Tag Archives: Paranormal Romance

Bled Dry by Erin McCarthy

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for bled dry erin mccarthy book cover

Title: Bled Dry
Author: Erin McCarthy
Series: Vegas Vampires #3
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Romance, Vampires
Dates read: 16th May – 7th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: But we will be discreet until the election is over.

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

Only in Vegas can a one-night stand with a vampire beat the odds – from the USA Today bestselling author of Sucker Bet and Bit the Jackpot…

Hooking up with a vampire has its risks – but getting pregnant usually isn’t one of them. Tell that to Brittany Baldizzi, who finds herself in the family way with no father in sight. After their one night of passion, vampire Corbin Jean Michel Atelier disappeared off the face of the earth – or at least off the Vegas Strip…

Corbin is a vampire with a cause – he is secretly trying to find a cure for his condition. But when he finds out Brittany is pregnant with his child, Corbin can’t keep his parental instincts from trumping his bloodsucking ones. Even when showing his hand could cost him the woman he can’t help but love…

Thoughts

It took me a lot longer to read Bled Dry than any of the other novels in this series so far. Mostly because Corbin kind of pissed me off. He might have been attempting to do right by Brittany throughout… but mostly he was just being a bit of a ham-fisted moron. And Brittany should have smacked him around the head far more times than she did… but, once I got over my smack-Corbin feeling, I actually thoroughly enjoyed this tale.

There are almost no romance stories in my shelves that feature a pregnant woman. There are many that mention a previous couple becoming pregnant, but none that actually have this as a central plot point. It was a nice change. Babies might not be my thing, and I’m unsure about motherhood, but I think it’s an integral aspect of our lives (for so many obvious reasons). The fact that it was the central point of the storyline and the reason for all of the complications (both positive and negative) was incredibly fun. It didn’t take away from the romance or the passion, but it did provide an entirely new standpoint that I just lapped up.

I’ve never read a story in which the vampire wanted to reverse the act of vampirism. Most of the tales end like High Stakes and Sucker Bet where the mortal significant other is turned to run off into the sunset living happily ever after. This didn’t quite end like that… and the fact that Corbin wanted to grow old with Brittany instead of living forever, well, I kind of liked that ending far more. It was about those finite, happy moments you have together and raising a family in a lifetime, not staying together for ever and having no reason to live every day like it’s your last…

Although the first two thirds of this story involved me mostly being pissed off because Corbin was being an idiot, once I got past that. And he got past his own stupidity, I actually really loved this story. It had that same cutesy, sweet feeling that I’m getting used to in McCarthy’s stories. And left me with the typical, nostalgic, happy smile that her works always leave me with.

 <- Bit the Jackpot ReviewSucker Bet Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Breed Next Door by Lora Leigh

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Hot Spell

Title: The Breed Next Door
Author: Lora Leigh
Series: Breeds #5.5
In: Hot Spell (Lora Leigh, Emma Holly, Shiloh Walker & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Erotica, Paranormal romance, Romantic suspense
Dates read: 7th July 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2005
5th sentence, 74th page: He had been a man tormented with thoughts of losing the daughter he so obviously adored.

Synopsis

Lyra’s neighbor can’t be for real. A man who makes her hormones stand up and scream every time she sees him. And he’s breaking through her reserve to invade her dreams at night.

But Tarek Jordan is even more than he seems. A Breed Enforcer with a plan. First, find the Council Trainer he’s tracked to Fayetteville, Arkansas, and second, claim the woman next door as his own. She’s fated to be his and his alone. He can feel it in his blood. Until the danger that has shadowed his life suddenly casts a darkness over Lyra’s as well. Now Tarek knows that he can’t wait any longer to claim the woman his heart and soul burns for. He has to tell her who he is, what he is, and what he wants. And Lyra will have to accept him as he is, on his terms, and now. Her life depends on it.

Thoughts

We’ve all heard of the boy next door, but I’ve never read a story about the “breed” next door. Or really any kind of romance with a neighbour quite like this. Which of course meant that I loved it and didn’t want to put it down. Actually, I loved this novella so much that I went straight to my shelf to grab Tempting the Beast, the first in the series…

I seem to run the gambit of paranormal romance stories. Some which fill my shelves are sweet, innocent and more than a little cute. Some are a little darker, and then you find novellas like The Breed Next Door which are not so much dark as very erotic and intense. They’re definitely not the kind of stories that I would happily bring out in public. They’re the perfect way to spend the night in though, curled up under a blanket with a rom com playing in the background…

Some days I feel really domestic and reading a story which features a woman who is more that way inclined was really nice. Lyra bakes bread in exchange for her brothers’ help and is more than happy to start cooking for her new lover when she realises that he just can’t do it himself. This different form of showing love made me incredibly happy and I am really quite disappointed that her story was only a short novella, not a full blown novel.

<- Soul DeepMegan’s Mark ->

Image source: Meljean Brook

Tempting the Beast by Lora Leigh

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for tempting the beast book cover

Title: Tempting the Beast
Author: Lora Leigh
Series: Breeds #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Erotica, Paranormal romance, Romantic suspense
Dates read: 9th July 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Year: 2003
5th sentence, 74th page: Breathing hard, her fingers stilled on her flesh.

Synopsis

Callan Lyons is a genetic experiment. One of six fighting for freedom and the survival of their Pride. Merinus Tyler is the reporter who will tempt him, draw him, until the fury of the “mating frenzy” locks them into a battle of sexual heat there is no escape from.

Deception, blood, and the evil Genetics Council are hot on their trail. Callan will use his strength to try and save them both… and do all in his power to keep his woman in the process.

Thoughts

I’ve been meaning to get to this story for a few months now. It just seems to be one that I pick up, look at, and then put right back down again. Until now. When I read the whole book, cover to cover in one day. It was just the right level of intrigue and danger with passion and lust. Although, the passion and eroticism of the book definitely mean that this is a book to read at home… I can’t imagine how awkward it would be to have someone reading this over my shoulder on the bus…

Most of the shapeshifter / paranormal romance type stories that I read feature peoples’ who are just genetically different and a little more… evolved than the average human. The “Breeds” in this series instead are a government, genetic experiment. Talk about creepy conspiracy theories. It’s this that makes me seriously want to sink my teeth into more of the series. I love anything that has a more animalistic spin on humanity and passions, but the idea that there is a shadow government that is the horror of the series, there is just something uncomfortably intriguing about this story.

I love stories about love. But the idea of one in which you don’t actually have a choice or control over your passions and the person you end up tied to… well. That kind of scares me. And I love that it scares Merinus too. Although she felt tied to Callan before she even meets him, her inability to escape him and physical withdrawals terrify her. Into running. Again and again. This willingness to fight against something showed a level of characterisation that I found far more believable and relatable. After all, I wouldn’t want to just succumb to a man because there was a lustful attraction there…

I really enjoy reading about dominating and domineering men. But there is a line. Sometimes they go a little too far with their control issues. Callan flirted with this line, crossed it, but then luckily withdrew just enough that I didn’t find him overbearingly horrible. Even his issues of control and power were explained in a way that I found more pleasing and less want-to-throw-my-book-annoying. Which, again is why I read the whole book in one day…

<- More Lora LeighThe Man Within ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Claire Switch Project by Lynsay Sands

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for dates from hell book cover

Title: The Claire Switch Project
Author: Lynsay Sands
In: Dates From Hell (Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong & Lori Handeland)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Dates read: 4th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Avon Fiction
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: Her boobs were…well…her boobs.

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

Claire, new shapeshifter, accepts dates for school reunion with crush Kyle and his sister Jill.

Thoughts

It only took me two pages to recognise something in this novella that links the story to Run, Rudolph, Run. Partly it was the mention of Jill, but mostly it was the creepy man zapping an unsuspecting woman with a ray and turning her into a shapeshifter… it’s basically what happens to Jill. Just five years later than the activities in this novella.

I love the romance and the cuteness of this novella. It’s ultimately about a couple who have been in love since high school, but unable or unwilling to do much about it. And then, when they finally decide to take that first step, supernatural complications get in the way to make things a lot more difficult…and a whole lot more fun.

What I loved most about this tale was the fact that it was not just about the romance, but also the high school reunion. My ten year reunion is due to happen next year, and I honestly don’t know if I want to go. I just didn’t like high school. But reading about one in which everything ends on a positive and karma seems to take part in the activities… it makes me wonder whether it might be worth going, even if I can’t shapeshift…

 <- Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil ReviewChaotic Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Publishers

Cravings by Laurell K. Hamilton, Mary Janice Davidson, Eileen Wilks & Rebecca York

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
cravings

Title: Cravings
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton, MaryJanice Davidson, Eileen Wilks & Rebecca York
In: Cravings (Laurell K. Hamilton, Mary Janice Davidson, Eileen Wilks & Rebecca York)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Short story collections
Dates read: 15th June – 3rd July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: He leaned his face over my shoulder, and I caught the sweet scent of his skin.

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

Longings in the night…

In the heat of the night, anything goes. Boundaries are crossed and secret yearnings take shape. Creatures stalk the shadows, surrendering to their wildest needs – and satisfying hungers that take their victims beyond fear to the dark edge of desire. Succumb to the pleasure as four of your favorite authors present their favorite characters in all-new tales of bloodlust, of the kind of appetites that must be sated again and again, and of the passion that feeds them…

Thoughts

I bought this book a few years ago to read the World of the Lupi novella between it’s pages. And then I put it away because I was still incredibly new to the genre of paranormal romance. Now, a few years later, a lot more involved in the genre and more than a little obsessed, I decided to pick up this collection again. And boy, was I glad that I did.

All four of these stories have a great paranormal spin to them. They’re tales of passion, romance and lust. Stories that involved a lot more of the paranormal than the passionate. But just enough spice that I still found myself wanting a good male companion for the night. As much as I loved the passion and romance, and in many cases, sheer lust, that jumped off the pages of these stories, I mostly enjoyed the paranormal aspect of the stories. From vampires to werewolves and back again, there were supernatural beings coming out of the wood works. With a little bit of humour, a little bit of darkness and a lot of bang.

 <- Burning Moon ReviewBlood Upon My Lips Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Burning Moon by Rebecca York

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
cravings

Title: Burning Moon
Author: Rebecca York
Series: Moon #3.5
In: Cravings (Laurell K. Hamilton, Mary Janice Davidson, Eileen Wilks & Rebecca York)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Werewolves
Dates read: 3rd July 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: They only confused her more.

Synopsis

All werewolf Grant Marshall wants to do is rip out the throat of the man who killed his wife–then swim out into the Atlantic Ocean and never come back. He tracks his wife’s killer to a small New Jersey seaside town, where he meets Antonia, a blind tarot card reader–the woman with the power to change his fate.

Thoughts

If you look at my bookshelves, and my romance section, you’ll see that I love books with werewolves and shapeshifters. If they happen to be paranormal romances, I tend to eat them up all that much quicker. There is just something that is so sensual and intense about stories with werewolves… I suppose it’s the animalistic and strong sense that these paranormal creatures bring to their stories. Which of course meant that this was going to be the kind of story in my wheelhouse. The fact that it features a quest for revenge and a blind, tarot-card reading woman just made it that much better.

This as mostly a cute and sweet story. Although, there was a little extra darkness and suspense to the tale than a normal paranormal romance. Most of the romances I’ve read lately are incredibly light and easy to read. This still matched that description, but the idea of hunting down a serial killer aided with creating an extra layer of suspense that I completely lapped up.

To add an extra layer of darkness to this storyline, the motives and voice of the murderer is added. Only about halfway through the novella and it certainly made me glad that I was reading this novella during the day. On a bright, sunny day. A man who preys on women he perceives as disabled is wrong on so many levels. And it made me very unhappy and uncomfortable as I realised he was zeroing in on my favourite blind tarot reader…

<- Originally HumanCravings ->

Image source: Amazon

The Countess’s Pleasure by Emma Holly

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Hot Spell

Title: The Countess’s Pleasure
Author: Emma Holly
Series: Tale of the Demon World #2
In: Hot Spell (Lora Leigh, Emma Holly, Shiloh Walker & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Demons, Gaslamp, Paranormal romance
Dates read: 3rd July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2005
5th sentence, 74th page: Two years had passed since her husband’s death, all the mourning decency required.

Synopsis

Georgiana has never been loved by a man, despite being married to one. Now, she has found a way to learn more about the pleasures of sensuality. But what she gets might be far more than she bargained for, and everything she could ever want.

Thoughts

My first ever Emma Holly story and I am caught. The mixture of the paranormal race and a Victorian England type setting for the storyline was kind of perfect. I also loved the fact that although Georgiana is an independent woman, she is also strong and independent, and more than willing to find herself a new life and love.

There is something a little bit extra fun about a group of people who don’t show emotions. When I first started reading about the Yama, all I could think about was the Psy in Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series. And the association was fantastic, since I loved them. And I now love this series. Or at least, I think I will… when I finally get my hands on the first novel…

Whilst this story felt like it was set in Victorian England, it did have a great sense of world building as well. I like that there was a lot of overlap, but also a sense of separation which helped to completely draw me into this story. Honestly, the only problem I actually had with this tale was the fact that I now have to wait at least a month before I can buy and receive some of the books in this series…

<- Hot SpellThe Breed Next Door ->

Image source: Meljean Brook

Dead Girls Don’t Dance by Mary Janice Davidson

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
cravings

Title: Dead Girls Don’t Dance
Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Series: Undead #1.5
In: Cravings (Laurell K. Hamilton, Mary Janice Davidson, Eileen Wilks & Rebecca York)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 28th June 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: She coughed out more sand, cursing herself.

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

Vampire Andrea Mercer is literally dug up by an old crush, Daniel Harris, and during a trip to Minnesota to see the vampire queen, her desire for him reignites.

Thoughts

This was a funny, cute and easy read. It took me a little longer than most novellas because I was also trying to watch a cute little movie at the same time… but in general, this was just a nice little read. I especially liked that although I thought Andrea was going to be a sweet woman. One who meets her significant other and falls a little in love. I was kind of wrong. Although she does fall for Daniel, she’s not really sweet. She’s kind of a powerhouse. And she’s pushy. And she really refuses to take anyone’s crap.

I haven’t read the first book in this series, this is my first ever Mary Janice Davidson story for that matter. So I really didn’t know what to expect at the end of the story when Andrea finally meets the Queen. Within two sentences I fell completely in love with the woman. And, as always, had to fight the urge to go out and buy the books straight away. Actually, I’m still fighting that urge. Queen Betsy is totally different to any image of a vampire queen that I have ever carried in my head before. And I was completely obsessed with it.

For most people there’s always that “what if” person. That person that you constantly wonder what if something different had happened and we’d gone down that track? Daniel is that person for Andrea, and it’s kind of sweet how he manages to completely except all of the horrors in her new life and finds himself in love with her. The fact that he does so with a healthy dose of humour and a bit of stupidity had me smiling throughout, and clutching the book to my chest after I’d turned the final page.

 <- Blood Upon My Lips ReviewOriginally Human Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Novellas and Stories by Meljean Brook, Carolyn Crane & Jessica Sims

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for novellas and stories meljean brook book cover

Title: Novellas and Stories
Author: Meljean Brook, Carolyn Crane & Jessica Sims
In: Novellas and Stories (Meljean Brook, Carolyn Crane & Jessica Sims)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Short story collections, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 25th April – 20th June 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: The horn rang out again, and the dogs began to fall back.

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

For the first time in print, six wild and steamy tales from three of today’s hottest paranormal and steampunk romance authors.

The Blushing Bounder by Meljean Brook – While the search for a killer puts Constable Newberry’s life in danger, he faces a danger of another kind: to his heart, by the woman forced to marry him. What will it take for this prudish bounder to convince his wife to stay?

Vixen by Jessica Sims – Miko’s denied her were-fox nature for far too long and turned her back on her vixen heritage. But when she meets two very sexy cat-shifters, she has to decide if she truly wants to give up on her frisky side, or embrace it. Because the were-fox in her doesn’t want to choose between both men… it wants them both.

Kitten-Tiger & the Monk by Carolyn Crane – Sophia Sidway, Midcity’s most dangerous memory revisionist, seeks out the mysterious Monk in the wasteland beneath the Tangle turnpike, hoping for redemption… but it turns out that the Monk is not all that pious, and the turnpike is no turnpike at all.

These lovers create their own heat, even when surrounded by ice…

Speed Mating by Jessica Sims – Estrella may be going into heat, but she’s determined to remain in control. Just because she’s ovulating doesn’t mean she has to settle for just any man (or his beast). Her sexy alpha’s determined to find her a tiger to take care of her heat and father her child… but no one seems to look quite as good as the man in charge. Will giving in to her need for her alpha ruin her tenuous relationship with her clan or be a match made in heaven?

Conjuring Max by Carolyn Crane – The witches of the world ridiculed nerdy Veronica for trying to use newfangled computers to enhance old world spellcasting. Well, it’s 1984 now, and she’s perfected her spellcasting computer program. Hey, who needs friends when you can conjure virtually anything… or anybody? So when Veronica makes powerful new enemies, she conjures Max, a pitbull of a cop, to deal with the pesky hitmen who keep coming around. But tough-guy Max is in no mood to play lapdog to a gorgeous witch.

Wrecked by Meljean Brook – Elizabeth has spent the past five years running from her father; her father’s huntsman, Caius, has spent the past five years pursuing her. But when he finally catches up to her on an airship flying above Europe’s zombie-infested cities, Elizabeth discovers that Caius isn’t the only danger she has to fear – and now that he’s found her, Caius doesn’t intend to let her go.

Thoughts

This was one of those great collections that had a really wide array of stories under the heading of paranormal romance. From incredibly erotic shapeshifter stories to tales of steampunk piracy across the worlds. Every moment of these six novellas are steamy, warm and full of passion. And of course, a little intrigue to make it impossible to put down.

Although I already knew Meljean Brook’s works, I loved being introduced to her new (to me) Iron Seas series. Which has kind of given me a new obsession – steampunk romance. But, there is another three new series that are featured in these novellas, which have now all been happily added to my wishlist in the hopes for a future time when I have some more cash.

This was one of those fun and easy reads which I will be picking up again and again. The stories are just fun and easy. Kind of cute. And a pleasure to read.

 <- Wrecked ReviewThe Blushing Bounder Review ->
Image source: Fantastic Fiction

The Murder King’s Woman by Jamie Leigh Hansen

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

Title: The Murder King’s Woman
Author: Jamie Leigh Hansen
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Vampires
Dates read: 27th June 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: She also needed to age.

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

Sasha is at the Halloween Party of the vampires. But she isn’t just a pretty face. And tonight’s activities are going to take all of her talents and patience.

Thoughts

The whole time I was reading this I had ninety-nine bottles of beer stuck in my head. Ringing again and again. It was kind of annoying and distracting. But also incredibly fun. And it helped to mimic the fun and engaging story that followed. It did make it a little hard to read anything else when I turned the last page though.

Most of the vampire romances that I’ve been reading involve a male vampire rescuing the sweet female human. I loved that it was the total opposite. The vampire was completely prone and at a disadvantage, and the woman, although entirely human, was also competent, strong and independent. I also loved the fact that although Mary (or Sasha as we first meet her) knows that she loves the man, she still wants to find herself. This independence and need to prove herself in the world was completely admirable. And even when she finally gets everything that she wants, she still plans on spending the next five years on her own, growing into the woman that she can become.

 <- Flotsam ReviewButterfly Kiss Review ->
Image source: Bookdepository