Tag Archives: vampires

The Species Within Review

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Title:  The Species Within

Author:  Kimberley Clark

Genre:  Paranormal Romance, Erotic Urban Fantasy

Buy:  Amazon

This book is intended for ages 18 plus.

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Blurb

Kira, a huntress plagued by dreams of fire and pain has worked
 tirelessly to rid her city of the scourge that has nearly destroyed
 it…nostvores, mythlend creatures with dark and vast appetites for
 blood and sex. She does this not only because they had killed so many
 people in her life, but also because she has an edge that no other
 human had…she has their abilities. The problem was, these abilities
 were killing her and she feared time was no longer on her side.
 
 So the moment she found out that Darius, a nostvore leader was
 threatening to awaken an indestructible species to help him enslave
all humans and mythlends, and that she may be the key to his plan, she
 knew her only choice was to risk her life with the little time that
she had left and join her enemy to find out why, and to make sure his
plan failed.

If that wasn’t dangerous enough, the more time she spends with the
Vanatre nostvore Emmerich, and the mooran Kuron, who she brings with
her for protection, the less she wants to kill them. Instead, she
feels an unexplainable attraction towards them both, and she fears
surrendering to such desire with either is a deadly game to play, for
she would not only be risking her life, but quite possibly her heart.

 (Blurb from the author.)

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Ms.  Clark approached me many months ago for a review, and life got busy, so I apologize for taking so long getting to it.

This book started off fantastic.  In fact, it reminded me of Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series (which I love!)  As you saw from the blurb, Kira is a huntress, who kills the nostvores (aka vampires).  This isn’t so hard for her because she shares a lot of the same abilities.

Kira’s a hard ass, she is a supreme fighter, and at one point she was tortured.  Most people would cave; she didn’t.  Like I said, this girl is tough stuff!

I really loved loved loved the beginning of this book, but then it went from awesome to good.  Kira has an attraction to a certain vampire, but she has a real tough time accepting it.  It’s just so back and forth (for her) that it just drove me nuts.

Another thing, that I kind of got bored with, was there was a point of view from the ‘bad guy’ Darius.  I don’t know, I think it would have been more suspenseful if his point of view was left out all together.  I’m kind of impartial to singular point of views in stories though, so that’s my personal opinion.

All in all, Ms. Clark is a very talented writer.  And if you like paranormal romance I would give hers a try.

My Rating:  3 stars

03

***I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.***     

 

 

What I’ve been reading lately

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So I got a job at a publishing company which is awesome!  I have still been reading, but I’ve been a little behind on writing reviews, so I’m going to do some mini-reviews in this post.

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

 Ilona Andrews is one of my ‘go to’ authors.  I think I’ve read if not everything, most of what she has out there.  What I like about her writing is that it’s not just about the romance, although there is definitely romance in the story.  In Magic Rises, Curran and Kate take a contract to protect a werewolf who is pregnant with twins by two different men.  They know by going it’s a trap to attack Curran and the pack.  While there, Curran appears to take interest in another shifter, and some weird dragon type beings start attacking and killing people.  And worst of all, someone is there who Kate didn’t want to run into for years to come……

This was an awesome read.

                                                         

My Rating:  5 out of 5 stars

                                                                 Purchase Magic Rises:  Amazon

                                                                 ***My husband purchased this book for me.***

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Next up is another series in which I always buy the next book when it comes out, The King by J.R. Ward.  Beth wants a child, but it is extremely risky for female vampires to be pregnant, give birth, and live to tell about it.  Wrath does not want a child.  He can’t stand the thought of Beth being in so much danger.  Not only that, but Wrath is currently under scrutiny by those he rules over, and they are secretly trying to dethrone him.  Will Beth and Wrath’s relationship survive or will the distance between wanting a child tear them apart?

Like I said, this is one of my go-to series.  I’m honestly not sure if this is the last one in the series or not, but I did find myself wanting the book to be over already.  I still think it was a great read, but I think I’m ready for this series to come to an end.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

Purchase The King:  Amazon

***My husband purchased this book for me.***

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Richelle Mead; I love all of her series so far.  What a great author.  She does not disappoint in the Bloodline series.  This has been on my TBR shelf forever it feels like.  Despite Sydney’s Alchemist upbringing, she is slowly finding herself getting closer and more comfortable with the vampires and dhampirs around her.  One of her teachers is pushing her to use magic, and that still makes her uncomfortable, but her teacher believes she is extremely magically inclined.

Ah, the ending!  I loved it.  I really enjoyed this one so much that I asked my husband to buy me the next in the series a week later.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

Purchase The Golden Lily:  Amazon

***My husband purchased this for me.***

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

*Contains Spoilers*

Although Sydney was becoming more comfortable with her vampire friends, the kiss that her and Adrian shared caught her off guard….especially by how much she liked it.  Sydney keeps finding out more things about the Alchemists that she doesn’t agree with.  And she finds a man, Marcus, who used to be an Alchemist and is now not.  He’s on the run and is trying to take the Alchemists down, and he wants Sydney to join him.

Sigh.  Another great novel by Richelle Mead!  Sadly, this one just came out so I have to wait a while until the next one, lol.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

Purchase The Indigo Spell: Amazon

***My husband purchased this for me.***

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These next two are books that I’m a marketing manager for.  I wanted to share them with you guys!

First up, paranormal romance book, The Lycan Hunter!

Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Blurb:

When Alexis James arrives at her first assignment in months, she anticipates the danger and violence rife in her calling as a Lycan Hunter. What she doesn’t expect is a handsome, blue-eyed wolf saving her life and kidnapping her. Surrounded by the enemy, Alexis must not only survive her prisoners but the bonds of a different sort that begin to form against her will.

Mikko Kyran was chosen by the gods to lead his pack, and he has made it his mission to end the eight thousand years of war plaguing his people. The Alpha never suspected that the key to the prophecy ending the Forever War would be held by a smart-mouthed, sexy Hunter determined to kill him.

Can two people from different worlds set aside everything they know about one another long enough to survive retribution from the Hunters, the pack, and the gods? Or will their differences start a war that neither can win?

Written with intensity and depth, The Lycan Hunter is the first in a thrilling new series.

Purchase:  Amazon

__________________________

Want to enter to win a free copy?

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Lycan Hunter by Kelsey Jordan

The Lycan Hunter

by Kelsey Jordan

Giveaway ends August 01, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

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Next up, young adult book Dangerous Reflections: releasing on June 23rd!

Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Blurb:

Alexis Davenport wants to go home. She hates her new school, her mother for moving her away from her friends, and her father for walking out.

To make matters worse, Alex is haunted by images of strange girls reflected in her mirror. It’s bad enough juggling homework, a relentless bully, boys, and a deadbeat dad; now, she must save the world from an evil presence hell-bent on changing the past – and our futures. Who knew her A+ in history was going to be this important?

Add to your Goodreads shelf!

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That’s it for me!  Phew, what a long post.  🙂  What have you guys been reading??

~Pam

Tales of Aradia: The Last Witch Review

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Title:  Tales of Aradia:  The Last Witch

Author:  L.A. Jones

Published:  2012 by CreateSpace

Genre:  Young Adult, Teen Fantasy, Paranormal

Buy: Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

Unknown to the humans who hanged innocent people at the Salem Witch Trials, real witches of the hidden race were slaughtered on the belief that they had betrayed the hiddens to the humans. Not one witch survived the genocide, or so it was believed for more than three hundred years. One day a girl named Aradia moves to Salem, Massachusetts, and all that changes.  

(Blurb from Goodreads)

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Ross and Liza are coming home from a doctor’s appointment in which they just got bad news; the chances of them ever having children are slim to none.  Driving home they almost get in an accident and swerve off the road.  With the car now broken, Ross decides to look for help and hears a baby crying.  Long story short, that baby becomes their daughter, the child that they wanted but couldn’t have, Aradia.

This was a good book.  I liked how Aradia knew she was special, but didn’t know why.  She has no clue that she’s a witch, and it takes them moving to a town of other ‘hidden’ beings to figure out what she is.  The story had a nice flow and kept me interested and wanting to go back for more.

However, Aradia did get on my nerves.  Her sense of humor was pretty dry, and I kind of felt embarrassed for her on occasion when she tried to be funny.  She felt a little immature as well, but it is a young adult book and she is a young adult.  So it was just her personality, and that’s fine, she just got on my nerves a bit.

It wasn’t just Aradia who got under my skin; it was her friend Roy too.  I just wish he had more self-confidence; the lack of it was unappealing.  But again, they are young characters.  I’m hoping that he’ll gain some confidence through the series.

Another little thing that stuck out to me was the mentioning of CVS.  This was when Aradia had just moved to Salem, Massachusetts and she was talking to a student at her school.  She was telling him to pick up some medicine.

“Pick some up on the way home.  It’s easy to find.  They’ll have it at CVS.”

“What’s CVS?”

“Oh, right.  Um, Walgreens?  Any drug store (—)”  (location 31 on Kindle)

Again, this does not affect my rating; I’m just throwing it out there.  I’m from the area, and I promise, we know what CVS is (and Walgreens too).  Lol.

Besides Miss Aradia not being my favorite person, she did grow on me, and I did enjoy the story.  All in all, a good young adult book and I recommend it.

 

My Rating:  3 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

 

*****I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.*****     

The Queen of Swords Review

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Image provided by the author

Image provided by the author

Title:  The Queen of Swords

Author:  Nina Mason

Published:  2014 by Vamptasy Publishing

Genre:  Paranormal Romance

Purchase The Queen of Swords from Amazon

 

 

 

 

*****This Review Contains Major Spoilers*****

 

Graham and Cat are star-crossed lovers.  Graham is a vampire and Cat has been his mate three times; all with different bodies.  The problem is that someone keeps killing her.  This third time that Graham has found Cat, he’s sure that he’s going to protect her by not allowing a relationship between them.  But Cat is a witch and feels the pull towards Graham.  She spells Graham to keep him with her and get more answers…but will she ever let him go to protect her own life?

Overall I liked the book.  I stayed up late a few times just because I had to see what was going to happen.  Some of the feel of the book reminded me of Diana Gabaldon, who I love, so that’s a compliment.  I had no problem envisioning the world that Nina Mason created.

There were a few things that I didn’t like.  Graham and Cat have a few disagreements (as does any couple.)  But two specific times I just felt like Cat got over it way too quickly.  Now, I don’t like to hold a grudge, and I don’t want Cat to either.  One instance is on their wedding day when Graham is kind of a jerk.  Like seriously, I would be so pissed if my husband acted like him.  Granted my husband isn’t a centuries old vampire, but still.  I get that Graham is emotional from all that just happened to him, but I just didn’t like the book to end on that note.

I wish there were a little less memories and a little more ‘in the now’ as well.  I just felt like the book slowed down when the characters were recalling things and that the story went so much faster when the characters were in the present.

Other than that, I really did enjoy the book and I think that Nina Mason did awesome on her debut novel.

 

My Rating:  3 1/2 out of 5 stars

~Pam

*****I received this book free from the author, in exchange for an honest review.*****   

Winter’s Island Review

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

 

Title:  Winter’s Island

Author:  Lillian MacKenzie Rhine

Published:  2013 by Match Point Publications

Genre:  Paranormal Romance, Erotica

Click here to buy Winter’s Island from Amazon.com

 

 

Cay Winter’s is taking a road trip when her aunt Lulu calls.  Lulu wants Cay to go to St. Thomas to chaperone her 17 year old cousin who will be attending college there; Lulu is also paying all Cay’s expenses.  Cay wasn’t about to turn up that opportunity so she headed home to pack.  Cay and her cousin, Malcolm, fly to St. Thomas and on arrival meet Malcolm’s mentor, William.  Cay is taken aback by him and his appearance so much that she actually passes out.  She comes to and William is by her side.  They start to form a relationship, but William is moody and gets angry easily.  William also warns Cay to stay away from his brother.  Will Cay find love in St. Thomas, or something else a little more…paranormal?

I did not finish this book.  I got to page 82 out of 159, so I read a little more than half.  I really didn’t like the story at all.  Here are some reasons why.

The lack of contractions during conversations.  When people talk casually they use contractions, and if they don’t, it just doesn’t feel real.  There are some instances in other books, where the use of no contractions show how formal a person talks and that is purposely done.  But that is not the case in this book, because all the characters talked without contractions.  There were the occasional ones thrown in every now and then, but most of the time it went something like this:

“I do not know William.  I am not comfortable in crowds of people.  Do not ask me why, but I am not okay with this [..}” (p. 51)

Also, I couldn’t always tell who was talking because there would be two different quotes with two different people talking in one paragraph.  A lot of times I had to backtrack to figure out who was actually speaking.  Here’s an example:

“Hey Cay.  I am starving.  There are a few crab legs and shrimp calling my name.  Did you want me to bring you something back?” Malcolm licked his lips looking toward the food stands in the distance.  “No thanks.  I think I will wait until William gets here.”

“Okay your loss.  I will catch up with you later.” Malcolm jogged off towards tables filled to the brim with edible items from the local eateries.  “Have fun kiddo! She yelled as she unhitched her lens cover, watching the men dressed in warrior attired complete with shields, spears, and face paint. (p. 78)

Other than the technical issues, I just didn’t like the story.  It didn’t feel real; I couldn’t get lost in it.  The story would jump; a character would be there in the scene and then all of a sudden be leaving.  It was too choppy.  The chemistry between the characters didn’t feel genuine either.  The whole story didn’t feel real.

Also, I didn’t know I’d be reading an erotica.  I’ve read them before, so it’s not a problem, but I just thought it was poorly done, and the terms used in sexual situations were just corny.

There was one good part that I did like, when the aunt, Lulu, was telling Cay about how she got pregnant with her son Malcolm.  In that one part, I did get temporarily lost in the story.  But that was the only time.

I gave Winter’s Island a fair chance, but I didn’t enjoy the book at all.  I would not recommend.

 

My Rating:  1 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

*****I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.*****