Tag: paranormal romance

The Sunday Post AKA What’s On My (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 10-14-12

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

Yesterday morning we had to do something we call “All Star Cat Wrestling.” Everybody went to the vet for their annual checkup. When there’s a human involved instead of two cats, the human usually wishes for a full suit of armor. Or dragonhide gloves.

And we’re going to have to do it again in a couple of weeks. Everybody needs their teeth cleaned. Joy! Not.

But about last week on the blog…

B+ Review: Skies of Steel (The Ether Chronicles #3) by Zoe Archer
B+ Review: Forge (Thrall Web #1) by T.K. Anthony + Interview
B+ Review: Blue Nebula (Blue Universe #2) by Diane Dooley + Interview and Giveaway!
B+ Review: Run the Risk (Love Undercover #1) by Lori Foster + Q&A and Giveaway!
B+ Review: The Second Seduction of a Lady by Miranda Neville

I must have been having a B+ week in general without realizing it. Hmmm, I wonder what that means?

This week there will be a lot of wickedness, one way or another. Which only seems fitting, since we’re closing in on Halloween!

On Monday, Ebook Review Central will be back. This week will feature the Dreamspinner Press titles from the end of summer. One last look at August, 2012, to take a look at the hits from Dreamspinner’s always long list. So far, I’ve got Tigers leading the pack. We’ll see if that holds up.

Tuesday, my first tour for Kismet Book Company is Of Blood and Bone by Courtney Cole. This first book in her new series, The Minaldi Legacy, is about dark secrets, love, death and monsters.

Thursday my book is also about love and death, but on a much lighter note (and doesn’t that sound contradictory?) But it’s a 1Night Stand title, so it’s meant to be lighter. Louisa Bacio will be here to talk about her 1Night Stand entry, A Date with Death. It’s surprisingly sweet, in spite of that rather foreboding title, as my review will tell!

On Friday I have another 1Night Stand author, Shiela Stewart, with her entry in the series, The Naughty Angel. And her angel is planning to be naughty in more ways than just the obvious. Tune in Friday to find out!

Speaking of wicked (well I was, sort of) on Saturday Reading Reality will be participating in the Wicked Romances Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by and enter the hop, AND hop on to all the participating blogs.

Doesn’t that sound simply…wicked?

 

Stacking the Shelves (20)

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

This issue of Stacking the Shelves is back to normal. Well, normal for me, anyway, which means seriously overstacked.

I feel so much better now.

There are a few titles that landed on the list because of something I read elsewhere…so to speak.

Nights of Steel by Nico Rosso, and The Importance of Being Wicked by Miranda Neville are both the next books in series to books I reviewed this week (Skies of Steel by Zoe Archer and The Second Seduction of a Lady by Miranda Neville, respectively) I finished the one, and immediately went out hunting for the next. Thanks go to Edelweiss in both cases for feeding my addiction.

Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey is a book of other writers responding to E.L. James much talked about work. (Yes, I’ve read the Fifty Shades trilogy.) I’m curious to see what fifty writers had to say about it that a publisher thought there would be money publishing the collection.

And last, my one print book in this week’s stack, Cory Doctorow’s Pirate Cinema. Tor Books sent this to me with a very interesting reprint from The Guardian about “Why the death of DRM would be good news for readers, writers and publishers,” written, of course, by Doctorow. Galen and I are hoping to dual-review this one.

Of course, everything on the list except for Pirate Cinema is an ebook.

So, what terrific books are stacking your shelves this week?

For Review:
Above All Things by Tanis Rideout
The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro
Bettie Page Presents: the Librarian by Logan Belle
Commencement (Hellsbane #0.5) by Paige Cuccaro
Fifty Writers on Fifty Shades of Grey edited by Lori Perkins
How Beauty Met the Beast (Tales of the Underlight #1) by Jax Garren
Ice Cold (T-FLAC #17) by Cherry Adair
The Importance of Being Wicked by Miranda Neville
A Lesson in Chemistry with Inspector Bruce (The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard #2.5) by Jillian Stone
The Merchant of Dreams (Night’s Masque #2) by Anne Lyle
Pirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow (print book)
Nights of Steel (The Ether Chronicles #4) by Nico Rosso
Scent of Magic (Healer #2) by Maria V. Snyder
Stellarnet Prince by J.L. Hilton
Sugar Rush by Rachel Astor
Tudor Rubato (Tudor Dynasty #2) by Jamie Salisbury

Purchased:
The Killing Moon (Dreamblood #1) by N.K. Jemisin ($1.99 ebook sale)
The Vampire Wardens and Werewolf Society 5 Story Box Set by Lisa Renee Jones ($1.99 for the entire set ebook sale)

Stacking the Shelves (19)

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

I must have been sick last week–except that I didn’t feel under the weather. Just overwhelmed. I have three fairly thick (and intense!) books to review this week for Book Lovers Inc and Library Journal, and I must have had an attack of common sense.

Or I didn’t see much that tickled my fancy. That was probably it.

I still couldn’t resist the Jacqueline Carey book, Dark Currents. I adore her Kushiel series. And Banewreacker/Godslayer is one I recommend to anyone who loves epic fantasy. But I just could not get into Santa Olivia, and I tried. I hope her take on urban fantasy works. I’ve heard mixed things so far.

I don’t do this often enough, but I want to thank Tynga at Tynga’s Reviews for hosting Stacking the Shelves. If you want to find out more about Stacking the Shelves, visit her official launch page.

Did you have a slow week, or did you add something awesome to your shelves this week?

For Review*:
The Constantine Affliction (Pimm and Skye #1) by T. Aaron Payton
For Love of a Goblin Warrior (Shadowlands #3) by Shona Husk
Night Thief (The Night #1.5) by Lisa Kessler
The Second Seduction of a Lady by Miranda Neville
To Hell and Back (League of Guardians #1.5) by Juliana Stone

Purchased*:
Dark Currents (Agent of Hel #1) by Jacqueline Carey

(*All ebooks this week)

Ebook Review Central, Carina Press, August 2012

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Ebook Review Central> ebooks

I know, I know, it’s October, and Ebook Review Central is still talking about summer books. In this particular case, it’s the August 2012 books from Carina Press.

But hey, if the “Boys of Summer,” in other words, Major League Baseball, can play LONG into the NFL Football season, why can’t we keep talking about the summer books as long as we want–as long as they’re the good ones?

Based on the reviews, August was a pretty good month at Carina. At least the reviews were pretty tightly packed. Lots of titles in the 10+ review group, and then another bunch clumped at between 5 and 7 reviews. That 10+ gang made it difficult to pick the featured titles for the week, they were all excellent choices.

After reading over some of the terrific reviews for the books in that 10+ category, the three standouts, well, stood out after all.

First at bat this week is also the first book in L.B. Gregg’s Men of Smithfield series. When she originally released this contemporary male/male romance in 2009, the title of the book was Gobsmacked, and readers were absolutely gobsmacked from the opening scene of the story. Mark walks into church and whacks his boyfriend upside the head with a Bible for cheating on him and wiping out their joint checking account. Then he gets pulled over for speeding by the state trooper he’s always had a crush on. Carina Press has re-released Gobsmacked as Mark and Tony (the bible smacker and the state trooper) revised and with  new material added. Readers who read both versions say it’s even better the second time around.

Second in this week’s lineup is The Guardian of Bastet by Jacqueline M. Battisti. This urban fantasy/paranormal romance is one of the few times where the shapeshifter main character does not shift into a big powerful predator–Trinity becomes a house-cat. A feline who is also a witch, which makes her something very different indeed. Trinity’s little corner of the paranormal is about to be visited by something very evil, and only her peculiar mix of abilities that have never quite worked makes her suitable to inherit the responsibility of being the Guardian, and the power that goes with it. This one is terrific if you enjoy your urban fantasy with a touch of the snarktastic.

Rounding out this week’s roster we have title number three, a contemporary romance between a hopeless romantic and the anti-Cupid. The book I’m referring to is Planning for Love by Christi Barth, and it’s the first book in her Aisle Bound Trilogy. This trilogy is all about wedding planning, and in the first book, wedding planner Ivy falls in love with Ben, a guy who is allergic to love. This looks like comedy romance of the finest kind.

 

That’s it for this edition of Ebook Review Central. We’ll be back next time with the August 2012 titles from Dreamspinner Press.

Ebook Review Central, Hexapub, July 2012

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Ebook Review Central> ebooks

This week on Ebook Review Central we have the multi-publisher wrap-up of July 2012. After this week, we’ll move on to the August titles for the publishers that ERC turns its eagle eye (or beady eye, take your pick) upon.

But until next week, it’s still mid-summer. I’m in Atlanta, Georgia, it IS still summer. We’re looking at the July 2012 titles from Amber Quill Press, Astraea Press, Curiosity Quills, Liquid Silver Books, and Riptide Publishing. Red Sage Publishing would normally be in that list, but they didn’t publish any new titles in July. That didn’t keep their titles from the previous months from garnering some new reviews, and the database has been updated to reflect those.

The surprising thing about this week’s featured titles is that Riptide did not run away with the reviews. They weren’t even in contention for running away with the featured list. Don’t get me wrong, they absolutely earned their first place spot on the list. Someone will need to pick me up off the floor the day Riptide doesn’t earn one place on the list, even with six publishers’ titles in contention. It’s just rare that they don’t look to take all three spots.

This week they weren’t even close to taking all three spots. First place however, was all theirs.

Cat Grant’s Doubtless, published by Riptide, absolutely ran away with first place. Any book that generates enough heat to get 21 people to post reviews (and remember that I’m talking about reviews outside of Goodreads and Amazon!) has got to be worth taking a look at. Doubtless is the followup to Grant’s May standout title, Priceless, another ERC feature, and follows the same characters. What Doubtless is not, as so many reviewers were careful to say, is a typical HEA. What it is, however, is a “compelling journey of self-awareness” as one reviewer so eloquently put it. Steve Campbell is professionally successful and personally miserable at the beginning of the book. It’s not until after his first encounter with Dylan Monroe, a confident and self-assured male escort, that Steve begins to realize that the reason he’s lonely is because he’s been looking in the wrong direction.

The second book in this week’s feature is also a sequel, and also from that same May list. Wilde’s Army by Krystal Wade is the second book in her Darkness Falls series from Curiosity Quills. The first book in this YA genre-bender (part paranormal romance, part urban fantasy) was Wilde’s Fire, and it was the absolute runaway of the May titles. It’s no surprise that so many of the readers who were caught up in the story of the girl who actually traveled to the magical world she dreamed of wanted to continue the adventure. And what an adventure it is! The adventure continues at an incredibly fast pace, and it’s even more difficult to figure out which are the good guys, and which are the bad guys. No one, and it seems like no one, can stand the suspense until book three comes out.

Imagine a world where your spine might be a precious commodity, but not necessarily the rest of you. Did a shiver just run up your…spine? That’s just a tiny hint of the action in Michael Shean’s Bone Wires, the third featured title this week, also from Curiosity Quills. Bone Wires is, dare I say it, a curious mix of Biopunk, Cyberpunk and dark science fiction with just that touch of urban fantasy. Or at least the part of urban fantasy that involves solving nasty crimes in an urban setting. It’s just that this particular setting is in the far future, and being a cop is a job that ranks somewhere below street-sweeping. Both involve taking out the trash in Shean’s not-so-brave new world. Shean’s description of a future America where police forces are operated not by the government, but by private corporations sounds, just a little too close to the possible.

So there you have it for this week, and for July 2012. One runaway feature for Riptide with Cat Grant’s Doubtless, and two solid hits for Curiosity Quills with Wilde’s Army and Bone Wires.

Ebook Review Central will be back next week with Carina Press’ August 2012 titles. It looks like I get to go back to baseball metaphors for a while. My hometown Cincinnati Reds clinched their division.

 

Review: The Last Victim by Karen Robards

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Book Lovers Inc.> book reviews> C Reviews
Format read: ebook from NetGalley
Formats available: Hardcover, ebook, audiobook
Genre: romantic suspense, paranormal
Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Released: August 7, 2012
Purchasing Info:Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Dr. Charlotte Stone sees what others do not.

A sought-after expert in criminal pathology, Charlie regularly sits face-to-face with madmen. Obsessed with learning what makes human monsters commit terrible crimes, Charlie desires little else from life—no doubt because when she was sixteen, she herself survived a serial killer’s bloodbath: A man butchered the family of Charlie’s best friend, Holly, then left the girl’s body on a seaside boardwalk one week later.

Because of the information Charlie gave police, the Boardwalk Killer went underground. She kept to herself her eerie postmortem visions of Holly and her mother. And even years later, knowing her contact with ghosts might undermine her credibility as a psychological expert, Charlie tells no one about the visits she gets from the spirit world.

Now all-too-handsome FBI agent Tony Bartoli is telling Charlie that a teenage girl is missing, her family slaughtered. Bartoli suspects that after fifteen years, the Boardwalk Killer—or a sick copycat with his M.O.—is back. Time is running short for an innocent, kidnapped girl, and Bartoli pleads for Charlie’s help.

This is the one case Charlie shouldn’t go near. But she also knows that she may be the one person in the world who can stop this vicious killer. For Charlie—whose good looks disguise a world of hurt, vulnerability, and potent psychic gifts—a frantic hunt for a madman soon becomes a complex test of cunning, passions, and secrets. Aiding Dr. Stone on her quest to catch a madman is a ghostly presence with bad intentions: the fiery spirit of seductive bad boy Michael Garland who refuses to be ignored, though in his cat and mouse game they may both lose their hearts.

Dr. Charlotte Stone sees what others do not. And she sees the Boardwalk Killer coming for her.

The Last Victim is one of those books that didn’t know what it wanted to be when it grew up. Maybe got finished would be the better way of putting that. Even after writing a dual review with Lea over at Book Lovers Inc. I still can’t get this one out of my head (not in a good way) so I’m taking another stab at it. Or stabbing it again.

It starts out as a mystery/suspense/thriller with a paranormal twist. Charlie Stone is the only survivor of a brutal serial killer’s rampage, and grows up to become a criminal psychiatrist who specializes in, you guessed it, serial killers. But to make the story different, or to make Charlie different, the author mixed in a dose of the old “I see dead people.” Charlie’s psychic.

So when the serial killer she’s just finished interviewing gets shanked in the prison hallway, she sees his ghost leave his body, looking and sounding mighty confused.  Charlie tried to save Michael Garland, convicted serial killer of seven women, but he bled out under her hands. His enemy knew just where to stick that shiv.

The big problem is the Michael Garland is sex on a stick, undoubtedly part of how he lured in his victims. Charlie was fascinating to him while he was alive, probably not in a good way.   Now that he’s dead, his ghost is “attached” to her. That’s a problem.

The serial killer that Charlie escaped, back when she was a teenager, seems to be back. Either him or a copycat. This doesn’t fit the general serial killer profile, but someone using the exact same M.O. is at work, and the FBI wants Charlie’s assistance. She’s an expert on the man they dubbed “The Boardwalk Killer” from 15 years ago, and she’s a professional expert in this field.

While the FBI doesn’t care, nor should they, about how many personal nightmares this case awakens for Charlie, they make an absolute metric buttload of mistakes about her safety. They put her directly in the crosshairs of the serial killer she escaped. This seemed insane.

One member of the FBI team hated/resented/snarked out at Charlie just for being a psychiatrist, having zero idea about Charlie’s psychic ability. Skepticism about the woo-woo stuff would be understandable, but police agencies of all types and stripes routinely use psychiatrists and psychologists to profile serial killers. Any agent who acted out in that fashion with professionals that the Bureau needed wouldn’t BE an agent very long.

But still, the suspense/thriller thing, while it’s been done before, wasn’t bad. This whole getting the team together thing kind of worked. What derailed the train for me was Charlie’s relationship with Garland. And yes, I said relationship. What you have here is a criminal psychiatrist falling in love with the ghost of known serial killer. When they got to the point of having sex by astral projection, my eyes started rolling and wouldn’t stop. The number of ways in which Charlie should have known better stagger the imagination, and I have a pretty good imagination.

There is groundwork being laid that Garland is not as bad as his prison record makes him out to be. But until that’s proven, he’s still a convicted serial killer. And he’s dead! Either one of those factors should label him as “Danger, keep away!” in big red letters to any sane woman. Which may mean Charlie is more than a little nuts. Your mileage may vary.

Escape Rating C-: Okay, the train may have derailed, but I couldn’t stop myself from watching the wreck. You know how it is. I had to keep reading, to see what happened next. It’s over-the-top, but it’s over the top in a way that pulls you along for the ride. I did not figure out who the serial killer was. My eyes may have been rolling too hard at the ghost-sex thing.

I think The Last Victim would have been better if the author had resisted the impulse to grab quite so many packages from the troperville trolley. I counted at least five; ghost-romance, “I see dead people”, serial killer stalks his last victim, new FBI team hunts high-profile serial killers, trauma victim uses angst to forge career.  The writing was compelling, but a shorter menu might have meant for less eye-rolling disbelief on the part of many readers.

***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.

Ebook Review Central, Samhain Publishing, July 2012

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Ebook Review Central> ebooks

I can always rely on the Samhain titles to present me with no lack of options for the featured titles. And this July 2012 list of Samhain’s publications is no exception.

Also, as usual, the retro romances didn’t get many new reviews.

But the books that did, really, really did.

The book that was on the most reviewers’ lists this month, by an absolute landslide (which makes it the number one feature this month!) was Dee Tenorio’s The Virgin’s Revenge, (book 4 in her Rancho del Cielo series). This one is a combination friends-to-lovers story, and a small-town romance. There’s also a major element of heroine needing to get out from under her overprotective family. Most reviewers remarked about how much they loved the humor of the characters, but with this many reviews (27!) there were a few reviewers who were less than enthralled. For the thumbs up, read The Book Pushers’ review; for the lukewarm take, see Dear Author’s take.

The second-place finisher this month happens to be book number three in Moira Rogers’ dark and gritty (also hot and sexy) post-apocalyptic and post-Civil War steampunk western series, The Bloodhounds. I’m talking about Archer’s Lady. The Bloodhounds series is a mix of good werewolves, bad vampires, and crazy chemical experiments conducted by mysterious forces that might be working for good. The Bloodhounds are lone wolves, until they find their mate, and Archer, well, he’s been sent to save a town, or die trying. If he dies,  as far as the Bloodhound Guild is concerned, that just eliminates a problem for them. The town schoolteacher helps him eliminate the vampire threat, but that schoolteacher is running from a past that’s just as checkered as his. For steampunk fans, this series is, pardon my very mixed metaphors, catnip.

The final featured book this week is a secret. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to tell you. That means Sierra Dean has done it again. Keeping Secret by Sierra Dean, the fourth book in her Secret McQueen series, has clawed its way into the third and final featured spot for this week. Secret is half-vampire and half-werewolf, and this story is all about her trying to get herself to her wedding to a werewolf king. But her royal werewolf uncle does not approve (in a major way). And there’s a love triangle involved. Well, there’s always a love triangle involved. Oh yes, and an assassin. Family dramas at weddings are standard. Assassins, not so much. Unless you’re Secret McQueen, and someone has a contract on you.

So this time out we have a very mixed bag of featured titles: a contemporary romance, a steampunk western, and an urban fantasy. The one thing they do have in common is that they are all part of ongoing series. Building an audience really counts!

And now, my ERC audience, I will bid you farewell until next week, when we’ll come back to take a look at all of the publishers in the Hexapost (Amber Quill, Astraea, Curiosity Quills, Liquid Silver, Red Sage and Riptide).

See you next week!

 

Interview with Author Lia Davis + Giveaway

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

I’m very pleased to welcome Lia Davis to Reading Reality today. She’s here to talk about her decadently delicious story from the 1Night Stand series Ravished Before Sunrise (see review for deliciousness)

Now let’s hear from Lia!

Marlene: Lia, can you please tell us a bit about yourself? What do you do when you’re not writing?

Lia: Hi! I’m a newbie author. I have two published ebooks and more on their way. 🙂 I’m a wife to a wonderful, supportive, and loving man. And a mother of two young adults and two furry felines. I have a BSA in Accounting and currently work full time in the Finance/Account department for a vendor management software company. When I’m not working the day job and writing, I spend time with family and read.

Marlene: All of your books are paranormal romance in one way or another. What is it that first attracted you to write love stories for the “things that go bump in the night”?

Lia: I love the creative freedom I have with writing paranormal. I can create worlds that are magical with creatures that excite the imagination. I love the danger, suspense, and mystery that come with the supernatural.

Marlene: Ravished Before Sunrise is part of the 1Night Stand series. How easy or difficult was it to squeeze a whole love story into just one night?

Lia: My average word count seems to be around 40K to 65K at the moment. So it was a challenge to write a shorter story at first. What helped me was that I believe in love at first sight. I have known couples that fell in love in the first meeting and are still together after many years of marriage. I also believe that there is someone for everyone and they meant to be together. And nothing happens by accident.

Marlene: Would you like to give readers a little taste of Ravished Before Sunrise? What can they expect?

Lia: Ravished is a quick and sexy adventure that starts with Emalee wanting a break from her life in hiding from the paranormal world. Her unusual abilities make the supernatural communities leery of her, so she lives in a witch’s coven with her BFF. For her 1Night Stand she chooses a romantic role-playing adventure to hunt a vampire and to be ravished by him.

The vampire, Darian, is a widower who has grown tired of his long-lived life. His loving daughter signs him up for the date.

Marlene: Do you plan everything or just let the story flow? Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

Lia: I start off planning the setting, character profiles, then outline the plot points. Once that is done I sit and let the story flow.

Marlene: Who first introduced you to the love of reading?

Lia: My mom. She loves to read romance. So naturally I picked it up and love it as much as she does.

Marlene: Who influenced your decision to become a writer?

Lia: Not sure if a specific person influenced me. I’ve always loved creative writing and making up stories. I’m just not sure why it took me so long to start writing to be published.

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

Lia: There are so many great books out there. I’m always discovering a new series I fall in love with. If you are a history of science fan check out A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. It’s awesome and the first book in her All Souls trilogy. The writing really draws you in. An all around great read.

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

Lia: Suspense and mystery intertwined with paranormal, believable love stories, and lovable characters.

Marlene: What’s next on your schedule? Do you have any upcoming projects you’d like to share?

Lia: I just finished Death’s Storm, the second in my Divinities series, and sent it to my editor. The target release date is November 2012. I am also working on a new series called Ashwood Falls about two shifter packs living together in one community. The first book, Winter Eve, is due to release in December 2012.

I also plan to write more 1NS stories.

Marlene: Morning person or night owl?

Lia: Night owl. It takes me too long to get going in the morning. 🙂

Lia, I’m with you! Instant human, just add caffeine. And Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches was amazing. 

Thanks so much for being here today. I love the giveaway. Everyone needs a little more caffeine in their life!

~*~*Giveaway*~*~

As part of her blog tour, Lia Davis will give away a $5 Starbucks GC, Starbucks Via sample pack, and a swag pack to one winner at the end of the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[Ravished Before Sunrise tour button]

Review: Ravished Before Sunrise by Lia Davis

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews
Format read: ebook from author
Formats available: ebook
Genre: paranormal romance,
Series: 1Night Stand
Length: 31 pages
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks

Born with the unusual ability to see what truly lies in the shadows, Emalee Black is stuck between two worlds, the paranormal and the human. Neither one accepts or understands her and she’s forced to live a quiet, boring life in hiding. When her best friend mentions 1Night Stand dating service, Ema chooses a role-playing adventure straight out of her romantic fantasies. She’s to hunt her very own vampire and have her wicked way him.

Vampire Darian Wyman is surprised when his daughter signs him up for a one-night stand with an exclusive matchmaking agency. At first he’s appalled by the idea, but as he reads the details of the date, he becomes intrigued. For one night he will get away from the life he has long grown tired of to be hunted and captured by a would-be huntress. But he has plans of his own for his little vixen.

However, when Darian discovers the truth about Ema’s inhuman abilities, the date could end before it gets started.

I’ve confessed this before, the 1Night Stand series is kind of a guilty pleasure for me. They’re short, and when they’re done well (and this one is done quite well) they manage to pack a naughty but nice little happily ever after into a tidy package. Whoever came up with this idea was a genius.

Emalee wants to be the hunter, just for one night. She wants to live out the fantasy in her paranormal romances, and hunt a vampire. She thinks it’s going to be make-believe, except that Ema has a secret. She knows there really are vampires. She can sense them. And shifters. And demons. Oh yeah, and her BFF is a witch.

Darian doesn’t want this little one night stand at all. But there is one woman on earth that he can’t say “no” to. His daughter. She bought it for him as a present. He’s been moping around a bit too long since his wife died. When you’re a vampire, a real one, being a widower can last pretty close to forever.

The one night stand is supposed to be just that, one night. But it can be more. Especially when both parties find exactly what they were looking for. Even though neither of them knew they were looking at all.

Escape Rating B+: Just plain fun. Absolutely marvelous decadent and deliciously sexy fun. Darian and Ema find so much more than they are looking for. Ema finds stuff she didn’t even know was available to be found, like the secret to her powers. She doesn’t even know what she is, and Darian opens up an entire universe to her. In return, she brings him back to life. Almost literally, she gives him a second chance at feeling alive. But I liked that it didn’t resolve immediately. The epilogue is 6 months later, so it’s insta-lust and insta-recognition, but not insta-love.

Good story for such a short package. I wish there were more.

***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.