Tag Archives: Paranormal Romance

Ecstasy Under the Moon by Lucy Monroe

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for enthralled lora leigh book cover

Title: Ecstasy Under the Moon
Author: Lucy Monroe
Series: Children of the Moon #3.5
In: Enthralled (Lora Leigh, Alyssa Day, Meljean Brook & Lucy Monroe)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Dates read: 30th September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: “You have a sense of safety there you do not feel when you are awake.”

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Synopsis

And Lucy Monroe, national bestselling author of the Children of the Moon novels, unleashes the feral passions of a werewolf on the body, mind, and soul of his prey, his lover, his mate.

Thoughts

This is one of those stories which makes you want to run out and buy every single story in this series. Not only is it a paranormal romance that features shapeshifters (something I am completely obsessed with), but it’s well written, incredibly sweet and impossible to forget. There is just something beautiful and mysterious about the two leads and the extra level which they connect on. Something intense about the world the Monroe has created…

I’ve read a lot of shapeshifting stories which feature werewolves, ones that feature cats. And even one or two with bears and sharks… but I’ve never actually read one which features a bird of prey…and an eagle who has lost her confidence… well, that completely hit my sweet spot. A secret village hidden in the forests of Scotland just made it all the more impossible to put down and stop thinking about…

A lot of information was squeezed into a very small amount of words. Normally novellas which take place in a complex world make me scratch my head a little at the background story. Yet, with a small prologue and a sordid past, Monroe manages to impart all of her wisdom in a short amount of time. Actually, it was the perfect amount of information – enough that I understood the politics completely, but also light enough on the information that I want to know more, more, more!

This was such a sweet, easy, light read. One that I won’t forget readily and I’m really looking forward to repeating in future novels from this series… when I’ve saved up a little first…

 <- Salvage ReviewEnthralled Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Thicker Than Blood by Meljean Brook

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
First Blood

Title: Thicker Than Blood
Author: Meljean Brook
Series: The Guardians #3.5
In: First Blood (Susan Sizemore, Erin McCarthy, Chris Marie Green & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Demons, Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 30th September 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: All the while, telling me that I had to drink the vampire’s blood, that I had to willingly accept the change for the transformation to work.

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Synopsis

Six years ago, Jack Harrington was in love with Annie Gallagher, until her sudden death turned his world upside down. But when an intruder breaks into his home one night, the former FBI agent can barely believe his eyes – Annie’s alive… and a vampire.

After her sudden transition, Annie couldn’t bear to let Jack see all that she had become. One night she gives into temptation and decides to feed off a man who resembled Jack, only to find herself face to face with the man himself. Now that they’re together again, Jack’s not about to let Annie go, vampire or no. And Annie needs Jack’s help to find a missing girl named Cricket. Danger swirls around the pair as they search for Cricket while a demon bent on destroying all vampires closes in on the pair. Will love lost and found be able to overcome supernatural odds?

Thoughts

I found this story a little bit sad. Alright, there’s a happy ending… but the fact that a couple who so obviously loves one another is kept apart by a series of mistakes and misunderstandings… it was more than a little sad. I did like that the relationship was restored because of her constant need to be near him, and desire to find a little girl collide beautifully.

There are three tales which run through this story. Firstly, there’s the race to find Cricket with a mad man (or demon) on their trail. Secondly, a renegotiation of old relationships and sharing of the past as they try to find a future together. And, lastly, the thread which holds this novella to the rest of the Guardians series, the epic battle between light and dark that happens behind the scenes of our every day lives. Not many novellas would be able to include all of these storylines so seamlessly, but Meljean Brook managed to do this fantastically.

Thicker than Blood was a great novella with just the amount of angst and drama to keep me hooked, but not so much that I found it tedious. It made me want to run to my shelves and pick up the next book in the Guardians series, and just sink my nose into another day of fun and romance, forgetting the world and all of my responsibilities.

 <- Double the Bite ReviewFirst Blood Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Point of No Return by Jennifer St Giles

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of vampire romance 2 book cover

Title: Point of No Return
Author: Jennifer St Giles
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Historical fiction, Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 26th September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: How could a mortal believe a slayer over a man like you?

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Synopsis

She’s been half in love with a statue for as long as she can remember. But when she meets the man in real life, her life may just be put in jeopardy. Will he arrive in time to save her?

Thoughts

Love hits us all. Not so often in the form of an obsession with a statue. But it still hits us. Luckily, nothing untoward happens with the statue… rather it happens with the man who inspired the physique. Which I can kind of understand… I too have stared at some gorgeously constructed artwork…

Prejudice exists in everyday life. But it seems to be so much more potent when told through the lens of fantasy and fiction. Maybe something to do with the fact that it removes us a little further from the situation, so we can see it a lot clearer. I like that instead of focusing on vampire prejudice (I have a LOT of those stories), this tale focuses instead on assumptions made about women and their sexuality. Actually, it was mostly the belief that she’s a witch because of her red hair… but still…

Every action has a consequence. I kind of hate the consequences in this story… in trying to save the woman he loves from a life of the night, he inadvertently places her in even more serious danger. Danger which makes you want to reach through the pages and punch the idiots who perpetrate it in the face. But that’s a soap box moment for another day…

 <- I Need More You ReviewWith Friends Like These Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

Love Struck by Melissa Marr

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for love is hell book cover

Title: Love Struck
Author: Melissa Marr
In: Love is Hell ( Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfield, Justine Larbalestier, Gabrielle Zevin & Laurie Faria Stolarz) & Faery Tales and Nightmares (Melissa Marr)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Celtic, Fae, Paranormal romance
Dates read: 24th September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Teen
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: He paused, considered telling her that he suspected that Veikko had entrapped her, and decided against it.

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Synopsis

Alana has been entrapped by a selchie. But what if all of the stories she’s heard aren’t true? What if it’s love, and not entrapment?

Thoughts

I’ve read quite a few stories about selkies and the fae. Or at least, stories which have a moment featuring them throughout. This was an incredibly different take on a familiar tale though. Which I’m beginning to expect from Melissa Marr. For starters, the selkie isn’t the one necessarily doing the entrapment, and vice versa.

Alana is kind of a perfect partner for a selkie. A race of seal-beings who are all about lust, love and sexual fixation. Alana on the other hand is basically living a celibate life. She doesn’t necessarily want to pursue the lust that her mother has so heavily involved herself in. And she really doesn’t want to tie herself down to one being, regardless of how deeply she is drawn to him. It acts as a nice balance to the traditional tales.

The betrayal and secrets interwoven throughout this story are kind of beautiful. Even though I was pretty sure I knew who the “good guy” was, there were still constant moments of doubt. Moments where you wonder if what you perceive to be the truth was really the truth and so on. It was enough of a mystery to hook me in and make me want to never put the story down. And then it ended. And I was left feeling the urge to pick up yet another Melissa Marr story.

 <- Fan Fictions ReviewLove is Hell Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Publishers

Fantasy by Christine Feehan, Sabrina Jeffries, Emma Holly & Elda Minger

Book Review, , , , , , ,
Overview
Fantasy

Title: Fantasy
Author: Christine Feehan, Sabrina Jeffries, Emma Holly & Elda Minger
In: Fantasy (Christine Feehan, Sabrina Jeffries, Emma Holly & Elda Minger)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance, Paranormal romance, Short story collections
Dates read: 4th July – 21st September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2002
5th sentence, 74th page: They’d made love on the floor before the fireplace, writhing on the fur rug like cats in heat.

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Synopsis

Where do your fantasies take you?

Under the blazing heat of the Borneo sun…
… a beautiful naturalist’s dream comes true – to live among the feral jungle creatures. But an untamed, irresistible beast of another sort forces her to explore her own wild side.

In an exclusive gentlemen’s club in Victorian London…
… adventurous ladies are available to the highest bidder. Yet how far will a modest widow go to fulfill her fantasy of being auctioned off as a rake’s midnight plaything?

From the depths of the dark unknown…
…a child of midnight has arrived in a spiritual Tibetan refuge to rid herself of wicked desires. Here this ageless beauty meets the one man who can save her – or damn her soul forever.

In a private, all-male school for seduction…
…she might just graduate with honors. If she can only maintain her disguise long enough to teach the man of her dreams a few lessons.

Thoughts

I bought this because I had a few weeks / months of obsession with Christine Feehan. I didn’t expect to find more authors to be completely obsessed about. Alright, I read another Emma Holly story the month before I read this one, but still… three new awesome authors and four beautifully simple and cute novellas to spend my nights forgetting about the world around me… what more could a girl want?

Fantasy is a collection of four novellas that run the gambit of romance stories. Two are heavily paranormal, featuring the typically expected paranormal creatures of vampires and shapeshifters. On the other hand, there are two more contemporary tales which take place in the past and the presence. Contemporary and paranormal, present and historical sit side by side in a fantastic collection I absolutely adored and thoroughly enjoyed. I just couldn’t put it down.

If you like romances that will make your heart skip a beat and pulse pound, this is the kind of collection that you’ll enjoy. It’s got a taste of everything, and more than a tease of passion and lust amongst the pages. I found it difficult not to turn immediately to the next page whenever I finished one tale… and it was only the knowledge that I had other responsibilities in life to take up my time… responsibilities that are just enjoyable, but distracting from this story, just the same.

 <- The Awakening ReviewThe Widow’s Auction Review ->
Image source: Christine Feehan

Salvage by Meljean Brook

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for enthralled lora leigh book cover

Title: Salvage
Author: Meljean Brook
Series: The Iron Seas #3.5
In: Enthralled (Lora Leigh, Alyssa Day, Meljean Brook & Lucy Monroe)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Pirates, Steampunk romance
Dates read: 21st September 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: Suddenly her throat felt the same.

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Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Meljean Brook delivers a new story in her steampunk world of the Iron Seas…as a man who’s lost everything returns home to find that not only is his marriage in jeopardy, but he must now fight pirates who intend to steal his one remaining treasure – his wife.

Thoughts

Men are stupid. To be fair, so are women. But in this story… men are stupid. And seriously dude, stop being so damn ignorant and love thy wife. We do not want money, we want our man. That’s it, rant over. This was actually an amazing novella. But I still left it thinking that men are kind of stupid. And need a bit of a kick up the butt to restore their brain cells.

I really enjoyed the slight revisitation to Ivy and Mad Machen in this story. They don’t actually make an appearance, but they are mentioned and their lives after the events of their story are happily alluded to a number of times. Enough to let you know that they’re enjoying their happily ever after, away from prying eyes and comfortable in their reputations.

I can’t imagine ever marrying a man that I wasn’t 100% sure of, that I knew inside and out. But there seems to be a slight theme in some of Meljean Brook’s stories about this happening. Two people who are 100% in love, but really not aware of each others’ personalities and needs. A bit of a case of jumping into the deep end, and then forgetting why you’re swimming. It’s a slightly painful trope. But also an incredibly fun one. One that I really enjoyed. And it almost worked better in this novella as their issues predominately come from misunderstandings and a desire to make each other happy. Whilst not actually understanding what their counterpart needs.

Add all of the relationship complications to the idea of pirates stealing a chest of gold; a diver trying to retrieve the treasure; and a murder or two of some rather unmoralistic mercenaries… well, it was a really good, enjoyable and fun ride. Just enough lust to make me miss my partner, but more about piracy and brigands on the seven seas… mixed in with a fantastic steampunk world.

 <- The Curse of the Black Swan ReviewEcstasy Under the Moon Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Daniel by C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of paranormal romance book cover

Title: Daniel
Author: C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp
In: The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 21st September 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Cut off the head?

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Synopsis

On a routine night on the job, she runs into a completely horrific vampire. It’s enough to throw her into the arms of the one that she loves… but at what cost? Will they survive the coming battle?

Thoughts

This story didn’t quite go the way that I expected. I was kind of anticipating the lead to be a woman who had some serious ties to the paranormal world. And maybe even some powers of her own that would help her in her chosen career. Not really the case, she has a single, kind of sexy, tie to the paranormal world. But nothing more. Nothing more intense and terrifying. Just one Daniel that (I think) lives in her home and is her friendly companion…

There is something incredibly amusing about a mortal woman defending herself from a vengeful vampire with a super soaker. Something that had me laughing out loud, reflecting on this story and just remembering the general fun that I had while reading it even days after I turned the last page. I would like to think that even I could take on an angry undead with my awesome super soaker skills (alright, I’m delirious, but a girl can dream).

This isn’t quite that simple girl meets boy story. For starters, girl met boy way before the start of this story. And boy that girl meets in this story starts out by having his throat cute open by a pair of keys. But it does have that simplicity and sweetness. Girls almost death makes boy make a move. Girl and boy get together and vow to try and survive. They do survive and fun little happily ever after ensues… like I said. Fun, sweet and simple. Everything that I felt like in a short story at the time.

 <- How to Date a Superhero ReviewLight Through Fog Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

I Need More You by Justine Musk

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of vampire romance 2 book cover

Title: I Need More You
Author: Justine Musk
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Angels, Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 20th September
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: “Vincent.”

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Synopsis

She travels across the world to hear his call. To be reunited with the man that she loves… but how can she be sure that this fallen angel loves his nightwalker back?

Thoughts

The part of this story that I liked the most was the setting. Using the backdrop of Burning Man was completely novel and intriguing. It’s something that I’ve only vaguely heard of and been a little intrigued by. And it’s a setting that I’ve never come across before.

The poignancy of the setting of Burning Man and letting things go worked incredibly well for this story. The narrator follows a fallen angel and man all over the world, following a secret call that helps her to find her love. But after a few blissful moments of reunion, the cycle is repeated again. It honestly sounds like an intensely painful and irritating way to maintain a sexual relationship. But, at the end there is a kind of farewelling of the past and a hope for the future.

This wasn’t quite the vampire romance story that I expected. It really wasn’t even all that vampire-based. Alright, the narrator was a vampire, but there really wasn’t a moment in it that this seemed to take key place within the storyline. She more read like a mortal who happened to have a dietary concern… for the majority of the story. I think that this, along with the vagueness of the relationship made this story a bit bleugh for me, although still not horrifying.

 <- The Scotsman and the Vamp ReviewPoint of No Return Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository

Russian Roulette by Erin McCarthy

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
First Blood

Title: Russian Roulette
Author: Erin McCarthy
Series: Vegas Vampires #5
In: First Blood (Susan Sizemore, Erin McCarthy, Chris Marie Green & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Romance, Vampires,
Dates read: 20th September 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: It suited Alistair, the contrast of bright and dark, and he stayed inside during the day, asleep, and hit the streets at night to work, to dine, to socialize.

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Synopsis

Alistair Kirk is a bar owner, a musician, and a vampire. When he hears that a fledgling vampire is being held captive and faces certain death, he rushes to the rescue.

Sasha Chechikov, once a vampire slayer, now a vampire herself, is on the run from her former associates. Sasha’s past leaves her wary of trusting anyone, but she can’t deny the sparks that fly between her and her sexy saviour. Will Alistair be able to protect Sasha from her enemies? And will two vampires who seem so different from one another learn what it means to truly love?

Thoughts

I’m really glad that I read this novella before Sucker Bet. If I had’ve started this after Sucker Bet, and realised that it was a tale about Sasha… I probably would have been seriously pissed off. She was kind of a bitch in the novel. But this novella made me sympathise with her and actually like her. Or at least, admire her a little more for her strength and gumption…

Unlike the glitz and glam of Las Vegas, New Orleans has a wonderfully different flavour. Changing the setting, and making it a little less “wow” was a great way to round out the last of the stories in the Vegas Vampires series. It also kind of highlighted that who Sasha was in Sucker Bet wasn’t really her true persona… rather, it was all a façade.

Aaron is exactly the kind of male protagonist / love interest that I tend to like. He’s not quite what you would consider “traditional”, completely different to the kind of man that I would go for, and is quiet in his pursuit of women. It’s a bit of a change from many of the domineering men that seem to fill Erin McCarthy’s stories. One that I think I needed at this point. Actually, my biggest complaint about this story was the fact that it was a novella, I think that the ending of Sasha’s story could have been dragged out far longer in a far more enjoyable manner… but maybe I’ll just pick up another Erin McCarthy book instead.

 <- Sucker Bet ReviewDeal or No Deal Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Sucker Bet by Erin McCarthy

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for sucker bet erin mccarthy book cover

Title: Sucker Bet
Author: Erin McCarthy
Series: Vegas Vampires #4
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Romance, Vampires
Dates read: 19th – 20th September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Absolutely and utterly ashamed.

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Synopsis

A night of indulgence…

Gwenna Carrick is a woman with a history – 900 years of it. As the vampiress ex-wife of the notorious vampire Roberto Donatelli, she has to keep a low profile. Not easy when she’s bathed in the neon glow of Las Vegas – especially when there’s a whole online group of vampire slayers bent on dealing her her last hand.

can feel like eternity…

A wild night with a stranger was not in the cards for Gwenna. But that’s what happened when she met Detective Nate Thomas. Their passion made her feel… well, alive again. But when Donatelli catches wind of the tryst, Nate tops his to-off list. Gwenna knows she hit the jackpot with Nate and won’t let her ex stand in the way. But they soon realize they have far more enemies than Donatelli – both on the Strip and underground…

Thoughts

This was a great finish to a really fun little series. Alright, there are three novellas which follow it chronologically, but I read them before reading the full length novella, and they don’t really add to the greater storyline. However, Sucker Bet does and it provides some much needed answers to the political and social intrigues which are peppered throughout the four main novels.

Alexis, Cara and Brittany are all very strong and independent women. Ones who not only know what they want from life, but also know what they don’t want. And who they don’t think they want. Gwenna on the other hand is much softer, subtler and a little more lost. She has a far longer history than the three mortal women and, because of this, more hang ups than they have. Which all made her a great lead to finish the series with. She was something different and unique in a series that is full of unique takes on the vampire romance subgenre.

I loved that although Gwenna is a little lost and unsure of what to do with her life, she is also sure of what she doesn’t want. And honestly, some people can’t even quite figure that out… that alone takes a strength of will. She also realises what a great catch of a man she has from the very beginning. She may be unsure of where they stand with each other, but she doesn’t hesitate to find a way to be happy with an incredibly hot human being… something that none of her counterparts in this series were capable of doing. Which is probably why I loved her so much and so quickly.

This was a great way to tie up the political intrigue and battles which have been an undertow and obstacle in all of the stories in this series. It finally removes Donatelli’s annoying influence from the lives of the characters I’ve come to love and made him realise just what he has lost. A bit of poetic justice that didn’t involve blood or death at the closing of the pages as the four main couples finally ride off happily ever after into the sunset. Plus, you finally get to find out why Kelsey calls Ringo Kyle all the time.

 <- Bled Dry ReviewRussian Roulette Review ->
Image source: Amazon