Book Review: Bared to You by Sylvia Day

Book Review: Bared to You by Sylvia Day (Crossfire #1)

Format: ebook (an ARC provided by NetGalley)

Published:  April 3, 2012

Genre: Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance

Sensuality Rating: Burning!

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Our journey began in fire… 

Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness—beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I’d never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily…

Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other’s most private wounds… and desires.

The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn’t tear us apart…

Review: 

I’ve not read any Sylvia Day books before but I have a few on my to-read list and I jumped at the opportunity to read this one. I’m so glad I did.

This book in one word? Hot! From the moment the two main characters meet there’s intense sexual chemistry radiating off the two of them. Their intense magnetism is evident from the start and together they provide some of the sexiest and hottest scenes I’ve ever read. If graphic conversations and bedroom antics (that aren’t confined to the bedroom) aren’t your thing – I’d steer clear of this book. But if they are your thing? I can see this book being a favourite!

Eva Tramell has just moved from San Diego with her best friend, bisexual male model Casey, to start a career at a New York ad agency. After a collision with the fantasy invoking Gideon Cross, Eva can’t seem to stop thinking about him – and the way he makes her feel. Determined to get her career on track she tries to reject his not-so-eloquent offer to satisfy her needs but just how long can anyone hold out on Gideon?

That man… he has such a way with words and he’s not shy. I felt myself blushing many times just reading about how he wanted Eva. I couldn’t work out if I was proud of her for holding out or if I wanted to slap some sense into her and ordering her to jump his bones!

Eventually she folds and succumbs to Gideon’s advances but their relationship is not without it’s drama.

Both of the main characters have issues from their past and their families are less than.. stable? Eva does get slightly irritating with her running and with the exception of the sexual chemistry the couple share it’s not exactly clear why Gideon would want a relationship with her.

But the sex? Oh my… this book has both quality and quantity. I loved the steamy scenes – I’m not sure I’ll be able to ride in a limo again without thinking of Eva and Gideon. Gideon is the alpha male that dreams are made of.

I really enjoyed this book. I’ll definitely be reading more of Sylvia Day’s novels.

 

 

Rating: 

4 out of 5

Purchase book at:

Barnes & Noble (trade paperback) / All Romance Ebooks (mobi, epub, html and pdf formats)

Click here to visit the author’s home page

Book Review: Fractured Moon by E.R. Pierce

Book Review: Fractured Moon by E.R. Pierce (Steel #1)

Format: ebook

Published:  March 3, 2012

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Shifters, Paranormal suspense,

Sensuality Rating: Hot!

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Aurelia Fridell will always be a freak. Born to werewolf parents, her twin brother Ville can shift forms, but she can’t. Twenty-five years searching for answers yields nothing.

As her thirtieth birthday approaches, isolation creeps in, and worry settles in her gut. She accepted her existence long ago, and yet lately, she’s felt off-kilter. Eyes follow her, prickling her senses. Her headaches are getting worse.

Is she paranoid, or is there really someone, or something, stalking her? Watching. Waiting. Drumming fingers to a sinister beat she can’t hear.

Time will tell. 

Ceithin Starkley isn’t looking for a mate. Especially now. In fact, he doesn’t believe in true-matings at all. While he is being recruited for a new job, a scent on the wind stuns him, and he finds himself fighting an inner battle he never wanted, yet can’t ignore.

Sparks fly, as Ceithin and Aurelia fight fate and race against a clock neither knows is ticking. 

Will he claim Aurelia before he loses her for good?

Warning: This book is sexy. Contains a drool-worthy Alpha male wearing Beta clothing. A sassy and sweet heroine with brains and brothers you’ll adore. A best friend every girl would love to hate. I mean have. And an impossible road no one will see coming.

Review: 

From the very start I liked Aurelia Fridell. We meet her whilst she’s standing backstage at her brother’s bar waiting to be called out for a bachelorette auction that her best friend, Astrid (or Az for short) has roped her into participating in.  There were so many other things I should be doing with my Saturday night. Yet here I sat, nursing my Summer Ale, waiting for the current Barbie Bimbette to be sold. Soon it’d be my turn — I left my cheer meter at home. 

A little snarky and sarcastic – just how I like my heroines!

Aurelia is somewhat of an anomaly among werewolves – able to partially change her features and grow claws but not able to complete a complete shift into wolf form. This ‘defect’ makes her an outsider in her community and – despite their best efforts at being supportive – her family too. Depite this (or maybe because of it) Aurelia is a strong and capable heroine. She’s an incredibly smart, brave and passionate woman.

One year after the bachelorette auction, Aurelia comes face to face (quite literally as he tackles her to the floor of Az’s tattoo parlor) with Ceithin Starkley – a werewolf visiting the area on a business opportunity with Aurelia’s father. From the moment they meet they share incredible sexual tention – I could almost see the sparks flying! – but Ceithin sees himself as a little bit oldfashioned. He won’t cheat. Just Aurelia’s luck to meet the man who may be her fated mate and him be involved in a relationship with another woman. I admired Ceithin for that. I have to admit I get slightly annoyed when just because someone meets their fated mate – all rules and manners fly out the window.

I also relished in the chanced to see Aurelia jealous – and play a little dirty!

Just because Ceithin is in a relationship and trying to fight his werewolf nature and be faithful to his girlfriend doesn’t mean that Aurelia isn’t going to make a play for her potential mate! Her playful, sensual and jealous side made itself known when she was in the club. I didn’t expect it from her but it made me like her more. And made me realize that she wasn’t going to let circumstances stand between her and what she wanted in life. Her lack of shifting ability weighs heavily upon her and I was glad for her to see that she wasn’t going to give up. And this is fiction and a story of true mates! – so I don’t feel bad at all rooting for a woman trying to steal another woman’s boyfriend.

Ceithin unable and unwilling to ignore his desire for Aurelia, breaks up with his girlfriend and starts to court Aurelia. I loved the courting. Ever since I was 12 years old and read Jane Austen’s Persuasion for the first time, I’ve loved letters in novels. And whilst Ceithin’s emails weren’t quite as formal as Captain Wentworth’s, I loved them. He’s blunt and slightly awkward but I felt it was honest and that in itself was beautiful. Despite the chemistry and sexual tension between them – Ceithin and Aurelia got to know each other. The sex – when it happened – was hot but, for me, what made it ever better and that bit more intense was that the characters had fallen in love. This isn’t a story of instant love for no reason – these two knew each other. They knew their faults and their good qualities and genuinely cared for the other.

In addition to the romance plot, Aurelia has someone tormenting her with no apparent reason. Her tires are slashed and her house ransacked. Throw in some nearly incapacitating and blinding headaches

As the story goes on we get to find out more about why Aurelia can’t shift, her special mental bond with her brother, Ville. I thought it was an inventive and creative plot. I really enjoyed how everything unfolded. Many questions I had early in the novel were answered and I was satisfied with the ending. There was a shift in the point-of-view for a few chapters that I didn’t really like. I understand why it was necessary but the main reason why I liked this book was  Aurelia’s sassiness, her cheekiness and how at times she mentally berated  herself. She was a fantastic narrator. I missed that when we switched to Ceithin’s POV.

I really enjoyed reading this book. There is a lot to love about the characters and the storyline. It was interesting and sexy and highly enjoyable.

Rating: 

4 out of 5

Purchase book at:

Amazon (kindle version) / All Romance Ebooks (mobi, epub, html and pdf formats)

Click here to visit the author’s home page

Book Review: Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett

Book Review: Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett (Acardia Bell #1)

Format: paperback

First Published:  June 28, 2011 

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Demons, Magic, Witches

Sensuality Rating: Warm

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Meet Arcadia Bell: bartender, renegade magician, fugitive from the law. . . . 

Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.

But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sexual spells and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.

Review: 

Sometimes you wish your parents just would stay dead…

I’d been putting off reading this book for a while. Other series and books took priority. But I’m so glad I got around to reading it. Jenn Bennett might be my favourite debut author of the year. I can not put into words how much I enjoyed this book.

The world that this book is set in is brilliant. There’s magicans who have powers similar to a lot of witches I’ve read about in the past, Earthbound demons who have ‘halos’ in different colours, Æthyric demoms which are mostly pretty scary. Throw in some magical societies and a demon nightclub – not forgetting Cady’s own demon serving bar. I thought the world was written in a way that was so vivid to me. I felt like I was right there beside Cady as she tried to find the evidence that would prove her parents’ innocence. From Ms. Bennett’s writing it’s easy to see that she is an artist.

One of the more surprising things for me whilst reading this book was Jupe – Lon’s teenage son. Normally I don’t like children in novels. They come across to me as either too old for their age, too young, too cute – all it really translates for me as too annoying. But Jupe entertained me. I thought he was written perfectly – he was at that stage where he’s trying to show he’s a man of the world but at the same time he still needs  his dad around. He provided a lot of comic relief which the story needed at times. I hope we see a lot more of him in future books because I think he was my favourite character.

I loved how the story came together. It was in such a way that I was surprised by exactly how it unfolded but nothing new or out of left field was brought in just to create the climax. I loved Cady’s powers and how she used them. She’s a survivor who does what she has to but she has morals and is a decent person. I liked that about her. And the sexual tenstion between Lon and Cady? Brilliant. Their interactions and banter amused me greatly.

The second book is going to be a must buy for me.

Rating: 

4.5 out of 5

Purchase book at:

Book Depository (paperback) / Amazon (kindle version) / FishPond (paperback)

Book Review: Succubus Nights (aka. Succubus On Top) by Richelle Mead

Book Review: Succubus Nights (aka. Succubus On Top) by Richelle Mead (Georgina Kincaid #2)

Format: paperback

First Published: May 5th, 2008

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Demons, Angels, Vampires

Sensuality Rating: Warm

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Georgina Kincaid’s job sucks. Literally.

Love hurts, and no one knows it better than Georgina Kincaid. If she so much as kisses Seth Mortensen, the shy, sexy, incredibly gifted Seattle writer she’s been dating, she’ll drain his life force. Georgina is a succubus-a demon who draws her power from other men’s pleasure. Admittedly, the shapeshifting and immortality perks are terrific, and yes, Georgina did choose to join the ranks of hell centuries ago. But it seems completely unfair that a she-demon whose purpose is seduction can’t get hot and heavy with the one mortal who knows and accepts her for who she is.

It’s not just her personal life that’s in chaos. Doug, Georgina’s co-worker at a local bookstore, has been exhibiting bizarre behavior, and Georgina suspects that something far more demonic than double espressos is at work. She could use help finding out, but Bastien, an irresistibly charming incubus and her best immortal friend, is preoccupied with corrupting an ultra-conservative talk radio star-and giving Georgina some highly distracting come-hither vibes. Georgina is going to have to work solo on this one-and fast because soon, Doug’s life won’t be the only one on the line

Review: 

She’s got a killer body… and a kiss to die for!

This story picks up a few weeks after the end of Succubus Blues with Georgina and Seth trying to have a romantic relationship despite the fact that Georgina could kill him at any moment. They are clearly in love butbecause of this they are unwilling to address the challenges of their difficult relationship. Enter Bastien – Georgina’s incubus best friend who is in town to take down a talk-back radio host and save himself from an eternity in Hell -or more specifically Guam… which in his opinion is just as bad.

On top of being roped in to help Bastien with his mission, Georgina has to deal with her friend and co-worker, Doug, who is acting even stranger than normal. Is something supernatural to blame for his currently behaviour and world record Tetris scores? And can Georgina manage to continue her relationship with Seth without accidentally draining him of all his energy and killing him?

I love Georgina as the heroine of this series. She’s modern and yet is centuries old. She’s mostly practical but still manages to be selfish. Her relationship with Seth amuses me. I can’t help but think that their relationship is living on borrowed time. But their love for each other is evident. I like the complexities of it. Yes they ended up together after the end of Succubus Blues but they are not having an easy time of being together. I also love that just because they are in love and currently together doesn’t mean and that everything is going to be okay. Georgina could still kill Seth with just a kiss and they both have to deal with their jealousy issues – him with her still being a succubus and having to have sex with men to supply her with the energy she needs to survive and her with his first love, writing, and him getting too involved with the world that lives inside his head.

The supporting cast are also a highlight of this series – and this book. Carter, the angel who’s best friend is an archdemon, the Vampires, Georgina’s co-workers and Bastien – they’re interesting and entertaining. Even Seth’s family bring a lot to the book. I love how they show the many sides of Georgina. Friend, co-worker, potential sister-in-law, demon. But they’re great characters in their own right too. Bastien was a great addition to the story. He is everything that Georgina is not in terms of a sex demon. He takes pride in what he does and does it well. I really hope he comes back later in the series.

I can’t wait to start reading Succubus Dreams (Georgina Kincaid #3). I’m really glad that I “discovered” this series.

Rating: 

4 out of 5

Purchase book at:

Book Depository / Amazon / FishPond

My review for Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid #1) can be found here

Book Review: That Voodoo That You Do by Jodi Redford

Book Review: That Voodoo That You Do by Jodi Redford (That Old Black Magic #1)

Format: ebook

First Published: October 12, 2010

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Erotic Romance, Shifters, Witches, Zombies.

Sensuality Rating: Burning!

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

For ten long years Griffin Trudeau has managed to keep his paws off Jemma Finnegan, best friend and leading star of his kinkiest fantasies. As her appointed cat familiar, indulging those fantasies with the delectable witch is strictly forbidden. But when Jemma shows up at his door with seduction in mind, control goes right out the window.

Too late he realizes making love to Jemma is the trigger that launches a zombie apocalypse.

Jemma’s been dealt a double whammy: she’s just discovered she’s a witch. And Griff has been hiding whiskers and a tail. Oh, and if her life wasn’t crazy enough, a dead voodoo queen needs her blood to raise a legion of zombies.

There’s one plan that might work to increase Jemma’s powers so she can put an end to the looming holocaust. A sexy threesome with Griff and Logan Scott, a werewolf familiar with a history of rubbing Griff’s fur the wrong way. A cat and a wolf playing nice, much less sharing? It’ll take a miracle.

Warning: A witch, tiger and wolf doing naughty things. A dead voodoo queen doing evil things. And zombies doing zombie things. Get your shovels ready.

Review: 

Oh my! I wasn’t expecting this book to be as funny as I found it. From the first page I was laughing. And it’s not just funny – it’s exciting, it’s interesting and it’s earth-shatteringly hot! 😉

The story starts with Jemma Finnegan, a woman with a plan, setting out to seduce her super hunk of a best friend of ten years – Griffin Trudeau. Next comes some delicious and literally earth moving kitchen lovin’, the beginning of a zombie apocalypse and that’s just the first chapter!

From the start I loved the chemistry between Griff and Jemma. The comradeship of having been best friends for ten years was evident and the tangible sexual tension between the two was electric. I was rooting for them as a couple. And if I had any doubts of Jemma as a heroine they were wiped away when she tried to take down a zombie using a ThighBlaster.

The secondary cast of Clarissa (the coven leader) and the other witches (Mrs Peach, Gloria) were delightful. I loved the banter and pop culture references they delivered.

And Logan Scott? [He’s] the guy your mama warned you about. The ultimate biker boy complete with the mirrored shades, barbed wire tattoo and snug jeans – I loved him. Normally I don’t like any character that threatens the Happily Ever After that I desire but I loved what Logan brought to the story. The fact that he brought out Griff’s jealous side… that is just a bonus!

After finishing the book, I’m still a little unsure as to why the ménage à trois strengthened Jemma’s magic but it was such an hot and steamy scene that I’ll let it slide. I really enjoyed the creativeness of the sex scenes. And the humour that was present throughout everything.

The witch/zombie/shifter storyline was exciting too – this book, whilst mostly is about the romance and the sex also has more too it – and it kept me guessing. I loved how Jemma grew as a character. She became the kick-ass heroine that her witchy ancestors (well… most of them) would be proud of.

This is probably the funniest erotic romance that I’ve ever read. I am so excited about the next book in the series (which is out and I have already bought!) being about Clarissa and Logan. The little moments of those two were some of my favourite interludes in the story. I recommend this book for anyone who likes light hearted storyline and zombie apocalypses mixed in with their erotica.

Rating: 

4.5 out of 5

Purchase book at:

Amazon (kindle version) / Samhain Publishing

Book Review: Caressed by Moonlight by Amanda J. Greene

Book Review: Caressed by Moonlight by Amanda J. Greene (Rulers of Darkness #1)

Format: ebook

First Published: November 29th 2010

Genre: Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance, Vampires

Synopsis (from Goodreads): “One sweet stolen kiss brings them together. But treachery and death threatens to tear them apart…”

Dorian Vlakhos is no ordinary aristocrat. He is a vampire king, who will do anything to save his clan from complete annihilation, before an ancient curse can claim his immortal life.

Penniless and orphaned, Victoria Kingston has nothing to bring to a marriage, yet she must shackle an unsuspecting gentleman into marriage by the end of the month or forfeit her rights as guardian of her younger sister. With the help of her dearest friend, Victoria begins her hunt, and vows to stay far away from the dark, mysterious, Prince Vlakhos.

After meeting the beautifully innocent Miss Kingston, Dorian had to have her. He would do absolutely anything to make Victoria his. One sweet stolen kiss would bring them together while a force, more powerful than any vampire would bind them for all eternity. But treachery, war, and death rule Dorian’s dark world and Victoria would be fortunate to survive.

Review: 

Generally I try not to judge a book by it’s cover. But I find myself adoring the cover of this book. The beautiful outfits, the tender embrace of the hero and heroine and the gorgeous colours. It all makes for an extremely attractive book cover and one that I was eager to devour. But I find myself asking, “Where’s the paranormal on this cover? Where are the hints to his vampire nature?”

The novel starts off with a beautiful, recently orphaned woman, Miss Victoria Kingston, who is now penniless and relying on her spinster aunt to help her and her sister from ending up on the streets. Evil Aunt Nelly (and even if I could forgive the way she treats Victoria, I could never overlook the way she abused her books by throwing them! She definitely deserves the evil prefixing her name) has despised Victoria since even before her conception, blaming Victoria for her mother’s sins. Instead of caring for the now parentless girls, Nelly sets an ultimatum – Victoria is to be married to a man of means by the end of the month or she shall never see her younger sister again! (cue evil laughter).

The penniless woman seeking marriage to fix her problems is a trope I’ve seen again and again in historical fiction. It seems to be one of their mainstays. However I really enjoyed how Ms Greene approached it. Whilst Victoria would ideally hold out of love and experience the kind of marriage that her parents had and she envied, she is far more practical than that. Victoria’s feisty attitude and her tenacity make her a very likeable heroine. If money is what she needs to keep her aunt’s clutches off her sister, Margaret, then Victoria will find a wealthy man to marry within the month!

Enter Prince Dorian Vlakhos.

From the moment Victoria and Prince Dorian meet, there’s chemistry. Victoria, who from the start has been shown to be a woman on a mission and nothing could sway her from her path, is memorized by the handsome stranger.
“The man turned to face her and she gasped as if she had been struck. he was tall, taller than any man she had ever seen, muscled and thick. Strands of deep brown hair fell across his angelic yet masculine face, her fingers twitched with the desire to brush them away from his magnificent eyes. Those fathoms of blue were like the sea after a tremendous storm, piercing, penetrating, and exotic. His jaw was straight and square, his lips thin and alluring. He was absolutely beautiful, in a dangerous, very masculine way.”  (Location 266)

The formally stoic Miss Kingston has some poetry about her? Who knew? 😉

As you can see, the descriptions in this book are incredibly vivid. The Prince is just as stunned by Victoria but his interest in her is not that of marriage material. No, his feelings are of a much more carnal nature.
“I do wish you luck. The sooner you become tired of your marriage bed the sooner you will come to mine.” (Location 381)

His honesty, whilst refreshing, surprised me. Whilst in many historical romances where the hero is somewhat of a rake, I’ve never known one to be quite so upfront in his desires.

The first half of the book is primarily taken up with Victoria, Dorian and their courting. The vampire storyline is very much in the background and whilst I picked up this book wanting to read a paranormal story, I found myself enjoying the Regency romance and I did not dwell on the lack of vampires. The second half of the novel is very much focused on the uprising in Dorian’s vampire kingdom. I enjoyed how Ms. Greene created her world. The story that Dorian told to Victoria was a brilliant way to let the reader in on the history of the Vampire race whilst not detracting from the story.

There is so much I liked about this novel. Victoria is a strong and as independent as a woman can be during those times. She’s intelligent and understanding. There were a few time when I was worried she was going to throw a tantrum but she managed to stay assertive and not turn into a raving prima donna. Dorian surprised me. A character who started off being a bit of a cad and ladies man changed roles and turned into loving family man. I’d reckon there would be many fights between him and Victoria over who was in charge. I loved the side of Dorian that was scared and worried for Victoria – he came so far from the man who we met in the start of the novel.

I loved the romance between Victoria and Dorian. The writing was clever and steamy – just a kiss was enough to make me want to fan myself. And then, when things got a little more intimate… well it was scorching.

I would have liked the vampire aspect of the novel and the historical romance part to have been a bit more merged. I understand that with the novel as it stand it needed to be set out like this but I think there could have been a bit more of Dorian’s vampire nature come out in the first half.

All in all, I really enjoyed this novel and I can’t wait to start reading the next book in the series.

Rating: 

4 out of 5

Purchase book at:

Book Depository (paperback) / Amazon (kindle version) / FishPond (paperback)

Book Review: Paris, My Sweet by Amy Thomas

Book Review: Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate) by Amy Thomas

Format: ebook

First Published: Feburary 1, 2012

Source: an ARC provided by netgalley

Genre: Memoir, Food,

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Part love letter to New York, part love letter to Paris, and total devotion to all things sweet. Paris, My Sweet is a personal and moveable feast that’s a treasure map for anyone who loves fresh cupcakes and fine chocolate, New York and Paris, and life in general. It’s about how the search for happiness can be as fleeting as a sliver of cheesecake and about how the life you’re meant to live doesn’t always taste like the one you envisioned. Organized into a baker’s dozen of delicacies (and the adventures they inspired) that will tempt readers’ appetites, Paris, My Sweet is something to savor.

Review: 

Reading this memoir, it’s easy to fall in love with Paris as Amy Thomas sees it. She has a way of describing food not just as the fuel the body needs to survive but rather as something to be savoured and revered.

As a lover of all things sweet and a desire to travel all over the world, at times it felt like this book was speaking directly to me. Amy Thomas, a thirty-five year old career woman who enjoys the single life in New York City gets the opportunity to live in Paris for a year. With the help of a Vélib, Amy travels all over Paris and experiences all the chocolate shops, bakeries and pastry stores that the City of Light has to offer.  This book is part memoir, part guidebook. At the end of each chapter Thomas gives a brief selection of venues in both New York City and Paris that offer some of the delicacies mentioned previously in the chapter.  There are a lot of French terms mentioned in story. I was over eager and looked up what they meant only to find a definition of sorts in the next paragraph. Whilst some may say there was too many foreign terms, I appreciated the chance to indulge my inquisitive side and felt better educated by the end of it. D’accord?

Amy as a narrator is fantastic. She’s romantic and shows Paris off in a way that you the reader can tell it’s a place she treasures. The beauty of the food and  the city are written about with such passion and detail that I could almost believe I’d been there.  At the same time, she doesn’t gloss over the negatives – like the pigeons and the unsmiling locals. She describes it in it’s whole. I also liked her attitude towards life – she’s practical and doesn’t take her situation for granted. I love how brave she was to take this chance and I also adored that despite the indulgence of the food, she doesn’t take it for granted.

Whilst reading this book I kept going online and sneaking peeks at Thomas’ blog, SweetFreak. Between the pictures there and the way the chocolates, cupcakes and other delicious morsels were written about, I was in food heaven. It’s a good thing that window shopping (so to speak) is fat-free. It was enough to both make me extremely hungry and at the same time dissatisfied with all the food options I had in my house. I was craving a Pain au chocolat from Paris, a banana cupcake from New York or another of other sweets that I’d just read about.

If I lived in New York or Paris (or was planning a trip to either city in the future) I’d be including at least one or two of the stores Amy Thomas wrote about!

Rating: 

4 out of 5

Purchase book at:

Book Depository / Amazon / FishPond

Book Review: Got Game? by Stephanie Doyle

Book Review: Got Game? by Stephanie Doyle

Format: ebook

First Published: December 11, 2011

Source: an ARC provided by netgalley

Genre: Sports romance, contemporary romance

Synopsis (from Amazon): 

Oh Yeah, Game On! The world of professional golf is rocked when the new ranking system allows Reilly Carr – the country’s best female player – to compete with the big boys. Now everyone wants to know if she will or won’t play in golf’s premier event…The American.

But her tough choices are complicated further when Luke Nolan – her on again, off again lover – suddenly decides now is the time to turn their friends-with-benefits set up into a real relationship!

If she’s going to make the cut she’ll need to battle her game, the press and most of all her heart. The stakes have never been higher

Review: 

Reilly Carr is one of the most successful female golfers in history. But lately winning hasn’t felt as good as it used to and Reilly has been slighly discontented. After returning home to Nebraska to visit her grandparents and to recharge before her next tournament, the news breaks that due to a change in the ranking system Reilly has a chance to play on one of golf’s most sacred grounds and take part in the golfing event of the year – The American.

I’m not a very sporty person but I do love reading sports romances. And this one was no exception. Reilly Carr is competitive and good at what she does. But she’s also romantically challenged and has two divorces and a third broken engagement to prove it. Luke Nolan, two-time winner of The American is just as flawed when it comes to marriage – his third divorce just finalized. But together they work. I loved the chemistry between them and the fact that both acknowledge that the other isn’t perfect.

The supporting cast are another highlight of this novel. Kenny, Reilly’s caddy and brother, has his own romantic sub-plot that adds to the novel’s romance. I loved that in many ways Kenny and Reilly’s romantic lives paraellel each other. Despite Kenny being a bit of a playboy and Reilly being extremely good at committing (it’s just staying married she has a problem with), the Carr siblings are a lot alike. The sibling squabbles on the green amused me greatly – no matter how old you may be, there are times when a little petty sibling argument is justified.

There was a lot going on in this novel – the romantic relationships, the golf and the stalker storyline – but Stephanie Doyle managed to tie them altogether nicely. The golf aspect was not overwhelming to a non-golf fan but instead was written in such a way that it just added to the drama and story without being too much. I was enthralled by the sport angle which surprised me greatly. I really enjoyed this novel. I’ll definitely be looking out for novels by Stephanie Doyle in the future.

Rating: 

4.5 out of 5

Purchase book at:

 Amazon

Book Review: Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review: Stolen by Kelley Armstrong (Women of the Otherworld #2)

Format: paperback

First Published: December 24th, 2002

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Synopsis (from Goodreads): It was in Bitten, Kelley Armstrong’s debut novel, that thirty-year-old Elena Michaels came to terms with her feral appetites and claimed the proud identity of a beautiful, successful woman —and the only living female werewolf.

In Stolen, on a mission for her own elite pack, she is lured into the net of ruthless Internet billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who has funded a bogus scientific investigation of the “other races” and their supernatural powers. Kidnapped and studied in his underground lab deep in the Maine woods, these paranormals—witches, vampires, shamans, werewolves—are then released and hunted to the death in a real-world video game. But when Winsloe captures Elena, he finally meets his match.

Review: 

This novel picks up a few months after Bitten ends. Elena Michaels is back and involved with pack life and her romantic relationship with Clayton. But for werewolves, it would seem, life is never with it’s complications.

Elena is kidnapped and taken to a high security facility who’s inmates include a half demon, a shaman, a vampire and even a witch or two.

It’s a similar sort of set up to the facility that of Kresley Cole’s Dreams of a Dark Warrior and Demon from the Dark novels involve. Hoards of otherworldly beings in one place… I’m starting to think it’s not a great idea for anyone involved.

I loved the Elena we saw in this novel. She’s scared but brave and fiercely determined. She’s a sociopath but lacks the insight to realise that about herself. I loved that she never gave up. And she wasn’t prepared to stop and wait for help to arrive. She could be her own hero. Clayton is deliciously dangerous, as usual, but because the majority of this novel occurs in the facility and the loved up couple have few scenes together, this novel is not so much a romance. In parts it’s down right violent – at times disturbingly so. If you’re at all squimish, this is not the book for you.

This book does lay the groundwork for the rest of the series. We meet Paige – a witch who is still learning to control her powers to their full extent who goes on to be the narrator of the next few books in the series. I’ll be sad to say goodbye to Elena but I’m excited to see what Paige can bring to the series. Although this book was gory and violent, it’s also funny and exciting. I love Armstrong’s version of werewolves and the other supernatural beings that have been introduced. The half-demons are extremely interesting. I hope there’s more pyromaniac Adam in the future along with Leah and the rest.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I’m trying to pace myself and make the series last but my fingers are twitching with anticipation.

 

A link to my review for the first in the Women of the Otherworld series: Bitten

 

Rating: 

4.5 out of 5

Purchase book at:

Book Depository / Amazon / FishPond

Book Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger

Book Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger (Parasol Protectorate #1)

Format: paperback

First Published: October 1st. 2009

Genre: Steampunk, Paranormal, Historical, Romance

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she’s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire—and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London’s high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Review: 

Vampires and werewolves and… a woman with a parasol? Oh my! This is the first steam-punk novel I’ve ever read and I have to say I was plesantly surprised. Historical fiction is not generally my cup of tea but this novel has taken the things I like from the Victorian age (corsets and witty spinsters) and combined them with the supernatural. I am a fan.

The heart and soul of this novel (so to speak) is Alexia Tarabotti – on the outskirts of polite society due to her dark skin, slightly too big nose and her love of science and logical conversation. I loved her. She’s clever, daring and for her own sake should probably try to keep control of her tongue but for entertainment purposes, I’m glad she doesn’t. In the first chapter alone, Miss Tarabotti manages to vanquish a vampire with only a hair pin and her trusty parasol and she still manages to lament the loss of a treacle tart. I’m not used to reading about heroines in a historical fiction who can take control of the situation and kick butt whilst still trying to make sure their outfits are in pristine condition.

In between finding out what has happened to the vampires, there’s also a romantic plot brewing in this story. I enjoyed how Carriger developed the relationship between Alexia and Lord Maccon. It was at times scandalous but anything else would have felt untrue to Miss Tarabotti’s character.

The supporting cast were brilliant. Between Alexia’s butler, Lord Maccon’s beta and the fabulously flamboyant Lord Akeldama and his drones there is hardly a dull moment. I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series if only to see more of these characters – and to hopefully find out what exactly is the deal with the octopuses.

Rating: 

4 out of 5

Purchase book at:

Book Depository / Amazon / FishPond