Sunday 31 March 2013

Fatal Intent

Fatal Intent 

Title: Fatal Intent

Author: Ryshia Kennie

Release date: January 15, 2013

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Age Group: Adult

Publisher: Beyond The Page Publishing
by
Readers of Sandra Brown and Laura Griffin are going to embrace the novels of hot new romantic suspense writer Ryshia Kennie.

An expedition into the Borneo rain forest is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for entomologist Garrett Cole. It’s this trip that could finally make her a star in her field. But when her team’s guide is found dead and headless on the banks of the river, Garrett’s dream trek suddenly becomes a nightmare. Lost in the heart of the jungle, she must fight to maintain her composure while leading a panicked team of scientists to safety.

When sexy and rugged Aidan arrives in the jungle looking as if he belongs, Garrett has no choice but to accept his help. But Aidan is more than she bargained for—a man of few words and fewer answers, as comfortable in the jungle as the mysterious native tribesmen. And as the days pass and passion flares between them, Garrett wonders if Aiden’s good intentions are just another of the jungle’s illusions.

In a land rife with predators and a killer still on the loose, can she trust the one man who claims to be their rescuer?


Links to find the book:

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Smashwords

iTunes

About the Author

Ryshia Kennie is the author of three published
romances. From the Dust, is a romance set
during the Great Depression. Her second book,
Ring of Desire, was set against a backdrop of
magic and mystery, in medieval England. With
her third book she settled into a genre that
piqued her interest and fed her love for travel,
romantic suspense. Fatal Intent is a romantic
suspense set in the heart of the Borneo
jungle. An award winning author, her recent
novels focus on women’s fiction as well as
suspense – always with a hint or even a dollop,
of romance. The Canadian prairies are home
where she lives with her husband and one
opinionated Irish Terrier.

Author social media links:
Website

Blog

Facebook

Twitter


My Review...

I was not sure about this book from the blurb but I thought what the hell and gave it a go.  So the story had strengths and some weaknesses.

I felt the chemistry but I was confused with the push and pull of Aidan and Garrett.  At times it felt too fast and others too slow. There was predictability and the element of surprise.

But you can't go wrong when the hunk is just wearing a loin cloth through the major part of the book. LOL

<img style="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjm6X5YdcCP4SAgwarcpIciDDb7iUlsWVh8_hP2AJamEXZ6UG868LAq2CytzZh5_pbmbRzqGLFjZHR9meBvc1o3JCdL1hjBr7J1r1zCzTgZYa3dB8zfOSy3c3AGJJ-171cJKCKHasIlc/s320/tumblr_lr87niF5Tt1qlj7iwo1_500.gif" border="0" height="179" width="320">


This book was a quick read with an interesting story line which was definitely different than the normal contemporary books these days.  There was suspense, mystery, intrigue, bugs, loss and love.

It was sweet in a quirky type of way.

3 thumbs up!
 thumbs upthumbs upthumbs up
Lauren 


Lover At Last (BDB #11)

Lover At Last (Black Dagger Brotherhood #11)

Adult  18+
M/M 
Source: Kindle

Qhuinn, son of no one, is used to being on his own. Disavowed from his bloodline, shunned by the aristocracy, he has finally found an identity as one of the most brutal fighters in the war against the Lessening Society. But his life is not complete. Even as the prospect of having a family of his own seems to be within reach, he is empty on the inside, his heart given to another....

Blay, after years of unrequited love, has moved on from his feelings for Qhuinn. And it’s about time: The male has found his perfect match in a Chosen female, and they are going to have a young—just as Qhuinn has always wanted for himself. It’s hard to see the new couple together, but building your life around a pipe dream is just a heartbreak waiting to happen. As he’s learned firsthand.

Fate seems to have taken these vampire soldiers in different directions... but as the battle over the race’s throne intensifies, and new players on the scene in Caldwell create mortal danger for the Brotherhood, Qhuinn finally learns the true definition of courage, and two hearts who are meant to be together... finally become one.

Synopsis from Goodreads

My Review....


Ah!!!! Blay and Qhuinn!


I was so looking forward to this book and sometimes with all that build up books can be a let down but good ol' J.R. Ward once again did not let us down.  I will admit Zsadist will always be my favorite but Qhuinn could be a close second.





With the evolution of this series there is now so much going on. There were times I got a bit distracted.


Ms. Ward has always had the gift of sinful passion and I wasn't sure how it was going to go in the world of m/m but again she did a fantastic job.

With Blay and Qhuinn you want to pull you hair out with all of the miscommunications with "Come on guys just get your head out of your asses and see what is right in front of you. Everyone can see it so why can't you?"



In the end they finally figured it out and our boy Qhuinn does not do things in half measures.  His final stance made my heart melt a bit more for my boy.  Together Blay and Qhuinn are something else.



With this book the only thing I wanted more of was more Blay and Qhuinn but since that is not the case because there was so much more happening.  Now I'm left wondering who the next books is going to be about.  Will it be Trey and Selena?  Will it be Xcor and Layla? or Will it be Assail and Marisol?  I wasn't sure how much more story can be told in this world but I am very happy to see that there is sooooooo much to explore with the new additions while combining them with dramas of the other brotherhood.

5 Glorious Thumbs up!
thumbs upthumbs upthumbs upthumbs upthumbs up
Lauren 


Saturday 30 March 2013

Blind Obsession

Blind Obsession

Release date: April 9/13
 
Erotica 18+ 
 
by
Obsession, defined as the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image or desire....

Chantel Rosenberg's passion for music and life had never shone brighter than the time she spent in Bordeaux France. It's a time when feelings arose and desires ran deep, a time that fundamentally changed her life.

A man living in seclusion, Phillipe Tibideau is haunted and plagued by memories he cannot disregard. Choosing to live a quiet life in his Chateau surrounded by the vineyards of France, he's left his passion for art behind.

However, the time has arrived to tell his side of a tale. A tale that has depicted him as a 'beautiful monster' and he's finally allowing someone close.

Close enough to ask questions. Questions he's not sure he wants to answer. Questions about her.

For up and coming journalist Gemma Harris, the pursuit of truth is what drives her and when a job of a lifetime presents itself there is nothing in the world that will stop her from taking it.
Even if it does mean leaving her home for several months to stay at Chateau Tibideau, with him.

This is a story of what happens when three passionate lovers collide and the desire for truth, art and music merge.

Chateau Tibideau is a place full of unanswered questions, dark sinful desire and a beauty so hauntingly sad it will have you wondering how you will ever leave the same.....

http://ellafrank30.wordpress.com/blin...

Synopsis from Goodreads

Source: eARC mobi for honest review

My Review...

First off. WOW! What an amazing story.  Thank you Ella for giving the opportunity to read this amazing book.


This story was devastatingly beautiful and a true work of art. I don't know how to explain the beauty and heartbreak of it.  I had to put the book down about at 55% because I knew that my heart was going to get ripped right out of my chest and I was NOT wrong it totally did.

This book is so hard to put into words it wasn't just the interactive part with the music and art it felt like Phillipe and Chantal love story was coming out of the pages and directly into your heart.  The way it was from his POV and her journal's you got to feel their passion and love so deeply and profoundly. 

He told me, "You are so f@cking beautiful you hurt my eyes." loc 426 

With Phillipe you can not but love him there is something so tangible and breathtaking about him that you get why Gemma and Chantal were so enamored with him.  His love is so real and raw and so so painful. 

"My Heart aches for you, " he confessed, his voice dropping down quite and low. "I would die for you, and that terrifies me." loc 2199


"You can't break a man that's already broken." loc 2362

It's not just Phillipe that you get to love but also Chantal, it feels right and wrong, beautiful and yet distrurbing.

Well, that woman has crept into my mind. Somehow, she has stolen my very sanity because now I want her hands on me. I begged for her to touch me until I, too, lost myself in the beauty of a fantasy-a fantasy I still don't fully understand. loc 2012

"Right now, you're mine, just like she was mine. I'm going to pull you under and drown you in me until you can't forget." loc 2028




He tries to remind himself that there is no reason he should feel guilty about being bound by one woman who is becoming entranced by another. loc 2353

They merge together to harmonize in a symphony so evocative that I feel it altering my very soul with each separate movement being played.  loc 2512




This was Ella's first dive at an Erotica novel and she hit it out of the park which I am not surprised with after reading Exquiste especially Mason and Lena's shower scene ;) In this book the love, the passion, the sex you feel it in every sense. You become enraptured by it.

"Yes, I want to taste you on my tongue as you slide inside my soul." loc 3300

It has taken me days to complete this review because I needed time for it to truly settle.  It will be one of those books that you will think about often and will want to re-read it. It was pure perfection. 



I have never read a book that I have highlighted so many passages. With this review that is only a tidbit of what I saved there were so many more moments that I wanted to save and cherish forever.

This book is a 5 + thumbs up
thumbs upthumbs upthumbs upthumbs upthumbs up + + +

Lauren

Friday 29 March 2013

Identity Crisis Review Blog Tour




Identity Crisis
By: Eliza Daly

Book Blurb
When Olivia Doyle’s father dies under suspicious circumstances, rather than inheriting a family fortune, she inherits a new identity. She learns they were placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program when she was five years old. Her father was involved in an art forgery ring and testified against the mob. Brought up not to trust anyone, Olivia has a difficult time relying on U.S. Marshal Ethan Ryder to protect her, and to keep her secret. She fears her father may have continued his life of crime through her art gallery. She has little choice but to depend on Ethan when she realizes someone is now after her. Olivia’s search for the truth leads her and Ethan across country to a family and past she doesn’t remember.
At the age of ten, Ethan witnessed a brutal murder. He vowed when he grew up, he’d protect people in danger. Protecting Olivia is difficult when she won’t trust him. He soon realizes his desire to protect her goes beyond doing his job, but if his judgment becomes clouded by emotions, her safety could be jeopardized. 
Can Ethan and Olivia learn to trust each other when they uncover secrets that will change their lives forever?


Excerpt:
Father Clifford slipped a yellowed envelope from the side pocket of his vestment. “Your father gave this to me many years ago. Asked that I give it to you upon his death.”
She took the envelope from his hand. The organ music faded and a desolate, eerie stillness fell over the church, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. She tightened the shawl around her shoulders. She opened the envelope to find a letter and a newspaper clipping. She started with the letter.
Dear Livvy,
First, know that I loved you more than anything in this world. That’s why I hope someday you’ll forgive me for what I’ve done. Telling you the truth while I was alive could have put your life in danger. Now that I’m gone, I no longer fear for your safety. They would only have hurt you to get to me.
The only way to keep us safe was to enter the Witness Protection Program when you were five. Leaving our friends and family was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I can’t stand the thought of you now being alone. I hope you’ll go back to our family, in the town where I grew up, Five Lakes, Wisconsin. I’d like to be laid to rest there, next to your mother. Please forgive me enough to grant me this one last wish. If you should ever encounter any problems, contact Roy Howard, the U.S. Marshal who relocated us, at 415-334-9076. I’m so sorry. Please believe you were the most important thing to me. You were my life. My Livvy.
Love, Dad
Olivia stood paralyzed, her mind racing, trying to comprehend the letter. Was this some kind of sick joke? For the past twenty-four years her dad had lived in fear that somebody would hurt them? What had forced him to leave behind everyone he’d loved? Everyone she’d probably loved, but obviously couldn’t remember. And if her mom wasn’t buried in San Francisco, whose grave had Olivia been visiting here all these years? She tried to hold the letter steady in her trembling hands. Of course it was vague. Her dad had been a man of few words. However, these few words expressed a lot of emotion, something he’d never been good at doing.
“Is everything all right?” Father Clifford’s voice penetrated her thoughts.
Concern creased the older man’s brow and from the curiosity filling his gray eyes, he had no clue what the envelope contained. Her dad hadn’t even trusted a priest with his secret. Her dad had been the only person she’d ever really trusted, and it turned out she hadn’t truly known him.
She merely nodded, unable to find her voice. She inhaled a deep breath. The scent of beeswax candles and incense did little to calm the panic racing through her veins. She unfolded a clipping from a Chicago newspaper, dated twenty-four years ago. The headline read Art Dealer in Bed with Mob Blows Whistle on Forgery Ring and Vinnie Carlucci. The article included a photo of police officers escorting her dad. She started reading the article. Prominent Chicago art dealer Andrew Donovan confesses to having sold more than a hundred forgeries...
Her stomach dropped. She slapped a hand over her mouth, certain she was about to vomit right there on the pew.
Her dad had been a criminal.
The nature of his crime made it all the more surreal.
She stared in disbelief at the papers in her hand. His name had been Andrew Donovan, not Alex Doyle. Her last name was Donovan. Was her first name actually Olivia? Instead of inheriting a family fortune, she’d inherited a new identity.
Or rather, an old one.
Author Bio:

Eliza Daly’s first attempt at creative writing was in fourth grade. She and her friends were huge Charlie’s Angels fans and she would sit in her bedroom at night writing scripts for them to act out at recess the following day. She was Kelly Garrett. Fast forward to the present, she’s still writing stories about beautiful women who always get their men. The journey from fourth grade script writer to published author wasn’t an easy one, but it was always an adventure and the final destination was well worth it.

When Eliza isn’t traveling for her job as an event planner, or tracing her ancestry roots through Ireland, she’s at home in Milwaukee working on her next novel, bouncing ideas off her husband Mark, and her cats Quigley, Frankie, and Sammy.

You can find Eliza on the web at Website, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Buy Links
Identity Crisis is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, All Romance, eBooks.com, and Kobo










My Review...

So, I have mixed emotions about this book. I liked the concept and the premise and I did like Olivia and Ethan but.... I felt their connection didn't quite fit into love at first site so it felt to rushed and hard to believe the bond that quickly.

However, the story was not just a romance novel it also had suspense, mystery, intrigue, loyalty, family and love.  I was surprised with who the villain was in the end and also I was happy with the ending in all avenues.  I feel the story felt complete and not left open ended.

Olivia may have been lost with who she was when her world got taken away from her but in the end she got so much more than she could have ever imagined.

I did like the story but I don't know what would have made me more content with Ethan and Olivia.  It saddened me because I really liked them but it felt like their relationship was like the Daytona 500 and left me spinning with whoa! that was fast but what can I say my brother just got married after dating for two weeks so maybe it was more life like than I give it credit for. ;)

Cute Story, Easy read. 3 Thumbs up!
thumbs upthumbs upthumbs up 
Lauren 

Giveaway of $20.00 Amazon/B&N Gift Card
 a Rafflecopter giveaway

His Submissive: Rebecca's Lost Journal Volume 3


Rebecca’s Lost Journals, Volume 3: His Submissive (Inside Out Novellas #3)

Coming out April 22/13
 
BDSM Adult 18+
 
by
NOW OPTIONED TO STARZ for TV!

An Inside Out novella...

A hot new erotic story by New York Times and USA Today Best Selling author Lisa Renee Jones

Connection to The Inside Out Trilogy that has recently been optioned to STARZ for TV with Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland w/Johnny Depp) producing and includes exciting clues for the series readers but stands alone as it’s own exciting erotic story.

The Inside Out Trilogy includes IF I WERE YOU, BEING ME, and REVEALING US

In part three of Rebecca’s Lost Journals, His Submissive , Rebecca must decide just how far she will go for the darkly intense man who she is falling in love with. And does she dare believe that he too, will ever love her? 


Synopsis from Goodreads

Source: eARC for Honest Review

 My Review... 

This novella starts right after The Contract where she now begins to belongs to her Master but still has sooooo much to learn about this new delicate relationship. 

Since Rebecca is so green in this new lifestyle choice her Master has to educate her in many ways. If you know what I mean. :)  Even though she decides to want to be part of this world her journey is far from over.  Here is where she is trying to find herself within the new and confusing yet stimulating world.  



Still Lisa Renee Jones amazes me with the allusive Master and all the unanswered questions.  Who is he? And what happens to Rebecca? Where did it all go wrong? I love these novellas that help feed us on Rebecca and give us a window to what was really her and what possibly happened in the inbetween before she disappeared. 

Bonus.....with this novella we get a sneak peak into Being Me. Woot! Woot! Looks like is it going to be awesome. 

5 Stimulating Thumps Up! 
thumbs upthumbs upthumbs upthumbs upthumbs up

Lauren

Pre-order it here:


Thursday 28 March 2013

Claim Me (Stark #2)

Claim Me (Stark Trilogy #2)

Release Date: April 23/13
 
Adult Erotica
 
by
For Damien, our obsession is a game. For me, it is fiercely, blindingly, real.

Damien Stark’s need is palpable—his need for pleasure, his need for control, his need for me. Beautiful and brilliant yet tortured at his core, he is in every way my match.

I have agreed to be his alone, and now I want him to be fully mine. I want us to possess each other beyond the sweetest edge of our ecstasy, into the deepest desires of our souls. To let the fire that burns between us consume us both.

But there are dark places within Damien that not even our wildest passion can touch. I yearn to know his secrets, yearn for him to surrender to me as I have surrendered to him. But our troubled pasts will either bind us close . . . or shatter us completely.

Release Me is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.


Synopsis from Goodreads



Source: eARC/NetGalley for Honest Review


My Review... 

I was so looking forward to this book.  In the first book Release Me Damien was a dominant aggressive man who gets what he wants and the broken yet still strong Nikki is what he desired.  There was something about their bond that intrigued me and left me wanting so much more from them so I was thrilled to read more. 

In this book Damien's love for Nikki has softened him a bit.  At times it melts my heart where at other times I am like "Damien, grow a pair already" 

"But you're the one in control." I shift my hips a little, silently letting him know that I hold the control now.  "No." He shakes his head. "That's an illusion, nothing more. It's you, Nikki. You have captured me utterly, and you hold my heart in your hands. Be gentle with it. It's more fragile than you might think." loc 1000

See right there is one of those times where my heart just melted a bit. *Sigh* 

In this book Nikki is still broken but trying to put her self slowly back together.  Her demons are old and deep. Demons in our foundation are hard to battle and especially when they are rooted from our parent(s) who are supposed to love us unconditionally but so often that is not the actual case

"Jamie,  you're a size four. I haven't been that small since I escaped from Mother and learned about the existence of that mysterious substance I like to call food." loc 1897

Even though they are both battling their demons there is still the explicitly hot sex between the two of them. 

"I like to think of it as pleasure, pain and beauty combined. There is a pose that I want to see you in, wide open, your legs bent and spread wide like a butterfly, or perhaps a diamond. I'm going to tie you up, Nikki. I'm going to, because I want to see you that way-I want to see you wet and wanting me. I want you unable to hide your desire. Every quiver, every sign, every dewy hint that reveals your arousal will be there for me to see." loc 2425                              (Phew! that is me fanning myself right now)



Without spoiling what happens I am surprised with how it ended. A lot of answers were given but so many more questions were asked. It was a cliffhanger yet not.  I can't wait for Complete Me.....what will happen to Damien, what is the story with Giselle, there are so many new questions that I am totally committed to finding out what happens next. 

4 Binding Thumps Up!
thumbs upthumbs upthumbs upthumbs up 
Lauren