Tag: paranormal romance

Dual Review: Night Thief by Lisa Kessler

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | 4 Stars> book reviews> Dual Review> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.> The Rocket Lover> The Winged Lover

Format Read: ebook provided by the publisher
Number of Pages: 109 pages
Release Date: September 28, 2012
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Series: Night #1.5
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Formats Available: ebook
Purchasing Info: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Book Depository US | Book Depository (UK) | Author’s Website | Publisher’s Website | Goodreads

Book Blurb:

After the fall of the Mayan civilization, Kane, an immortal Night Walker, has taken refuge in France for over 800 years. The modern world holds little interest for him until the night he meets the Golden Thief and is robbed of much more than his pocket watch.

Marguerite Rousseau is living a double life. By day she is the assistant to an eccentric French artist, Antoine Berjon, and by night she dons elegant evening gowns to woo French dignitaries before lifting their wallets.

Sparks ignite when Kane captures the thief, but Marguerite harbors a dark secret that could ruin them both.

Our Thoughts:

Amanda: Night Thief was a nice quick hot read, that has whet my appetite for more of this series.

Marguerite is a pick-pocket who targets the upper class citizens of Paris. Working tirelessly to free herself and her cousin from their master and buy their passage abroad to the new world. Kane is Night Walker, orginating from the now deceased Mayan people where he was revered as a god. In Paris though he blends in to the crowds of well-to-do Frenchmen wining and dining their way through the Parisian social scene.

Marguerite and Kane’s paths cross when she tries to steal his valuable pocket watch. Being one of the most elusive thieves in Paris, Marguerite would have got away with it too had Kane not been able to track her scent. After a heated encounter Marguerite and Kane part ways, but Kane is unable to get Marguerite out of his mind so he finds a way too see her again, after which they realise that they do not want to part ways again.

Marlene: Having read the previous book in the series, I was happy to read a different perspective on the night walkers and their world. Kane is very different from Calisto, the hero of Night Walker. Calisto is only (only!) a couple of centuries old, while Kane seems to have been around for millennia. He’s so bored that getting robbed is interesting. But only because the thief is the pretty Voleur D’Or.

Amanda: Night Thief had all the elements of a great novella, fast paced with enough detail, a nice smattering of smut scattered through out for a romancing and a gut-wrenching ending. Having not previously read the first book in this series I was a little worried that I may have missed too much to fully be able to enjoy it, but that was definitely not the case.

Marlene: In spite of, as Amanda says, the gut-wrenching ending, Night Thief was a bit lighter in tone than Night Walker. There’s something about it being in Paris that makes it a bit less dense. The story doesn’t have the weight of centuries behind it, in spite of Kane’s age. Night Thief is complete by itself. They meet, they spark, and Kane decides to rescue Marguerite no matter what it costs. There is a horror element because of who, or maybe that should be what, Kane has to rescue her from, but the mission is accomplished, if not without some loss.

Amanda: Although it didn’t detract from the story itself I would have enjoyed reading more about Marguerite’s pick-pocketing adventures as it was so uncommon for women in the 1800’s to be masquerading as a fine lady but I was pleased to get a taste of Kane’s background, learning about why he moved to Paris in the first place and an insight into what a night walker actually was.

Marlene: I am really looking forward to Night Demon, which is supposed to have some details on the beginnings of the night walkers. The hints have been tantalizing. They are just enough like vampires to feel familiar, and just enough different that I want to know more. I was disappointed not to learn more, but I didn’t really expect to from the novella. This was a “tide us over” story. Darn it.

Amanda: Kessler’s writing can only be faulted on her time jumps which I had to get used to in the beginning. There was no break when it came to passing time, so some scenes lost a bit of their substance because it only felt like minutes had passed in the story world but if re-read one finds it’s actually an hour or two, sometimes even a day which became a little confusing at times.

Night Thief was a fantastic taste of the Night Walker world not to mention a great stand-alone novella in it’s own right. I have been left wanting more of this series.

Verdict: I give Night Thief 4 stars

Marlene: I enjoyed reading a totally different view of the Night Walker world. I loved the first book, Night Walker with its  story of a love that lasted centuries, and Night Thief is completely different. It’s short, sexy and sometimes gruesome, but still has a happy ever (and do I mean ever!) after for its immortal hero and his thieving love.

Verdict: I give Night Thief 4 gold stars. Let’s hope nobody steals them away.

***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: Tara Fox Hall on the Love of Books

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Guest Posts

I am very pleased to welcome Tara Fox Hall to Reading Reality. Tara is here on her Broken Promise tour. As part of the tour, I read and reviewed both Promise Me and Broken Promise (terrible completist, I hate starting series in the middle!) and the Promise Me series is a paranormal romance series with an interesting twist, the human heroine rescues the vampire, then the promises start getting made, and broken, over and over. 

But let’s hear from Tara about her love of books, and how she got started writing them!

The Love of Books: An Evolution 

A huge thank you to Reading Reality for having me here today!

I’m here today to promote Broken Promise, the second book in my paranormal romance Promise Me series. But before I get to that, I’d like to talk about my love of reading, and how I got hooked on books in the first place.

When I was in grade school, I remember loving my school library. Taking the long walk to the end of the school every Tuesday at 11AM, and the following hour when we could select books to check out. In those first years, I can’t remember many of the books I read, only that they almost always involved horses. Before I left grade school, I had read the entire Black Stallion series, including the Island Stallion books and related works, at least twice. I liked the library so much that I even entered the library’s weekly contest in my final year there, because I enjoyed the word finds and answering other questions about the books I selected. Much to my surprise, I got a library award at the end of the year, a small plaque I still possess.

My mother—as a teacher—was also the member of several book clubs for her class, and placed orders each month for books for her students. I remember being so excited each month to get the short double page pamphlet for each club, to see what was offered. Most times, my mom was able to get me free books, and I made good use of those coupons. I had a strict book budget of $10 a month, and remember deliberating over my choices, trying to stretch that to as many books as I could. In my later years, my mom would let me help her sort the books into piles with the orders. It was so exhilarating to see the piles, especially my own, form up. It was hard not to try to sneak in a little reading on the way home that night. But I still stuck rigidly to scary stories and horse stories.

Later on, in middle school and high school, my mother would take me to the public library near our house. It was there I picked up my first copy of Interview with the Vampire, and was forever hooked on vampires. That library was also where I discovered the many works of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Saul, and other horror authors. Eventually, I had read most of the books in the library that were horror…much to my lament. A year later, I was in college and working part time. The latter let me shift my habits to buying instead of borrowing, as I had money, but no longer the luxury of reading a book from cover to cover in a few sittings. Bookstores afforded many new delights, such as Brian Lumley’s Necroscope series, “other” Anne Rice Novels, Robert Jordan’s Eye of the World Series, and Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula series. Now my world had broadened to thrillers, horror, vampires, fantasy, and erotica. But there were still a lot of genres I wouldn’t touch….like romance.

As the economy tanked and the price of gas doubled, there was less discretionary income for books. To stretch my dollar even further, I began attending book sales, and also began buying used books through secondhand stores, yard sales, or anyplace they were cheap. Here I discovered a completely new world of books I’d never seen in the bookstores or libraries. It was here I discovered Michael Moorcock’s Elric, the Redwall series, and many new-to-me horror authors, like Andrew Neiderman and William Johnstone. I also tried a lot of genres I’d never tried before, like romance, true crime, western, action-adventure, and historical fiction.

Now is the next evolution in books: e-books! While I do not yet have a Kindle, I have the Kindle App for my computer, and I also enjoy books in PDF. Between reviewing for several sites and free e-books, I am awash in far more books than I can read. Like the other stages of my own evolution, I hope this one brings me even more new and exciting discoveries.

Tara is an OSHA-certified safety and health inspector at a metal fabrication shop in upstate New York. She has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a double minor in chemistry and biology from Binghamton University. Her writing credits include nonfiction, horror, suspense, erotica, and contemporary and historical paranormal romance. She is the author of the paranormal action-adventure Lash series and the vampire romantic suspense Promise Meseries. She divides her free time unequally between writing novels and short stories, chainsawing firewood, caring for stray animals, sewing cat and dog beds for donation to animal shelters, and target practice.Visit her website or her Facebook page or her Goodreads blog, or follow her on Twitter.

Broken Promise by Tara Fox Hall

 

Shocked at Danial’s betrayal, Sarelle returns to her old home to consider her options. Yet even as Sar plans a reconciliation with Danial, Terian arrives, confessing his desire. When Theo witnesses Terian and Sar kiss, he angrily confronts Sar, leading to startling consequences. Will Sar’s heart choose Danial, Terian,…or Theo?

 

“Thank you,” Devlin said with a sigh. “Let us not speak of that. There is something that troubles me, Sar. There is more in your voice than sorrow when you speak of Danial. There is fear, too.”

“I’m not afraid of Danial,” I said quickly.

“Not this moment, no,” Devlin countered. “But at times I hear it, unmistakably. I expect you to fear me, but I find it odd you are scared of him. Tell me why.”

“We fought,” I said reluctantly.

“And?” Devlin prodded.

“He hit me.”

“Repeat your words,” Devlin said frostily. “And look me in the eyes as you say them.”

I turned to him defiantly. “He hit me,” I said bitterly. Then I turned from him again.

“I would not have believed it,” Devlin said slowly. “But you aren’t lying. Where and when did this happen?”

“In the face,” I said bitterly. “As for when, we were separated when it happened.”

Devlin fell silent, thinking.

I lay there in his arms, trying not to feel sorry for myself, trying to plan of what to say next, of some way to convince him to let me go. I tried scenario after scenario, and came up with nothing.

“That you were separated does not matter,” Devlin said suddenly. “You had taken an oath out of love to him, and he to you. It does not matter what you had done, or said. Oathed Ones are never to be struck.”

“I guess I picked the wrong brother,” I said sarcastically.

“Yes, you did,” Devlin said seductively. He turned me to face him, his hand on the side of my face. “I see no mark on your skin. When was this?”

Reluctantly, I grasped his cool hand in mine, and slid it upwards. “There is a tiny scar there from his ring.”

“Yes,” Devlin said, “I feel it.” He leaned in close, giving the scar a gentle kiss. “I’ll take him to task for this, Sar. You have my word.”

“Since when are you my champion?” I said sarcastically. “You kidnapped me. If you really want to help me, just take me home.”

“I’d love to take you home,” Devlin said meaningfully. He kissed me gently, his cool lips brushing mine.

“Stop.” I moved my head, breaking the kiss. “I meant my home.”

“Oh, kiss me,” Devlin said longingly. “There are several miles yet, and I’ve learned enough to know you are not oathed to Danial.” He raised his eyebrows in a meaningful motion. “I’ll restrain myself, I promise. We’ll wait to make love until later.”

Buy at Amazon

Review: Broken Promise by Tara Fox Hall

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | blog tours> book reviews> C Reviews

Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: Trade paperback, ebook
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: Promise me #2
Length: 222 pages
Publisher: Melange Books
Date Released: September 23, 2012
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Shocked at Danial’s betrayal, Sarelle returns to her old home to consider her options. Yet even as Sar plans a reconciliation with Danial, Terian arrives, confessing his desire. When Theo witnesses Terian and Sar kiss, he angrily confronts Sar, leading to startling consequences. Will Sar’s heart choose Danial, Terian,…or Theo?

Broken Promise picks up right where Promise Me, the first book in the series, leaves off. (This is a hint that this review will contain spoilers for Promise Me. It’s difficult to review book 2 of a series without revealing a few things about book 1.)

The title is also a hint and a half. Danial broke all of his promises to Sar. Over and over and over. Have you ever heard the old joke about the three biggest lies? Number 1 is the one about the check being in the mail. Danial, even though he’s a vampire, managed to break number 3. The one that goes, “I can’t get you pregnant”. He took some really magic potions so he could. The big problem was the he forgot to tell Sar. She found out when she miscarried. Then she left his lying arse. Of course, this was after she gave him her oath of loyalty. It figures.

And the vampire is possessive. Of course he is. It’s all part of the power trip. He may actually love her, but his definition of love is very last millennium. And then there’s Devlin the Vampire King, who just so happens to be his brother. And a little bit too bwahaha crazy into the bargain.

So Sar and her oath to Danial, along with Danial’s lying to Sar, get caught in Danial’s power battle with his crazy brother. A battle that’s been going on for centuries. They’re vampires.

And even though Sar has given her oath to Danial, she realizes that she made a mistake in more ways than one, because she either doesn’t love him or falls out of love with him.

All along, she’s had a terrific, bantering friendship with the head of Danial’s bodyguards, Theo. Except that the banter has been concealing some feelings that are much more than friendship. And Theo isn’t a vampire. He’s a were-cougar. Sar seems determined to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire.

At least were-cougars are not immortal. Of course, that means that Danial might murder his former bodyguard. Unless the vampire king kills them all in a crazed fury first.

Escape Rating C+: For a widow who spent a year keeping to herself, once Sar got back into the game, she really got back into the game. That’s not a criticism of her deciding not to stay home and mourn, but she does have a tendency to leap before she looks.

Danial was a mistake, and Theo, while he may be a much better guy, she’s still staying in the supernatural world where she keeps putting her life in extreme danger. Adrenaline-junkie, maybe?

Then there’s the half-demon, Terian, waiting in the wings.

While Darian’s conflict with his brother, Devlin, created a lot of the external tension, and ratcheted up the suspense factor, Devlin’s motives, or Devlin’s insanity, seemed a bit too over-the-top for this reader.

I did like seeing how Sar helped Theo resolve his issues with being a were-cougar. There was a lot of healing in their relationship that worked well. I enjoyed their banter from the beginning of the series.

***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: Promise Me by Tara Fox Hall

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews
Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: Trade Paperback, ebook
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: Promise Me #1
Length: 269 pages
Publisher: Melange Books
Date Released: May 25, 2012
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

When young widow Sarelle McGarran finds the vampire Danial Racklan unconscious and hurt in her woods, intuitive concern quickly becomes passionate love. Together Danial and Sar work to overcome their own past heartbreaks, their vastly different lifestyles, and Danial’s relentless enemies. Yet Danial needs more; an Oath of forever. But can Sar give Danial his greatest desire?

The interesting thing about Tara Fox Hall’s Promise Me series is that the story of Danial and Sar points out one of the underlying problems of a relationship between vampires and humans–the power is always unequal.

You know that old saying that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”? Well, it’s true. Think of Eric and Sookie if you need another example.

It’s not that things start out badly, it’s that these two people have very, very different expectations. Sar expects equality. And trust. Although it’s terrific being swept off her feet, she knows that it won’t necessarily last. She’s a young widow because her husband died in a climbing accident. She knows all too well that life can change in an instant.

But Danial seems perfect. And perfectly overwhelming. Except that he’s a vampire. He tells her exactly whatever she wants to hear in order to get what he wants. A lifelong pledge of loyalty from her. The length of her life, of course, not his.

The only problem is that her love for Danial is based on the lies he has told her, and not on the truth. Because he only tells her the truth when he has no choice.

The reader knows their relationship is doomed. The questions are how long it will take Sarelle to figure it out, and how badly Danial will react when she does. And just how deep a hole Sarelle will dig herself before she starts having to dig herself out.

Escape Rating B-: I was glad that this wasn’t the typical vampire romance, although it started out that way. Danial seemed perfect to Sarelle, and she kept buying into it. Every time he did something that should have sent her running for the hills, she forgave him. Even worse, she got in deeper. She should have known better, and the warning signs were all there.

Of course, if she’d listened to her better self, there wouldn’t be a 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.

The Sunday Post AKA What’s On My (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-18-12

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand> Winner announcement

It’s Sunday, do you know where your post is?

The way things are going right now, it’s more a question of whether I know where anything is. I would probably kill for Hermione’s time-turner from Harry Potter. I don’t think I could actually get less sleep than I am right now, but I might have a chance at getting stuff done. It’s amazing how HUGE a block of time 2 days seems when you’re looking at it from a month in advance, and how tiny it actually is when it rolls around.

We’re home again, for slightly less than 48 hours. My life is again being choreographed by Willie Nelson, and I don’t even like country music.

The fun, and crazy-making thing about perpetual connectedness is that the blog goes on, wherever the blogger happens to be. This week I’ve been sleeping in Seattle (I still haven’t see Sleepless in Seattle, must fix that) Atlanta, and Cincinnati. Next week, Atlanta and Little Rock.

Since the blog never sleeps, what did happen?

The winner of the Autumn’s Harvest Blog Hop was Tina. And the winner of the NetGalley copy of Samantha Kane’s The Devil’s Thief was Gaby. Congratulations to the winners!

Remembrance Day –Veterans’ Day 2012
B- Review: Ice Cold by Cherry Adair
Interview with Cherry Adair + Giveaway (there’s still time to enter!)
Guest Post: Marie Treanor on Writing Unreality + Giveaway
B- Review: Tudor Rose and Tudor Rubato by Jamie Salisbury (giveaway in the comments!)
B Review: Lady Alexandra’s Excellent Adventure by Sophie Barnes
B+ Review: There’s Something About Lady Mary by Sophie Barnes
Interview with Sophie Barnes + Giveaway (still time to enter this one too!)
On My Wishlist-Waiting on Wednesday-Desperately Wanting Wednesday-On the Weekend

This coming week is going to go by in a blur! For those of us in the U.S., this week is Thanksgiving. It seems kind of early this year, but it’s the fourth Thursday in November, whether we’re ready for it or not.

On Tuesday, I’ll have a guest post from Tara Fox Hall, and I’ll also be reviewing two of her books, Promise Me and Broken Promise. Just before the Thanksgiving feast, we’re going to be talking about vampires and werecreatures. Should be fun.

On Wednesday, I’ll have a review of a fascinating historical spy novel by Kit Brennan. I couldn’t resist this one, just from the title alone. The full title is: Whip Smart, Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards. But so far in my reading, I don’t think Lola Montez is really Lola Montez. That’s part of the fun! The story is set in 1842, so this Lola Montez was Mata Hari way before Mata Hari–if she did half what she’s accused of.

 

On Thursday, Reading Reality will be one of the stops on the Fall in Love Giveaway Hop, hosted by Reading Romances. This blog hop runs from November 22 through November 29, so there will be plenty of time to stop at all of the hop sites.

And that’s important, because on November 23, one day only, I’ll also be a stop on the Black Friday Blog Hop. Just because Black Friday is only one day. Thank goodness!

Tune in next week for another chapter in the Perils of Marlene, or, as the move turns!

Guest Post: Marie Treanor on Writing Unreality + Giveaway

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | blog tours> Giveaways> Guest Posts

I’m very pleased to welcome Marie Treanor back to Reading Reality! I had the pleasure of interviewing Marie back in August for the publication of her Serafina and the Silent Vampire, and she’s back to introduce us to her Gifted series with Smoke and Mirrors. I’m loving Smoke and Mirrors so far, I’ll have a review up as soon as I finish this stage of my moving adventure.

But in the meantime, here’s Marie on why she created a new, paranormal country in the back of the old Soviet Republics. 

Writing Unreality by Marie Treanor

One of the things I like to do in my writing is to set my fantastical story full of paranormal beings and magical happenings, in actual locations that I know well or have at least visited. For me, it grounds the unreal characters and events in the real world, and can add besides a pleasantly exotic atmosphere.

However, I confess I went a little off-piste in my latest book, Smoke and Mirrors. It does open in Edinburgh, Scotland, a city I lived in for several years, and moves across the river into the “kingdom” of Fife for a spell – also well known to me. But after that, the action shifts to the totally fictional ex-Soviet republic of Zavrekestan.

I had to make Zavrekestan up, because the country itself is very much part of the story – almost a character in its own right. I had this idea about an isolated country, poor and politically unstable, and outwardly not very interesting to outsiders, where paranormal activity abounds. One village in particular produces an amazingly high proportion of psychics. Within the country, the existence of the “Gifted” is an open secret, but they’ve survived the centuries without persecution or scientific study by not talking out of turn. Thus the Gifted can quietly help with the odd problem for their ungifted brethren and still remain an official secret.

However, how feasible would it really be to keep such a secret in this age of globalization, easy travel, and social networking? To say nothing of the world’s fascination with paranormal activity. So, at the start of Smoke and Mirrors, the secret’s starting to escape. A Russian soldier stumbled upon it during Zavrekestan’s war for independence, and, now a major player in organized crime, he’s determined to profit from it. Plus, my rebel hero, Rodion Kosar, has catapulted across the world, using his fire-gift in combination with his formidable intelligence, in order to rob banks and art galleries and other impregnable institutions, putting the Gifted’s secrecy at considerable risk. Add in the Scottish born daughter of a Zavrekestan refugee, who writes fiction about her own unacknowledged gifts of foresight, and things get a little explosive. 🙂

Anyway, my vision of Zavrekestan is of a large, mostly rural country made up of spectacular mountain regions, and vast plains and forests. A beautiful, mysterious place where the people speak a language that’s almost completely unknown outside its own borders. Politically, it’s drifted from one tyranny to another, so it has a dissident under-class and a powerful secret police force. Poverty has led to crime, and certain regions around the Russian border where even the police fear to tread. So, not a very safe country either, but I hope it’s as fascinating and exciting to readers as it is to me.

I thoroughly enjoyed “inventing” Zavrekestan, and like the actual characters, it seemed to grow as I wrote. In fact, I’ve just finished writing a first draft of the second book in this series, and I found myself learning even more about the country with each chapter. As if it’s not bad enough having your own characters tell you what to write, now I have a whole country at it!

So, if you were a Gifted Zavreki – maybe you’re telepathic, talk to the dead, heal by touch, dream the future, start fires with your eyes – would you keep it a secret, or tell the world? And why?

Marie Treanor lives in Scotland with her eccentric husband and three much-too-smart children. Having grown bored with city life, she resides these days in a picturesque village by the sea where she is lucky enough to enjoy herself avoiding housework and writing sensual stories of paranormal romance and fantasy.

Marie has published more than twenty ebooks with small presses, (Samhain Publishing, Ellora’s Cave, Changeling Press and The Wild Rose Press), including a former Kindle bestseller, Killing Joe. Blood on Silk: an Awakened by Blood novel, was her New York debut with NAL.

Connect with Marie on Facebook.
Subscribe to her Newsletter.
Join the party on her new blog: Marie Treanor’s Romantic Theme Party

Smoke and Mirrors by Marie Treanor (The Gifted #1)

Deceit and desire, and a treasure beyond price…

When struggling Scottish writer Nell Black accepts a one-off job with the police, translating for an arson suspect from the isolated ex-Soviet republic of Zavrekestan, she stumbles into a terrifying world of organized crime and paranormal abilities that turns her whole belief system upside down. Faced with an incomparable thief, hit men who spontaneously combust, gangsters, drug dealers, British Intelligence and a fiery goddess, Nell no longer knows who to trust. The man who saves her life is a criminal to whom deceit is second nature. He has more smoke screens and more plans in motion than anyone else can keep track of. He is, moreover, probably insane. Even his fellow gangsters are afraid of him. So why is he the one man Nell wants to touch her?

Rodion Kosar is in trouble. His convoluted plans all lead to one goal – the retrieval of his treasure – and to achieve that, he needs Nell to believe he isn’t the bad guy. He has many reasons beyond his own desires to make love to her. Especially when a plan goes wrong and he has to play dead before someone really kills him – either the police, the menacing Russian crime lord known as the Bear, or the powerful Guardian of the Gifted whom he’s defied once too often. Nell’s burgeoning gift of second sight could be his best route to the treasure, and yet keeping her with him spells danger. For Nell has her own agenda, her own mission, and she could just as easily cause his final downfall.

Buy at: Amazon | B&N

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Sunday Post AKA What’s On My (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-11-12

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

I miss my second monitor. I miss it really, really bad. It’s the big drawback to working on the blog on the road. My poor laptop just isn’t quite the machine my desktop is.

And then there’s that whole second monitor thing.

On the good news front, we found a place to live. On the first day of looking. This was SO much less drama than the move from Gainesville to Atlanta. I’m amazed. And happy. And thrilled. So we’re going home early to do more of the stuff we need to do, with a couple more days to do it in. At this point, pretty much every hour is precious.

Speaking of precious, let’s take a look at the precious, and maybe a few not-so-precious, things that happened at Reading Reality this week.

Ebook Review Central, Carina Press September 2012 Featured Titles: #1 Long Shots Books 1-3 by Christine d’Abo, #2 The Reluctant Amazon by Sandy James, #3 How to Date a Henchman by Mari Fee
B- Review: The Devil’s Thief by Samantha Kane
Interview with Samantha Kane + Giveaway
Interview with Aubrie Dionne + Giveaway
A- Review: Bared to You by Sylvia Day
B Review: Reflected in You by Sylvia Day
Autumn’s Harvest Blog Hop
On My Wishlist-Waiting on Wednesday-Desperately Wanting Wednesday-On the Weekend

Just because I’m in the middle of packing and moving, you don’t think anything is stopping at Reading Reality, do you? Of course not.

On Monday, Ebook Review Central will be taking Veteran’s Day off, and I’ll be posting something to commemorate the holiday. I will admit to it being a conveniently scheduled holiday with my trip, but sometimes you get the bear. (Sometimes, the bear gets you)

Tuesday, my guest will be Cherry Adair. Cherry will be here to answer a few questions about the latest book in her T-FLAC series, Ice Cold. I’ll admit that Ice Cold was my first introduction to this romantic suspense series but I had absolutely no problems jumping right in. And wow! What a wild ride this one is!

Wednesday, Marie Treanor will be back with a guest blog, because she’s going to be talking about her new book, Smoke and Mirrors. I’m glad to have another one of Marie’s books to review, because I enjoyed Serafina and the Silent Vampire so much. Smoke and Mirrors is in a new series, but I’m still expecting a real treat.

Thursday, I’ll be part of Jamie Salisbury’s Tudor Rubato tour. Jamie’s Tudors are rock ‘n’ roll legends, not English monarchs, which makes this series more delicious-sounding, in more ways than one. I’ll be reviewing both Tudor Rose and Tudor Rubato for the book tour.

Rounding out the week, on Friday, I’ll have one more guest! Sophie Barnes will be here to talk about her Summersby series. In addition to an interview with Sophie, I’ll also be reviewing two of the Summersby books, There’s Something About Lady Mary and The Secret Life of Lady Lucinda.

Wow! What a week this is going to be! And the fun isn’t over yet. Reading Reality will be participating in two blog hops over Thanksgiving weekend.

So don’t forget to tune in next week for another exciting adventure!

 

Stacking the Shelves (22)

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Stacking the Shelves

My book-filled cup runneth over. The publishers are putting their end-of-the year titles out, and the lists are getting pretty awesome.

Three authors are in here that I’ve always wanted to read, Lisa Marie Rice, Cassandra Clarke and Carolyn Crane, but I didn’t want to jump into the middle of established series. They are all starting new series, so a chance for me to get in at the beginning.

I also want to give a very big shout-out to Tor Books. They approved my request for Three Parts Dead on NetGalley after they’d archived the title, so they sent me out a non-ARC print copy. This is one I really want to read, so I’m very happy.

Did you get anything special this week?

For Review:
The Black Stiletto: Stars & Stripes by Raymond Benson
Chasers (Alone #1) by James Phelan (print)
The Escape Diaries by Juliet Rosetti
Fortune’s Hero (Soldiers of Fortune #1) by Jenna Bennett
Heart of Danger (Ghost Ops #1) by Lisa Marie Rice
Lady Alexandra’s Excellent Adventure (Summersby #1) by Sophie Barnes (print)
The Mad Scientist’s Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke
The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen by Syrie James
A Most Scandalous Proposal by Ashlyn Macnamara
Mr. Real (Code of Shadows #1) by Carolyn Crane
The Red Wolf Conspiracy (Chathrand Voyages #1) by Robert V.S. Redick
The Second Rule of Ten (Tenzing Norbu #2) by Gay Hendricks and Tinker Lindsay
Seducing Mr. Knightly (The Writing Girls #4) by Maya Rodale
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone (print)

Purchased:
Backstage Pass (Sinners on Tour #1) by Olivia Cunning
Desperately Seeking Shapeshifter (Midnight Liaisons #2) by Jessica Sims
A Groom of One’s Own (The Writing Girls #1) by Maya Rodale (99 cent sale)
Rock Hard (Sinners on Tour #2) by Olivia Cunning
A Tale of Two Lovers (The Writing Girls #2) by Maya Rodale (99 cent sale)
The Tattooed Duke (The Writing Girls #3) by Maya Rodale (99 cent sale)
Three Schemes and a Scandal (The Writing Girls #3.5) by Maya Rodale

Interview with Cindy Spencer Pape

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> Author Q&A> blog tours

I’m so happy to welcome Cindy Spencer Pape to Reading Reality! I discovered Cindy’s work in an all-night reading binge, when I tore through five of her books all at once, and I’ve been scooping them up as fast as they come out ever since. If you’re a fan of either paranormal romance or steampunk, you can’t go wrong with her Urban Arcana or her Gaslight Chronicles. The Gaslight Chronicles combines steampunk with the incredible concept that the Knights of Round Table weren’t just real, but that their descendants are still around!

But today she’s here to talk about the latest entry in the Gaslight Chronicles, Moonlight & Mechanicals. A werewolf trying to resist his love for an engineer! How much more steampunk can you get? (I loved it, take a look at my review for details) But let’s hear what Cindy has to say.

Marlene: Hi Cindy! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Cindy: Let’s see, I live in Michigan with my husband of 27 years and two college-age sons. Two dogs, one iguana, and I’m still the only female in the house. My professional background is in wildlife education, but now I write full time.

Marlene: Describe a typical day of writing. Are you a planner or pantser?

Cindy: I’m not disciplined enough to really have a “typical” day. I get up. Usually I answer my email and play for a little bit on Facebook, plus do any promo I need to for the day. Then I write until dinner time, and sometimes into the evening. I take breaks for email, Facebook  food and Diet Coke though-out the day. I can write through just about any chaos, so the TV or XBox is often chattering right beyond my monitor and the dogs demand in and out often enough to keep me from sitting still for too long. As far as plotting, I’m somewhere in between. I have a general idea of where the plot is going to go, and I usually sell on a synopsis these days, so I have a plan, but the details always surprise me.

Marlene: The Gaslight Chronicles take place in a steampunk version of Victorian England. Would you like to provide readers with an introduction to your particular version of steampunk Victoriana?

Cindy: Okay. In the real world, in the 1830-40s, a man named Charles Babbage developed plans for what he called an “analytical engine.” Ada, Lady Lovelace a mathematician and daughter of Lord Byron, wrote the code that this machine would use, on punch cards, to operate. In real life, Babbage’s world fell apart and he never finished this machine. Modern scholars are convinced it might have worked. So in the Gaslight Chronicles, computers were invented in the 1840s, and a woman was the first coder. Lady Lovelace went on (in my world) to establish a college for women in the sciences at Oxford. Therefore, by the middle of the Gaslight books, we have university-educated engineers and doctors who are female. Also, this world has vampires, but they’re not sexy. They’re stinky and rotting and all they want to do is feed. The Order of the Round Table, descendants of the original knights, still exists, mainly to kill vampires and deal with other supernatural threats. Werewolves, on the other hand, are just people, including Liam, the hero of Moonlight. There are some hints that the Fae might be running around as well.

Marlene: Steampunk isn’t just about fiction, it also influences art and costume design. What do you think makes the concept of steampunk so appealing to so many people in so many forms?

Cindy: Well, for one thing, the clothes are incredibly cool. You can go full-on Victorian, or just wear a knockout top hat with your jeans. The genre as far as music, art, fashion, and fiction go is really limitless. As for the social aspect, I suspect it’s a case of lots of grownups who are little kids at heart to get together and play with cool stuff. At least that’s what I like about it.

Marlene: It was an absolutely brilliant idea, but what inspired you to blend the legends of the Knights of the Round Table with steampunk in your Gaslight Chronicles?

Cindy: I have to give credit to my husband for this one. We were sitting outside on the deck and I said, “I need a name for my organization of monster hunters in Victorian England. I described a little of what they do and he suggested the Order of the Round Table. I looked at my manuscript and realized I had already named characters MacKay (son of Kay) and Lake (du Lac). It was as if The Order had already taken shape before I even realized it.

Marlene: A lot of your books, whether they are historical or contemporary, steampunk or not, have at least some paranormal elements. What draws you to write about worlds where the “things that go bump in the night” really exist?

Cindy: Again, I think it comes back to the idea of stretching my imagination. I like my fiction to be an escape from reality, so I try to take it all the way.

Marlene: What can we expect of Moonlight & Mechanicals?

Cindy: Well, Wink is one of the most headstrong heroines I’ve ever written. She’s literally crawled her way up from the gutters and she’s not about to let anyone stand in her way. Liam has a bit of a stick up his bum about his own potential as a mate, so he’s going to do his best to hook Wink up with somebody “safe.” You’ll find a bit of Cyrano creeping into the story. And then there’s a maniac trying to take over England with his infernal inventions.

Marlene: You’ve published a number of titles with Ellora’s Cave, and now quite a few with Carina Press. From your perspective, what was different about the publishing experience with these two different publishers?

Cindy: The biggest difference is that Carina is a division of Harlequin. So although the Carina team has a very similar mind-set to other e-publishers, the mechanics of it, the contracts, the royalty checks, and the covers go through more layers of bureaucracy. On the other hand, I’ve gotten a better distribution through Carina, but I do love that Ellora’s Cave offers print. Really, I have good things to say about both publishers, but the experience isn’t at all the same.

Marlene: Will there be more books in this series? What is next on your schedule?

Cindy: The next Gaslight Chronicles book will be out next April and is a shorter novel called Cards and Caravans. Or in my head, it’s the Order goes to the circus. 🙂

Marlene: Will there be any more books in the Urban Arcana series? (please? whimper, whimper)

Cindy: Right now, there aren’t any planned, but I haven’t ruled it out entirely. There’s still Vin the demon who needs a story, and Maeve, the healer from Motor City Fae. I’m not sure if they go together or if they need two separate stories.

Marlene: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read your books?

Cindy: I’m really bad at touting my own work, but I’ll give it a shot. I tend to write characters who are smart and use their brains as well as brawn to solve problems. People tell me there’s humor in there, although I don’t write intentionally funny. What I *do* write is a story meant to take you away from your day to day problems for a little while and transport you to where the good guys always win and get their HEA.

Marlene: What book do you recommend everyone should read and why do you recommend that particular book?

Cindy: One of my books that very few people have read was my first sale, Curses. It’s set in a world fairly similar to Urban Arcana, although it’s in a small Michigan town. It was my first werewolf book, and remains one of my favorites.

Marlene: Tell me something about yourself that I wouldn’t know to ask?

Cindy: I was a grad student intern at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, once, a long, long time ago.

Marlene: Morning person or night owl?

Cindy: Night owl, all the way.

Cindy, you had me all the way back at “Diet Coke though-out the day,” just so you know. Thanks so much for giving us a little more insight into your world. Babbage’s Difference Engine made all the difference! That makes perfect sense. 

Dual Review: Entangled – a spooky and healthy anthology

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | 4 1/2 Stars> 4 Stars> 5 Stars> book reviews> Dual Review> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.> The Latin Lover> The Rocket Lover

Format read: ebook
Release Date: 7 September 2011
Number of pages: 434 pages
Publisher: Authors4theCure
Formats available: ebook
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Only $2.99 at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance eBooks, Smashwords, Read an excerpt

Blurb:

Ghosts, vampires, demons, and more! Entangled includes ten suspense-filled paranormal short stories from authors Cynthia Eden, Jennifer Estep, Edie Ramer, Lori Brighton, Michelle Diener, Misty Evans, Nancy Haddock, Liz Kreger, Dale Mayer, and Michelle Miles, plus a Seven Deadly Sins novella by Allison Brennan.

Stacia Kane contributed the foreword. Formatting and cover art were also donated to the project by Lori Devoti and Laura Morrigan.

All proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Stories include:

HALLOWEEN FROST by USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep (author of the Mythos Academy, Elemental Assassin, and Bigtime series) — It’s Halloween at Mythos Academy, but Gwen Frost and her friends are in for more tricks than treats when they run into a mythological monster intent on killing them.

THE FAT CAT by Edie Ramer (author of Cattitude, Galaxy Girls) — In a battle for the souls of seven women, a wizard has the god of war on his side; all the witch has is a fat, black cat.

MEDIUM RARE by Nancy Haddock (author of the Oldest City Vampire trilogy) —What’s spooking the spirits of St. Augustine? As the witching hour of Halloween approaches, ghost seer Colleen Cotton must team with a by-the-book paranormal investigator to locate the one ghost who can save the city’s specters. If she fails, her own great grandfather’s spirit may be lost forever.

SWEET DEMON by Misty Evans (author of the Witches Anonymous series) —When Chicago’s vampire king insists Kali Sweet join his empire, the vengeance demon must rely on her ex – the half-human, half-chaos demon who left her at the altar three hundred years ago – in order to escape the vamp’s clutches.

SIAN’S SOLUTION by Dale Meyer (author of the Psychic Visions series) — When a vampire discovers the human man she loves has been captured and hung in a blood farm, she goes against her own kind and risks everything to save him.

A BIT OF BITE by Cynthia Eden (author of NEVER CRY WOLF and ANGEL OF DARKNESS) — A killer is stalking the streets of Crossroads, Mississippi, and it’s up to Sheriff Ava Dushaine to stop him. But when suspicion falls on werewolf alpha Julian Kasey—Ava’s ex-lover and the man who still haunts her dreams—Ava knows that she’ll either have to prove his innocence…or watch the whole town go up in flames.

SINFULLY SWEET by Michelle Miles (author of the Coffee House series) — When Chloe bakes a little magic into her pastries, she attracts the attention of Edward, the sexy half-demon, half-witch, who’s come to warn her those who murdered her sister are now after her.

A NIGHT OF FOREVER by Lori Brighton (author of A Night of Secrets and To Seduce an Earl) — Who is Aidan Callaghan? Mary Ellen James is intent on uncovering the truth about the mysterious man, but as she soon finds out, some things are best left buried in the past.

FEEL THE MAGIC by Liz Kreger (author of the Part of Tomorrow series) — Jenna Carmichael’s magical attempt to rectify Jessica Manfield’s birth identity takes an unexpected turn when the past comes back to haunt her.

BREAKING OUT by Michelle Diener (author of the Tudor-set historical suspense novel In A Treacherous Court) — Imprisoned in a secret facility, powerful telekinetic Kelli Barrack and two other ‘special’ inmates grab a chance to escape, only to confront their worst nightmares on the outside.

GHOSTLY JUSTICE, an all-new Seven Deadly Sins novella by New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan (author of the Seven Deadly Sins series) — Demon hunters Moira O’Donnell and Rafe Cooper are dragged into the dangerous world of nocturnal predators to find “Ghostly Justice” for a virgin sacrificed to an ancient blood demon.

Our Thoughts:

Stella: When I asked for Halloween read recommendations Marlene was quick to name the Entangled anthology,  and when we started discussing it we thought why not make a special Halloween related dual review of it? Since it has more than 10 stories we thought reviewing the whole anthology would be way too long, so we decided for each of us to pick 2 stories and give you our thoughts on them.

Stella: I think it isn’t a big surprise to those who know me (and have heard my constant praise of Jennifer Estep’s series ;-)) that the story I was most excited about was Halloween Frost by Jennifer Estep, which is considered Book #1.5 in her Mythos Academy series, which I love! Truth be told I have already read this novella last year when the Entangled anthology was released but I enjoyed it so much I didn’t mind in the least having to re-read it for this review. And I’m happy to say that it was just as much fun as it was the first time around!

Halloween Frost takes place after the first book in Jennifer Estep’s YA urban fantasy series, Touch of Frost: Gwen our heroine is already used to life at Mythos Academy and she has made friends with Daphne, a cute and stylish Valkyrie and is crushing big time on Logan a strong and sexy Spartan. Those who haven’t read the first book won’t feel lost because Jennifer Estep includes enough background history references and explanations to give you an idea on who’s who (which could seem a bit repetitive for already established fans of the series).

This short novella tells the story of how Gwen and her friends spent Halloween at Mythos Academy: everyone, teachers and students alike dressed up (except Gwen), the whole town around the school was decorated in full spookiness and the kids went around collecting not just mouthwatering-ly delicious treats but also jewellery and armour!

Can I just say how much I LOVE Jennifer Estep’s Mythos Academy series? It is fun, exciting and exceptionally thrilling! It has everything: nail-biting action and fast paced fight scenes, a sexy heartthrob hero and a quirky and so lovable heroine. Halloween Frost packed even more spookiness and sinister athmosphere than the usual stories in the series due to the festive setting. Thanks to Jennifer Estep’s vivid and colourful descriptions of Mythos Academy I can easily picture the gothic gargoyles and stone sphinxes guarding the gates.

Carved jack-o‘lanterns lined all the cobblestone streets, the lit candles inside them flickering and making their grins seem particularly sinister in the darkening shadows. Thick, silvery webs complete with fat, rubber spiders swooped from one doorway to the next, while ghosts, ghouls, and other classic monsters could be seen in the storefront windows, arms outstretched like they wanted to break through the glass and grab the students strolling by.

Another aspect I love about Jennifer Estep’s books is that she never fails to mention delicious treats that make my mouth water, and being a hobby baker I appreciate that 😀

[…] went from shop to shop, loading up our pumpkins with everything from gourmet pretzels to delicious brownies to candy apples bigger than my fist. I had a serious sweet tooth and quickly filled up my pumpkin, even though we hadn‘t gone through half the stores yet. I popped a piece of dark chocolate fudge topped with vanilla-raspberry syrup into my mouth and sighed as the rich flavors exploded on my tongue. Yum.

Verdict: Halloween Frost is a great addition to the Mythos Academy series and the perfect Halloween read. Let me just say that Gwen and her friends get some first hand spooky action this Halloween 😉 Read Halloween Frost while munching on some yummy candies!

I give Halloween Frost 4.5 spooky stars!

 

Marlene: The thing about story/novella collections is that there are usually a couple of “meh” stories in the bunch. So when Stella and I decided we would each pick two (and only two) stories to feature, it seemed like a brilliant solution. Not so! This collection doesn’t have a “meh” story in the bunch.

My first pick was always going to be Edie Raymer’s The Fat Cat. This starts out as a kitty adoption tale. A witch goes into her local shelter to adopt a kitten. Bad move, or so it seems. Instead of leaving with an adorable little kitten, she leaves with a virtually unadoptable fat black tomcat, who is past middle-age into the bargain. Samson not only hears her thoughts, he can speak to her mind. Mostly to ask for food. And quote Casablanca.

Samson becomes her best friend. He’s way better company than her ex. But kitty old age is catching up way too fast, and Tory doesn’t want to lose him, so she tries a spell. One that will make Samson young and virile again, instead of old and very farty. (Yes, I meant farty. Also arthritic) She tries her spell the night before Halloween. It doesn’t seem to work and Tory is heartbroken

On Halloween she confronts the evil warlock who has captured the body, and imprisoned the soul, of her younger sister, along with several other women. He is powerful, and very, very smug. Also a handsome bastard. The only protection that Tory has is poor Samson, still in the body of an old cat. Guess what happens?

Verdict: This story has so many fun elements. The transformation of both the cat and the warlock. The redemption of the young women. Saving the old cat and discovering that he’s her best friend. The lovely (well sometimes lovely) idea of knowing what our pets think. All worked into a terrific story of friendship, redemption, witchcraft and Halloween. With a happy ending!

I give The Fat Cat 5 claw-tipped stars!

 

Stella: The second story I selected was A Bit of Bite by Cynthia Eden. I have followed Cynthia Eden’s blog and saw her new releases and was always curious and intrigued to read them for some time now, so now I thought the time has finally come for me to discover her writing through this novella of hers, and I enjoyed it a lot!

A Bit of Bite is a sexy and thrilling parabormal romance with a seriously possessive and protective alpha werewolf (yum!) and a kickass detective heroine.

A twig snapped a few feet away from her. Ava didn‘t jump and spin toward the sound, but her right hand did rise slowly to curl around the butt of her gun. The problem with all the supernaturals was that they could just move too fast—
“Easy.” His deep, dark voice washed over her and, just like that, werewolf alpha Julian Kasey stood in front of her. The light, woodsy scent that marked his kind clung to him as he towered over her.

Mmm, can you seriously tell me you just didn’t shiver while reading that one word sentence of his?

The chemistry and passion between these two is sizzling and scorching, the perfect story to make you tingle with a bit of thrill!

No one was ever gonna take Ava Dushaine from him. No one. His mouth crashed down onto hers. He should have been easier. Should have used some gentleness, but werewolves didn‘t exactly know much about tenderness. The only things he knew…she‘d taught him. Her lips were parted, and his tongue pushed inside her mouth. He tasted her, and her kiss was better than he remembered. No dream to haunt him, she was real now.

The world-building was interesting and layered, the supernatural sections and societal hierarchy, fractions were different than usual. A Bit of Bite made me suspect there is a series where Cynthia Eden gives more depth to it, and I’ll definitely look for it because I very much enjoyed her in-depth and detailed writing style.

Verdict: A Bit of Bite was a great steamy and exciting read. If it were a bit longer, a bit more detailed it could have been a five star story. As it is, it was a delicious novella and I’ll have to check out Cynthia Eden’s full length stories now that I have gotten a small taste of her writing. A Bit of Bite is a pulsing romance with paranormal setting and a big and delicious alpha hero!

I give A Bit of Bite 4 sexy stars!

 

Marlene: I also loved Cynthia Eden’s A Bit of Bite, but I let Stella have that one. I was feeling generous. The second story I want to highlight is Lori Brighton’s A Night of Forever. The story takes place in the same world as her novel A Night of Secrets, but I’ll confess that I didn’t know that when I read it and it didn’t detract from my enjoyment one little bit. Of course, now that I do know, A Night of Secretsis going on my TBR list. 

But about A Night of Forever…it starts out as if it were a typical Regency, or close enough, even though it’s set in a later period. Mary Ellen plans to marry someone rich and titled, not because she’s necessarily that mercenary, but because she craves the security that money and status can bring. However, she finds herself fascinated by a man who appears to have neither. Aidan Callaghan seems to be merely her brother-in-law’s houseguest. He is a complete enigma, quiet and withdrawn for the most part, but always watching her. He fascinates her. And she fascinates him.

What Mary Ellen doesn’t know is that her brother-in-law is a vampire. And so is his friend Aidan, who is trying his damndest not to use the powers of fascination and enthrallment that he has at his command. Because he could simply make Mary Ellen come to him, but then it wouldn’t be real. He wants the contented life that his friend Grayson has found, a life, and love with a woman who knows what he is and loves him anyway.

So he watches Mary Ellen from the shadows, and knows that she is as sincerely interested in him as he is in her. But at the Halloween revels on Gray’s estate, Mary Ellen leaves the safety of the house and is captured by thugs. When he comes to her rescue, Aidan is captured as well. In order to escape, he has to reveal what he is to save them. Will his willingness to fight for her provide Mary Ellen with a better kind of security than the money and status she said she wanted?

Verdict: This one had the kind of shivery gothic creepiness that all the best Halloween stories do. At first, you’re not sure where the danger is going to come from, and then you’re not sure if Mary Ellen will choose safety over love. A Night of Forever tells a terrific tale of the slow build, both to knowledge and to love.

I give A Night of Forever 4.5 fanged stars.

 

Stella: And yes, as you can see despite us vowing to review only 2 stories (I even asked Marlene to prevent me from becoming greedy and giving in to temptation), when I turned the last page of A Bit of Bite there were the first few lines of Michelle Miles’ story and being the baking fan that I am I couldn’t stop myself from reading it. See for yourself and tell me if you could have resisted it:

At four in the morning, Chloe O‘Shea unlocked the door to Sugar Mamma‘s Bakery and flipped on the interior lights. She turned on the ovens, gathered her ingredients and started baking for the day. With a giant yawn that nearly split her head in two, she started her scones, a customer favorite. Then the muffins—blueberry, banana nut, poppy seed, bran. Once she had the morning cravings in the glass case ready to go, she started on the afternoon favorites. Cupcakes, cookies, mini-tarts and other delectable goodies.

So there you go, here is my bonus review 😉

To be honest I haven’t even heard of Michelle Miles before, so this novella was a complete blank canvas for me, I had no expectations at all, and yet she managed to blow me away.

Our heroine Chloe is a witch on the run, she has been hiding in the human world and spending her days as a baker, but she can’t help herself from pouring some of her magic into her creations:

Perhaps it was a mistake putting her small bits of magic into her cupcakes, her cookies, her scones and her muffins. Her customers loved her baked goods and why not? She poured Happiness into every batch. And lust into her red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing.

and so the bad guys she has been hiding from get a flare of where she is. Her savior is Edward a sex on stick mysterious man Chloe can’t help but lust after (and trust me the reader won’t be able to help herself either!). Together they try to combat the evil forces and stay alive.

Verdict: Sinfully Sweet was a deliciously steamy story with great world-building, fantastic writing style, a likable heroine and a hunk of a hero. Now that I’ve discovered Michelle Miles’ writing first hand I’ll go and hunt down her other novels, because I just want more delicious stories!

I give Sinfully Sweet 4.5 delectable 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.