Carnal Desires Review

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(More customer reviews)Crystal Jordan has released three of her Wereplanet novellas in one book called Carnal Desires. Fans of her work will shout for joy!
"In Heat"
Recently returned from a trip, Varad Mohan walks into the ballroom of his palace and immediately smells his wife. She is in heat and Varad knows that once she sees him, nothing will do but for them to mate, no matter that their passion has seemed to have dimmed with the death of their child. Varad knows that his queen will never turn him down but getting her to admit that she loves him once more is another thing and Varad won't settle for less.
Mahlia sees her husband, King Varad across the crowded room. Her senses kick in and the only thing she knows to do is run. She runs because she can't stomach the thought of delivering another child with the possibility of losing it like she lost her infant son. Her plans go awry when Varad catches her and proceeds to show her how the king of all weretigers makes love to his mate.
"In Heat" was out of this world hot. I love the concept of mating heat and uncontrollable desire. Varad loves his queen but in his inability to deal directly with his child's death, he hurt her and while he realizes this almost too late, I thought him quite honorable to admit his feelings to her and show weakness when he was supposed to always be strong. Mahlia's character was a bit dearer to my heart because of her sadness and total devastation at the loss of her son. My heart ached for her.
"In Smoke"
Weredragon Lady Katryn has been living with weretigers on the planet of Vesperi for her entire life. Pretty much ignored by her ambassador father, she is now required to head back to Harena, the planet of her birth in order to mate with her own kind and become part of a harim. Totally ignorant in the ways of dragons, Katryn is not sure she will be happy living in a new place. The emissary sent by her affianced mate to transport her to the capital city, Tarkesh makes Katryn yearn for something she can't have: him.
Lord Tarkesh and Lord Nadir are a mated couple. Required by their matriarchal planet to mate with a female in order to breed, they know that their love for each other is strong. However, they want to cherish and love their female mate as well. Since Nadir is the more dominating of the two dragons, he sends Tarkesh to meet Katryn so that she won't be scared. Things backfire when Tarkesh and Katryn hit it off more than Tarkesh thinks they should and he feels like he has betrayed Nadir. Only time will tell once Tarkesh and Katryn arrive and go through with the bonding ceremony.
I love a good ménage story in which the characters are all bonded and in love with each other. "In Smoke" was that type of ménage. Tarkesh and Nadir were combustible enough as lovers without Katryn but add her into the equation and the entire trio was simply flammable.
"In Mist"
Sera Gibbons has spent the last five hundred years in a cryogenic freeze. As one of only two survivors of the spaceship she was traveling on, she survived the crash landing on the werebear world of Alysius. Her friend Jain chose to remain on the planet with her newly found mate and Sera chose to stay with Brettan, a merman ambassador. After nearly a year of being with him, Sera has fallen in love but she is no nearer to finding out his feelings for her than she was months ago. One minute Bretton is aloof and the next he is sensual. No matter how many times they come together in sexual ecstasy, Sera always feels as if Bretton only comes to her when he has no other choice. She is so very wrong.
Give me a merman right now! I want one and am willing to do what it takes. Bretton was drop dead gorgeous from the tip of his toes to his waist length black hair. His overt sexuality kept me and Sera well entertained. His emotions were hard to read; defense mechanisms he used very well. I think "In Mist" is my favorite of the three novellas in Carnal Desires for this reason alone.
Crystal Jordan entrances and intrigues with Carnal Desires, a series of three intertwined novellas about a sensuous world of shape shifters and the mates that love them. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the world that is the Wereplanets.

Talia
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

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Queen of Dragons (The Drakon, Book 3) Review

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(More customer reviews)***SPOILERS***
After very much enjoying both The Dream Thief and The Smoke Thief, I was greatly anticipating Queen of Dragons. From the very beginning, however, I found myself not as connected to the story. Part of that may be due to the fact that I honestly don't remember much about Princess Maricara from the last book, and this one starts off expecting us to. Part of it may be due to the fact that Maricara is not an easy person to sympathize with and relate to. She is immediately portrayed as different from the rest of the Drakon, and although I normally sympathize with the outsider, she comes across as cold and distant and unlikeable. Sure, she was forced to marry the evil and abusive leader of the Carpathian Drakon when she was only nine and I'm sure suffered greatly at his hands, but Shana Abe's writing is rather vague and distant and detached about all this. I wasn't sure how much her horrible marriage affected Maricara (although I'm sure it was supposed to) because the character herself never really talked or thought about it. And the fact that it wasn't dealt with more just made me confused and frustrated.
Another problem I had with this book, which is a problem that I've had with the other two but which seemed more glaringly obvious and outrageous, is the lack of choice given to the female characters. Despite being forced into a marriage and raped by her husband (she was only nine- of course it was rape, but again all this was just hinted at vaguely) Maricara was then betrothed without her knowledge or consent at the age of FIFTEEN. It was hard enough to read about what was hinted about regarding her marriage at nine, but for then the alleged good guys to turn around and do the same thing was just appalling and disgusting to me. And all that happens by page 11, at which time I was immediately pre-disposed to hating not just our hero, but all the men of the drakon council who agreed to this, and the entire drakon society for allowing this to happen to a child. Needless to say, the romance didn't work for me at all. It's a romance book, after all, so it's no surprise that they eventually fall in love, but Kimber spent most of the book chasing her and contemplating imprisoning her, and that just isn't a convincing story of love for me.
The other part of the story is the plot about the sanf inimicus- the group of drakon hunters. Although they've been inactive, but known about until recently at the Carpathian Mountains, their presence is a new and scary threat to the once invincible English drakon. A young drakon girl goes missing, and then Kimber's brother is taken as well, but NOTHING happens with this story line beyond a minor skirmish. The fact that nothing was resolved about the sanf inimicus may be the most frustrating aspect about this novel. Queen of Dragons is set up and written so that you believe the big confrontation with the sanf inimicus will happen, but that's not true. Nothing happens beyond a brief fight with a small number of their group. No questions are answered.
Kimber's parents have also gone missing in the very beginning and that mystery is left dangling for the next book or two. Other characters make mysterious appearances, but nothing is explained or resolved. I could hardly believe it when I got to the last page- it felt like a hundred or more pages were missing. It was beyond frustrating. I remembered the first two books being mostly stand alone with a little hinted about for the next, but nothing like what happened here. It was seriously upsetting, and has left me questioning whether I'm going to continue reading a series where only more questions are asked rather than answered.
After delivering two good, solid books in this series, Shana Abe's third Drakon book severely disappoints. Characters are not well developed, not understandable, not relatable and not even likable. The romance felt too coerced and unsettling for me to enjoy. The male dominated drakon society led by an entirely male council which essentially imprisons the drakon in Darkfrith -just made me increasingly angry. And lastly, the plot about drakon hunters which is what I believed this book was about, was never dealt with. I would advise against reading Queen of Dragons altogether, but at the very least until the next book is published.


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Playing with Fire (Silver Dragons, Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)Exploring another corner of the world of sexy dragons, guardians, demons and such from her Aisling Grey series, Katie MacAlister brings a new pair to the spotlight. Playing with Fire is the first in a new series starring the yummy silver Wyvern Gabriel as he joyfully discovers his mate, the woman who can share his dragon-fire in doppelganger and demon-bound thief May. Gabriel and May are not Drake and Aisling, so even though we pick up pretty much at the end of Holy Smokes (Aisling Grey, Guardian, Book 4) -- and the background plot continues the confrontation between the Gabriel's Silver dragons and Drake's brother's Black dragons -- this series has a different enough feel that it is not a rehash.
May is something we haven't seen in yet in MacAlister's otherworld. May was created by a demon lord from her naiad "twin" Cyrene's shadow in exchange for her sister's "common sense", as a doppelganger this gives May the ability to shadow-walk to become almost invisible in the shadows which is quite useful her "career" - May is bound to the former silent film-star demon lord who created her, and forced to obey his commands to steal for him. May meets Gabriel when she stumbles onto Drake's estate while attempting to return a stolen item that had put a price on her head. Quite by accident Gabriel discovers that May is a wyvern's mate and seeks to claim her. The ever sensible May tries to refuse Gabriel, knowing the danger the demon poses - May has spent her life avoiding relationships knowing that should she take a lover the demon lord who wants May's body would likely order May to kill her lover. But Gabriel assures May that dragons are not so easy to get rid of and of course Gabriel is totally irresistible, so May lets Gabriel claim her in a fiery joining that literally burns up the sheets. But all is not smooth sailing for May and Gabriel, May will have to outsmart the demon lord or risk an eternity in Abbandon to avoid betraying Gabriel when her demon-lord commands a theft of a powerful artifact that will put all the dragons under the demon lord's control.
Gabriel is not as reserved as Drake or as controlling, so I enjoyed his relationship with May more than Drake's with Aisling. I liked that Gabriel was more willing to defy dragon etiquette and express his delight in his new mate and that he was unable to act with restraint in their romantic encounters. Also Gabriel's willingness to support May as she has to handle some dangerous situations in the book, trusting in the competence of his mate, and his willingness to place May's need to save her kidnapped sister over his need to acquire an object important to his Sept makes Gabriel a much more appealing love interest than Drake.

Much of the cast that we've grown to love from the previous books Drake, Aisling, and Jim are back in supporting roles. Since May isn't MacAlister's normal angsty impetuous heroine, Cyrene along with the ever irreverent Jim, the demon in dog form, serve to bring some of MacAlister's trademark zaniness to the story. Playing with Fire was a fun read setting up for more of Gabriel and May as they have some obstacles ahead of them as the story continues with Up In Smoke: A Novel of the Silver Dragons before they get their happily ever after.


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Starring the Dragons Of The Aisling Grey, Guardian Novels Gabriel Tauhou, wyvern of the silver dragons, has found the one woman who can withstand his fire. Too bad May Northcott is already bound to a demon lord. But when the demon orders May to steal one of Gabriel's treasures—an immensely important relic of all dragonkin— Gabriel has to decide which to protect: his love or his dragons.

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Immortal: Love Stories With Bite Review

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(More customer reviews)Cynthia Leitich Smith's Haunted Love: This story wasn't exactly bad but it wasn't good either, it was "blah." It was ok for a short story, nothing special though.
Kristen Cast's Amber Smoke: Ugh, where to start? Just like the House of Night series she tries WAY too hard to sound teen friendly, like a cool hip teenager. It is ridiculously over the top, no teen actually talks like that. It is cheesy and irritating, Kristin really needs to tone it down. Being in touch with teens is one thing but sounding like that sad middle-aged mom trying to fit in with her teen daughter's friends is another. As for the story itself, awful. The author took every overdone, cliché story idea and threw it into one story. She also put way too much random info into the story and it got to the point where you were like "wtf?! why did that happen, how did that happen" every few sentences. It was the type of storyline that needed to be a novel so that everything could be explained, instead its a short story that doesn't make sense and doesn't flow smoothly at all. It wasn't much of a short story at all, just random nonsense thrown together with no meaning at all.
Rachel Caine's Dead Man Stalking:
Excellent! I haven't read the Morganville series but now I want to. The author's tone was great, the story was interesting, plus clear and solid and it made sense. It was what a short story should be, a whole story in just a few pages, not too much but not too little either.
Tanith Lee's Table Manners:
Very well written. A new interesting look on vampires. I enjoyed it.
Nancy Holder's Changed:
Another excellent, well written story. Showing a different kind of love and a different kind of vampire world. Instead of the dark brooding romantic vampires, you get the evil apocalyptic ones. A great read.
Richelle Mead's Blue Moon:
I really liked this one. I almost always love vampire stories where the vampires are known to the world.
Claudia Gray's Free:
I loved this one. It was a great story about a strong woman doing what she needs to do to make herself happy. It was also the only story that wasn't set in the present which was a nice change of pace from the other stories.

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Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 6) Review

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(More customer reviews)*No spoilers*
I started out reading Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series because I enjoy the Paranormal Romance genre. The love stories in the prequels to LEn are excellent (with the exception of Lover Unbound) IMHO. But it looks like this series has come to a fork in the road. Choosing the Urban Fantasy route verses the Paranormal Romance one. I don't mind the change in genre so much (as Ward is a captivating writer) but others might and may feel duped. So you've been warned.
I didn't particularly care for the romance in this book. A quick recap: Phury is the Primale. Essentially the Brother chosen to breed more Brothers. He is the sire of a 'harem' of forty Chosen females. Phury is supposed to mate with them and produce many children, the males of which will hopefully become the warriors (Brothers) who defend the vampire race from the evil lessers. Phury's first mate is Cormia. Their romance is tepid at best. I did not *see* them fall in love at all. More like I got the vibe that Cormia is merely a soothing and gentle influence on Phury's tumultuous life. She came across as a helpful friend rather than mate potential. Not the I-would-die-without-your-love feeling I got in the previous books. Since those books were so smack down emotional, I hoped this one would be too. I just didn't feel it.But, BUT, and this is a big one. The rest of the book rocks! As I recall the lessers were sadly missing in LU. They are back in a BIG way here in LEn, specifically with the Omega making multiple appearances. John, Qhuinn and Blaylock also all have prominent roles in this book. Their stories make major advancements as well. With tons of surprises. And Rhevenge's and Xhex's characters are spot lighted too. There are also some very interesting twists (including new characters) to the series which leads me to believe that Ward is going in the Urban fantasy direction.
So although I think the romance is lack luster, the rest of the book is keeper material. I don't mind that LEn read more like three stories in one rather than a central romance with two subplots. Fans of Paranormal **Romance** will be VERY disappointed. But I still recommend reading LEn just for the advancement of other character's plots. Skip this one if your in it for the romance or wait to get the book at the library if your skeptical.
And for anyone new to the series? Don't start here! You'll miss out on a lot of the back story. These books are NOT meant to be read stand alone. Besides the previous books have some awesome romance.

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Master of Fire (Berkley Sensation) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is kind of an aside from the rest of the Magevese series. It is about Logan (Author's son) and Giada. The characters are well drawn and even the spear carriers are interesting. The menace this time is from an unexpected source and is fairly interesting.
So why 3 stars (a bit better than average for the genre). Some inconsistencies; as I remember Logan is some kind of corporate raider type not a bomb disposal guy. A mortar is a gadget used to fire a round not the thing that explodes (see the [...] article). Then there's the place where its a rifle in one paragraph and a shotgun in the next. Not as many or as obtrusive as some other publishers and authors but still annoying. Then there's the main characters. How does a small county sheriff department afford a bomb disposal and forensic chemist. I live in a small county and the Sheriff's department uses volunteers from the local fire districts (the districts pay for the training and certification out of their budgets) as arson investigators and forensics guys and relies on the state for bomb disposal and chemist support.
While the erotic scenes are nicely done, they don't save a somewhat weak plot.
BTW while this can be read standalone at least some familiarity with the mageverse will help it make sense (particularly the stories about the wolves).

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A new Mageverse novel-from the New York Times bestselling author of Master of Dragons A beautiful, brilliant chemist, Giada Shepherd is an immortal witch charged with saving the life of Logan MacRoy, the mortal son of a vampire. Passionately attracted to Giada, Logan has no idea that sex would turn him into a vampire. And no, as a killer sets deadly traps for them, the truth must come out, as must a weapon they never counted on: love...

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The Dream Thief (The Drakon, Book 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)Zane, the young thief, from SMOKE THIEF has grown into a formidable man. He is the head of a very unique and prosperous gang of thieves. The draken of Darkfirth have used his abilities and underlings many times. Zane is the only human to know the truth about the draken, he is the only human they trust. Now is the time to recover the lost Draumr, a diamond that can control the draken. None of the draken are able to stand it's presence and none have been able to find it. It is more of a legend than a truth. But now it's song is heard by most of the draken and someone must be sent to find the diamond. Zane is promised 60,000 gold pieces to retrieve the diamond and return it to the draken. Unfortunately, he will find something he desires more than money. And Draumr may be the only way to gain it. Zane is not told of the powers of the diamond, nor is he told of the danger it holds for the draken.
Amalia, one of the daughters of Rue and Kristin, the rulers of the draken, has a special connection to the diamond. She also has the gift of foretelling. She has not revealed any of these powers to her family. As a matter of fact her family thinks her powerless because she can't turn to smoke nor dragon. When she is 14 she sees in a vision that Zane will be her lover and husband, but she also sees that he will be touched by the power of Draumr. Her dreams show the destruction of her family and the draken by Zane. Now at the age of 19 the song of the diamond calls to her strongly and somehow she must try to change destiny and hope she can save the man she loves and her family. Yet unknown to her, there are other players in the game, her dreams have never shown her these things. With a full heart and a knowledge that things must be changed she leaves her school to follow Zane and force him to take her with him.
This is a wonderful story full of romance and adventure. From the ballrooms of London to the ballrooms of the last Castle in the Carpathian Mountains we are carried along on the wings of legend and love. Shanna Abe is a wonderful storyteller, her unique take on dragons and magic make this one of those wonderful new fairytales for adults.
I couldn't put it down. If you have read SMOKE THIEF you might enjoy it even more, but it is not necessary. I can't wait for the next book. I surely hope there will be one.

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The Witching Pen (The Witching Pen Novellas) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a very fun read. The premise of the story is fabulous. I love the angel demon aspects. It was fast paced and had my attention from page one! Mrs. Hardy left me wanting more and can't wait for the second installment.

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Adult Paranormal Romance: Book One of The Witching Pen NovellasElena is a witch with a very special gift. She can make stories come to life with a pen. When she discovers that imagination can become reality at the stroke of her nib, she thinks it's the best thing to have ever happened ' until she meets Nathaniel. With an inexplicable hypnotic hold over her, he is a demon with a familiar face that lurks in the shadows of her world, impervious to her Witching Pen, and determined to make her create the world as he would have it - with her at his side.In order to prevent the creation of a demon dimension on Earth, and to keep her soul intact, Elena must uncover all of Nathaniel's secrets to overcome him. But what she uncovers only seems to draw her further into his world and to the demon himself, and when the final stone is turned, what she discovers could be the very thing that ends up killing her...Book length: novella (37,000+ words)*This book is currently at the introductory price of $0.99*

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Smoke, Fire and Desire Review

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(More customer reviews)This story is about a female scientist who goes to a male strip show with some friends on her birthday and falls for one of the performers. Unknown to her, this performer is a type of genie who belongs to her for the next 30 days. Yes, it's a bit farfetched but still, it is an interesting concept.
The characters were likeable enough; Sandro the genie is attentive and I enjoyed the main female characters habit of throwing out useless bits of information. Another thing I liked was that the main female character was not a size 2 but a more realistic size 16.
Ok, as I said the story was interesting but I have to say, there was so much mating that at one point I thought, "Geez, they are having sex...again!?" What I'm getting at is I would have preferred a bit more romance and storyline rather than every adventure turn into something sexual.
The misleading part is that I found this book while searching for interracial romance which, this is not. Overall, it was just ok.

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Scientist Rhylie Dawson works hard, but when it comes to play she's pretty reserved. Until her friends take her to The Cave of Pleasure in New York City. She's there to celebrate her birthday, and maybe, just maybe, get lucky. What Rhylie doesn't know is The Cave of Pleasure is run by Djinn, and they're eager to show her that there's more to life than just work. On stage in front of a bevy of male dancers, Rhylie is told to choose one for her special birthday dance. She picks the fireman, and quickly learns that where there's smoke, there's fire, and a great deal of desire.

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Web of Smoke Review

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(More customer reviews)I was instantly pulled into the the novel after reading the first few paragraphs. The story begins with Chiristie McCoy waiting for something. That something is never revealed. A man named DC invades her house and attacks her. Throughout the novel she is determined to find out why, with the help of her soon to be ex-husband Sam. In addition to attacking Christie, DC also kidnaps a little girl named Jessica. There are many plot twists, which always make you raise an eyebrow, and after completing a chapter you find yourself hating DC even more. This was a good read and I recommend this book to anyone who loves to be on the edge of their seat.

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Black Smoke Review

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Black Smoke follows some of the basic plot points of your average romance novel: girl meets boy, they fall in love and then something goes terribly awry, but after that all similarities are merely coincidental. When Samantha, a covert operative using the code name Black Smoke, meets her man, instead of a corporate boardroom or luxury playground, they meet on a mock battlefield where Samantha defeats a team of special forces agents. Sam is the kind of woman that not just earns the respect of those who know the real woman, but also demands it, and Kong, aka Mark Lowe, is definitely not ready for the sparks that fly between him and the masked victor. Neither is she.
Once their employer has convinced the soldiers to accept a well-trained, but non-military woman in their midst to mount a rescue effort for civilian kidnapped in Afghanistan, Black Smoke makes a serious departure from mainstream romance novels, delving into the issues of the war and the mistreatment of women there. As if Sam weren't having enough trouble getting Mark comfortable with having a woman in their midst, she also has the benefit and problem of her spirit guide, the inner voice that has been helping her accomplish her missions for almost two decades. When her spirit guide helps Sam keep the unit out of an ambush, Mark demands an explanation. Sam's spirit guide pushes the young woman to reveal more of her soul to Mark and things heat up between the two just as they go in to rescue the hostage. Sam discovers that in addition to the male captive they knew they were rescuing, the Afghani kidnappers also are torturing a woman they have kidnapped. The knowledge and the woman's cries of pain bring Sam's past rushing back and she endangers herself and her team because she is obsessed with saving the young woman.
The best thing about Black Smoke is that Robin Leigh Miller weaves Sam's spirit guide into the story so flawlessly that even the rational reader is left believing in the supernatural. While the guide gives Sam hints about what is happening around her and warnings about her enemies, we are reminded throughout the novel that ultimately Sam is simply a well-trained operative, not a superhero. Her insecurities and loneliness keep her from being too perfect. Mark and his teammates, Ricochet and Boomer, are flawed as well, with good hearts, making it easy for the reader to understand Sam's attraction and to want to hear their stories as well. Miller's novels about Ricochet and Boomer are sequels to Black Smoke and currently available as e-books.
Black Smoke is engaging and warm, an action adventure with a romance or perhaps a romance with an action adventure. An afternoon spent with Sam and the boys is a chance to see Miller's underlying commentary on the interaction between the sexes without some in-your-face preaching about equality and to relax with a good book. The book is well-edited and well-written with an engaging contemporary tale.


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Samantha Wells has lived through more hell in her short life than most. At the age of eight her serene life was turned upside down. Her parents were brutally murdered and Sam barely escaped with her life. But she didn't do it alone - a soft calm voice led her to safety, the voice of her spirit guide. Disguised by a black mask and the handle Black Smoke, with the help of her spirit guide Sam rescues those unfortunate people who find themselves in the hands of humanity's worst. Life is good until Sam is called on to assist a small covert military team in recovering a kidnapped scientist in Afghanistan. Lt. Mark Lowe (Kong) is less than thrilled to be placing his team's lives in the hands of a woman, much less one as beautiful and sexy as Sam. He quickly learns there is more to this woman than meets the eye. She not only infiltrates enemy bases - she's infiltrated his heart. Kong retreats to safer ground, leaving Sam heartbroken. Distant and unwilling to listen to anyone, Sam delves headfirst into a hell that only Kong can pull her from.

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Smoke and Mirrors Review

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(More customer reviews)Gabby and Alex were young sweet hearts Alex wanted to be a magician and Gabby wanted to be apart of his dream, but all that came to an end because of a secret Alex have been keeping. Forward to ten years Alex is back in Gabby's life and wants to show her how much he wants and needs her in his life. I like this read, basically this book is based on Alex rekindling what he had with Gabby from start to end it's a quick read. And the sex was pretty nice a.k.a love the limo action ;0). I must say though I understand were Alex is coming from doing what he did in the past but I don't know If I personally would have chose that path but then again for some people they need to be apart to grow and then appreciate each other later on.
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I always end my reviews by saying Everybody has a different opinion when writing a review if we all had the same reviews or opinions it would be boring. Reviews can sometimes down play a really good book or up play a really bad book its up to us to read the book and judge for ourselves and draw our own conclusion that's the best thing about a review its like a silent debate....


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Love is nothing but an illusion. Heiress Gabriella Winslow learned that lesson years ago when her magician boyfriend abandoned her, sick and alone, hundreds of miles from home. In the years that followed, she's tried to forget him and the erotic bondage games they used to play. But the life she's made for herself since then still leaves her restless and yearning for something more. Now a successful illusionist, Alexander Black has returned to settle an old score. And to seduce Gabriella. With a blindfold and handcuffs and blood red roses, he entices his former lover and magician's assistant back to his Las Vegas penthouse. Alex is an expert at smoke and mirrors. If all goes according to plan, she'll never even know she's his prisoner.

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Silver Smoke (Seven Halos #1) Review

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(More customer reviews)I stumbled across Monica Leonelle's breakout novel "Silver Smoke" by sheer chance and ultimately couldn't put the book down. The book is centred on Brie and Pilot Van Rossum, who have been exiled to Honolulu following the tragic death of their mother. However, Brie is not convinced that her mother's death was an accident and is determined to find out what really happened. Brie's first answers come from a group of cheerleaders at her new school - who confess that Brie (and themselves) are not normal teenagers... they are descendents of archangels, known as Hallows, who are sent to protect human (earthlie) souls from the archdemons descendents, known as Nephilim's. As if learning that you are superhuman isn't enough, Brie also learns that there are more than just the Nephilim that are her enemies.
Leonelle has managed to create a fascinating world that is rich and vibrant. The bonds of family and friends are the heart of this novel but it also challenges the demarcation of good and evil and what one is willing to do for the love of another. Her complex world of Hallows and Nephilim's are both refreshing and much needed in the fantasy genre, which currently seems over-whelmed with vampire tales. Finally, I cannot wait for the next instalment ;-)


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15-year old Brie van Rossum wants to know what caused her mother's death, but she's trapped in Honolulu under the watchful eye of her rock star father James, her overprotective older brother Pilot, and the relentless paparazzi who would love to capture her breaking down on film.

A clue about her mother's death finally comes in the form of four teenage girls--or at least, that's what Brie thought they were when she met them on the first day of high school. The girls are not normal teenagers, but Hallows--descendants of archangels and humans--with supernatural powers that allow them to manipulate matter and cross miles of beach in seconds. Brie learns that she is a Hallow too, just like her late mother.

But Brie's family has enemies--specifically the New Order, a group that killed most of Brie s family before the last survivors went into hiding one hundred years ago. Brie's new friends don t think the New Order killed Brie s mother, but that begs the question--who did?

Now, Brie faces a choice--she can follow the clues her mother has left behind, and risk exposing her family to a death sentence from the New Order; or she can stay in Honolulu and keep her family safe, but forsake the Hallows to the New Order's firm fist.

The Seven Halos series consists of seven books about seven humans who are descendants of archangels and archdemons. Each of them must uncover the chilling (and sometimes sinister) mysteries of their lineage in order to save two races of superbeings from an all out war that no one can win. It is a story of love, death, heartbreak, betrayal, and the one thing that matters most--allegiance.

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Smoke and Ashes (The Smoke Trilogy, Book 3) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book is the third in the series starring Henry Fitzroy's old sidekick Tony. Let me note that while the book is enjoyable as a standalone, you will get far more out of it if you have read the first two in this series, since there are quite a few references to the Shadowlord of the first book, Smoke and Shadows, and the haunted house of the second book, Smoke and Mirrors. You will get even more out of this series if you've read Huff's earlier series about Henry Fitzroy, romance writer, [...] son of King Henry VIII, and vampire. (If you check my profile, you can find reviews of all five books in that series.) Constable Jack Elson, for example, is an even more interesting character if you can also recall Mike Celluci, Vicki's fellow cop, and also the werewolf cop from "Blood Trail."
Since other reviewers have summarized the plot, I won't go into that. (Besides, those of you who read Huff know that many of her books have variations on the same plot: a hole opens up between hell and our earth, and our protagonists have to close it. This is not a complaint; I am continually amazed at how interesting she manages to make that same plot over and over.) Instead, let me tell you a few of the things I specifically enjoyed about this book:
* Huff's wonderful sense of humor. Examples: Tony turns on the TV and sees "some guy eating a bug on either the Learning Channel or FOOD - he didn't stay long enought to see if it came with a lecture on habitat or a raspberry vinaigrette" and the use of cherry cough syrup as a warding spell.
* The references to many classic science fiction and fantasy stories and books - not just well known ones such as LOTR, but also to stories that only literate and experienced SF fans are likely to have read; this isn't just catering to the reader who is currently reading urban vampire fantasy because it's "in" - although there's nothing wrong with that; welcome, new fantasy readers, and we hope you stay and enjoy the rest of the genre!
*The references also to many classic TV shows and movies, both SF and non-SF, everything from the coyote and the anvil to "Where castle?" to car chases.
*The characters who are neither all-bad nor all-good, but show signs that even though they are relatively "bit parts" right now, they have complex enough personalities that they might become more. Kevin Groves, the obnoxious tabloid reporter, for example, has a few good qualities, and shows some signs that in an emergency, he might be capable of doing good things. And Chester Bane, well, I have the feeling there's a LOT we don't know about Chester, and some of it will turn out to be supernatural sooner or later.
I do have a few small quibbles with the book: the Demon Lords' names don't sound right for demons to me. (Demons have first and last names? Really?) And Huff uses the phrase "red-gold eyebrows" too often, which is especially confusing since sometimes she is referring to Mason Reed, and sometimes to Henry. But those are pretty small change.
I will say that those of you who are squeamish about sex - although I doubt there are too many of such people reading urban vampire fantasies to begin with - would find some things to be squeamish about here. There is sex - gay, straight, and mixed. It's all necessary to the plot, appropriate in context, tastefully done, and not overdone - but it's there. So if that sort of thing bothers you... there is also a lot of use of four-letter words, again appropriate in context and not overdone, but if those bother you... They didn't bother me at all, because they went with the plot and characters so well, and let me tell you, I have a pretty short threshhold for unnecessary sex scenes and unnecessary vulgarity, so this must be well done, since I liked it. But you probably wouldn't want to give this book to a 12-year-old to read. I'd say 16 and up, at least, older if you really have hangups about your teenagers being exposed to anything at all graphic.
In summary: great continuation of the series, best enjoyed if you read all the others in order first; terrific characters, with lots of potential for more.

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This third novel in Tanya Huff's action-packed series features Tony Foster and the crew of "Darkest Night," a TV series about a vampire detective. This time they find themselves facing another supernatural menace, a Demonic Convergence. Tony-with the help of vampire Henry Fitzroy and Leah, a stuntwoman who is the last surviving priestess of a sex demon, plus a tabloid reporter and a Canadian Mountie-must keep the key to the convergence alive to prevent a demonic invasion so large scale that it could be the finale-for the whole world.

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Holy Smokes (Aisling Grey, Guardian, Book 4) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"Holy Smokes" is the fourth in a series and it's immediately apparent, on reading the book, that it very much helps to have read the previous novels. There are a lot of characters and is a huge amount of world building that isn't explained in any depth in this novel and it's quite hard going for someone new to the series to follow all the different situations, people and powers.
Aisling Grey seems, in a rather Anita Blake manner, to have picked up a number of different skills/roles in the course of this book series. Not only is she a Guardian but she is also a Demon Lord, a Dragon's mate, a Prince of Abaddon and various other things. She has a voice in her head trying to encourage her to the dark side, a demon familiar that's a dog and various other assistants who appear at various times. Her love interest, Drake (a dragon) spends a lot of this book disappearing, being kidnapped and keeping things from Aisling - they are meant to be getting married but things keep getting in the way so that one or other of them doesn't make it to the church. A side note, here, that if you didn't arrive for your wedding in a Church of England church on Saturday there is no way you could have the wedding the next day instead - things just don't work like that!
Anyway, the wedding is a theme throughout the book as various things crop up that require Aisling and Drake to go off and do some troubleshooting. They travel around a lot, both in Europe and to Abaddon, various old foes reappear, along with some new friends (or are they friends?) The plot has many strands taking place at the same time and Aisling seems to spend most of her time rushing ahead where angels fear to tread, getting in the way of things that she doesn't know about, and requiring Drake to tell her he loves her. But despite all this she's an appealing character despite her blundering and her desire to trust people comes across well, if a little naive.
For those who have read this series from the beginning they will enjoy this latest episode. For newcomers to this series this isn't a great book to start with as there is too much backstory to catch up with and too many plot threads to give it an overall shape.
Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book, www.curledup.com. © Helen Hancox 2007

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A new Aisling Grey, Guardian, novel from the author of The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires Drake Vireo, the green dragon of Aisling's dreams, is finally ready to make an honest woman of her-if she can ever get him to the altar. Being stood up cools Aisling's jets, but not her passion, which is a good thing when Drake disappears and it's up to Aisling to find him. At least her doggie demon Jim is always at her side. Just call him a Guardian's best friend.--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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The Smoke Thief (The Drakon, Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)I hate it when a good idea and good writing gets ruined by the misconception that a manipultive, abusive liar is a romantic lead. Christoff repeatedly ignores, insults, and disrepects the heroine. When he finally bullies her into submission, they ride off into the sunset, happy and in love.
In a "passionate" moment, he doesn't care if it is "rape or seduction" as long as he can have sex with Clarissa. Any hero that can confuse rape with passion is no hero.
I like a strong male as the love interest, but when his "strength" destoys her hopes and makes her miserable, I could only feel disgust for him and for her for not having the backbone with him that she had everywhere in the rest of her life.


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For centuries they've lived in secret among northern England's green and misted hills. Creatures of extraordinary beauty, power, and sensuality, they possess the ability to shape-shift from human to dragon and back again.Now their secret–and their survival–is threatened by a temptation that will break every boundary....Dubbed the Smoke Thief, a daring jewel thief is confounding the London police. His wealthy victims claim the master burglar can walk through walls and vanish into thin air. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, knows the truth: the thief is no ordinary human but a "runner" who's fled Darkfrith without permission. As Alpha leader of the dra´kon, it's Kit's duty to capture the fugitive before the secrets of the tribe are revealed to mortals. But not even Kit suspects that the Smoke Thief could be a woman. Clarissa Rue Hawthorne knew her dangerous exploits would attract the attention of the dra´kon. But she didn't expect Christoff himself to come to London, dangling the tribe's most valuable jewel–the Langford Diamond–as bait. For as long as she could remember, Rue had lived the life of a halfling–half dra´kon, half mortal–and an outcast in both worlds. She'd always loved the handsome and willful Kit from the only place it was safe: from afar. But now she was no longer the shy, timid girl she'd once been. She was the first woman capable of making the Turn in four generations. So why did she still feel the same dizzying sense of vulnerability whenever he was near?From the moment he saw her, Kit knew that the alluring and powerful beauty was every bit his Alpha equal and destined to be his bride. And by the harsh laws of the dra´kon, Rue knew that she was the property of the marquess. But they will risk banishment and worse for a chance at something greater. For now Rue is his prisoner, the diamond has disappeared, and she's made the kind of dangerous proposition a man like Kit cannot resist....In this bewitching novel, Shana Abé transports us into a world of exhilarating romance and magic.From the Hardcover edition.

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Blue Smoke and Murder Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I am a devoted Elizabeth Lowell fan and own everyone of her books that I can find. I am sorry to say that this book was really hard to finish because the story was not all that interesting.
In her usual voice, Lowell does a fantastic job of describing her main characters. Jill and Zach are an interesting couple who have a palpable attraction for each other. Lowell has shows you how they meet and gives you circumstances that unite the couple for a good cause (i.e., staying alive long enough to unravel the mystery of Jill's art inheritance).
I lost interest in this book about 50% of the way into it. At that point, the story didn't really leave any mysteries for the reader as I had already figured out the rest of the book. Instead, I felt like I was waiting for Lowell to get on with it so I could go to my next book.
This book is probably the least satisfying read out of all her books. Since Lowell doesn't publish very often, I was pretty disappointed in how uninterestingly this book was written.
For other Lowell readers, I would recommend checking this book out at your local library and not spending money on it until it comes out in paperback.

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Jill Breck was just doing her job as a river guide when she saved the life of Lane Faroe, son of two of St. Kilda Consulting's premier operators. But when a string of ominous events—including a mysterious fire that kills her great-aunt and a furor in the Western art world raised by a dozen Breck family paintings—culminates in a threat to her life, Jill reluctantly calls in a favor.

Zach Balfour works part-time as a consultant for St. Kilda. His expertise is gathering and analyzing information from unlikely and often dangerous sources. Though he's got the skills to be a highly effective bodyguard, being a bullet catcher isn't his preferred way to spend time.

Protecting Jill will take him into familiar territory—among a strange, savagely competitive bunch of collectors who'll do anything to stay at the top. But Jill is in deeper waters than she's ever known; as she soon discovers, the perils of running wild rivers are tame compared with the hidden dangers in the high-stakes game of art collecting.

From the cozy rooms of the Breck homestead cabin to the cold multimillion-dollar galleries of the Western art circuit, Zach and Jill must race against time to unmask a ruthless killer hidden in a blue smoke of money, threats, lies, and death. . . .

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