* Jacquelyn Frank: Author Override | UTC Reviews
* Skye Warren: Author Override
* Narrator Lorelei King: Interview
* Stephanie Tyler: Interview
* Carolyn Crane: Author Override | UTC Review
* J.T. Geissinger: Interview | UTC Review
* Men and Women of the Military Giveaway Hop
* Keri Arthur: Interview | UTC Reviews

Saturday, 28 April 2012

Review: Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon


 
 
Night Embrace 
(Dark Hunters #2)
by Sherrilyn Kenyon


Dear Talon,
I’ll hold your spear.
Love,
Ann

NIGHT EMBRACE is the second book in the Dark Hunters series and I have to say that it is definitely my favorite so far! I usually have a problem with Kenyon’s tendency to overdramaticize, but for this book, I don’t think she pulled anything crazy or over the top.

As always, the hero is a tortured soul. Talon has lost something that he holds dear. But he doesn’t allow it to run his life now. I loved Talon’s lighthearted attitude. He was fun, flirty and soo damn sexy. The first part of this book has lots of sex in it (not that I’m complaining) so Kenyon really established Talon as the ultimate sex warrior. She even comes up with some very interesting positions. I’ll make note of those, thank you very much.

Another great thing about this series is Sunshine. She really sparkled in this book. I loved her quirky ways and her unique spirit. She compliments Talon well and I loved that they were so willing to give up their world for each other.

With a strong romance and an even stronger camaraderie between the Dark Hunters, I can say I’m very excited to see what’s in store for Zarek!
 
 
Purchase Links: Amazon

Review: On the Prowl by Christine Warren


 
On the Prowl
(Others #13)
by Christine Warren

Brought together by their power-seeking families, Saskia Arcos and Nicolas Preda are now married, but won’t be considered fully mated until Saskia becomes pregnant with Nic’s cub. As fierce members of the Tiguri – the incredible shapeshifting weretiger community – they are put under the spotlight because of their status in the community and Nic’s place as CEO of one of the top corporations in Manhattan.

Saskia and Nicolas are an interesting couple, to say the least. Saskia is a woman who is used to having things taken care of for her. This makes her the perfect match for someone who enjoys control as much as Nicolas. I would say their dynamic is most similar to a Dom/sub relationship. Saskia shows signs of a submissive personality while Nicolas loves to give out orders and expects them to be followed through. Some would consider Nic to be a jerk, but for me, he didn’t come off as too demanding. He is a man who knows what he wants and I thought that Saskia stood up to him well.

I was very impressed by Warren’s writing style. I read this book in one sitting and I think that is a result of Warren’s incredible ability to write so freely and pace her work evenly. Warren also does a fantastic job of giving readers a chance to understand both sides of a scene from the hero and heroine. She does this often and thoroughly and I think that’s the number one reason why I enjoyed these characters so much. Nic can do or say something that is completely off-putting , but then readers get his POV of the scene and we understand how out of control he feels whenever he is around Saskia. He isn’t perfect at all, but he acknowledges his mistakes when he does make them.

While I feel that the emphasis was placed more so on the romance, there is also a pleasant suspense side plot with a crime that is pointing all the blame to Nic. I don’t think this aspect of the book was explored as much as I would have liked, however I did feel like it was resolved well.

For readers who liked a dominant alpha hero and enjoy reading smoking hot sex scenes, then this book will definitely be to your liking. As my first Christine Warren book that I have enjoyed, I can say that it won’t be my last if more of the Others are like Nic. He is definitely delicious. Come on, go on and take a bite!

*Review copy provided by publisher
 
 
Purchase Links: Amazon

Thursday, 26 April 2012

Author Override: T.J. Michaels

Author Override is the place where authors take the reins and take you on a journey into their world. Some may allow you into their private writing dens. Others may take you along with them on research trips or interviews. Whatever the case may be, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride because here you’ll get an in-depth look into an author’s musings.

Where the hell is TJ Michaels?

Sometimes I’m not sure of the answer to that question but it does make for fun stories. Most of the time ;D

I’m a geek *yes, we rule the world, bow before us* on my day job. My background is systems and database analysis and design with some process and business analysis tossed in. My client is a global software firm which means that sometimes I have to travel to get the job done.

This time I’m in Austria. As a matter of fact I’m sitting in my hotel room penning this blog post and thinking about all the Swiss chocolate I’m not eating right now because it’s after 9:00pm. However…since it’s only quarter past noon at home maybe I can get away with claiming that my body is still on Pacific Daylight Time? Yes!

So, I write paranormal, contemporary and sci-fi romance, and I must say I do sometimes get some awesome ideas from globetrotting. But first, let’s get some things straight:

1)      It ain’t always a place I want to go! As such, I tend to write snark and a bit of attitude into my characters that have to travel for work. However, they do manage to kick ass while they’re doing their jobs. In fact the opening paragraph of one of my favorite books, Carinian’s Seeker, Vampire Council of Ethics Bk 1, came from a trip to Colorado in the middle of the freakin’ freezin’ winter time *can you tell I’m still annoyed about that one?*
2)      I see all kinds of people. Sometimes that’s awesome. Sometimes it’s not. The result is that my characters tend to be a bit out of the ordinary. On the good side my upcoming novel, Silk Road, Seals of Destiny Bk 1, features a gorgeous Fallen Angel, a not-Fallen angel that loves Elvis, some magic workers and a leprechaun that happens to be bad ass. The leprechaun was inspired by a guy I saw in Belgium – the man was totally short as all get out, but had a commanding presence, was buffed and gorgeous beyond B.E.L.I.E.F.!!
3)      The time difference overseas can really mess with me. Sometimes that’s awesome because a case of jetlag whipped my backside only hours before I wrote this post. And guess what I dreamed? I dreamed that me and the daughter of my book wrangler (a fabulous chicklet affectionately known as CeeCee, CVD and occasionally ‘Slave Driver’) got into a bar fight at a bowling alley and kicked ass Charlie’s Angels style! So guess what? I’m writing it down to put into a book before I forget!

I expect that while we are at the Authors After Dark readers convention in New Orleans in August, I’ll have even more fodder *tj rubbing hands together with huge evil grin on her face* Mwahahaha!


We are giving away winner's choice title from Michaels's backlist. Open to everyone.

To enter:
1. Be a follower
2. Fill out the form below

Wednesday, 25 April 2012

Dirty Little Secret # 45


Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by us at Under the Covers. Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets. We hope that you will all join us!

To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

1. Be a follower of Under the Covers.
2. Create a post in your blog taking the meme image (code above) and copy instructions.
3. Answer the question we propose! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.
4. Then add your link below.

Non-bloggers: We want to hear from you as well!!! Let us know your answer in the comments!

We hope you join us and let us know your Dirty Little Secrets!

This week's question:
Who is your favorite flawed hero and/or heroine and why do you still love them despite their faults?

Our Answer:

Francesca: There are many tortured heroes in my list of Men-To-Die-For, but if I had to talk about just one today I think I would choose Cam McKay.  Yes people, I'm not picking John Matthew from the BDB, otherwise I'd always be talking about the same guy, I'm trying to give you variety!!!!  OK back to Cam.  When I first met him in the Rough Riders series he was panty-melting hot, had the brooding hot military man thing going and was just so damn sexy, I couldn't WAIT to get to his book.  Then he goes back to war and comes back injured.  Not just injured, but he looses his leg.  I think what makes him even more special (other than the fact he's hot as hell and great in the sack) is his strength, the way he chose to stare adversity in the face and not let that stop him from living life to the fullest.  He is now a cop, got the girl he wanted and even got freaky with her (and yes I mean in a tie-them-up and whip-them kinda way).

Suzanne:  Hmm flawed hero...normally I would go with some old faves but like Fran, I am going to shake it up a little and pick Lindsay Markham from "Addicted" by Charlotte Featherstone. Lindsay isn't physically flawed, but he has an opium addiction, a huge flaw, that has been slowly taking over his life for a long time and in the end almost cost him everything. Lindsay was a great character, and although he does some really really stupid and hurtful things, you can see he is very human and that makes me like him even more, he isn't just a cookie cutter hero.

Annie: When I think of a flawed hero, John Murphy from Sweet As Sin by Inez Kelley always comes to mind. I read this book earlier this year and its been my favorite so far. John is incredibly flawed. I won't say why because I want you to read the book and find out for yourself but, he is the ultimate loner. Only the monsters in his head are his companions. He undermines himself in every way and doesn't believe himself worthy of being loved. He does terrible things that should make me hate him, but I couldn't find myself doing that. Sometimes, with a character so broken, the recovery is just as intense as the act that broke them in the first place.


Angela: This weeks question is a bit hard for me. I couldn't think if anyone.  The first flawed hero I can think of is Zhadist from BDB. Not necessarily physically but mentally. Because of his past he continues to struggle with his relationship with Bella and his daughter, Nalla. But I love how he continues to overcome this everyday. Anyone who can admit to his flaws and have the will to try just is a class act hero in my book, fiction or in RL.

Now it's your turn!


ARC Review: Under a Vampire Moon by Lynsay Sands

Under a Vampire Moon
by Lynsay Sands
(Argeneau Vampires # 16)

So I have a confession to make.  I am not up to date with this series (maybe I'm about half way through it) and decided to take on reading this book out of order because I LOVE CHRISTIAN!  So I figured, what could it hurt?   And I was pleasantly surprised that this was it's own little story in the Argeneau/Notte world so I had no problem jumping right in.

Now that being said and from my feelings on the past books in this series I feel that the cute charm this series had at the beginning is somewhat back!  Yes, I thought this book was cute and funny at times, sweet and sexy.  I mean you really can't go wrong when you throw Christian in a situation where he has to pretend to be gay to get with his life mate!

Christian first of all is possessive, sexy as hell, alpha, passionate, I could go on.  His longuish hair and male-model good looks had me swooning, as well as our heroine Carolyn.  Carolyn is actually a bit older so she struggles with being attracted to Christian and feeling like a cougar, and on top of that there's the fact that she believes he is gay and is "playing his girlfriend" to help him out.

And then there's the Notte's!  The side characters are a hoot.  Marguerite I've always loved and she didn't disappoint this time trying her best to make things work for her son.  She is an expert matchmaker after all.  But the one that stole the show was Zanipolo.  LOL When Carolyn thinks he's the gay one he goes through a whole identity crisis to prove to her that she's not.

I do feel like we could've used at least an epilogue.  The explanation of what they are and all that comes late in the book and I feel that part was rushed and couldn't really find her quick acceptance believable.  But then again, she had already been experiencing Christian's skills, blacking out after sex, the sex dreams, and of course Christian's ummmm cucumber was it?
*ARC provided by publisher

Covers to Covet

One of my most anticipated books of this year has a cover!!!!!  What do you all think of Nobody's Perfect by Kallypso Masters?  This is Damian (Orlando)'s and Savannah's story.  *Counting down the days*



 Olivia Cunning has also released the cover of her upcoming book, DOUBLE TIME. HOT.


Dude! How badass does Ann Aguirre's new cover look??? Sirantha Jax is boss.