Saturday, May 5, 2018

Baby, I'm Howling for You (Alphaville, #1) by Christine Warren

 

ABOUT Baby, I'm Howling For You:

Renny Landry is a wolf on the run. Pursued by a shapeshifting stalker and his slobbering pack of killer coyotes, she is forced to flee her job as a librarian to find sanctuary in the wooded hills of Alpha, Washington. A well-secluded safe space for troubled shifters, Alpha is Renny’s last hope. But the first person she meets there is a gorgeous alpha male with fiery eyes, fierce tattoos, and one ferocious appetite—for her…

Mick Fischer thought he left his past behind when he moved to Alpha. But fate has a way of biting him in the tail when a female wolf shows up on his property. Wounded, desperate—and disarmingly hot—Renny brings out the snarling, protective alpha beast in Mick like no other woman he’s known. Can these two haunted, hunted wolves manage to mate for life…even as the deadliest past demons howl at their heels?

REVIEW:

This was a fun, quick read with plenty of intrigue and action.  Strong alphas, and the women who won't let the alphas run over them.  Laughter, tears, and intrigue all wrapped into a relatively short story made this very appealing.

I've never read anything by Christine before, and found this worth the read.  I'm interested in reading other stories from this series.

*I received an e-ARC from NetGalley to provide this review.*

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Thanks Fur Last Night (Fur #1) by Eve Langlais, Milly Taiden, & Kate Baxter






ABOUT Thanks Fur Last Night:

Bearing His Sin

Cole should have killed Anja the moment he realized she was his mate. Instead, he let her live and now they’re on the hunt, chasing the morons who think they can force her to marry another man. Like hell. And while this shapeshifting bear might have his share of sins, he’s not going to let little things like murder and mayhem prevent him from having the woman meant to be the keeper of his heart.

Bought by the Bear
Josilyn Martinez just needed the money to help raise her nephew. That's it. There's no other reason she would take a job posing as a shifter's mate so he can assure his grandmother he's settled down. There's no reason to stay at his place so they learn "more about each other." And there's definitely no good reason she should get involved with the hard, hot, and handsome shifter that's hired her.

Xander just needs a fake mate for a week to get his grandmother off his back. But what's a bear shifter to do when the impostor mate he hired turns out to be his actual mate? All sweet, luscious curves and a heart of gold, Xander's not going to let his mate get away. Now all he has to do is show her that they belong together, one kiss and touch at a time...

The Alpha and I
Devon Kincaid is happy with her new life in Lowman, Idaho. Her little bar on the outskirts of the tiny, isolated town is doing well, and she’s not even interested in finding a man. But when she finds a bleeding man—a hot, hard, handsome, naked bleeding man—in the snow one night, Devon brings him home to care for him. He’s definitely not like any man she’s ever met before, but what she doesn’t realize is that he’s not just a man…

Liam Murphy isn't simply a werewolf. He's the Alpha. In a heated battle with a deadly bear shifter, he's moved his pack to the Sawtooth Wilderness in order to draw danger from them. He was hoping to escape his problems—but the last thing he expects to find in the isolated Idaho wilderness was his mate. Fragile and unfamiliar with the violent supernatural world, the only way he can protect Devon is to make her what he is: a werewolf. He only hopes that in the process convincing her to enter fully into his world, that he doesn’t drive away the one woman he can’t live without.



REVIEW:

I requested this book from NetGalley because I hadn't managed to read any of these authors, but had been wanting to try a couple of them.  It was a  fun, quick collection of werebear romances! Each story drew me in, and made me want more of their stories!

*I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in order to provide this review.*

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Midnight Wolf (Shifters Unbound #11) by Jennifer Ashley

ABOUT Midnight Wolf:

Angus Murray, bouncer for a New Orleans Shifter bar, is sent to round up an elusive, Collar-less Shifter woman, Tamsin Calloway, who is causing trouble for Shifter Bureau, and possesses information they want. If Angus refuses, he risks losing his cub. He finds Tamsin but she's slippery and not about to be rounded up quietly.

In fact, quiet is nothing Tamsin will ever be. She leads Angus on a wild chase, but he's determined to bring her in to save his son.

Can Tamsin convince Angus she's worth helping before she's locked away by Shifter Bureau, Collared, or perhaps killed?


REVIEW:

I have only read one short story in this series previous to this book, so it is possible to read as a stand-alone and enjoy it.  (However, I do tend to prefer to read an entire series from the beginning as the backstory usually makes it a more enriching read.)

This was a fairly quick read for me.  I managed to read it at work between calls (I work in a call center for a bank) in one week.  The characters, world and story are well-developed. 

Tamsin and Angus are both complex characters with and entwined history which cause a lot of tension for them.  Angus's cub is highly likable pup with a talent for sarcasm.  With both the Shifter Bureau and the shifters after them the cards are stacked against Tamsin and Angus, which helps you end up rooting for them despite their initial circumstances.

I really liked the story, and hope to find time to read the rest of the series in the near future.

*I received an e-ARC of this book from First To Read (Penguin) in order to create this review.*

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon (The Embraced #3) by Kerrelyn Sparks

 

 

ABOUT Eight Simple Rules:

Kerrelyn Sparks is no stranger to the New York Times bestseller list, as her massive fan base couldn’t seem to get enough of her Love at Stake series. Sparks then introduced her extraordinary fantasy romance series, The Embraced, with How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days and So I Married a Sorcerer. Set in a medieval mythical world, the series follows a special group of people with powers born when the two moons of the world form an eclipse. Now comes the captivating third installment, EIGHT SIMPLE RULES FOR DATING A DRAGON (St. Martin’s Paperbacks; March 27, 2018), where readers meet Gwennore, our fierce and powerful new heroine.

Gwennore is an Elf able to track down the cause of an illness and heal it; a valuable asset to her people. But when she is thrust into the realm of the dragons, she discovers a haunted place of power and magic, plagued by an ancient curse.  And then she meets the smoldering General Silas Dravenko. She’s been raised never to trust a dragon, but never did making a deal with the devil feel so good…

Silas has no way of saving the royal family he’s served for years. But when a beautiful elf comes bursting into his world, Silas is awakened to desire in a way he’s never felt before. But can he trust a sworn enemy?

Filled with romance, adventure, and a vividly imagined new world, EIGHT SIMPLE RULES FOR DATING A DRAGON is a fantasy in the vein of Game of Thrones with all the fun of The Princess Bride. Audiences will become enthralled with Gwennore in a world where passion, fantasy, and royal intrigue collide. Return to the most exciting, magical and romantic series to come along in years in the stunning world of the Embraced!



REVIEW:

Kerrelyn has woven a rich tapestry with this series!  And, the problem with finding a new series you love?  When it isn't completed yet!  It is SO hard waiting for the next book!!  In fact, I love it so much I had to buy all 3 in audio format so I could "read" them again on my way to and from work.  (I have a 50-minute drive one way.)

I am absolutely in LOVE with the characters in this series.  They are deeply detailed characters - with all the flaws and imperfections AND all the strengths, wisdom, and courage of people you might find as friends in real life. The girls are a family.  And, with their guys, a quickly expanding family.

Watching Gwennore grow in this story from a shy, retiring young woman into the brave, beautiful, and feisty woman she can be while finding the perfect man for her is so entertaining and poignant at the same time.  It is a thoroughly engaging read! 

**I received a complimentary copy of this ebook via NetGalley.**






Kerrelyn Sparks is best known (so far) for the Love at Stake series, which has hit as high as number 5 on the New York Times list and 22 on the USA Today list. Visit Kerrelyn on Facebook, Twitter, or her website,  http://www.kerrelynsparks.com/.

Friday, April 27, 2018

Blog Tour - Dark Queen (Skinwalker #12) by Faith Hunter




 Welcome to my little part of the Dark Queen Blog Tour!  I've been absent lately - life and work have really gotten in the way of my reading, but bills have to be paid.  Jane will always make me find time!

We have a Blog Tour Giveaway for you!  You can enter once at each blog stop to increase your chances of winning!  I'm including a link for all of the stops on the tour so you can be sure to catch as many as possible.  Please remember that we are not all posting on the same day so you may have to come back to hit some of the stops!  ;)  The Rafflecopter for the giveaway is at the bottom of my post.

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE


About DARK QUEEN: 

Jane Yellowrock used to hunt vampires, but now she must fight--and win--beside them. 

As Enforcer to the vampire Master of the City of New Orleans, Jane Yellowrock stakes her reputation and her life on keeping her territory safe. But Leo has been issued a blood challenge by the emperor of the European vampires, who seeks to usurp all of his power and possessions. If Leo loses the match to the death, the city will be forfeit, and the people of New Orleans will suffer the consequences. Jane can't let that happen. 

Preparing for the duel requires all of Jane's focus, but with so much supernatural power in play, nothing goes according to plan. She has to rely on herself and the very few people she knows she can trust to stand and fight. Only two things are guaranteed: nothing is sacred, and no one is safe.



ISBN: 1101991429
ISBN-13: 978-1101991428

Purchase Links:



REVIEW:

Faith has managed to produced yet another tear-jerking, belly-laughing work of art!

The EVs are here, and the Sangre Duello is being prepared for to determine the future of not only NOLAs paranormals, but the US and Europe.  Jane must once again face seemingly insurmountable odds to try and protect those she has come to care for.  A many-layered, many-faceted plan has been put into place safety for all those left behind regardless of the outcome of the blood duel.

This is a story of family - with all it hardships and benefits.  It is a story of love, of death, of rebirth.  Like life, it has it's slow moments, it's fast moments, it's heartbreaking moments, and it's joyful moments.  If you are unable to read emotionally draining books then this is not the book for you, but if you can... it is SO worth it!

I know I have said it before - and will probably say so again - but, Faith's writing is so descriptive and so full of life that it is easy and fun to read while creating a highly imaginative and colorful world.  There were a couple of passages that made me laugh while at work - the ones with BQ and/or Deon - which of course made my co-workers curious.  I had to share the Elton John passage with my self-dubbed gay work husband because it was just too perfect, and I knew he would enjoy it as much as I did.  I got the book back with the comment, "Oh My God!  I love how she writes!  It is just SO descriptive!"

I made the colossal mistake of finishing this book while on a small plane on the first leg of my vacation flight... with only 1 tissue.  So be warned - if you cry reading books - do NOT finish this book in public unless you have a ready supply of tissues!

**I received  complimentary ARC of this book from the publisher in order to provide this review.**







Faith Hunter is a New York Times and USAToday bestselling author. She writes dark
urban fantasy and paranormal urban thrillers.

Her long-running, bestselling, Skinwalker series features Jane Yellowrock, a hunter of
rogue-vampires. The Soulwood series features Nell Nicholson Ingram in paranormal
crime solving novels. Her Rogue Mage novels, a dark, urban fantasy series, features
Thorn St. Croix, a stone mage in a post-apocalyptic, alternate reality. Two of her fantasy
series have been nominated for Audie Awards.

Under the pen name Gwen Hunter, she has written action adventure, mysteries, thrillers,
women’s fiction, a medical thriller series, and even historical religious fiction. As Gwen,
she is a winner of the WH Smith Literary Award for Fresh Talent in 1995 in the UK, and
won a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award in 2008. Under all her pen names, she
has over 40 books in print in 30 countries.

In real life, Faith once broke a stove by refusing to turn it on for so long that its parts
froze and the unused stove had to be replaced. Her recent hankering for homemade bread
and soup resulted in fresh loaves each week and she claims that the newish stove feels
loved and well used—because Faith talks to her appliances as well as to her plants and
dog. She collects orchids and animal skulls, loves to sit on the back porch in lightning
storms, and is a workaholic with a passion for jewelry making, white-water kayaking, and
RV travel. She likes the shooting range, prefers Class III whitewater rivers with no gorge
to climb out of, edits the occasional anthology, and drinks a lot of tea. Some days she’s a
lady. Some days she ain't. Occasionally, she remembers to sleep. The jewelry she makes
and wears is often given as promo items and is used as prizes in contests.

For more, including a list of her books, see www.faithhunter.net , www.gwenhunter.com
To keep up with her, like her fan page at Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/official.faith.hunter 

GIVEAWAY:


Win one of two complete sets of Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock novels! Contest runs April 23rd until May 11th. Rafflecopter code is below: