Tag Archives: Burning Up

Whisper of Sin by Nalini Singh ReRead

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview

Title: Whisper of Sin
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #0.6
In: Burning Up (Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters, Urban fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novella
Year: 2010

Thoughts

I love reading about Emmett and Ria – they are a great couple, and it’s also really interesting to see how DarkRiver begins to gain power in their city. Neither person features all that prominently in the main series, but, their adventures definitely inform how things unfold a little. Plus, they are just too fantastic and adorable for words. I absolutely adored them.

Ria is kind of a sheltered individual and naïve in a number of ways. Yet, she also has a backbone of steel. She’s ballsy and sure enough of herself and what she wants to fight for it. There’s also the fact that she sees the love that her parents and brother have, and knows that she wants it. Sometimes those that our families think will be our “perfect match” aren’t that at all. Tom and his underhandedness is a perfect example of just how wrong our parents can sometimes be.

Although Ria and Emmett are a great couple, and I really loved reading their story, it’s got to be Ria’s grandmother who is my favourite character. I mean, I love all of the women in this novella – there is something great about Singh’s writing in that she always creates such strong female characters. But, Ria’s grandmother is a whole other level of fun and entertaining. The kind of grandmother that I want to be when I grow up.

This novella was incredibly fun as a standalone novella. But, mostly I love how it gives context to the ways in which DarkRiver acts to protect those who live in their city. And how they first begin to gain power and influence, all before they start to use them to shift the world around them.

<- Beat of Temptation ReReadSlave to Sensation ReRead ->

Image source: Nalini Singh

Burning Up by Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook

Book Review, , , , , , ,
Overview
burning-up

Title: Burning Up
Author: Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook
In: Burning Up (Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Short story collections, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 30th January – 4th April 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Ria opened her mouth to reply but something made her turn to the doorway.

Synopsis

Passion runs as hot as a fever dream in these all-new stories by four New York Times bestselling provocateurs of the paranormal…

In Angela Knight’s Blood and Roses, a vampire warrior and his seductive captor join forces to stop a traitor from unleashing an army of demonic predators on their kingdom.

New in Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series is Whisper of Sin, in which a woman in lethal danger finds an unlikely protector – and lover – in a volatile member of the DarkRiver pack.

Virginia Kantra continues the haunting tales of the Children of the Sea in Shifting Sea, the story of a wounded soldier rescued by a strange and enigmatic young woman.

Meljean Brook launches a bold new steampunk series with Here There Be Monsters, as a desperate woman strikes a provocative – and terrifying – bargain to gain overseas passage.

Thoughts

I’ve had this collection sitting on my shelf for ages. I just haven’t gotten around to reading it… until now. And now I’m wondering why I took so long to sink my literary teeth in… I already had the Psy-Changeling series, but now I have another three paranormal romance series to obsess over… when they eventually arrive on my doorstep.

The themes and paranormal characters in this collection of four novellas run the gambit. There’s a steampunk tale with pirates, a romance with a leopard shapeshifter and one with vampires and their battles. The romances are instantaneous and involve a lot of running away… the only thing that these four novellas really have in common is the fact that they are all intense, fun and have a good ending. Although, maybe not good stories to read when you have to sleep alone….

 <- Here There Be MonstersWhisper of Sin ->

Image source: Nalini Singh

Here There Be Monsters by Meljean Brook

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for here there be monsters meljean brook book cover

Title: Here There Be Monsters
Author: Meljean Brook
Series: The Iron Seas #0.5
In: Burning Up (Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Pirates, Steampunk romance
Dates read: 31st March – 4th April 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Her laugh left him as full and light as an airship.

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Synopsis

Meljean Brook launches a bold new steampunk series with BB Here There Be Monsters BB, as a desperate woman strikes a provocative – and terrifying – bargain to gain overseas passage.

Thoughts

I can’t stop thinking about this novella! It combines steampunk, pirates and romance. There is so much passion, humour and grit to the tale. Not only is it impossible to put down, it is also impossible to forget. I might have ordered most of the books in the series when I was only halfway through, but I still have to wait for the dang things…

I have a slight fascination with pirates, have since I was a kid – it always seemed so free. But, as I grew up, I realised that they weren’t that romantic, and women had pretty much no rights. So I kind of love the fact that I get to read a series about pirates that is based in a steampunk world. A world where women have their own places and the ability to work. It’s not to say that there isn’t a fight to gain respect, but at least there’s more of a chance to be something beyond a mistress in the steampunk world.

Ivy and Mad Machen are a fun mix. But, what I love the most about this storyline is that Ivy is able to grow. She starts off timid and unsure, unable to truly understand her worth and value. It isn’t until the end that she is fully grown into herself, but this all happens around Machen. Alright, a little bit because of him, but mostly Ivy’s growth is Ivy’s journey, he just gets to go along for the ride…

 <- The Blushing Bounder ReviewThe Iron Duke Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Shifting Sea by Virginia Kantra

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
burning-up

Title: Shifting Sea
Author: Virginia Kantra
Series: Children of the Sea #3.5
In: Burning Up (Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Celtic, Mermaids, Paranormal romance
Dates read: 29th March 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: “That’s why we came,” Hobson said.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Virginia Kantra continues the haunting tales of the Children of the Sea in BB Shifting Sea BB, the story of a wounded soldier rescued by a strange and enigmatic young woman.

Thoughts

I like the switch from selkies to finfolk in this short story. It helps build upon the storyline of the past, but also to open up a whole new avenue in this series. Or at least, that’s how it kind of felt to me. (I haven’t actually read Sea Lord yet, but I know who it’s about). And Shifting Sea jumps from the modern day to the 1800s, featuring a different group of powerful children of the sea.

I really enjoyed reading about Morwenna and Jack. They had this gorgeous Scottish Highland fling that kind of made my heart melt a little. It was just such a beautiful concept, a beautiful setting and a fantastic romance. The fact that there was treachery and confusion sprinkled throughout this novella just made it all that harder to put down.

I loved this beautiful Celtic romance. It was kind of stunning and just set against a great backdrop. It was hard not to imagine yourself swept away in this situation. Hard not to imagine the world in which these individuals found themselves.

 <- Blood and Roses ReviewHere There Be Monsters Review ->
Image source: Nalini Singh

Blood and Roses by Angela Knight

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
burning-up

Title: Blood and Roses
Author: Angela Knight
In: Burning Up (Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Medieval fantasy, Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 18th – 19th February 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: Lord Raniero is famous for his incorruptibility.

Synopsis

In Angela Knight’s BB Blood and Roses BB, a vampire warrior and his seductive captor join forces to stop a traitor from unleashing an army of demonic predators on their kingdom.

Thoughts

This is now my second novella by Angela Knight that I’ve had the fortune of reading. And like Mad Dog Love, I found the opening pages didn’t really grab me. However, this time I knew that I had to persevere with the opening, and I would sink into something amazing. And I was completely right!

This paranormal romance novella takes you on a journey through a world with vampires and knights. Wars and traitors. The fact that there is a lustful romance that takes centre stage just helps to build upon the beauty of the storyline. There’s just something so sweet (if in a slightly backwards way) about Amaris and Raniero throughout this tale. Something that completely drew me in and made it impossible to put down this story (you know, once I’d gotten over the first few pages).

Although it is incredibly obvious that the two leads are going to fall for one another, and hard, I still enjoyed the journey. And there were still moments when I wondered if their past hang-ups would lead to a not-so-happily ever after. Not enough to make me frustrated, but enough to help raise the stakes of the storyline.

I might have loved the romance in this novella. But honestly, my favourite character was Marin. There was just something so unbelievably cute, sweet and innocent about her. Something that makes me smile every time I reflect back on this story.

<- Whisper of SinShifting Sea ->

Image source: Nalini Singh

Whisper of Sin by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

burning-up

Title: Whisper of Sin
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling #0.6, Psy-Changeling Season One #0.6
In: Burning Up (Angela Knight)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: I guess people must assume they’re cats.

Synopsis

A woman in lethal danger finds an unlikely protector – and lover – in a volatile member of the DarkRiver pack.

Thoughts

This was a really nice short story that helps to place the unrest and political wars of the Psy-Changeling world into context. It was also a great way to meet new characters that are peripherally present in some of the other novels in the series. Whisper of Sin is a great short story and reminder of the protective nature of the Changelings – although it is a tantalising story of love and lust, it is also about protecting the people from gangsters and predators who care nothing for the people under their care.

The opening scene alone of Whisper of Sin was really powerful, and strong. It illustrated Ria’s confusion and inner strength at her attack, and beautifully showed the protectiveness of the DarkRiver pack. I loved how Ria’s perceived softness and vulnerabilities hid an inner core that allowed her to stand up to Emmett, but also overcome her attack. Her ability to hold together her family in times of trouble was also an immensely enviable quality that worked gorgeously on the words of the page.

Emmett’s protective ruggedness worked as a great contrast to Ria’s vulnerability, and although it provided a core of protection, his insecurity at his very ruggedness worked with her vulnerable nature. The quickness and simplicity with which both characters fell into one another’s lives was incredibly sweet and endearing – where most of the Psy-Changeling love stories involve a lot of fight to overcome the obstacles in their way, Whisper of Sin was a quick and simple falling that left my heart beating and a smile lingering on my lips.

<- Beat of TemptationSlave to Sensation ->

Image source: Nalini Singh