ARC Review: Lord's Fall by Thea Harrison

4.5 Feathers

Lord's Fall

by Thea Harrison

(Elder Races # 5)

LORD'S FALL is a great love story with a hint of Hunger Games element with some Civil War action. As usual, Thea Harrison did not disappoint. She has given her readers a chance to peak beyond Pia and Dragos’ Happy-Ever-After (HEA) and a glance at what’s up and up with the Wyr Demesne.

It has been 7 months since Pia and Dragos have mated. If you have been following the Elder Races series, you know that Pia and Dragos are expecting Peanut and she is now taking on the role of Dragos’ mate. Her first mission is to repair the Wyr and Elves demesne’s relationship. Turns out that she’ll be doing more than just fixing a demesne quarrels, she’ll also be in the middle of a civil war between the Elves and their Ancients. Unfortunately, she will be doing this mission on her own and away from her mate. It's something both she and Dragos must overcome.

Meanwhile, at The Callubre Towers, Dragos’ Seven Sentinels are down to five. His top two, Tiago has mated with the Dark Fae Queen, Nininane aka Trix and Rune has mated with Carling, the Vampyre Queen. The need to replace them was inevitable so Dragos held the Sentinel Games. That’s right boys and girls, there will be new characters to look forward to. The Sentinel Games are pretty awesome and watching Dragos do his public appearance without Pia was pretty cute. I like that Thea keeps his character at a constant. He’s still very powerful, rich, sexy, overprotective but very sweet to his mate. He is the reason I am addicted to this series.

It was brilliant how Ms. Harrison brought Dragos and Pia back even after their HEA in Dragon Bound. This just shows you, even in our fantasy world, an HEA still needs a lot of work to keep going. There are also a few new relationships that are rekindled, few that are obviously brewing to be something more and new friendships were formed. This hopefully ensures us more of this world. If you have not read Dragon Bound, I highly suggest you do so. Pia and Dragos' characters and relationship building started there and it’s a shame to miss their courtship. 

*ARC provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Seduction in Death by J.D. Robb

(More like 4.5 feathers!)
Seduction in Death

(In Death #13 )

by J.D. Robb

The pursuit of love has never been so deadly. A killer seduced by the idea of love targets victims of an online poetry chatroom where after making an arrangement to meet, he wines and dines them, slipping potent and rare date-rape drugs into their drinks until all they feel is euphoria and desire. These unsuspecting romantics continue to be targeted by this anonymous killer. Coming in to stop this string of murders from occurring, Eve Dallas uses everything in her arsenal to take this killer down. Unfortunately for her, her own past keeping veering her concentration off the case. As Eve tries to battle her own personal demons, McNab and Peabody engage in their own dance of bitter lovers.

 I LOVED the idea of this book. The seducing killer was such an interesting idea that I think it really made this case stands out from the others in my opinion. In this book, Eve’s past is played up a little more and we see a much more graphic and tortured scene painted before us. It really made me love Eve more. As a reader you can sympathize with her and what she has gone through when you read the parts about her dark childhood, but as Detective Eve Dallas, you also experience a side of Eve that is strong and competent and confident. I like that we see so many facets of Eve in one single book.

This time I listened to the audio of this book and noticed right off the bat that Susan Ericksen tweaked the voices a little bit. The most notable was Peabody. Our favorite aid no longer has that nasally voice anymore, which to be honest, was a little annoying in the previous recordings. But I found that I really liked the changes that Ericksen made in this book.

Of course, no UTC review of an In Death is complete without Roarke. Still as endearing and desirable as ever....Roarke doesn’t need a date rape drug to seduce such willing victims, his charm and that Irish lilt is all he needs. I love him.

Purchase Links: Amazon

ARC Review: The Scottish Witch by Cathy Maxwell + GIVEAWAY

4.5 Feathers

The Scottish Witch

by Cathy Maxwell

(Chattan Curse # 2)

"Watchers of the threshold, Watch of the gate, open hell and seal Chattan's Fate.
When a Chattan male falls in love, strike his heart with fire from above.
Crush his heart, destroy his line; only then will justice be mine".
~Fenella, Lyon's Bride/The Scottish Witch

Fenella cursed the Chattan line to never find happiness. Her daughter Rose had committed suicide due to broken heart caused by Charles Chattan. True to her words, as soon as any of the Chattan men falls in love, death comes soon after.

The last of the Chattan’s; Lyon, Harry and Margaret had promised not to fall in love and to finally end the curse. But love will always find a way, as they say and it has found Lyon. Now, love will work its way to Harry’s heart.

Unfortunately, the Chattan curse continues to exist and now Lyon' health deteriorates. Harry is determined to find a way to save his brother. It is great to see him really come out of his “daze” of drinking and nights out gallivanting with women. Unlike in Lyon’s Bride, Harry is not just in limbo. He now has a purpose and swears to find a powerful witch that would break the curse.

Portia, this selfless heroine, is determined to support her self-centered, single mom and beautiful sister. After her father past away, she felt obligated to do the right thing by them. On a verge of eviction, she must do what she can to earn extra cash even if it means to pose as something she is not.

I was captivated in Harry’s journey to finding ways to break the Chattan Curse. Though the curse was not broken in this installment, Harry and Portia found their HEA, which was the least they had expected. The romance was moderate and there was a fair amount sexual tension between the lead characters.

The only thing is that I wish Harry realized he is in love with Portia sooner. It broke my heart that his proposal was initially due to obligation. I thought he was too comfortable with their status that commitment was the least of his intensions though it was obvious that he felt more for her.

There were two side stories that I thought was a sweet addition to this book. It’s Portia’s mom, Lady Mclean and sister, Minnie’s story to their HEA. Their love stories slowly brewed in the background but woven nicely into Harry and Portia’s Story. Ms. Maxwell also revealed Charles Chattan's POV and I thought that was an interesting treat.

Oh and I cannot forget a very mysterious, very cute cat named Owl. Ms Maxwell actually posted a picture of a "Scottish Cat" and it really looked like an owl, very cute! I have a feeling this feline will have quite an impact on what is to come of the Chattan Curse.

Ms. Maxwell is a talented storyteller and I cannot wait what she has in store for Margaret in The Devil’s Heart. Seems like she will be the very thing to finally break the tragic curse.

*ARC provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon

Avon Books is graciously giving away 2 print copies of THE SCOTTISH WITCH!  US only!

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ARC Review: Out for Blood by Kristen Painter

4.5 Feathers

Out for Blood

by Kristen Painter

(House of Comarré #4)

This has got to be my favorite book in this series!  It was the perfect blend between all the dark, gritty characters and storyline, action, suspense, love, loss and betrayal.  Truly a whirlwind of things that happened and that have been set up for the final episode in this series.

Chrysabelle is dealing with the repercussions of visiting the Aurelian, of having her signum redone using the Ring of Sorrows, which is now a part of her, and having Mal's bad blood flowing through her veins.  It definitely made for a change in her character.  But she's still feisty and fighting for herself this time.  Her mission is now to find her brother.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Mal was so amazing in this book.  His love for Chrysabelle showed through at all times, he's got new powers to flaunt, new possibilities to maybe get rid of his curse, and whole lot of good humor.  He was playful and sexy and....fangy!  Yes, there's a bite involved.  He gave me a small scare for just a bit and then Ms. Painter decided to torture us and there's an unexpected turn of events at the end.

There were a lot of other storylines taking up quality space time which I found were great to move the story along.  I enjoyed the fact that we were not so focused on Tatiana and the different Houses this time around because there are new bad guys in town to watch out for.  And to be found in the most unlikely of places.  No I won't tell you who or what, but they kept the story very interesting.

There are also some new developments with the characters we already love and care about, Fi and Doc have a lot going on.  Creek as well.

Overall, I think the author did a wonderful job with this book to keep things moving along, keep me interested even through the changes of POV and stories, and it all worked well.  But I have to give it to her that she's finally given us more of Chrysabelle and Mal as a couple.  They are so perfect for each other!  And now after that ending, I'm just so anxious to get the next book ASAP!!!

Favorite Quote:

"You really do love me, don't you?"
He answered without opening his eyes. "Enough that it frightens me, too."

*ARC provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy

(more like 4.5 feathers!)

Tigers and Devils

(Tigers and Devils #1)

by Sean Kennedy

I don’t know how this book passed me by. If I had found out about it sooner, I would have devoured it then. TIGERS AND DEVILS is a must-read for M/M fans.

Simon Murray is a gay man who is quite content with his life until his meddling friends badger him about his relationships – or rather lack thereof. But Simon isn’t too worried about it. After all, he is busy with his work. It isn’t until a casual football “conversation” happens that Simon’s life changes drastically. As he eloquently stands up for star forward Declan Tyler’s honor, Simon and all the other men are shocked when the one man standing in the shadows, listening on is the star athlete himself.

Without grace, Simon removes himself from the embarrassing situation before his big mouth gets him in a more embarrassing position, but instead his mouth makes good use when Declan is there, following him out and thanking him for standing up for his honor. A kiss shared between them soon sparks a lust that neither can deny. So in an effort to further explore this newly discovered passion, they agree to see more of each other.

Sean Kennedy is a new-to-me author but I know for sure that I will be reading more of his work. TIGERS AND DEVILS won me over and I cannot put into words how much I enjoyed this book! Simon and Declan are such fantastic characters. They have so much personality and that is a testament to Kennedy’s writing. He is so readily able to bring his characters to life, whether it’s by infusing them with humor or snark or simply divulging their inner secrets. By the end of the book, I felt as if I knew Simon and Declan inside and out.

Another great thing about this book is that there is also a focus on friendship. Roger and Fran lit up the pages of this book. Both are hilarious on their own, but together, it’s like fireworks. Add Simon’s co-worker, Nyssa to the mix and you’ve got the most annoying, yet charming set of friends a guy could have. I will say that sometimes they took some of the focus away from Declan and Simon, but I can’t really complain since they are simply awesome.

The romance in this book was utterly romantic. I only wished there was more to devour. I wanted more Simon and Declan. More sex. More teasing. More. More. More. I definitely cannot wait until TIGERLAND.

Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: Nobody's Perfect by Kallypso Masters

4.5 Feathers

Nobody's Perfect

by Kallypso Masters

(Rescue Me # 4)

I have been procrastinating in writing this review because I feel that I need to write something amazing to explain how I felt.  But now I realized that is not what's going to happen, so I'm just going to tell you how this book made me feel.  And in my opinion, when a book can move you, make you connect, engage you to the point that it feels as if you know these characters and you care so much for their well being, not just for their happily ever after... then that is greatness!

That's how I feel about the Rescue Me series in general.  I have come to care for each and every character in this series because they are all so damaged and have gone through so much hardship in their lives, that I just want to be part of the happiness when they get there.  A perfect example of that has been Damian and Savannah.

I won't get into the background too much from previous books, will focus on this book.  Savannah comes back to Damian with their daughter in tow, running away from her father and his right hand man.  From California to Denver, with no money and battered.  Savannah is strength personified.  Damian takes them in without knowing Mari is his daughter and just tries to protect them and care for Savi.

But she is so damaged.  I don't think we had a clue, even though we had a slight idea, of what Savannah has gone through in her life.  This book and her story brought tears to my eyes many times, even again as I write this.  I admit that I had to take breaks from reading this book and good thing I had something light and funny to read in between.  It is deep and emotional.  To find out what she's been through, to see her go through healing, to see her deal with her triggers, to see her break down.  And she had to break down before she was able to start putting herself back together.

The way the author told her and Damian's story was so believable and realistic.  Never jumping too fast ahead that you wouldn't believe Savannah could do it.  I think all around the research that went into this book shows, because the scenes Damian picked, the reasoning behind them and how he executed them...everything leads me to see how this lifestyle has a lot of healing in these situations.

Damian also has his story and his issues.  Some are just in his mind and some are physical.  Ms. Masters deals with those as well.  This is not an easy book to read, it is very emotional, but once you go are done reading it, you'll be happy you did.  And I do have to add that O.M.G. Damian is so hot, if he wasn't perfect for Savannah I would seriously consider looking for him and stealing him.

And if you're wondering why this is a 4.5 review and not a 5, I can only say that is personal preference.  My heart ached for Savannah to find happiness and I think I would've liked to see a little more in between her darkness where she had a happy moment.  Even if it was a moment where they interacted with Mari more.  I think I personally needed some light to break up the darkness, earlier in the book.

I think from now on I will call Ms. Masters "The Queen of Making Me Cry!" from sadness or happiness alike.  NOBODY'S PERFECT is just an amazing healing and love story, because at the core, love did conquer all for both and saved them. 

Favorite Quotes:

"I care, Savi.  I understand.  Let me help."

"He fought the urge to mouth 'I love you' to her, but didn't want to scare her off.  So he just mentally tattooed the words on his heart, instead."

"Savi held onto his wounded leg, wrapping both arms around it and laid her forehead against his knee.  She wished she could shed tears for him, but she hadn't been able to cry in...forever."

"You said you had nightmares."
His hand stilled on her head and he stopped breathing for a moment.  "A few.  Over time, though, I chose to dream about you...us...and the nightmares faded some."
"So that's why you call me mi sueño.  Your dream.  Oh Damian." They'd missed so much.

"Don't call me a victim.  I'm a survivor."

"It will never be okay.  I will never be okay.  I'm too broken."
"Nobody's perfect, Savi.  Hell, look at me.  But you'll always be perfect to me."

"Nobody's perfect, mi sueño, but you're about as close to perfection as I've ever known."

"I never forgot you, Savannah.  Not for a single day."

"Marisol told me once you'd forgotten you were a princess.  I just wanted to make sure you never forget again.  You're my princess, Savita.  I'll never let anything happen to you.  I'll slay your dragons.  I'll chase away the demons that invade your sleep - and, trust me, I know they will come -  but they're no match for me, my love.  I'll be there for you no matter what - if you'll let me be."

*Review copy provided by author

Purchase Links: Amazon