Saturday, 29 September 2012
September 2012 Monthly Recap
Author of the Month: Megan Hart
UTC would like to send out a big thank you to Megan Hart! Thanks for being our Author of the Month! If you're interested in reading our interview with Megan, you can check it out here.
We shared the love and screamed out our love for Megan's emotional but sexy books. You can see that post here.
We also did a special spotlight on our favorite Megan Hart hero, Alex Kennedy. Visit this post here.
Author Appearances:
Daisy Harris
Linda Grimes
Jaci Burton
Donna Grant
Savanna Fox
Cynthia Eden
Cari Quinn
Shannon Stacey
Carrie Lofty
Marie Sexton and Heidi Cullihan
Toni Aleo
Eden Bradley
Vicky Dreiling
Thea Harrison
Joan Swan
Maggie Shayne
Megan Hart
Gena Showalter
Amanda Carlson
Julie Ann Walker
Katie Porter
Shana Galen
Kelly Jamieson
Battle of the Covers: Megan Hart Cover Makeover
Hart's book covers got a recent makeover. What did you think about the new cover change? See what people had to say here.
UTC Monthly Picks:
Check out what we read and loved this month!
Suzanne's recs:
How A Lady Weds a Rogue by Katharine Ashe (Historical Romance)
Creed by Kristen Ashley (Contemporary Erotica)
Annie's recs:
Let Me Be the One by Bella Andre (Contemporary Romance)
Delusion in Death by J.D. Robb (Romantic Suspense)
The Angel by Tiffany Reisz (BDSM Erotica)
Never Seduce A Scot by Maya Banks (Historical Romance)
Francesca's recs:
Hold 'Em by Katie Porter (Erotic Romance) I am in love with this series and this author. They can do no wrong. 'nuff said.
Angela's recs:
Shades of Temptation by Virna dePaul (Suspense)
Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks for some Scot Love (Historical Romance)
Rough Surrender by Cari Silverwood to sate your BDSM hunger (Erotica)
Hunter's Season by Thea Harrison (Paranormal Romance)
ARC Review: Mate Claimed by Jennifer Ashley
Mate Claimed
(Shifters Unbound #4)
by Jennifer Ashley
This book is sexually potent, filled to the brim with the perfect amount of sexual tension and chemistry. As Eric peruses Iona, she becomes more and more pliant as his seduction turns her into goo.
Although I didn’t feel like that book held too much flashy action, there was still a good amount of it to keep me entertained. Ashley’s writing style is smooth and consistent, exploring the world she is expertly created and setting up the next book of the series well.
Both characters seemed mediocre in my eyes, but by the end of the book, I felt like they had grown exponentially. That’s a testament to Ashley’s writing. She is able to create endearing characters and make you care about them in a short amount of time.
Tiger is the perfect example of this. Introduced later in MATE CLAIMED, he still captured my interests and has me desperately pining for the next book! It will be a good day when I have TIGER MAGIC in my hands!
*ARC provided by publisher
Purchase Links: Amazon
ARC Review: Death's Rival by Faith Hunter
Death's Rival
(Jane Yellowrock #5)
by Faith Hunter
The impossible has occurred. Vampires are now victims in a plague that is stretching across Seattle and Sedona. More and more vampires are being taken down due to this outbreak. This shouldn’t happen. Vampires should be immune to disease, and yet Jane Yellowrock gains further proof that curse is spreading as she sees the deterioration in people who should be eternally resilient. Sent in to investigate, Jane Yellowrock is placed right in the center of it all. Added to that is the fact that now she finds herself working for Leo Pelliser, the Vampire Master of New Orleans. In a sudden and very high threat, Jane is placed right in the center of the action when someone looks to take over Leo’s land. War is coming and Jane knows what she will be doing – she will fight to the bitter end.
DEATH’S RIVAL is book five in the Jane Yellowrock series. Expert storytelling makes this book a very easy read. So tightly-written and perfectly-paced, Hunter gives readers no excuse to gobble this right up.
Readers get a more in-depth look into Jane’s personal history. Her skinwalker identity makes her unique. With a Beast inside her, Jane has another weapon in her arsenal. But this weapon is also her weakness. Her memories are frayed and putting the pieces together is much more difficult than she anticipated. I loved reading about this side of her. It makes Jane feel more down-to-earth, more vulnerable, more real.
Hunter showcases her talent as a storyteller as she expertly weaves a story that is action-packed and smoothly written. There is plenty to action to keep readers satisfied yet, Hunter knows when to slow down and give readers a chance to breathe and take in events. There were no slow moments in this book, nothing that could be taken out because it was frivolous. Everything inside this book needed to be there and that’s a true testament to Hunter’s writing. This book is compacted with suspense, secrets and shocking events!
Fans who enjoy Patricia Briggs’ novels will surely find Jane Yellowrock and her world enjoyable. With her Cheerokee heritage, her Beast prowling just beneath the surface and the action that Hunter brings forth, readers will find a new heroine to wish they were friends with!
*ARC provided by publisher
ARC Review: The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture by Heidi Belleau and Rachel Haimowitz
The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture
by Heidi Belleau and Rachel Haimowitz
The Flesh Cartel is one amongst the beginning of the newly-revived serial books. Like a television series, the stories can be likened to episodes that are published to the reader in short story form, and with greater frequency than we are used to between regular series book releases. The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture is the first installment in this psychosexual thriller, and the title is exactly what it says it is: the Capture. This series is about black market human trafficking, and we see first-hand the ugly side of the inhumane lengths that people will go to to capture what will be a most lucrative prize for the trade.
Dougie and Mat Carmichael are orphaned brothers, living together but working toward making a living in order to help the other. Dougie is in the process of getting his Ph.D. in psychology, and Mat supports him as an MMA fighter. Before long, they find themselves being beaten, tortured, and violated in the worst possible ways. Dougie apparently is regarded as a highly lucrative prize in the Flesh Cartel, and while he is being captured, Mat comes home and tries to fight off the kidnapping abusers, but he is outnumbered and captured as well.
This story takes the reader through their capture, their delivery, and what appears to be their preparation to be sold. As the warning on the book blurb indicates (see below), these brothers endure the worst of the worst, and really, the unimaginable. This book is NOT for the faint-of-heart, and so far, there is nothing happy-go-lucky about this story. I am a person who loves my romance and my HEA's, but I have heard so many good things about Belleau and Haimowitz's books that I knew I had to just try this one. And the fact that this is being released as a serial was intriguing to me as well, so I thought I would give this new format a shot. While this book is not for everyone, I am glad I read it. The writing is excellent, and together, the team of Belleau and Hamimowitz made me feel. I felt sadness, anger, repulsion, shock, shame, and disgust, to name a few. But their writing made me feel that, and I felt those emotions strongly. And even though I know the road ahead for each of these guys will probably be full of more of the same, I look forward to reading future installments, seeing them through, and rooting for them to come out on top at the end (along with getting a good healthy dose of revenge on all of the people who have had a hand in their torture along the way). ;)
(Publisher's note: This title contains material some may find objectionable or trigger-inducing, including explicit violence, non-consent, and forced incest.)
*ARC provided by the publisher.
