"Lover at Last," by J.R. Ward

Finally, J.R. Ward’s eleventh installment to the Black Dagger Brotherhood has arrived! “Lover at Last” was everything I had hoped for and more.

If you’ve read J.R. Ward’s previous books in this series, you will have seen the friendship, dedication, and love between Qhuinn and Blay develop. For me, the angst between the two was frustrating to watch. The on-again-off-again friendship made me want to slap either or both of these males. I really didn’t care which direction their relationship went, as long as both were happy. But to have Blay express is frustrated, matter-of-fact, straight talk to Qhuinn really gripped my heart. Then to watch Qhuinn wrap his head around what he truly and deeply wanted. To see him finally realize that he was living by someone else’s standard. Qhuinn brought me to tears. Being rejected by everybody in his family only to find himself accepted just as he is in a new family!

Although this book was expected to be all about Qhuinn and Blay, it was much more than that. There are so many different paths built into this book. If I didn’t already know what J.R.Ward’s next book is to be about, I would be hard pressed to know the next path we’re to travel next.

So many different facets open up in this book. There are exciting twists to Layla’s life. Remember, she is pregnant with Qhuinn’s baby. The Brotherhood make a decision that’ll blow you away and the Band of Bastards consider a new approach to winning the throne! We learn a little more of the shadow brothers, Trez and iAm. It looks like they will become more involved with the Brotherhood, but to what degree? Do you remember meeting Assail from “Lover Reborn”? He’s back and with more to his story as well! I think we will see more of Assail and maybe the new female that he meets in this book. I believe he may be an important factor with the battle between the Brotherhood and the Band of Bastards, even though he claims he wants nothing to do with any of it.

As you can see, there is a lot to this book. It will keep your head spinning and your heart pounding! This book has the makings of several stories to come. It gave me the feeling that it is has some kind of pivotal importance in the fight between the Brotherhood, Band of Bastards and the glymera. I have to give these book 5 stars. I was going to rate it with 4 stars just because there were SO MANY facets here to wrap my head around... There were some areas where it got a tiny bit confusing. However, by the time I reached the end, I realized that we're going to see much more to come.

I can’t wait for the next book, which J.R. Ward has announced will be, The King, and will come back to more of Wrath and Beth, who are trying to have a baby!

Awesome job, J.R. Ward!

"The Taken" by Vicki Pettersson

The other day, I came upon a book that was offered for free on Barnes & Noble’s, The NOOK Blog. I’ve never read this author before, in fact, I’d never heard of her. Now that I’ve done my research, I’m surprised that I’ve never heard of Vicki Pettersson. She has written fifteen distinct works and has written alongside a couple of my favorite authors. She writes urban fantasy, mystery-thriller, & supernatural stories. If you’re like me & you know nothing about this author, check her out. With all learned about this author, I do see some other books I may touch upon in the near future.

“The Taken” is Vicki Pettersson’s first book in her Celestial Blues series. She coins this series as a breakout new trilogy. In this book, she introduces us to an immortal realm called the Everlast where Centurions are given the job of guiding murdered souls into the afterlife. These Centurions are mortals turned angels.

In this story, Griffin Shaw, once a gumshoe, now Centurion is sent back to the city where he & his wife were mysteriously murdered back in the 50’s. He’s given the responsibility to take a murdered soul back to the Everlast, but screws up the take, which messes with the order of things on Earth. Wings plucked, he’s sent back to the mudflat (Earth) to make things right.

Katherine “Kit” Craig is a rockabilly die-hard and dedicated reporter, obsessed with unearthing the truth. She doesn’t realize it yet, but she needs protection. Shaw’s orders were to watch Kit’s death, but he isn’t having that! Together they work to solve the mysteries both old and new.

I don’t know if it is just me, or what… but this book was a slow read for me. I suppose, if I think back, there are many new series that I’ve started where the story just took forever to develop. If this were a book to stand on its own merit, I would say it was boring for the most part. It didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat, dying to get to the next chapter. It was more of a slow burn… barely keeping me there, half tempted to start another book.

This story has the flavor of a gumshoe noir mystery kind of book. However, it takes on a bit of the ethereal too. Griffin Shaw is stereotypical gumshoe, who was deeply in love with his wife back 50+ years ago and is consumed by solving their untimely murder. His path crosses Kit’s when he’s sent to “take” her best friend’s soul to the Everlast. Kit is consumed with finding her BFF’s murder and the story that she tried to unravel before her untimely death. So, through most of this book, I’m trying to figure out why I even started it. I thought it would be a romance with more of a kick of angels.

Well, Pettersson pulled it off! This turned out to be a really good series to start. By the time I got to the last couple of chapters, I was hooked for the ending. I give this story 3 ½ out of 5 stars. What this means to me? It was a good read, written well, a lot of time developing characters, but not quite in a rush to get the next book in the series, “The Lost” which was just released March 19, 2013, but you can bet I'll get it! You can get your copy of this whole series at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com.

"The Lone Hunt" by L.L Raand

Last weekend I received a copy of “The Lone Hunt,” written by L.L. Raand, to read before it’s release. I am honored to have this opportunity. I have enjoyed reading every book in the Midnight Hunters series and am very excited to read the fourth installment, “The Lone Hunt”. It took me less than a weekend to read through this new book! I couldn’t put it down! Now, with that said, let me share some of what I experienced whilst reading this book.

I love Raand’s wolf Weres and their world. I don’t quite understand the anatomy of the Weres but I’ve marked it up as a part of the fantasy/fiction in the story. It doesn’t have to be completely understood, just believable. In this series, for the most part, the characters are lesbian but still procreate. This boggles my mind, but aside from that, I thoroughly enjoy getting into the story of the Adirondack Timberlake Pack wolf Weres.

In this book, “The Lone Hunt,” we get to see more of our favorite Weres, vampires, humans, and other praeterns, and the world they live in. We see more of the conspiracy that looms over Alpha Sylvan Mir and her pack. In this book, we see alpha become overly protective of her pregnant mate, Drake. And we’ll watch as loyalties and alliances form between the pack and other praetern clans.

 ----- W A R N I N G! -----

If you have NOT read this story yet, then please read no further because I don’t want to give anything away! Now, if you choose to continue, just understand that this MAY give things away.

In this book, along with the ever growing conspiracy that threatens Alpha Sylvan Mir and her pregnant mate Drake, we start to see wolf were turned vampire, Lara find her place within the pack and with the vampires. As Lara tries to find herself and where she belongs, she confronts an alpha cat were and her cubs that is trespassing on Adirondack Timberlake Pack land. As the pack’s centuri, she wastes no time taking down the cat were. However, something happens to Lara and she chooses not to kill this alpha cat. Instead, she takes her as prisoner but protects her closely. The wolf Weres and cat Weres are bitter enemies, which makes it difficult for Lara to protect her cat Were prisoner. As the story progresses, we see Lara falling in love with Raina, alpha to the cat Weres.

As with her other three books in this series, this is a beautiful love story with its continuing plot of conspiracies that we’ve become caught up in throughout the series. Although I enjoyed the story, I found myself wanting more. There were parts in this story that felt as if there should be more to build upon, more detail. I would have loved to have had some areas of the story filled out a little more. For instance, we read a little about cat weres in the last book, “Night Hunt” and then a bit more here in this book, but I still feel like I don’t know much about them.

Even though I did feel the book was short, possibly even rushed, I loved it and would recommend you read the whole series. I look forward to reading more paranormal by L.L. Raand! I can see so much more developing… I want to see where Ms. Raand takes us in this Praeternatural series.

You can get your copy from these online stores. Amazon,  Barnes & Noble, or Bold Strokes Books.

"Trauma Alert" by Radclyffe

Trauma Alert by Radclyffe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I love the way Radclyffe writes her stories. She is excellent at building her worlds and her characters. Her stories are easy to believe and easy to picture it happening in real life. "Trauma Alert" is no exception! I could not put this book down!

"Trauma Alert" is the first book in Radclyffe’s First Responders series. In this story, we follow the lives of Dr. Ali Torveau, a trauma doctor and Beau Cross, a first responder firefighter. When these two first meet, you can sense the attraction spark between them. However, Ali sees Beau as a danger and concedes to stay away from this firefighter. Beau, on the other hand, is cocky and accepts a bet to pursue the doctor for a date. As they get to know each other, the both begin to realize that they are falling in love with each other. It takes a hostage situation to bring Ali to her senses about Beau. She finds she can’t deny her love for the first responder.

I really enjoyed the whole story. It sucked me right in and I didn’t want to stop reading until I knew how it would end.

I would definitely recommend this book for any who enjoy a good romance story that feels real, not contrived.

You can get your copy of Trauma Alert from Amazon.com.


View all my reviews

"Crossroads," By Radclyffe

I recently finished reading the book, “Crossroads,” written by Radclyffe. It was one of those page-turners where you just couldn’t put the book down. I first read one of Radclyffe’s paranormal books, which she pens under the name L.L. Raand. I loved the way she wrote and how she really spent time developing her characters. My thinking was that writing a paranormal book was a little different than writing something that is more real-life. Since I really enjoyed her paranormal series (and can’t wait for the next in that series to be released), I figured I’d try reading something that, although fiction, was more real-life drama and romance.


To start off, I’ll write what you’ll see on just about every website that sells this book, because I think it best describes the book.
The book description from Amazon.com reads,

“Dr. Hollis Monroe specializes in short-terms relationships, typically eight months or less. As an obstetrician dealing with high-risk pregnancies, she spends all her time and energy in caring for women at a nice, comfortable professional distance until she delivers their babies and can walk away. They're happy, she's satisfied, and no one gets hurt. The perfect relationship.
Pregnant mother-to-be Annie Colfax is alone and barely making ends meet—she didn't plan on starting a family by herself, but she's determined to succeed. All she had to do is survive.
Neither woman wants a relationship, but fate brings them together at a crossroads that will change their lives forever.”

The book starts with Dr. Monroe performing a cesarean section on a young mother who, although she’s bleeding out and very likely to lose her baby and her own life, pleads to this emergency doctor to not take her baby. The baby was still too immature to be born. The mother was more concerned for the maturity of her baby then her own life. However, Dr. Monroe is not used to losing any patient. This mother and her baby were not going to be the first. As with all deliveries, Dr. Monroe saves both mother and child, but the outcome of the delivery builds a deep seeded hatred within the mother.

As the story continues, Dr. Monroe is faced with the task of pulling together a committee of both obstetricians who deal with high-risk pregnancies and midwifes who deliver babies at home. She must build camaraderie between the two groups when both groups are on either end of the spectrum, fighting for their own cause. In walks Annie Colfax, midwife, tasked with the same goal to bring both professions together to work together. Before Annie and Hollis can work at getting their “sides” together in this professional camaraderie, they must first figure out how to work out their personal differences between the two of them.

As they begin to build their relationship, and each try to understand the other, they begin to see that they can’t stand being apart.

Radclyffe builds so much emotion in this story that you find yourself crying, laughing, and swooning for what might develop. I truly enjoyed and recommend this book, "Crossroads." You won't be disappointed.

I hope to get the chance to delve into more of her books. I know for certain I’ll be reading the next in her Midnight Hunters series, “The Lone Hunt,” under her pen name, L. L. Raand. It releases March 19, 2013. I’ve also heard excellent reviews of Radclyffe’s First Responders series and Honor series of which I hope to read someday soon. No matter which pen she uses, Radclyffe has a writing style I like.

You can purchase this book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bold Strokes Books.

"The Midnight Hunt," by L.L. Raand

If you love werewolves, love female protagonists, and enjoy reading love stories, then The Midnight Hunt by L.L. Raand is an excellent book. I couldn't put the book down! This book is the first in Midnight Hunters Series.

This is L.L. Raand's first paranormal series and I think she did an excellent job. L.L. Raand is the pseudonym for bestselling romance author Radclyffe, who written over 30 lesbian romance novels.

I love werewolf, vampire, or any paranormal type story. So, when I read the synopsis on this one, I had to get it and read it. I was skeptical because of the lesbian twist in the story. However, this was a beautiful love story between a human and a wolf Were, both Alphas by nature. Raand did a great job creating her paranormal world and all it's characters.

I suppose the one drawback in this book was the fact that these wolf Weres, as they are called in the story, seem to be in constant heat. They are constantly looking to have sex whenever they feel challenged or fight. Aggression triggers the desire to hump just about anybody. It suggests that being preternatural makes you sex starved. Although, I felt it might have been a bit too much, Raand takes the time to explain why this occurs with her Weres.

As I said, this book has a lesbian twist to it, so if that bothers you, then don't read it. However, you'd be missing a very good story. I found as I finished this book, I wanted to continue the next book in the series.

"The Vampire Queen’s Servant," by Joey W. Hill

Synopsis: Lady Elyssa Yamato Amaterasu Wentworth is a centuries-old vampire who's been given a new servant-Jacob, a total alpha male unaccustomed to submitting to any woman's wishes. What really binds Jacob to her are not her sensual midnight hungers, but something far more provocative. It stirs her blood, renews her life, and awakens her soul like only true love can. The passion between Elyssa and Jacob yields something else unexpected -- a shared history that reaches back through the centuries and is fated to challenge their destiny like nothing ever will again.

The Vampire Queen’s Servant, written by Joey W. Hill, is a beautiful story of a Vampire Queen who has lived a very long life and suffered love, violence, and loss, only to have love find her again. At first, I was leery to read this story because of its graphic content of bondage, discipline, sadism & masochism. I’ve never understood why people would submit themselves to BDSM, but I know that some find it very erotic and fascinating. This book brought me to a new level of understanding. The draw that Lady Lyssa and Jacob have in this story is definitely worth reading!

Ms. Hill holds a fantastic writing skill. Her ability to write such detail so easily, and also write in such an understandable way, made reading this book a fast read and very addictive. By the time I finished reading this love story, I had to get the next in the series. During my reading, I kept wondering where we were going next. I tried to understand how they each seemed to be drawn to each other. What bound (no pun intended) them together and kept them coming back for more. My biggest question was, if this man, Jacob wanted to be Lady Lyssa’s servant, why did he fight being submissive. My theory was, he wanted to be her lover and perhaps his way of getting into her presence to prove himself, was to take on the role of her servant. I can only hope as I continue reading that I will learn much more of Jacob’s motives.

Excellent book! I would recommend this book, but understand, this book is graphic albeit, very well and tastefully written.

You can find @JoeyWHill's website on my sidebar.

 

"Dead Witch Walking," by Kim Harrison

Synopsis: The underground population of witches, vampires, werewolves—creatures of dreams and nightmares—has lived beside humans for centuries, hiding their powers. But, after a genetically engineered virus wipes out a large part of humanity, many of the "Inderlanders" reveal themselves, changing everything.

Rachel Morgan, witch and bounty hunter with the Inderland Runner Services, is one of the best at apprehending supernatural lawbreakers throughout Cincinnati, but when it comes to following the rules, she falls desperately short. Determined to buck the system, she quits and takes off on the run with an I.S. contract on her head and reluctantly forced to team up with Ivy Tamwood, Inderland's best runner . . . and a living vampire. But this witch is way out of her league, and to clear her name, Rachel must evade shape-changing assassins, outwit a powerful businessman/crime lord, and survive a vicious underground fight-to-the-death . . . not to mention her own roommate.

I really enjoyed reading this book, Dead Witch Walking, by Kim Harrison. It is slightly different from any other books I’ve read. Generally, I stick to vampires and werewolves. However, I thought this might be a nice break to read something just a little bit different.

Ms Harrison writes beautifully as she describes the world of Rachel Morgan. I pictured a world that consisted of witches, vampires (both living and dead), pixies, fairies, and so much more, living along side humans. It's a world where humans live in fear of "Inderlanders," supernatural beings. The Hollows, where most Inderlanders live, seems more like a slum where people who must go into, tend to walk straight through, never looking at anyone they pass. It's a rough place to be. All know to enter the Hollows at their own risk.

Rachel Morgan is an Earth witch and a bounty hunter. She’s good at what she does, but creates mess of everything on her way to achieving her tags. She gets tired of doing all the small petty jobs that take her nowhere in her career. Not seeing advancement in her career, she decides to leave the Inderlander Service (I.S.). But, runners can’t just leave the I.S. Breaking contract and leaving the I.S. department is a sure fire way of having a hit put out on you.

When Rachel decides it’s time to leave the I.S., Ivy Tamwood, living vampire and the best runner for the I.S., decides to leave the I.S. as well. She convinces Rachel that she needs a protector to help keep her from harm. Reluctantly, Rachel agrees, but no matter how hard Ivy and their pixie partner, Jenks, try danger follows Rachel where ever she goes.

Let me preface first that I really liked this book. However, the book started a bit slow for me. Within a few chapters though, it began to pick up speed and kept its pace to the end. I found myself wanting to kick Rachel’s ass because every time she came up with one of her hair-brained ideas, she jumped right into trouble. Jenks, her pixie bodyguard, was always at her side. He knew that Rachel wasn’t a half-assed I.S runner. It was all of her or none of her and it had to be right now! She jumped in with both feet. Ivy on the other hand was cool and calculated. She preferred planning, strategizing. She kept trying to get Rachel to think before she leaped. However, Ivy was too slow for Rachel. Yet throughout the book, Rachel begins to realize that Ivy might not be wrong. It might be better for her and everyone around her if she would rein herself in from time to time. I really like Kim Harrison’s writing style in this book. She is very descriptive thus giving the reader a great image to base the story on. She builds up the characters well, giving the reader a full image of each.

I give this book a 4-star rating. I would have given a 5-star, but I felt like Ms. Harrison rather dropped the Ivy/Rachel storyline. It really began to feel like the two would either have a love-story-type relationship, or have a sit down together and discuss more a detailed friendship. But, that didn’t happen. In fact, toward the end of the book, she brings in Nick who Rachel helps to change back into his human state. She has Rachel put all her trust in Nick who she’s only just met and is completely human. She has history with Ivy and Jenks! Hopefully, in the next book we’ll see more trust in Ivy and Jenks.

I do recommend this book. If you like stories vampires, fairies, pixies, witches, and demons, you’ll love this book! It has them all!It has them all! You can purchase your copy at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble (bn.com)

 

"Lover Reborn," by J.R. Ward

Synopsis: Ever since the death of his shellan, Tohrment has been unrecognizable from the vampire leader he once was. Physically emaciated and heartbroken beyond despair, he has been brought back to the Brotherhood by a self-serving fallen angel. Now, fighting once again with ruthless vengeance, he is unprepared to face a new kind of tragedy.

When Tohr begins to see his beloved in his dreams—trapped in a cold, isolated netherworld far from the peace and tranquility of the Fade—he turns to the angel in hopes of saving the one he has lost. But, because Lassiter tells him he must learn to love another to free his former mate, Tohr knows they are all doomed...

Except then a female with a shadowed history begins to get through to him. Against the backdrop of the raging war with the lessers, and with a new clan of vampires vying for the Blind King’s throne, Tohr struggles between the buried past and a very hot, passion-filled future…but can his heart let go and set all of them free?

---

I love J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series. She writes with great eloquence and really seems to connect with each of her characters, no matter how great or how small a part each takes. Each book portrays a new brother and his life. I love how she carries her characters throughout the entire series, only to write about each individual brother in his (or her) own book.

Lover Reborn, written by J.R. Ward, is book ten in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I have love Tohrment throughout the entire series, even worried about him when he came back to the Brotherhood. He seemed to be the strongest, most well balanced brother in the beginning. However, when his enemies murdered his shellan, he completely fell apart. In my mind, Tohr was suicidal, but not in the way you might think. He couldn’t take his own life by means of eating his own bullet, or slashing his wrists. That would mean that he couldn’t cross over into the Fade. No, he was suicidal by means of starvation, or at the hand of his enemies.

Tohr dreamt often about his passed shellan, Wellsie. Each dream seemed to be less and less of her. Through the subtle coercion of his fallen angel, Lassiter, Tohr learned that Wellsie was not in the Fade. She and their baby boy were stuck in the In Between, a Purgatory of their own. Tohr needed to figure out how he could help them move on into the Fade.

Tohr reaches out to No’One as a confidant. Their friendship grew throughout the book. They both had issues that needed work. As their friendship grew, their love blossomed. As they begin to fall in love, Tohr tells No’One that he hates her name and ends up giving her the name "Autumn".

The part that really bothered me, and I suppose this is why I give this book four stars and not five, really has to do with the ending. I felt the ending was weak and unrealistic. With all that occurred, we read that they go to eat hamburgers as if nothing happened. For some reason, I felt gypped.

I struggled with another storyline in this book. John Matthew and Xhex were experiencing marital problems. John Matthew found it more difficult to watch his shellan fighting with their enemy, which made it difficult for Xhex to accept. Xhex was a fighter, not a lady in waiting. So, I began to worry that these two might become divorced or at least separated long term. However, like many other times, we see John Matthew come around to accepting that he chose a mate that was a fighter just as he was and therefore he needed to find a compromise that both could accept.

I found myself drawn to Blay and Quinn in this book as well. It seems as if their love for each other was brought out a little bit more and, hopefully, we’ll get to hear about their relationship in the next book in this sequence.

I still feel loose ends with the Band of Bastards. I’m left wondering if perhaps Throe may be Autumn’s brother. Will there be a relationship between Xcor and Layla?

I have heard many rumors but until Ms Ward writes the next book, we will never know.

If you have not read any of these books, I recommend you do. If you’re just not sure about this book 10, it is well worth the read. You will struggle to put your book down. You will cry, laugh, swoon, and root for your favorites.

You can order your copy of Lover Reborn from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

"The Hunger Games," by Suzanne Collins

This book was a detour from most that I read. It is an incredible story of bravery, cunning, and survival of the fittest.

The setting in this story is what I would consider post apocalyptic times. The nation known as Panem, was built upon the ruins of North America. A fat, greedy government in the Capitol controls twelve outlying districts with harsh and cruel conditions. These districts are forced by the government to send one boy and one girl in their teens to participate in the annual Hunger Games. These children fight to the death on live television with hopes to supply food and other rudimentary items for their families needs. Only one person can win these Hunger Games each year.

Rather than tell you the whole story, trying to paint a picture in your mind of what the story is about, I suggest you read it on your own. For me, the story left me feeling as if there was no hope of survival. Teens entered into the games knowing that it was kill-or-be-killed. There was no choice, to be in the games or not. Reading what the main character was faced with, made me route for her survival. I found myself questioning the same things she questioned.

I did like this story, but as I read the book, I felt like the situation was grim and hopeless. It became difficult for me to want to continue reading because I felt that somehow this main character was going to lose, even if she won the games. My hope was that there would be a real love story between the two tributes. However, I was continually left confused. Did Peeta really love Katniss? I have no idea. For all I could tell, it was all a ruse.

As I said in the beginning of this review, this is not my normal genre for reading. However, I wanted to do my best to write a non-biased review. The book was written well. It was easy to read, and for the most part, easy to understand. The author did a decent job of painting this story in my mind. By the end of the book, I did want to jump to the next book, “Catching Fire.” That to me means it was well worth the read!