Book Review: Flame's Dawn by Jillian David

Author: Jillian David
Series: Hell to Pay
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Release Date: February 29th 2016
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Reading Alley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

ll’s fair in love and war when specialist Jane Larson and Captain Barnaby Blackstone give into their lust for each other while stationed in Vietnam. As the world disintegrates around them, their one night of passion ends with her evacuation back to stateside duty.

Years later, Jane is neck deep in an undercover DEA operation gone horribly wrong. Kidnapped and then committed to an asylum, she has no hope of escape from the clutches of a notorious cult leader. The only thing that sustains her through the pain is her memories of Barnaby—even as she knows she’ll never be with him again.

Little does she realize that Barnaby has spent several of his years as an immortal, Indebted killer yearning for the fierce and beautiful woman who had unlocked hope in his cold, hard soul. When his sixth sense leads him to her hospital room, he sets her free, but in the process attracts the attention of an otherworldly maniac intent on revenge. To save Jane from the dark forces surrounding her, Barnaby must reveal his deepest secret. Can she live with the man he’s destined to be, or will the truth leave her lost to him forever?

*Disclaimer: Review copy provided via Reading Alley in exchange for an honest review.

A great story that completes the series, but also leaves room for more questions.

I was sad when I finished reading the Hell To Pay series a few months ago, and now that I've finally found the courage to read this prequel novella, I'm sad all over again, but also kind of hopeful. Sad, because the series is really over, but hopeful because there are a few questions left unanswered that could possibly be explored in a future series/book/novella? *is hopeful*

Throughout the first three books of this series, Barnaby is a constant character, but he's such a mystery. We know he was an Indebted, we know he was the first one to perform the "Meaningful Kill", and we also know it was all because of Jane, his wife. This novella offers a glimpse into their relationship, we get to see them fall in love and save each other, both literally and figuratively. I loved learning more about Barnaby. I loved learning more about his life, about why he became a servant of Jerahmeel, and we also get to see the beginning of the end for the Lord of Hell. I loved Barnaby's sense of duty, his courage, and how ingenious he was in some situations.

Jane is adorable. I can see why Barnaby fell in love with her. I absolutely loved her myself, and I am so sad we didn't get to meet the "present" version of her in the previous books. She's a strong woman, a stubborn one, but also a bit reckless. I was also a bit sad for her, learning a bit about her history.

I have to say though, the ending was not what I expected. That wasn't a bad thing, but it left me a bit confused. One, because I wasn't expecting it, and two, because it left the door open for some interpretation. I am glad though that the book didn't end as I wanted it to, because, in a way, we already know what "the end" is for Barnaby and Jane. I still have questions, though.

The plot was pretty fast paced, and it kept me on the edge the entire time. I love the "Author's Notes" at the end. Not being so familiar with the US history, it was really nice to learn a bit more about the events mentioned in the book, if only just to explain a few things. I also loved the musical references. All in all, a great way to really end the series, a story that needed to be told, and I'm very happy I found the guts to read it.

Book Review: Promise The Moon by Hailey Edwards

Author: Hailey Edwards
Series: Lorimar Pack #1
Audience: +18
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: 29 Oct 2016
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

War is a constant threat on Dell Preston's horizon. As beta of the Lorimar pack, her job is to maintain the peace on the new border between Faerie and Earth at all costs. Even if that means playing nice with her ex, Isaac, the fae who savaged her wolf's soul, and Enzo Garza, the flirty witch who ought to be focused on building up their magical defenses instead of tearing down the walls around Dell's heart.

Butler, Tennessee is a pinprick on the map with a diverse population of supernaturals. It's also chockful of humans who are unaware of the magical rift bruising the sky or the otherworldly insurgents raining down into their zipcode.

A local fae's disappearance catches Dell's attention, but she dismisses it as an isolated event. Until it happens again. Unable to ignore the strange happenings in her town, she begins an investigation that uncovers so much more than a simple rash of kidnappings.

Now Dell finds herself at the sharp end of a pointed ultimatum. Find the missing and return them to their families or get ready for prime time. Botch this job, and forget coming soon. The war will become tomorrow's featured attraction instead.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Netgalley and CrushStar Multimedia LLC in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or my opinion of the book in any way.

I honestly can't get tired of the world of the Black Dog and connected series. I was super happy when I saw that Dell was also getting her own story.

We met Dell in the Gemini series, as Cord's friend, packmate and protégé. I love that in the Lorimar pack she gets to be her true self. In her old pack, she had to hide who she really was, and you could tell that it was getting really difficult for her to do that, so I was really happy to see her explore who she was really meant to be. I felt sorry for Dell at times, reading about her having to make decisions that she really didn't want to make, but that's because it was easy to see how uncomfortable she was in that role. I like how loyal she is, and how, no matter the danger, she's willing to do anything to protect those she cares about.

One thing I loved about this book is that it gives the readers a very different idea of what being a werewolf means. I loved the duality of this creature, how the woman was not the same entity as the wolf. I think that's a pretty unique approach to the image of the werewolf, and it explains so much of what happened in the Gemini series.

The plot was fast-paced, and I enjoyed reading more about the fae. There were some really funny scenes in this book, that had me giggle like a loon. As per usual with a book by Hailey Edwards, expect a big cliffhanger at the end. I am really curious to see how the next book in the series will continue this story, to see what will happen to Dell and her friends and packmates next.

Book Review: Master Bits & Mercenary Bites by Lexi Blake & Suzanne M. Johnson

Author: Lexi Blake, Suzanne M. Johnson
Series: Topped, Masters and Mercenaries
Audience: +18
Genre: Erotic Romance, BDSM, Contemporary Romance, Cooking
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
Release Date: November 1st 2016
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Top restaurant has become the hot spot in Dallas for elevated comfort food—and a side of spicy romance. Run by executive chef Sean Taggart, Top is the premiere fictional destination for gourmet food. Join creator, New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake, and Southern food expert Suzanne Johnson as they guide you through the world of Masters and Mercenaries via the secret recipes behind the food served in Top.

But what would a gourmet meal be without some company? Spend an evening with your favorite characters from McKay-Taggart as they celebrate the special moments that make up their happily ever afters. Learn how to make Sean’s specialty dishes and Macon’s desserts while exploring the private lives of the characters who make up the world. From Charlie and Ian’s next demon spawn to a change in path for Simon and Chelsea, these are the times that bind us together, the moments that make us a family.

Good meals, good times, good friends.

Bon appétit!

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from InkSlinger PR and Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or opinion of the book in any way.


My second favorite thing, after reading, is cooking, so when I first heard of this book, I didn't quite know which part excited me most, the recipes, or the glimpses inside the lives of my most favorite characters from the Masters & Mercenaries series.

I loved seeing small "life episodes", let's call them, into the lives of the couples of this series. Some were hilarious, some were heartwarming, some were hot, but they were all awesome. A few of these characters were new to me, since I'm still not fully up to date with the series (I'm getting there, guys!), but I still loved reading about them. I also loved how, in some way, it was all tied to the idea of food. I loved how that was the background theme with these short stories. And I loved seeing how some things never change, especially with Ian.

The recipes are very tasty. I'm a foodie. I'm obsessed with food, and finding new recipes to try out is a hobby of mine. There are so many great recipes in this book that I want to try out. What I love is that it's has recipes for everybody, so no matter your tastes, you'll definitely find a recipe that you'll want to make. I certainly have my eye on a couple of them for the near future. I love how some of these recipes go from super easy to kind of difficult to make, but also how they can actually make you look like an actual chef for cooking them.

I also loved trying to figure out how the recipes related to the characters they were related to. That was a really fun game, and for the most part I managed to figure them out. I absolutely loved this book, and I can only hope that maybe someday in the future, a second book like this will come out for the series.

Release Blitz: Master Bits & Mercenary Bites by Lexi Blake, Suzanne M. Johnson

     

Top restaurant has become the hot spot in Dallas for elevated comfort food—and a side of spicy romance. Run by executive chef Sean Taggart, Top is the premiere fictional destination for gourmet food. Join creator, New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake, and Southern food expert Suzanne Johnson as they guide you through the world of Masters and Mercenaries via the secret recipes behind the food served in Top.

But what would a gourmet meal be without some company? Spend an evening with your favorite characters from McKay-Taggart as they celebrate the special moments that make up their happily ever afters. Learn how to make Sean’s specialty dishes and Macon’s desserts while exploring the private lives of the characters who make up the world. From Charlie and Ian’s next demon spawn to a change in path for Simon and Chelsea, these are the times that bind us together, the moments that make us a family.

Good meals, good times, good friends.

Bon appétit!

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 Ian went to grab the dog’s leash. Bud started up his pee-pee dance, his massive body twisting and turning as he ran after Ian. His big paws thudded against the brand new hardwood he would never have spent that god-awful amount of money on had he realized a dog would pee on it.
He looked back Charlie’s way. “You know there’s a whole forest out back for him to go in. He should be a free-range dog. Aren’t we taking away his dogness by putting him on a leash?”
Charlie frowned his way as she refilled Kenzie’s cup. “Yes, he’s the mighty wolf dog, Ian. I watched him run away from a bunny the other day.”
He grabbed the leash. “See, if he had to go out and hunt, he wouldn’t be such a shitty guard dog. Don’t even say it, you two. Say good words. Not Daddy words.”
Charlie put a hand to her belly. “I swear this one will come out giving the world the finger and cursing.”
Bud whined, running back and forth in front of the door. Ian sighed and attached the leash. He stepped outside and Bud took off, barking and jumping against the leash until he managed to drag Ian out onto the lawn where he immediately squatted in the middle of Charlie’s azaleas and started to take a crap.
Yep. This was his life. Watching the dog crap. He was so building a fence. “You know you were supposed to be a guard dog. You were supposed to be a raging, feral beast who would take out anything in your way.”
Sort of like Ian had been at one time.
He’d been the bane of intelligence agencies. He’d been Dr. Death, raining down justice and protecting America.
Now he was a dumbass with a mortgage, a dog who seemed to be a bit constipated, two tiny chaotic things, and another on the way. No one even let him kill people anymore.
It was a never-ending cycle of waking up in the morning and seeing their faces, taking care of them, going to work, coming home, and going to bed with his wife.
It was kind of fucking awesome.
Sure, his younger self would likely tell him he’d sold out and he was a pathetic version of himself, but his younger self had been stupid as shit. His younger self thought a great time was following a known terrorist around for three weeks so he could find the cell. His younger self had needed a freaking shower, some decent food, and a comfy bed.
And a dog who didn’t take his time with the poop.
“Come on, Bud. Pinch off, man. We’ve got shit to do today.” Well, he did anyway. He was sure Bud would have a full day of licking his private parts and waiting for the girls to drop food. Bud seemed forever optimistic that one of these days the girls or Charlie was going to drop a ham in front of him.
A butterfly landed on the bush next to Bud and that was when he went into protective mode. He barked, the deep sound threatening to anyone who didn’t know what a wuss he was, and he pulled hard at his leash.
Hard enough to make Ian stumble and damn near break his toe on the garden gnome Alex had left as a joke. Hard enough to send Ian crashing down to his knee, pain flaring and making him curse.
Bud twisted again and Ian tripped over the riding ladybug thing Kala liked to push around the yard. He landed flat on his back, looking up at the sky.
Taken down by a freaking ladybug. And his back was spasming. The pain flared through him and he could feel his lower back seizing like a motherfucker.
Bud suddenly blocked out the sky, his big doggie face staring down.
“Don’t you dare.”
It was too late. Bud licked his face and Ian realized he shouldn’t have gotten up that morning. Nope. He should have stayed in bed and then he would be warm and happy and not having his face licked by a gargantuan mass of body odor and a tongue that licked its own ass from time to time.
God, if he didn’t die from breaking his spine he was going to catch some dog disease and waste away. Right here. Because he wasn’t sure he could move. “Bud, I need you to go get Charlie. Go on. Run and get her.” He let the leash drop. Bud simply sat down beside him. “Go get Charlie, boy. I think she’s got a ham for you. Go on.”
Bud laid his big head down on Ian’s chest.
Now he had a sleeping mutt and a garden gnome that was practically up his ass. He could feel the pointy cap thing attempting to violate him.
“Ian? Ian, I need you.”
Thank god. His wife would laugh her ass off, but at least she would be able to maybe help him up.
“Ian, I think the baby’s coming.”
Yep. It was that kind of day.
   

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog int eh world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

FACEBOOK / TWITTER / WEBSITE / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Suzanne Johnson is family-trained, a south Georgia native who’s been cooking all of her life, creating not only some really unique food, but precious memories that re-occur every time she smells something simmering in the oven.  In all of her books, Suzanne shows that making a delicious meal doesn’t have to be complicated — it just has to be made with love.  So go ahead, don’t be bashful, dive right in.  Who knows?  You might just make a few memories of your own.

 

Release Day Launch: Hearts & Ink Coloring Book by Laura Kaye

Laura Kaye’s HEARTS & INK, the adult coloring book inspired by her award-winning and bestselling novels releases today! Thirty exciting and original designs will inspire, relax, and entertain fans old and new! Grab your pencils and crayons and get ready to read - and color - hard!

A Note from Laura:

Friends! I am so excited to share that I’ve worked with the awesome Jessica Hildreth at Creative Book Concepts to design my first adult coloring book based on my bestselling books! HEARTS & INK features 30 original designs with quotes from the books, iconic images, and fun backgrounds that I hope will excite long-time fans and intrigue new-to-me readers! I drew the title from my two bestselling series: the HEARTS in Darkness Duet and the Hard INK books! But you’ll also find pages from my new Raven Riders and Blasphemy series, my older paranormal series (the Hearts of the Anemoi based on Greek mythology, my Vampire Warrior Kings series, and my stand-alone novel, Forever Freed). Plus an absolutely gorgeous page from my historical fiction, America’s First Daughter (written as Laura Kamoie). So there’s a lot here to explore and color!

 

COLOR/POST/WIN GIVEAWAY CONTEST! For your chance to win one of 5 $10 Amazon or B&N gift cards, simply COLOR a page from my coloring book, POST it to Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #HeartsandInk by November 30 at midnight EST, and look for my posts on December 1 to see if you won!

 

About the Hearts & Ink Adult Coloring Book:

New York Times Bestselling Author Laura Kaye invites you to immerse yourself within her fictional worlds with this adult coloring book inspired by her award-winning and bestselling novels. Thirty exciting and original designs will inspire, relax, and entertain fans old and new! Featuring book quotes and a variety of simple and intricate designs with lots of colorable space, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. So grab your pencils and crayons and get ready to read - and color - hard!

Order on Amazon

  About Laura Kaye: Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense, including the Hard Ink and upcoming Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.  

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Surprise Announcement from Harper Sloan

Hey guys! I have a special announcement to share with you, from Harper Sloan.

Harper Sloan has released a bundle to the first 3 books in the Hope Town Series!

For the first time ever, the Hope Town books are being bundled! Join us for the first three books in the series! Complete with new bonus content!

Don't worry this does not mean the series is ending, there will be an amazing new book early next year.

Here's where you can grab your copy:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA

Kobo | BN | Paperback