Natalie is about to get the job of a lifetime and escape her controlling and overbearing ex-husband. But, she might be in for a lot more than she bargained for when she meets an irresistible Cajun Breed.
I read Christmas Heat in a Christmas anthology not long before I started the Shifter anthology. When I realised that there was another Breeds story in it, I raced through the pages until I could sink my teeth into another of these stories. I have ordered the first few novels in the series… but I haven’t received them, so I was at a point that I’d do almost anything for my fix.
This is not one of those stories you should read where there are witnesses, or people who can read over your shoulder. It is intense and entertaining. But, what I love most about these paranormal romance stories so far is that it isn’t all romance and candles. Yes, love is about that… but it’s also about this weird, overriding passion. It’s not often pretty, and it is almost never like in the movies. Jaguar’s Kiss is like this – it is about this overriding sense and passion that is completely overbearing and more than a little terrifying.
And don’t miss the story that started it all, “Sea Crossing” in the anthology SHIFTER (Think Anne of Green Gables sails on the Titanic, but with shapeshifters!)
I’m already obsessed with this new series. I was kind of
obsessed within the first chapter – there was something both sensual and innocent
about the storyline. I also loved the fact that although Emma feels that she is
a ruined woman (a complete strong and powerful product of the times), she still
manages to find a way to stand on her own two feet. She refuses to settle for
the second best that is forced upon her, but rather, decides to build her own
life anew. Or at least try to. As with every other story, her best laid plans quickly
go awry.
It’s hard to tell whether my obsession with Celtic folklore
and the UK is because of my ancestry, or just because I love the richness of
the mythology. So, anytime I find a series or tale that uses Celtic mythology, I
tend to dive in head first. This paranormal romance story fit the bill exactly.
Utilising selkies instead of other forms of mythological sea creatures pulled
me in hook, line and sinker, and now I can’t get the beauty of the storyline
out of my head. The greatest issue that I have with this novella is the fact
that I have to wait at least a month until the first novel in the series
arrives…
Title: Atlantis Unleashed Author: Alyssa Day Series: Warriors of Poseidon #3 Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Paranormal romance, Vampires Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: Berkley Sensation Year: 2009 5th sentence, 74th page: She could save us, it claimed.
Eleven thousand years ago, Poseidon’s warriors swore an oath to protect humanity from those who stalked the night. Now those powerful forces are uniting. So are two souls who are all that stand between justice and eternal darkness…
A warrior prince… Lord Justice made the ultimate sacrifice for his brother and paid for it with unimaginable torture. Now he’s back, rescued from death, his sanity shaken, and his mission inescapable: to search for the lost star of Artemis. But the beautiful female whom he has sworn to protect is shadowed by an evil that could destory them both.
A woman of science… The archaeological artifacts of Atlantis speak to Dr. Keely McDermott, sharing visions of life long ago. The ancient revelations have cast her into a world between past and present, between reality and illusion – and, when she meets the fierce Atlantean warrior assigned to guard her, between terror and temptation. As their two worlds collide, so too will danger and desire…
Although there is still an epic battle with vampires to complete this story (like the first two novels in this series), most of the story doesn’t actually involve an arch nemesis or vampires in any significant way. It is about the internal battle and war that Justice must fight with himself to survive and become whole again. And I really enjoyed this change of pace. I tend to find I jump from series to series because there becomes a certain same-same in the battles that the characters are fighting, by having an internal demon as opposed to an external, Day was able to mix it up enough that I don’t yet want to put this series down in preference for another (I’ve had to because I haven’t received Atlantis Unmasked yet, but I digress…)
One of the things I thoroughly enjoyed about Justice and
Keely’s story was that Justice is completely dual natured. Whilst there are a
plethora of external forces he has to fight against (being held captive,
rampaging vampires, etc.), the biggest battle is that with himself. And, more
importantly, the internal dialogue that highlights his duality. Although the
Nereid half is cast as the evil, I like that at the end, you find that the
Nereid was also having its own battles and trouble expecting its alter-ego (for
lack of a better term). Keely’s ability to accept them both and realise that he
is her other half in spite of his crazy just made it feel all the more sweet.
I also enjoyed Keely as a lead female. She is the first
scientist and academic to take centre-stage in this series and for that alone,
I found that I related to her better than previous female leads. I may not be
an archaeologist who has a gift to read the past in an object, but I am a
female scientist who is constantly querying the world around her and trying to
figure out how things work. I absolutely loved the way in which, even in the
most dire situations, she will trail off and start to question how things work,
the past, just anything and everything around her. It’s something that I do
often, get distracted by the how and why when I’m supposed to be looking at
something completely different…
Morgan has always been nothing but a disappointment to her father. Yet, she’ll still sacrifice everything to save her people, and maybe find a little of love for herself in the process.
I’m getting towards the end of a very big collection of
vampire romance stories. And once you’ve read a heap of stories with the same
themes it can become a little… repetitive. However, The Sacrifice had a completely different feel to it. And it was
honestly enough to make me feel refreshed towards the entire anthology.
The trope of a virgin sacrifice to appease the evil dragon
on the mountain was completely turned on its head in this short story. Alright,
the sacrifice was still a virgin, but she had an actual brain on her shoulders and
willingly sacrificed herself. The dragon was a vampire and the kingdom she was
sacrificing herself for was kind of run by a douche. It just completely turned everything
that I was expecting on its head. In the best way possible.
An Atlantean beauty and a voracious Alpha panther male explore the boundaries of shape-shifting passion—only to shatter each one of them, in a beguiling novella of the Warriors of Poseidon…
Having never ventured beyond Atlantis for four centuries, Marie, First Maiden of the Nereids, is finally leaving for the world of the Above to see her brother and meet the beautiful shifter he married. For Marie, an even bigger surprise awaits her—one prowling in her sister-in-law’s panther pack. No man has ever touched her quite as exquisitely as Ethan, Alpha male of the panthers. But being drawn into his sensual world is as irresistible as it is dangerous when a violent turf war places both of them in inescapable danger.
I was expecting a novella featuring one of the Seven Warriors that are the focal point of the Warriors of Poseidon series. So it was a somewhat pleasant surprise to read a novella about one of the sisters – and a healer who is the leader of a temple. Alright, there was still an incredibly dominant and pushy male taking centre stage, but I enjoyed the fact that the Atlantean was female this time.
One of my favourite parts of this novella was that although there
was the romance, neither party gave up everything for it. I was fully expecting
the female to suddenly drop her role as lead of the temple, move to Florida and
bed down with a very pretty leopard shapeshifter. Instead, they admit that they
are mates, and tied to one another, but neither gives up their lives and responsibilities
to indulge in this. Rather, there is an agreement to maintain a long-distance
relationship, of sorts. I found it entirely refreshing that the tale ended in
this way.
Title: Atlantis Awakening Author: Alyssa Day Series: Warriors of Poseidon #2 Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect) My Bookshelves:Paranormal romance, Vampires Pace: Medium Format: Novel Publisher: If you threaten Erin again, I will come after you with everything I’ve got. Year: 2007 5th sentence, 74th page: Berkley Sensation
To rescue the world from an overwhelming evil, Poseidon’s warriors have risen from Atlantis. Chief among them is Ven, serving as the King’s Vengeance by birthright and by battle challenge. None can conquer him – except perhaps for one human female…
The warrior… Ven’s mind is filled with duty. He must serve as Atlantean liaison to the humans in a war waged against the vampires. A sword is his weapon – not diplomacy. But on a mission to recover the Nereid’s Heart – a ruby of immense power – it will take every ounce of strength he possesses to resist the sexual allure of the beautiful witch chosen to work with him.
And the witch… Erin’s heart is filled with vengeance. She lives only for the chance to punish those who murdered her family. Now she must partner with a legendary Atlantean warrior whose dark desire threatens to crash through the barriers she built around her emotions – and her heart. Caught in a trap of shifting alliances, how long can Ven and Erin resist their awakening passion?
I have a weird relationship with the Warriors of Poseidon series… while I’m reading them I don’t think that I’m completely enthralled, yet, I tend to just rip through them quickly and fall madly in love with the characters in the storyline. And, when I close the final page of the book, I can’t stop thinking about the storyline and all that unfolded.
Where I really didn’t feel any connection to Conlan throughout Atlantis Rising, I really liked Ven in the sequel. He had that crabby alpha-male thing going on which annoys me (and then I realise that I actually have that in my own life), but it was tempered a lot better than in Conlan’s characterisation. He had a softness and care to him that was kind of missing, although I honestly think that it has a lot to do with an improvement in Day’swriting across the books.
I’ve read a lot of vampire books over the years – something
about Twilight seems to make it a must-have in anything with a paranormal
theme. Yet, the vampires in this, although they follow along the traditional
lines, aren’t a painfully overdone cliché. They aren’t even the centre point of
the storyline, just another calibre of enemy that wants to destroy and take
over the good guys. Or, in this case, want to take over Erin, the lead female
in this story…
Zarifa needs a bodyguard. Mad Dog needs to escape. Maybe the two of them will be able to work out a way to get what they need, while fighting their passions.
I have never read a science fiction-esque story that
features werewolves. It was so completely unexpected and new that it took me
quite a while to actually get into it. But then I realised how great an idea
the nano-bots through the blood stream were and how much I thoroughly enjoyed
this story. Now I’m hooked.
There is a fairly typical storyline throughout this paranormal romance novella – boy meets girl in unorthodox circumstances (in this case she hires him to be her bodyguard slave), they fall in lust, start to fall in love. A spanner is thrown into the works, then they realise that they want to be together forever anyway. However, the fact that the girl was an empress with combat skills who had been drugged her entire life, the boy was an incredibly powerful and deadly werewolf, and there was a royal conspiracy afoot. That’s what made this novella so different and special. Now I just have to find a new Angela Knight story to sink my teeth into…
Zane is sworn to stop the demon from rising, but when he discovers who the final victim is, things take a more intense turn.
Well. This novella did not take the direction I was
expecting at all. It starts at a neighbourhood Christmas party, with a quiet
baker and an enigmatic professor. I figured that they would slowly fall in
love, have some kind of paranormal influence that helps it along (since it’s in
a paranormal romance collection) and then sweep off into the sunset to live
happily ever after. And some of that does actually happen, just not in the way
that was expected.
I haven’t read a really intense demon story in a little while – and reading this novella that features a soul-stealing demon trying to rise… at Christmas time… made me remember how much I love almost anything that features demons. There is something that is just quintessentially evil and overwhelming about a good demon story. And, by setting this against the backdrop of Christmas and a budding romance, Jones really swept me away. I stayed up way too late reading this, just to find out if they would survive.
I loved the dream sequences throughout the storyline. Not
only did they obviously warn at what was to come, but they provided subtle
clues as to the bad guy in the story and maybe even a way in which to overcome him.
The foreshadowing was brilliant, and I think that it will be one of those
stories that I will gain more out of each time I reread it.
In this seductive anthology, four masters of paranormal romance explore the boundaries of erotic shape-shfiting fantasy – and shatter them.
Something happens when the beast within is teased and tempted. Something dangerous. Something inescapable. Somethin so irresistible no woman would want to run from it.
Whether transforming beneath a cool blue moon, prowling the night streets with feline grace and bloodred talons, or panting with pleasure, the shifters come alive to fulfill your wildest fantasies…
I didn’t really realise how much I’m obsessed with
paranormal romance and shapeshifters… until I read this collection. And loved every
single story, and now have a one-track obsession with each of the three series
and four authors. Which is a monetary issues, because I don’t really want to be
buying all of these series… and new authors… but I kind of have…
I love that the paranormal romance stories throughout this
anthology run the gamut of sexual intensity. From sweet and gentle courtship to
rough and tumble lust, these four stories highlight romance and passion in a
way that made me miss my other half (he was away while I was reading most of
this).
Although the majority of these tales featured a feline
shapeshifter (I don’t know why, but these are so incredibly enthralling), there
were others throughout. The different forms, moods and temperaments of a
similar theme worked well against the often lustful romance, and now I have to
be patient in waiting for the next book sin all of these series to arrive on my
doorstep…
There’s something magical about Christmas and cats…
Four top-selling authors have a special gift for you this year: never-before-published holiday stories featuring passionate romance, paranormal adventure, and a distinctly alluring feline touch. With four new stories – including one featuring Lora Leigh’s genetically altered Feline Breeds – this is a collection packed with more surprises than Christmas morning, and more chills than the snowiest winter night…
I bought this book because I wanted something that was
Christmassy to get me in the Christmas mood. I saw that I recognised one of the
four authors, and figured I really couldn’t go wrong the a name like “The
Magical Christmas Cat”. And boy was I not disappointed.
There isn’t an overwhelming Christmas feel to some of these
stories, they’re not full on and cliched like some collections I have picked up
in the past. But, there is enough of the Christmas spirit and time of year to make
you excited for the madness of family and gift giving. The moments when you look
around at the bedlam and go “yup, I love these nut bags” (or at least, that’s
what I feel most of the time around the Christmas period).
I liked the backdrop of Christmas against these four novellas.
The romance that takes place in each tale is somehow more pure and simple
during the holiday season, and it also promotes feelings of mistletoe and gifts.
Long nights by the firelight under the Christmas tree (even though, as an
Aussie, I’ve never actually sat by the Christmas tree under the flickering
lights of a fire)… there is just something fun and beautiful about these
Christmassy feline stories and I definitely suggest reading it in the holiday
season!
Earth and Skye 