Tag: superheroes

Dual Review: Holding Out for a Hero by Christine Bell, Ella Dane, Tamara Morgan, Nico Rosso, Adrien Luc-Sanders

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | 1 1/2 Star> 2 1/2 Stars> 3 1/2 Stars> 4 1/2 Stars> book reviews> Dual Review> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.> The Latin Lover> The Rocket Lover

Format read: ebook copy provided by the publisher for review
Release Date: 14 January 2013
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Number of pages: 550 pages
Formats available: ebook
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Read an excerpt

Blurb:

Scarlett Fever, by Christine Bell and Ella Dane

After five years in training, it’s finally time for Scarlett Fever and her fellow superheroes to leave the United Superhero Academy and test their powers out in the real world. There’s only one problem. She’s been assigned to partner with arrogant, by the book, and irritatingly hot, Blade of Justice.

Blade’s whole life has gone according to plan, and he’s more than ready to move on to the big time, protecting a metropolis of his own. But his perfectly ordered life is derailed when he’s teamed up with the fiery maverick, Scarlett Fever.

Sparks fly the moment they arrive in Plunketville, Oklahoma, as they each set out to force the other to request a transfer. They soon discover there’s more going on in this single stop-sign town than blowing up mailboxes and cow tipping. If Scarlett can get Blade to listen to his gut, and he can teach her to use her head, they just might have a fighting chance.

Ironheart, by Nico Rosso

Vince might be hard as steel, but he’s not invincible. Not when iron touches him, especially in the hands of an evil minion. Not when Kara ran away after a whirlwind affair, just when he thought he might be falling in love. And definitely not when she returns, looking for his help.

The archvillain TechHead is coming for Kara and her superhero teammates, and he’s determined to use their combined power to create the ultimate weapon. But Kara can’t fight him alone. She needs Vince’s brutal skill, though being with him means she risks losing her beloved secret identity, leaving her nowhere else to hide.

When TechHead makes a play to capture Kara, Vince has more to lose than just his heart. But he will do anything for the woman he loves, even if it means putting his heart on the line again.

Playing With Fire, by Tamara Morgan

Fiona Nelson has always been one hot ticket—even before she took the conversion serum that gave her superhu¬man abilities. Fiona’s powers come at a price: lack of human contact, or she won’t be the only thing burning. When she loses control of her emotions, her fire powers run rampant… and she’s hurt enough people already. Including herself.

But when the man behind her conversion returns to black¬mail her into helping him gain power, the only person she can turn to is Ian Jones, the man who broke her teenage heart. The man determined to expose the criminal known as Fireball, whose explosive escapades are just a little too close to Fiona’s M.O.
Ian is convinced Fiona’s dangerous, convinced she’s Fire¬ball, and convinced he’ll damn himself if he doesn’t resist a heat that’s always drawn him to Fiona like a moth to a flame—but Ian has his own secrets.

And he’ll learn far too soon what happens when you play with fire.

From the Ashes, by Adrien-Luc Sanders

Sociopath. Killer. Deviant. Monster, devoid of morals, incapable of human emotion. The villain known as Spark has been called that and more, and as a super-powered aberrant has masterminded count¬less crimes to build his father’s inhuman empire.

Yet to professor Sean Archer, this fearsome creature is only Tobias Rutherford–antisocial graduate research¬er, quiet underachiever, and a fascinating puzzle Sean is determined to solve.

One kiss leads to an entanglement that challenges ev¬erything Tobias knows about himself, aberrants, and his own capacity to love. But when his father orders him to assassinate a senator, one misstep unravels a knot of political intrigue that places the fate of hu¬mans and aberrants alike in Tobias’s hands. As danger mounts and bodies pile deeper, will Tobias succumb to his dark nature and sacrifice Sean–or will he defy his father and rise from the ashes to become a hero in a world of villains?

Our Thoughts:

Stella: With Marlene we are both big superhero fans, so when we heard that Entangled Publishing released this new anthology full of thrilling superhero romance novellas we were more than excited to read them and then later duel about the stories. To keep it from being too long we decided to restrain our discussion to only 2 of the 4 novellas: Scarlett Fever by Christine Bell and Ella Dane and Playing With Fire by Tamara Morgan. So Marlene, en garde! 😉

 

Scarlett Fever by Christine Bell and Ella Dane

Marlene’s Thoughts: Superheroes and sasquatch. I’m not sure whether the question should be what do those those two things have to do with each other, or whether it’s even possible to make a romance out of them, let alone in Plunketville, Oklahoma.

I should have looked to see if there really was a Plunketville, Oklahoma.

The opposites-attract trope can make for a fun romance, and the heat amps up twice as fast in the middle of a scorching Oklahoma summer. Especially when your cover is to live in a trailer park in air-conditioning challenged Plunketville. (I can’t help myself, I just love the name Plunketville, as long as I don’t have to live there)

And one of you is a fireball-throwing rookie-superhero. Partnered with a control-freak rookie-superhero who prides himself on being, not just too cool for school, but too cool for everyone. Especially the out-of-control fireball known as Scarlett Fever.

Blade of Justice is all about being cool and controlled. He dislikes anyone and anything that colors outside the lines or refuses to plan every operation to the last detail. Superheroes like Scarlett.

Too bad that when General Hammer hands out assignments to their graduating class from the United Superhero Academy, he assigns Blade and Scarlett to Plunketville to discover the mysterious anomaly in the hot, dusty, ugly small town.

Their cover says they’re married. Scarlett changes that program immediately. She tells the locals they’re siblings.

It takes less than 24 hours before one of the local waitresses decides that Blade is the hottest thing she’s ever seen.

And before Blade starts to wish that his “sister” had stayed his “wife”.

Then the evil ramps up, Blade and Scarlett start off not sure whether they are still school frenemies, or partners.

But the supervillain in town just wants Scarlett gone. And Blade realizes that coloring outside the lines is more fun, and more powerful, than being in control.

Verdict: Scarlett Fever reminded me of Tiffany Allee’s Heels and Heroes. Everyone knows there are superheroes, there are regular schools for them, it’s an accepted part of the world. This means that everyone also knows that there are supervillains.

It was obvious who the supervillain was. Not what that person’s power was, but who they must be.

What was fun was watching Scarlett and Blade fall for each other. They have a lot of preconceived notions, because they did not get on at school. When they are forced to rely on each other in the field, they discover that a lot of their negative feelings towards each other were a mask for something else.

This was just a fun story. And the characters of Sherwood and Nestor were an absolute hoot.

I give Scarlett Fever 3 and 1/2 radioactive stars.

Stella’s Thoughts: It was by pure chance I read Scarlett Fever, namely that it was the very first story in the anthology and I started with it and I have to say in my opinion Holding Out for a Hero started out with a bang.

Scarlett Fever starts with the graduation exam at the Superhero Academy, where  Scarlett Fever and Blade of Justice fight the graduation battle before being assigned to be each other’s partner for the next year. Their mission is in Plunketville, Oklahoma, and the small town provided a colourful location with several memorable secondary characters.

Scarlett and Blade are complete opposites: Scarlett is fiery, feisty, spontaneous while Blade is cool, level-headed and responsible, he is the ice to Scarlett’s fire, and the sparks crackle between these two. I loved their banter and their loaded silences as well, Blade was a hero the reader could have a serious crush on, while Scarlett was a likeable and very entertaining heroine with her huffing and puffing. The story was truly a superhero romance because Scarlett Fever was just as much about the explosive chemistry between Scarlett and Blade than the superhero mystery, and I absolutely enjoyed both!

She had to admit, it was easy to see Blade’s appeal. He exuded strength and confidence, and he kissed like the world was about to end.

Oh yeah, he definitely does… Can I just say yum? 😉

Verdict: Some people on Goodreads called Scarlett Fever silly, but I don’t expect to take my cartoon superheroes seriously (really, how could you take a hero who is called Blade of Justice seriously? lol 😉 ). But what I expect is lots of action, tongue in cheek humour and tons of fun and Scarlett Fever delivered! If you are a fan of Jennifer Estep’s Bigtime series you’ll love Scarlett Fever as well, and I sincerely hope Christine Bell and Ella Dane will give us more stories in this universe, because it was a lot of fun, and I personally would LOVE to read many more similar superhero stories! 😀

I give Scarlett Fever 4 and 1/2 fiery stars!

Playing With Fire by Tamara Morgan

Marlene’s Thoughts: Fireball was framed, over and over and over. Although this story has a happy ending, this is not a happy story.

Fiona Nelson seems to have been a victim of her own life. She willingly took the conversion serum that gave her the power to spontaneously create fire at a touch, but willing is somewhat of a relative term when it comes to Fiona and men persuading her to do the wrong thing..

She catches fire whenever she loses control of her emotions. She can’t allow anyone to touch her, because, well, love makes you lose control of your emotions. Sex just plain makes you lose control, whether you do it for the right, or the wrong, reasons.

And most of the people, especially men, who have touched Fiona have not done so with love. Or even like. Fiona has some serious self-esteem issues.

Or, as way too many people in her hometown referred to her, Fiona was the town bicycle. Every man got to ride her. She let them. Sex made her feel better. Momentarily. Then she felt worse.

The man who gave her the serum was one of her “lovers”. Now he’s her persecutor. General Eagle, out to save the world from the converted. He calls them the corrupted.

Fiona finds herself asking for help from the first man who told everyone she was so easy. Except Ian was just a boy then, and now he’s a researcher trying to prove the converted really exist.

Without revealing that he is one.

Fiona’s reappearance in his life is Ian’s chance to make up for having wronged her, all those years ago. His only excuse then was that he was young, and stupid, and didn’t speak up for himself very well. Because nothing much happened.

Now he can save her. Or condemn her to death.

Verdict: This story made me sad. It wants to be a superhero story, but it ends up being, I want to say a supervillain story, but not even that. Everyone is a victim. Fiona is a victim. Ian is a victim. Eagle is kind of a victim.

I wanted to kick Ian’s friend in the balls. Twice. he was just an arse beyond reason.

The government doesn’t come off too well either. They mostly manipulate. This story ended up as a sad mess.

I give Playing with Fire 1 and 1/2 sputtering stars.

Stella’s Thoughts: I am a fan of Tamara Morgan’s stories, I enjoyed Love is a Battlefield and her latest release Confidence Tricks was phenomenal, so yeah I admit, that her story was the reason I was the most looking forward to reading this anthology, but sadly Playing with Fire as Marlene just said made me sad as well.

Due to a natural disaster (something about an asteroid hitting Earth) a conversion serum was developed, many people excited to see what supernatural abilities it would develop for them took it without knowing anything about any potential side-effects and consequences, one of them being Fiona, who developed the power to generate heat and fire with her bare hands. Eight years have gone by and although she has come a long way handling this unique ability of hers, she still has a thin grasp on control whenever her temper flares. But with Fiona we don’t see any positive changes this superpower brought to her life only the bad: how for the past 8 years she had to relinquish all kind of human contact, relationship and had to resign herself to a life of loneliness and solitude.

The problem was that this story was depressing on all levels: Fiona had awful teenage years, she had a reputation of the “high school slut”, and it was not due to false rumours and gossips because she really did do the whole football team as Fiona tells us. And even after that not only the world but mostly Fiona objectified her body and traded sexual acts for any kind of human contact: attention, compassion, companionship. Fiona’s past not only made me sad for the young vulnerable girl she was and still is, the problem is that I don’t feel her opinion of herself, on the matter of sex and her self-esteem have changed.

Besides a superhero who still hasn’t risen above her sad past, the hero also made me sad. His best friend was a jerk and even at the last rescue didn’t manage to redeem himself to me. And I wouldn’t call the romance romance as it didn’t have much time or space to develop, since both the hero and heroine were stuck in very different places than the hero and now, at times stuck in high school and their guilt ever since, then trying to escape the threat looming.

Verdict: Although Playing with Fire had a mutant human heroine, somewhat her attitude doesn’t make me think of her as a superhero. I felt sorry and sad for her, and just wanted to hug Fiona and tell her it will be alright, but one of my problems is that I’m not sure at all it will be. The universe in the story seemed very dystopian to me, and I seriously can’t think of any friendly or trustworthy person there. Don’t write off Tamara Morgan based on this story, try one of her contemporary romance for something lighter and fluffier.

I give Playing with Fire 2 and 1/2 stars!

To read Lea’s review of From the Ashes by Adrien-Luc Sanders CLICK HERE.

To read Marlene’s review of Ironheart by Nico Rosso  CLICK HERE.

***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.

Interview with Author Nico Rosso + Giveaway

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

Rosso_Portrait_12V2-255x300My guest today is one of my favorite SFR authors. And, he’s also the husband of one of my favorite authors. So I was especially pleased when Entangled Publishing gave me the opportunity to interview Nico Rosso as part of the tour for their superhero romance anthology, Holding Out for a Hero. I did love Nico’s story (see my review for details), but I also adore the concept, so I hope we get lots more.

True confession, Nico and his wife Zoë Archer’s shared steampunk romance series, The Ether Chronicles was one of my 2012 favorites at Library Journal this year. Interviewing him was an absolute treat. So without further ado…

Marlene:  Welcome Nico! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Nico: -I’m a romance writer, married to a romance writer (Zoë Archer), and I’m trying to find some simplicity in life.  I think that’s why the romance genre is so appealing.  No matter what external threats you throw at the characters, or how damaged they’ve been in the past, it always comes down to the two of them finding themselves and each other at just the right time.

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

Nico: -I’m definitely a planner, so I like to have my outline in pretty good shape before I start in on pages.  Once the piece is humming, I’ll get up early (maybe around 6:30am) to take advantage of the morning calm.  From there I’ll break for meals.  If I’m lucky, I’ll get my day’s work done before lunch, but there are usually more words that need putting down in the afternoon. 

Marlene: What’s the story behind your switch from Hollywood to romance writer? Would it make a good romance novel? Or maybe a screenplay?

Nico: -It’s not a very dramatic story.  Through years of grinding, trying to make inroads, I discovered that the kinds of movies that inspired me in the first place weren’t being made anymore.  I decided that rather than trying to fight my way into something I no longer really liked, I had to find a place where new voices and ideas were welcome.  Through Zoë, I learned that romance was just that place.

nights of steelMarlene:  What’s it like co-creating a steampunk series with your spouse?

Nico: -It’s fantastic working on the Ether Chronicles with Zoë.  Because there’s such a range in the stories, we can be researching Scottish moors one minute, then figuring out how an ether rifle works the next.  We’re always discussing our projects with each other, anyway, so this was just a natural evolution.

Marlene: And how did you work out the writing territory in The Ether Chronicles? Pins in a dartboard? Knives at 20 paces?

Nico: -We knew early on that I’d be writing the Westerns and she’d handle everywhere else.  It suited our interests and kept things defined so there’d be no thumb wrestling over who got to tell which story.  The only time we take out the rubber knives is when we have to choreograph fight scenes (seriously, we do this).

holding out for a heroMarlene: What can we expect of Ironheart?

Nico: -I really wanted Ironheart to take me back to my early days of reading comic books in the ‘80s, so you’ll find a lot of gritty action and tough talking heroes.  But there’s also a very human story at the core.  Despite all their powers, both Vince “The Anvil” and Kara “SnapDragon” are vulnerable where their hearts are concerned, and it’s a difficult struggle for them to learn to trust again.

Marlene:  Will there be more books in the Heroes Guild?

Nico: -I’d love to explore more stories in the Heroes Guild.  It all depends on demand.  If the reader’s devour Ironheart and still want more (wink), I’ll deliver.

Marlene: All your writing is on the “way out there” side of the romance equation: steampunk, science fiction romance (YES!) and now superheroes. What drew you to that spark of the genre in particular?

Nico: -I think because I didn’t come to romance as a reader first, but as a writer, I found inspiration in other genres from my past, then drew them into the romance writing.

Marlene: Name one book that you’ve bought just because of the cover.

Nico: -I bought a 1957 edition of H. Rider Haggard’s She & King Solomon’s Mines because the cover was so simple and classic for these adventure stories.  A green hardcover cloth binding with a black rectangle telling you the author and titles.  It’s small, so it fits in the hand beautifully.  The kind of book you keep with you for train rides and rainy cafes.

Marlene: What is the one book that you most want to read again for the first time?

Nico: -Because I read them in high school and didn’t bring as much life experience to the works as they deserve, I’d like to rediscover Flannery O’Connor’s short stories.  Her use of overt and subtle imagery is amazing.

Marlene: You mentioned something in your blog about a new project. Have anything you want to share? Or can you tell us something about your not-so-secret upcoming projects?

Nico: -I’d love to share all the details, but unfortunately it’s just too early.  I can say that this new project isn’t like anything I’ve written in romance before.  Expect more of my actual voice in the piece.  It’s still a romance, but it’s definitely raw and raunchy. 

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

Nico: -I love to cook, and one of the greatest pleasures is to have time in the kitchen to bake bread.  It’s such a simple process, but not always easy.  Like a meditation, where you have to maintain focus.  And at the end, you have warm food to eat, uncomplicated and made from your own hands.

Marlene: Coffee or Tea?

Nico: -Coffee for when I want to break down walls.  Green tea for when I want to walk through them.

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Review: Holding Out for a Hero

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | A Reviews> blog tours> book reviews
holding out for a heroFormat read: ebook provided by the publisher
Formats available: ebook
Genre: Paranormal romance, Superhero romance
Length: 355 pages
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Date Released: January 14, 2013
Purchasing Info:Christine Bell’s Website, Ella Dane’s Website, Tamara Morgan’s Website, Nico Rosso’s Website, Adrien-Luc Sander’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Scarlett Fever, by Christine Bell and Ella Dane

After five years in training, it’s finally time for Scarlett Fever and her fellow superheroes to leave the United Superhero Academy and test their powers out in the real world. There’s only one problem. She’s been assigned to partner with arrogant, by the book, and irritatingly hot, Blade of Justice.

Blade’s whole life has gone according to plan, and he’s more than ready to move on to the big time, protecting a metropolis of his own. But his perfectly ordered life is derailed when he’s teamed up with the fiery maverick, Scarlett Fever.

Sparks fly the moment they arrive in Plunketville, Oklahoma, as they each set out to force the other to request a transfer. They soon discover there’s more going on in this single stop-sign town than blowing up mailboxes and cow tipping. If Scarlett can get Blade to listen to his gut, and he can teach her to use her head, they just might have a fighting chance.

Ironheart, by Nico Rosso

Vince might be hard as steel, but he’s not invincible. Not when iron touches him, especially in the hands of an evil minion. Not when Kara ran away after a whirlwind affair, just when he thought he might be falling in love. And definitely not when she returns, looking for his help.

The archvillain TechHead is coming for Kara and her superhero teammates, and he’s determined to use their combined power to create the ultimate weapon. But Kara can’t fight him alone. She needs Vince’s brutal skill, though being with him means she risks losing her beloved secret identity, leaving her nowhere else to hide.

When TechHead makes a play to capture Kara, Vince has more to lose than just his heart. But he will do anything for the woman he loves, even if it means putting his heart on the line again.

Playing With Fire, by Tamara Morgan

Fiona Nelson has always been one hot ticket—even before she took the conversion serum that gave her superhu¬man abilities. Fiona’s powers come at a price: lack of human contact, or she won’t be the only thing burning. When she loses control of her emotions, her fire powers run rampant… and she’s hurt enough people already. Including herself.

But when the man behind her conversion returns to black¬mail her into helping him gain power, the only person she can turn to is Ian Jones, the man who broke her teenage heart. The man determined to expose the criminal known as Fireball, whose explosive escapades are just a little too close to Fiona’s M.O.
Ian is convinced Fiona’s dangerous, convinced she’s Fire¬ball, and convinced he’ll damn himself if he doesn’t resist a heat that’s always drawn him to Fiona like a moth to a flame—but Ian has his own secrets.

And he’ll learn far too soon what happens when you play with fire.

From the Ashes, by Adrien-Luc Sanders

Sociopath. Killer. Deviant. Monster, devoid of morals, incapable of human emotion. The villain known as Spark has been called that and more, and as a super-powered aberrant has masterminded countless crimes to build his father’s inhuman empire.

Yet to professor Sean Archer, this fearsome creature is only Tobias Rutherford–antisocial graduate researcher, quiet underachiever, and a fascinating puzzle Sean is determined to solve.

One kiss leads to an entanglement that challenges everything Tobias knows about himself, aberrants, and his own capacity to love. But when his father orders him to assassinate a senator, one misstep unravels a knot of political intrigue that places the fate of humans and aberrants alike in Tobias’s hands. As danger mounts and bodies pile deeper, will Tobias succumb to his dark nature and sacrifice Sean–or will he defy his father and rise from the ashes to become a hero in a world of villains?

My Review:

I still hear the song. Whenever I read that phrase, “holding out for a hero”, I still hear Bonnie Tyler’s version, her slightly raspy delivery, punctuated by drumbeats…or gunfire.

But the words still resonate. In the song, it wasn’t merely a hero. Oh, no, not just a hero.

I need a hero
I’m holding out for a hero ’til the end of the night
He’s gotta be strong
And he’s gotta be fast
And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight

She wanted a “street-wise Hercules”, even a superman to sweep her off her feet. A pretty tall order.

A hell of a song.

Ironheart by Nico Rosso

Nico Rosso’s Ironheart is the love story of two superheroes, Kara the SnapDragon and Vince the Anvil. But that song, “Holding out for a Hero” was tailor-made for Kara. She may be a superhero herself, but Vince is the hero that she’s holding out for.

She ran from Vince when their affair got to be too much for her to handle. Kara wasn’t born a superhero, and she’s still adjusting. She and the three other WildFlowers were chosen by a cosmic sensei to become the WildFlowers. It’s only been a year. And well, her sensei is very zen. He expects the WildFlowers to embrace their sisterhood and one heck of a lot of zen calm. It’s the way of his people. But it’s not the messy human way.

Vince is very messy and very human. He was born different, and he’s embraced what he is. He’s also pretty badass for someone who is a superhero and not a supervillain. His team, Omni Force, tended to blame him for any collateral damage that happened when they took out a bunch of villains.

But since Kara left him, Vince has left Omni Force to take the blame for their own collateral damage. He’s left Omni Force, period, and lost himself.

Kara digs him out in the middle of a fight with a bunch of GearHead punks. Vince thinks she’s finally come back to him. Well, she has, but…she found him because she needs his help. Kara would have come back to him eventually, but her sister WildFlowers have been captured by the archvillain TechHead, and she needs Vince’s help now.

She gets caught up in just plain needing Vince, first. Before she explains why she came to find him. He feels betrayed. Of course he does. Then she gets captured. And he finally gets his head straight about what parts of their encounter really matter. Not to mention that little problem of rescue.

Kara gets her hero. Kara also gets to become the hero she was meant to be. Vince becomes a better hero. And TechHead gets disassembled back into little gearbits.

I love a good superhero stomp! Escape Rating A for the sheer exhiliarating fun of it!

from the ashesFrom the Ashes by Adrien-Luc Sanders

Tobias Rutherford is a graduate student. He seems to have slightly less of a social life than most grad students working on a thesis. And there’s a reason for that–Tobias is leading a double life. Grad student by day, aberrant hitman by night.

What’s an aberrant? In this futuristic world, ever since the advent of genetic modification of human fetuses, some children are born with special powers. They are called aberrants. Tobias can manipulate electric currents. Your computer, your cell phone…your heart.

His father rules and aberrant dictatorship in what used to be Thailand. He plans for Tobias to take his place someday. If Tobias survives his increasingly dangerous apprenticeship. Aberrancy is a cut-throat existance.

Power corrupts, and absolute power still corrupts absolutely. Especially when it operates from the shadows.

If Tobias fails his father, he’ll be killed. But every operation he performs for his father strips away more and more of his soul. Of course, aberrants aren’t supposed to have souls. They aren’t supposed to feel emotions. Only humans feel emotions, and aberrants aren’t human.

Tobias still feels things. It’s only when he puts on his “mask” as Spark, his aberrant alter-ego, that he is able to set aside his emotions and perform the tasks his father sets for him.

Until he is “distracted” by his ethics professor, Sean. Tobias doesn’t even believe in ethics.

This story is told entirely in the first-person, from Tobias/Spark’s point of view. We read his internal struggle with the tasks appointed to him, which are, honestly, murder and destruction. At the same time, we see him fight his growing attraction to Sean, and then fall in love without knowing what is happening, because he has no experience to compare it to.

Tobias isn’t likeable, but he is fascinating. He’s been told one thing about what he should be, but it doesn’t fit, and yet he has nothing else to go by. And he wants to survive.

This story is compelling. I wanted to know more about how the whole society came to be, but of course, Tobias doesn’t know, or care. He’s just trying to get on with his life. This one keeps you thinking about it after the last page.

Escape Rating A-. The great thing about the first-person perspective of this story is that it helps the reader sympathize with Tobias, who would otherwise be a completely unsympathetic villain. The problem with the first-person perspective is that we only know what Tobias says to himself or to someone around him. It cuts off some of the world-building necessary for me to really get into a futuristic story. YMMV.

I didn’t stop with just two heroes. These stories were way too much fun. If want more heroes, go to Book Lovers Inc. on Friday, February 22 for the rest of the 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? 2-17-13

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Book Lovers Inc.> The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

This is Presidents Day weekend in the U.S. We are not celebrating the vampire-hunting prowess of Abraham Lincoln. (Officially, it turns out we really are still celebrating George Washington’s birthday, in spite of the date gerrymandering.)

We are celebrating the U.S. Federal government’s desire to provide 3-day weekends to as many people as possible, in the hopes of encouraging tourism. I don’t know how well that’s working out.

Some of us have Monday off to celebrate this slightly strange amalgam of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12, 1809) and George Washington’s birthday (February 22, 1732). Or as my father used to call the latter, “Birthington’s Washday”.

It’s a long slog until the next holiday, Memorial Day at the end of May. At least that’s one we almost all get.

But let’s celebrate this past week first. What happened last week?

Celebrating Saint Valentine Blog Hop (ends tonight!)
B Review: Lady In Deed by Ann Montclair + Giveaway (ends 2/22)
B Review: Iron Guns, Blazing Hearts by Heather Massey
A Review: A Devil’s Touch by Victoria Vane
A+ Review: The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
Stacking the Shelves (34)

This week I will be part of the tour for Holding Out for a Hero, the superhero anthology with stories from Christine Bell and Ella Dane, Tamara Morgan, Nico Rosso and Adrien-Luc Sanders. I’ll be reviewing two of the stories here, and two of the stories at Book Lovers Inc. on Friday. I’m also planning to have an interview with Nico Rosso here on Wednesday.

I also had a chance to review The Dragon Healer, one of the Dragon Knights series by Bianca D’Arc for Library Journal. Since I got book 1.5, it gave me an excuse to give longer reviews here at Reading Reality.

There will be other surprises this week, so stay tuned and see what pops up!

Review: Heels and Heroes by Tiffany Allee + Giveaway!

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews> ebook giveaway> Giveaways
Format read: ebook provided by the author
Formats available: ebook
Genre: Paranormal romance
Length: 79 pages
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Date Released: January 7, 2013
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Brenda is a second-rate superhero, normally more concerned with uniform fashion than defeating bad guys. But when a violent, new super villain declares war against her city, she suddenly finds her specialized power to deafen sound in high demand.
As if facing the destructive force of a new enemy isn’t bad enough, she finds herself paired with the powerful, yet emotionally distant, Justice. Forced to work at the side of the only man who gets her heart pounding, Brenda is not only in danger of losing her life in battle, but also her heart to a man who might not be able to love her back.

What if being a superhero was just like having an aptitude for sports, or math?

Some people have it, and some people don’t. Some folks are better at it than others.

It’s just that the “minor” superheroes attend “career day” at the local high school wearing masks. Everyone may know they exist, but they still need to hide their secret identities. because where there are superheroes, there are also super-villains.

And also super-egos, and not just in the Freudian sense.

Brenda has always been kind of the “runt of the litter” when it comes to superpowers. She knows she’s got a second-rate power. Her parents, both retired members of the local Council, have never hesitated to remind her of that fact, every single time they see her.

Neither has her younger brother. He’s the one who got the first-rank talent. He’s the one her parents dote on. She’s just a nobody in their eyes.

And in the eyes of everyone in the Chicago superhero council. She’s good enough to show up at ribbon cuttings and career fairs, but no one asks for her when they need a powerful talent.

Until the Howler comes to town. Because his talent is just what it sounds like. A mind numbing howl of sound that knocks out everyone within reach of his voice. Including superheroes. While everyone is out, the Howler robs banks.

And kidnaps the Mayor of Chicago for ransom. (Too bad it wasn’t one of the Daleys. But enough of the walk down memory lane)

Brenda’s talent is sound blocking. She’s the Silencer, and the only superhero the Howler can’t take down. They all hope.

But she’ll need to work with a team of talents, because she can only block the Howler if she can find him, and that’s not her talent.

Justice can track a superhero. Justice, the hero of all Brenda’s hottest dreams. But she knows that no first-rate talent would ever look at second-rate her for two seconds.

She has no clue that Justice has done nothing but look at her for months. Since the second he moved to Chicago. He’s only keeping away from her because he believes that everyone he loves gets killed. Just like his parents and his sister.

He doesn’t trust his emotions not to be a distraction. And a danger.

Justice has never learned that love is what makes life, even super-powered life, worth living. And Brenda has never had anyone believe in her.

Too bad the Howler is targeting both of them, just when they’ve found each other.

Escape Rating B+: I had such a terrific time reading this story! I really hope there are more stories in this world. What a blast!

Brenda has learned to live with so little validation from her super-powered family that she’s created an entirely separate and very worthwhile life for herself as a mundane. In that world, she has a purpose and authority and she owns her life.

Justice finds her take-charge attitidue in her day-job a real turn-on.

Her diffidence when she’s with her family made this reader want to slap someone upside the head. Justice takes care of that, verbally at least. The family dynamic is sad but real–how many families are there where the very talented child is treated like royalty and the normal child is treated like a doormat?

Justice and Brenda’s relationship develops quickly but naturally. It doesn’t feel like the insta-love you often read in short novellas, because they have known each other for several months, and have been attracted to each other. They’ve just both resisted the pull for reasons that turn out not to matter.

Absolutely super superhero romance.

~~~~~~TOURWIDE GIVEAWAY~~~~~~

Win one of three ecopies of Heels and Heroes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***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.

Stacking the Shelves (29)

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

Looking at this list, it’s easy to see that the New Year has started with a bang, at least as far as Stacking the Shelves is concerned.

I always find way too many temptations on NetGalley when Carina Press puts up their next month’s list. They’re kind of like Lay’s Potato Chips for me, reading-wise, I can’t read just one.

And then there’s that delight of working in a big library again. Galen and I have started watching Midsomer Murders so he wanted to read them. Caroline Graham’s first four Inspector Barnaby books are not available in ebook in the U.S. (They are in Australia!) But my library has them. I love a good mystery, and he’s enjoyed them so much that now I want to read them too.

For Review: (all ebooks)
Dark Secrets (Arcane #2) by Shona Husk
Heels & Heroes by Tiffany Allee
How Beauty Saved the Beast (Tales of the Underlight #2) by Jax Garren
Immortal Craving (Dark Dynasties #4) by Kendra Leigh Castle
Lady in Deed by Ann Montclair
Rulebreaker by Cathy Pegau
Savage Angel (Earth Angels #2) by Stacy Gail
Vacant Graves (Magnocracy #2) by Christopher Beats

Purchased: (all ebooks)
Immortally Yours (Monster M*A*S*H*) by Angie Fox
King of Darkness (Chronicles of Yavn #1) by Elisabeth Staab

Borrowed from the Library: (all print)
Death in Disguise (Chief Inspector Barnaby #3) by Caroline Graham
Death of a Hollow Man (Chief Inspector Barnaby #2) by Caroline Graham
The Killings at Badger’s Drift (Chief Inspector Barnaby #1) by Caroline Graham
Monster Hunter International (MHI #1) by Larry Correia
What Happens at Christmas (Millworth Manor #1) by Victoria Alexander
Written in Blood (Chief Inspector Barnaby #4) by Caroline Graham

Ebook Review Central, Carina Press, September 2012

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

Welcome to the First Anniversary Edition of Ebook Review Central!

The first issue of Ebook Review Central was published a little more than one year ago. But what it covered, well, that’s the anniversary part. Roughly this time last year, ERC started with the Carina Press titles from September 2011.

And here we are, back again, with the Carina Press titles from September 2012.

Carina Press publishes slightly fewer titles per month than they did a year ago; 15-ish now instead of 20. However, everything they publish gets reviewed. Every single title. Usually in more than one blog, and often by RT Book Reviews, or Library Journal Xpress Reviews, or both. It must help a lot to have Harlequin’s deep pockets, but that wouldn’t matter if their books weren’t consistently good. And they are.

Talking about good books, which titles did reviewers say were good this month?

Number one has to be the re-release of  Christine d’Abo’s Long Shots Books 1-3. Not just because it garnered another bunch of extremely positive reviews for the very nicely priced set, but because it got people to go back and re-review the three titles that make up the series: Double Shot, A Shot in the Dark, and Pulled Long. This series of erotic novellas is the story of the Long siblings, the coffee shop they own, and a local sex club named Mavericks. There’s one friends-into-lovers story, one BDSM story, and one male/male story to round out this set that is guaranteed to warm up a winter night.

 

Sometimes, the number of reviews makes a book a clear choice, just because so many people are talking about the book. The Reluctant Amazon by Sandy James is that kind of story. Readers loved the idea of a normal woman discovering that she is a superhero with the power to save the world, and then they (well, we) all debated the merits of the details. The story has an absolutely fantastic opening scene, and the worldbuilding shows promise. Read Tracy’s review at Tracy’s Place for the positive spin and Mandi at Smexy Books for the so-so reaction.

The third featured book this week didn’t get quite as many reviews as a couple of other titles. But, every single reviewer who reviewed this book liked it. In many cases, they liked it a LOT. No mehs. no 2/5 or DNFs. Just a lot of good feelings about a fun book.

This week’s final featured title is How to Date a Henchman by Mari Fee. It’s a fantasy romance about a  girl who works for a mysterious agency. One where she doesn’t know what’s going on in the basement. She starts finding out when she goes on a date, not with the guy who comes to visit the company, but, you guessed it, his henchman. Mayhem ensues. The biggest complaint about this story was that it was just too damn short. Everyone wanted more of the fun!

So in September 2012 for Carina we have erotic romance and superheroes. Back in September 2011 we had urban fantasy, shapeshifters and romantic suspense. Still sounds like lots of things going bump in the night to me!

We’ll be back next time with the Dreamspinner Press titles from September 2012!

Interview with Author Heather Long + Giveaway

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | Author Interviews> Author Q&A> ebook giveaway> Giveaways

As a lover of science fiction romance (over at Book Lovers Inc. I’m The Rocket Lover because of it!) I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome Heather Long to Reading Reality today. She’s here to talk about her fantastic  (see review) new SFR superhero romance from Carina Press, Yesterday’s Heroes.

Marlene: Heather can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Heather: I live in Texas and nearly every animal I have is a stray or a rescue. I’m a freelance writer and copyeditor, I am a mom, a quilter, a reader, and a friend. But at the heart of all of these things, I’m an author. I’ve always written, and when I was little, my grandmother used to read me Harlequin romance novels by Penny Jordan and Nora Roberts. I’m always working on my next project, and I fall a little bit in love with every hero I write.

Marlene: Yesterday’s Heroes is a little bit science fiction, a little bit time-travel, and a lot superhero romance. What inspired you to come up with this mix of genres for Yesterday’s Heroes?

Heather: The In Death series. The X-Men. The Teen Titans. The Avengers. Batman. Terminator. Time Cop. Star Trek.  Changing the past is a provocative challenge, never mind the inherent paradox that exists when you travel into your past. If you recall from H.G. Wells The Time Machine — the reason he could never save his wife is that saving her would have negated the creation of the time machine itself. So these elements create a tapestry of conflict–internal and external — that I just couldn’t leave alone.

Marlene: What did it feel like when you got the call from Carina Press that they were publishing Yesterday’s Heroes?

Heather: I actually wrote about that call for an anthology, because I was in a changing room trying on bras when I got the phone call. I was over the moon thrilled and almost speechless, which never happens to me. It was an awesome feeling.

Marlene: Were you thinking of any particular superheroes when you put together the mix of powers that make up the Boomers?

Heather: Not exactly–I took elements that I enjoyed from different variations on different superheroes over the years — the elements that made me reach for those comic books over and over. Most of the Boomers then introduced themselves to me one at a time.

Marlene: Who are your favorite superhero movies or TV shows?

Heather: The Avengers blew me away when that came out – in fact, I have been over the moon with all the Marvel products in the last few years. As a writer and a fan, it’s amazing to see how well they’ve folded the worlds together with each film and then Whedon’s Avengers just knocked it out of the park. I watched Smallville for the entirety of its ten year run and prior to that I watched Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and even the Superboy series in the late 1980s. I enjoy Nolan’s Batman – even if I think they went far too dark and at the same time I wanted to see more with the internal mythology of that series.

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

Heather: My grandmother. She read for years and she used to read to me from Harlequins when she was little.

Marlene: Who influenced your decision to become a writer?

Heather: I’ve wanted to write since I fully grasped reading, so it would have to be my grandmother.

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

Heather: Read Yesterday’s Heroes — it’s one of the best books I’ve ever written – and I can’t wait to spend more time in this world.

Marlene: Will there be more books about the Boomers? Can you tell us a little about your upcoming projects?

Heather: I hope there are more Boomers — fingers crossed! Also coming is The Lady is a Thief, the third and final installment in the Fortunate Buddha trilogy, Micah & Mrs. Miller, book three of the Fevered Hearts series and No Regrets, No Surrender which is the full length follow up to Retreat Hell! She Just Got Here (Always a Marine series).

Marlene: Morning person or night owl?

Heather: Morning person!

Somebody please tell Carina Press I want more Boomers. Right now! In the meantime, I’ll just have to indulge my guilty little addiction for 1Night Stand books, now that I know Heather’s written a whole series of them. Thanks Heather!

~*~*Giveaway*~*~

As part of her blog tour, Heather is offering ten copies of Yesterday’s Heroes and one copy of Marshal of Hel Dorado.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Yesterday’s Heroes by Heather Long

Posted on by Marlene Harris | Author : | A Reviews> blog tours> book reviews
Format read: ebook from author and tour host
Formats available: ebook
Genre: science fiction romance
Series: Boomers #1
Length: 89 p.
Publisher: Carina Press
Purchasing Info:Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks

Rory knows she’s being watched, and she’s not about to let the hunter catch her in his trap. She’ll confront her stalker, a man she suspects is involved in the disappearances of other superheroes—if she can ignore the sensual heat that fills her every time he’s near…

Michael Hunter
Codename: Hard Target
Abilities: expert tracker and sniper
Mission: kill Rory Graystone

One of five desperate men sent back in time to save the future, Michael believes eliminating Rory is the key to his mission. But even as he takes aim, a split second of doubt causes him to miss his shot.

Drawn together by passion, and on a collision course with fate, can Rory and Michael work together to change the future? Or have they set in motion the horrific history the time travelers are trying to prevent?

Tomorrow is yesterday.

It is for Michael Hunter and the men of his Bio-Mechanical Recon Unit. The Boomers. In 2115 this group of men with forbidden superpowers is sent back in time, in order to prevent the future that has branded them worse than outlaws.

In 1969 they start over as sleeper agents, blending in and waiting. Hoping to prevent the key events that their future believes will make a better tomorrow. In addition to the superpowers they were born with, they’ve been given a chemical cocktail to help them heal and survive the 150 years of waiting…while they change the future. Or is it the past.

Telepath, shapechanger, bioweapon, supersoldier, and tactician. A team. With instructions about the key points and people that should make the timeline shift in favor of less retrictions on supers. Heck, less restrictions on everyone.

9/11 was one of those key points. That’s a chilling thought. And it grounds the story in the real. The only problem is that the Boomers weren’t successful in derailing the train to future nightmare city.

Forty plus years after their insertion point, things aren’t going so well. They’ve missed their targets. The bad future is still on course. That’s when the story begins, and the future changes.

The Boomers know who the bad guy is in 2115. Their plan is to wipe him out before he takes power. In order to bring Hans Geiger out of the shadows, the plan is to assassinate his daughter, Aurora Greystone.

But the data is faulty. Aurora Greystone is a super. Just like the Boomers. She thinks they’re responsible for the disappearance of two of her teammates. So instead of a planned hit, this is a game of cat and mouse. Her super ability to sense the probabilities cancels out his tactical skills.

Michael Hunter has to confront the only person he’s ever shot at, and missed. He’s followed her for weeks, and she tempts him beyond all reason. This confrontation, it shouldn’t happen, but he can’t resist.

Rory knows she’s being stalked, and she’s let it happen. She’s told herself it’s to find out what happened to her teammates, but that’s not all it is. She wants to hunt the hunter. He tempts her beyond all sense.

Their confrontation is explosive in a way that neither of them imagined. They should kill each other. Instead, they claim each other. To the point that Michael turns on one of his own to protect Rory.

And his implant, silent for twenty years, comes back to life. Rory might bring the future back on track. Or destroy it.

If they can figure out which before it’s too late.

Escape Rating A-: Mix the Terminator with the X-Men, and add some werewolf fated mate trope for flavor, and you’ve got something like Yesterday’s Heroes. But there’s more.

The idea of traveling back in time to fix the present is definitely Terminator-esque, but what I liked about the way that it gets handled in Yesterday’s Heroes was that knife-in-the-gut twist, that the Boomers might have created the bad history they want to prevent by going back in time.

There’s also the heartbreak that one of the Boomers had a life in the future he wanted to get back to, one way or another. Once Rory and Michael change the path, the future that the Boomers came from will not be the one they live to see, if they manage to live to see it. For Rex, there’s a ton of pain in the new future. His story would be a three-hankie special.

I ended up with some questions. Who is/was Hans Geiger? In the future, he’s the dictator. He’s supposed to be Rory’s father. She says he’s not. She’s being honest, but that may mean that she doesn’t know that he’s her father. Or, since in the future he’s the big bad (he’s also immortal) the whole Boomer project may have been designed to bring about his reign of terror. The whole thing could be a conspiracy.

I’d also have liked a bit more explanation of why Michael and Rory literally had the instant chemistry. And it seemed to be actual chemistry. It was necessary for the plot to work, but it never got explained. Was it something about them both being supers? Did it have to do with the chemicals used on the Boomers, and if so, why did it also affect Rory? Or was it part of Rory’s talent for finding the only avenue to survival, and if so, why did it work on Michael?

Too many possibilities, and no way to get answers until the next book. I want the next book!

***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? 9-9-12

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

In theory, it’s Fall. I say theory, because in Atlanta, it’s still way up into the 80s. On that chilly other hand, my friends in Alaska tell me that the first overnight frosts of the season have been reported, right on time.

Loved the summers, hated the winters. Atlanta and Florida are the other way around. Clearly I need to find a happy medium.

Speaking of happy mediums, let’s recap last week’s reviews:

A- Review: Garment of Shadows (Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes #12) by Laurie R. King
A- Review: Wicked As They Come (Blud #1) by Delilah S. Dawson
B+ Review: Senator, Mine (All Mine #1) by Kerry Adrienne
B- Review: Druid, Mine (All Mine #2) by Kerry Adrienne
B Review: Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay
C+ Review: Blind Traveler Down a Dark River by Robert P. Bennett

But that was last week and this is, well, this week. The Labor Day holiday is over. No more long weekends until Thanksgiving, at least for those of us in the States.

But there’s still a lot to look forward to. So many books, so little time. Isn’t that on a t-shirt somewhere?

After Monday’s Ebook Review Central (this week the feature is Dreamspinner’s July titles) I have a couple of tours on tap.

Wednesday’s guest will be Lia Davis, because she’s on tour to promote her latest book, Ravished Before Sunrise. I will confess that the 1Night Stand series is kind of a secret vice, (not so secret now) so it’s great whenever one of their authors does a tour. They’re always fun reads, and Ravished Before Sunrise was no exception.

Thursday is a real treat. I love science fiction romance, and Heather Long has written a fantastic start to a new science fiction romance series. Yesterday’s Heroes mixes science fiction with superheroes and even time-travel for something really, really cool. So I’m very excited that she’s my guest for an interview and I had a chance to review Yesterday’s Heroes. I hope this first book in her Boomers series is the start of something big.

And looking ahead to next week, I’ll have one of the most interesting combinations I’ve seen in a while. Vampires and cowboys. Together. Specifically, Blood and Whiskey by Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall, the second book in their Cowboy and Vampire series. Clark and Kathleen are on tour, and they answered a bunch of my interview questions. I’ve got both books to look forward to for next week.

But first, this week, Shannon Stacey’s All He Ever Needed. Yes, that’s right. The fourth book in her Kowalski Family series is out on Monday and I’ve got a review copy (I have to review it for Library Journal). Expect a review on Reading Reality on Tuesday!

What are you up to this week? How’s your fall shaping up?