ARC Review: All That Falls by Kimberly Frost

All That Falls

by Kimberly Frost

(Etherlin # 2)

How can you possibly go wrong with pairing up the rock and roll muse and a sexy as sin fallen archangel!?!?! You can't!  I had mixed feelings about Cerise in the first book but I knew I had to see more of Lysander.  Bad boy in leathers, plus he has wings and can play the violin.

Cerise definitely grew stronger in my eyes in this book.  She took control of her life, tried to figure out what had happened to her and how her lover had died, and didn't let the preconceptions of the Etherlin affect how she felt about Lysander and neither did it stop her from going after him.

Their chemistry was excellent in a hot but soft at the same time way.  There was a lot more romance in this book it seemed than book one, or at least more of it happened face to face, up close and personal.

Then there's the actual story ARC which was much more developed in this book but continues on the plot from book one.  A lot of use muse politics, betrayals, demon posessions and more.  I also loved the brief glimpse of Merrick and Alyssa.  Things are still not resolved and I can't wait to see what the next installment will bring.

*ARC provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon

ARC Review: All That Bleeds by Kimberly Frost

All That Bleeds

by Kimberly Frost

(Etherlin # 1)

When I first read about the Etherlin world in the Tied With a Bow anthology just a months back I have to admit I was intrigued.  The storyline and the world itself were captivating and even though it was a bit hard to take it all in by reading a novella (that might've been too ambitious) it did set the stage for this book.  Even though I don't think you need to read the prequel in that anthology, it would give you a bit of background history so you go into this one knowing a bit more about the world.

Basically the world is divided, physically, by a wall.  There's the Etherlin, where the muses live; and the Varden where vampires and lowlifes make their home.  Well, you will know vampires as ventalas and they are seen as second class citizens due to a plague that happened in the 1950s.

In All That Bleeds we feature one of the worlds Top Muses, Alissa, from the House of North, is in competition to be the Wreath Muse.  She is a bit of a celebrity in her world, complete with paparazzi's and bodyguards.  Her job is to inspire humans to create and invent great things.  At the same time she cares for her father, who has gone a bit mad after her mother "killed herself".

She's not supposed to associate with ventalas (vampires) but there's one halfling that caught her interest and she's been secretly corresponding with him for five years.  Five years that she's had the safety of a wall separating them so that she can be herself in her letters.

Now that somehow she's in danger, just a few votes before the final vote for the Wreath Muse, she could only count on him to keep her safe.

Why this book worked for me?  The originality of the story.  Yes, it's refreshing to read about a different setting and group of supernaturals!!  The slow building of the relationship between Alissa and Merrick.  There's so much that's keeping them apart and they still, slowly, manage to become the most important part of the other person's life.  There's a good amount of suspense to keep things interesting.  And then, lets face it... a good heaping dose of exquisite bad boys.  Merrick, with his expensive Armani suits, is wicked (yeah wickedly hot) but melts in her hands.  He respects her, her boundaries, and her role, but all he wants is to be where she is.  She seems to be so proper but she's truly adventurous and a bit rebellious, even though with a sense of responsibility. Merrick and Alissa were captivating.

And lets not forget the side characters!  Alissa's father, in all his craziness was awesome.  And don't get me started about Lysander.  I loved him in the prequel and I loved him the little bit he was in this book and I cannot wait for his book next.  There's just something about a scarred, don't-care-attitude, leather-wearing fallen angel that can melt anyone.  I'm already liking his pairing with Cerise (I'm guessing) and I can tell there will be lots of sparks between them too.  The gloves will come off!

Favorite Quotes:

"Since you and I go way back, I'll confess my identity. I'm the sits-on-high, betrayed-by-my-favorite-angels creator of heaven and earth." Merrick stared coolly at Victor. "You can call me God for short."

"Real and earthbound," he confirmed. "You don't look it." 
"No?" 
"No." His stare consumed her. "In that dress, you're heaven's mist. I can't decide whether to fall to my knees and worship from the ground up, or to start at your tendrils and work my way down."

*ARC provided by publisher

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Review: Tied With a Bow by Virginia Kantra, Kimberly Frost, Eileen Wilks and Lora Leigh

Tied With a Bow

by Virginia Kantra, Kimberly Frost, Eileen Wilks and Lora Leigh

Upon a Midnight Clear by Virginia Kantra - 4 Feathers
(Children of the Air - Prequel)

Historical paranormal romance about fallen angels! I found myself actually loving this story. Having never read this author before, I'm lucky this was a prequel to her series Children of the Air. Lucien is an angel who falls for the simple act of looking out for the wellbeing of the daughter of a dying woman. After his fall he doesn't have his memories of his time as an angel. He is now faced with the decision to marry a wealthy woman so that he can continue doing the good deeds he has taken upon himself. But fate has something different in mind. He ends up spending the Holidays at the house where the girl he fell for was taken in by what was left of her family. Aimee has been treated like Cinderella, she doesn't anything to offer a husband. But these two destined lovers can't fight what was always meant to be. And Lucien ends up falling in love with the girl he gave up his wings for.

First Light by Kimberly Frost - 3 Feathers
(Etherlin - Prequel)

This is the prequel for the Etherlin series. Kate is a journalist uncovering vampires, who keeps dreaming of a beautiful bronze man until that man lands pretty much in her path while she was skiing. Except he has no memories. He doesn't remember who he is, they just know he is running from ventala (part vampire, part human) and of course Kate will protect him. As the story progresses and his memories come back, Nathaniel feels the connection with Kate, she is to be his mate. But he doesn't understand what he has to give up in order to be with her. This was a bit of an ambitious introduction to a complex world in such a short story, which is why it's only getting 3 stars, but I am very excited to see where this new world will go with All That Bleeds

Human Error by Eileen Wilks - 2.5 Feathers
(World of the Lupi # 8.5)

This is now the second short story I've read in the World of the Lupi series and I have yet to read the series. I've come to the conclusion I shouldn't read the novellas for this series anymore because I feel I'm not doing them justice by not knowing the background. That being said, I thought this story was a bit boring. Taking a page from Meet The Parents, it is time for a lupi (shifter) to come into the home of a group of earth magic practitioners. While there, the lupi is not the only threat around and he might be the one to save them all.

An Inconvenient Mate by Lora Leigh - 4 Feathers
(Breeds # 25)

Lora Leigh is turning up the heat! This might be one of my favorite novellas in the Breeds series. Malachi was just *puuuurrrrrr* so alpha, determined to have his mate, welcoming of the gift Isabelle was to him. Even though I hadn't met Malachi before, being that he's one of the Coyotes, I was more than ready to connect with him and Isabelle as a couple. Sparks where flying before they ever spoke to each other, the fact that she made him hunt her instead of giving in right away to their desires, and when they finally did it was smoking hot! For once we didn't have a lot of tests at the beginning of the mating, which maybe I thought was a bit strange because Isabelle wasn't showing the crazy signs of mating all other females have gone through. Rule Breaker and Lawe Justice were also a part of this story in the Breeds general storyline, and I was happy to see Ashley! I'm looking forward to reading her story, but up next Lawe! Can't wait. After having a few misses this year with other series, Ms. Leigh has given us excellent Breeds stories! This story has a 4 toe curl rating!

Purchase Links: Amazon