Book Review: Apocalypse: The Lords of Deliverance Compendium

Apocalypse: The Lords of Deliverance Compendium (Lords of Deliverance #2.5)

Author: Larissa Ione 

Publication:  Kindle Edition

Publication Date: 05/01/2012

Source: E-book owned by reviewer

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Audience: Paranormal romance, adult

Synopsis (Goodreads.com)

New York Times bestselling author Larissa Ione brings readers behind the scenes with this definitive guide to her latest imaginative, epic series featuring the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. With character descriptions, key player background information, a handy glossary of terms and special abilities, a Q&A inspired by reader questions, and an all-new, exclusive short story, this is a must-read for every Larissa Ione fan. As an added bonus, this compendium includes an extended sneak peek at the next book in the Lords of Deliverance series, Lethal Rider.

Book Review: Rogue Rider

Rogue Rider (Lords of Deliverance #4)

Author: Larissa Ione

Publication:  Kindle Edition

Publication Date: 11/20/2012

Source: E-book owned by reviewer

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Audience: Paranormal romance, adult

Synopsis (Goodreads.com)

The prophecies were there but no one listened. Until now. They are the Lords of Deliverance and they have the power to ward off Doomsday . . . or let it ride. 

Jillian Cardiff came to this remote mountain town to forget the demon attack that almost killed her. Instead, she rescues - and falls for - a gorgeous stranger who has no memory of anything other than his name. Handsome, charming and protective, Reseph seems like the kind of man that Jillian can trust. But with hints of a troubling history of his own, he's also the kind of man that can be very dangerous . . . 

Book Review: The Perfect Play (Play by Play #1)

The Perfect Play (Play by Play #1)

Author: Jaci Burton

Publication:  Kindle Edition

Publication Date: 02/01/2011

Source: E-book owned by reviewer

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Audience: Contemporary romance, adult

Synopsis

From the national bestselling author of Riding the Night comes an erotic story about love and the games people play. 

The last thing event planner Tara Lincoln needs is the jet-set lifestyle of a football pro like Mick Riley; even though their steamy and passionate one-night stand proved that Mick is an all-star-both on the field and in the bedroom. 

Book Review: Becoming Red

Becoming Red  (The Becoming #1)

Author: Paula Black and Jess Raven
Publication:  Kindle Edition

Publication Date: 11/30/2012

Source: E-book owned by reviewer

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Audience: Paranormal romance, adult

Synopsis

From Goodreads.com:

‘You got me back. You always said you would.’

Ash DeMorgan, graduate, orphan, ice maiden, has long since consigned the fairytale nightmares of a troubled childhood to the realm of fantastical childish imagination. 

Now, lured back to Dublin, the scene of her tragic past, Ash encounters a city pulsing under the dangerous sexual influence of a new street drug the locals call Rave. Nothing is as it seems. Ash is about to discover that her nightmares are real, ancient Irish myths are larger than life and roaming the streets of the medieval city, and she has become the prey in their erotic hunt. A step back into her past is about to become a high adrenaline race for survival.

Connal Savage, outcast, assassin, and living, breathing hunk of ancient mythology, has lived a thousand years servicing a debt of revenge. Dead inside. Until he encounters his boss’s granddaughter, an infuriating woman who threatens to lead him to hell with all his good intentions, who manages to chip away at the hard encrusted defences of a lifetime spent at war and burrow herself deep into a part of him that hasn’t breathed for centuries. He is about to discover that when it comes down to the wire, when you’re bargaining with the Grim Reaper for the life of the one you love, you will do anything...

Book Review: Shadow’s Claim

Shadow’s Claim (The Dacians : Realm of Blood and Mist #1)

Author: Kresley Cole

Publication:  Kindle Edition

Publication Date: 11/27/2012

Source: E-book owned by reviewer

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Audience: Paranormal romance, adult

Synopsis

From Goodreads.com:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole introduces The Dacians: Realm of Blood and Mist, a new paranormal series following the royal bloodline of Dacia, a vampire kingdom hidden within the Lore of the Immortals After Dark.

Shadow's Claim features Prince Trehan, a ruthless master assassin who will do anything to possess Bettina, his beautiful sorceress mate, even compete for her hand in a blood-sport tournament—to the death.

Book Review: Decoy (A Noel Casey Novel)

Decoy (A Noel Casey Novel)

Author: Michaela Debelius

Publication:  Self-Published

Publication Date: 12/04/2012

Source: E-book provided by author

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Audience: Thriller; science-fiction

Synopsis

From Goodreads.com:

Lieutenant Noel Casey is taken aback by her newest military assignment. Her usual routine of vaccine development is interrupted when she's assigned to analyze Killian, a genetically engineered soldier designed for exceptional strength and intelligence. She's not accustomed to working with human subjects, especially a person created for warfare, and Killian's indifference is making it difficult to see past his robotic demeanour.

Book Review: Lethal Rider

Lethal Rider (Lords of Deliverance #3)

Author: Larissa Ione

Publication:  Piatkus Books

Publication Date: 22 May 2012

Source: E-book owned by reviewer

Buy it at Amazon  and IndieBound

Audience: Adult; Paranormal Romance

Synopsis

From Goodreads.com:

Thanatos, the most deadly Horseman of the Apocalypse, has endured thousands of years of celibacy to prevent the end of days. But just one night with the wickedly sexy Aegis Guardian, Regan Cooper, shatters centuries of resolve. Yet their passion comes with a price. And Thanatos must face a truth more terrifying than an apocalypse-he's about to become a father.

Demon-slayer Regan Cooper never imagined herself the maternal type, but with the fate of the world hanging in the balance she had no choice but to seduce Thanatos and bear his child. Now, as the final battle draws closer and his rage at being betrayed is overshadowed by an undeniable passion for the mother of his child, Thanatos has a life-shattering realization: To save the world, he must sacrifice the only thing he's ever wanted-a family.

Book Review: Entice Me at Twilight

Entice Me at Twilight (Doomsday Brethren #4)

 Author:  Shayla Black

Publication:  Pocket Star

Publication Date: 26 October 2010

Source: E-book owned by reviewer

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Audience: Adult; Paranormal Romance

Synopsis

From Goodreads.com: In national bestselling author Shayla Black's electrifying new novel, the Doomsday Brethren fight their mortal enemy for the newest weapon in a bloody magical war: the one woman a warrior shouldn't claim . . . yet can't resist.

Dangerously handsome Simon Northam, Duke of Hurstgrove, and his uptight brother Mason are hardly close, but crashing Mason's wedding and stealing his fiancée further aggravate their sibling rivalry. Duke's family has no notion he's a wizard, so how can he explain that magickind's fate lies with the beautiful, tenacious bride he longs to seduce? Felicia is an Untouchable, a rare human whose presence disables magic--even the impenetrable forces surrounding Morganna le Fay's tomb. The evil witch's malicious powers could propel nefarious wizard Mathias to ultimate world domination . . . "if "he can resurrect her. To conceal herself, Felicia must succumb to her smouldering desire for Duke, but he risks binding his life--and sanity-- to a lover whose loyalties are forever torn. He faces a choice: betray his brother for ultimate survival . . . or lose the woman who tempts him beyond control.

Book Review: Darker After Midnight

Darker After Midnight (Midnight Breed #10)

Author :  Lara Adrian

Publication:  Delacorte Press

Publication Date: 24 January 2012

Source: E-book owned by reviewer

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Audience: Adult; Paranormal Romance

Synopsis

From Goodreads.com:

In the dark of night, a blood war escalates within the hidden world of the Breed. After existing in secret for many long centuries, maintaining a fragile peace with the humans who walk beside them unaware, a single act of retaliation has put the entire vampire nation at risk of discovery. It falls to the Order—a cadre of Breed warriors pledged to protect their own and humankind alike—to stop Dragos, the power-mad vampire at the center of the conflict, before his push for domination can explode into catastrophe. 

At the center of the Order’s quest is Sterling Chase, once a morally rigid enforcer of Breed law, now a warrior fallen from grace, whose biggest battle is the one he wages against his own savage nature. With addiction beckoning him toward eternal darkness, Chase’s path to redemption has never seemed more out of reach. But when his eyes meet those of Tavia Fairchild, a beautiful witness who identifies him at the scene of a mission gone terribly wrong, Chase finds himself drawn to the woman—and convinced she is something much more than she seems. 

Book Review: Sex and the Single Vampire

Sex and the Single Vampire(Dark Ones #2)

Author :  KatieMacAlister

Publication:  Leisure Books

Publication Date: 26 May 2009 (reprint)

Source: E-book owned by reviewer

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Audience: Adult; Paranormal Romance

Synopsis

From Goodreads.com:

If Allie doesn't find a ghost soon, her short career as a "Summoner" with United Psychical Research Association will be a thing of the past, so naturally she is delighted to find what she thinks is the tortured spirit of a gorgeous, naked, wounded man. But the cranky spirit, who looks exactly like the dishy man who has been haunting Allie's dreams, doesn't need her help since he isn't a ghost, but rather Christian Dante, best-selling author of vampire romances and Moravian Dark One. Of course, Allie wants some answers from the arrogant and domineering Christian, but he is more interested in working out the exact nature of their relationship, since fate has chosen Allie as his "Beloved."

My Review

I read this second in the series hoping to hear more about the 900-year old Christian Dante, fictional author of the Dark Ones novels. I was not disappointed. The focus of the book is on Christian’s search for his Beloved. There is no smooth plot segue from the first book but eventually all becomes clear as Allegra comes into contact with Roxy and Joy, who are plotting to attract and reveal Christian’s Beloved by stalking a Dark Ones book release in London. Excellent plan because it works although not quite in the way they imagined. Christian is finessing a plan of his own to try and find a kidnapped Dark One, when Allegra stumbles upon him in a basement, and after ogling him in some less than salubrious circumstances, proceeds to try and Release him, thinking he is a ghost.

Book Review: Lover Reborn

Lover Reborn (Black Dagger Brotherhood #10)

Author :  JR Ward

Publication:  NAL, Hachette Digital

Publication Date: 27^th March 2012

Source:  E-book owned by reviewer

Buy it at Amazon and Indie Bound

Audience: Adult; Paranormal Romance

Synopsis

In the darkest corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other rages. The city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race: the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. 

Now back in the Brotherhood - and unrecognisable as the vampire leader he once was - Tohrment is physically emaciated and heartbroken beyond despair. When he begins to see his beloved in his dreams - trapped in a cold, isolating netherworld - Tohr turns to a self-serving fallen angel in hopes of saving the one he has lost. When he's told he must learn to love another to free his former mate, Tohr knows they are all doomed . . . 

Except then a female with a shadowed history begins to get through to him. Against the backdrop of the raging war with the Lessers, and with a new clan of vampires vying for the Blind King's throne, Tohr struggles between the buried past, and a very hot, passion-filled future . . . but can his heart let go and set all of them free?

Book Review: A Girl’s Guide to Vampires

A Girl’s Guide to Vampires (Dark Ones #1)

Author :  KatieMacAlister

Publication:  Love Spell

Publication Date: 29^th October 2003

Source: E-book owned by reviewer

Buy it at Barnes and Noble and Amazon

Audience: Adult; Paranormal Romance

Synopsis

From Goodreads.com:

All Joy Randall wants is a little old-fashioned romance, but when she participates in a "Goddess evoking" ceremony with her friend, Roxy, Joy finds out her future true love is a man with the potential to put her immortal soul in danger. At first the ever-practical Joy is ready to dismiss her vision as a product of too much gin and too many vampire romances, but while traveling through the Czech Republic with Roxy, Joy begins to have some second thoughts about her mystery lover because she is suddenly plagued by visions of a lethally handsome stranger. Then, when she and Roxy attend a local GothFaire, Joy meets Raphael Griffin St. John, head of security, and she becomes even more bewildered because the dark and dangerous Raphael seems too close to her dreams for comfort.

From Author’s Site (because I love her sense of humour):

Joy Randall’s Top 5 Tips for Vampire Hunters:

1. Location, location, location. Remember, if you wouldn’t be there, neither would a bloodsucker.
2. Trust your eyes. You know the handsome, annoyingly arrogant, self-assured man in the shadows with long hair and a cleft in his chin? He’s your vampire.
3. No matter how tempting it might be, do not “accidentally” acquire a paper cut and suggest YOUR VAMPIRE kiss your finger to make it better.
4. From here on out, play it cool. Don’t offer to accompany your prince of the night on the talk show circuit and whatever you do, don’t offer him your heart.
5. And most of all, remembering a vampire is nothing to laugh about.

Book Review: Lover Mine

Lover Mine (Black Dagger Brotherhood 8)

Author :  JR Ward 

Publication:  NAL

Publication Date: 27^th April 2010

Source: Hardcover and ebook owned by reviewer

Buy it at Barnes and Noble and Amazon

but beware the extremely naff cover art in the European editions

Audience: Adult; Paranormal Romance

Synopsis

John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown. Taken in by The Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was-or his true identity. 

Xhex has long steeled herself against the attraction to John Matthew. Until fate intervenes and she discovers that love, like destiny, is inevitable.

My Review

Spoilers ahead!

I love this book! Unwrapping the hardcover edition with yet another example of supremely droolworthy cover art, I read it in one sitting on the same night and have savoured it again on a slower read on my Kindle since I don’t want to tarnish the hardcover beauty on my bookshelf! My anticipation of reading John Matthew's story may have coloured my perceptions, admittedly, as he is one of my favourite characters in the series. I had high hopes for his story and the HEA with Xhex (who is one of my favourite female characters in the series because she exists independently of whatever the males are doing).

Book Review: Good Book

Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvellous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible

Author: David Plotz  

Publication by: HarperCollins e-books

Publication Date: March 3rd 2009

Source:  E-Book owned by Reviewer

Buy it at Amazon

Audience: Anyone with an interest but not for those who are devoutly and religiously lacking a sense of humour

Synopsis

Like many Jews and Christians, David Plotz long assumed he knew what was in the Bible. He read parts of it as a child in Hebrew school, then at-tended a Christian high school where he studied the Old and New Testaments. Many of the highlights stuck with him--Adam and Eve, Cain versus Abel, Jacob versus Esau, Jonah versus whale, forty days and nights, ten plagues and commandments, twelve tribes and apostles, Red Sea walked under, Galilee walked on, bush into fire, rock into water, water into wine. And, of course, he absorbed from all around him other bits of the Bible--from stories he heard in churches and synagogues, in movies and on television, from his parents and teachers. But it wasn't until he picked up a Bible at a cousin's bat mitzvah--and became engrossed and horrified by a lesser-known story in Genesis--that he couldn't put it down.