Review: Unfixable by Tessa Bailey

18 April, 2014 2:40 pm , 3 Comments , Kristin

Unfixable
By: Tessa Bailey
Publisher: Entangled
Published: April 14, 2014
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:
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He’s the last thing she wants…but the only thing she needs.

Willa Peet isn’t interested in love. She’s been there, done that, and has the shattered heart to prove it. Ready to shake the breakup, she heads to Dublin, Ireland. But there’s a problem. A dark-haired, blue-eyed problem with a bad attitude that rivals her own. And he’s not doling out friendly Irish welcomes.

Shane Claymore just wants to race. The death of his father forced him off the Formula One circuit, but he’s only staying in Dublin long enough to sell the Claymore Inn and get things in order for his mother and younger sister. He never expected the sarcastic American girl staying at the inn to make him question everything.

But even as Willa and Shane’s fiery natures draw them together, their pasts threaten to rip them apart. Can Shane give up racing to be with the woman he loves, or will Willa’s quest to resurrect the tough-talking, no-shit-taking girl she used to be destroy any hope of a future together?

This is a great spinoff of the first book from Tessa’s erotic adult romance, Line of Duty series. Willa is actually the young sister of Ginger who was the main character from Protecting What’s His. Even though Willa wasn’t a main character in the story, she made sure her presence was known. She was a loud mouthed, “I don’t give a shit” kind of girl. She had dealt with a lot growing up between her heroin addicted mother and the sleazy men she brought home. It wasn’t until her sister, Ginger, stole money from their mom and ran off with Willa, that Willa started to live a normal life.

However, even though Willa’s background is known in Tessa’s adult series, that doesn’t mean that you have to read it in order to follow this book. Tessa writes this book in a way that is both a refresher for those who’ve not “seen” Willa in a long time, as well as introducing Willa to the readers for the first time.

Even though this is a New Adult romance, Tessa still kept up some of the dirty talk that I love from her Line of Duty series. Heck, if I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought that this was part of the series. There’s not only the dirty talk but some pretty steamy scenes as well. Which, I’m not gonna lie, made the story that much better. Because, boy, does this woman know how to turn up the heat.

My one and only thing about this was Shane. How old is he supposed to be? Late 20s? He kept calling Willa, “girl”, and there was even a scene where Willa pointed out that his sister was like a year younger than her (when he flipped out over her having a boyfriend). So that always made me question his age and how I should be picturing him. Plus, I didn’t overly understand his instant attitude towards Willa. I suppose I just never understood the whole childish stance on, “I like you, therefor I must give you the stink eye until you become my girlfriend.”

Regardless, I really enjoyed this story. I loved that Willa got her own HEA and that in the end we got a little recap of Derek and Ginger. These three characters were what made me fall in love with Tessa’s books. There hasn’t been a book of hers I’ve read that I haven’t gobbled up.

“I understand nothing about having a controlling parent. I don’t know what it’s like to have a mom who brings you toast, even though it’s cold and rock hard. Or a father. Period. I’ll see your overprotective daddy and raise you a prostitute mother with a nasty heroin habit. You cocky mother fucker.” – Willa

Posted in: 4stars, New Adult, Romance

Excerpt & Giveaway: Thimble Down by Pete Prown

16 April, 2014 7:57 am , 1 Comment , Kristin

Thimble Down
By: Pete Prown
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: Aug. 1, 2013
Genre: YA Mystery

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THIMBLE DOWN is a country village where death and malice lurk the quiet lanes. When the vile, drunken Bing Rumple acquires a gem-laden treasure, violence begins to follow him everywhere. Where did Bing find such a precious jewel, and worse, is someone willing to kill to possess it? In this fast-paced adventure, the village bookmaster, Mr. Dorro, and his young companions Wyll Underfoot and Cheeryup Tunbridge are in a desperate race to find the answer—before death comes to Thimble Down.

Excerpt
The next morning, Bing Rumple was in full stride. He’d been walking in and out of shops, a chop house, pony stables, and many of the other burrows and houses that composed the center of Thimble Down, bragging about his exploits in the east. With his brother Farroot and Bill Thistle following him like a pair of leering weasels, Bing was enjoying his moment in the sun.

“How do you kill a ferocious goblin?” A youngling had just asked him this very question, and now he was preparing a grandly entertaining response. “Why, you can do it many ways, my boy-o,” he said in a tough voice, but trying to stifle a grin. “You can stick him in the throat with an arrow at fifty paces, or sneak up from behind and garrote the bugger with a sturdy piece of rope. Me, I generally just cut ‘em to pieces with this elvish saber. Look!” he said, drawing the glimmering blade out of his scabbard, “you can even see bits of dried, black goblin blood, and burnt flesh in the crevices.” At this, the Halfling children screamed with a mix of fright and glee and ran off to tell their horrified mothers. Bing and his pals roared with laughter.

As he expected, most people in Thimble Down had never even seen a goblin or troll up close. “What do they look like? Do they have bloody fangs?” asked young Tom Talbo, quivering with delight. Bing seemed to think for a moment before replying, “Oh course they do, young sir. And they have large bulbous eyes, thick grey-green or black skin covered with festering sores, long muscled arms, and meaty hands with claws on the end. They are fearsome to be sure, and if you get too close, they can shred yer intestines in a mere flash.” Bing embellished his tale each time someone asked. He’d never been a celebrity before, and he rather liked it.

“The worst of it was when me ‘n’ the lads were trapped with an elfin hunting party, pinned down by about a hundred and fifty goblins that outnumbered us mightily,” he rambled on. “We were on the top of a small bluff with goblins and trolls all around us. The elves fought valiantly, but we saved the day. Let me tell you the whole story.”

“Ya see, goblins hate fire, and by a stroke of fortune, the top of the bluff was covered with dry, dead brambles and bushes. So I braved a rain of goblin arrows and ran over to the elf chieftain. I said, ‘Toldir’—that was his name—‘go ask yer men to gather all the brush and big rocks possible, and arrange them on rim,’ I says. Of course, Toldir got pretty steamed at me for calling his warriors Men, because of course, elves ain’t Men and Men ain’t elves, if you reckon my meaning. But in the heat o’ battle, these things happen. Anyway, the elves did as I asked, and soon the entire edge of our bluff was ringed with brush and big boulders. I’ll hand it to them elves—they are strong and can move quick-like, especially in a pinch.”

“As a further stroke of luck, the elfin hunters had leatherskin bags filled with deer and musk oil from their recent kills, which we used to drench the brush. At Toldir’s command, the oil was lit afire, creating a massive inferno around the perimeter. I gave a shout of ‘Heave-ho!’ and we used sticks and logs to push the big rocks and flaming brush over the lip and down onto the enemy, who were stricken with terror. Those goblins that weren’t killed outright by the boulders and stones were hit with the flaming brambles and verily burst into flames. And any demons that escaped this hell were soundly stuck with deadly elvish arrows or, might I modestly say, by the edge of my sword as we charged down the hill to destroy the enemy. With the goblins either dead or in complete disarray, our troop was able to escape and rejoin the larger elf forces to fight another day.”

“Huzzah! Hurrah for Bing!” applauded his audience. Bing, Farroot, and Bill tossed handfuls of pennies into the crowd to curry their favor even more, driving the children mad with joy. Still, some of the older Halflings at the edge of the crowd couldn’t put the image of the sniveling Bing Rumple of yester-year out of their minds. “How could that miserable excuse for a Halfling be such a hero?” they thought. But in general, the village folk were greatly entertained, and this was a great boon to local merchants who hadn’t seen crowds this big since the harvest festival of the previous year. Up and down the hard-packed dirt lanes in Thimble Down, sellers were bringing their wares into the open air, especially pies, cakes, and any variety of dried, candied meats on a stick, which only cost a penny or two and were gobbled down rapturously.

Many in the crowd were also ogling the gem-encrusted brooch pinned on Bing’s left breast. Indeed, more than a few secretly began to covet it. Among them was one Halfling who decided—at that very moment—to steal it.

Even if it meant someone had to die.

author

Pete Prown is a noted American writer of Young Adult fantasy books, as well as a magazine and book editor, and journalist. He’s written both fiction and non-fiction books, including Thimble Down, the soon-to-be-published Devils & Demons, and a series of instructional titles about guitars. Also a talented musician and recording artist, his Guitar Garden music is available on CDBaby.com and iTunes.

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Posted in: Excerpt, giveaway

Review: Grimm Fairy Tales: Oz by Joe Brusha

13 April, 2014 5:33 pm , 1 Comment , Kristin

18767261 Grimm Fairy Tales: Oz
(Grimm Fairy Tales Oz, #1-6)
By: Joe Brusha
Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
Genre: Graphic Novel
Rating:
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The world faces a gathering storm that threatens to drown it in darkness. The only hope to stop the coming evil rests on an unlikely hero: a Kansas farm girl named Dorothy Gale.

Unbeknownst to Dorothy, highborn blood flows through her veins and with it, the power to save Earth and the realms of power that surround it. But Dorothy must first learn to use her unharnessed abilities before the witches of Oz destroy her and everyone else that stands in their way.

Zenescope Entertainment presents another incredible tale of adventure and fantasy with this mesmerizing and epic re-imagining of a classic!

1thoughts This one just didn’t work for me. The cover art is beautiful but unfortunately that doesn’t carry into the story itself. Dorthy and the witches look like drag queens with horse teeth. The colors were bright and vibrant but the illustrations left little to be desired in some parts of the story. It seemed like it got worse when it came to the action scenes. I’m not sure if that was the look the illustrator was going for but it distracted me from the story.

The story itself was interesting. The author took Oz as we know it and turned it into this dark world that’s in a blood bath war. However, with that being said, the story jumped all over the place making it hard to keep track on what was happening. It would be carrying on just fine one minute and then the next we would go back in time for a page, then jump ahead while still remaining in the past, and then we’d be thrown into the present. I’m not sure if it was flashbacks or just little bursts of back story coming through but it left me a little disoriented.

I’ve read the Jungle Book from Grimm Fairy Tales and really enjoyed it. So I will definitely be looking out for more of their series but if another Oz pops up, I will be skipping it.

1favepart I don’t know if you could call it a favorite part but I really did like the authors take on the characters. Aside from their appearances, they were not the same characters from the story that we are all familiar with. For instance, the lion was this Alpha were-beast as opposed to being cowardly. I like that not only did the author take the story and make it their own, but he also altered the characters as well.

kRISTIN

Posted in: 2stars, Graphic Novel

Review: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

10 April, 2014 5:20 pm , Leave a Comment , Kristin

7514925 Tiger Lily
By: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: July 3, 2012
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating:
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Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn’t believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she’s ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland’s inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she’s always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it’s the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who’s everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

1thoughts This is a great retelling of Peter Pan. Well, actually it’s not really Peter’s story. Tiger Lily is the main focus in the story. Tinker Bell is a faerie who has taken an interest in Tiger Lily’s life. Tiger Lily is unlike any of the other females from her tribe. It’s also known that Tiger Lily has cursed people who have crossed her. Leaving everyone wearing around Tiger Lily. The story is told in Tinker Bell’s point of view as she recounts her observations.

I will be honest that it took a little bit for me to get used to the narration. It’s in first person (Tink) but she focuses so much on the other characters that it’s almost like third person as well. It was very interesting and I have to give the author major props for pulling it off. After I got used to I could just imagine everything playing out.

I liked that the author showed a different side to Peter and even Wendy (who makes an appearance in the book). The only thing I have to go off of is Disney’s version of Peter Pan. So this was a very interesting retelling of a classic. The author added in so much that the only things that seemed the same in the story were the names. She really did a great job in taking a classic story and making it her own.

One thing I have to take a step back and applaud is how gritty the story was. For a YA the author touched on some interesting things. I don’t want to go into too much detail but there’s arranged marriages, village rapes, jealousy that causes malicious acts, and suicide. She doesn’t go into detail over the situations but she definitely eludes to these things happening. There were times that I was reading and my heart just felt like it stopped beating because things were so intense. I stayed up way later than I should have for a work night just so that I could finish it. And there is where my major complaint is… the end. It literally ends and goes into the acknowledgements. I seriously checked the pages to see if my library copy was missing one but nope. Maybe I need to watch Peter Pan again and the missing link will be there and everyone who’s a Pan fan will be like, “Oooooh, she’s so clever to incorporate that in her story.”, but I’m just thoroughly lost.

1favequote “Sometimes I think that maybe we are just stories. Like we may as well just be words on a page, because we’re only what we’ve done and what we are going to do.”

kRISTIN

Posted in: 4stars, YA Fantasy

Guest Post & Giveaway: The Romeo Club by Rebekah L. Purdy

8 April, 2014 2:16 am , 1 Comment , Kristin

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author

Rebekah Purdy grew up in Michigan, where she spent many late nights armed with a good book and a flashlight. When not hiding at her computer and getting lost in her stories, she enjoys reading, singing, soccer, swimming, football, camping, playing video games and hanging out with her kids. She loves the unexplainable like Bigfoot, the Dogman, and the Loch Ness Monster (lots of good story material)! She admits to still having all the books she bought throughout her childhood and teen years, and she may or may not have an obsession with anything chocolate…

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guest post As most authors can tell you, it helps to have a great playlist when writing a new book (or editing a one). It kind of sets the mood/tone for certain scenes. You have your upbeat “fun” music for your regular or funny scenes. The love songs for those moments when your characters might be sharing a first kiss, or sizzling look with their crush. We have the sad songs for when the character(s) are going through a rough time or broken heart or someone close to them has died. And we have angsty/hardcore music to help get those fight scenes just right.

Sometimes it’s the beat of the music that pushes our scenes, other times it’s the perfect lyrics that help us get into the head of our characters. Either way music inspires and enables me to really mold

For The Romeo Club, because it was such a fun, light, fluffy kind of story, I had a lot of pop music. And I have to say, that #17 on the list, was totally for C.C.’s character (LOL). So here’s my list:

The Little Things by One Direction
Hello-Goodbye by The Beatles
Stranger by Secondhand Serenade
Rumour Has It by Adele
The Last Time by Gary Lightbody & Taylor Swift
Hold You in My Arms by Ray Lamontagne
Hung Up by Hot Chelle Rae
Echo by Jason Walker
My Sharona by The Knack
I Should Go by Levi Kreis
Between the Raindrops by Lifehouse
Live While We’re Young by One Direction
Kiss You by One Direction
Say by One Republic
The Mess I Made by Parachute
Killer Queen by Queen
A Drop in the Ocean by Ron Pope
Your Call by Secondhand Serenade
Pretend by Secondhand Serenade
Goodbye by Secondhand Serenade
Check Yes Juliet by We the Kings
Romeo by Dolly Parton
Hey There Delilah by Plain White T’s

about the book

432

The Romeo Club
By: Rebekah L. Purdy
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Published: March 25, 2014
Genre: YA Romance

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What happens when you agree to help your brother “de-nerdify” so he can catch the attention of the popular Chloe Anders, and to everyone’s surprise, he actually lands her?

And what if his equally geeky friends come running with girl wish lists of their own, offering money for your services?

Well, if you’re sixteen-year-old, Delyla Denson, then you start The Romeo Club. A secret club where she’ll teach these guys how talk, act, and be cool around girls. It’s a win-win situation.

She’ll get enough money for the awesome prom dress she’s had her eye on, and the guys, well, they’ll get dates and maybe learn how to do something other than beat the next level on their video games.

There are only two problems with this plan. One, her quarterback/track star boyfriend is getting jealous of how much time she’s spending away from him and decides to try and figure out what’s going on. And two, Delyla is kind of falling for her brother’s BFF, Trey who she’s been hanging out with a lot more. And who thanks to her help, has caught the attention of the beautiful, perfect, and popular, Portia Rickard. With Portia and Trey heating up, Delyla realizes that maybe the person she’s meant to be with has been in front of her all this time.

But falling for Trey means she’ll have to take drastic measures including sabotage, with a capital S.

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Review: Charade by Nyrae Dawn

7 April, 2014 6:16 pm , Leave a Comment , Kristin

CharadeMock Charade
(Games, #1)
By: Nyrae Dawn
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: Oct. 22, 2012
Genre: New Adult Romance
Rating:
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Nineteen-year-old Cheyenne tries to portray the perfect life to mask the memories of her past. Walking in on her boyfriend with another woman her freshman year in college threatens that picture of perfection.

Twenty-one-year-old Colt never wanted college and never expected to amount to anything, but when his mom’s dying wish is for him to get his degree, he has no choice but to pretend it’s what he wants too.

Cheyenne needs a fake boyfriend to get back at her ex and Colt needs cash to take care of his mom, so they strike a deal that helps them both. But what if Cheyenne’s past isn’t what she thought? Soon they’re trading one charade for another—losing themselves in each other to forget about their pain. The more they play their game, the more it becomes the only thing they have that feels real.

Both Cheyenne and Colt know life is never easy, but neither of them expect the tragedy that threatens to end their charade and rip them apart forever.

1thoughts I thought this was going to be a cute romance but there were some really heavy topics in this story. You see, Chey’s mother left her at her aunts house 10 years ago and never came back for her. So Chey’s lived her life never really needing anyone. So when her boyfriend cheats on her, she’s left to fend for herself in his world. Since after all, she came to this college to be with him. At the same time Colt is dealing with a mother who is losing the battle with cancer. He does everything he can to make sure she has everything she needs and that there’s enough money to pay for the medical bills. So when Chey comes to him with the opportunity to not only stick it to her ex-boyfriend (who he’s not fond of) as well as get paid for it, he takes her up on her offer. However, while they are playing this game, the game changes.

Like I said, I was surprised by some of the more heavier parts that take place in this story. However, it’s the heavier parts that make this story awesome. This could have easily been a bad boy meets good girl new adult romance but Colt isn’t really that bad, he’s just trying to cope with his mother’s condition. I will admit that there were a couple of parts where I got teary eyed. This is definitely not a light romance.

1favequote “It’s easier to hide in the dark…but easier to let go too.”

kRISTIN

Posted in: 4stars, New Adult, Romance

Sunday Wrap-Up #31

6 April, 2014 1:08 pm , 11 Comments , Kristin

Sunday Wrap-Up is all about sharing the books and book related items that I’ve picked up recently. I also recap what went on last week and let you in on what’s coming up. I link up my post to Sunday Post, Bought, Borrowed & Bagged, Showcase Sunday, and Stacking the Shelves.

Last week on BSA:
How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper (Review)
Immortal Hunter by Kait Ballenger (Review)

This week on BSA:
Charade by Nyrae Dawn (Review)
Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson (Review)
Primal Possession by Katie Reuss (Review)
Grimm Fairy Tales: Oz by Joe Brusha (Review)

4review 18269671

Rush
By: Nyrae Dawn
Genre: M/M New Adult Romance
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For the love of the game.

Brandon Chase has always defined himself by one thing: football. Tough and athletic, he is a great college player who enjoys the hard hits and the sweaty grind of the gridiron. But when Brandon is injured, only one person can help him get back on track-a forbidden love he’s desperately tried to put behind him.

Alec Andrews has never quite forgiven Brandon for walking away when their friendship turned into something more. But he can’t deny help to one of his closest friends. As the two spend the long, hot summer working together, their old attraction comes flooding back.

Now as Alec thinks about coming out to his conservative family and Brandon considers revealing he’s a gay football player, the two men must be strong to fight for a love that could be the greatest rush of their lives.

17936925

Breakable
By: Tammara Webber
Genre: New Adult Romance
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He was lost and alone. Then he found her.
And the future seemed more fragile than ever.

As a child, Landon Lucas Maxfield believed his life was perfect and looked forward to a future filled with promise — until tragedy tore his family apart and made him doubt everything he ever believed.

All he wanted was to leave the past behind. When he met Jacqueline Wallace, his desire to be everything she needed came so easy…

As easy as it could be for a man who learned that the soul is breakable and that everything you hoped for could be ripped away in a heartbeat.

Randomness

I’m excited to announce that this year I took part in my very first event to fight against cancer. Cancer has affected me and my family since before I was even born. My grandmother survived cancer twice (two different kinds). However, I lost my grandfather (whom I was very close to) about 5 years ago, and just recently lost my fur-baby of 17 years to cancer (I had her for more than half my life). I had always wanted to participate in an event like this before but would always manage to miss it. It wasn’t until my friend mentioned that Relay For Life was coming up and that I should do it in honor of Snickers, that I actually started to plan for it. Well, if you remember my Ramblings of a Book Sniffer: Lull in Posts, then you know how my life got turned upside down real quick.

Some of you may remember Snickers, she was featured a couple of times on the site.

Snickersbooks Feature & Follow Friday

Ramblings of a Book Sniffer: Home Sweet Home

Here’s a picture of me at Relay for Life. I even got a t-shirt made and bought matching socks for the occasion. The event was a ton of fun and even though I only walked 3 miles, I helped our team raise money at our food booth. Oh and I also found out that I’m not as young as I used to be. I wound up doing a Zumba class and a Hula dancing class during the event… which resulted in me walking around like a 100 yr old woman today at work.

This weekend was also the 22nd annual art fair at Joshua Tree National Park. I stopped into work to just go over some last minute details with my boss which turned into the two of use walking around checking out the different stuff that the artists were selling. Which ultimately led to me buying this amazingly eery statue of a raven standing over a dead desert tortoise, shell and bones scattered around, with the words “Never More” painted on the base. Yup, after going back to it 3 times throughout the 30 minutes I was there, I went back and bought it. Now the killer raven sits on my end table judging me while I put off housework and read instead.

Posted in: meme

Review: Immortal Hunter by Kait Ballenger

5 April, 2014 3:10 am , 1 Comment , Kristin

unnamed Immortal Hunter
(Execution Underground, #2)
By: Kait Ballenger
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: April 1, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:
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Hunters of the supernatural, the Execution Underground are an elite group tasked with protecting humanity…but at what price?

As an exorcist, David Aronowitz grew up the target of demonic assassins. Now he’s a member of the Execution Underground and hellspawn everywhere fear his name. But when a demon slips into the seductive body of the only woman he’s ever loved,

David must confront the heartbreak of their past to save her. The piece of her heart Allsún O’Hare gave to David so long ago left her trapped between two worlds: the Fae and the human. And when David comes to her rescue, fate reunites her with her greatest temptation—and her biggest mistake.

Now, as they’re swept together into a wicked game with the demon who controls her, David must decide if saving Allsún’s life is worth sacrificing his own—and the future of humanity itself.

1thoughts A good portion of this story is of David trying to win Allsún back after their relationship ended years ago. She was kidnapped and tortured in the last book and now that she’s out of harms way, David is set on winning her back. However, Allsún is still angry at David, even though he has no idea what or why, and she fights real hard to keep her heart distanced from him.

“To them you may be a hero, but to me, you’re just the man who broke my heart.”

I love that each other these books not only deal with a different member of EU but each member is uniquely different. I don’t mean just personality wise but specialty wise as well. David is a demon exorcist. That’s it. He doesn’t hunt vampires, werewolves or knows how to hack into the CIA’s files. But he can send a demon back to hell like nobody’s business. Allsún many years back was his partner in crime/fiancee. So it doesn’t take long for the two of them to start kicking butt against some hell spawn.

It isn’t until three quarters of the way through the book that Allsún becomes possessed. From the synopsis, I thought this was the whole story but like I said, it doesn’t actually happen until you’re well past the half way mark. The first half of the book is David trying to figure out why a demon is attacking families the way that it is. And boy does Kait know how to write a paranormal romance while still giving the reader the nitty gritty of the story. She was able to blur the lines so well between horror/suspense and romance.

“The sulfur-sucking monster had slung the kid’s intestines around his corpse as if they were nothing more than sausage links. This had to be the most sickening scene he has ever laid eyes on, and he had seen some seriously messed-up shit during the year he’s served in the Brooklyn division.”

I like that Kait wrote in your typical drama bombs but she made it her own. She was able to create this story that worked so well for her characters. However, I’d be lying if the authors note at the end didn’t pull at my heart strings.

However, I found myself really gravitating to Shane in this story, even though he wasn’t a main character. You can tell that he’s going to be the next one up but still, for some reason his story really interested me. I like that he’s interested in his college student who also bartends at a strip club. I will definitely be sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for his story to come out.

1favequote “Sometimes all we need to begin to heal is for someone else to bear witness to our pain.”

Previous reviews from Execution Underground
Shadow Hunter
Twilight Hunter

kRISTIN

Kait Ballenger is a full-time paranormal romance author, wife, former professional bellydancer, and soon-to-professor. She lives in Central Florida with her husband, their doggie-daughter Sookie (like Charlainne Harris’ character), and two kittens, Elliot and Olivia (like the SVU characters). Kait believes anything is possible, and one day, she hopes people name their pets after her characters, too.

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Posted in: 4stars, blog tour, Paranormal Romance

Review: How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

30 March, 2014 5:41 pm , 3 Comments , Kristin

8182682 How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf
(Naked Werewolf, #1)
By: Molly Harper
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: Feb. 22, 2011
Genre: Chick Lit/Paranormal Romance
Rating:
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Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated. . . .

1thoughts Mo lived a very sheltered life growing up. Very sheltered. It wasn’t until she left home school and went into public school that she realized how not-normal she really was. So she made it her goal to do everything opposite of what her parents would want for her. After a of bad choices she realized she couldn’t live like that. So she packed up and moved up north to Alaska to find herself. Instead what she found was a small town of wonderful people and a brooding werewolf.

This is one of those chick lit paranormal romances that will have you smiling at least a handful of times throughout it. Molly definitely has a quirky sense of humor and it shows in her writing. I found myself really enjoying the story and falling in love with all of the characters from the book. I can’t say that I’m surprised by what goes on in the book but that’s okay because it was an enjoyable read. There was mystery, werewolves, steamy scenes and that small town feel to it.

I’m not usually a series kind of girl but I like that each book will focus on a different werewolf in Alaska. I’ve grown attached to the characters and I can’t wait to see which ones fall in love next.

1favequote “He’s like that with everybody. Don’t take it personally. Some people were just born with a pinecone shoved up their butts.
In Cooper’s case, it’s lodged sideways.”

kRISTIN

Posted in: 4stars, chick lit, Paranormal Romance

Excerpt: Uncovering You by Scarlett Edwards

28 March, 2014 8:30 am , 1 Comment , Kristin

Uncovering You
(Uncovering You, #1)
By: Scarlett Edwards
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: March 27, 2014
Genre: Dark Romance

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When I wake up in a dark, unfamiliar room, I have no idea what’s waiting for me in the shadows. My imagination conjures up demons of the worst kind.

Reality is much worse:

A collar with no leash. A prison with no walls. And a life stripped of meaning.

I am presented with a vile contract and asked to sign. It outlines the terms of my servitude. The only information I have about my captor are the two small letters inked at the bottom:

J.S.

Armed with only my memories, I must do everything I can to avoid becoming ensnared in his twisted mind games. But in the end, it all comes down to one choice:

Resist and die.

Or submit, and sign my life away.

Excerpt I open my eyes to the brilliant expanse of my prison. I test the air with my nose. There’s no more odor.

I feel groggy, as if waking up from a long sleep. How long have I been out?

I push myself to a sitting position and look around. The tiles are clean. The vomit is gone. There are two jars close by that were not there before.

I crawl over and look at them. One is filled with water. The other is empty.

Without thought I clutch the handle of the first and start to chug. I spit the first mouthful out to clean my mouth, but the rest goes down quickly. My stomach rumbles in protest after my umpteenth heavy gulp, but my body needs the hydration.

Two more drafts and I set the jar down.

Only then does it strike me that the water might be drugged.

I start to feel sick again. I’m in the process of jamming my fingers to the back of my throat when the absurdity of what I’m doing strikes me.

You’re already a prisoner, and as vulnerable as you’re going to get. Why spike the water?

A hysterical sort of laughter builds in my chest. It’s the laughter that comes when all the lights have gone out and all hope has been extinguished. It’s the laughter of a woman on the edge of sanity.

I bolt to my feet, shaking with laughter. “What do you want from me?” I scream at the sky. I spread my arms and spin. “Show yourself! Show me who you are!”

I stood up too fast. A wave of light-headedness overcomes me. I lose my balance and fall.

My head bounces off the floor. Everything goes black again.
author
6941559

I’m Scarlett Edwards. I wrote my first book as a college sophomore. After six months of edits, it made its debut as Yours to Savor.

That was at the start of 2013. I’ve written more books since then.

It’s funny how quickly life changes. I used to think I’d need a degree to get a “Real Job.” Then I wrote a few books, they got somewhat popular, and now I’m living the life as a full-time romance author.

Thanks to all my readers for making my dreams come true!

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