Review: Lover Unleashed by J R Ward

Genre:   Paranormal Romance

Release Date:  March 2011

Series:  Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book #9

Publisher:  NAL

Author Website:  http://www.jrward.com

Format Read:  Ebook

Pages:  512

Source:  Borrowed but feel I must buy for my collection

Reading Challenge:  Kick Ass Heroine

Rating:  4 flowers of love-really liked it and would recommend it

Read an excerpt

Book Blurb

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them?

My Thoughts

I have really been on the fence about reading this one, so I waited before getting my hands on a copy.  I have had a love/hate relationship with this series because some books are better than others.  But just when I feel that the Brotherhood has lost its appeal, I get sucked back in and have to get caught up on the latest drama.

Lover Unleashed picks up right where Lover Mine left off.  I’ve read a lot of reviews where readers were not happy about the story focusing more on V and Jane rather than on Payne and Manny.  I didn’t feel that way because to me all of the BDB books have about four or five different stories happening simultaneously.  And that’s what I love about them.  There’s so much going on it keeps me glued to the pages trying to guess what’s going to happen next.

Review: Blood Of The Rose by Kate Pearce

Series:  Tudor Vampire Chronicles, Book #2

Genre:   Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance

Release Date:  February 2011

Publisher:  Signet Eclipse

Author Website:  http://www.katepearce.com/

Format I Read:  Paperback

Pages:  307

Source:  Purchased

Reading Challenge:  Historical Romance Reading Challenge, Kick Ass Heroine Reading Challenge

Read an excerpt

Book Blurb

When Rosalind Llewellyn had to join forces with her enemy, Christopher Ellis to defeat a rogue Vampire threatening Henry VIII, their alliance led to a surprising passion. Reunited after a years separation, they face a new threat that could destroy their last chance at happiness.

Christopher is delighted by the spectacular rise at court of his friends George and Anne Boleyn. But Rosalind suspects Lady Anne is up to no good-she may even be a Vampire who’s bewitched the king. Now Rosalind must fight to keep Christopher from falling under the woman’s mysterious spell. It isn’t until Anne reveals a dark secret that Christopher awakens to where the true danger lies-and he begins to play a desperate game in order to save the woman he loves…

Awesomeness:

Somewhere in his mind, fear lingered.  She might desert him like a malicious fey from a fairy story, leave him forever bereft and unable to exist without her.  He returned to the bed and grasped one of her wrists.  "Must I tie you to the bed, my lady, so that I can take my pleasure without fear of being stabbed, or bitten, or scratched?"

My Thoughts

I was very excited to pick up the second book in this series.  Blood Of The Rose is full of romance, suspense and Tudor scandal.  Kate Pearce does a good job of mixing historical fiction with paranormal romance. 

The story picks up a year later with the Druids continuing to protect King Henry VIII from the threat of vampires.  Rosalind and Rhys have returned to court.  Once again they must call a truce with enemies Christopher and Elias in order to keep the infamous Anne Boleyn from turning the king into a vampire and taking over England.

The first book left Rosalind and Christopher’s relationship up in the air.  I was happy that their romance continued despite the dangers of being on opposite sides. The harder they tried to stay away from each other, the more their feelings seemed to pull them together.   The relationship remained rocky thorough the story, but I was very pleased with the way the ending was handled.

The introduction of the Boleyn family kept me in suspense.  From history, I knew what would happen, but I was anxious to see how the story would twist to include them.   Anne was always thought to be very ambitious and into dark magic, so making her a vampire was a stroke of genius. 

I love this series and can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

Rating

Four flowers of love.  I really liked this book and would recommend reading the series.

Other Books In This Series:

Kiss Of The Rose, Book #1 (August 2010)

Mark Of The Rose, Book #3 (will release August 2011)

Other Reviews Of This Book:

Goodreads

Shelfari

Review: Kiss Of The Rose by Kate Pearce

Series:  The Tudor Vampire Chronicles, Book #1

Genre:  Historical Paranormal Romance, Vampires

Release Date:  August 2010

Publisher:   Signet Eclipse

Author Website:  http://www.katepearce.com

Format I Read:  Paperback

Pages:  312

Source:  Won on Goodreads

Read an excerpt

Book Blurb

Desperate to defeat King Richard III and gain the English crown, Henry Tudor made a pact with the Druids that bound him and his heirs to the Druid’s deadly struggle against the Vampires. Ever since, the Llewellyns, an ancient Vampire slaying family, have been in the permanent employ of the monarchy.

Now Henry VIII is on the throne, and his father’s bargain has almost been forgotten. Until corpses drained of blood start turning up in the most inappropriate of places, including the king’s bedchamber. But are these people the victims of the Vampires-or of the Druids?

To save the king from a nameless assassin, Rosalind Llewellyn, Vampire hunter extraordinaire, must form an uneasy alliance with a known Druid slayer. Sir Christopher Ellis hails from a family that has protected the Vampires for centuries, yet Rosalind has no choice but to rely on his help. And with her life threatened and her loyalty tested, Rosalind may even have to acknowledge the unthinkable. This sworn enemy may be her soul mate.

Awesomeness:

He cursed as the sharp blade caressed his skin and knocked her hand away.  “God help the man who marries you, Rosalind.  He had better guard his prick with his life.”

She glanced down at the shadows of his groin.  “You are right, sir.  Should I be displeased with a man, there apt to be a terrible accident.”

My Thoughts

First of all, I was super excited to win this book from Goodreads.  I had never read anything by Kate Pearce but I loved the cover and the book blurb, and reading this book has made me a fan.  

I’m still on a historical romance high so I’m reading any and everything in the genre so I thought the vampire slaying and the Tudor era would be an interesting read.

The story opens with vampires running amuck in King Henry’s court.  Thinking that vampires are a myth, King Henry is reluctant to believe in their existence until bodies start turning up in his personal space.    He also can’t believe that a female has been sent to protect him.

Rosalind and Christopher are both sent to court to find out who the rogue vampire is and must work together to eliminate the threat to the Kind and Queen.

Rosalind comes from a long line of vampire slayers, so to keep her family’s favor with the King, she must eliminate the threat, oh and find a husband in her spare time.  Christopher, on the other hand, is a vampire protector and Rosalind’s sworn enemy.   But of course, they fall in love and can’t be together.  Working side by side with someone you love, but can’t have proves to be a bitch, but that’s where the story starts getting really good.

I love a good vampire story, but the book focused more on the finding and the slaying of the vampire.  I didn’t get a lot of vamp interaction, but just enough to know that Rosalind was no Buffy and Christopher was no Angel or Spike, and there was no epic love-yet.  Despite that,  I did find myself being wrapped up in their adventure and unable to put Kiss Of The Rose down. 

This is the first book in the series and even though it didn’t wow me like I wanted it to, I still have a good feeling for future books in the series.

Rating

I give Kiss Of The Rose four flowers of love and can’t wait until the next book.

 

Other Books In This Series:

Blood Of The Rose coming February 2011

Other Reviews Of This Book:

Goodreads

Shelfari

Naughty Novella: Heartkeeper by Christine M. Taylor

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Published:  September 2010

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Format I Read:  ebook

Pages:  84 (Nook pages)

Source:  Ck2s Kwips and Kritiques

Read an excerpt

Book Summary

. . . Beyond time, and death, and hope have I loved you . . .

So writes a soldier of the Nameless Guard, a halfblood who serves the vampire nobility. He is the son of two warring worlds-- half-vampire, half-werewolf-- an immortal outcast. As a vampire, he is a true immortal, but as a werewolf, he loves only once: instantly and forever. But the one who holds his heart is Ravienne Nightborn, heiress to the vampire throne.

Bound to her for all time by a despairing love he can neither deny nor escape, he writes the words he cannot speak.

This is his love letter.

My Thoughts

When a nameless guard to the vampire princess, Ravienne meets her for the first time, he knows that their lives will forever be entwined. Since he is considered an abomination, half wolf and half vampire, he knows that he will never be able to express his feeling towards her. Desperate for any kind of contact with her, he develops a special bond with her in his wolf form, and is able to share snippets of her life.

Heartkeeper is wonderful love story that reads like an open letter to the love of one man’s life. I was instantly drawn into the story. The no name solider was so in love with the vampire princess and knew that he would never get a real chance to be with her. He still watched and protected her from afar and was eager to take whatever attention he could get from her. He goes through pain and humiliation just to be close to her. When he is granted the opportunity to compete to become her Heartkeeper, he throws caution to the wind and sacrifices everything to win the woman he feels he is destined to be with.

Although the story was short, it was well written and the plot was easy to follow. The soldier’s feelings towards the princess made me root for him and want to see him win the princess’s heart.

The princess comes across as cold and uncaring because of the life she is accustomed to. But once she realizes the soldier’s intent, her heart is forever changed.

My  Rating

I give Heartkeeper four flowers of love.  Yes I am a sucker for a fool in love. I actually cried while reading this as novella. Very good read.

Review: Bloodsworn: Bound By Magic by Kathy Lane

Genre:  Paranormal Romance, Fantasy

Published: September 2010

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

Author Website:  http://www.kyrlane.com

Format I Read:  ebook

Pages:  380 (Nook pages)

Source: Ck2s Kwips and Kritiques

Read an excerpt

Book Summary

Worlds collide when a man of magic is forced to take a woman of science as his bride. Powerful Bloodsworn, Devlin Kel-Tragar, is sent to Earth to claim his prophecy bride, a task he has no heart for until he learns that research chemist, Avera St. John, is also his Starmate, the one woman in the universe born just for him. Now he'll do anything to claim her. But will his slow seduction of his lady mate give his enemy time to take away the one thing Devlin can't afford to lose?

Avera is drawn to her new neighbor, Devlin Kel, despite the mystery she senses surrounding him. A mystery that blows her safe little scientific world wide open when strange men with swords try to kill her and Devlin shows up and blasts them with magic. Real, honest-to-goodness magic! Her world is suddenly changed forever, and Avera must decide if she is able to accept those changes along with the man responsible.

My Thoughts

Devlin is a powerful magic wielder sent to Earth to claim his future bride, Avera.   Since Avera doesn’t know that magic exists and he’s pretty sure that she’s going to think he’s crazy, he plans to woo her before revealing his plans for their future. When his enemies try to keep Devlin from claiming her, time has run out and he has no choice but to reveal himself and hope that Avera can forgive him for deceiving her.

Bound By Magic is a unique story. The story started out slow, but developed into a fast paced read. At first, the story didn’t draw me in, but as I kept reading, I began to enjoy the tale that Kathy Lane wove.

Avera St John has a lot of things to deal with in her life. She recently survived a vicious attack on her life, her father has gone missing, and now she realizes that she hates her job. What more could life throw at her?

When she first meets Devlin, her sexy new neighbor, her first impression is stranger danger, but later she realizes that she’s drawn to him and can’t figure out why. When she starts receiving strange gifts, she decides that now is not the time to start a new romance.

Kathy Lane did a wonderful job on this book. I enjoyed the world building that took place and loved the characters that were introduced. The plot was also new and fresh. I haven’t read a lot of books that dealt with magical beings without shape shifters, so this was a nice change of pace.

The slow romance between Avera and Devlin was just right and didn’t feel forced. I liked that Devlin gave Avera time and patience to accept him and what her position with him would entail. I also liked that Avera was given her own identity and that she did not have to rely on her ties to Devlin to be a force to be reckoned with.

My  Rating

I give Bound By Magic four flowers of love.  

Her Vampire Husband by Michele Hauf

Title:  Her Vampire Husband
Author:  Michele Hauf
Released:  April 2010
Series:  Wicked Games, Book 3

eBook recieved FREE, courtesy of NetGalley.

Book Summary

An arranged marriage between a werewolf and a vampire.

There will be blood.

She may resist his bite, but she can't resist his charms...

Werewolf princess Blu Masterson won't allow her seductive vampire husband to consummate their marriage with his bite, marking her forever. Alone in a secluded estate with her sworn enemy, Blu curses the marriage arranged to bring their rival nations together, especially since Creed Saint-Pierre calls out to her most feral desires.

When Blu uncovers her pack's secret plot to destroy the vampire nation—and Creed—she is forced to confront her growing feelings for her sexy undead husband. Will she choose the only life she's ever known or accept his vampire bite?

My Thoughts
After reading the first chapter on Michele Hauf's website, I knew that I was going to love the story.

Creed and Blu were the main characters.  For them to be mortal enemies, I was happy to see them put their differences aside and find happiness.  I've read alot of books where the alpha male likes the female and takes what he wants (which is her) regardless of what she wants.  I was pleased that My Vampire Husband didn't take that route.

Creed is an older than dirt vampire so he's used to getting what he wants when he wants it.  He  appears to be as boring even if he is very powerful and respected by the other vamps.  He is considered to be an elder in the vampire community so naturally he's stuck up and totally full of himself.  His character was a little over the top, but as soon as he realized he could love Blu, his character became real for me.

Blu is a werewolf princess and anyone who knows their were facts knows that females are very rare.  She is the only female in their Pack so she's considered their Princess.   She's spoiled, dresses over the top, and has a knack for not doing what she's told.  I liked her from the start. She was the perfect ride or die chick.  I love a girl that knows what she wants out of life and isn't afraid to take chances to get it.  I did feel sorry for her having to marry the old guy and having to put up with the way her father and her Pack treated her. 
 
At first, I just thought this book would just be a fun read, full of laughs.  I did not expect it to be as good as it was.  Sure there were a few parts that were boring, and seemed like they dragged on a bit more than necessary. But, there were also parts that were so good and so romantic that I  couldn't stop reading. 

I am a big fan of writers that let romance  blossom slowly between their characters.  This way, the reader doesn't feel that it's forced and unbelievable. There were a lot of mushy parts, but that 's part of what I love about the romance.  The mushier, the better.

My Ratings:
Because I love paranormal romance and this book was soo romantic, I give it a 4 1/2 stars.  Michele Hauf is now one of my fav authors so I will be reading more of her work.


Read an excerpt from Her Vampire Husband
Also read an excerpt from The Vampire Tango