Author Archives: Kristin

Review: Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Bad Moon Rising
(Dark-Hunter, #14; Hellchaser, #3)
By: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher: St. Marin’s Press
Published: Aug. 4, 2009
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

A stunning and suspenseful new landscape emerges in the thrilling Dark-Hunter world—a world where nothing will ever be the same again. . .

Fang Kattalakis isn’t just a wolf. He is the brother of two of the most powerful members of the Omegrion: the ruling council that enforces the laws of the Were-Hunters. And when war erupts among the lycanthropes, sides must be chosen. Enemies are forced into shaky alliances. And when the woman Fang loves is accused of betraying her people, her only hope is that Fang believes in her. Yet in order to save her, Fang must break the law of his people and the faith of his brothers. That breech could very well spell the end of both their races and change their world forever.

The war is on and time is running out…

 

Read More →

Review: How Beauty Met the Beast by Jax Garren

How Beauty Met the Beast
(Tales of the Underlight, #1)
By: Jax Garren
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: Nov. 19, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Goodreads
Amazon 
Barnes & Noble

The Beast

Scarred. Damaged. Living with a terrible secret. Agent of the Underlight Wesley “Hauk” Haukon has nothing left but the fight for liberty against the oppressive Order of Ananke. He’s starting to lose hope…and then he sees her.

The Beauty
Despite her night job as a burlesque dancer, grad student Jolie Benoit has always played the mostly good girl. That all changes following a scorching sexual encounter with a stranger whose face she doesn’t see. After she’s kidnapped by thugs and rescued by a man with a very familiar voice, Jolie becomes a pawn in a struggle she never knew existed.

Hauk knows he cannot have her, and resolves to protect his heart and his secrets. But as they work together and grow closer, he finds new reason to keep fighting. Dare he risk hope in a new life, one where Jolie can see past his ravaged face and where their friendship can grow into something more?

 

Read More →

Sunday Wrap-Up #6

 

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 and Stacking the Shelves. I will post Sunday Wrap-up every other week.

Last week on the blog…
Guardians of Stone by Anita Clenney (ARC Review & Giveaway)
One Night with a Hero by Laura Kaye (Review)
Undeadly by Michele Vail (Blog Tour: Excerpt & Giveaway)
The Charmed Souls by Christine Wenrick (Spotlight: Excerpt)
GPS with Benefits by Vanessa  (Blog Tour: Guest Post)

Next week on the blog…
How Beauty Met the Beast by Jax Garren (Review)
Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Review)
Undercover Professor by December Gephart (Review)
Her Miracle Man by Nikki Duncan (Review)
Black Friday Book Bananza Giveaway
The Charmed Souls by Christine Wenrick (Review)

Excerpt: The Charmed Souls by Christine Wenrick

The Charmed Souls
(The Charmed Trilogy, #2)
By: Christine Wenrick
Publisher: Red Treehouse Publishing
Release Date: Nov. 22, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Goodreads
Amazon

Olivia Ann Greyson is a Charmer, a Dhampir with the power to lure the supernatural world’s most dangerous of creatures – and she’s in an impossible situation. She must leave behind Caleb Wolfe, the strong, protective vampire she has fallen madly in love with, in order to learn how to protect herself from the vampires, shifters and demons that will be drawn to her for the rest of her life.

Human Guardian, Alec Lambert, has been assigned to see to Olivia’s training by the organization he belongs to, which is known simply as The Brethren. He takes Olivia to the group’s stronghold in the mountainous regions of Alberta, Canada, where she discovers the answers to her family’s painful past and the extent to which those hunting her will go to capture her. But she also uncovers many secrets and even more questions about this mysterious group she has trusted to protect her – secrets that will have her fighting to get back to the man she left behind.

. . . but will it be too late?

 

Excerpt

The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes again was the darkness outside the glass balcony doors to my room. It appeared so black and still, surely one would be chilled to the bone the moment they moved within it. That kind of steely cold could reach inside a person and penetrate every bone and sinew until one was forced to find a heat strong enough to defeat it. That kind of cold was warring within me now, and the only heat I had to fight it with was coming from the cast-iron stove warming my room . . . and it wasn’t enough.

“Olivia?” Dr. Li spoke softly above me. “Do you know where you are?”

I nodded but offered him no words.

“We brought you back here because we thought it’s where you’d be most comfortable. Do you remember what happened?”

I nodded again, finally noticing his concerned face.

“You have some cuts on your wrist that I’ve stitched up. And that arm was hyper-extended, so it’ll be pretty sore for a few hours. Your physical injuries should be healed in a day or so, but I’ll want to check on you a few times over the next twenty-four hours just to make sure there are no other problems.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Gideon replied when I didn’t. “I can see to her from here.”

Dr. Li nodded. “Let me know if there are any changes.”

After Dr. Li left, Gideon pulled a chair close to my bed but maintained a good distance. His expression was grim, quiet, like a father who was unsure what to say to his daughter after an incident like this. “Olivia, I—”

“Thank you,” my raspy voice scratched against my throat.

His brow arched high in surprise at that.

“For getting there in time,” I finished.

 

author

 Christine is the author of The Charmed Trilogy. She lives in the scenic Pacific Northwest where she enjoys hiking, camping and photographing many of the wonderful places that served as inspiration for her novels. Her biggest reward in life is any given day when one of her books connects with a reader, because she herself is such a lover of reading.

You can connect with Christine via her:
website | twitter | facebook 

 

☆ I just finished reading The Charmed Souls and I must say that the excerpt above was the most powerful moment in the entire storyline for me. Rape scenes are my least favorite thing to read, it’s right up there with killing puppies and kittens but the author did an amazing job writing it.

Excerpt: Undeadly by Michele Vail

Today we have a great excerpt to share from the YA novel, Undeadly by author Michele Vail.

Undeadly
(The Reaper Diaries, #1)
By: Michele Vail
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: Nov. 20 2012
Genre: YA

Goodreads
Amazon

The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird…

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she’s shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.

Life at Nekyia has its plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another…except, there’s something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—-Molly’s got an undeadly knack for finding trouble….

 

Read More →

Review: One Night with a Hero by Laura Kaye

One Night with a Hero
(The Hero, #2)
By: Laura Kaye
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Published: Oct. 20, 2012
Genre: Contemp. Romance
Rating:
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Goodreads
Amazon 
Barnes & Noble

He wants just one night…

After growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father, Army Special Forces Sgt. Brady Scott vowed never to marry or have kids. Sent stateside to get his head on straight—and his anger in check—Brady’s looking for a distraction. He finds it in his beautiful new neighbor’s one-night-only offer for hot sex, but her ability to make him forget is addictive. Suddenly, Brady’s not so sure he can stay away.

…what they need is each other.

Orphaned as a child, community center director Joss Daniels swore she’d never put herself in a position to be left behind again, but she can’t deny herself one sizzling night with the sexy soldier who makes her laugh and kisses her senseless. When Joss discovers she’s pregnant, Brady’s rejection leaves her feeling abandoned. Now, they must overcome their fears before they lose the love and security they’ve found in each other, but can they let go of the past to create a future together?

 

Read More →

Review: Guardians of Stone by Anita Clenney

Guardians of Stone
(The Relic Seekers, #1)
By: Anita Clenney
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Release Date: Dec. 4, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

 Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Kendall Morgan is a human bloodhound. Spending her childhood hunting relics with her ambitious archeologist father, she knew the two of them shared a sixth sense for the history and location of objects—sometimes even people. What she didn’t know was that their paranormal gift could ultimately be their undoing.

After the tragic plane crash that killed her father as well as her childhood best friend, Kendall dedicated her life to finding and protecting relics. When mysterious, sexy billionaire Nathan Larraby hires her for his latest expedition—the search for four powerful relics —she’s thrown into a world of high-octane danger. He sends brooding mercenary Jake Stone to watch Kendall’s back, but he may have created danger of a different kind.

As the team chases down clues, a man called the Reaper makes a play for the artifacts and will stop at nothing to put them to his own sinister use. What’s worse is that Nathan hasn’t told the whole story, and the dark secrets he’s keeping could cost them the mission…and their lives.

 

Read More →

Guest Post with author Rachael J. Thorne

Today we have author Rachael J. Thorne joining us today to talk a little bit about how not only our fear but the fear from others may tie into our reactions when investigating a haunted location.

Rachael J. Thorne is trying to make it in the world as an indie author between tending her garden and being a geek!
She lives in Essex, UK with her husband and crazy dog.
Last Regress is her first novel and she is currently working on her second, Running For A Life.

For more information about Rachael, check out her website.

You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Read More →

Review: Rescue My Heart by Jill Shalvis

 

Rescue My Heart 
(Animal Magnetism, #3)
By: Jill Shalvis
Publisher: Berkley
Published: Nov. 6, 2012
Genre: Contemp. Romance
Rating:
PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Goodreads 
Amazon 
Barnes & Noble

After a tragic stint in the National Guards, Adam Connelly returns to Idaho and to Belle Haven, the animal shelter he owns with his brothers. All Adam wants is to be alone. Then he opens the door to the past—the woman whose heart he once broke. Still gorgeous, still tough-as-nails, but this time, unusually vulnerable.
Holly Reid learned the hard way to never depend on a man for anything. Now, of all men, it’s the last one she wants to see, and the only one she needs. Her father has gone missing in the Bitterroot Mountains and she could use someone with tracking skills to help find him.

For Holly and Adam, each with their ghosts, a trek this desperate, this unpredictable, and this intimate, will have its share of risks—including opening their hearts one more time.

 

 

Read More →

Men & Women of the Military Giveaway Hop

What’s not to love about men and women in uniform? They sacrifice more than anyone could ever imagine to protect our country. Plus, they look good in their uniforms, not to mention they are damn sexy out of them as well. Trust me… I’m married to a Marine. Which is why there was not a snowballs chance in hell that I was going to miss out on being part of this giveaway hop! Now before we get to the giveaway I would like to share some awesome photos of the people who lay their lives on the line for our freedom.

 

The Mr.
Two of them were taken at the filming of the Belleau Wood film for the National Museum of the Marine Corp. The bottom one was from his latest promotion when I got to pin him.

 

 

Now before you start clickidy clacking away down there… check out the Wounded Warrior Project website and help give back to these amazing people who serve our country!

You can also send books to the troops through Books For Soldiers.

Winner will get their choice of 2 of the ebooks below!

Her Forbidden Hero
By: Laura Kaye
Genre: Contemp. Romance

My Review

You always want what you can’t have…

She’s always been off-limits…

Former Army Special Forces Sgt. Marco Vieri has never thought of Alyssa Scott as more than his best friend’s little sister, but her return home changes that…and challenges him to keep his war-borne demons at bay. Marco’s not the same person he was back when he protected Alyssa from her abusive father, and he’s not about to let her see the mess he’s become.

…but now she’s all grown up.
When Alyssa takes a job at the bar where Marco works, her carefree smiles wreak havoc on his resolve to bury his feelings. How can he protect her when he can’t stop thinking about her in his bed? But Alyssa’s not looking for protection–not anymore. Now that she’s back in his life, she’s determined to heal her forbidden hero, one touch at a time…

One Night with a Hero
By: Laura Kaye
Genre: Contemp. Romance
He wants just one night…

After growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father, Army Special Forces Sgt. Brady Scott vowed never to marry or have kids. Sent stateside to get his head on straight—and his anger in check—Brady’s looking for a distraction. He finds it in his beautiful new neighbor’s one-night-only offer for hot sex, but her ability to make him forget is addictive. Suddenly, Brady’s not so sure he can stay away.

…what they need is each other.

Orphaned as a child, community center director Joss Daniels swore she’d never put herself in a position to be left behind again, but she can’t deny herself one sizzling night with the sexy soldier who makes her laugh and kisses her senseless. When Joss discovers she’s pregnant, Brady’s rejection leaves her feeling abandoned. Now, they must overcome their fears before they lose the love and security they’ve found in each other, but can they let go of the past to create a future together?

Forged in Fire
By: Trish McCallan
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Beth Brown doesn’t believe in premonitions until she dreams a sexy stranger is gunned down during the brutal hijacking of a commercial airliner. When events in her dream start coming true, she heads to the flight’s departure gate. To her shock, she recognizes the man she’d watched die the night before.

Lieutenant Commander Zane Winters comes from a bloodline of elite warriors with psychic abilities. When Zane and two of his platoon buddies arrive at Sea-Tac Airport, he has a vision of his teammates’ corpses. Then she arrives—a leggy blonde who sets off a different kind of alarm.

As Beth teams up with Zane, they discover the hijacking is the first step in a secret cartel’s deadly global agenda and that key personnel within the FBI are compromised. To survive the forces mobilizing against them, Beth will need to open herself to a psychic connection with the sexy SEAL who claims to be her soul mate.

 Infatuation
By: Melissa Schroeder
Genre: Erotica

Francis McKade is a man in lust. He’s had a crush on his best friend’s little sister for years but he has never acted on it. Besides that fact that she’s Malachi’s sister, he’s a Seal and he learned his lesson with his ex-fiancé. Women do not like being left alone for long months at a time. Still, at a wedding in Hawaii anything can happen—and does. Unfortunately, after the best night of his life, he and Mal are called away to one of their most dangerous missions.Shannon is blown over by Kade. She’s always had a crush on him and after their night together, it starts to feel a little like love. But, after the mission, Kade never calls or writes and she starts to wonder if it was all a dream. Until one night, her brother Mal drags him into her bar and grill and Shannon gets the shock of her life.

Kade isn’t the man Shannon knew in Hawaii, or even the last few years. Losing a friend and being injured changes a man, especially one who had never felt so vulnerable. He still can’t shake the terror that keeps him up at night. Worse, he is realizing that the career he loves just might be over.Shannon is still mad, but she can’t help but hurt for the man she loves. He is darker, a bit more dangerous, but beneath that, he is the Kade she’s known for so many years. When he pushes her to her limits in the bedroom, Shannon refuses to back down. One way or another, this military man is going to learn there is no walking away from love—not while she still has breath in her body.
Because of You
By: Jessica Scott
Genre: Contemp. Romance

Keeping his men alive is all that matters to Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison. But meeting Jen St. James the night before his latest deployment makes Shane wonder if there’s more to life than war. He leaves for Iraq remembering a single kiss with a woman he’ll never see again—until a near fatal attack lands him back at home and in her care.Jen has survived her own brush with death and endured its scars. And yet there’s a fire in Shane that makes Jen forget all about her past. He may be her patient, but when this warrior looks her in the eyes, she feels—for the first time in a long time—like a woman. Shane is too proud to ask for help, but for Jen, caring for him is more than a duty—it’s a need. And as Jen guides Shane through the fires of healing, she finds something she never expected—her deepest desire.

  Until There Was You
By: Jessica Scott
Genre: Contemp. Romance

A by-the-book captain with a West Point background, Evan Loehr refuses to mix business with pleasure—except for an unguarded instance years ago when he succumbed to the deep sensuality of redheaded beauty Claire Montoya. Since that brief lapse in judgment, Evan has been at odds with her. But when he is asked to train a combat team alongside Claire, battle-hardened Evan is in for the fight of his life.

Strong, gutsy, and loyal, Captain Claire Montoya has worked hard to achieve her high military rank. In Evan Loehr, Claire sees a spoiled commander who puts the rules before everything else—including his people. Army orders force them together and Claire soon discovers that there is more to Evan than meets the eye. He too has dark secrets and deep longings. For all their differences, Evan and Claire share two crucial passions: their country and each other.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway