Review: Beautiful Danger by Michele Hauf

I started to read this book while I was on vacation, but it takes place in Paris, and I was in London at the time, so I decided to wait until I returned home and wished I was somewhere like Paris.  Paris is one of my favorite cities, so any book set there already has points in its favor.  Add in a kickass heroine and a mentally unstable vampire and yeah, it's ranking high on my list.

I liked this book so much.  Beautiful Danger is all the things I want a vampire novel to be – dirty, sexy, bloody, with emotionally conflicted characters, and lots of danger.  I’ve loved vampires for as long as I can remember, and as a teenager, devoured every vampire story I could find.  But now, for me, it seems to be a struggle to find vampire books that I really like.  Seems like vampires have gotten a little too normal, too safe and too often seem like just regular guys who happen to be vampires.  Not the case with this story. 

Domingos LaRoque is messed up.  He’s suffering from extreme UV sickness and struggling to cling to his sanity, forever in a battle against the voices in his head, or worse the screeching cats that refuse to be quiet.  All this is the result of being tortured by werewolves and forced to participate in their brutal blood games.  In order to survive he had to kill other creatures, most likely other innocent creatures, who were also being held prisoner – all for no reason other than to provide entertainment for the werewolves.  And to make the situation worse, he was never especially happy about being a vampire, having been turned against his will only five years earlier.  He’s bitter and he’s not quite sane.  But there’s something about Lark that gives him a sense of peace, and maybe a glimmer of hope.

Lark is a knight of the Order of the Stake.  Her job is to hunt vampires and she’s very good at her job.  She’s supposed to kill Domingos.  But then he saves her life when some werewolves attack, and they make a deal.  She’ll let him live for 24 hours, that’s all.  However, during that time, she begins to see him as more than just a deadly, bloodsucker.  She sees him as a person, a damaged person, suffering from demons similar to her own.

She became a knight to avenge her husband’s death.  Her goal was to kill a vampire for every day they held him prisoner, then she’d move on with her life.  But then she begins to question whether all the killing she is doing is really helping her.  Domingos never takes innocent victims, he’s specifically going after the wolves who tortured him, and he saved her life, knowing she planned to kill him. 

These two characters have both suffered so much in the past.  As strange as it seems, this vampire and vampire hunter need each other.  They have an understanding of the pain they’ve each been through.  I very much enjoyed reading about how they began to gradually set aside the baggage from their past in order to finally reach some sort of peace in which they could focus on their present lives, and maybe even a future. 

I was slightly hesitant to read this book, because the last few Harlequin Nocturnes I’ve read have seemed very tame and kind of boring.  I was afraid that was standard for that line of books.  But this was hot, very hot and all kinds of steamy.  Nothing at all tame about this book.  Lots of messy, dangerous sex, complete with teeth, the way vampire sex should be.  

Along with the romance, there’s quite a bit of action, several fight scenes.  I loved that Lark was such a badass knight.  Sure, Domingos helped her out in the beginning, but she probably could have held her own.  She saves Domingos as often as he saves her.  Nothing weak about this character with regard to her fighting abilities. 

Overall, I really liked this book and will be recommending it anyone who enjoys vampire stories. 

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley. 

Review: Couple Who Fooled the World by Maisey Yates

At the end of the second week of my three and half week trip, I was repacking my suitcase, about to get on yet another plane - my 7th flight in two weeks  – this time from Zurich to London – and I was panicking because I’d finished what I was reading the night before and needed a new book. I usually know exactly what I’m going to read next, but had decided to be more spontaneous on this trip – that’s the point of having a Kindle, right?  You can carry your whole library around with you.

 
I turned on the Kindle to try and figure out what I wanted to read next and was very happy to see The Couple Who Fooled the World had appeared on my Kindle’s home page.  I’d pre-ordered it weeks earlier, and had forgotten when it would be released.  Also, when traveling, I lose all sense of dates.  No more worries about what to read that day.

I got to the Zurich airport hours earlier than I needed to be there.  Then my flight was delayed.  But none of this bothered me at all, because I was fully immersed in the adventures of The Couple Who Fooled the World.

I absolutely love the characters Maisey Yates creates.  I’ve yet to be disappointed with any of her books.  In this case, we have two very wealthy, very successful leaders in the tech field.  Ferro and Julia each own their own companies – creating things like phones and navigation systems.  They’re fierce competitors, but in order to beat out their mutual competition for a project, Ferro suggests to Julia that they work together.  His system is more sophisticated, hers is more user-friendly.  But in order for their plan to seem convincing, they’re going to pretend like they’re dating.  It’s only until they get the project, then they plant to go back to being enemies.

Sometimes things don’t quite work out as planned.  In order to pretend to date, they have to start spending time together.  And while they’re spending time together, their attraction for each other is growing.  They’re both adults, they can do this, no strings attached, then go their separate ways.  No problem, right?

But these two, as successful as they are in the tech world, are completely messed up emotionally.  As a teenager, in order to get off the streets of Rome, Ferro worked as a prostitute.  Even though he’s moved far beyond those days, he still feels tainted by what he did.  Mentally, he’s still trying to run from his past and feels that he’s undeserving of ever having a real lover.  And Julia’s avoided men most of her life after a traumatic experience she had as a teenager.  Her whole life, she’s been made to feel that if she was herself she would be regarded as weird or strange.  No matter that her “weirdness” turned her into a successful billionaire who designed a very popular smartphone.  She has a team of people hired to make her appear “normal” to the rest of the world. 

They’re both damaged enough to be perfect for each other.  They manage to see in each other what they’re missing in life.  Ferro convinces Julia that she doesn’t need to keep hiding who she is, and she finally makes him believe that he doesn’t have to keep living in shame for what he did to survive as a teenager.  Of course, it takes them a while to get to that point, but what a fun journey that is.

Another excellent read by Maisey Yates.  Glamorous setting, interesting, complicated characters, lots of hot sex and romance.  This book is very fast paced.  I couldn’t put it down.  It was a bit awkward reading some of the um, sexy times, while sitting next to two college boys who were getting smashed on Scotch on the flight to London.  They kept wanting to talk and be friendly and didn’t seem to understand that the book I was reading was much more interesting to me than they were.  I ended up finishing the book that night.  I sort of wished I hadn’t rushed through it because I wanted more time with the characters, but was glad to have had the distraction during what could have been a long, boring travel day.

Review: City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte

I got a copy of this book from Netgalley a while back, and had been so excited about reading it, because it took place in Prague, and I was in the process of planning a trip to Prague.  But for some reason, I didn’t read it.  There may have been other books I had already committed to reviewing or maybe things got busy at work.

Anyway, the book kept getting set aside.  And the reviews I saw on Goodreads were pretty harsh, so I was hesitant to read this.  But it remained on my list.

Well, I got to Prague.  I wandered around the Old Town area my first afternoon there, and I couldn’t get a feel for the place.  I was bothered by the huge crowds of tourists, everyone gathering around watching a guy in the middle of the square cracking a whip.  I go to these cities hoping for culture and history, and in Prague especially, I was in search of something dark and mysterious.  A sweaty guy in a torn tank top cracking a whip was not producing any magic or mystery.  I got some ice cream and went back to my hotel room.

That’s when I decided to start reading City of Dark Magic, hoping it could provide some hint of what to look for in this city.  The story pulled me in immediately.  Very fast paced story.

The next morning, as the rain poured down, I spent a few extra hours in bed reading.  (I had to be somewhere that afternoon and night, and I still had a few more days to explore the city, so no worries, I did not spend my entire time in Prague in my hotel room reading.)

But I am so glad I had this book to read while I was in Prague, waiting out the rain. 

The story is about a group of students -  academics, experts in their field - who have been hired to put together the Lobkowicz Palace’s Museum.  The family’s belongings have recently been returned to them – following WWII and then communism.  It’s a very strange group of people – as should be expected from a group such as this.  (Two trips through grad school, I know a little bit about these academic types.) 

I especially liked the main character, Sarah.  She’s smart and knowledgeable in her field – she’s hired to catalogue Beethoven’s manuscripts – and seems to have her act together.  Nice to read about a heroine who is comfortable in her sexuality, has no real hang-ups about enjoying herself.  (Oddly enough, a lot of the negative reviews complained about the sex in this book – so I was bracing myself for something dreadful – but didn’t see anything at all wrong with it.)  Now as far as romance, I thought more could have been done in that area.  I was surprised when all of a sudden she’s claiming she’s in love with Max, because I didn’t see much leading to love, other than them having great sex.  Maybe that’s enough, I don’t know.  I felt there was more to it, I think Max had been in love with her since fourth grade, and that’s hinted at, but not elaborated, and I felt it could have been.  But that’s a minor complaint.  I liked both of these characters and feel like they have a lot of potential.

 I very much enjoyed the mystery and the action in the story.  I think reading this while I was in Prague enhanced my visit to the city and added the magic for which I had been searching.  When I was about 60% through the book, I visited Prague castle and the Lobkowicz Palace.  I thought it was so cool to walk through the museum, having read the book.  I know it was fiction, but the authors did an excellent job with their research.  As I walked through each room, I felt like I was looking at the work put together by the characters in the book because it matched the descriptions in the book so accurately. 

I liked this book a lot and was very happy to learn there’s a sequel that is going to take place in Vienna – a city I visited a few summers ago and liked very much. 

Review: Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

I loved this book.  Absolutely loved it, easily one of my favorite reads of the summer.

I'd just finished listening to Winter Sea and liked that so much that I wanted to read something by the same author.  Only after I had decided to read this did I realize it was a sequel to Winter Sea, so in my head, the two books are one big story.  One big, wonderful, interesting, mysterious and romantic story.


There was a point in the book though where I felt so sad about what was happening, I had to stop reading it for a bit. The situation Anna was in seemed so wrong and unnecessary and the result of careless men, it upset me, knowing what her mother had gone through to protect her (her mother was one of the main characters in Winter Sea) and knowing this wasn't the life her mother had wanted for her. But, of course, I went back to the book, and my love for the character of Edmund wiped out all that sadness.

There are two stories happening here, the one in present time, and the one in the past, being viewed by two people with psychic abilities. That might sound a little odd, but it isn't. I'm a big fan of pretty much anything involving paranormal or psychic powers - and I'm not a big fan of time travel, and this isn't time travel. They see into the past, but don't travel into the past.

I also really enjoy the historical elements of this book. I feel like I'm learning quite a bit, while also getting a great, entertaining story. I actually felt quite knowledgeable while visiting some historic sights in Edinburgh - largely because of what I'd learned in this book and Winter Sea.  Before I read these books, I knew nothing of the Jacobites and the struggles for the throne during that time period.  (We don't go over a lot of that - or any of that - in our history classes here in the U.S.)

And it's so romantic, like truly romantic. Like, oh my god, that's so awesome, why can't I find someone like that, romantic. There's a line near the end, something along the lines of, "I'm not good with fragile things.... but I would take care of you" and I just melted. I'm being purposely vague so as to not spoil it for potential readers. I very much recommend this book, along with Winter Sea. Very glad I read them.

Review: Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley (audio)

I got a copy of this book a while back - I think maybe it was an amazon kindle daily deal, or something like that. I'm also thinking it was a "if you liked Discovery of Witches" you'll like this. Whatever the case, I got it, but then kept putting off reading it. I'm about to take a trip that includes a visit to Scotland, so I've been trying to read books set in Scotland (and the other places I'm planning to visit) to get me in the right mindset for my trip. I ended up downloading a copy of this vi...more I got a copy of this book a while back - I think maybe it was an amazon kindle daily deal, or something like that. I'm also thinking it was a "if you liked Discovery of Witches" you'll like this. Whatever the case, I got it, but then kept putting off reading it. I'm about to take a trip that includes a visit to Scotland, so I've been trying to read books set in Scotland (and the other places I'm planning to visit) to get me in the right mindset for my trip. I ended up downloading a copy of this via audible - you get a special price if you already have the kindle version - and the plan was to just listen to it while doing some last minute yard work, housecleaning, tanning and whatever. But immediately, this story drew me in, and I found that I was avoiding other things so that I would have an excuse to listen to this. I did end up getting quite a bit of yard work done, and didn't bother me nearly as much as it usually does because I my mind was so immersed in this world. And a few times, I just laid down on the couch and listened, not doing any of those productive things I'd planned to do while listening. I liked this story so much. It's so romantic, with a lush historical setting, as well as an interesting contemporary storyline. It's sort of a time travel story - but only in that the narrator can see into the past, she doesn't actually travel into the past. (I point that out because I don't usually like time travel stories.) It's also really sad, like at one point, as I was listening, I found myself sitting down in the yard, feeling overcome with sadness as what was happening to these characters. (I was working in the flower bed, it's not like I sat down in the middle of mowing the yard or something.) I'm not the type of person who is usually curious about my ancestors. But my family claims to be Scottish, and this almost made me want to learn more about my own family background - though I doubt it's anywhere near as interesting as what the character discovered in the story. Overall, this was a great book. The story reminded me a bit of Byatt's Possession. After having spent so much time listening to this book, I felt a little lost after it was over. Then I realized that Firebird is a sequel. Had no idea, but I got a copy of that book a few weeks ago, so I've started reading that now. And I should add,  because this was the audio book, the narration by Rosalyn Landor is great.  There have been a few audio books that I think I disliked because I couldn't stand the sound of the narrator's voice.  But not the case with this book.  (Turns out she's narrated a couple of audio books that I really enjoy - Never Let Me Go and Water's Lovely.)

Review: Loving a Prince Charming by Danielle Monsch

This novella (only about 90 pages) is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty.  I was eager to read it because Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorite fairy tales - largely because I love the art in the Disney version, and that has, over the years, prompted me to seek out other versions of the fairy tale.

This is a cute, quick story about the prince, Seth, and his best friend, Kira.  They've been best friends since childhood, and as Kira gets older, her job is to act as bodyguard for the prince.  Kira is a great character.  I like that she's the protector of Prince Charming.  As you might imagine, feelings beyond friendship develop between these two as they reach adulthood.  However, the prince's father has already made arrangements for him to marry another princess - the princess who was cursed at birth.

The prince, because he's noble, accepts his fate and has every intention of honoring his obligation, despite being in love with Kira.  After meeting the princess he's to marry - also known as Sleeping Beauty --  he feels protective of her, she doesn't have much of a life, hidden away in an effort to prevent the curse from happening.  He promises to take care of her, and later feels it's his duty to marry her because he keeps his promises.

There's a journey and a few brief battle scenes and a bit of angst as Seth and Kira try to decide what to do with their feelings for each other as they also try to do what's right.  Then there are some big secrets revealed.

There's an interesting twist in the end.  I don't want to give it away.  It's a very different take on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.  I respect that it was original, but didn't love it.  After I finished reading this, I probably thought about it too much and a few things didn't seem to make sense to me. 

But as long as you don't think too hard about it, it's a quick, enjoyable story. 

Also - the cover is beautiful - that's what initially drew me to the book - I love castles, as well as the color purple.

I received a review copy of this via Netgalley.

Review: Heir to a Dark Inheritance by Maisey Yates

After reading and loving Heir to a Desert Legacy, I immediately bought Heir to a Dark Inheritance. The stories are connected, a few of the same characters, but would stand alone just fine.

As expected, I liked Heir to a Dark Inheritance as much Heir to a Desert Legacy.

When I read, it’s for an escape. I don’t want reality. While I usually take the supernatural route, sometimes I need a break from that, and when that happens, palaces and handsome international men of mystery work pretty well. And, no, I don’t mean those billionaire stories where men with too much money prey on young, naïve girls then order them to do whatever they want. Not a fan of the billionaire trend. There is a difference between a person who has done well for himself, and happens to be wealthy and a person whose entire identity is how much money he has (I spent my 20s in Dallas, I know all about guys like this and learned quickly how to tell them apart.)

Anyway, point being, I love the men in these books. These are important, powerful men, who happen to be wealthy. This book provides exactly the escape I need. A handsome Russian (I have a huge weakness for handsome Russian men) with access to a private jet, a palace in the desert, a townhouse in Paris. (Paris might be my favorite city in the world, and much of this book takes place in Paris.) Add to that, he’s all of kinds of emotionally insecure. He’s never been in love, doesn’t think he’s capable of falling in love. But we know better.

The story begins when Alik learns he has a daughter, the result of a one-night stand. Having grown up in an orphanage, he can’t stand the idea of his child feeling the same sense of abandonment that still haunts him. So he flies to the U.S. to claim his child. But his child, Leena, is a year old, and during the past year was in the very capable hands of Jada, the woman who was planning to adopt her.

Because he’s the biological father, he’s granted full custody of the child. But as he’s leaving the courthouse, he sees Jada sitting on the floor in tears, her whole world has fallen apart. Already, we have a sign that Alik isn’t quite the heartless bastard he wants the world to believe he is. (Though really, if he were such a terrible jerk, why would he care about what happens to his daughter?) He makes Jada an offer that would allow her to remain in Leena’s life. While Jada doesn’t want to share Leena with this man, she also realizes she has nothing to lose. Her husband died, she doesn’t have any close friends or family or any other reason why she can’t just pack up and leave. Leena was her whole life, and if she doesn’t take Alik up on his offer, she’s going to lose her.

It’s supposed to be a marriage of convenience, nothing physical, no emotions. But eventually the two can’t fight the attraction they feel for each other. I loved seeing how they finally give in to each other. They both are struggling with their pasts and their own expectations about how their lives should be. Jada fears being disloyal to her dead husband and the life they had together, the life she thought she was supposed to have. Alik has spent his whole life avoiding making connections, he’s terrified of the attachment he feels to the instant family he now has.

I enjoyed this book so much. I read the entire book in one day. I had a very rare day off work, and this book was the perfect indulgence. It’s hot and sexy and romantic and very fast paced. I think I might load up my Kindle with everything written by Maisey Yates.

Also, this book gave me a new appreciation for opera, but you’ll have to read the book to understand that.

Review: Down London Road by Samantha Young

I loved On Dublin Street so very much. It’s one of those books that after I read it, I had to tell everyone about it and try to convince them to read it as well.

But when I heard the sequel was going to be about Johanna and not a continuation of Joss and Braden’s story, I wasn’t overly excited. Jo is the bartender that worked with Joss, the one who would have liked very much to get her hands on Braden if given the opportunity because she considered dating to be a job – she only dated rich men who could provide for her and her family. I didn’t like her.

My dislike for her remained in the beginning of Down London Road. I know I was supposed to like her and see that she’s been through so much and she’s only doing what she thinks is best. But still, I didn’t think her circumstances – which were quite awful – justified her attitude about dating. I felt sorry for her, but I didn’t have much respect for her.

Whereas I could relate to a character like Joss in On Dublin Street, I couldn’t relate at all to Johanna. Nor was I all that impressed with the love interest, Cameron. Sure he sounds plenty sexy, but he was also kind of a jerk. I don’t think showing up in a nice restaurant wearing a t-shirt (when everyone else is in a suit) makes a person cool and self-assured, but instead just sort of screams pretentious hipster. I’m not attracted to that type of person, in fact, I’m incredibly turned off by that sort of person. Supposedly he and Johanna have some sort of scorching hot instant chemistry, before they even speak to each other. He’s rude and condescending and yet, her body is on fire every time she glances at him. This only made me realize how little self-respect she had. There’s part of me who feels that I would have found this story a lot more convincing if Johanna had eventually realized the only thing she and Cam had going for them was the hot sex and she dumped him and went back to her nice, polite, rich boyfriend. (I don’t think I’m giving anything away by mentioning that doesn’t happen.)

The first half of this book, when the two characters are just flirting, alternating between hating each other and wanting to jump each other, wasn’t that great. In fact, I was feeling very disappointed with the book. Then it got better, a lot better.

While I never grew to love Jo and Cam all that much, I thought the story became much more interesting. Once the relationship actually begins, the two characters become more likable and the sex is pretty hot. There’s a lot more action and conflict in the last half of the book. There’s also more revealed about their pasts which I don’t want to give away – but helped the story quite a bit. As I worked through the second half of the book, I reached a point where I couldn’t put it down.  Though I could have done without the "silent conversations" - at some point the couples developed the ability to look at each other and read their minds.  What was this, an episode of How I Met Your Mother?  Kind of annoying. 

For the most part though, I really enjoy this author’s style of writing and the way I become so immersed in the world she creates and the lives of her characters. Even when I don’t like the characters, I care about their behavior and want to know what they’re going to do next and why they do it. Overall, I didn’t like the book anywhere near as much as I like On Dublin Street. But I did like it, eventually. I’m glad I read it and I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series.

Review: Heir to a Desert Legacy by Maisey Yates

Goodreads summary:  Sayid al Kadar was trained from childhood to be a warrior. He's fought, he's conquered-but was never meant to rule... Thrust reluctantly to the throne, Sheikh Sayid is shocked to discover a child who is his country's true heir, and he'll do anything to protect him, even if it means taking on the child's aunt!

Chloe James might behave like a tigress protecting her cub, but this trained soldier can see her weak spot. Taking Chloe as his bride would appease the people of his kingdom, and provide the perfect outlet for the blistering chemistry between them....

I usually stay away from “baby” stories, but the lure of an exotic location and a sexy sheikh overrode my general dislike of babies.  I ended up liking this story quite a bit.

Chloe James thought being a surrogate for her half-sister would be simple.  Sure, it was a lot to ask of her, but she thought she'd have the baby and then get back to her normal life.  Except that her sister and brother-in-law died before they ever saw the baby.  Chloe suddenly finds herself responsible for an infant for which she is not at all prepared.

Because of his brother’s unexpected death, Sayid al Kadar suddenly finds himself the leader of his country, a position he didn’t want and for which he was not trained.  When he learns his brother has a son, he sees some hope for his country, and a guarantee that his own position as leader will only be temporary.

I loved these characters, who were both damaged by their past experiences.  Neither of them had any interest in becoming emotionally involved with each other or anyone for that matter.  They’re logical and practical.  They follow the rules and they do what needs to be done.  They’ve both spent their lives trying to shut down their emotions, avoiding any connection that might lead to pain or passion or some loss of control.  But forced together because of their nephew, they see their flaws reflected in each other.  I enjoyed seeing them gradually break down the walls they’d built up over so many years as they began to fall for each other.

I'm drawn to emotionally stunted characters.  I can relate too well to the need to disconnect and not get involved as an act of self preservation.  Books like this make it nice to imagine that there's a sexy sheikh who would make getting involved seem worth the trouble.  This guy sounds so very hot.  

 

Of course, I kept finding myself reading the sexy bits at the most awkward moments -- like while waiting for the movie to start, or the car to get inspected.  In theory, having a Kindle has made it safe to read romance novels again, but a Kindle doesn't do much for the flush of heat in your face when things start to get steamy.  Oh well, strangers, never see them again.  Besides, I'd rather my mind be transported to a desert palace than the grungy lobby while I wait for my car to fail its inspection due to a torn wiper blade.  My life is so stupid sometimes.

 

Heir to a Desert Legacy is a quick read, very sweet and sexy.  I liked it a lot.  I liked it so much that as soon as I finished it, I bought another book by Maisey Yates.  Hoping I can get around to reading that next weekend.

 
I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley. 

Review: Wuthering Nights: An Erotic Retelling of Wuthering Heights by I.J. Miller and Emily Bronte

Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is my all-time favorite book. I was in high school when I read the book for the first time, and I’ve read the book many times since then, and still it has a powerful impact on me. I claim that Heathcliff ruined me for all men. If I can’t be loved the way Heathcliff loved Catherine, then why bother? I’d rather be alone. And, well, yeah, you get the idea.

I know there are lots of people who don’t like Wuthering Heights. I notice the way people look at me when I mention it being my favorite book. I believe when it was first released it was regarded as quite awful. They say it’s too dark and the characters too selfish and horrible, lacking any redeeming qualities. But to me, they were simply two people who put their love for each other before everything else. Things like social convention, family and marriage are tossed aside in their desperate quest to be together again. The world stood between them, but even death couldn’t keep them apart.

Reading this as a teenager, I found this book to be more sexually intense than the explicit Danielle Steel books my friends and I were reading in secret. My mind had no trouble imagining what Heathcliff and Catherine were doing while alone in the moors. And when he went to visit her in the home she shared with her husband, I doubted they simply chatted and drank tea while her husband was away. This is why I was intrigued by the idea of “an erotic retelling” of this story that I’d loved so much.

But I hated Wuthering Nights. I hated this book so very much. I wish I had not read this book. It disturbed me, it grossed me out and it made me angry. So many times, I put down my Kindle and said to the empty room, “This is so stupid!” This was not the story of my beloved Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw. There was nothing beautiful or passionate about this story. There was plenty of sex, but it was rarely, if ever, associated with love. The sex in this book was there to shock and horrify. It was about control, domination and humiliation. This didn’t turn me on, this disgusted me.

For some reason, Catherine, as a teenager, fooling around with Heathcliff, seems to have transformed into a 90s teen, willing to do “everything but” so as to not violate her purity ring. Not very believable. And Heathcliff is now a rapist, but he’s so impressive that his victims seem to enjoy what he does to them, and keep begging for more. Even with Catherine, who is supposed to be his very reason for living, he simply wants to degrade her, wanting to control her instead of love her. Heathcliff would never have been so coarse with Catherine and Catherine wouldn’t have tolerated that kind of treatment.

Some of the scenes were so very horrible. For no clear reason, Heathcliff decides to start chopping wood outside of Catherine’s house – this is after she’s married. As he’s chopping wood, Nelly, Isabella and Catherine are all in the window – three different windows — watching and masturbating. Catherine strips and presses her naked body against the glass door, in full view of Heathcliff, who simply keeps chopping wood. Then all three of the women orgasm at once at the sight of him taking a piss. Really? Gross.

But it gets worse. Heathcliff has a dungeon that would rival that of Christian’s Grey’s. It’s in this dungeon that he says to his wife, “My cock controls you.” Oh good grief. Then we’re treated to a three-way between him and Nelly and Isabella. This is the point in which I put down the Kindle and said, “Why am I reading this trash?” But for some reason, I kept reading.

The odd thing was, after reading something horrible, eventually I’d get to a part that I loved, and I’d think, “oh, okay, this is getting better” and then I realized every time that happened, it was because I was reading a part directly lifted from the original Wuthering Heights.

I suppose that lovers (or haters, for that matter) of Wuthering Heights all have their own opinion of the true nature of Heathcliff and Catherine. The characters in this story were not at all the way I imagined them to be based on my many readings of Wuthering Heights. My Heathcliff would never, ever do these things. Oh, I admit, he had a fierce temper and the potential to be cruel, but it was fueled by his anger at being separated from Catherine. He would have never treated Catherine the way he did in this book and he wouldn’t have cared enough about the others to torture and control them in this manner. None of that behavior came close to getting him what he wanted, and he wasn’t the sort of man who got sidetracked from his main goal. Now while I do admit to always thinking there was something controlling and maybe a bit kinky going on between him and Isabella – because why else would she have so readily abandoned her family for him? – I refuse to believe it reached the level of dungeons, whips and dog collars.

Clearly, someone who viewed Wuthering Heights as a love story did not write this book. It seems to be more the result of someone who was forced to read it in school and felt the need for vengeance.

I wish I’d not read this. Not only did it make me angry and disgusted, but it also gave me horrible nightmares. How dare this ruin the years of sweet dreams I’ve had of Heathcliff! This book might be enjoyed more by someone who doesn’t have a strong attachment to the original, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who loved Wuthering Heights. In fact, if you loved the original, stay far away from this re-telling.

I reviewed a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

Review: Demon's Daughter by Paula Altenburg

I almost skipped over this book because, despite the hot guy on the cover, it made me think “cowboy” and, in general, I don’t like cowboys. But the title intrigued me because I do like demon stories. (That’s right, I don’t like cowboys, but I do like demons.) I decided to give it a try and I’m glad I did.

This isn’t a typical old west setting. This is set way into the future, long after civilization as we know it has ended, every once in a while they stumble upon ruins left over from our current world. Goddesses came to this world, followed by demons, and then the goddesses left and somewhere along the way, the world devolved, returning back to its “old west” like ways. Now the people in Freetown live on the edge of the desert, following the orders of a former priestess, in hopes of having some protection from the demons that remained after the goddesses departed.

Hunter is the demon slayer, who possesses an amulet that protects him against demons. He’s hired by the priestess to capture a woman the priestess claims is demon spawn. He doesn’t trust the priestess, knowing of her hatred for women, but he knows if he doesn’t take the job, someone else will. He can’t handle the idea of an innocent woman handed over to the priestess.

But once he meets Airie, his ideas of innocent and guilty become muddled.

Hunter’s instinct is to kill demons, but he can’t bring himself to kill Airie. Even though the fire in her eyes reveals she’s part demon, he’s also seen that she has the ability to heal, cares about people and has a deep respect for life. He’s with her when the priestess who raised her dies, and the mountain she called home is destroyed. He feels obligated to watch over her, at least until he can figure out a better solution.

He isn’t sure what to do, and he’s afraid that his feelings toward her are nothing more than the lure of a demon. The romance between the two takes a while to build. The attraction is instant, but Hunter goes back and forth between wanting her and hating that she’s a demon. At times I found this a bit frustrating, but because they took a while to figure out their feelings for each other, their relationship felt more believable.

I liked that Airie was such a strong character. She’s always ready to fight when necessary to protect herself and those she cares about, and is never content to stand back and let others defend her. She’s a bit naïve, but not at all stupid. She’s aware of her limitations and understands there is much about the world she doesn’t know.

A few things did bother me about this book. There are so many people telling lies and keeping secrets, I had moments when I couldn’t even remember what the truth was. It was late at night/early in the morning and maybe I was having reading comprehension problems, but I recall one paragraph saying Airie’s birth caused the fire on the mountain and about two sentences later, it says the Demon Lord caused the fire and he was completely unaware of Airie’s birth. So how did her birth cause the fire? And near the end, when Airie has to make a choice about who she wants to be – goddess or demon – I wasn’t entirely certain I understood her options. I re-read one page a few times and then decided to just move forward and accept that it was complicated.

Also, I felt like there was a very intense love story there between the Demon Lord and the Goddess and as I was reading the book, I kept hoping more would be revealed about them. Maybe a prequel? I would really like a Goddess/Demon love story.

Overall though, I enjoyed this book. It’s a different take on the ideas of demons and goddesses.  This is the first book in a series called Demon Outlaws and I’m looking forward to the next book.

Review: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

I finished reading Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald in the early morning hours before I went to sleep.  when I woke a few hours later, I felt a heavy sadness because I realized the book was over and I would no longer be in Zelda's world and also, sadness because her life had turned out to be so miserable. Even though I knew the outcome, as I read the book, I kept hoping things would somehow get better, that someday she'd have the life she wanted. But as we all know, that didn't happen. 

Being a feminist, I've always been very much Team Zelda.  My fascination with Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald began when I was in high school.  After reading and loving The Great Gatsby, I  read Tender is the Night, which is presumably largely autobiographical.  When I read it the first time, it seemed like a beautiful, but tragic love story.  When I read it again, as an adult, after having learned more about life in general, and in particular, the actual lives of Zelda and Scott, it seemed merely tragic.  Dick Diver was cruel to his wife, Nicole.  I despised the character as well as Scott, thinking how absurd he was to think he was writing a sympathetic character when in fact he was confessing to the horrible way he'd treated his wife and their marriage. 
I liked the way this book was written. As the title states, it's a novel, not an biography. The writer has taken liberties to create events as they may have happened, based on her research.  I thought it worked well. The Zelda of this novel sounds and behaves very much the way I have always imagined Zelda to be. 

This book does a great job of drawing us into the world of the Fitzgeralds - the success and the failures, the parties and the fights, but most of all the unrequited desire both Scott and Zelda felt to have something more. They were never satisfied with life, they always wanted something other than what they had - more love, more money, more acclaim, more friends, more booze. Scott wanted a beautiful, independent-minded wife, only to resent her independence and desire to establish a career of her own.  Zelda wanted a successful husband to take her away from her life in Alabama, only to resent being known as nothing more than the wife of a famous man.

The strongest theme of the book though is Zelda's struggle to create her own life, something independent of her husband. She wanted to be a dancer, a painter, a writer, something other than Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Every time she tried, every time she always succeeded, something got in the way - her husband or her health.  She admired feminists and other women who lived their own lives, but she was never brave enough to try and do as they'd done. 

By telling this story in Zelda's words, readers are able to feel as if they are directly involved in this world, they see the glamour, as well as experience the emptiness of that glamour.  It was never quite as fabulous as it seemed.  To the rest of the world, they were the "golden couple" and they worked at maintaining that facade, even as they fell apart at home.  While other marriages ended, they struggled to keep theirs intact because despite in all, they always believed they loved each other.  By hearing these stories told by Zelda, readers have a better understanding as to what they went through - true or not - and no one will ever know exactly what happened between the - it provides an interesting story.

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who has any interest in Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald and would like to learn more about Zelda's story.

Review: Beauty Awakened by Gena Showalter

I was so eager to read Gena Showalter’s Beauty Awakened, the second book in her Angels of the Dark series, which is a spin-off of the Lords of the Underworld.

I read all nine of the Lords of the Underworld books this summer, one right after the other and was completely addicted.  I followed that with Wicked Nights, the first Angel of the Dark book, and was so sad when I realized it would be months before another book in either of the series was released.

 

When the gorgeous cover of Beauty Awakened was revealed, I was sure this book was going to be amazing.

But this book wasn’t amazing.  This book was not at all what I expected.  It wasn’t that I entirely disliked the story, but it wasn’t the story I was hoping to read.  It’s interesting and I am still fascinated by the world Showalter has created, but I’d been hoping for a return to the hot, sexy, steaminess I discovered this summer with the Lords of the Underworld.  Unfortunately, this book left me cold. 

I was uncomfortable with the heavy religious tone of this book.  There was so much talk about requesting assistance from the “Most High” and forgiveness and joy.  I got the impression this book was more about ideas, and less about the characters.  The two sisters in this book (they call themselves La La and Co Co, which made me cringe every time I read that) were born with weak hearts, but can supposedly be cured by being less fearful and adding more joy into their lives.  I found that a little offensive to the medical community or to anyone who has suffered from a heart condition.

My biggest issue though was the level of graphic violence in this book. In the Lords of the Underworld books, the violence is present, but it's implied, for example, you know Paris and Aeron are downstairs torturing hunters, but the details aren’t provided.  In this book, the violence is explicit, every cut, every drop of blood, every lash of the whip is explained in detail, but the sex is implied.   Why is that so often the case with religion?  Lots of violence and death and doom, but stay away from the sex, because you know, that's bad.  Sorry, but I very much prefer explicit sex to explicit violence.

I wouldn’t say this is a bad book and I feel so guilty giving this a bad review because I consider myself such a big fan.  But overall, I found it disappointing and feel as though this wasn’t written for the same fan base as Showalter’s earlier books.  That’s fine, an author should write what she feels the need to write.  But I wish there had been some sort of warning.  The sexy cover and the description is misleading in that it gives no indication that this book is so very different from what she usually writes.  It was as if the sexy book weekend I had planned morphed into a grim, violent church sermon, and that’s not my idea of fun times. 

Review: For the Love of the Goblin Warrior by Shona Husk

Initially, I wasn’t going to read Shona Husk’s For the Love of the Goblin Warrior because after I got a copy of the book, I found out it was the third book in the Shadowlands series. I feel an obligation to read series from book one. But after a few people assured me it wasn’t necessary to read the earlier books in the series to enjoy this one, I went ahead and read it. I’m glad I did.

In the beginning of the book, a man covered in gray dust is brought in the emergency room where Nadine, a nurse, works. He doesn’t seem to speak English and he’s confused. But Nadine is kind to him and he feels drawn to her and she’s certainly curious about him.

When their paths cross again, they begin a tentative relationship, starting with coffee. Normally, I would be scoffing at someone picking up a man who clearly seems to be a homeless guy, living in the park, but I felt like Nadine knew what she was doing. (This is fiction after all, so the characters are allowed a bit of carelessness.) This was written in such a way, that I found their attraction to each other to be believable and convincing. The two characters had great chemistry with things as simple as their hands touching or brief kisses resulting in steamy moments.

These two people both have pasts filled with tragedies, and are both haunted by nightmares. Only after they get to know each other do they realize the connection between the tragedies in their lives. When Nadine was a child, her mother told her a fairy tale about a Goblin King. For Meryn though, the fairy tale was his reality.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It has plenty of romance and the story is interesting. Being a fan of fairy tales, I liked the way the magic seeped into real life. Also, I agree with those who said it it’s necessary to read the earlier books in the series is necessary to understand this story. However, I do plan to read them because I liked this book and want to learn more about the world in which these characters live.

I received a review copy of this book via Netgalley.

A book boyfriend for Valentine's Day

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’m going to share some of my book boyfriends with you.  These guys are everything you could possibly want in a guy, and you don’t have to clean up after them or cook for them or deal with any of the icky stuff associated with real men.   

So here goes…

First and foremost, Heathcliff, from Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.

This is the man who ruined me for all men - real or fictional.  He may seem cruel and possessive and angry all the time, but he loved Catherine with an intensity that knew no limits.  He may have given the impression that he hated everyone, but he worshipped Cathy.  She was everything that mattered to him.  When he lost her, he lost everything, including his soul, and to prove it, he created a hell on earth for those he believed responsible for taking her from him.  For anyone who wants to argue that it was an unhealthy obsession or abusive or whatever, let me remind you that Cathy felt the same for him.  She was in a difficult situation and wrongly believed she had no choice but to marry another – someone more suitable – thinking that with her marriage of convenience, she could also provide for Heathcliff.  Heathcliff’s love was not unrequited, but rather terribly inconvenient.  Cathy wanted him as much as he wanted her, but times were different then.  Despite her love for him, she couldn’t just run off with the orphan boy her father had adopted.  Heathcliff took off in the night after hearing Cathy say they could never be together, but he didn’t hear the whole story.  He was young and foolish and acted impulsively.  But whatever he did, he did it out of his love for Cathy. 

“If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.” -- Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights

 

To love someone like that, to be loved like that.  I read this as a teenager and it’s the standard by which I hold all other love stories.  It may wrong and silly of me, but whatever.

Recently though, I discovered a more current book boyfriend which comes awful close to rivaling Heathcliff.  Matthew Clairmont of Deborah Harkness’ Discovery of Witches.  He’s a fellow of All Souls College at Oxford, a geneticist who spends a lot of time doing research in a lab, plus he knows all about wine and does yoga, not to mention he has a castle in France, and yeah, he’s a vampire (shut up, I’ve always had a thing for vampires), and he’s in love with a witch.  Vampires aren’t supposed to love witches, he’s risking everything, bringing about what could be a war between creatures in order to pursue his love for this witch.  And he’s so sexy, tall and beautiful, and so very, very smart.  They met in a library, not just any library, the Bodleian in Oxford.  Good grief people, this is like the story I would write if someone asked me to set up the perfect love story.

He’s got his flaws.  He has something of a temper and a tendency to be a bit of a chauvinist – blame it on his advanced age.  But he adores Diana, who is fierce and independent and has no problem putting him in his place when he gets a bit too old- fashioned with his views about women. 

“My ideas about vampires may be romantic, but your attitudes toward women need a major overhaul,” Diana says to him at one point.

The only thing I really disliked about Matthew was his family.  Too much family: the mom and the brothers and the vampire son.  But I suppose that’s a minor inconvenience.

As far as I'm concerned, this guy is pretty much perfect, and no man can ever come close to being this amazing.  So I just keep re-reading this book.  I’ve marked my favorite passages, and on days when I hate the world, I get out the Kindle and re-read my favorite parts.  Yeah, I know, I'm kind of pathetic.

 

A few other book boyfriends worth a mention – oh, and be warned, I tend to prefer my men to be of the non-human, supernatural variety:

You can’t go wrong with any of Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld.  I read the entire series this summer, and at this moment, I can’t recall exactly how many Lords there are, but there are nine books. (I’m going to guess maybe eleven or twelve Lords?)  There’s bound to be one that suits your pleasure. 

Punished by the gods centuries ago, they’re literally battling demons within themselves.  Each possesses a different demon, and each has their own unique struggles associated with their particular demon.  What I like about the Lords is that while they are tough and ruthless warriors when necessary, who never hesitate to destroy the bad guys, they're nice and generous and always take the time to make sure the women they love are happy.

 My favorites were Reyes (The Darkest Pleasure) who fell in love with an artist and Aeron (The Darkest Passion), who fell in love with an angel.  (Complete truth: I just noticed that.  Kind of awkward.)

I’m not a big fan of “bad boys.”  If a guy wants to be rude and horrible, he can be on his way.  I have no patience in real life or fiction for trying to redeem a bad boy.  I like the nice guys.  Of course, I still want them big and strong with the potential to create major destruction when danger is near.  But ultimately, I want them to be good guys and I want them to appreciate the women in their lives.  That’s what I find with the Lords of the Underworld.

 

A few other books with boyfriend worthy heroes:

I adored Nathaniel in Hailey Edward’s Soul Weaver.  He’s a fallen angel who suffered so much loss in his attempts to save his family.  Then he meets Chloe who is having such a difficult time with life.  And he’s so sweet to her.  I loved this guy.  (And I’ve noticed the ebook is only 2.99 on amazon.com – so if you want to spend your Valentine’s Day with Nate, three dollars is a great deal.)

Then there’s Alan in Karen Michelle Nutt’s Magic of the Loch.  Who would have guessed the Loch Ness monster would be so sexy?  Again, he can shift into a big, scary monster with the potential to create all kinds of havoc, but with Michaela, he’s kind and gentle.  Loved him so much.  (This ebook is .99 on amazon.  If you like romance novels, get this book.  It’s so good.)

Another guy that I liked quite a bit in a book I recently read is David in Lori Sjoberg’s Grave Intentions.  He’s a grim reaper.  Scary, right?  But actually, he's really nice.  He’s had a tough life, or rather, afterlife, I guess, but when he falls for Sarah, suddenly his life is worth living again.  He's one of those guys you read about and think, wow, I want someone just like that.  Well, not a grim reaper, but you get the idea.

And if supernatural isn’t your thing, I’ve got one name for you:  Braden Carmichael.  He’s the hero of On Dublin Street and oh, damn, he’s sexy.  On some level, he may not even fit into my whole “nice guy” requirement, but he gets there eventually.  You quickly realize he’s not quite the jerk he appears to be in the beginning. He’s used to getting what he wants, but he doesn’t flaunt what he has.  (Without going too far off topic, I just want to say I hate this whole “billionaire” trend in romances.  Throwing your money around to impress someone isn’t sexy, it’s gross, but despite Braden being wealthy and successful, I didn’t get that vibe with him.  He doesn’t use his money as a means to obtain power over Joss.)  Suffice it to say, he's hot, very hot, and I say that as someone who usually finds non-paranormal romances to be kind of blah.    

So, no reason to spend your Valentine's Day alone or disappointed with some guy who doesn't understand you or bores the hell out of you.  There are plenty of book boyfriends to pick from.  These are just a few of my favorites.  They seldom disappoint.

Review: The Love of My (Other) Life by Traci L. Slatton

First, because I tend to mention the cover of books, I would like to point out that this is not a book I read because of the cover. I don’t like the cover of this book. It has nothing to do with the story. Yes, there are mentions of Tessa posing nude, but for paintings, specifically Picasso-like paintings. So maybe use a painting of a nude for the cover?

However, I was very drawn to the description of the book. Tessa’s an artist – and I’m interested in art, so I usually like stories about artists – and there’s the whole parallel universe aspect. I’m kind of fascinated by the idea of parallel universes, seems like my early twenties involved a lot of late night, alcohol-fueled conversations about parallel universes. Yeah, so maybe my friends and I are kind of nerds.

This story explores the idea that in different universes, our choices lead us to different points in our lives – for example, in one world, Tessa gave up art to pursue music which took her along a very different path – but our soul mate remains the same, regardless of the path we take.

Because Brian is a physicist, I pictured him as Leonard from Big Bang Theory. This whole story seemed like something he would do. He’s created a device that will allow him to travel to a parallel universe so he can see his soul mate, Tessa. The reason he feels the need to do this isn’t revealed until later in the book, so I’m not going to reveal it now because it might spoil the story.

In his world, he and Tessa are married. However, in this world, Tessa’s life is a mess. Everything around her is falling apart, but rather than try to solve her problems, she’s ignoring them and she keeps going to work at the church, taking care of elderly people, and not caring that she isn’t making enough money to pay her bills. This isn’t working out for her.

Brian’s strange appearance in her life is the best thing that’s happened to her, though she thinks he’s a crazy homeless person. At first, she feels she should run away from him, convinced he’s out of his mind. But she can’t deny the instant connection she feels for him, even though she’s certain they’ve never met. Brian’s influence enables Tessa to think more clearly and make better decisions about her life. Being with him feels right, and soon she finds out that their amazing connection extends to the bedroom. He seems to understand her much better than her ex-husband ever did.

This book isn’t for everyone. It’s a little strange and the characters end up in some silly situations – there are some dealings with a shady art thief and dealer and an accidental foray into performance art. But it’s pretty funny. This isn’t a book that should be taken too seriously. This book is kind of artsy and a little nerdy. Tessa goes on and on about the value of art and her hatred of modern art and art that isn’t beautiful. That didn’t bother me, because, as I said, I’m involved in the art world on a daily basis and could relate to what she was saying. But someone who isn’t that into art might not find it at all interesting.

This is a very quick read. I read the entire book in one sitting. It’s a very sweet love story and a pleasant way to spend a few hours. If artsty and nerdy is your thing, you’d probably enjoy this, I certainly did.

I received a review copy of this book via Netgalley.

Review: Grave Intentions by Lori Sjoberg

I wasn’t sure what to expect with a book about a grim reaper, but I enjoyed Grave Intentions quite a bit.

David has been a reaper for 60 years, trying to work off his sins to avoid eternal damnation. The book explains the process of how and why reapers are chosen – at least the way David understands it. Not entirely sure he knows the whole story. I felt some of the rules to be a bit extreme. Maybe I just don’t like the idea of a higher power being so hard and fast with his rules and unyielding with punishment. This is why I think there must be more to the process than what David has been told.

I liked the way being a reaper was viewed as simply David’s job. Other than the ability to heal quickly and a bit of mind persuasion – to help with difficult reaping situations – he doesn’t have any superhuman abilities. He’s just a guy with a tough job who likes to have a few drinks at the end of the day.

Like anyone who has a job he hates, he’s learned some coping methods, his current being to simply not care, remain numb. However, meeting his neighbor challenges these coping methods. He finds himself drawn to her, but he’s afraid to get involved. It’s been so long since he’s felt anything and he knows that if he allows himself to feel pleasure, he’ll have to be prepared for the pain as well.

Sarah’s a research scientist who loves her work, but hates her boss and could do without the crowds of protestors that greet her at her lab every morning. She’s also emotionally struggling to care for her elderly grandmother, who is always getting in trouble at the nursing home for her disruptive behavior. Sarah needs a break from all the stress.

David and Sarah both are at a point in their lives where they could use a friend. I enjoyed the gradual buildup of their relationship. They actually got to know each other and really like each before they ended up in bed together. I liked the way they took care of each other and seemed to absolutely adore each other. They were grateful for each other’s company and companionship. I like to believe that this is how a romance is supposed to work. Neither was in a position of power over the other. They’re two adults, getting by the best they can in their circumstances that are glad to have found each other.

But the book would probably be boring if there wasn’t a twist of some sort. I’m not going to give away what happens, but things get intense and I found myself on the verge of tears for a while there. I might have also been mentally screaming, “that’s not fair, they were so happy” because I felt that close to these characters and my heart was breaking along with theirs.

This is a well-written, enjoyable story with strong, likable characters and plenty of romance, and paranormal elements blended into reality so carefully, it almost seems believable. (Almost. Don’t worry, I don’t really think there are grim reapers disguised as humans walking among us.) I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.

I received a review copy of this book via Netgalley.

Review: Blood of the Sorceress by Maggie Shayne

I loved this book, absolutely loved this book. Before I read it, I didn’t think it was possible for it to live up to Daughter of the Spellcaster – which I thought was amazing. But it did. I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading it.

Blood of the Sorceress has everything I need in a book – plenty of action, good versus evil, some very intense, steamy romance, and it’s all wrapped up in magic – lots of magic.

This is the third book in Maggie Shayne’s The Portal Series. Everything that happened in the first two books has been building up to this book. After 3,500 years, Demetrius has escaped the Portal, and now Lilia has to convince him to reclaim his soul. The problem is, Demetrius doesn’t remember the past they shared, and as convincing as Lilia may sound, he’s afraid she may be using magic to persuade him.

I really liked these characters and was glad to see that the characters from the first two books in the series play a significant role in this book. These women – all witches — are strong and fierce, capable of taking care of themselves and determined to protect the people they love. The men help out, quite a bit, but they know who has the powers. There’s a scene when two of the sisters are trying to rescue the other sister, and their husbands are with them. They’re about to walk into a potentially dangerous situation, and one of the husbands says something along the lines of, “I know you’re the super witches, but would you please let us walk in first?” I thought that line summed up the relationship between the men and the women fairly well.

Strong women, and men who respect their strength – whether it’s mental, emotional, natural or supernatural — are pretty much essential for me to love a book. This book does well in that area.
   
And while this book is entertaining and exciting, there’s also a much deeper meaning to all of this.
Demetrius has a big decision to make. If he accepts the final piece of his soul, held by Lilia, he becomes human again, and sacrifices his immortality. As an immortal, he’s powerful and wealthy and can have whatever he wants, he’s only living sort of a half-life – he derives no pleasure from his senses: food all tastes the same, he’s unable to view things as beautiful, he feels no pain, but also no great joy. He likes the idea of living forever and having super powers, he likes the idea of never having to feel guilt or loss, but as he grows closer to Lilia, and she shows him bits of what he’s missing, he’s not sure if immortality is worth never being able appreciate beauty or humor or love.

I’ve been recommending the books in this series to all of my friends. I really enjoyed reading these books and I’m hoping there will be future books with these same characters.

I received a review copy of this book through Netgalley. Blood of the Sorceress will be released on January 22, 2013.

Review: On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

A while back, I started hearing about the book On Dublin Street.  Kept showing up in mentions and recommendations from the people I follow on social networks.  A lot of people were saying it was the next big thing, the book to read after 50 Shades of Grey. 

 

I like to know what everyone is talking about.  I thought it sounded interesting, takes place in Scotland, so that was a plus, and the cover art looked really beautiful – sexy and romantic, rather than trashy.  (I’ve since seen this exact same cover on a few other books, so guessing it’s a stock photo of some sort.) The e-book was only a few dollars on amazon, so I bought it.

 

 

With regard to romances, I tend to prefer those of the paranormal sort – you know, the ones that include vampires or witches or demons, or some sort of supernatural element.  People, regular people, they kind of bore me.  Usually.
 

Not the case with On Dublin Street.  Not bored, at all.  And let me say, this book is so much better than 50 Shades of Grey.  Of course, I didn’t really 50 Shades, thought it was more a story of abuse than romance, but that’s just me, wasn’t my thing.

 

On Dublin Street though -- I really, really liked this book.  For hot and sexy, this is the book everyone should be reading. 

 

 

These characters were likable and interesting.  Jocelyn is an American who went to school in Edinburgh.  She lost her family in a car accident when she was a teenager and she’s been struggling to bury her memories of them for eight years.  She’s learned to take care of herself in the best way she knows how.  Maybe not the healthiest way, but she’s safe and she’s careful.  I liked this about her.  She’s tough and she’s independent.  She’s not weak or whiny or annoyingly innocent.  She’s not seeking someone to take care of her.

 

 

Even though she can afford to get her own place, she’s looking for a roommate to maintain some sort of social contact.  This roommate is how she ends up getting to know Braden – who happens to be her roommate’s very protective and very handsome and successful older half brother.

 

 

There’s clearly an attraction between the two from the beginning.  But Braden has a girlfriend, and Jocelyn has no interest in getting involved with anyone.  She’s spent the last few years making sure she doesn’t care about anyone too much.  She’s had enough hurt to last a lifetime and has no desire to put herself in a position to feel any more. 

 

 

But Braden is used to getting what he wants, and he wants Jocelyn.  This could have gone a few different ways.  This could have turned into one of those books I hate where the guy is a complete jerk and the girl just swoons for him anyway because “oh my god, rich, hot guy wants me.”  There are too many books out there like that right now.  That didn’t happen though.  Jocelyn agrees to a sex only relationship with Braden, because, hey, she’s an adult, and yes, he’s hot and why not?  She’s still going to keep her guard up emotionally, so no harm done, right?

 

 

I don’t think I’m giving anything away by saying that despite their initial arrangement; the two end up falling for each other, and falling hard.  I liked the way their romance built over time.  In the beginning, it was just physical, but as they got to know each other they grew to like each other and care about each other.  It wasn’t the typical, “Oh, he/she’s the one,” five minutes after they met.  This felt like a real romance – with a lot of hot, explicit sex – so if that bothers you, probably not a book you should read.  As I’m reading more romance novels, I’m finding that it’s rare to find books that have what I consider to be the right combination of steam and story.

 

 

One thing I didn’t like about the story though was too much of the friends and family getting in their business.  I got tired of people lecturing Jocelyn about being too reserved and not letting people get to know her – this was from Braden’s sister and the former step-mom, she barely knew these people and they were acting like she’s a villain because she doesn’t walk around telling everyone about her innermost feelings all the time?  Maybe that annoyed me because I tend to be reserved and I resent people thinking I owe them some window into my soul without doing anything to earn the view.  I didn't think Jocelyn was so wrong in being reserved, I thought the other people were wrong in thinking she needed to be more like them, and less herself. 

 

 

Also, the version I had of this book had so many typos.  This was not a review copy; I paid for this ebook.  I would assume an editor at some point had read it.  A few times “your” was used when it should have been “you’re”.   This may not bother everyone like it bothers me, but it bothers me quite a bit.  For nine years of my life, I was a copyeditor for an international news distribution service, so no matter how into a book I am, that kind of mistake will throw me out of a story momentarily because my first impulse is to correct the mistake. 
 

I bought this ebook back in September and I’ve also noticed the version I have is no longer available when I go to the “manage my kindle” site.  Maybe a copyeditor read through the version that is available now.

 

 

Also, this is the second book I’ve read in the last few months that takes place in Scotland.  Both stories, an American who falls for an unbelievably hot Scotsman.  Well, this American will be visiting Scotland in June, men of Scotland, you’ve been warned.  My expectations are high.