A little after Christmas reading....

The Christmas-rush is over - thank goodness! I love the season but every December 26th I'm a veggie lying limply on the couch all day trying to "recover". Here's what I've been reading during the after Christmas let-down...

The Accidental Vampire
by Lynsay Sands

This book was kick-ass! Then again... most of Lynsay's books are. Victor is an enforcer for the council that is sent to a small town to investigate a woman who placed an ad in the personals claiming to be a vampiress looking for a relationship with a male vampire and the rumor going through the club scene that there is a female vampire residing in a certain sea-side town. This is a big no-no according to the 'laws' because it draws attention to their kind. When he arrives, under the guise of a potential suitor who has been corresponding with said vampiress for weeks, Victor discovers that the woman, Elvi, didn't place the ad or correspond with him (or rather his friend at his behest) at all- it was her well-meaning but very meddling friends. And he is not the only immortal to respond to the personal, which results in a cast of characters that add to the opportunity for many an amusing scene.

It also becomes quickly apparent that the personal ad leading to possible exposure is the least of Elvi's offenses, the whole town knows who and what she is and she's been biting mortals. To make matters worse, because she had no Sire to train her not only is she ignorant of their laws, the very laws that my result in her losing her head... literally, but she's been sleeping in a coffin and *gasp* stopped eating real food (including cheesecake and chocolate!!) for the last 5 years due to the fact that she used the movie Dracula as her guide to living as a vampire.

When Victor realizes that she's his life mate he is torn between duty to the council and joy at finding someone to spend the rest of his days with. Then the attempts on Elvi's life begin and Victor (along with the other immortal men who answered the ad) are in a race against Elvi's independent nature to keep her from further injury.

The only issue I had with the plot is part of the ending where the threads (most of them at least) are tied off. Things were a little to conveniently wrapped up in conclusion with the people trying to kill Elvi, the threat of the council's wrath, and even the other immortal men brought to town by the personal ad. It was just a wee bit too pat.

This book has a good dose of Lynsay Sands' trademark humor mixed in with the romance, mystery, and light intrigue. I found myself laughing out loud at several points. I can't wait for the next Argeneau vampire romance to come out in February!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Double Vision
by Fiona Brand

I was intrigued by this one because it appeared to be a romantic suspense with a bit of a psychic paranormal element - which it was... sort of. There was nothing particularly wrong with the author's writing but this book should not be classified as a romance, in my opinion. The romance was VERY poorly developed and the hero was a pretty flat character. I was highly disappointed. However, I'm betting that readers who like mystery/suspense books would find this very enjoyable. I just don't recommend it for romance readers.

Embrace The Darkness by Alexandra Ivy

Release Date: October 30, 2007

The Blurb:
Lady Shay is the last of her kind. Half human, half Shalott, her blood is a precious aphrodisiac to vampires, who consider it more precious than gold. Though Shalotts are renowned assassins, a curse held over Shay lands her on the slave auction block, where her fate is uncertain...
Viper, the beguiling chief of a deadly vampire clan, can't explain his longing to possess the beautiful Shalott who once saved his life, but now he is free to do anything he wants with her. Strangely, while he desires both Shay's blood and body, he wants her to surrender willingly.
A hidden evil has been stalking Shay since she left the slave market with Viper. It is an evil that endangers the very existence of Viper's kind, and there's no reason he should court such danger just to protect a Shalott. But the love he feels for Shay is enough to make him willing to go to hell and back if it means spending an eternity with her in his arms...

My Thoughts:
It's been less than a year since the first book in Alexandra Ivy’s (aka Deborah Raleigh) Guardians of Eternity series came out but I (and many others that I know) have been EAGERLY awaiting book two. It's finally here! For those who may not have read the first book yet, Embrace the Darkness is about two interesting secondary characters that we met in Book 1.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! Yep, you heard me. Looooooovvvveeeed it! The characterizations are fabulous - I really felt like I connected with both Viper and Shay. The storyline was exciting, well written, and kept me glued to the book until the very last page.

Viper is a great hero. Although he buys Shay from from the slave auction, he is not quite sure why he buys her or what exactly he's going to do with her, but he knows that he must have her with him - he has been unable to shake the memory of her from his mind since they fought the witches together (in book 1). In fact, before 'buying' her he spent weeks setting up the bedroom and things she would need (or want) to be comfortable in his house. He finds Shay to be exotically beautiful, exciting and a little dangerous with a core of honor and courage and it isn't long before he finally realizes what it is he wants - her... forever.

Shay is totally pissed that Viper buys her after she saved his life and although he calls her "pet" (which I find so sexy but he kinda does it to rile her up) as a nickname, he takes her home and essentially treasures her. He is strong, sexy, tender and he leaves Shay feeling TOTALLY confused. She's never had a 'master' treat her like Viper does and to top it off he is a vampire whom she would normally distrust and despise after her father was murdered by one and she has been in danger of becoming a delicious vampire snack (because of her Shallot blood) since birth. She can't bring herself to hate him though, the attraction is too strong and she begins to see much to admire and love in her vampire 'owner' who doesn't act like he owns her at all but rather like an equal and willing lover.

The big conflict/suspense of the storyline is that someone else wants Shay - bad enough to attack and kill anyone or anything in their way. This element is very well plotted and ties up very nicely in the end. Ms. Ivy also started the set up for the next book (Styx's) enough to make me hunger for his book without giving too much away or getting in the way of Viper and Shay's story. The next book in this awesome new series, Darkness Everlasting will be out in May 2008 - I can't wait!

I highly recommend this book for readers who love parnormal and vampire romance! It's an excellent example of the paranormal sub-genre that balances the paranormal, the romance, and the suspense elements to create a riveting effect on the reader. It's not essential to read the first book in the series to get into this one (it's pretty stand-alone) but I recommend reading When Darkness Comes anyway just because it was so good.

My Rating for Embrace the Darkness:

Here an ARC, there an ARC, everywhere an ARC ARC

Alright.... y'all will have to rush on some of these but here are some of the interesting ARC contests happening this month:

Alexis Morgan (*sigh* Paladins make me HOT!) is having a contest for an ARC of her upcoming book Redeemed in Darkness. It's real easy to enter.
http://www.alexismorgan.com/contest.html

Enter Sarah McCarty's contest for an ARC of Caine's Reckoning at http://www.sarahmccarty.net/contest.html

Win and Advanced Reading Copy of Lucy Monroe's upcoming book Deal With This.
http://www.lucymonroe.com/contest.htm

Now, I've never read this author (she looks a little too tame for me) but just in case any of you are interested: Lauren Willig is offering an ARC of The Seduction of the Crimson Rose.
http://www.laurenwillig.com/diversions/contest.html

Cynthia Eden has a Halloween giveaway on the Bradford Bunch blog for an ARC of A Red Hot New Year. http://www.thebradfordbunch.com/cynthia/arc-giveaway-and-another-contest-too/

There were more great contests but my fever is back and I'm going to bed now. Damn cold! But I do want to make mention of a contest that Casee posted over at Book Binge for an autographed set of Robyn Carr's trilogy. Check it out! http://thebookbinge.blogspot.com/ This one ends Friday so BE QUICK!


On the upside, at the bookstore today I got:
Star Shadows by Colby Hodge
True Deception by Patricia Waddell
Embrace the Darkness by Alexandra Ivy
Highland Guardian by Melissa Mayhue
Howl at the Moon by Christine Warren (who has her website updated now and it looks GREAT!)

YAY!!

Primal Desires by Susan Sizemore

The BLURB:
In Las Vegas, Jason Cage is known as "The Beast Master." But his onstage feats of magic are nothing compared to the abilities he keeps hidden from human eyes. Jason is Prime of his vampire family, and once used his telepathic skills to tame wild werewolves. It's a talent that leads him to beautiful, sensual Sofia Hunyara, who instantly triggers all of Jason's primal urges. Sofia is destined to be his bondmate, but keeping her alive long enough to convince her of that fact will not be easy.

Sofia has no reason to trust Jason, or to believe his story about her family's secret history as Wolf Tamers. The only thing she's sure of is an overwhelming attraction that quickly develops into a scorching affair. If Jason's claims are true, can Sofia embrace her legacy -- when it means walking away from a soul-searing desire that's deeper than any she's ever known?

My Thoughts:
Ok, so I've never been a big Sizemore fan - her books just don't have the oomph and sizzle, IMO. But I'm so desperate for reading material that I keep thinking each new book will be better. I just don't enjoy them. Not a single one has made it to my keeper shelf. So I've got to face the fact that this author is just not for me and stop buying her books.

HOWEVER, I will say that I think Sizemore fans will enjoy this most recent addition to her vampire series. I really liked the hero. He was tender yet strong. He also wasn't overly arrogant but still had enough Prime personality to be sexy. He also treats the heroine way better than the heroes of her last few books IMO - he really adores her. The heroine wasn't bad, I wasn't particularly impressed with her though.

*****MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD******
The plot was a bit weak in places though. For instance, one 'conflict' element was the fact that the heroine was fated to be a Wolf Tamer. Super.... how interesting and this causes conflict how exactly? Well, supposedly he may have to let her go so that she can fulfill that duty. And I kept wondering why? He's not Clan, he's from the Families. Different rules. Plus he travels as a performer - it's not like his job or position is so important that they can't work it out. I just didn't get it. And it was not fully explained or resolved that I saw. It was just mentioned in passing a few times then the epilogue has a reference to how it was resolved but it wasn't a good resolution IMO. She basically doesn't become the Wolf Tamer and instead is the 'Beautiful Assistant' in Jason Cage's act. 'Cause we all know that is SO much more important and fulfilling than, oh.... helping the world. Whatever. There were a lot of elements like this that were thrown into the plot but not fully developed. And some very weird things too, like a vamp female who wants the hero to be a sperm donor and approaches the HEROINE with the request. The hero has already said no to the vamp once but the heroine tries to convince him to do it! Luckily, Cage says NO WAY... ALL of me belongs to you even though there would be no sex involved - I thought that was romantic.

Still, the premise and storyline of a Vampire Prime finding the Wolf Tamer to train her only to find that she is his mate was good. The training and the emergence of her powers was ok if a little vague. The rest of it... just blah to me -underdeveloped - but I liked it better than Primal Heat.

Did anyone else read this? I'd love some opinions on it!

Catch a Mate by Gena Showalter

CATCH A MATE
Gena Showalter

The BLURB:
Jillian Greene is always getting caught in the act—it's her job! Working at Catch A Mate, Jillian gets paid by suspicious wives to smile, flirt and prove that no man can be trusted around the opposite sex. Her only ground rule? She never gets physical. Until a heart-stoppingly gorgeous male walks in… Marcus Brody has just been hired as bait to test female fidelity. But the last thing Jillian needs is a partner…especially an infuriating, irresistible man who's got her fantasizing about tearing off his clothes.
Can a savvy modern woman find happiness with the most tempting man she's ever known? Is there such a thing as a totally monogamous male?


My Thoughts:
I really liked this book. I was just in the mood for a book like this when I read it - it's so quirky and spunky and made a great break from the darker paranormal and romantic-suspense books that I've been reading lately. It's a light read - what some call a great 'beach book' because really, there isn't a whole lot of depth to the plot but the interaction between the two characters was entertaining and IMO made up for any lack or problems with the storyline.

Basically the hero/heroine are Male/Female versions of each other. They both have MAJOR trust issues with the opposite sex due to life experiences and working as 'bait' to catch cheating spouses but really their perfect for each other and the sparks fly whenever they're together. In a way it reminds me of some Lori Foster's light-hearted books but her H/h's aren't ususally this cynical.

RATING: B

Hidden Agendas by Lora Leigh

Hidden Agendas by Lora Leigh

I was actually going to pass on this book because I was unimpressed with Dangerous Games (the book before this one in the series) but then my friend said it was good.

It was awesome! I loved the characters and the story was great. There were minor things, of course, that I thought could have been improved but it's now one of my favorite Lora Leigh books (outside the Breed series, which I LOVE)and it will definitely be going on the keeper shelf! After reading it my curiosity about two other Seals - Nathan and Ian - is severely piqued and I can't wait for their books.

The next book in the series, Killer Secrets, about Deke Santiago is on my 'buy' list for January.

RATING: A

Next To Die by Marliss Melton

Next To Die is the fourth book in Marliss Melton's contemporary military romantic-suspense series.

The Heroine:
Penny Price is a pretty (but not stunning) Naval physical therapist. She's the 'do gooder' type who helps everyone and rarely does anything for herself. I know, you're thinking "Ewwwww.... sounds SO boring!" It's really not... because she's helpful in a nuturing way; not in that irritating get-a-freaking-grip-you-sorry-bitch sort of way. It does get mildly irritating a few times but not terribly. She's intelligent and a little pushy - I like that in a heroine.

The Hero:
Joe Montgomery is Penny's HOT Navy Seal neighbor. He's a TOTAL playboy before the disaster on a mission that leaves him injured and guilt-ridden. Now he just wants to hole-up for a while in his house to recoup and indulge in a pity-party. He's a bit of a selfish jerk in the beginning (& the past) and does some of the dog in the manger thing with Penny at one point but I still liked him.

The Story:
Penny takes care of her neighbor's (Joe) house & yard when he's out on missions because his 'girlfriends' are less than reliable and he has a pet that, of course, wants to be fed on a regular basis. When he comes home injured and battle-weary, her nurturing instincts begin to clamor urging her to take care of him... well, there is the lust factor too because she totally wants her hottie neighbor - although she's never tell him. So she begins to help him (whether he wants it or not) but she also has other crap going on like trying to help her sister get her life back into order AND a killer (the man they believe killed their father) stalking both of them.

Joe is slightly mistrustful of Penny's good intentions in the beginning but despite this he finds himself sharing the truth about the disaster and his emotions with her and is comforted by her time and time again. He also finds himself reluctantly attracted to a woman that he never even noticed before - he begins to see the beauty of her heart. When he realizes that Penny is being threatened by a possible killer, Joe pushes his guilt and self-pity aside to help keep Penny (and her sister) safe.

There is a secondary story involving her sister and the youngest Seal on Joe's new Seal Team that I really enjoyed. I wish we could have seen more of them!

Overall, I give this book a C+. It was good but the plot was weak in places and the characters exhibited some irritating traits and reactions that dimmed my enjoyment. My main problem was with Joe being so commitment-shy (there is a 'too much' point for me personally on that) and acting like a jerk but also with Penny who, although not a doormat, didn't kick Joe in the balls when I thought she should. LOL!

Learn more about the book, author, and series at: http://www.marlissmelton.com/

At the Edge by Cait London

At The Edge is the first book in a new trilogy by Cait London. The spine classifies it as "Romantic Suspense" - which it is... but it has an equal amount of paranormal elements as well so I'd call it a paranormal suspense romance.

I've read a Cait London book in the past. I don't remember which one, so obviously I wasn't terribly impressed because a) I have a great memory for books I've read - if I liked them; and b) I haven't felt compelled to read another. But I saw this on Amazon and was intrigued... it actually came out in June but I was hoping to get it at the used bookstore... no such luck.

The background basics:
Triplets and their mother all have mega psychic gifts. They are decendants of a Celtic seer. Because of the nature of these gifts they cannot live close to each other.

This book's characters:
Claire is the youngest (by 6 minutes). She is the empath and has a very hard time blocking out the world around her so she lives in an isolated house in Montana. Claire's pretty much a hermit except for an elderly woman who lives in a house in the same clearing. When the elderly lady dies, her nephew inherits the house, moves in, and causes a huge amount of ruckus and noise.

Neil Olafson is the nephew that moves in. He's sexy, outgoing, and troubled by the disappearance of his son 8 years ago. After finding Claire on the floor of her house, the victim of a vicious intruder, he decides she's his to protect... she and her kooky sisters obviously need keepers.

This book, the premise of which was so promising, just didn't work for me... much.
First off, there were two seperate suspense 'plots' affecting the same characters but the bouncing back and forth between them was choppy and took away from the build-up of suspense. It left me feeling like the mouse in the maze wondering which way I should run to get to the end. Also, both of the suspense plots end strangely... rather unsatifying and flat. The one about Neil's son ends especially weird and is lacking the emotional depth you would expect. I can't go into more detail without spoilers so I'll leave it at that.

Second, I liked Claire and I liked Neil -but together... Not so much. In the beginning, Neil is portrayed as an EXTREMELY social person. And, of course, Claire cannot be around people without suffering from her psychic gift. And yet, this MAJOR compatability problem is never really 'solved' or even addressed properly. On the other hand, his playfulness and sensuality balances Claires somber solitude so they're not totally wrong for each other - if the other problems had been addressed sufficiently I would have been fine.

What I liked best about the book was Neil's determined protectiveness... I love that in a hero! Also, Tempest, the middle sister, was a fascinating character. I know my 'review' of it sounds pretty negative, but it wasn't a horrible book. It was just rather scattered feeling and a bit flat in the plot.

Overall, I would give it a C-. It's worth reading and I'll read the rest of the series... but I'll probably wait for the books to be at the used store in the future.

The Contest Scoop

Yep, it's that time again. Here's some interesting contests that I've found while prowling the romance & author sites.


Historical romance author Anne Mallory is having a contest for an ARC of her upcoming book, What Isabella Desires. It ends July 16th but she has a secondary contest that ends July 31 for signed copies of 3 other books.
http://www.annemallory.com/contests/


Erotic author, Emma Holly is having and ARC contest for her upcoming contemporary erotic romance called Fairyville.
http://www.mninter.net/~emmah/CONTESTS.htm


Access Romance is doing their quarterly “Romance Galore” contest for 55 autographed books from many popular authors.
http://www.accessromance.com/galore/index.php


Elizabeth Holt (historical romance) is having a contest for an ARC of The Serpent Prince.
http://www.elizabethhoyt.com/contests.html


Carly Phillips is giving away and ipod shuffle, a gift card, and a signed book in honor of her birthday which is in July. Happy birthday, Carly!
http://www.carlyphillips.com/fun_contest.php


Marliss Melton's contest is for an ARC of Next to Die.
http://www.marlissmelton.com/Contest/index.html
She’s also having a contest for a bag-full of books.
http://freshfiction.com/contest.php?id=598


Win an ARC of Madeline Hunter’s Lessons of Desire!
http://www.madelinehunter.com/contest.html


Karen Marie Moning is giving away the complete set of her highlander novels and a Darkfever t-shirt.
http://www.karenmoning.com/news/contest.html


Jayne Ann Krentz aka Jayne Castle aka Amanda Quick
Her monthly contest is for a copy of her Ghost Hunter audiobook.
http://www.jayneannkrentz.com/drawing.html


Win a $75 giftcard to Victoria’s Secret in honor of Christina Skye’s new release Code Name: Bikini.
http://writerspace.com/contests/christinaskye.html


Here are a few authors giving away gift certificates to Borders or B&N on their websites:

Shiloh Walker
Janelle Denison
Nina Bangs
Anya Bast
Bertrice Small
Lori Wilde
Tori Carrington
Barbara Bretton
Sarah McCarty

Happy Entering!

Simon Says by Lori Foster

Lori Foster is one of my favorite authors so, of course, I trotted off to the store yesterday to get Simon Says, the latest book in her SBC series.

Simon Says is about SBC trainer/ex-fighter Simon Evans whom fans have nicknamed Sublime because... well, he's totally HOT! Simon decides to re-enter the ring as a fighter and is wholly focused on his training, when Dakota bursts into the gym. He knows immediately that he wants her and he warns the others off.

Dakota Dream (yes, that's her name and no, she's not a porn star!) wants something from Simon. Unfortunately, it's not a fling with a sexy-as-hell SBC legend. Dakota is coerced by Simon's biological father, Barnaby, who is also her step-father, into convincing Simon to meet with him in person. She doesn't hide her intent from Simon but neither is she willing to give-up when he says no. Soon, eveyone, from the crusty Haggerty to the slightly egotistical Mallet, is half-in-love with her and treating her like she belongs. Danger, in the form of Dakota's ex-husband, begins stalking her and despite her determination to handle it herself, Simon (and friends) step in to help.

I liked Simon Says but I wasn't WOW'd by it. I guess my main issue was with their relationship. I just didn't feel the attraction between them. It seemed... flat.

Dakota is a kick-ass character - literally. She is a tomboy who, within an hour of being at the gym, tells Simon's sparring partner how to predict and counter his moves. She also takes down a huge fighter who tries to get fresh without breaking a sweat. But she is just as comfortable and sexy wearing dresses and killer heels, and getting up on stage at the local bar to sing and play with the band. She is independent and sassy and has the big, tough SBC fighters eating out of her hand. She does have a jealousy problem when it comes to Simon and women, which is understandable since women flock to him, but I don't really like the way she handles it.

Simon is OK, not as 'sublime' as I expected but there's nothing really wrong with him. He was just rather unimpressive. I actually felt like I wanted Dakota to end up with her friend Barber more than Simon. Barber was an awesome character and I hope that we see him in the future!

The plot moved at a good pace and held my interest There were a few things that were kind of ick - like the scene where Simon finds out that Barnaby is her step-father - but it was basically solid. I'd give Simon Says a C+ rating. It was good, it just wasn't fabulous.