Book Review: Nightborn by Lynn Viehl

Nightborn
by: Lynn Viehl

The latest in the Lords of the Darkyn series, this novel packs a punch.

When the high lord's most loyal servant Korvel is sent to retrieve a mysterious scroll which has been guarded by the the high lords most trusted servant. Korvel has no idea what he's in for.

Simone Derien knows the terrible power of the scrolls and its her duty to ensure the curse doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Tasked with killing Korvel after they retrieve the stolen scroll, Simone has to decide if she'll follower her heart or her duty.

With a crazed assassian on their trial, Korvel and Simone must navigate the dangers that follow them and keep the passion they feel for each other under warps.

This was an interesting novel with a complex plot line and even had several of the characters from previous novels cameo in the storyline. The attraction felt between Korvel and Simone was realistic and complex.

What I enjoyed about this novel:
The strong female and male characters
The ominous relic/s
Believable evil characters

What I didn't enjoy:
Simone kept slipping/running away from Korvel (the same scenario repeated again and again)
The only difference between the bad character and Simone was that she wasn't as willing to kill
Korvel didn't seem to be as emotionally involved as he acted in the end of the book
I didn't like how the villain died

I give this story a 4 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess and a 4 out of 5 for storyline/romance.

If you'd like to find out more about Lynn Viehl and her other novels, click here.

Book Review: Warrior by Kristina Douglas

Warrior
by Kristina Douglas

This was an interesting book to read. It can be a bit hard at times to get into a book where the hero originally doesn't really care if the heroine survives or is even willing to kill her himself. That is how the Fallen stories tend to start out and Warrior was no different.

The reincarnation of a Greek Goddess, Troy has been held in a tower for the majority of her life. Trained in the art of warfare and strategy, if Archangel Michael hadn't shown up to collect his bride, she would have been killed and another re-incarnation goddess would have been born and trained again (can't have a goddess growing old) until they were called upon to serve.

When Michael actually arrives to claim his unwanted bride, Troy is forced to chose between marring him or dieing in her prison. With few choices available, Troy decides to try her luck with Michael and is brought to the Fallen's home. Except she finds that her new found freedom is a double edges sword. Danger is coming again to the Fallen and she is the only one who can turn the tide and when the next battle.

With her desire for Michael increasing with each hour and his determined attitude to stay away from her, how can she fight for the man she's come to love with the battle looming near.

When plot lines swing from indifference to true love in 373 pages, it can be hard to correctly navigate the emotional twists and turns and Kristina does an awesome job. I've read a few books where the characters suddenly just all of a sudden love each other and  everything has magically worked its self out.

This is not the chase. Kristine has a wonderful way of drawing the characters out of their shells and exposing the centers of their very characters and in doing so allows their counterpart an opportunity to squash that small hope and when they can't, the emotions continue to build until you have a worth while and believable storyline and  awesome character growth.

What I enjoyed:
Michael at first seemed like such a one dimensional character, and she was able to unravel the layers that consisted of his personality to show to the readers that he was a worth while male to read about
I love Michael's wings and the tattoos that covered his body
Troys strategic personality, although she was in a horrible position, she knew how to pick her fights and how to end them
The growth of Troy's character

What I didn't like
I wish that she had provided more information on the tattoos that covered Michael's body and how he got about getting them
Michael's initial willingness to let Troy die
When the storyline traveled away from Michael and Troy (it wasn't that often), but I felt broke up the novel's pace
I felt like the pair of 'unique' people who birth/trained/killed a goddess a bit hard to get into as they seemed as if they were a bit out of the natural order of things, she also didn't explain how long this has been going on or why they knew that Michael was the one who needed to marry her

I give Warrior by Kristina Douglas a 3 out of 5 for storyline/romance and a 4 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess.

If you'd like to find out more about Kristina Douglas and her novels, click here.

Book Review: Pray by Linda Howard

Pray
by: Linda Howard

This book was an awesome installment to Linda Howard's novels. It was an intense ride, full of murder, mayhem and love.

The story is about Angie Powell, a blunt and honest trailblazer, who has made her home and runs her business in Montana. Except business hasn't been going well for her. In fact its very life is being drained away by rival businessman Dare Callahan.

After having served in the military, Dare has settled down in Montana and currently life and business is good. There's only one problem, he wants Angie and she'll have nothing to do with him.

When Angie takes her last clients of the year out on a hunt, things take a turn for the worst and her very life is put in danger. Fortunately Dare is camping near by and comes to the rescue. Their lives take an turn when they are forced together in a fight for survival.

Wow, this book was awesome. The rough, no holes bared, Dare was a joy to read and get to understand. He's attitude was perfectly paired with the sarcastic whit of Angie, whose survival instincts in intense situations saved her life on numerous occasions.

Their relationship was worst at best before they get shoved together and the tension soars whenever they interact.

What was great about this novel:
The storyline was smooth and the transitions between scenes and timelines understandable and didn't detract from the story
The character depth and flaws were believable
The 'base' steps were covered before the couple reached their first sex scene
Both main characters had strong personalities buy did not over power each other

What I didn't like about this novel:
The bear in this novel had it's own internal thoughts and at times it detracted from the storyline, although I do understand why this point of view needed to be added.
The bear seemed like more of a villain in this story then the human villain trying to kill her
Dare is phsyically scared from his time in service and although she touches on it, I wish she had brought these scars a bit more to the readers attention instead of sprinking them in throughout the story

I give Prey by Linda Howard a 5 out of 5 in storyline/romance and a 4 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess.

Find out more about Linda Howard and her novels by clicking here.

Book Review- All Things Wicked

All Things Wicked
by Karina Cooper

Juliet Carpenter, witch and survivor of a coo that killed members of her coven, she is struggling to find a reason for the treatment she received at the hands of Caleb Leigh. Hiding from those who wish to harm him, Caleb is surprised when Juliet manages to hunt him down when no one else has been able to. With enemies surrounding them, they work to get over their past and survive the attacks against them.

This is the forth book in this series and the most emotionally rending as it deals with deeply rooted psychological issues as well as dangers from old enemies which kept me on edge the entire story. I could not put this book down and was not disappointed with the characters or the plot line.

I highly recommend this book and give it a 5 out of 5 for storyline/romance and a 4 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess.

If you'd like to find out more information on Karina Cooper and her other novels, click here.

Book Review- Awaken to Pleasure

Awaken to Pleasure (Silhouette Desire #1602)
By Nalini Singh

This novel introduces Taylor Reid, a woman whose unpleasant experiences with dating and desire have left her scared and unable to cope with real desire. She struggling to overcome her conniving step father as he attempts to battle her for custody of her younger brother and her unwilling desire for Jackson. Jackson Santorini, a famous film director has desperately wanted Taylor for years but has lost his belief in trust and love a long time ago.

I really enjoy Nalini Singh's novel and after having first read her Phy and Changeling novels then picking up her earlier Silhouette novels, I continue to be amazed at her writing style and technique. Every character has its own unique voice and you feel as if you are actually listening to their internal thought processes as opposed to watching the scenes play out.

She is the first author I recommend when asked for suggestions on reading material, and one of the only authors that I lend out my books and want returned (normally I just give them away to interested parties). She is one of the people I'd like to meet before I die (the other is Liam Nelson, and don't worry I'll stop gushing soon). I highly suggest reading this novella. It won't disappoint and kept me reading to the end.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 for storyline/romance and a 4 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess.

If you'd like to find out more about this author and her other novels, please click here.

Book Review- Lucinda, Darkly

Lucinda, Darkly
by: Sunny

This book is a take off of her Mona Lisa series and delves more deeply into the Monere version of Hell and the people who rule it.

Lucinda, the ousted child of the current King of Hell has forced herself to live on her own for centuries, in her own personal exile. She is shocked to come across a rouge Monere Stefan and is forced to take action when humans attack. As she attempts to understand the impossible, that he's attracted to her even though she is a demon, she is called away to take fetch another rouge Monere who happens to be hiding out on her land and ends up resuing him and another of his group.

She fights to keep the distance she has created with the rest of the world, but when she becomes responsible for and starts to have feelings for the men in her life, she has a hard time convincing herself its for the greater good.

I have to say that I enjoy Sunny's Mona Lisa novels, but I love her Lucinda books. Something about the character growth of Lucinda and the fact that she is constantly fighting her nature, makes her character extremely realistic and more personable.

I did wish that this story was a little longer or went into a little more depth when dealing with her secondary characters as they played such a pivotal roll, but I believe it was also that since they were so unchanging that it allowed her Lucinda character to grow as much as she did.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 for storyline/romance and a 4 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess.

You can read more about Sunny and her novels here.

Book Review- The Iron Duke

The Iron Duke
By Meljean Brook

This is the first Steam Punk novel I've ever read and I have to say that I truly enjoyed reading it. The Iron Duke features Detective Mina Wentworth who deals with death and discrimination on a daily basis and Rhys Trahaearn, the Iron Duke who runs his life like the ship he used to run in the war, with strict adherence to his own set of rules. Their lives crash together and instant heat erupts between them. Can Mina overcome her aversion to strong emotions and Rhys who has never felt anything except the desire to own what he desires.

This story kept me riveted to the pages, clinging to every sentence as I read the world she has created and the people who live in it. The sparks flying between the two main characters, the action sequences with swords and guns a blazing and the zombies running around created a novel packed so full that I hoped the book never end. The recently printed novel includes a novella of the couple after her original story ended.

The down side of creating a world so diverse was that I was left with several areas that I hoped she would go deeper into, but she was able to successfully create and provide a complex world that was never lagged down the storyline when explaining.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 for storyline/romance and a 4 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess.

You can read more information on Meljean Brook and her books here.

Book Review- Serpent's Kiss

Serpent’s Kiss by Thea Harrison

Her books just keep getting better and better! This is the third book dealing with the Elder Races and it was a fantastic read.

In this novel you have an ancient Wyr Sentinel, Rune Ainissesthai who has made a deal with the devil, well its really a Vampyre Queen named Carling who isn’t know as being the greatest person around. In the previous novel, Rune became indebted to Carling and is required to complete one unidentified task.

Hoping to take care of his debt with something as little as taking out her trash, he is determined to keep his bargain, no matter what is asked or however long it takes. He arrives at Carling’s home to discover the Queen’s power is becoming unstable and is liable to kill all those around her.

With Carling being one of the few standards in a life with mortals and immortals whose lives are so fleeting. Rune is unable to leave Carling to her lonely demise. He decides to stay and help find a cure for the serpent’s kiss, a disease that kills all vampyres who quire it.

Fighting each others desires, it’s a race against the clock to find the answers and stay alive when enemies draw near.

I loved this book! Her writing keeps getting better, and her stories more involved with every story she writes. You get drawn into a world that is so similar, yet so different then the one we live in. I wish I could look up into the sky and see the Wyr flying in the sky, touch his wonderful shifted body and live in the world she has created.

I give this book a 5 out of 5 for storyline/romance and a 4 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess.

Click here to visit Thea Harrison website.

Book Review- Under Cover

Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Title: Under Cover











This book is an anthology of three short stories which are linked together and written by the same author. The first starts out with Renee Jardin, a feisty head of security at a biotech firm who is on the run because the firms leading medical project was slipped into her purse. While fleeing from her own staff she unknowingly runs into the very person who is trying to find her. The second story deals with one of the biotech’s security personnel Peter Random and Lori Jamieson, a damsel in distress who, and I’m still not sure how, knows of him. Her stepfather and his son will do anything they can to get their hands on her inheritance money. The only thing standing between her and them is Random. The third story deals with the genius of a scientist Thea, who invented the medical breakthrough ‘stolen’ in the first story. She and her staff are unsure of their future as their biotech company has just been purchased by boy genius Jimmy. When he comes in wearing a cap, things really start to get interesting.

I love this book. Each story was unique and different from each other. Even though the humor is the same throughout the entire three stories, I didn’t feel like I was reading the same character in every one. Both male and female characters had emotion and physical hurdles to overcome not only to be together in the end, but for the story to finish and to emotionally grow on their own. Although there are several sex scenes in each story, they progressively got better the further into the book you read. The first story is little more then description of foreplay and the actual sex skipped over, the second story provides the same brief information on foreplay and the sex while the third one, and I don’t know if it’s because of the day dreaming, provides a bit more description and the scenes are longer.

Over all I give this book a 4 out of 5 for storyline/romance and a 4 out of 5 for bedroom steaminess.