Fire in Her Blood by Rachel Graves

June 7, 2017 By Leave a Comment


Fire in Her Blood by Rachel Graves
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Full Length (402 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Daisy

Death witch and Detective Mallory Mors arrives at the scene of an out of control arson called by a victim who desperately wants to die. Using her powers, Mallory battles the strongest fire witch in town to help the woman cross over.
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When she’s forced to work with the angry fire witch, she discovers their lives are linked in complicated ways. As all the other fire witches in the city mysteriously lose their powers, the heat is on to solve the case. Saddled with a vampire assault at the local supernatural brothel, a missing person who doesn’t want to be found, and a mess of vampire politics, Mallory struggles to put together the pieces before the city burns.

This book has all the elements of what I would call a riveting read. Despite being the second book in a series, it’s still a fully contained tale. Mallory Mors is a rookie detective in a magical world with numerous bad guys capable of burning people to a crisp, and her home life is steamy, with a head vampire beneath the sheets. Her latest story is full of fire witches and a tangled mystery of arson and death by fire, plus a bonus mystery surrounding the fire witches in her friendship circle.

As a protagonist, Mallory is spontaneous without being stupid, but she is naïve and green in her job, her powers and her beliefs, something I sense will change as the series progresses. I found the intricacies of her love life politics to be played well, most of the time, though occasionally she let a fight go too quickly, as did her partner. Their frequent time in bed, or heading towards it, vividly goes through the play by play of the event and is full of screams, primitive and primal alike. For me, this went too far and ended up sounding unrealistic, a caricature of the event. However, this may have been because I was far more interested in the mystery playing out within the book and found the romance to be a relatively boring interruption in this part of the narrative.

The mystery running through this story was what kept me hooked through the conflictless love scenes and the occasional typo. With fire after fire killing, maiming, and destroying buildings, the culprits were known but not their motives, or their location. The manhunt to find them, bouncing through many seedy establishments along the way, was riveting and gave me a wonderfully thorough introduction to the society and world Graves is building in this series. The payoff to this mystery was a little predictable and I had guessed the outcome from maybe halfway through the book, but there was a twist or two in there which made me smile.

This series is sure to appeal to people who like sex with their mysteries. Some readers may recognise it as a more mainstream version of what Laurell K Hamilton creates in her Anita Blake series. What draws me to the series above all else, are the potential conflicts to come. Mallory has embedded herself into a life with a vampire who keeps his professional life as head vampire of the city secret. Since an old friend of his has reappeared on the scene and become central to Mallory’s work, there’s much for her to learn and, I suspect, much she would not like. I’m eager to find out how those mysteries reveal themselves in later books. I imagine Mallory is in for a rough ride!

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Fire and Midnight by Sandra Renee Appet

May 4, 2017 By Leave a Comment


Fire and Midnight by Sandra Renee Appet
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Holiday
Length: Full Length (212 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Daisy

He could be her best worst decision…

With a glass of wine in hand, Jane Keegan’s finger is poised to delete the account her pushy BFF created for her on “The Cowboys” escort service website. Sure, she’s lonely, but not desperate. Then an image of sky-blue eyes and warm, tanned muscles jumps off the screen. And she finds herself hitting the “Book Now” button.

After all, why not? She’s a free, divorced woman on business in San Antonio. There’s nothing to lose…except her nerve. Especially when Mr. Tall Dark And Incredibly Sexy meets her at a River Walk bar—and his only-for-you smile turns her insides into a quivering mass of second thoughts.
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Ryan Zeigler is enduring one last escort assignment only as a favor before hanging up his Cowboys hat to run his own restaurant. Yet there’s something about the pretty New Yorker’s vulnerable grin and I’ve-got-baggage eyes that halts his usual dating M.O. in its tracks.

When Ryan sweetens the deal—no strings, no payment expected—Jane the good girl takes the bold step of letting her vixen out to play. But when it’s time to go home, her heart is at a crossroads. Is Ryan the real deal? Or is she letting yet another man take her heart for a ride?

Meddling best friends get their partners in crime into the most embarrassing and enjoyable situations. Copious glasses of wine, a pushy friend, and more than a bit of loneliness after her divorce, get Jane to try a Cowboy escort. Of course, she gets more than she bargained for from this unusual date and wraps up the year during the holiday season with more than one surprise!

Ryan Zeigler is hot, mature, a successful businessman, and one of the most caring, family-loving men to come across many women’s path. With his Spanish background, he offers a charming mix of San Antonio to Jane’s palette, and her activities. The chemistry between him and Jane is sparking with electricity…and self-doubt. The sex scenes leave that doubt in the dirt 99% of the time to produce consensual, empowering scenes that feel intimate and personal rather than run of the mill. This partnership is made to last and its shown through each intentional, confidence-building move that Ryan makes.

Jane, on the whole, is a woman who has seen better days in her personal life and her personal approach to life. She needs revitalising and to be shown how to enjoy life again. I love that Ryan is the man to electrify her into the woman she should be, but I hate that very often alcohol is behind her decisions. Often, she is very passive in the face of a fork in the road, and this smacks both of a lack of confidence, and of an old-fashioned approach to relationships.

Of course, family and Jane’s pesky self-doubt as the older, divorced woman, puts a spanner in the works for the couple, which they must overcome long-distance. A tricky obstacle. This was where the book was lacking for me. The magical date scenes, the beauty of place and atmosphere in the getting-to-meet-you scenes were wonderful, truly immersive. The obstacles the couple must overcome are more run of the mill – predictable – and take a long time. The book could have been a good third shorter and still covered the ground it aimed to, while making the plot much more succinct and enjoyable. For me, the book wandered too much after the first major obstacle and became more of a tick the boxes approach to traditional romance: marriage, kids, family life, working life, and the white picket fence. I suspect much of my reluctance here is due to my experiences and age. I’m not an almost thirty woman looking to settle down and I’m not looking for that traditional passive, inexperienced female and super-experienced male sex king, relationship. That’s not my ideal and doesn’t chime with my values.

For many others, Fire and Midnight will tick the boxes of their dream man and their dream life. Certainly, the locations of San Antonio and its River Walk are almost Venice-like in the beauty of the picture which is painted, and the loving relationship which is begun under its roofs. This place and lifestyle is what I fell in love with, and I’m sure many other readers will swoon at the chance to experience the lifestyle painted in the rivers, gondolas and eateries, all with splashes of Spanish charm.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

First Contact by Kat Green

January 4, 2017 By Leave a Comment


First Contact by Kat Green
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (180 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Daisy

Sloane Osborne is a paranormal realtor in the business of selling haunted houses but, in truth, she’s only searching for one ghost. And her time is running out. It’s the 366th day after her fiancé’s death. Michael used to like putting things off for “a year and a day”—so tonight’s the night. Sloane will do anything to make contact with him before the clock strikes midnight. When she gets a call to check out a home in Waukesha, Wisconsin, it’s the last place she thinks Michael would contact her. Sloane is dead wrong.

Haunted houses don’t sell well, but Sloane isn’t slogging them for the money. No, she’s on a single-minded, desperate quest to track down her dead fiancé’s ghost and open her eyes to the supernatural. She is not letting death part her from the love of her life, and her travel to find him is nail-bitingly good. I was zooming through the pages from start to finish.
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Not only did this story have ghosts, it also had a mystery to solve, the truth behind why so many ghosts are inside one home. I guessed who was at fault in the first third to half of the book, but this was not a problem. The real mystery and interest to the book is in the twist on how they did it, and the history behind their criminal activity. This was fascinating to uncover and completely unexpected. This discovery and the bonds between ghosts and the human characters kept me wondering which side would win and survive to see another book, and whether the ghosts would ever be at peace.

Sloane as a character starts one-dimensional. She has one need and lets little else get in her way. This makes her foolish, and she jumps into bad situations too quickly. It’s also realistic. She is in the depths of mourning for the man she grew close to and, after his death, convinced herself was perfect.

Sloane’s partner in solving crime, Jonah, is an FBI agent and so not always at hand to help her out of her emotional crisis, and this story’s crisis. However, he is loyal, patient, clever and comes across as very attractive. The problem? She’s not only hung up on her dead ex, but Jonah is also her ex’s best friend. This creates a romantic crisis to go along with the plot’s tumultuous ride through a murder mystery. (Be warned: violence and neglect are explored in the telling of the murders and could cause upset.)

In terms of sexual content, the only fully fulfilled sexual acts are with the dead romantic interest, Michael, in a kind of alternate reality which Sloane reaches during her darkest moments. I found that it was written well but I could not immerse myself in the story as it was written as if it was between a memory and the present, as well as with a person who is now dead, which makes the whole process somewhat odd.

However, the new, dreamy FBI agent is clamouring for Sloane as much as she is in denial over enjoying his company and I foresee a sequel with as much thrilling action and fulfilling mystery as this book, only with the addition of blisteringly hot trysts with a new partner. Bring it on!

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Under Her Skin by Margo Bond Collins

January 3, 2017 By Leave a Comment


Under Her Skin by Margo Bond Collins
Publisher: Bathory Gate Press
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Full Length (268 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Daisy

Lindi Parker works hard at being human, not an easy task for a weresnake. She has no desire to search for others like her—until a new case changes everything. When Lindi learns that she’s not the only shapeshifter in the world, she realizes she might be next on a killer’s list.

In order to save herself and the abused children she works with, she will have to team up with Dr. Kade Nevala, a member of the shifter tribe responsible for eradicating weresnakes—and the most attractive man Lindi’s ever met. Even more terrifying, she’ll need to embrace her serpent side, a choice that has enormous consequences for Lindi, and for everyone around her.

Snakes are an unusual animal for the shifter subgenre, and the book has an extra twist – Margo Bond Collins knows her snakes inside out, and this is what makes the book fascinating. I learned a lot about snake characteristics and enjoyed the application of these to a shifter, and a greater shifter world. The neutral treatment of the species was refreshing for an animal often vilified in fiction. I also learned they have a nemesis: the mongoose.
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My one complaint about the subject matter was that it is difficult to put a new spin on the tired shifter concept and that, although the unusual animals goes a long way toward doing this, I had no idea what a mongoose was and could have done with more explanatory imagery.

The characters themselves are well drawn and often morally grey in their choices. The protagonist, Lindi, is working against her base instincts and has put herself in a job where she is forced to be empathetic toward humans, pushing her predatory instincts to the back of her mind. Her reactions to fears of her true nature and towards prejudice in the shifter world are realistic and avoid being whiny. I enjoyed seeing her bravery and determination to do the right thing for vulnerable women and children. I one hundred percent trusted her character, and that she would not deviate from her caring tendencies. This kept me turning the pages, hoping she found a second home in the shifter community, and mentally berating those that would oppose her so rudely.

The romantic interest, Kade, is attractive and intelligent, with his own important job. However, I felt he was clever enough to realise he should have explained more about the shifter world to the clueless Lindi earlier on. This lapse was one of the only places I lost believability in both Lindi and Kade’s reactions and decisions. In line with this, I wasn’t keen on how Lindi was pushed into the shifter world with little preparation. All too often characters in shifter stories think their choice is the best and don’t consult with the individual involved. I was surprised that Lindi didn’t take more offence to this.

Romantically, Lindi and Kade should be at loggerheads due to their opposing animal natures, but they can barely keep their hands off each other. It is as if there is a mating call between them – though this is never stated. In fact, by the end of the book, I was still unsure if their attraction was a natural, human, first sight attraction or whether it was an animal instinct amplifying their feelings. I feel this could have been better explained and was waylaid by the plot. However, the steamy sexual tension between these two makes up for it. There is a constant danger in their intimate sessions, their bodies on the edge between human and animal (without crossing the line into bestiality). This heightens the emotion and tension behind the scenes, as does their relatively short length.

The non-romantic plot kept me on my toes and kept Lindi from escaping Kade’s advances. It pushed the main characters into their relationship and showed each of them how strong the other was, and how strong their emotions were. The final fight scene had me wondering who would survive, and turning pages as quickly as I could to get to the end, despite having guessed the culprit from 50-65% of the way through the book. This makes the novel perfect for a romance, but not ideal for mystery lovers.

Under Her Skin, in short, is a new twist on shifter tropes of romance, control, and a council-ruled hidden society within the human world. The romance is tense and slitheringly hot, the plot fast-paced and full of both intrigue and high emotions. There’s also a lot of mileage for a sequel where the shifter world adjusts to its new additions. If you like paranormal romance, this is not one to miss.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Touched by Abbey MacMunn

October 18, 2016 By Leave a Comment

TPUCHED
Touched by Abbey MacMunn
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (206 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Reviewed by Daisy

When inquisitive antique dealer Cami Wilson learns she’s the revered offspring of an immortal mother and a mortal father, it’s not just her hybrid status that has her all flustered. The title comes with her very own super-sexy guardian.

Jaded immortal Joseph Carlisle has only one thing on his mind; his sworn duty to protect the hybrid from those who wish her harm. Anything else would be complicated. That is until they meet.
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Chemistry sizzles between them but there’s a problem—the hybrid’s curse. Cami’s touch, skin to skin, proves near fatal to her and all immortals, Joseph included.

But the fated lovers discover her curse is the least of their concerns when a friend’s deadly betrayal threatens to tear them apart forever.

I loved the concept of Abbey MacMunn’s story and the opening certainly swept me into the tale. It has a great premise and fast pacing, fitting into a young adult or new adult genre, depending on how much sex is deemed acceptable, as there are full blown sex scenes within the book. The main character has all the seeds for a great fantasy read. A mysterious past, a dangerous faction out to get rid of her, and a handsome man (and his brother) on the sidelines.

All the components to make this book a fantastic read are there. However, it really didn’t work for me. The pacing was far too fast for me to believe the love story and the love scenes lacked real steam because of this. The characters were a little flat because more time was spent on their relationship than the pacing and conflict that should have been surrounding them in the first half. Instead of progressing the main fantasy plot, there was an attempt to further the protagonist’s sexual relationship, making it edgy by placing the ‘event’ in a location other than the bedroom, but this location has become somewhat of a tired trope and didn’t distract me from the lack of plot progression.

In addition, some of the locations in the book were disappointing. There was a stereotypical, traditional, drafty castle and a dungeon. I was hoping for something more. I wanted to know more about the characters the protagonist met, the world that she had become a new member of, and the people that surrounded her. I wanted her to react with more passion against the faction out to get her, to put up a real fight rather than be led through the motions. She becomes a passive character, protected by those around her, and more involved in the romance subplot than the main fantasy plot.

Of course, more ‘traditional’ fantasy tales can be really effective, and I certainly think this book would really appeal to the younger market due to the focus on a whirlwind romance. The fated, guardian angel style of romance and the unusual supernatural element to the protagonist will keep a younger (mature young adult to new adult) audience wondering what will come next. The book introduces a supernatural world I’m sure they’d be eager to get to know, and it would be an excellent gateway book to the wider genre.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Omega Rising by Anna Kyle

September 29, 2016 By Leave a Comment

omega
Omega Rising by Anna Kyle
Publisher: World Weaver Press
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (285 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Daisy

Cass Nolan has been forced to avoid the burn of human touch for her whole life, drawing comfort instead from her dreams of a silver wolf—her protector, her friend. When her stalking nightmares return, her imaginary dead sister’s ghost tells her to run, Cass knows she should listen, but the sinfully hot stranger she just hired to work on her ranch has her mind buzzing with possibilities. Not only does her skin accept Nathan’s touch, it demands it. Cass must make a decision—run again and hope she saves the people who have become her family, or stand and fight. Question is, will it be with Nathan or against him?

It is also cheapest viagra check out content a beneficial drug for the treatment of prostate cancer. Lovegra is a new medication only for women for the treatment of female sexual dysfunctions such it increases tadalafil tablets sexual arousal, acts as vaginal lubrication and helps in receiving satisfactory love making period. I hope this has either put your mind generico cialis on line at ease if you’ve already enrolled with any driving schools. It will site link cialis properien stop the loss and, in many cases, prompt regrowth. Nathan Rivers’ life is consumed by his quest to find the Omega wolf responsible for killing his brother, but when the trail leads him to Cass and her merry band of shapeshifters, his wolf wants only to claim her for himself. When evidence begins piling up that Cass is the Omega he’s been seeking, things become complicated—especially since someone else wants her dead. Saving her life might mean sacrificing his own, but it may be worth it to save the woman he can’t keep from reaching for.

Ms. Kyle’s tale takes us on a real adventure, peopled with a mismatch of supernatural characters. We meet a range of shapeshifters and learn about a variety of supernatural talents. As the first book in a series, Omega Rising sets the scene and builds a realistic world.

The characters who work at the stables have their own distinct personalities and back stories. The protagonist, Cass, especially. I liked the unusual handicap she had, though I did feel its interaction with her love interest was a little corny and predictable. That said, the love interest came just how I like them – dark, dangerous, and with a heart that sets its sights on the right girl. You certainly won’t be disappointed by the bedroom antics – these characters love a hot romp under the sheets, and enjoy teasing each other with new and experimental ideas! The man here is definitely in charge, but the woman won’t take a stupid decision without complaint, or a fight. In fact, in this regard, she soon sets him to rights.

I enjoyed the small mysteries which were revealed throughout and felt these were well handled, but I did feel that the shapeshifting wolves that arrived late to the party could have done with more history behind them, and more to differentiate them. As it was, they multiplied the total character count and at times I found myself forgetting who was who! It didn’t help that on a few occasions I felt like I had missed a step in the plot. Suddenly a character was much happier around another character they were wary of before, or a conclusion was made about a small detail of plot that was easy to miss. This could be because the pace throughout the book was very high, and, therefore, smaller details were easier to overlook.

Readers should also be aware that there are some potentially trigger-worthy pasts discussed. Cass has a history of abuse and the romantic interest has also been manipulated but none of these acts take place in real time.

All in all, I would really recommend this book to romance and fantasy lovers. The weight is more towards romance than fantasy, but I can see that the novel is establishing a world for later development and using the lens of a strong romance to do so. For those of you who like to see different side characters paired off, the potential for that with this book is there in spades. A mythical past of the supernatural world appears to be being resurrected alongside this mottled crew of survivors, and I look forward to seeing it progress into a fantasy tale with worldwide implications for the supernatural community.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Blackbird Summer by EM Shotwell

August 24, 2016 By Leave a Comment

SUMMER
Blackbird Summer by EM Shotwell
Publisher: City Owl Press
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (343 pgs)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Daisy

When people fear the unknown, being Gifted is a curse.

In the cornerstone of the rural south, Brooklyn, Mississippi, no one dares make eye contact with the strange Caibre family. Until the rewards are worth the cost. The townsfolk come, cash in hand, always at night, to pay for services only a Gifted can provide.

No matter the Gifts prevalent in her family, at twenty-one, Tallulah is expected to follow the path laid out for her: marriage, babies, and helping her mama teach the family home school program. She’s resigned to live the quiet life and stay out of trouble…until she meets Logan.
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An outsider and all around rebel, Logan doesn’t care about her family’s reputation. Yet after a tragic loss wreaks havoc on the crumbling relationship between the Caibres and the townsfolk, Tallulah must decide if love and freedom are worth risking everything.

New Adult and Young Adult genres mix in this late coming of age story. The protagonist, Tallulah, has a path laid out for her by her magical family, living in semi-secrecy in the rural south, but she, and the non-magical community, are set to buck the trend. This storyline would be typical for a young coming of age story, apart from the fact Tallulah is much older than most looking to fight against their family values and find love where she wants it.

Her romantic interest is likeable, attractive and not the obvious choice for the area she lives in. Being new to dating and in her early twenties, their relationship is unusual for this age group. She’s new to everything, curious and excited to get to know him better. Their kisses and care for each other felt genuine. However, the insistence on cutting away from the sex scenes often left me wondering if a sex scene took place, or not. It was a little too ambiguous in some scenes. Were they making out, interrupted by the next plot point before they could get any further in love making, or did they go the whole way? I still have little clue.

The main plot takes a group of these young magical people, including the protagonist, and pits their wits against a local danger, a person who has been attacking their magical community and inciting hatred in the non-magical nearby town. Their fight back is believable for a group of young adults, but I found myself asking questions: ‘why do they not talk to their parents’ and ‘what are the parents doing about all this?’ Very often it seemed the parents were happy to provoke the nearby town and ignore the issue of who was the perpetrator, upping the stakes and tension level without much logical reasoning. I felt to be more realistic, the parents needed to show a more active fight back, logically looking into who could have caused the attacks against them as well as hitting out at anyone that doesn’t like their community. In many places, it felt like the older generation were more than happy to accept their fate, or incite it.

That said, the mystery of the attacker was fairly well-kept. I guessed who they were about half way through the story and was proved correct, which is better than some murder mysteries. I felt a few more red herrings could have been used to truly disguise the attacker, but it wasn’t badly done, and I was gripped by the storyline until the very end, staying up late to finish the book.

I enjoyed the creative magical community which was created out in the sticks, and the new approach to magical ‘gifts’, with some I’d not heard of before. This rural community was well-built and had a real charm to it. I also found the climatic final scene within this community to be satisfying and enjoyable. There was more worry and pain than joy, but it was a realistic ending to the polarised feelings of those who could use magic and those who couldn’t.

In essence, this is a dark fantasy, coming of age tale. We see and hear of bombs, rape, murder, prejudice and violence against women. It’s all shown in context, but it’s the kind of dark human behaviour which we don’t usually see in a fantasy romance. It gives the story some extra punch, but it does mean I came away from the story feeling a little darker about the human race as a whole. If shades of grey are what you enjoy in your fiction, this book is for you. I, for one, look forward to a sequel, hopefully one with slightly less prejudice.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Unbalanced by Courtney Shepard

January 7, 2016 By Leave a Comment

BALANCED
Unbalanced by Courtney Shepard
Publisher: Champagne Books
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full length (226 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Daisy

Asha is fire.

Every generation four sisters with power over earth, air, fire, and water are born to fight against a fanatical, secret faith. The Order exists only to sacrifice the sisters for their power. With each success their strength and control grows. They have never failed, for their rule depends on it.

The sisters, separated at birth, are unaware of what hunts them…but they are coming.
A handsome stranger discovers Asha in hiding, and swears allegiance to her cause. She falls for him; though he is not who he says he is. Betrayed and imprisoned inside the Order, Asha is without her power for the first time in her life.
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As the war heats up haunting secrets and true motivations are revealed, but the sisters must unite and override their instincts and trust the untrustworthy if they are to fight their terrifying destiny.

Elemental magic threads through this story in more than one way. The narrative focuses on the protagonist Asha – who controls the element of fire – as she meets her equally powerful sisters for the first time, and a dashing young man with blurry allegiances. The heat between these two is as fiery as her element, and as unpredictable.

Their blossoming romance is steely and confusing at first, particularly considering the circumstances Asha is being held under. However, the relationship doesn’t feel out of place here, only stunted and under suspicion. Later, it really comes into its own and there is a magical sex scene with all kinds of arcane power blowing around the room. I will say the sex scene was steamy, but it wasn’t a fully fledged drool-worthy affair and not every detail was spelled out. I also felt there was a slight disconnect between the emotions and the physicality of the event, but that may have been a personal disconnection. The scene would be perfect for those who like their romance heavy-light, and without too much vulgarity.

The plot itself is one in which the sisters and their companions are under threat of death from a mysterious, powerful force. There are subtexts of evil and good, with each side sure the other is in the wrong. By the end of the tale, I have swayed to one side in the debate but have seen no definitive facts of how the past came to be, or hints of how the future will play out. There is a lot of ambiguity, which I like. I feel future books will explore the truth and unveil the mystery of the history in greater detail. This may well take the form of dangerous country-hopping adventures, like the snippets of holiday/investigative snooping which take over the latter half of this book.

However, this unresolved ambiguity is also part of the reason I wasn’t completely satisfied by the ending to Unbalanced. It leaves the issue of this mysterious force attacking the protagonists mostly unexplored and little has been resolved.

Despite this, I can see this plot choice leaves room for a sequel, or three, with the other three sisters – Ivy, Mere and Avia – and their soon to be love interests. There’s a symmetry to this which I like and I love how the sisters are paired up, and the implied chemistry behind it, but this may be too predictable for some.

I feel that this book fits perfectly into the young adult and new adult market. It has similarities to the ‘Lorien Legacies’ books in terms of cared for and hidden away young, supernatural girls and boys coming into their own and battling a near unbeatable power.

If you like magical tales with dashes of romance and an almost certain sequel in the same world, pick this up. There are very few grammatical or editing issues, the narrative style is easy to read, and the characters are believable. Plus, who doesn’t love a good fire, air, earth and water tale?

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Running Home by Christina Kirby

October 27, 2015 By Leave a Comment

HOME
Running Home by Christina Kirby
 Book 2 in the Warm Springs Trilogy
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (235 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Daisy

Small-town beauty queen Jenny Fillmore is a survivor. In the wake of having been kidnapped by a madman, she’s managed to put her life back together, complete with a successful career and a serious boyfriend. But, when her first love returns and hires her as his real estate agent, old wounds are torn open, making Jenny question whether or not she has the life she wants. It turns out broken hearts don’t heal so easily and old desires don’t always fade with time.

Professional baseball player Adam Hamilton didn’t expect a career-ending shoulder injury. Thrown a curveball in his prime, he returns home to Warm Springs and the one woman whose heart he broke to pursue his sports dream. But earning Jenny’s forgiveness won’t be easy. What he and Jenny once shared was real, but she’s moved on. With the new man in her life, time isn’t on Adam’s side.

Sexual stimulation enhances the blood flow to the penile region. online viagra india After taking this medicine, one might feel blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, dizziness, headache order levitra online and diarrhea. The drug will reach to you at earliest days. cialis in uk A latest study in the United States has documented that if this erectile dysfunction medicine is united with a long-used chemotherapy medicine ‘doxorubicin’, it successfully increase its tumor fighting power to alleviate harmful influence of prostate cancer. order cialis online as a treatment for jet lag:Not only traveller but pilots and other individuals have to combat Jet lag that can last for several days after the journey. Like the drama of sports and behind-the-scenes family life? This one is for you. Running Home follows the heartbreak which can happen when a man jumps to play professional baseball and leaves his old flame behind to pick up the pieces… but then, years later, comes back to claim her heart.

Adam is the male romantic interest. He is forceful but sweet, often doing his best to help out his friends. The female romantic interest, Jenny, has a need to prove herself in her career, and in her life. She needs to prove she has not been left by the wayside and is, in fact, doing something with her life. She also needs to prove that an alluded-to attack by a man who leaves her scarred has not stopped her from being independent, even if it has changed her taste in cars.

The chemistry between these two protagonists is electric. Jenny is drawn to Adam like he fills that piece of her which has been empty since he left, and their kisses are steamy, and melting.

Ms. Kirby has done a great job of picking a realistic, rural setting and setting up an initial battle of wills, but the pace of the book quite slow and is more literary romance than the usual fluff. It has a solid backbone and is underlaid by the disappointment of first love broken off. This was not a deal breaker for me, but it was not what I initially expected. Make sure you are in the mood for a leisurely romance for this tale, with plenty of background trips to shop for a friend’s wedding. These two protagonists do not have a romantic relationship in isolation and it is definitely not all about them.

In addition to the relatively slower pace, this book takes advantage of a conflict between Jenny and an ex-lover towards the last third of the book. I didn’t like how he suddenly became ten times more caustic towards Jenny than before. I felt it was too dramatic and an almost unbelievable turnaround for someone supposedly in love previously. I also felt Jenny’s refusal to listen to Adam’s explanations later on was a very childish reaction. I can see why she may have wanted to protect her heart, but it felt like a more contrived than natural reaction, used to add tension to the final will-they or won’t-they drama.

That said, the kisses between Adam and Jenny were not just steamy but boiled over in a quick romp and a longer exploration in the bedroom which left their previous romantic, adolescent encounters in the dust. The only downside to these trysts was that, for those of us who fancy a little more juice in the bedroom details, the petting stopped before or skimmed over the details of release, causing this novel to be somewhere between our sensual and spicy heat ratings.

In short, Running Home is a grown-up romance which follows characters who have grown into themselves and have things to prove, to themselves and their friends. In the end, they prove these things best together, after they’re quite done with blistering kisses, sultry looks and a creaking bed. Their friends and community are more than happy for them in a traditional childhood romance made good.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Bayou Bound by Linda Joyce

January 23, 2015 By 1 Comment

BAYOU
Bayou Bound by Linda Joyce
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full length (383 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Daisy

Biloxi Dutrey grounds her jet-setting photography career and returns to Mississippi when she learns her family home, Fleur De Lis, is headed for financial ruin. She plans to save it by scooping up the job of Keeper. But that means breaking tradition, and her family isn’t cooperating.

Veterinarian Nick Trahan is new in town and wants folks to stop matchmaking. He won’t settle for just a pretty face. He wants the perfect woman, one who believes in family and commitment—the exact opposite of his parents.
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Nick rescues Biloxi during a raging storm, but the squall is tame compared to the tempest between them. Soon they experience the backlash from the long-standing feud between their families. If Biloxi surrenders her dreams for Fleur de Lis and tows the line with tradition, will she also be forced to give up on “forever love” due to the hate their families still harbor?

Bayou Bound is the second book in the Fleur de Lis Series and it focuses on a family centred relationship. Nick and Biloxi’s families are opposed to each other; imagine Romeo and Juliet set in the deep south with deep rooted Southern traditions and values. This is a novel which involves the whole environment around the couple rather than tunnel visioning in on the two of them.

Biloxi is first portrayed as a reluctant damsel in distress but she does have strength of character and is a modern businesswoman in her own right. Nick is a typically strong male – physically and emotionally. However he does have a strange past, his grandfather having hidden much of his family’s history from him as a boy.

There are a few sex scenes thrown in which are satisfying to read and have some spark but these are few and far between due to the familial twist of the book. However there is a lot of fire and physical contact between these two before the sex comes into play.

The families brought an interesting variant to the romance theme but I did think that they came between the couple too often. At many times, this story was more about the drama of their families than the romance. I also felt that the traditional and hard-to-change values of their families were perhaps a little too stuck in stone for contemporary fiction.

That said, I was drawn into the narrative and was never bored by the pace of the piece. I kept reading through the night until the story was done, just to find out how the two families could be forced to like each other and whether love would indeed “win out”. I would recommend this book to historical romance readers who want to try a contemporary piece or to traditional readers and family orientated individuals who would like to see a happy ending.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,
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