
The Trouble with Sin (Devilish Vignettes #2) by Victoria Vane
Wicked as She Wants (Blud #2) by Delilah S. Dawson

Purchased: (ebooks)
Beneath the Starry Sky (1Night Stand) by Jessica E. Subject
Celestial Seduction (1Night Stand) by Jessica E. Subject
Satin Sheets in Space (1Night Stand) by Jessica E. Subject
Sudden Breakaway (1Night Stand) by Jessica E. Subject
Unknown Futures (1Night Stand) by Jessica E. Subject

Borrowed from the Library: (print)
A Turn of Light (Night’s Edge #1) by Julie E. Czerneda

Lucky in Love Blog Hop

Posted on March 15, 2013March 10, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Blog Hops> Giveaways> Lucky In Love Blog Hop

Lucky in Love? Well, are you? It’s a time of luck and wealth…or not. With each romance we find ourselves in a new world of love and memories. Are these just by chance? Is it luck? Welcome to the second annual Lucky in Love Blog Hop where we want to hear about your love, your romance, and how much you love St. Patrick’s Day!!! Are you wearing green? Ready to get pinched…or wait…do you like that?

When I was growing up, my parents and I used to play card games a lot. When he lost a game my father always used to say he was “Lucky in love, but unlucky at cards.” Of course, when he won, he always attributed it to skill and not luck! So when I hear the phrase, “Lucky in love,” I always think of him.

St. Patrick’s Day is also a reminder that I’ve been very lucky in love. My wedding anniversary is March 12, just a few days before. Galen and I have been married 8 years this March, and I couldn’t ask for a better partner, friend and husband. As you can see from the picture, I’m also lucky in my friends.

We were married in Anchorage, while we lived there. Alaska still operates under some frontier laws. Any adult can get a one-day license to officiate at a wedding. So we had one of our friends conduct the ceremony, using vows that we wrote. It was much more personal for us, but I think Michael was probably even more nervous than we were!

So, what’s your “Lucky in Love” story? Or what’s your favorite “Lucky in Love” romance? Tell us for a chance to enter the Blog Hop. (Be sure to put your email address in your comment for a chance at those grand prizes!)

And speaking of celebrating…

The Lucky In Love Blog Hop has TWO grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 300 times! As for MY prize, I’m giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card, just in case there’s anything left on your wish list. Follow the Rafflecopter to enter.

Now what are those prizes?
1st Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!

To find the othe 300+ Authors & Bloggers Click HERE!

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Review: Tin Cat by Misa Buckley

Posted on March 14, 2013December 1, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | 5 Stars> book reviews> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.> The Rocket Lover

Format Read: ebook provided by the author
Number of Pages: 108 pages
Release Date: March 4, 2013
Publisher: Champagne Books
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Formats Available: ebook
Purchasing Info: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Author’s Website | Publisher’s Website | Goodreads

Book Blurb:

A year after the accident that put her in a wheelchair, Amber Gerald has more or less gotten used to living with her impairment. It doesn’t make a difference to running a comic book store anyway, and the customers have been the best support group she could have wished for.

When she rescues an abandoned cat, Amber has no idea that she’s interfering in the mad scheme of a time travelling bank robber. Or that the man that walks into her store dressed like Blade is about to become her bodyguard.

Between being an unwitting owner of an android cat and falling for a cybernetic bounty hunter, Amber finds her life a whole new level of weird as science fiction becomes a very real factual threat.

My Thoughts:

The author had me at “android cat”. Not “android’s cat” although Star Trek TNG did that one very, very well, but “android cat”. Being a cat, it’s no more, or less, obedient than the purely flesh and blood kind. But that’s not the end of the story.

Amber Gerald’s adoption of “Cat” brings a whole new level of weird into her life. And considering that Amber owns a comic book store, weird is pretty much her stock-in-trade.

Her adoption of the stray cat brings a stray man into her life. and that’s something that hasn’t happened in over a year. Not since the auto accident that put her in a wheelchair.

But this Blade-wannabe who shows up at her shop says he’s a time traveler. And so’s the cat. Even better, or worse, he proves it to her. He shows her where his flesh meets his cybernetic implants. Hunter Gray is a bounty hunter with a built-in Kevlar vest, and a few other modifications.

What he isn’t is put off by Amber’s physical handicaps. He’s merely curious. No one in the future has any handicaps like Amber’s. Medical science has advanced past that point. Gray feels no pity, only intrigue, and interest. Good old-fashioned sexual interest. That’s not a reaction Amber’s seen from a man, let alone a gorgeous one, since the accident. Too many people, not just handsome men, see the chair and not her.

Amber is the strongest woman Gray has ever met. She accepted his story. She accepted his modifications. She’s even accepting his need to guard her from the time-traveling bank robber he’s pursuing.

All because she adopted that tin cat.

It’s just too bad that whatever relationship they are building will end when Gray catches the villain. Because whatever they are building…it really is something special.

Verdict: Tin Cat is surprisingly good in any number of ways. You expect it to be an ugly duckling story. Meaning that Amber the handicapped ugly duckling gets turned into a beautiful swan by having her handicaps miraculously healed by future tech.

Let me reassure you now, Misa Buckley was much smarter than that. Or Amber was. Amber has come to terms with where her home is, and who her friends are. The ugly duckling in this story is Hunter Gray.

He’s the one who gets redeemed by the power of true love, but not until after he does a few of the usual idiotic male actions first.

He lies about why he’s chasing the bad guy. Not that the bad guy isn’t truly evil, but there is some reason for his actions.

Gray is being punished, and he’s not exactly forthcoming about why. Which doesn’t mean he’s not still a good guy. He’s just typically afraid that he’ll lose the best thing that ever happened to him if he’s upfront about all of his many flaws.

Amber is hesitant about falling in love with anyone, let alone entering into a relationship with a definite expiration date.

Amber’s handicaps are handled with a lot of sensitivity, but are not glossed over or made less in any way. She’s brave but not Pollyanna.

And the cat both gets them in horrible trouble, and saves them in the end.

If you like science fiction romance at ALL, read this.

I give Tin Cat by Misa Buckley 5 proudly costumed stars!

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Guest Post: Author Lauren Clark is All Shook Up + Giveaway

Posted on March 14, 2013March 10, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | blog tours> Giveaways> Guest Posts

My guest today is Lauren Clark, the author of the hilarious Dancing Naked In Dixie (reviewed here) and her more recent, and more thoughtful (but very excellent!) Stardust Summer (see today’s review for deets) and who is here to talk about why her heroines are…

All Shook Up

A friend of mine recently observed that all three of my novels are about women who get very seriously shaken out of their ruts—those ruts all being very different. She then posed the following question: What makes this sort of story so fascinating?

As an author, my favorite stories to write are the ones based on realistic situations—novels about smart, personable, yet slightly-flawed women who end up tangled in a problem that completely messes with their comfort zones.

While I like to include a love interest or healthy flirtation in my writing, I also prefer that my heroine doesn’t rely on a male figure to swoop in and fix the problem. My main character usually has several issues to solve, those involving past or current family relationships, and also those challenges that are internal—ones that can wreak havoc on her confidence, career, and overall karma.

It’s the conflict—small or large—that creates the basis of any good book. I love to see growth and change in my characters, first forced, then embraced, especially when it positively impacts the lives of others. It’s how these women deal with issues, approach challenges, and eventually solve the problem in their lives that provides a satisfying (but not completely perfect) ending.

Melissa Moore, in Stay Tuned, wrestles with an unhappy marriage, an empty nest, and a slightly-neurotic mother with dementia. She has a job that’s safe and enjoyable, yet offers little reward or recognition. A fist-fight between two news anchors at the TV station throws Melissa’s life into a tailspin. She makes a split-second decision to save a newscast, and it forever alters the course of her career, her family, and her future. In the months that follow, Melissa’s marriage, faith, and friendships are tested. When a disaster threatens to destroy much that she holds dear, life ends up offering Melissa an amazing gift.

The protagonist in Dancing Naked in Dixie, Julia Sullivan, is a talented, yet scattered travel writer for Getaways magazine. On the verge of losing her job, Julia is sent on assignment to Eufaula, Alabama—a map dot in the Deep South—home to sweet tea, a charming antebellum homes, and the annual Pilgrimage. Julia, who plans only a day or two-long visits, finds herself in the midst of a powerful crisis that has the potential to destroy the very essence and deep history of this small town. Usually the first to run away from controversy, Julia finds herself drawn back to Eufaula, where she risks her job and her life to save this much-loved community.

In Stardust Summer, heroine Grace Mason finds herself yanked away from her quiet existence in Ocean Springs, Mississippi when her estranged father suffers a heart attack. As she travels across the country to say her final goodbyes, the incident forces Grace to face long-buried problems from the past. In a new environment, surrounded by people who loved and adored her father, Grace discovers the truth about her family, learns to embrace forgiveness, and find true love again.

My fourth novel, and work-in-progress, Pie Girls, involves a different kind of heroine—someone with much, more more to learn about life. Here’s the summary: Princess, Southern belle, and spoiled-rotten social climber Searcy Roberts swore on a stack of Bibles she’d never return to her hometown in Alabama. After eloping with her high school sweetheart and moving to Atlanta, Searcy embraces big city life Carrie Bradshaw-style.

But now, Searcy has a teeny, tiny problem: Her husband’s had a mid-life crisis. He’s quit his job, cancelled her platinum American Express, and run off with the “new” love of his life. Searcy finds herself back in Alabama with no job, no money, no husband, and no plan. After a frigid welcome home, she finds out that life in the small town Deep South is much harder at 32 than it ever was at sixteen. When she’s forced to take over her mother’s fledgling business, Searcy deals with sullen employees, strange ingredients, and the business owner next door who’s made it his mission to make her life miserable. Will ‘Pie Girls’ be an epic failure, or will Searcy find the courage to persevere?

Do you like a heroine who’s shaken out of her rut? What sort of novels do you find most fascinating to read?

About Lauren Clark
Lauren is a reformed news junkie, a non-reformed coffee drinker, and an official library geek. Her big loves are family, paying it forward, eight hours of sleep a night, and homemade macaroni and cheese. She lives near the Florida Gulf Coast where she is surrounded by family and and true-blue friends that inspire her writing and keep her sane.

TOURWIDE GIVEAWAY

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Review: Stardust Summer by Lauren Clark

Posted on March 14, 2013March 10, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews

Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: ebook
Genre: women’s fiction
Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Booktango
Date Released: February 20, 2013
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Single mom Grace Mason doesn’t believe in miracles, magic, or love at first sight. She likes the quiet life, complete with her eight-year-old son, their tiny house, and her teaching job. For Grace, happiness means that nothing much ever changes in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

Then, one thousand miles away, tragedy strikes. A massive heart attack leaves Grace’s estranged father comatose in an Upstate New York hospital. While a team of doctors fight to keep Henry Mason alive, Grace and Evan rush to his bedside to say their final goodbyes.

Henry’s passing brings little closure for Grace, but she finds herself inexplicably drawn to her new surroundings. What begins as a short trip results in an entire summer spent with Henry’s second wife, Kathleen, and her next-door neighbor, Ryan Gordon, the town doctor. When a series of unlikely events lead to Evan’s disappearance, Grace must face her worst fears to find her son and bring him back home.

Stardust Summer explores the complexities of forgiveness, what it means to be a family, and the fabulous possibility of falling in love—again.

My Review:

Love. Forgiveness. Parents. Children. Second chances. Life.

Stardust Summer is about all of those things. It’s about thinking that there will always be time to say good-bye, and then discovering that there isn’t.

It’s about being playing it safe, because taking risks involves the risk that you might get hurt.

Again.

And discovering that you get hurt anyway.

Two women’s lives are connected by one remarkable man. Henry Mason was lucky. He loved his first wife, and mourned her when she died. Then he fell in love with her best friend, and happily married her.

His daughter Grace never forgave him for finding happiness with Kathleen. The woman she blamed for her mother’s death. The woman she still blames, over a decade later.

That blame kept her from visiting her father, kept him from having the relationship he could have had with her son, his grandson.

Henry Mason is dead. At 57, of a sudden stroke. Grace can’t go back. Only forward.

Kathleen is lost. She needs Grace. She needs Evan, the only grandson she will ever have. Kathleen loves them both, but can’t find a way to bridge the years, the resentments, the loss.

She wants to. So very much.

And next door, Ryan Gordon. Henry’s doctor. Henry and Kathleen’s friend. A man who came to upstate New York with the intention of building a practice and forgot to build a life. His wife left him. He wants a second chance.

With Grace. But for there to be a future, Grace has to let go of the resentments in her past, and embrace the joys, and even the heartaches, in today.

All in one summer that might just be filled with stardust.

Escape Rating B+: Stardust Summer is a captivating story. It worked best for me when it focused on the stresses and strains of Grace’s and Kathleen’s relationship, because there was so much there to be worked through!

Grace has been so closed off, and she really had a ton of stuff to deal with, not just with Kathleen but the why of what kept her away from her father and from his home in upstate New York. She had frozen herself and her career in a rut after her mother’s death and a disastrous relationship.

I think there could have been even more angst and it would have worked in the story.

The love story between Ryan and Grace could have used a bit more heat, or it didn’t need to be as prominent in the last third of the story. Ryan’s regrets about the breakup of his marriage were portrayed well, and I liked the way his sincere grief over Henry was handled. He definitely needed to be involved with Kathleen and Evan, but the love story either needed to be a LOT more, or to remain as merely potential.

The heart of this story was Grace and Kathleen finally coming together, and Grace moving past the “stuck point” she had been frozen in for so many years. They are remarkable women, and I enjoyed sharing their story.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Review: Cards and Caravans by Cindy Spencer Pape

Posted on March 13, 2013March 10, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | B Reviews> book reviews

Format read: ebook provided by NetGalley
Formats available: ebook, audiobook
Genre: steampunk romance
Series: Gaslight Chronicles, #5
Length: 129 pages
Publisher: Carina Press
Date Released: March 18, 2013
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Belinda Danvers isn’t a witch. But that won’t stop them burning her at the stake…

Connor McKay can tell at a glance that Belinda’s magickal powers are minimal at best. She can’t be guilty of murdering village children. There’s something suspicious about her arrest and lightning-quick sentence. Unfortunately, telling anyone how he knows would mean revealing his own powers. He’s been sent by the Order of the Round Table to help and he can’t just let her die.

Escaping from jail and running from vindictive villagers in her grandfather’s steam-powered caravan is more excitement than Belinda’s had in years. And despite the danger–or maybe because of it–she loves the time spent with her sexy rescuer. But there’s more to his magick than he’s letting on…

There’s something going on that’s bigger than the two of them. It’s time for good to make a stand.

My Review:

Cindy Spencer Pape’s Gaslight Chronicles are tremendously fun. They are a combination of steampunk and fantasy, with mechanical creatures existing alongside the descendants of King Arthur’s Knights.

One of the best parts of the series is that she has continued to follow the adventures of one particular group of the Knights. So we get to see the developments of relationships, not just the ones that succeed, but also what happens to those who are not-so-lucky in love.

Or at least not-so-lucky the first time around.

Connor Mackay was the unsuccessfuly contender for Wink Hadrian’s hand in marriage. Connor was never going to win that contest, because she had been carrying a torch for Liam McCullough. (The story of their courtship, and their foiling of a plot to bring down the monarchy, is marvelously told in Moonlight & Mechanicals)

But that left Connor at rather dangerous loose ends. So when Zara, a Rom who is trusted by the Order, calls to say that her granddaughter is in grave danger, Connor is perfectly happy to hare off to the north of Scotland to investigate.

What he finds is a beautiful woman in a dank jail cell, convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to be burned at the stake in the morning.

When he can’t convince the local magistrate to wait until he can investigate the extremely hasty trial and sentencing, Connor breaks the woman out of jail and runs away with her.

The fact that she is an exotically beautiful spitfire has no bearing on his actions. Absolutely none. (Hah!)

Belinda Danvers is innocent of the crime. She isn’t even a witch. However she does have a gift for magick, and an unwillingness to be anyone’s mistress just because she’s a widow and a Rom.

Of course, what happened to Belinda is not as simple as a jealous man striking out. It’s only the tip of a plot to wipe out foreign magick practitioners across Scotland.

And what’s happens between Connor and Belinda isn’t simple, either. But it does make Connor realize that Wink is not the woman he wanted or needed.

He just has to make Belinda realize that. If he can keep the madman who started this whole mess from killing her.

Escape Rating B+: I couldn’t put this down, but it probably works better if you’ve read the whole series. If you have, it’s like catnip. Or potato chips. You can’t eat (read) just one. Start with Steam & Sorcery. (And yes, I’ve said that before. Spencer Pape’s Gaslight Chronicles are awesome steampunk!)

The circus setting used to capture the perpetrator was fascinating. Circus caravans would have been much different in the late 19th century, even in this steampunk/magick world, than in our universe. I’d love to have seen more of the circus life that Belinda came from, or how the circus operated with the Knights playing the circus parts.

The plot that captured Belinda was a bit thin to be as big as it was, or the description of it was not as detailed as I might have liked. It might have been better if the book had been just a bit longer. Since so many magick users were killed because of the plot, and so many “innocent” townsfolk were caught up in it, more details would have been good.

Connor and Belinda are terrific together. I’m glad to see a heroine that had some experience, and that Connor found happiness. He’d earned it. I can’t wait for the next book in this series. I know who I hope are the protagonists, but we’ll see. Hopefully soon?

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Review: Bittersweet Blood by Nina Croft

Posted on March 12, 2013December 1, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | 4 1/2 Stars> book reviews> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.> The Rocket Lover

Format read: ebook
Series: The Order, #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: Feb. 17, 2013
Number of pages: 246 pages
Publisher: Entangled Edge
Formats available: ebook
Purchasing Info: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Author’s website |Publisher’s website |Goodreads

Tara Collins just wants to be normal. Everyone else wants her dead.

Tara’s eccentric aunt raised her to be fearful of the world and follow the rules. But after her aunt’s death, Tara is ready to take control and experience life for the first time. But she quickly discovers that everything she’s been told is a web of lies. Determined to solve the mystery of who she is truly, she hires private investigator to help her uncover the truth.

Christian Roth is more than your average PI. A vampire and ex-demon hunter, Christian lives among the humans, trying to be “normal.” But recently, things seem to be falling apart. There’s a crazed demon hell-bent on revenge hunting him down and a fae assassin on the loose with an unknown target. Plus, the Order he abandoned desperately needs his help.

As the secrets of Tara’s past collide with the problems in Christian’s present, she finds herself fighting her attraction to the dark and mysterious investigator. Falling in love does not fit into her plans at all, but Tara soon learns that some rules are meant to be broken.

My Thoughts:

In most fairy tales, terms like demon and fae have automatic associations with them. Fae=good and demon=bad.

But what if those are just names for otherworldly races who have different agendas from our own, and what humans think of them doesn’t enter into it at all?

Tara Collins has been hidden all her life behind a hedge of rules laid down by her aunt. Don’t leave our property, don’t drink alcohol, don’t take off your talisman, and most especially, don’t tell anyone the truth about yourself.

But when her aunt dies, Tara discovers that her aunt never told her the truth about herself. And Tara feels that she needs to know. She also feels like she is entitled to a normal life. At 22, she craves a life that includes other people and real experiences.

So she leaves her remote Yorkshire village and gets an apartment in London. She enrolls in university. She makes some close friends.

She hires a private investigator to dig into her origins. And that’s where all the fun begins.

Because for the investigator to have something to work with, she has to tell him the whole story, as she knows it. Breaking her aunt’s most important rule.

Tara chose Christian Roth’s investigations firm because her cat picked his name. Yes, you read that right. Tara took her cat’s paw scratchings as a sign. But then, Tara’s cat Smokey is not exactly what he seems, although Tara doesn’t know it. All Tara knows is that Smokey is her oldest and dearest friend.

On that infamous other hand, Christian Roth is a lot more than just a private investigator. Christian Roth is a vampire, and has been for over 500 years. It turns out that he is the perfect person to investigate her past.

Because Tara isn’t human. Neither are the beings her mother tried to protect her from.

And they’re back.

Verdict: Tara is a very sympathetic character. She’s grown up under unusual circumstances, and she just wants a normal life. It’s too bad that there’s no way she could possibly get one!

But it makes sense that she resists the idea that she’s not human as long as she does. It’s not a truth that anyone in her circumstance would want to hear.

Christian is a predator in business clothing, and he drops the businessman mask quickly. He’s been waiting for a purpose, and Tara gives him something to fight for.

The really cool part of the story is the war between the fae and the demons, and how it manifests on Earth. They’ve been trying to beat each other for centuries, if not more, and so much of what happens in the story turns out to be collateral damage. This was awesome. Also awesomely painful for Tara and Christian.

This paranormal version of the world, where the vampires and some of the other races that we are familiar with, like werewolves, are part of an organization called “The Order” that is policing Earth to enforce a treaty between the fae and the demons, is a place where there are lots of fascinating story possibilities.

I want more! I also have a not-so-secret desire for this world to connect to Croft’s SFR series, Blood Hunter. Vampires and werewolves in space!

I give Bittersweet Blood by Nina Croft 4 1/2 blood-tipped stars!

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