August 5, 2011

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

Title: Dragon Bound
Author: Thea Harrison
Series: Elder Races (#1)
Genre: Paranormal Romance


Review written by Melissa

Where do I begin? First off, I want to send a special thanks my lovely sister Sonia for this recommendation. :)


Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their Dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful–and passionate—of the Elder Races.
As the most feared and respected of the wyrkind, Dragos Cuelebre cannot believe someone had the audacity to steal from him, much less succeed. And when he catches the thief, Dragos spares her life, claiming her as his own to further explore the desire they’ve ignited in one another.


What a nice surprise this book was! I had heard that Thea was a hot new paranormal author and this book did not disappoint! It starts off with an adrenaline themed opening scene and then just takes you for a ride. The writing and descriptions are similar to Nalini Singh in the sense where you can visualize yourself in that world. Characterization for the hero and heroine is pretty developed and they have personalities and humor. Dragos just emanates power, is used to being in control, and he is not afraid to tell others what he wants. This is where Pia comes in and teaches him some more polite ways of dealing with things. LOL. I loved the heroine as well. She showed emotions and conflicts and the relationship between her and Dragos seemed believable to me.


There are a lot of other beings introduced in here that I was unfamiliar with, such as Gryphons, Gargoyles, Elves, Fae, Trolls, basically anything supernatural. I didn't read about Vampires but from what I am gathering they will be added to the mix later.


Dragos has an entourage of sorts that is loyal to him. These characters include Rune and Graydon whom I adored. Also, Constantine, Bayne, Tricks, and Tiago are some of the others. I also liked Pia's boss Quentin. He was very sweet to her. :)


There were a couple of things that caught me off guard and I am still not sure how I feel about them, but without giving away spoilers I cannot embellish on them. All I can say is give this new author a chance and see if you feel the same. :)






**** stars

August 4, 2011

NEWS

Our favorite authors have been busy lately so we are here with some news today :-) 

JEANIENE FROST released trailer for One Grave at a Time. And if you don’t want to wait until August 30th, you can also read the first 3 chapters here.



And because Jeaniene is awesome, she keeps teasing us with daily quotes as well :-) So be sure to check Frost Cemetery daily!


We have a cover for A Perfect Blood, book 10 in The Hollows/Rachel Morgan series by KIM HARRISON. It is much darker than the previous ones and we finally see Rachel´s face! It comes out February 21st in hardcover.


And why so dark? Maybe the blurb will tell you more :-) CONTAINS SPOILERS so don´t read if you haven´t read Pale Demon yet!!!

Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth — a would-be creator is determined to make his (or her) own demons. But it can’t be done without Rachel’s blood.
As a bounty hunter, Rachel has battled vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more. But humanity itself might be her toughest challenge.

NALINI SINGH finally released the cover of her anthology Angel's Flight and it is gorgeous!


Coming out February 28th, this will be a complete Guild Hunter collection featuring:
- the print edition of Angels' Pawn - a vampire hunter faces off against two rival factions and the angel manipulating them both, and a vampire whose help is not entirely selfless...
- a reprint of Angels' Judgment - a hunter must track one of her own gone bad, while surviving the deadly tests placed in her way by the archangels themselves. Unexpected backup comes from a stranger who might just be the most lethal threat of all...
- a brand new novella, Angels' Dance - an angel trapped in the mountain stronghold of the Refuge finds herself under siege by a warrior angel from a martial court.
- a brand new novella Angel's Wolf (releasing as part of the Angels of Darkness anthology in October) - a vampire becomes fascinated with the seductive angel who rules Louisiana. But all is not what it appears to be in her court..


THEA HARRISON has a new cover for Oracle's Moon, book 4 in her great Elder Races series!


It comes out March 6th 2012. Yes, that´s a lot of waiting! But fortunately Serpent's Kiss (book 3) comes out October 4th :-)


KELLY MEDING has a new cover too.. Wrong Side of Dead (book 4 in her Dreg City series) comes out January 31st.


Blurb: Monster hunter Evangeline Stone woke up on the wrong side of dead this morning-and now there’s hell to pay. Barely recovered from her extended torture at the hands of mad scientist Walter Thackery, Evy can use a break. What she gets instead is a war, as the battered Triads that keep Dreg City safe find themselves under attack by half-Blood vampires who have somehow retained their reason, making them twice as lethal. Worse, the Halfies are joined by a breed of were-creature long believed extinct-back and more dangerous than ever. Meanwhile, Evy’s attempts at reconciliation with the man she loves take a hit after Wyatt is viciously assaulted-an attack traced to Thackery, who has not given up his quest to exterminate all vampires... even if he has to destroy Dreg City to do it. With Wyatt’s time running out, another threat emerges from the shadows and a staggering betrayal shatters the fragile alliance between the Triads, vampires, and shapeshifters, turning Evy’s world upside down forever.

And some quick news in the end:

  • The sixth book in the Chicagoland Vampire series by Chloe Neill will be Biting Cold. It comes out in September 2012.
  •  If you are a fan of Shelly Laurenston, you´ll be pleased to hear that the next book in her Pride series will be out in April, it´s called Bear Meets Girl and it will be Crust and Cela´s story.
  • You probably know that Keri Arthur has a new series - Dark Angels. First book, Darkness Unbound, comes out this September, second book Darkness Rising in October and now we know that the third book´s tentative title will be Darkness Devours and it will be released in early 2012.
  • And unfortunately we have also some sad news - the author L.A.Banks has passed away this week. She will be missed!

August 2, 2011

Sex, blood and power.

Say it again.
Game of Thrones.

The title alone should make you want to watch the popular tv-show from HBO.
Because it is spectacular.
9.3 at IMBD.com.
Which means this is really, really GOOD.



Still not intruiged?
May I introduce you to Jason Momoa - Khal Drogo.
 

He got your attention, didn't he?
I knew he would.


Unworthy or...

Is my TBR pile getting TOO BIG?
Well, in my world nothing is too big.
Big is beautiful.
Time, however, is another matter.
I know I said I was going to do the superambitious re-read of the ENTIRE Dark-Hunter series.
I started it; I read about Sebastian, Julian, Kyrian and I got down and dirty with Talon. Well, almost.
But I have come to realize that I don't possess the focus that is needed for this re-read.
It's Sundown's day today. I have Breeds calling my name. Vamps who want suck my neck.
I have a ton of hot immortals who wants me. And I want them.
So I admit defeat and confess that I do not have the time for my precious Dark-Hunters.
Please, forgive me.

I'm off to battle with my TBR pile now, wish me luck!

New releases August 2nd

There are so many new releases today, isn´t it awesome? So let´s take a look at some of them :-)

Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Dark Hunters #20)

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meets the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.

Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect.


Storm's Heart by Thea Harrison (Elder Races #2)

During the rule of her murderous Dark Fae uncle, Thistle "Tricks" Periwinkle found sanctuary among the Wyr in New York. Her ethereal beauty and sparkling personality won the hearts of the public, but after her uncle's death, there are those who don't want to see her ascend the throne...

Able to wield thunder and lightning, Wyr sentinel Tiago Black Eagle has ruled the skies for centuries. His massive build and thunderous power make him one of the Wyr's best weapons. And he's the one sent to protect Tricks when she's almost assassinated in Chicago.

Soon, both Tiago and Tricks will fall prey to the stormy hunger that engulfs them- a passion that will shake the very foundation of all the worlds.
 


Downpour by Kat Richardson (Greywalker #6)

Harper Blaine is on the mend, but evil never rests-in the latest novel from the national bestselling author of Labyrinth.

After being shot in the back and dying-again- Greywalker Harper Blaine's only respite from the chaos is her work. But while conducting a pre-trial investigation in the Olympic Peninsula, she sees a ghostly car accident whose victim insists that he was murdered and that the nearby community of Sunset Lakes is to blame.

Harper soon learns that the icy waters of the lake hide a terrible power, and a host of hellish beings under the thrall of a sinister cabal that will use the darkest of arts to achieve their fiendish ends...
 


Primal Law by J.D.Tyler (Alpha Pack #1)

Meet the Alpha Pack, a top-secret military team of wolf-shifters fighting the most dangerous predators in the world, human and nonhuman. After a massacre leaves Jaxon Law crippled, he must relearn how to fight-and battle the anger and guilt threatening to overwhelm him. But when Jax rescues a beautiful woman who awakens his primal instincts, he is unprepared for the dangers that lie ahead. Soon he must decide if the deep connection he feels with Kira is worth defying the ultimate shifter law...


Blood Cursed by Erica Hayes (Shadowfae Chronicles #4)

To a vampire, nothing is sweeter than bloodfairy essence—and Ember is the most sought-after fairy on the underworld circuit. Selling her blood to the highest bidder—and robbing her clients in the process—Ember has unwittingly become a target of dark and dangerous forces. Her enemies are everywhere. And if she hopes to survive, she needs protection…

Diamond is a glassfairy who, for better or worse, knows his way around the vampire underworld. Smooth as silk and tougher than trolls, Diamond is Ember’s only chance to keep her magical blood inside her body, where it belongs. But he also poses a threat to Ember, a strange kind of danger she’s never experienced before: She’s falling in love with him…



 Master of Shadows by Angela Knight (Mageverse #12)


Court seducer La Belle Coeur has met her match in Tristan, a Knight of the Round Table unafraid of blood-or lust. Joining together to combat a werewolf wizard and sworn enemy of Arthur, they must put their lives on the line-while coming to grips with the rising heat between them.






Another Kind of Dead by Kelly Meding (Dreg City #3)


Evy Stone is a former Dreg Bounty Hunter who died and came back to life with some extraordinary powers. Now all but five people in the world think she is dead again, this time for good—immolated in a factory fire set specifically for her.

Evy and Wyatt, her partner/lover/friend, can no longer trust their former allies, or even the highest echelons of the Triads—the army of fighters holding back from an unsuspecting public a tide of quarreling, otherworldly creatures—they can trust only each other. Because when the Triads raided a macabre, monster-filled lab of science experiments and hauled away the remnants, they failed to capture their creator: a brilliant, vampire-obsessed scientist with a wealth of powerful, anti-Dreg weaponry to trade for what he desires most of all—Evy Stone: alive and well, and the key to his ultimate experiment in mad science.


Darkness Descending by Devyn Quinn (Vampire Armageddon #1)


Fallen angels in the form of vampires are infecting humans one by one, creating an army fit for Armageddon. Jesse Burke, driven by vengeance to destroy the vampiric angels, has been protecting New Orleans from the onslaught, unaware that she has a much greater destiny awaiting her in the face of the oncoming apocalypse...






 Blood Hunt by Shannon K.Butcher (Sentinel Wars #5)


 Hope appeared out of nowhere, naked and alone, a woman without a past. The only thing she knows is that she is imbued with a strange power. It's in her blood. And two men want to posses it. One is Logan, a Sanguiner demon-fighter who needs Hope's essence to survive. The other is Krag, a Synestryn lord whose desire is to enslave Hope, and drain her of the lifeforce. When Hope and Logan both fall prey to Krag, a powerful desire grows between them. But is it enough to thwart their captor's diabolical plan and his demon warriors, and survive a vampire's destiny written in blood?



 Midnight Sins by Lora Leigh (Heroes and Heartbreakers #1)


Three men are bound by one tragedy that continues to bring danger and passion to their lives--and the women they love... HE ALWAYS WANTED HER. His name is Rafer Callahan.  He was a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who fought through life the only way he knew how: with his fists.  But Rafer never meant to bring harm to Cambria Flannigan, the girl--the lover--whose sister he'd been unable to save... SHE LIVES IN FEAR OF HIM. Cami lost her sister in the brutal murders that rocked her hometwon so many years ago.  Some still believe that Rafe, along with his cousins Logan and Crowe, were involved.  But how could Rafe--who haunted her girlish dreams, then her adult fantasies--be a killer?  That is the question that keeps her up at night. SOON THEIR HEARTS WILL COME TOGETHER... Now a prosperous ranch owner, Rafe is trying to build a new legacy for himself.  It's finally time to settle the score with Cami--and make her his.  But old wounds open up with a new series of murders...and each of the victims has a connection to Rafe, Logan, and Crowe.  With suspicion, fear, and loyalty tearing her apart, Cami is once again at risk of losing her heart--or her life.



Working Stiff by Rachel Caine (Revivalist #1)


 Bryn Davis was killed on the job after discovering her bosses were selling a drug designed to resurrect the dead. Now, revived by that same drug, she becomes an undead soldier in a corporate war to take down the very pharmaceutical company responsible for her new condition...