#BookReview – “Say You Love Me” by E.R. Whyte

Blurb

Five years ago, a boyhood dream came true when the prettiest girl I ever knew kissed me on a dare and sent my world spinning. I've crushed on Shiloh Brookings for five long years, the memory of that kiss making other girls come in a distant second.

Imagine my surprise when a friend drags me to a strip club in a neighboring town and the dancer on the stage is none other than Shiloh. AKA Miss Cherry Pie, the sweetest, hottest thing you ever did see.

My first instinct is to grab her down off that stage and hide her away from all those eyes.

My second? Figure out WTH has her up there in the first place. That's not the Shiloh I remember.

Shiloh's life is crazy-complicated, though.

Her present is burdened with baggage from her past, so she has no interest in letting anyone get close. And she may be a stripper by night, but I've just learned that she's teaching in my high school by day, which makes her completely off-limits.
And now she's attracted the attention of a stalker, and the stakes are getting more desperate every day.

Can I win her trust and break down her walls quickly enough to help her?

Review

In book one in the Reclaiming Heaven series, high school teacher Shiloh Brookings moonlights as a stripper to pay for a slew of bills, including her disabled brother’s rehab. If anyone finds out about her after-hours activities, she would be fired from her teaching job and publicly humiliated. Unfortunately for her, two of her students are patrons of the strip club.

High school senior Gunner Ford has been crushing on Shiloh for years. She’s three years older than him, and they attended high school together when he was a freshman and she a senior. Now, she’s his teacher and a new stripper at his friend’s dad’s club. He pursues her—both in school and at the club. They have a history, and despite the consequences, he’s determined to make her his.

I’m not sure how to describe this story. It’s a cross between YA and NA with erotica undertones, and I only think of it as being YA because several characters are in high school and some scenes take place there. Otherwise, it’s NA due to the subject matter.

Shiloh is an interesting character. She’s tough and prepared to do anything and everything in order to provide for her handicapped brother. She’s also desperate and vulnerable, and she makes some mistakes that anyone who was thinking straight wouldn’t have made—like starting a relationship with her student. Her flaws made her a realistic person, and I felt bad for her.

I couldn’t connect with Gunner. Even though he cares a great deal for Shiloh, he’s manipulative and arrogant, which he freely admits. He pursues her against her wishes and doesn’t seem to care that she will get into a lot of trouble if anyone finds out they’re together. I had a very difficult time seeing him as an adult because of this.

About the villain/stalker, I liked him. I don’t know who he is (it wasn’t mentioned), but I enjoyed his scenes and the mania he’s going through in trying to get Shiloh to choose him.

There are some great secondary characters: Shane, Sammy, and Dr. Adams add layers to the story. I’m not crazy about Miles, Gunner’s best friend, though.

Shiloh is 21, and Gunner is 18/19. The age difference didn’t bother me—after all, what’s three years?—but the situation was off-putting (a high school student and his teacher). I think the story would’ve worked much better had Gunner been in college with Shiloh as his professor, but that’s just my opinion.

The story ends on a cliffhanger, so there are lots of questions that will be answered in the next book.

I don’t read 1^st person narrative often, but for the most part, I wasn’t confused as to whose perspective I was reading from. I like Ms. Whyte’s flowing writing style and how she goes into deep POV with the characters’ emotions and thoughts. Overall, I enjoyed the story.

Thank you to Ms. Whyte for sending me this ARC. I voluntarily reviewed it.
4 Stars

#BookReview – “Edge of Darkness” anthology by Christine Feehan, Maggie Shayne, and Lori Herter

Blurb

Dark Crime by Christine Feehan
Blaze knows who killed her father and she has merciless plans for payback. Until a phone call from a seductive stranger pleads with her to wait. Retribution is in his blood, too. Now, he and Blaze will be united in the blood of the guilty. Tonight, vengeance is theirs.

Dead by Twilight by Maggie Shayne
Bloodsuckers may be an accepted minority but one of them is getting away with murder. Until a female vamp teams with a mortal detective to end the killing spree. Now the night belongs to them—and so does every pleasure and danger lurking in the shadows.

Cimarron Spirit by Lori Herter
While excavating an Anasazi ruin, archeologist Annie Carmichael uncovers the resting place of a centuries-old vampire who finds in Annie the liberating mate he has longed for. But how much is Annie expected—or willing—to surrender for the man she now desires?

 

Review 

“Dark Crime” by Christine Feehan

In book 23.5 of the Dark/Carpathian series, Blaze McGuire is full of rage and grief. Two rival mob factions have moved into her city, which is unnamed, and one of the groups—the Hallahan brothers—murdered her father. Blaze intends to kill the murderers and suspects she’ll die in the process. Signing over the rights to her family’s business to the rival gang, she expects them to carry out her mission to destroy the Hallahan brothers if she fails, but she never expected the mobster she spoke with on the phone to race down to the bar and save her life.

Maksim Volkov and his fellow Carpathian warrior Tariq are presenting themselves as mobsters and even opened a nightclub, but their main focus is hunting down vampires in the city. They haven’t realized, however, how deeply the vampires have integrated themselves into human society. Maksim knows Blaze is his lifemate as soon as he hears her voice. She’s a warrior, like him, trained to protect the ones she loves. She dead-set on revenge, and Maksim can do no other but help her achieve her goal.

Blaze and Maksim’s relationship develops fast. They’re likable characters. He’s understanding of her warrior spirit and she’s accepting of his protective nature. As always in this series, each heroine is more gorgeous than the last. Since repetition and multiple sex scenes stretch out the word count, this novella is the longest in the anthology. Head hopping and a few inconsistencies took me out of the story, but I liked the gritty urban setting and the overall narrative.

3 Stars

“Dead by Twilight” by Maggie Shayne

In this Wings in the Night: Reborn novella, book 3.5, city cop and vampire Chloe Madison is hunting down a powerful vampire that’s killing innocent human men. Believing she’s finally found the bloodsucker, she follows the lady vamp and her sexy victim to a graveyard. Turns out, the bloodsucker is just a human playing dress up and the vic is actually a state inspector who’s seriously pissed at Chloe for blowing his cover.

Inspector Shepard Daniels doesn’t want to team up with Chloe after his boss forms the new Vampire Crimes Unit, but he can’t deny her skill and knowledge when it comes to all-things vampire. Two years earlier, the world found out that vampires are real, but Shep doesn’t believe vamps and humans can co-exist. While investigating the murders, they check out a vampire-themed D/s club and the sexual tension between them soon ignites.

Chloe and Shep are awesome! She’s feisty and pretends to be human, he’s protective and bigoted against vampires, but they work great together. They have a HFN ending, but it’s easy to see the HEA coming up.

The story is told in first person POV, from Chloe’s perspective only, but I really would’ve liked some scenes from Shep. Still, I loved this novella. It’s my favorite in the antho.

5 Stars

“Cimarron Spirit” by Lori Herter

Archaeologist and professor Annie Carmichael is dating Brent, a wealthy cattle rancher, and excavating Anasazi ruins on his property. Though she feels comfortable with Brent and can see an easy future with him and his daughter, she secretly longs for passion and adventure.

Vampire and horse rancher Rafael de la Vega believes the ruins belong to him. After years of loneliness, he needs someone in his life, but his previous relationships with women ended badly. While trying to scare off the invading archaeologist, he realizes Annie is his soul mate and sets out to seduce her.

Annie and Rafael are interesting characters. The story is told predominately from Annie’s perspective, but there are a few scenes in Rafael’s POV. Their relationship bloomed fast and there was insta-love on his part.

There are a few unanswered questions. Will Annie be able to continue excavating the ruins since she chose Rafael over Brent? Will Rafael still have access to the kiva (an Anasazi ceremonial chamber and his preferred resting place) after the excavation team takes over?

Anyway, I really enjoyed this story and would like to read more of Ms. Herter’s work.

4 Stars

I love reading vampire books because each author changes the vampire mythos with new twists, but keeps the basic facts the same. I definitely recommend this anthology.

Book Overall – 4 Stars

#BookReview – “Dark Blood” by Christine Feehan

Blurb

At long last you are truly back with us…

Zev Hunter was an elite warrior, a dark-blood dealer of death to rogue Lycans who preyed on mankind. He was a loner, never given to personal attachments, and damned fierce at his job. But Zev begins to question his past and his purpose when he awakens in the darkness of the sacred cave of warriors—and is soothed back to consciousness by the sensuously familiar voice of one woman, the woman who has haunted his fantasies for centuries. She was Branislava, member of the Dragonseeker clan…

Mother Earth called the ancients to witness your rebirth…

For this half-mage, half-Carpathian temptress, the ritual of awakening Zev to the council of warriors was the only way to save him. Locked away for his own protection, the time has now come for his rebirth, for his blood to stir with that of the ancient warriors before him. He has been assured by Branislava that their fates are entwined, that their spirits are woven together for eternity and that his new purpose in life is beyond imagining.

Now, with a blood-sworn vow of honor, mercy and endurance, and under the influence of a siren as bewitching as Branislava, Zev begins to wonder what his purpose is, what it means for the future of the Carpathians and what it is about his rebirth that he has to fear…

Review 

In the twenty-third book of the Dark/Carpathian series, Branislava Dragonseeker has tied her soul to an injured Lycan warrior on the verge of death. The connection between her and Zev is earth shattering, and she can’t live without him. He’s her lifemate, but she doesn’t understand how that could be since he’s Lycan and she’s Carpathian.

As an elite Lycan pack alpha, Zev Hunter has guarded and advised the Lycan council for centuries, and now he’s acting as their liaison with the Carpathians. He and his pack often kill rogue werewolves and sometimes the rare Sanga rau (mixed-blooded werewolves and vampires). Lycans believe all mixed bloods should be exterminated, but Zev is siding with the Carpathians over the Guardians (mixed-blooded Lycans and Carpathians). After he’s terribly injured protecting a Lycan council member, he’s fed Carpathian blood and put to ground to heal. When he rises, he’s more than just Lycan—he’s Carpathian. Unbeknownst to him and everyone else, he’s also the last of a long dead bloodline.

A new lineage is introduced in this book, and apparently, the Dark Blood line is much stronger and more revered than the Dragonseekers, the Dubrinskys, and the Daratranzanoffs. Also, the Dark Bloods can walk in sunlight and the women were allowed to fight with their men, which doesn’t align with the established history and genetic make-up of the species.

I liked Branislava and Zev. She was trapped with her sister Tatijana in the ice caves for countless centuries, but she learned all sorts of dark magic from her evil father, Xavier, and from his vicious brothers. Zev was rougher and more controlling than Fen and Dimitri (the heroes from the previous two books), but he still respected Branislava as a woman and a warrior, even though his possessive inner wolf demanded he keep her out of danger.

Zev was often compared to Gregori, but I didn’t see many similarities. Sure, Zev is demanding and bossy, but he’s not a male chauvinist like Gregori. Now, don’t get me wrong. I like Gregori a lot—he’s a kickass secondary character—but in his own book, Dark Magic, he was way too controlling of his lifemate Savannah. Luckily, Gregori has calmed down over the years and now treats all women with more respect.

This book is the last of a trilogy within the overall series. Multiple sex scenes, drawn out fight scenes, repeated information, and detailed chants and rituals affected the pacing. After reading so many books in this series, those types of scenes just blur together in my mind since they’re all very similar.

On a side note, I don’t understand why Natalya wasn’t there. She’s a powerful Dragonseeker and should’ve been fighting alongside her kin to save their people.

Anyway, Mikhail, Gregori, Fen and Tatijana, Dimitri and Skyler, and Razvan and Ivory returned and added a lot of humor, emotion, and depth to the story. The best thing about this series is the cast of secondary characters. I’ve read several reviews for this story and even though some of those readers weren’t happy with Ms. Feehan’s choice of villains, I actually liked that Xavier was a triplet and his two evil brothers masterminded the plot to pit the Carpathian and Lycan races against one another.

Overall, I liked the H/h and their friends and family, but the slow pacing kept drawing me out of the book.

3 Stars

#BookReview – “Dark Wolf” by Christine Feehan

Blurb

Skyler Daratrazanoff always recognized the miracle that was Dimitri Tirunul, a man beyond any dream that had ever engaged her nights. But she was human. Vulnerable. He was Carpathian. Nearly immortal. She was nineteen. He was an ancient. Yet she held half his soul, the light to his darkness. Without her, he would not survive. Caught between the two warring species, Dimitri has spent centuries hunting the undead to keep his people free, and humans safe. He had survived honorably when others had chosen to give up their souls. But now, marked for extermination by the Lycans, Dimitri found himself alone, and fearing for his life. But salvation was coming…

No Lycan would ever suspect someone like Skyler to dare mount a secret rescue operation. A teenage girl. A human of untested abilities. But she had something no one else had. She was predestined for Dimitri—as he was for her. And there was nothing stronger for Skyler than her desire to see her life-dream come true. Whatever the risk.  

Review

In the twenty-second book of the Dark/Carpathian series, Skyler Daratranzanoff enlists her two best friends, Josef and Paul, to help her track down and rescue her missing lifemate, Dimitri. The Lycans captured him two weeks earlier, and no one—not her adopted parents or the prince of the Carpathian people—are keeping her informed of the situation. Desperate to save him, she and her friends go to Russia and run afoul of a dangerous military-trained Lycan pack.

Dimitri Tirunul is more than just an ancient Carpathian warrior. After centuries of sharing blood with his half-Lycan/half-Carpathian brother Fen, he now has Lycan blood running through his body. The Lycan species calls mixed bloods Sange rau and the fanatics want to kill them all, so they kidnapped and tortured Dimitri. Meanwhile, the Lycan council is visiting Mikhail, the prince, in hopes of establishing an alliance between the two species.

Like most fans of the series, I’ve been looking forward to this story for years, ever since Dark Celebration came out. Dimitri and Skyler have been lifemates for the past three years, but he hasn’t claimed her in the way of his people. After all, she was only 16 when they met, but she’s grown up a lot in the past few years. She had suffered much physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as a child, so she wasn’t ready for a relationship with a man. Dimitri understood that and gave her time, all the while getting to know her and becoming friends. Even though he risked his life and soul to give her time, he remained honorable and put her needs before his own, as all Carpathian males should do with their lifemates.

Dimitri is an amazing person and respects Skyler for who she is. He’s not controlling, insanely jealous, or demanding as some other heroes are in this series. He accepts her male friends and considers them his friends, which few Carpathian warriors are capable of doing for their women.

Skyler wants to move past her trauma, but feels she’ll never be strong enough or good enough for Dimitri. Despite her doubts, she’s a powerful healer and psychic, and the perfect match for her mate.

I loved all the scenes with Skyler, Josef, and Paul. Even though they goof off and play, and the elder Carpathians consider them children, they’re really adults and powerful in their own right. Josef is especially wonderful, but feels unwanted, expendable, and a burden to his family. Luckily, he realizes how wrong he is.

I definitely enjoyed the scenes with Skyler and her birth father Razvan. She’s kept her distance from him, but she’s finally reaching out, wanting to get to know him.

There are a few inconsistencies. Skyler and Razvan are Xavier’s great granddaughter and grandson respectively, but twice throughout the book they are called his granddaughter and son. Also, Paul’s last name is Chevez (his father’s name), not Jansen (his mother’s maiden name), so why is Paul suddenly going by his mom’s name?

I enjoyed the story, but I had to reread parts of it to figure out what was going on and who was talking or thinking because of all the head hopping. The narrative is repetitive and there are lots of lengthy chants and rituals, which I skimmed over. Zev and Bronnie’s story is next, so stay tuned for that review.

4 Stars

#BookReview – “Dark Lycan” by Christine Feehan

Blurb

After spending centuries in a prison of ice, Tatijana of the Dragonseekers was freed. Awakened in human form, Tatijana yearns to explore the modern world—one with more mysteries than she is prepared for.

Fenris Dalka has returned to the Carpathian Mountains, scarred by battle. Though the reason for his return could prove fatal if found out, he is drawn to the beautiful stranger who carries the scent of fresh earth, of forest, of the night itself.

In time, Tatijana and Fenris will discover all that unites them—their secrets and pasts, their predators, and the hot flush of passion that stirs their souls. Yet just as surely, they’ll also discover everything ancient and evil that exists to destroy them.

Review 

In the twenty-first book of the Dark/Carpathian series, Tatijana Dragonseeker has been healing in the earth for the past two years, alongside her sister Branislava, but she’s growing restless and wants to explore the modern world. After centuries of starvation, torture, and enslavement, she needs time to find out who she is and what she wants. Secretly rising on her own to explore the nearby human village, she feels inexplicably drawn to a rough-and-tumble tavern in the forest.

Carpathian hunter Fenris Dalka hasn’t traveled through his homeland in centuries, but he’s in the Carpathian Mountains to track down a rogue werewolf pack that’s been murdering Lycans and humans alike. While hunting down the pack, he finds Tatijana, his brother Dimitri, and befriends Zev, an elite Lycan in charge of the Lycan pack that’s also hunting down the rogues.

Wow. I haven’t liked a Dark/Carpathian book as much as I do this one in a long time. Fen and Tatijana are wonderful, strong, likeminded characters. Though she didn’t want a lifemate, she didn’t expect her heart to need Fen or that he would be so understanding and kind to her. Likewise, Fen didn’t want to bind her to him because doing so would put her in danger from the Lycans.

You see, Fenris isn’t like most Carpathian males. Years earlier, he and a Lycan friend shared blood on several occasions, and they both transformed into the other species. Fen is now part Carpathian and part Lycan with the abilities and weaknesses of both species, and he’s physically stronger than both of them combined. The Lycans call mixed breeds like him Sange rau and they always kill the ones they find, so Fen hides his true nature from them and pretends to be fully Lycan. The Carpathians, however, have no prejudices against mixed breeds, and Mikhail, the prince, wants the Lycans as their allies.

Other than his mixed blood, Fen is considerate and respects his woman’s wishes and feelings. Being part Lycan has helped him keep the darkness at bay, so he’s not that close to turning into a vampire. He’s also not controlling or a chauvinist, so he doesn’t mind if Tatijana is around other men or if those men talk to her and touch her in friendship. He’s one of my favorite heroes in the entire series.

There wasn’t any internal conflict between the H/h, which made for easy reading. The problems they faced came from outside forces, and I loved the way Fen and Tatijana worked together as equals. After all, she’s a Dragonseeker and very knowledgeable when it comes to fighting and performing mage spells. She’s an asset in a battle, not a hindrance, and Fen recognized that.

Also, there were only three sex scenes in this story, and one of them was fairly short. That’s basically unheard of in Ms Feehan’s books. Even though I found the number of sex scenes refreshing, the H/h still make love in a natural pond, which typically happens in almost every book in the series.

The Lycan history and their society was pretty interesting, and their hatred toward the Sange rau is understandable but still wrong and horrible. I’m not too sure what the difference between Lycans and werewolves are, other than one being the good guys and the others bad, but hopefully I’ll figure that out in the next book.

Zev is awesome and just as strong and skilled as Gregori, but I don’t think he’s as domineering. Branislava is going to need a gentle man to help her overcome her past trauma, and I’m really looking forward to their story.

One of the best scenes is the celebration showing all the children and how the Carpathian race is beginning to grow. That was just fun and definitely needed for longtime readers of the series.

Overall, I loved the plot and characters, but sometimes I found myself skimming because the writing is wordy and repetitive. The story ends with a HEA for Fen and Tatijana, but it ends on a cliffhanger with Dimitri. I’m so anxious to read his story and find out what’s going to happen next.

5 Stars

#BookReview – “Cooking Up Love” by Chantel Rhondeau

Blurb

Elaina Trundel arrives at McCallister's Paradise with her young daughter for the ultimate vacation getaway. Her bargain store dress may as well be a burlap sack when she sees the other island guests, and Elaina fears the free vacation might end in embarrassing disaster.

She never expects Shane McCallister, head chef of Paradise Point, and part owner of the island, to take a keen interest in her and her daughter.

His sexy smile and easy manner cause Elaina to have a hard time staying away, but she has to protect her daughter from the flirtatious player. All her daughter wants is a father — Shane is obviously looking for fun with no strings attached.

As the youngest sibling in the McCallister clan, Shane has floundered through life for several years. Bad choices and frequent mistakes with women have become his trademark.

When he targets Elaina as his next love conquest, his family fears the worst — that he’ll ruin not only himself and Elaina, but possibly take down the entire business with his antics.

Things aren't entirely what they seem for either Elaina or Shane. Perhaps being together is the only way to make their lives meaningful.

Despite the roadblocks in their way, they grow closer.

Unfortunately, so does the chance that the past will rear its ugly head and ruin any possibility for a happy ending.

Another McCallister sibling has to navigate the pitfalls and triumphs of love all while dealing with the meddlesome and loving McCallister family.

Review 

In the fifth McCallister’s Paradise book, single mom Elaina Parson wins an all-expense three-week vacation to the McCalliser’s Paradise resort island and it couldn’t have come at a better time. She’s on the run from her abusive ex-boyfriend who wants to steal her daughter. The island is everything Elaina and her daughter, Kylee, could’ve hoped for, but it gets even more special when she meets the sexy head chef at the resort’s gourmet restaurant.
Shane McCallister is the youngest of the McCallister siblings, and he’s happy with his life as a playboy bachelor. Once he meets Elaina and Kylee, he realizes what he’s been missing. He quickly becomes attached to the ready-made family, and they to him, but a past failed relationship and his womanizing ways holds him back.
This is a great story. Elaina and Shane help each other see their own worth and heal from past hurts. Despite their attraction, they started as friends and got to know each other before they moved to the bedroom. That was really nice. Kylee, the five-year-old girl, is absolutely adorable. It’s no wonder Shane fell head-over-heels for both her and her mom.
The story could use a light edit to add in missing words. Sometimes I had trouble picturing the scenes and would’ve liked more description.
Anyway, I loved seeing all the previous couples return, who are now starting their own families. I haven’t read all the books in this series, but the ones I have read, I’ve enjoyed. I’m sad to see the McCallister sibling romances come to a close. For readers who wants romances set on a tropical island, give this series a try.
4 Stars

#BookReview – “Dark Storm” by Christine Feehan

Blurb

Awakening after all this time in a world of absolute darkness and oppressive heat, Dax wonders in how many ways the world above must have changed. But it is how he has changed that fills him with dread and loathing. Buried alive for hundreds of years in a volcano in the Carpathian Mountains, Dax fears that he has become the full-fledged abomination that every Carpathian male fears, a victim of the insidious evil that has crept relentlessly into his mind and body over the centuries. But there are some things that never change.

His name is Mitro, the vampire Dax had hunted all these long centuries. Second in command to the prince of the Carpathian people he is the epitome of everything malevolent, and perpetrator of one of the most shocking killing sprees known to man - and beast. Even his friends and family weren't safe from Mitro's bloodlust. Neither was Mitro's lifemate, Arabejila, an extraordinary woman with extraordinary gifts. But now that Dax has re-emerged, so too has Mitro. The ultimate battle between good and evil has been re-engaged. Between Dax and Mitro, a violent game has begun - one that has marked Riley Parker, the last descendent of Arabejila, as the reward.  

Review

In the twentieth book of the Dark/Carpathian series, Riley Parker and her mother travel to the Andes (not the Carpathian Mountains as the blurb mistakenly states) every five years to perform a binding spell on a particular mountain. Since Riley’s father just recently died and both she and her mom are still grieving, they arrive later than usual. That proves problematic since the mountain is actually a once-dormant volcano that’s now ready to blow.

Carpathian hunter Dax and his mortal vampire enemy Mitro have been trapped beneath the volcano for centuries. Mitro had betrayed his lifemate Arabejila, became a vampire, and killed a lot of innocent people. Dax and Mitro were evenly matched, unable to kill one another, so Arabejila trapped them both beneath the volcano. Now, Arabejila’s descendents must return to strengthen the bonding spell to keep Mitro, and unfortunately Dax as well, in the ground. Finally, the men escape and head straight to Riley, Arabejila’s last descendant.

Riley and Dax got along amazingly well, but they didn’t even met until the end of chapter eight, over 100 pages in. He’s not an over-the-top alpha and is accepting of Riley of who she is. She isn’t a warrior woman, but has a strong affinity for healing the earth—which is a common trait for Carpathian females. Riley, however, is more human than Carpathian but apparently very powerful. Dax, likewise, has evolved while sleeping in the earth and isn’t a normal Carpathian anymore. There is very little drama, angst, or frustration with this H/h. They were of the same mind on almost every subject, which made their relationship a little boring.

Dax and Riley are new characters to the series, not mentioned in any prior books. Sure, previous secondary characters return—I love Gary and Jubal—but I just don’t understand why Ms Feehan wrote about this particular couple without first introducing at least one of them in another story.

There are unanswered questions. Mitro was sick in the head, obviously, but how could he really betray Arabejila and become a vampire (a female lifemate is “light” to the male’s “darkness,” which is supposed to balance each other out)? How did Arabejila survive without him since their souls were bonded? How is Riley connected to Arabejila? Did Arabejila have a child with another man, a human? Also, how is Mitro a Daratrazanoff and related to Gregori, Lucien, and the others?

The scenery, as always, was intricately described, right down to a little bug in the gorgeous jungle. I’ve become accustomed to such description in the series and usually skim over it.

3 Stars

#BookReview – “For Love or Charity” by Chantel Rhondeau

Blurb


Sydney McCallister isn't looking for love, especially not from an overbearing man demanding money for his charity after missing the cutoff date for proposals. Doesn't Matthew Coleson realize his organization isn't the only one hoping for a grant from the McCallister family? Tired of dealing with the constant stream of angry people and feeling terribly homesick besides,

Sydney wonders if she should give up on New York and head back to the family's island resort. When Sydney's office is trashed and she receives a threatening message, she's certain Matt must be responsible.

After confronting him, however, she learns there is more to this man than is apparent at first glance. There's something about his eyes... besides, who can resist a man who helps homeless people get back on their feet? He seems to truly care about people and swears he would never hurt anyone.

Together, they work to uncover the identity of the person threatening Sydney, and Matt seems determined to keep her safe. Questions remain for her, despite the excitement Matt brings to her life...

Does he care about her for herself, or is he more interested in her family money and what that could mean for his charity?
 
Review

In the third McCallister’s Paradise book, Sydney McCallister works in New York City where she evaluates foundations and gives out grant money to various charities. Unfortunately, she can’t accept every applicant, which angers a lot of people.
Matt Coleson founded New Beginnings to help drug addicts recover from their addiction and to get homeless people off the street by giving them an education and a job. He desperately needs the McCallister grant but didn’t get it. After he curses Sydney out at her office, he thinks that’s the end of it, until she bursts into his office accusing him of vandalizing hers. A tentative friendship blooms between them, but they come from two different worlds—he’s the homeless street kid who rose above the statistics to do good things with his life, and she’s the rich girl who wants to help others.
Sydney and Matt are awesome characters, and I love that their roles were reversed when compared to most romance novels. They both have alpha tendencies, but he’s more beta than most romantic heroes, which was a breath of fresh air for me. Their arguing did grow frustrating at times, but they meshed wonderfully and had chemistry.
Half the book takes place in New York, and the other half is on the McCallister resort island. I liked both parts of the story equally. Even though I’d already guessed what the “big problem” was going to be for the couple, their pain drew tears to my eyes and I couldn’t stop smiling once Matt and Syd made up.
The McCallister family is back and as wonderful as ever. Though I haven’t read book 2 in the series, this book gave enough information above the previous one so I wasn’t lost. All these books are standalones.
I like the author’s writing style, but there were some awkward sentences, so I had to reread a few passages to understand what was going on. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more in the series.
4 Stars

#BookReview – “Dark Predator” by Christine Feehan

Blurb

As brutal as the undead he hunted, Zacarias De La Cruz was a master executioner. Now his stark and savage journey has ended. For his brothers, Zacarias had walked to the edge of madness, but with centuries as a killing machine now left to the past and without a hunt to define him, Zacarias wonders, for the first time in his life, who he really is.

The answer awaits him back home, in Peru, in the betrayal of a woman who is readying her trap, in the vengeance of an old enemy, in the inevitable consequences of a bloody family legacy-and in the deliverance of a lifemate he never could have imagined...  

Review 

In the nineteenth book of the Dark/Carpathian series, Marguarita Fernandez has lived all her life in service to the De La Cruz family. Her family runs one of the brothers’ ranches in Brazil, and she knows all about Carpathians. She met Zacarias a few months earlier when he saved her life after a vampire attack that left her mute, and now she finds him in a field, ready to meet the sun. Instead of letting him die, she drags him inside her house and protects him even though he’s telepathically threatening her with retribution.

Zacarias De La Cruz is very close to turning vampire, but refused to end his life until his four brothers found their lifemates. Now, he’s free to die with honor but never expected a human woman to upend his plans.

Zacarias treated Marguarita deplorably, but it made sense. He’s suffering from extreme PTSD and was justifiably furious at Marguarita for saving his life. However, he never should’ve flung her across the room, viciously fed from her, frightened and insulted her, and punished her in other ways. He acted so horribly because he was losing control of himself and feared he would become a vampire capable of slaughtering his brothers and countless other people. He was portrayed as cold and heartless in the other books, and that characterization continued in this one.

Darkness has always run strong in his family, so much so that he didn’t recognize Margaurita as his lifemate even when he psychically spoke to her or drank her blood. That’s basically unheard of for a Carpathian male, but for one very close to turning, the lifemate bond doesn’t work as well as it should. A female lifemate is supposed to permanently restore emotions and color to a male, but Zacarias loses his emotions and can no longer see in color when he is far away from Marguarita and when their minds are closed to one another.

Marguarita was naturally submissive and wanted someone to boss her around, but her tendencies to obey so easily definitely made her a doormat. She knew Zacarias needed to be in control of her and their relationship for his own sanity, so she submitted and rarely stood up for herself. Throughout the story, she did become more assertive in matters of grave importance, and he learned to ask and accept her opinion even if it differed from his. While I liked that, it still seemed too little too late.

This story focused more on the H/h’s relationship than on secondary characters and subplots, as per usual. There’s no set up for the next book in the series.

For the most part, I like description and flowery language, but everything was so detailed that it took me out of the story. Zacarias was constantly thinking and saying how dark and obsessive he was. Also, there were a few typos.

Anyway, I think Zacarias was portrayed accurately for his character, but I just couldn’t relate to him or to Marguarita.

3 Stars

#BookReview – “Savior in the Saddle” by Delores Fossen

Blurb

Willa Marks is pregnant. Afraid. And can't remember anything beyond two months ago. What she does know is that she can't trust the police to keep her safe. So when two men—cops—appear at her door, all she can think about is escape. But instinct tells her to trust one of them….

Brandon Ruiz is ex-military. Sheriff of a small town in Texas. And Willa's ex-boyfriend. Or so he claims. Now that they've found her, he's determined to keep Willa safe from her would-be assassin. But to do that he has to stay distanced. He can't let her touch, her scent, reach him. Can't let her kisses inflame him.

He thinks if she remembers, she'll be safe. But he's wrong….

Review 

Willa Marks has gone through hell and back. She narrowly survived a hostage situation while at her OBGYN appointment, and now she’s suffering from severe amnesia and short-term memory loss. She doesn’t trust cops for good reason. Twice they’ve failed to protect her and her unborn daughter from a mysterious assassin. Now she’s on the run.

Sheriff Brandon Ruiz needs to gain Willa’s trust, and fast. So he and the police concoct a lie to gain her cooperation—they claim Brandon is her ex-boyfriend and the father of her child. Brandon gets more than he bargained for—her trust and her problems—and now everyone around them is a possible murder suspect.

I definitely liked Willa. She’s strong and smart, but she let her new bodyguard take the lead too often.

I’m surprised Brandon never rode a horse, given the book title. The story takes place in Texas, but could’ve been set anywhere. He cared for Willa, wanting to protect her and the baby, but he kept at an emotional distance from her for a long while.

I love romantic suspense books, but this one focuses more on suspense and intrigue than it does on romance. Sexual attraction and worry over the baby, however, drew the couple together.

The shoot-out and bomb explosions in the town were entertaining, but hard to visualize. The ending wasn’t very clear, but I got the gist.

Overall, I liked the story for the suspense, but I wish there would’ve been more romance.

3 Stars

#BookReview – “Happy Endings” by Chantel Rhondeau

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#BookReview – “Dark Peril” by Christine Feehan

Blurb

There’s only one way for Dominic—one of the most powerful of the Carpathian Dragonseekers—to learn the secrets of the enemy: ingest their parasitic vampire blood, infiltrate the camp, and relay the information to the Carpathians before he goes out fighting. There is no more honorable way to end his life.

Solange is among the last of the dying species of the jaguar people—fighting to save the remaining shapeshifters from the hands of her own father, a monster who slaughtered everyone she loved. Wounded and weary, she plans one last battle, hoping to stop the man who has aligned with the vampires, and accepting her deathly fate.

Now, two warriors from different worlds will find each other at the end of their time, and discover a new reason to battle to the death—and against all odds, make it out alive.

Review

 

In the eighteenth book of the Dark/Carpathian series, Solange Sangria is fighting a war against her own people. For years, the Jaguar men have been kidnapping, raping, and killing the women, and Solange’s own father, Brodrick the Terrible, is leading the charge. She’s lost her mother, aunt, brothers, and several friends. Only her cousins Juliette and Jasmine remain, and Jasmine isn’t the same woman she once was after her rape. Anyway, as a royal pureblooded Jaguar, it’s her duty to protect the women and end the male terror. Planning one last battle, she intends to kill her father and likely die along with him.

Dominic Dragonseeker ingested parasitic vampire blood in the last novel and infiltrates the South American vampire camp. The vampires there believe the strong Carpathian warrior is slowly turning into a vampire, which he is, and they want him fully on their side. Instead, Dominic plans to steal information regarding psychic human females from them and send it to the prince. Then he plans to end his life. After all, he’s a Dragonseeker, and no one in his prestigious line has ever given up his soul and turned into a vampire.

I liked Dominic and Solange in the previous books, but I just couldn’t connect with them in this one. Dominic was very patient with Solange and didn’t bind her to him without her approval—which was great—but there wasn’t much strife or animosity between them. Little drama. They got along too well, which didn’t make since she supposedly has a hard time trusting men. Even though he found her beautiful, he didn’t understand why she was ashamed of her scars and that she didn’t feel comfortable being naked in front of him. Of course, that didn’t stop him from undressing her, watching her bathe, or telling her to wear sexy dresses. In order to please him, she did as he wanted and felt beautiful because he approved of her actions. Though I appreciate him trying to help her embrace her femininity, he did so too quickly in their relationship. Dominic’s attempts to change her and Solange allowing it to happen didn’t befit their characters and seemed at odds with his approval of her as a warrior.

Besides that, I enjoyed the fights with the vampires and Jagaur men. Those parts of the story were interesting. I also loved the scenes with Zacarias and the introduction of Marguarita. Like with Manolito and MaryAnn from Dark Possession, Solange isn’t the only one doing the converting. Dominic becomes part Jagaur and can miraculously walk in the sun. That was awesome.

Though I liked the overall plot, the story is slow with lots of description and flowery prose. I love the ritualistic lifemate bonding words (it’s so romantic), but in the newer books these words are spread out over several paragraphs with descriptions and thoughts mixed in. It’s difficult to read.

3 Stars

#BookReview – “Dark Slayer” by Christine Feehan

Blurb

A rumor has persisted in the vampire world of a dark slayer—a woman—who travels with a wolf pack and any among the vampires who meets her is slain. Mysterious, elusive and seemingly impossible to kill, she is the one hunter who strikes terror into the hearts of the vampires.

Ivory Malinov is that woman, betrayed by her own people, by her family, by everyone she held dear and she hunts during the night with only her pack to sustain her sanity. She has not spoken to or been with any other person for a hundred years other than to feed from or slay. She stumbles across a body on her way back to her lair and discovers—her lifemate.

He is Razvan, branded a hated criminal, detested, feared and loathed by all Carpathians—he is also a dragonseeker of one of the greatest lineages of all Carpathians. Held captive nearly his entire life by his grandfather, the Carpathians bitterest enemy, he is seeking the dawn to end his terrible existence.

This is a story of two people, horribly betrayed, wounded in spirit, fighters to the death, who must struggle to unite against a common enemy.

Review

In the seventeenth book of the Dark/Carpathian series, Ivory Malinov has been hunting and killing vampires for centuries while searching for the evil mage Xavier. Four vampires had decapitated her and chopped up her body, leaving her for dead, but she miraculously healed. The Carpathian people, including her five brothers and the De La Cruz brothers, believe she is dead. Her brothers are now vampires, and one of them is on the hunt for her. Then she finds an injured Carpathian male a few minutes before sunrise. He plans to kill himself, but she can’t let him do that, especially since she recognizes him as her lifemate.

Razvan is the enemy, an outcast, and hated by his people. He finally escapes his vicious grandfather Xavier after centuries of horrific abuse and wants to die. Ivory was the last person he expected to find. For years, Xavier has experimented on Razvan and taken over his mind and body, forcing him to do unthinkable acts to strangers and to his own loved ones. To save his sister Natalya and his daughter Lara, he sacrificed his life and soul, giving himself over to Xavier, but the women never knew of his actions. His only confidants were his aunts Branislava and Tatijana, two powerful Dragonseekers who were just as tortured as he was.

In the previous book, Dark Curse, Razvan was the villain, but it’s later revealed he was forced into doing evil and that he truly loves his sister, daughter, aunts, and his human wife, Shauna. In this book, Shauna isn’t included as a “loved one,” which just didn’t seem right. He’s definitely a beta hero—the first in the series! He’s calm and controlled, not arrogant or demanding. Even though Carpathians aren’t supposed to age or go gray, he has because of his extreme torture. He lets Ivory take the lead and treats her as a partner, not a woman to be coddled.

Ivory is strong, scarred, sometimes overly protective of Razvan, and self-reliant, having lived alone for so long. The role reversals made these characters very likeable and different from previous couples. They complemented each other perfectly.

My favorite scene is at the end when Razvan finally meets two of his daughters, Lara and Skyler, but it was too short. Also, that’s when Ivory meets Nicolas De Le Cruz again, a man she thought of as a beloved brother. This long anticipated reunion should’ve been a whole chapter, not just a few pages.

It was great Mikhail and Gregori accepted Razvan and Ivory pretty easily, realizing they weren’t the enemy, but not all of the hunters and lifemates were as understanding (including Natalya and her man Vikirnoff).

I loved Ivory’s wolf pack. Years earlier, she converted the dying wolves into Carpathians and considers them her family. The wolves can shape-shift, and she sometimes wears them as a coat, which is a surprise to an attacking enemy when they come to her aid.

I was really looking forward to this story, but it just didn’t sit well with me. The H/h are great characters, but the constant chants and the Carpathian language bogged down the story, as did the repetition and extreme detail to little things like dirt. The overall plot just didn’t interest me, which is a shame.

3 Stars