Review: The Heart of a Killer by Jaci Burton

3.5 Feathers

The Heart of a Killer

by Jaci Burton

(The Killer # 1)

Romantic Suspense

I'm torn at writing this review. Let me just say first of all I love Jaci Burton. I can't wait for her books to come out and usually read them right away. She has a way of telling a story that I find flows easily and takes you into the story.

Now that being said, we find ourselves with The Heart of a Killer. I had some issues with this story. In general I liked the idea of the plot. I liked the characters even. All of them. So you know what, lets do the good first.

I liked Dante. Even though he disappears when Anna needed him most, there are reasons why, but he never forgot her and just can't stay away. Plus it helps he's pretty sexy. Anna had her TSTL moments, but in general she was a pretty good heroine, especially when she gives in to her desires ;) Gabe, I'm very intrigued to know more about him and I'm hoping his story is next.

So this story starts with a group of 16 year olds at an ice cream shop. Anna is the only girl, she's dating Dante, who's a few years older. In the group are Dante's foster brothers. Everything changes that night when Anna gets attacked and almost raped and killed.

Fast forward 12 years, Anna is now a detective, two of the foster brothers skipped town the night of her attack (including her boyfriend) but they are all back now. And the killings begin. Someone is after Anna again and is killing the people around her while leaving little presents for her. Yeah, creepy.

Now lets pick up the subject of my issues again. I think Ms. Burton completely missed the mark on human emotion and reactions in this book. Why? Well, for example, someone gets killed in the same way as Anna's traumatic assault, and the group of them have a pizza party, drinking beer, catching up and making jokes. I'm all for moving on with your life after something traumatic happens, but we didn't get to see much in terms of grief, and the pain the characters went through after losing someone close to their heart. Don't they have feelings? The same could be said for how things were handled at 16, after Anna's attack.

Most people thought the identity of the killer was out of left field for them. Actually I suspected the killer from the beginning. Ms. Burton did a good job at throwing me off his trail throughout the book, but I always kept coming back to him.

In the end, it's a good book, I read this quickly, it kept me interested and wanting to find out what happens. But everytime I was slapped in the face with how there was no emotional reaction to something that should've had one, it pissed me off. Which is why I'm giving this story the rating I am. I am very interested in continuing the series though, I've never read a book by Ms. Burton where I've had this issue, so I trust this won't happen again! 

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ARC Review: Dark Sins and Desert Sands by Stephanie Draven

Dark Sins and Desert Sands

by Stephanie Draven

Paranormal Romantic Suspense

Ray Stavrakis is one scary sonovabitch! With his ability to use mind control and morph into a Minotaur, Ray is definitely a force to be reckoned with. However, it wasn’t just his uncanny abilities that made him freaky, it was his testosterone-driven I-will-kill-you vibe he was sporting through the entire book. I will admit, I did not like Ray in the beginning of this book. In fact, I thought he was a jerk with a big chip on his shoulder.

But then Ms. Draven begins to unravel his backstory and we learn that he has escaped a Syrian prison and while there, he was tortured and interrogated ruthlessly. With vengeance on his mind, he seeks out those who were responsible for his pain and scars and seeks out the psychologist Layla Bahset to exact his revenge.

However, to his surprise, the Vegas psychologist has no memory of Ray. In fact, her memories are locked away where even his mind control abilities aren’t enough to crack them. While I thought Ms. Draven’s writing was pleasant, I just didn’t find myself connecting with Ray or Layla that much. As I mentioned earlier, Ray was too much of a brute that he became unrelatable to me. There were moments between him and Layla that I really enjoyed though. Those witty conversations between the two slowly made them real to me. However, with the heroine lost to her own past, most of the time I felt like connecting with her was a lost cause. But this is not to say that the journey of these characters isn’t a great one. Soon, I found my initial perceptions of them changing and Ray and Layla grew on me more and more.

What was intriguing was Ms. Draven’s use of the supernatural. I would have loved to pick her brain and ask her why she chose the magical elements that she did. It was unique, setting her apart from many of the books I’ve read and I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. Another thing I also really enjoyed was the eclectic mix of races. I wished more authors did this. Ms. Draven weaves Aztec, Greek and some Egyptian mythology into this one and it was surprising to see a lot of action in such a short book. I enjoyed the tangle of web that Ms. Draven created. And part of the joy is watching it all unravel right before your eyes.

*ARC provided by author

 

 

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Review: How to Worship a Goddess by Stephanie Julian

How To Worship A Goddess (Forgotten Goddesses #2)

by Stephanie Julian

Erotic Romance

Lucy, the Etruscan Goddess of the Moon and the goddess the Lucani worship. However, there are demons after her trying to steal her power to get their master out the Underworld, which makes is really bad timing when Brandon Stevenson, the ice hockey player she has been lusting sfter for two seasons steps into her bar looking for her.

I confess, I have been a bad bad girl! Normally I am really OCD about reading books in order, but I have been naughty as I haven't read the first book yet: What a Goddess Wants, something I am going to have in immediately rectify as I really liked this book.

I liked the characters of Lucy and Brand in this book, I thought they made a sweet as well as flaming hot couple! The sex in this book was hot and frequent, Brand was a fricking love machine and had that dominant edge that gets me all hot and bothered, I would kinda hate Lucy if I didn't like her so much! However, don't be put off by my sex-being-frequent comment, as although it is, it doesn't drown the book so you are reading 350 pages of being getting their end off. This book does have a story, one which continues from the previous book, and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series to see what will happen next.

Stephanie Julian has written a lot of books, all set in the same world, which is fantastic as I get the impression that some of the characters in this book were HEAs from her other series. But, this did make it a little confusing, I understood the world but I did get mixed up with what species was what. Not enough to ruin the book, but I think I definitely need to read some more of her other books till I get my head around it.

A great read, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone wanting an erotica with a big heap of romance.

Reading on the Dark Side: Night Huntress

Night Huntress

by Jeaniene Frost

It's that time of the month again!  We are featuring another favorite series of ours that, if you haven't read you need to get to it immediately, and if you've read it, then you'll love what we've put together.



Name: Crispin Russell
Vampire Name: Bones
Books: The Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost
Appearance: Brown eyes, pale perfect skin, naturally has slightly curly brown hair but keeps it short and platinum blonde. Sharp cheekbones and drop dead (haha) sexy
Previous Employment: Man whore and more recently Mercenary
Species: Vampire
Sire: Ian
Quote: "There is only one way to fight, and that's dirty. Clean gentlemanly fighting will get you nowhere but dead, and fast. Take every cheap shot, every low blow, absolutely kick people when they're down, and maybe you'll be the one who walks away."

Name: Catherine Crawfield aka Cat
Affectinately known as... The Red Reaper
Books: The Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost
Appearance: Red hair and grey eyes that when pissed turn vampire green, clear pale skin and a killer body
Species: Half Vampire, Half Human
Family: Her mother Justine Crawfield, her father she has no idea but when she finds him, she is gonna kill him.
Quote: "I'm saying that I'm a moody, insecure, narrow-minded, jealous, borderline homicidal bitch, and I want you to promise me that you're okay with that, because it's who I am, and you're what I need."

Name: Baron Charles De Mortimer
Vampire Name: Spade
Book: Appears in the Night Huntress Series regularly but also has his own book: First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World #1)
Species: Vampire
Past: When they were human Spade, Ian and Bone's were all sent in the same convict ship to Australia.
Apperance: Inky black shoulder length hair, dark amber eyes and the pale perfect skin of a vampire.
Quote: "I wanted you to watch, so I stomped around the room to wake you before I got in the shower. Didn't you wonder why the light was on? It wasn't for me, I can see in the dark. And then I kept the water cold so the glass wouldn't fog."

Name: Denise MacGregor
Book: Appears in the Night Huntress Series but also has her own book: First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World #1)
Appearance: Hazel eyes and mahognany hair with a roses and cream complexion
Species: Human
Friends & Family: Became best friends with Cat after Cat saved her from a vampire attack, and she was married but her husband was viciously attaked and killed by zombies.
Quote: "A vibrator can last all night too Vampire!"

Name: Mencheres
Book: Apears in the Night Huntress Series frequently but has his own book: Eternal Kiss of Darkness (Night Huntress World #2)
Appearance: SEXY!!! Egyptian looking with golden skin and long black hair and coal coloured eyes he appears like he is in his mid 20's
Species: Vampire, one of the oldest
Classic Quote: "The shit’s gonna splatter, start buggin’, yo,"
Quote: Dead or not, you must be bored with women telling you how you look like the hottest, most exotic wet dream they’ve ever had. No wonder the thought of you, grapes, and some scented massage oils crossed my mind – and if you drop that towel again, I’m going to need a cold shower."

Name Kira Graceling
Book: Eternal Kiss of Darkness (Night Huntress World #2)
Appearance: Pale green eyes, curly shoulder length hair which is golden at the tips, slender body.
Profession: She is a Private Investigator, but she wanted to be a cop.
Species: Human, one of the rare humans that Vampires cannot read or control their mind.
Family: She has a sister called Tina who is terminally ill and a brother.
Quote: "First bubble baths. Now Disney parks. You're shattering every creep vampire myth I've ever heard."

Name: Vlad
Also known as...Dracula!
Appearance: Brown hair, and has a goate cooppery green eyes. Not exactly handsome but intriguing.
Books: He is the Night Huntress series BUT he is also getting his own series, the first book is Once Burned and is due out March 2012
Species: Vampire
Special Powers: He is a pyrokinetic, he can cast and control fire.
Quote: "You arrogant, overpublicized, showy old bat, what are you waiting for? Aren't you the king of all bogeymen? The legend children fear will devour them if they misbehave? Come on Vlad, live up to your reputation! If you can't burn to death one Egyptian vampire chained to a wall how did you ever drive the Turks from Romania?"
"Premature inflammation,” he replied. “Happens sometimes. Very embarrassing. I don’t like to talk about it."

Name: Ian
Appearance: Pale skin vampire skin, chestnut hair and turquoise eyes
Species: Vampire
Sire: Mencheres
Books: Ian is in the Night Huntress series from One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress #2) but is mentioned from the first book
Quote: Ian laughed. “Charles, mate, you fret too much. I’m a grown man, I am, and I can blood my handle.”
"Handle your blood?” Bones offered dryly.
Ian grinned. “Exactly."
"Before you go, mate, turn on the telly. Something raunchy, too. Think I’ll rub one off before I sleep."

Name: Tate Bradley
Appearence: Buzz cut brown hair and navy blue eyes, in his late twenties.
Books: He appears in all the Night Huntress Series book, we are hoping he gets a book of his own!
Species: Human
Profession: He works for the Military on a top secret project on Vampires, Cat is now his commander and they try and protect humans from naughty vampires.
Secret Crush: Okay it isn't so secret, but Cat

Name: Justine Crawfield
Books: Justine is in all the Night Huntress books
Species: Human
Family: Justine is Cat's mother and is Justine's only child.
Pet Hates: She HATES with a burning and fiery passion all vampires; including Bones.

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Jeaniene Frost is graciously giving away any book from her backlist, winner's choice! IT'S SIGNED!  So if you want to win one of her books, all you have to do is:

1. Be a follower

2. Fill out the form below

This giveaway is international. 

Winner will be chosen via random.org

Good luck!  Contest is open until October 31!

Review: Midnight Sins by Lora Leigh

Midnight Sins

by Lora Leigh

(The Callahan's # 1)

Romantic Suspense

Arrrgggghhhhhh! Do you know how frustrating it is to read a new book by an author you've usually liked and when you finish all you can think is: It was aiiiight?!!??

This is the second book this year by Ms. Leigh that leaves me feeling like that. Was it bad? No. It was just a bit of a slow mess. And I also felt a bit of recycled plots. Not as a whole, but I felt at times like I was reading a Men of August book.

Rafer Callahan is one 3 cousins that have been the target of the whole small town they live in their whole lives. Their parents were killed in an accident when they were young and their uncle takes them in and raises them. But their grandfathers are out to get them, have been since forever, and have always turned the town against them. Everyone is always scared to be friends with them or their business would suffer. Same goes for dating. No one ever wants to admit to dating one of them.

Cami has been in love with Rafer since she was a teenager and at the time he was sorta dating her sister. But then her sister gets killed and Rafer was accused. Of course he proves his innocence and a serial killer is found to blame. After that Rafer and his cousins left town, went in the military. But that didn't keep Cami away. She met up with Rafer a few times, gave him her virginity (shocker!) and then she stopped going after him.

Now the cousins are back in town and ready to take on their relatives. And Rafer is determined to get Cami back in his life. Except there's a detour thrown in when, after Cami and Rafer rekindle their love affair, she gets targeted by a killer who is leaving the same trail as her sisters killer had.

The steam factor you ask? It IS Lora Leigh. She can do no wrong as far as that is concerned and this book is pretty steamy and hot and sweaty and... you get the point, right?

As for the killer? We get part of the resolution in this book, but it will obviously be an ongoing issue on who is really out to get the cousins. As always, I'm interested in the next book. What we hear from Logan and the neighbor sounds promising. Fingers crossed that the execution will be more catching than this one! 

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Interview and Giveaway with Jessica Andersen!

Under the Covers is participating in the Spookacular Giveaway Hop hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and The Diary of a Bookworm. This giveaway will run from Oct. 24th-31st. Please make sure you visit other participating sites during this awesome event! And now....

Jessica Andersen is the author of The NightKeepers series and several Harlequin Intrigue books. Her latest release, Lord of the Wolfyn takes on a sexy shifter in a series with Gena Showalter, Jill Monroe and Nalini Singh called the Royal House of Shadows. We are thrilled to have Doc Jess with us today at UTC! Let's get this party started! For more information about Doc Jess and her fabulous books, please visit her website here.

Thank you so much for stopping by Under The Covers today and hanging out with us!

Thanks so much for having me!

What was it like working on a four-book series with three wonderful authors who have their own distinct writing styles?

Wow, working with Gena Showalter, Nalini Singh and Jill Monroe was truly fabulous!! When we first got together (so to speak- it was all done by email), we brainstormed a ton of different ideas for ways to tie the books together, yet still allow each of us to tell our own kind of story. At the same time it was super fun to talk about all the possibilities, because these were going to be books outside of our own series, which meant we could do some new and different things if we wanted. Honestly, it wasn't a problem coming up with ideas—it was more of a challenge to narrow them down! One of us would say “I think I'm going to do this,” and the rest of us would be all like, “ooh, then that means I can do this other thing!” It was a very cool, very interactive process that I think shows in the stories, which are tied together, yet reflect each of our very individual styles.

Your book is inspired by the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. How or what did you do to make your story resemble the well-known tale while not let it be a simple re-telling?

Well, I started out knowing that I wanted to make the wolf into the hero—I'd never done a werewolf before (er ... I mean I'd never written one before), and I really wanted to, so I immediately snagged Red Riding Hood as my starting point. But you're right that I way didn't want it to be a retelling ... So instead of following the story, I actually use the book itself. The heroine—a frustrated, desk-riding cop in Salem, Mass—finds an old, familiar-looking copy of Red Riding Hood in an antique store on the waterfront, and finds herself compelled to buy it. When she gets it home ... well, let's just say it opens up a whole new world for her!

Shifters are very sexy supernatural creatures. What was your favourite thing about writing a book on them?

I had really only written one shapeshifter before (Nate Blackhawk in DAWNKEEPERS), and he doesn't get that particular power until very late in the story ... so I really had a ton of fun thinking about Dayn's shapeshifting powers, how the urges of a werewolf affect him, and how they mess up his self image (the wolfyn are considered the enemy in his home realm!). But the best part was experiencing his mating urges, and the way he really locks on to what he wants. He's a super sexy alpha wolf, and not afraid to use it!

What would you say is Dayn's best quality? What is the quality that he needs to work on?

One of the things I love most about Dayn is his loyalty to the people he cares about, whether his lover, his friends, his family, or the people of his homeland. He's got his own desires (and then some!) and he's not afraid to go after them (woot!), but at the same time he's got this strong, honorable core that I admire. That's why he needs the heroine, Reda—she's supposed to lead him back to his homeland ... if they can make it past the vile sorcerer who's determined to stop them.
On the flip side, though, he's been alone a long time when he meets Reda, and he's used to calling all his own shots. So let's just say that she's got some work to do when it comes to getting him to slow down and listen to her—really listen to her—and understand that he doesn't get to call all the shots for both of them ... at least not if he knows what's good for him!

What would you consider essential elements of a good story?

For me, it's really important that I connect right off the bat with one or more of the characters, and that I really care about what they're going through. I really won't stick with a book or a movie for very long if there's nobody I can really root for.

Fun questions! If you could shape your own series where a different author writes a story in a four-book deal, which authors would you pick and why?

Ooh, that's a cool one! I'm a big fan of historical romance, especially with mysteries, action and/or paranormal elements. So how about a great historical series written by Amanda Quick, Hannah Howell, Elizabeth Hoyt and Jade Lee?

Complete the following sentences:
A good book is one that has.... a heroine I would like to have lunch with and a hero I'd like to have breakfast with. In bed.
Every hero should ... floss.
Paranormal Romance is hot because... it can be my wildest fantasy, and then some!

If you had the choice between a Knight in Shining Armour or Dark and Broody antihero, which would you pick?

I'll take the knight any day. I've had dark and broody, and have learned that it's not my responsibility to fix him. Now I've got my knight ... and no, I'm not sharing!!

If you could shape shift into anything, what would it be?

A great white. I'd like to be on shark week, showing off my backflips and stuff!

You will be attending the RT Booklovers Convention (Chicago 2012) and holding a No-Holds Barred Q&A with the talented J.R. Ward. What do you think readers can expect from this workshop and why shouldn't they miss it?

Weellll, let's just say it's a really uncensored workshop. Anyone who attends might get a spoiler or two, and will definitely get some laughs!!

What's next for Jessica Andersen?

I'm wrapping up two series in 2012—the Nightkeepers (paranormal romance for Signet Eclipse) and Bear Claw Creek (romantic suspense for Harlequin Intrigue), and will be launching some way cool new projects in '13. Stay tuned for more info, I can't wait!!

Thanks again for stopping by, we had so much fun chatting with you!! 

Jessica Andersen is graciously giving away one signed copy of Lord of the Wolfyn to a lucky maiden! Open to everyone. Winner will be chosen via random.org.

Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden.
To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance.

Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.…
For practical Reda Weston, nothing could explain how reading a sexy version of "Little Red Riding Hood" catapulted her into another realm—face-to-fang with the legendary wolf-creature who seduced women. A wolf who transformed into a dark, virile man….

Dayn cursed the Sorcerer that turned him wolfyn and damned him to a lonely fate. As a beast, he mated with women to gain strength.

Strength he needed to rescue his royal parents. But as a man, he craved Reda's heated, sizzling touch. With little time left, Dayn had to either embrace his wolf to save his kingdom…or fight it to save his woman.

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

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Check out our other giveaways on the blog right now:
Win a personalized book of your choice by Jeaniene Frost, our Author of the Month! - Ends Oct. 31.
Win a signed copy of Possess Me or Three Sinful Witches by R.G. Alexander - Ends Oct. 25

Review: Lord of the Wolfyn by Jessica Andersen

 Lord of the Wolfyn

by Jessica Andersen

(Royal House of Shadows # 3)

Paranormal Romance

You know not to judge a book by its cover but...the cover, how do you judge?

Francesca: DE.LICK.CIOUS! All that delicious chest, and the colors are really pretty as well. Wouldn't mind curling in bed with him at night, I mean with the book of course!

Suzanne: LOVE. IT. I would get this book for the cover alone. I know BAD Suzanne, but have you seen that gorgeous man chest. I am not saying that I would lick the cover, but I am just warning don't be surprised if it is a little damp LMAO!

What did you think about the main characters?

Francesca: Dayn is like a little lost puppy. He feels he betrayed his family by not being there but he wants to redeem himself by going back and rescuing them! Not the tough guy, but the do-good one. I liked him.  Reda to me was an insecure woman trying to fit in the shoes of a tough chick. She had the job as a cop, she has a mission in life which she thought was always a made up story, but then she doesn't have the guts to back up that role. I mean, she almost ended up as plant food!

Suzanne: I liked Dayn he was one sexy shapeshifter (my faves!) I wouldn't say he was my favourite, but I liked his dedication to his Kingdom and his siblings, as well his super hawtness. But Reda...her constant changing her mind about things irritated me, one moment she was certain of one truth and 10 pages later it was something else! I hate indecisiveness!

What did you like about this book?

Francesca: I liked the play on the fairytale, I think it was done nicely. I liked that Dayn was part wolfyn when in his own land he was the enemy, and I liked Dayn's possessive instincts about Reda. I also liked the Blood Sorcerer storyline, which we get to see more of in this book.

Suzanne: I liked the continuation of the story about getting rid of the Blood Sorcerer and the idea of the Wolfyn and I can't wait to see what happens next!

What do you think could have been better?

Francesca: The story flowed really slow to me. I think maybe if it would've picked up the pace a little would've been more catching.

Suzanne: For me the story was missing something, it was a little slow and I found Reda a little annoying. It also seemed to end rather abruptly as well, but this seems to have happened in all three of them so far.

Series so far, what do you think?

Francesca: I like the fairytale concept and how each book talks about a different fairytale redone. Would I say this is a favorite series of mine? No. But it's definitely something different and well written.

Suzanne: Like Fran I liked the fairytale concept it is something different, but I am just not really "in" to this series as much as I would like to be, it feels to disconnected. But I am looking forward to the next book! 

  Purchase from Amazon