Review: Primal Bonds

The second installment of the Shifter's Unbound Series, was just as great as the first. Once meeting Sean in Liam's book, I was pumped for his own book, thankfully I didn't have to wait and the author delivered! I loved that Sean mate-claimed Andrea prior to even meeting her in person, and instantly he was drawn to her. I also enjoyed the new aspect to the Shifter life, the Fae. I am hoping that in future books, that we will get to see more of the conspiring from the Shifters against the humans. I am absolutely drawn to the Irish/ Celtic history woven into the story-line, and the intriguing Sun and Moon ceremonies, which are like a wedding ritual for the Shifters.

I also hope that future installments, we get to see the growth of the same characters from these two books. I can't wait to see Kim and Liam's cub as well as the quickly mentioned Sean and Andrea's cub. Plus! I want to see more of Dylan and Glory!

The Next Chronicles of Nick...

Infamous will be released March 2012.

Dark Hunters!!!

August 2nd can't get here fast enough!

Lover Reborn!!!!

The WARDen has released the cover of Tohr's book: Lover Reborn. March 2012 can't get here soon enough!

Dark-Hunter Marathon!

I was supposed to start the super re-read of re-reads earlier this summer.
That didn't happen. Reasons unknown.
So here I sit, 18 days before the much anticipated release of Retribution, with 28 books to read! [ I'm including ALL the short stories/anthologies]
Yes, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. And quite frankly, a bit sweaty.
I've already finished Dragonswan and I'm half way done with Fantasy Lover.
Oh, how I have missed these characters! And Sherrilyn Kenyon's writing!
Feeling all nostalgic and warm and fuzzy inside.

Soon I will meet Kyrian. He took my virginity, you know. My PNR virginity.
It was SO GOOD.
But not as good as when I met my Love. My First Hubby <he still is> Acheron.
My Akri.
My toes are curling just thinking about him and the rest of the yummy DH's.

So girls, IT IS ON! LIKE DONKEY KONG! With barbecue sauce.

We are Darkness. We are Shadow.

We are the Rulers of the Night.

We, alone, stand between mankind and those who would see mankind destroyed. We are the Guardians.

The Soulless Keepers.

Our souls were cast out so that we would not forewarn the Daimons we pursue. By the time they see us coming, it’s too late.

The Daimons and Apollites know us. They fear us. We are death to all those who prey upon the humans.

Neither Human, nor Apollite, we exist beyond the realm of the Living, beyond the realm of the Dead.

We are the Dark-Hunters.

And we are eternal.

Yeah, yeah. Enough of the doom and gloom because, baby, that ain’t us. You want to know what a Dark-Hunter is? We are what the intro says. We’re Mad, Bad and Immortal. We’re ancient warriors with attitudes who fight rough, and play hard.

ARC: Body of Sin by Eve Silver

Title: Body of Sin
Author: Eve Silver
Series: The Otherkin (book 4)

This is the 4th book in Eve Silver´s great Otherkins series. If you haven´t read these books yet, do it!

The series is different from the usual PNR, darker and seductive, based on the egyptian mythology and with great characters. The Krayl brothers are the most powerful soul reapers, the sons of the most feared Underworld god, Sutekh, the Lord of chaos. Half humans, half gods they are immortal. Until one of them, Lokan is murdered. Now Dagan, Alastor and Mal do anything to find their brother´s murderer and revenge him.

The books in the series so far:

1. Sins of the Heart (Dagan)

2. Sins of the Soul (Alastor)

3. Sins of the Flesh (Mal)

A little trailer:

I was lucky to get the ARC of the last book in this series - Body of Sin (yay me!!) which comes out on August 23rd.

SPOILER WARNING: Don´t read this review if you haven´t read the first 3 books yet!

*************************************************************

This was a nice ending of the series. At least for now because I have the feeling there will be more books :-)

Lokan Krayl used to be the most powerful soul reaper, the right hand of his father, Sutekh. He wasn´t supposed to die, ever. But he did. Betrayed and murdered, his soul was lost forever in the Null Zone, not alive and not dead.

"The blood of Sutekh. The blood of Aset. And the god will walk the world once again."

That´s the prophecy that got Lokan killed. In the last book, Dagan, Mal and Alastor managed to save him by putting all the parts of his body and soul back together. I was expecting to see Lokan back with vengence! But that didn´t happen until the end of the book, so if you are like me, consider yourself warned.

So Lokan is now back but still trapped in the Underworld. The only way to come back is to pass the 12 Gates of his eternal enemy Osiris but that´s harder than it seemed. In order to help him, he is given a guide. To his biggest surprise it´s Brynn, the mother of his child who he believed to be human. But Brynn is so much more! So now Lokan has to put his fate into the hands of the woman who lied to him the entire time.

I really appreciated the flashbacks how Lokan and Brynn met and how their daughter Dana was conceived. I loved Lokan. He would do anything to save Dana. She was his world. He died for her. And now he is reunited with the woman he loves but Brynn has her own secrets. She knows that by helping Lokan to pass the Gates, she will be trapped in the Underworld forever. But she does it to protect their child. I was cheering for them the entire time. Their lovestory was full of sacrifices and they really deserved some hapiness.

I loved how this book ended. Seeing Lokan reunite with his brothers brought tears to my eyes. But what I really loved the most was how the author solved the things between Lokan and his father and how she wrapped all the things up. Bravo!!

My only complaint is that the book ended pretty abruptly, I wanted to see more! But since in this book we got to know new characters - Brynn´s three brothers - I am pretty sure Mrs. Silver is not done with the series yet :-)

My favorite quote (it´s from the flashbacks, when Lokan found out that he has a daughter):

Then his daughter opened her eyes - her denim blue eyes - and looked straight at him. His heart shattered into a million pieces, then re-formed with her image at its core.

My rating: 4 EGYPTIAN STARS

Introducing author.. Cara McKenna

Summer is not hot enough for you? Your fan needs some serious training? Then you are in the right place! Two words - Cara McKenna.

I don´t know who of us first found this amazing author, I think it might have been Jackie, but since we read Cara´s first book, we´ve fallen in love. Yes, Cara´s books are the shit! Our friends on Facebook or Goodreads know how much we are pimping her to everyone :-) If you don´t know this fabulous author yet and love SIZZLING HOT short stories that are so steamy that you´ll need a fridge full of ice-cubes nearby when reading them, then let me introduce some of her books..

Dirty Thirty - A super-hot short story about one very special birthday :-)

Despite his scrappy punk packaging, Evan Hennessey’s got a submissive streak in him that’s just screaming to be indulged. So on the eve of his thirtieth birthday, Evan’s wife Margie arranges for them to ring out his twenties by realizing his darkest fantasy - inviting another man into their bedroom.

Margie’s found the perfect candidate for Evan’s birthday treat. Paul works as a bouncer at the Hennesseys' favorite bar, and lucky for Evan and Margie, he’s every bit the sexual Dominant his intimidating body suggests. Evan isn’t a hundred percent sure he’s ready to go all places his kinks seem determined to take him, but one thing’s for sure - by the time he wakes on his thirtieth birthday, his fantasy will have become reality.

Features m/m/f menage, emphasis on the m/m.

Willing Victim - a.k.a. *sigh* Flynn.. *sigh* 

You can find Anna´s AWESOME review here and it just says it all :-)

For the past couple years Laurel's been coasting, hiding in the backseat while her life drifts off course. Then one summer afternoon a tall, built bruiser named Flynn strides in and steers her straight into an infatuation she never saw coming.

Flynn introduces Laurel to things she’s never imagined before-to the violent but exciting realm of the underground boxing circuit, to rough sex and even rougher role-playing, and to an attraction she craves even as it intimidates her. As Flynn invites her deeper into his world and his life, Laurel has to make a choice-let fear keep her holed up where it’s safe, or take a chance and fight for the man who makes her feel more alive than she’d dreamed possible.

 

Skin Game - a hot little book with interesting side characters!

Seven days, seven challenges. Twelve strangers. Eight thousand cameras. Only one winner.

Welcome to The Ant Farm, a social study in the wilds of interior Alaska, documenting the dynamics between a dozen competitors as they take part in a series of physical and psychological face-offs. With five hundred grand up for grabs at the end of the battle royal, the stakes are high and the tension blazing.

Could the seemingly mild-mannered nice guy win it all? The cutthroat alpha female? The strongest or the smartest, the idealist or the cynic? It’s anyone’s guess as teams are undercut by alliances, loyalties tendered and tested, and passions enflamed by both affection and animosity.

In this contest where even knives and guns are fair game, sex may prove the most dangerous weapon of all.

Features m/f only, with a variety of Ms and Fs.

All Cara´s books are stand-alones except this trilogy (in this order):

Book 1 - Backwoods

Shane thinks he’s simply auditioning a new musician for his bar, but when Gabriel saunters in to the Shivaree it becomes clear the man has more to offer than just his talent. Gabriel’s got sexual charisma potent enough to make a straight man like Shane lose his senses, lose sleep, lose himself to dark desires and not want to find his way back to reality.

What follows is not a love story. This is a story about an unforeseen attraction that brings a strong, sane man to his knees, and about lovers tangled up in each other too deep to know who’s in control and who’s helpless.

SUPER HOT m/m that will leave you breathless!!!!

Book 2 - Shivaree

Hot on the heels of a nasty break-up, Natalie’s truck dies and strands her deep in Louisiana’s sweltering backwoods. A glow beyond the trees and a haunting melody lead her to what she hopes is salvation.

The Shivaree is more than a bar. It’s a mysterious oasis where people go to escape into a cold drink and lose themselves against a warm body on the dance floor. Gabriel is its resident musician, gifted with unnerving talent and intoxicating sexual charisma. The only thing standing between Natalie and the perfect rebound is Gabriel’s possessive and domineering lover, and Natalie’s not afraid of a bully. Certainly not one built like Shane Broussard. She’s ready to discover the perfect remedy for heartache—two hot male bodies, one long, sultry, southern night.

Features m/m/f menage, m/m action. 

Book 3 - Getaway

Six months ago Natalie drove away from Louisiana and a three-day, two-man rebound to be reckoned with. Now back in snowy Rochester, she wasn’t expecting to see either of those Southern gentlemen again. She certainly wasn’t expecting to find one standing in her work parking lot one afternoon without a word of warning.

Cold turkey is what Shane’s after. He’s been with his lover Gabriel for a year now—a year of hot sex and obsessive attraction that’s left him with a death grip on the tattered remains of his heterosexuality and too many sleepless nights. Desperate for a clean break, Shane hopes hiding out at Natalie’s for a week or two will do the trick. She sure as hell owes him one fine rebound.

But Shane quickly discovers that banishing Gabriel from his heart and his head is easier said than done. His cold-turkey recovery is headed straight for an epic relapse, and Shane’s going to have to make a choice—the traditional life he thinks he wants, or the man he can’t seem to live without.

Features m/m/f menage, m/m action.

This is of course not a complete list so be sure to go and visit Cara´s webpage or find her on Goodreads. Trust me, once you read any of her books, you won´t be able to stop :-)

Review: The Granite Lake Wolves

First of all...can I get an Amen for www.goodreads.com? I never would have found this series without the goodness that is Goodreads.

Now that I got that out of the way, let's talk about some wolves, shall we? This is a short, five story series. (I know the picture only shows three of the books...Google doesn't always give you what you want).

This series focuses on a pack of wolves that reside at Granite Lake. There are your typical wolves actions: hot sexy men that can change into wolves, super scent noses, lifetime mates and super hot wolf sex.

As a reader, I have certain expectations for a story. If the story is short then I expect quick character development, quick feelings of love and quick hot sex. This author delivers on all my expectations. High five to Vivian Arend.

If you are looking for some quick reads about some hot wolves then check this series out.

The stories are:

1. Wolf Signs (the lead female is deaf. How cool is that???)
2. Wolf Flight
3. First Howl (this is a super duper short story...it barely counts)
4. Wolf Games
5. Wolf Tracks (my favorite of the series)

My overall rating: 4.25 hot sexy wolf stars!

Review: Deeper Than Midnight by Lara Adrian

Deeper than Midnight is the ninth book in the Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian.

If you have not read this series then what in the hell is wrong with you? Walk, no RUN and get these books immediately!

This book pics RIGHT up where we left off with Brock and this time the focus is on Hunter. In the last book, Brock had saved Corinne after over seventy-five years of abuse she suffered under Dragos. Corinne wants nothing more than to go home and see her family and start learning how to live her life. Hunter, the former weapon owned by Dragos, has volunteered to take her back to her family.

Hunter is drawn to Corinne, which is surprising because Hunter has never "felt" before. He was trained to only be an assassin. No feelings. No emotions. NADA. Watching Hunter struggle with his emotions and feelings was an interesting read. I will say, I was surprised with how quickly the two of them realized their feelings for each other. I would have appreciated more relationship development in that area. I'm still left with the question of why they really liked each other.

This story also focused on Chase. While Chase's story is critical to Deeper than Midnight, and his story is next in this series, dammit, I wanted more Hunter!

The ending of this book left me with a, "oh no she didn't just cliffhanger me!" feeling, I still highly recommend it. I also recommend getting a calendar to mark off the days when the next book comes out.

Vhampy's rating: 4.75 hot vampire stars!

Review: The Elite Ops Series by Lora Leigh

This series is a spin-off of Lora Leigh's Tempting Seals series. I read all the books in one week's time because I became somewhat obsessed! *wink*

First let me say, I recommend you read Tempting Seals first. There is a lot of cross over between the Ops and the Seals. Also, the last few books in the Ops series are critical to the kickoff of the Ops.

When I read the last Tempting Seals book, I was disappointed that one of the main characters did not have his own story because boyfriend DESERVED his own book. Imagine my joy when I found out about Elite Ops! Happy happy joy joy!!!

Elite Ops is a group of men that work for the United States government but these men do not exist. They have pledged their lives for up to twelve years to serve their country as "dead men." Each man of the group has a horrible, painful past that leads them to the Elite Ops. They are deadly, human weapons that do covert operations to save us all.

Each story focuses on what has happened to each man, how they struggle with their new lives while trying to put the past behind them. Oh and how they meet some kick ass females and how they have to come to grips with falling in love when they aren't supposed to have any ties to family, friends and a happy life.

Lora Leigh knows how to write strong male and female leads. This series is no different. If you are looking for some hot, kick ass men, women that won't put up with their crap, hot monkey sex and lots of action then this series is for you!

Vhampy's rating: 4 1/2 hot monkey sex stars!

REVIEW: The Fever series by K.M.Moning

The words that are used the most when speaking about this series are epic, amazing, unforgettable.. And after finishing it, I agree. MacKayla Lane and Jericho Barrons are characters that you won´t ever forget.

This is an epic story. Because it is different. These are not 5 books in a series like we are used to. This is ONE story divided to 5 books. You can´t read one book. You have to read them all. That´s the reason why I review this series as a whole. Every book (especially the last 3) ends with a cliffhanger and not any ordinary one. The Mother of All cliffhangers. A cliffhanger that will make you stay up till the morning because you just HAVE to read the next book.

Mac´s life was good. She was spending her days sunbathing by the pool in her parents´ house and evenings working as a bartender. Her life was easy, like a sunny summer afternoon. And then her sister was murdered in Ireland and Mac´s world was torn apart. When the police closes the case as unsolved, Mac decides to leave everything behind and travel to Ireland to track down her sister's murderer by herself. The first day she meets the mysterious bookstore owner Jericho Barrons and it changes her life forever.

The world Moning created for Mac is not a nice place to live in. It is a world ruled by dark Fae, deadly artifacts, dangerous enemies and ever-present illusions. This world is incredibly complex and Moning did hell of a job. Nothing it as it seems and with every answer Mac finds, dozens of new questions appear. The Fae are not cute little fairies from the fairy-tales, they are deadly and almost all-powerful.

MacKayla Lane

Mac went through incredible character development through the series. In the beginning she was a young, optimistic and naive girl that only cared about the sunshine and fashion. The events that shaped her were brutal. In the end, there was nothing left from the Rainbow Girl she used to be. Being the only person able to track the Sinsar Dubh – a powerful object able to control both our world and the world of the Fae, her life became a living hell. With two dangerous men on her side, who have only their own interests in mind, always trying to use her, Mac was always alone. Because there was nobody she could trust. She was forced to become strong. She became a survivor. She didn´t have any other choice. We see the story unfolding from her point of view, we see her failures and her victories and in the end, she would be the one holding the fate of the world in her hands. Both literally and figuratively.

Jericho Barrons

Dark, dangerous, brutal, sophisticated, intimidating, rude, the great unknown. Me and Barrons have a love-hate relationship. He brought the whole range of emotions out. I wanted to scream out of frustration. I wanted to slap him and kick his secretive ass down the road. I wanted to push him to the wall and *cough* ..kiss.. *cough* him. Basically the whole time we knew NOTHING about him. Not.A.Single.Thing. He NEVER tells Mac anything. He follows only his own goals and follows them with deadly focus. He is loyal to nobody but himself. And yet in the end, he is the only one that ALWAYS keeps Mac alive.

V´Lane

The „Death by Sex“ Fae. Deadly, terrifyingly beautiful Fae Prince.

„I am every erotic dream you´ve ever had and a thousand more you´ve never thought of. I am sex that will turn you inside out and burn you down to ashes..

.. and if I choose, I can make you whole again.“

Not from this world, he lives by the Fae rules and the Fae moral. Humans are nothing to him. And yet Mac is different. Through her, he starts to understand. Starts to care. But can a being that is almost all-powerful and immortal, to whom the time means nothing and humans are just ants under his shoe ever really know compassion, love, trust? Where Barrons is the dark night, V´Lane is the sunny day. And yet they are both equally dangerous and equally deadly.

The characters in this series are brilliantly written, multi-dimensional, with many layers, having their own demons inside. In Moning´s world there is no black and white. There are only millions shades of gray. You will think about everything that happened even days or weeks after you finish.

It is urban fantasy on its purest so don´t expect hot scenes. But expect a great story that will stick in your mind. The series is written from Mac´s point of view and is full of her thoughts. The writing style is a little too descriptive for my taste but I loved every minute of it. It will break your heart and then heal it.. only to break it again. Bravo, Mrs. Moning. This series is one to remember.

And in the end one of my favorite quotes:

"One day you will kiss a man you can't breathe without, and find that breath is of little consequence."

~ Barrons

My rating: 4 EPIC STARS

And my two favorite clips.. My only complaint is about how they pictured V´Lane in the first one and in my mind, Barrons ALWAYS looked like David Gandy :-)

Reading order:
1. Darkfever
2. Bloodfever
3. Faefever
4. Dreamfever
5. Shadowfever

REVIEW: Devil Without a Cause by Terri Garey

Title: Devil Without A Cause
Author: Terri Garey
Series: The Devil´s Bargain (book 1)

This is the first book in Terri´s new Devil´s Bargain series. It is a spin-off of Nicki Styx.

Sammy, a.k.a. Samael, is the Devil himself. The original fallen angel. Pure seduction wrapped up in the form of a blond, gorgeous bad-ass with a devilish grin that makes you think of satin sheets and tangled bodies.. just waiting for his victim to be caught and lost forever.. I have loved Sammy from the first time we met him in Nicki Styx series so I was super-excited that he got his own series!! This book did not disappoint. And it is worth buying just for the gorgeous cover :-)

In order to save her son´s life, Faith is forced to make a deal with the Devil. Yes, the Devil we know :-) Sammy is still the bad boy as usual (which is why we love him) and of course he has his own agenda in mind and so the play begins :-)

Faith´s task is to steal a magical ring from the rock star Finn. But what Sammy didn´t tell her is that without the ring, Finn´s soul is Sammy´s to take because the ring was the only thing keeping him away. 

Finn made a deal with Sammy when he was 16. He wanted to be rich and famous. Now he has everything he ever dreamed of and yet he knows it´s all only temporary because the Devil is waiting behind the corner. He didn´t think about love and picket fences until he met Faith. But when she steals the ring from him, he knows no mercy and no means are too strong to use in order to get it back.

The book covered both Faith and Finn´s love story as well as Sammy´s life in his hellish kingdom. I have to admit that even if the love story was good, what I really LOVED about this book was Sammy´s part. We see more of his background, his memories of the Paradise as well as a BIG surprise (which I hadn´t expected at all!!). Because of what he did for Nicki Styx in her last book, he is now given a chance for redemption. Will he take it or will he stay the King of Lies, the Devil himself?

This book can be read as solitary but you will enjoy it much more if you have read Nicki Styx series first.

My rating: 4 BAD BOY STARS