Review: Moon Sworn by Keri Arthur

Description:
Some nights never end.
Some desires never die. . . .
She ventures where no one else dares—into realms of peril and pleasure. But will this next journey be her last?
Shape-shifting werewolf and vampire Riley Jenson is through with death–causing it, solving it, surviving it. Her soul mate, Kye Murphy, is dead–and at Riley’s own hands. Not even the seductive embrace of her vampire lover, Quinn, can fully ease her mind, for she has begun questioning everything that makes her Riley–including her job at the Directorate.
Now, the ritualistically slain bodies of ex-cons have started turning up. Reluctantly, Riley takes the case, but something even worse is waiting in the wings. For a vicious enemy from her past is determined to strip Riley of everything that gives her life any meaning: her lover, her brother–and even her own identity. Can Riley survive this ultimate assault? All she knows is, she must fight one last time to find answers, before everything goes dark forever…


Review:
I received this book as a review copy from the publisher and I was so happy I got the chance. I adored the last book and OMG this one was so much better. I just couldn't stop reading. I really wanted a HEA for Riley and Quinn and after the last book I was unsure if that would be so easy.

Riley still suffers from the events of the last book. She hurts, she knows how lucky she should be to have her brother , Liander and Quinn but she just can't stop feeling the pain deep inside her. She lost so much and she still hates to be a Guardian. She not only lost her soul mate, she also lost her dreams of having a normal werewolf life. She tries to be strong but being unhappy with your life doesn't make that task easier. Riley really grew through the whole series and I have to admit that I like her more now than in the first 2 books even if she is  a bit broken inside. She is still a strong woman who says what she thinks and does what she wants. I know I am a prude but I especially liked that she didn't fuck around in this book. I never really like that.

I loved Quinn as always. He is ones of the best heroes ever and at some points I would have loved just to put my head on his shoulder like Riley and feel the safety of his presence. He is the rock that keeps Riley steady and he loves her the way she is, without reservations. He is caring and is worried- but not in such an overbearing way that alpha-males usually love. He respects her space and knows where he has to give her space and where not. And he is hot like hell so who could resist? Not me.

The plot in this book was okay. I was a bit annoyed with the whole memory losing at the beginning but it worked after a few pages. I liked how all the little glimpses came back to her and she could finally put the whole puzzle back together. I loved who the story unfolded itself, how Riley made her own decisions even if they weren't in sync with the Directorate.I know it's bad to want revenge but I really really liked the end- it was so what I wanted.

I squeed, I laughed and nearly cried in this book. It was a ride full of emotions and I think it would have even been better if I would have read all the previous books in this series. The story flows through the whole book. Ms. Arthur writes in a way that draws you in after the first few sentences. I caught myself peaking in the book even if I just had enough time to read a page or two. I just couldn't resist the temptation. One thing I know for sure: I have to get the previous books I'm still missing in this series and figure all the small things out.
 This book is highly recommended not only for Riley Jenson fans. I know it will probably not be that good without the back-story but it was such a good romance. I loved it to pieces.





To learn more about Keri Arthur and her books please visit her website here.


The Riley Jenson Guardian Series:

1. Full Moon Rising: reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon 

2. Kissing Sin: reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon 
3. Tempting Evil: reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon

4. Dangerous Games: reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon
5. Embraced By Darkness: reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon 

6. The Darkest Kiss: reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon 
7. Deadly Desire: reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon 
8. Bound to Shadows: my review, reviews @goodreads, buy @amazon 

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Review: Midnight's Ghost by Sara Brookes

Description:
The timeline is excruciating.

Taran has three days to get her former lover – whom she’s barely speaking to – and the mysterious teenager she knows nothing about from one planet to another. Given the fact her ship, Eidolon, is the fastest in the star runner fleet, Taran knows she can make the run in the time Wallace has allotted. As the best – and only – female pilot, she’s got something to prove.

As if things weren’t complicated enough, Wallace, and the teenager he has in tow, are both escapees from the harshest prison facility in seven galaxies. Not only is Taran putting her career on the line, she’s got the Intergalactic Patrol hot on her heels. It isn’t long before unresolved feelings and tempers flare to life again and Taran is left second-guessing her decision of putting everything she stands for on the line.

Her determination may just cost her everything.

One man who feels no remorse for a crime he committed and one woman pilot determined to fulfill her promise equal one impossible mission.

Review:
I knew the moment Sara told me about this book that I need to read it. You may have noticed that I have a  little obsession with science fiction so it's not surprising that I jumped up and down like a crazy teenage girl when Sara offered me a copy for review. First I have to say, I really like the cover. It resembles Taran and Wallace so good and I really like the colors and the layout. Me and my cover infatuation again.

But back to the important part of the book: the actual novel inside. I grabbed this book yesterday evening and am writing the review now only 18 hours later(and I slept a few of those hours). I practically inhaled this book from the first to the last word.

Midnight's Ghost starts with a big bang. Let me quote the first few lines for you:

Whoever said karma was a bitch wasn’t kidding. I wondered what cosmic entity I had pissed off this time in order to earn this particular boot in the stomach. I mean that literally, by the way.

That was enough to get me hooked. Taran, our heroine is a real kick ass woman. She is a Star Runner which means she transports persons or cargo through the universe with her OWN spaceship. How cool is that? One of my never forgotten childhood dreams.  As you can see in the first few lines the world she lives in has no problem with beating the shit out of a girl but she knows how to defend herself. She is strong, not only with her hands but also with her mind. She is witty, says what she thinks and is never too shy to giver her 2 cents. She is her own boss with her own ship(I can't say that often enough) and business, because she has this little problem with taking orders. *wink* This girl is exactly the way I like them. Okay I admit throughout the story I wanted to slap her from time to time for being way to stubborn but I know I can be that way too from time to time so I won't throw any stones.

Taran meets her ex in all the mess of this little, let us call it "discussion with hand and feet" and I'm not sure what's worse for her the fight or Wallace presence. He broke her heart in the past, even if I think that this is something she just sees that way because of her stubbornness but women are women after all. He still is what she wants, she would never admit it but he is what her heart and her body craves. I have to say I agree with her body very much.

So let me talk about Wallace a bit. He is an Ilium an alien race as near to a human as you can get. He's bossy, funny,  a total smartass and sometimes a bit full of himself or better said that is what the reader thinks at the start. He needs Taran's help. He has to reach the planet Delphine Five in 3 days which is near impossible for most ordinary star runners. But he knows that Taran can make it and he has no other person to turn to. It is a really important mission and he needs to be sure that it will be done- no matter what. So even if he knows that she just hates his guts he has to ask and take all the insults and curses she throws at him.

The relationship between these two was scorching from the start. Taran tries to keep her distance but she sees soon that her resistance is futile (LOL..sorry I  couldn't resist). There was this one scene on the ship where nothing really happened besides Wallace telling Taran what he wants to do *huge wink* and OMG I really had to fan myself.  I love the build up between them and I liked that we only discovered bit by bit of their past through the story. They captured my attention and didn't let go.

The plot In Midnight's Ghost was wonderfully woven into the romance and I liked that .it took the centre stage at the end. I enjoyed the action and who doesn't like spaceship fights? The political intrigue behind the action was fascinating and well thought through. I can't wait to read what happens in the next book.

All in all Midnight's Ghost is an action packed erotic romance and in my opinion even not as geeky readers as me will appreciate the science fiction part. Highly recommended.

To learn more about Sara an her books please visit her website here.

Read other reviews @Goodreads, buy the book @LiquidSilverBooks

And be sure to come back next Tuesday. Sara will be here for an interview and a giveaway for Midnight's Ghost  on next Tuesday(that the May 25th also know as the Magic Bleeds day).

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Review: Blood Born by Linda Howard and Linda Jones + Giveaway

Description:
When the human and the vampire worlds collide

Luca Ambrus is a rare breed: He is a vampire from birth, begotten by vampire parents: blood born. He is also an agent of the Council—the centuries-old cabal that governs vampirekind, preserving their secrecy and destroying those who betray them.

When a cryptic summons leads him to the scene of the brutal killing of a powerful Council member, Luca begins the hunt for an assassin among his own people. But instead of a lone killer he discovers a sinister conspiracy of rogue vampires bent on subjugating the mortal world.

All that stands in their way are the conduits, humans able to channel spirit warriors into the physical world to protect mankind. Chloe Fallon is a conduit—and a target of the vampire assassin who’s killing them. When Luca saves her life, an irresistible bond of trust—along with more passionate feelings—is forged between them. As more victims fall, Chloe and Luca have only each other to depend on to save the world from the reign of monsters—and salvage their own future together.

Review:
This book surprised me in many ways, not always in a good way but it did nonetheless. It's the first book in a new series and as in most first books it has the bitter task of introducing the world and the characters.

The world we are thrown in is nothing totally unique but it worked for me. We have vampires living hidden between the ignorant humans who are unaware of the danger they live in. Vampires aren't completely the way they are often pictured in these kind of book but they aren't really something new either. They drink blood, they don't like the light but can learn to tolerate it and they can't breach into your home because of spell cast a few hundred years back. But all the rest we think to know about them isn't true. The vampires in this book are mostly aloof to say it nice. They see the humans as a necessity, something they need to live. They need the human blood and the best way to do that is to stay hidden in the dark or otherwise the humble humans would start a rebellion against the monsters. That's what most of the vampires think. In the last few years a group of rebells formed and now wants to grab the reigns of the world and form it the way they want it: vampires as masters and the humans nothing more as kettle. We also have the immortal warriors who are there to save the human race from the danger that will come. They are from another world and can only enter ours if invited by a so called conduit, a special human descendant of this warrior. The conduits are the warrior's only way to get here so it is a logically step for the vampire rebells to try to destroy this passage. So the conduit hunt begins.

The story starts with one of the oldest vampires in this world- Luca Ambrus. He is our hero and one of the few blood born vampires (that means he is the child of 2 vampires and not turned through blood transfer as most of them are). He's very old (2000+ years) and powerful, he has gifts most vampires can't even imagine and he likes to live on his own, secluded from the rest of the world. For me Luca was not easy to like. He's not a bad guy or had any major flaws I could point out now but he just didn't do it for me. His actions his reason to do them were mostly wrong in my mind. He did good things and all the stuff hero's are supposed to do but I never had the feeling he did cuz of the right reasons. I'm not sure if that makes any sense at all to you but it is hard to explain. Perhaps he was too aloof for me but it was right to make him that way. I know that 2000 years of experience would make someone different and perhaps he was just too different for me.

Chloe is a conduit and of course she doesn't know that. She has an ordinary life with even more ordinary problems. When the first vampire tries to kill her she is thrown headfirst in a world of monsters and her only help is Luca. He offers his help and she knows it would be stupid to refuse. She wants to live and she was never someone to shy away from problems. I really liked Chloe as a character. She is a strong woman with the right morals and a good attitude. I enjoyed reading her part of the book and was a bit disappointed that there weren't more parts about her. I disagreed with her a few times and some choices really pissed me off but I still liked her.

That brings me directly to one part of the book I didn't like so much. We have again a vast variety of POVs. I never noticed it so much in the past but I kind of run into more of those books in the last few books. It could be that it is only me but I was highly annoyed with the ongoing shift between places and characters. It always happened when I just started to feel for a certain character and bam we are thrown into a totally different storyline again and I was left wanting more of the last one. Not a good start for the next part and so it went on and on. I think I really am no fan of this.

Also worth a mention is Sorin- he is the second in command of the bad rebel vampires and I really enjoyed his part in the book. He was a good mix of good and bad and he really drew me in. I so hope he gets his own book in this series. He is so worthy of my interest.

All in all I think the many story-lines and different plot directions distracted a bit too much from the romance between Chloe and Luca. I was surprised that they loved each other at the end. The world building was nicely done and the story was interesting. The story didn't grab me as much as I wanted it too but all in all I still want to read book 2, Warrior Rising. I'm highly intrigued by both Sorin and his heroine Iklayina.

To learn more about Linda Howard and her book please visit her website here. You can find Linda Jones' website here.


Read other reviews @goodreads, Buy the book @amazon

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Giveaway


Thanks to Random House I can offer one copy of Blood Born to one lucky commenter.

Just leave a comment.

You can get an extra entry for spreading the word about the giveaway!

Please leave me a way to contact you (twitter name or email in blogger is fine for me).

Open to all!

Giveaway ends Sunday, May 23rd and I will announce the winner on Monday.

Good Luck everyone.

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Review: The Beauty and the Feast by Julia Rachel Barrett

Description:
Eva Raines is an uncomplicated country girl who's all about food. Eva moves to the Napa Valley where her culinary skills come to the attention of the owners of a start-up, All Things to All People, and Eva finds her niche as a personal chef. Now all she needs is a man as perfect as her cooking, but she has serious doubts that such a creature exists.

When wealthy entrepreneur, winery owner, and noted Lothario, Gabriel Abbott, makes plans to seduce his flavor of the month, his assistant hires All Things to All People to cater a gourmet dinner. Eva expects to use her way with food to showcase the startup. What she unexpectedly discovers is that her culinary skills showcase far more.

Once Gabriel finds himself seduced by Eva's voice, and the sensual flavors and textures of her food, his previous plans are quickly forgotten. He begins to obsess about meeting his little chef in person. But when Eva and Gabe finally come face to face, the question is, how hot will their fire burn?

Review:
I read this book a while back in my exams period and I just discovered that I totally forgot to review it in all the stress. And it totally deserves a review. I got this book from Julia and I'm so thankful she send it to me. It really made my day better and let me forget all the stress of the exams for a few hours.

What makes this book so special? I loved that the characters felt this huge attraction to each other even before they met. I think we all know that situation when you hear the voice of someone and start thinking about what he or she will look like. Or perhaps that is just me because of my job at the directory assistance.

Eva is a wonderful character. She works for a catering firm and is a really independent woman. She seems perfect and prim as in how can she be that perfect but after a bit of time we discover what makes her a real human. She has a seriously dirty mouth from time to time and I had to laugh so often just cuz of the stuff  that came out of her mouth. She loves to cook and it mostly felt like foreplay what she does with the food. I really liked her from the start.

When Gabe hears Eva's voice for the first time he is smitten and it gets even worse when he tastes her food for the first time. I really thought that food couldn't be such a turn on but Gabe showed me that I was wrong. He really "likes" her food and OMG how I wished I were the cook. He is one hot man and I completely understand what Eva finds so interesting and sexy about him. He has a way to talk and gesture that just makes you crave him. He's a millionaire but is still such a nice guy.

Together these two are one nice pair. They are made for each other. They have these easy conversations and funny banters but they know how to turn up the heat, too. I'm always totally blown away how Julia creates this matching couples. I love how her couples are together and how they seem to be so real.

One thing I didn't like is the old condom story. I know it is an old rant but I really can't get how you can forget any protection for so long. Not good at all!!!

The story around our couple was okay but I think that the whole Stephanie and her revenge thing was a bit too much. I don't think a woman would be that way without having any real connection to the man before. It could be that I just haven't met such a girl but I'm happy I didn't. LOL

All in all Beauty and the Feast was a wonderful book to give your mind a rest from a stressy time. I couldn't put it down and I enjoyed not only the steamy part but also all the food. Be aware that this book will make you hungry and not only in the literal way. *wink*

To learn more about Julia and her books please visit her website here.


You can read other reviews @goodreads and you can buy the book @fictionwise

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Review: Sweet Temptation by Maya Banks

Desciption:
He was a by-the-book cop who broke the rules in the bedroom…

Micah Hudson has painful secrets he’s run hard from. He has new friends, a new life, but he’s about to be confronted with the one person who reminds him of all he’s tried to forget—Angelina, the sister of his oldest friend David. She knows everything about his past, including how he and David fell in love with the same woman, and how they decided the best way to prevent her from tearing them apart was to share her between them. But then a terrible accident left Micah alone…

She was willing to do anything to make him see the woman she’d become…

Micah lost the two people who meant the most in the world to him. Angelina lost her only family. And she kept her deepest secret close to her heart. Her love for Micah. No longer willing to wait, she decides it’s time to go after him and bring him to his knees. She knows his secrets, his desires, his kinks and fetishes, and she’ll use whatever it takes to reel him in. Behind the easy going, loves women exterior lies a man with dark needs and passions. She can give him what he wants. But will he decide she’s what he needs?

Review:
After finishing Sweet Seduction, book 3 in this series I couldn't wait to finally get my hands on Micah's book. It was a long wait for my impatient mind but it was totally worth it.

We finally meet Angelina, Micah's better half. She is a girl form his past and was in love with him for some time now. She is a rather strong woman who lived through a lot in her life. She knows how hard it can be and gave Micah time to battle his inner demons. But when she realizes that the long awaited moment of Micah accepting his past is there she HAS to finally take the lead and get her own not so little Dom. Angelina is a strong woman who knows how much power submitting to Micah gives her over him. She knows what she gets herself into but is unsure if Micah is ready to accept her gift and to let go of the past.

Micah was through all the 3 previous books the character that interested me the most. He was always up to everything but I felt that there was more in his past. Something that made him the way he is- not untouchable in the literal sense but unreachable on an emotional plane. That sounds strange but I don't know how to say it differently. He sneaked into my heart real fast and perhaps that is a reason why I loved this book so much. I definitely recommend to read the previous books before starting Sweet Temptation because Ms. Banks put much work into building the mystery about Micah in those. It makes him so much more in this book.

In retrospection many things happen in this book that are usually a bit too much for me. I don't know why it worked in Sweet Temptation but it did. I never felt really uncomfortable although I was shocked by some things. Yep I still am sometimes. LOL

The relationship between Micah and Angelina is different from the start. I always hoped that Micah would accept what they had but he was stubborn. It was strange to see what he did although he still fought his feelings. I told myself that he already accepted it in his heart and just his head had to do that too but after all he risked Angelina's wellbeing with doing all that while still not really wanting her.

All in all I really enjoyed this book. It made me smile, cry, blush and tingle in all the right places. Highly recommended to all lovers of menage and a really hawt read.

To learn more about Maya and her books please visit her website here.

The Sweet Series:
1. Sweet Surrender: my review, reviews @goodreads buy @amazon
2. Sweet Persuasion: my review, reviews @goodreads buy @amazon
3. Sweet Seduction: my review, reviews @goodreads buy @amazon
4. Sweet Temptation: reviews @goodreads buy @amazon 

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