Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday #14: Ten book recommendations for Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Lovers



Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.



Hey there! Happy Tuesday! For today's topic I'm going to share some of my favorite top ten book recommendations for paranormal/urban fantasy lovers. Immortals After Dark, Demonica, Dark Hunter, Alien Huntress, Southern Vampire Mysteries, and many, many others, I know you've heard of them. I've definitely enjoyed reading them. But this post is about those series and books that are either just starting out or that I haven't seen being talked about as much as it should. These are books and series that I discovered in the last two years that I feel need some love and appreciation, because they are awesome. So, here we go:

  1. Dog Eat Dog World by Hailey Edwards - It's no secret that I adore all 4 connected series that make up the Dog Eat Dog mega-series. I love how they each reveal a little piece of the puzzle, and just when you think you've got it all figured out BAM! Another surprise comes along. I hope this series never ends. You can start reading this series with the Black Dog series.
  2. The Becoming by Jeanne C. Stein - I wouldn't be me if I didn't include at least one vampire book in this list. This book reminded me of the older urban fantasy books I've read, back when the plot was much more connected to mysteries and crime, when it felt like a mystery novel with a supernatural twist. I liked that. I liked that a lot.
  3. Guardians of the Realms by Setta Jay - This series, among others, reminds me why I love paranormal romance. If you haven't tried it, you must. There's no limit to the creatures you're going to read about, each with different strengths and weaknesses, and the sex is hott, with a double t because trust me, it is off the charts.
  4. Hell To Pay by Jillian David - This series was one of those unexpected discoveries that I am so happy I got to read. I'm even more happy for the fact that there's a spin-off, one that gets my imagination running wild.
  5. Bayou Heat by Alexandra Ivy & Laura Wright - This series reminds me of my very first paranormal series, Lora Leigh's Breeds. And I love this series for it. While the tone, the stories, the plots, all are very different, the feel is the same, and I can't help falling more and more in love with this series with each book I read.
  6. Legal Wolf's Mate by Eve Langlais - This was a fun story, one with werewolves and werecats and I was very happy to see it was part of a series. Will definitely check out the rest of the books
  7. Reborn by Anna Durand - I'm obsessed with all things Ancient Egypt, so it's no wonder I like this story about soulmates, love that lasts forever, reincarnations and centuries old curses. 
  8. Caress of Pleasure by Julie Kenner - Phoenixes. Do I need to say more? I don't think I've read a lot of stories about phoenixes as main characters, and this story, part of the 1001 Dark Nights series, was super fun. I am definitely going to read all the books.
  9. Muse Chronicles by Lisa Kessler - Yet another fantastic series about ancient gods, more accurately the daughters of Zeus and their reincarnations. I love it, each book shows you another little piece of the puzzle. Definitely a must read.
  10. Eternal Guardians by Elizabeth Naughton - Greek gods, myths, legends, ancient creatures, and, most importantly, Sirens. I need to go back to read this series from the beginning, but I'm hooked.
I feel that I should have nominated at least at least 5 or 100 other books and series in these genres, but I fear my post would never end. What is your list? What are 10 books you'd recommend to someone?

Monday, August 14, 2017

Obsessed With Covers #41: Children Of Blood And Bone, Winter Glass, The Wicked Deep

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:


  • 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
  • books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.
Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P


So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week.

I adore this cover. Ever since I saw it I was in love with it, to be honest. What's not to love? The hair is my ultimate favorite hair color and if I could pull it off, I'd give up being a redhead in a heartbeat. I love how the hair is made to look like flames or like it's floating in water or something. There's something going on with that hair and I want to know what!

Then there's the model herself/himself. The markings/drawing on the model's skin are very interesting and I wonder what they represent. I'm sure it has some meaning and I wonder what it is and if we'll find out about it. The eyes are gorgeous and they seem to be looking straight at you, which is scary and awesome at the same time.

I can't wait to get my hands on this book.

Children of Blood And Bone by Tomi Adeyemi



If the first cover in this series was gorgeous, this one is even more so. I love how Sleeping Beauty's castle is frozen here. I love the shields and the spears, they look like they're protecting the castle. And that squirrel is so cute!! I also see what seems to be Cinderella's glass shoe hanging from the title, so I wonder how that plays out. Basically the entire cover is made of awesome!









This cover looks hand-drawn and it is simply gorgeous. The thing about it is it makes it look like a really scary book, probably due to looking like a drawing. A really good drawing, mind you! I really want to know the meaning of the cover and how it ties into the story. And I really want to see more of the cover artist's work. It reminds me of Ruthie's instagram (who if you're not following GO NOW AND FOLLOW HER BECAUSE SHE'S AMAZING!!!).








The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw


That's it for today, guys! Tell me which covers you've recently seen that are gorgeous.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Book Review: The Southern Gentleman: Protective Instinct by Sweden Reese

Author: Sweden Reese
Series: Dominant Heroes Collection #1
Audience: +18
Genre: Erotic Romance, BDSM, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Lens Flare Press
Release Date: September 13th 2016
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):
ENTER THE GLAM WORLD OF A CRISIS MANAGEMENT AGENCY SPECIALIZING IN CELEBRITY SCANDAL AND POLITICAL INTRIGUE...

Sex. Politics. Scandal.

When a shadowy group intent on stealing the U.S. presidential election targets a leading candidate’s daughter, jaded professional fixer Nolan Jackson is hired to safely escort her across the country to a star-studded Election Eve event. There's only one problem: She’s ditched the campaign and disappeared… A southern gentleman who likes fast cars, deadly weapons and total control, Nolan is used to winning at all costs. Except in love. Yet, he’ll soon find himself irresistibly drawn to the candidate’s beautiful, naïve daughter.

Sheltered heiress Lola Randall has always played it safe. Now she’s gone rogue. After escaping the media spotlight and her overbearing parents, the last thing she needs in her life is an alpha male. But when Nolan shows her how good it can feel to relinquish control, she begins to secretly crave his domination. Now, she must choose between her independence and falling in love. Because Nolan is determined to win her heart and nail the bad guys before the opposition finds a way to steal the White House.

Erotic romantic suspense series for mature audiences

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is Book 1 in a steamy, suspenseful 2-book story. Book 1 ends in a scandalous cliffhanger, Book 2 delivers the HEA.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Lens Flare Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating of the book or the content of my review in any way.

This is book 1 of the Dominant Heroes duology and it is quite an interesting story. It's the old famous, rich girl in need of protection, dark alpha male offering said protection story, only with a twist.

Lola is pretty innocent, doing what she needs to all the time, but she needs to escape, she wants to be on her own, without the watchful eyes of her security detail. She finds herself being "hunted" by Nolan, fixer and dominant alpha male, and being brought back home. On the way home though she gives him hell, he retaliates, she submits, he falls for her. The thing I liked about this book was that it didn't jump right to sex, it allowed the attraction between Lola and Nolan to grow.

It was interesting to see Lola going from hell-bent on rebelling to submitting so beautifully to Nolan, even though she didn't know anything really about submission. What I didn't fully like was the fact that Nolan at times was too harsh, knowing that Lola didn't know the rules of the game. But that is countered by how Lola reacts to his dominance, and how she eventually kind of goads him into punishing her.

The book ends with a cliffhanger, but not to worry, because you get to see how it all ends in book two. This was a book that, strangely, was a bit out of my comfort zone. I'm not used to reading about total-power-exchange or relationships with so much dominance over every aspect of someone's life, and I was pleasantly surprised.


Friday, August 11, 2017

Blog Tour Book Review & Excerpt: Blade by Alexandra Ivy & Laura Wright

   

From New York Times Bestselling authors Alexandra Ivy and Laura Wright, comes BLADE, a new novella in their Bayou Heat Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure to grab your copy today!

 

Author: Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright
Series: Bayou Heat #23
Audience: +18
Genre: Erotic Romance, Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
Release Date: August 8th 2017
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):
Sexy Suit, Blade was held captive and abused for decades. Benson Enterprises was desperate to use his superior blood to create super soldiers. But when he’s finally rescued, he can’t return to the Wildlands with the other prisoners. Not without the female he was forced to watch being impregnated. The female who has gone missing.

Beautiful and broken, Valli just wants to run away and never look back. But with the shocking news of her pregnancy fresh in her mind, she wonders if that’s even possible. Told by her captors that one of the caged animals assaulted her, she knows she must do everything in her power to keep her unborn child safe. But when a glorious male tracks her down and claims her and her baby as his own, will she have the strength to walk away? 
*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

I enjoyed reading this new installment in the Bayou Heat series. 

This book offers an interesting perspective into the world of the Pantera. Blade is one of the shifters that has been kept captive, tortured, tested, prodded and who knows what else by Benson Enterprises. I found it very refreshing to see the perspective of the males kept captive there, to explore the damage that was done to the males as well. Granted, I'm late in reading the series and I haven't read the first installments yet, so I'm not sure if this is something that was explored in earlier books. I liked Blade. I liked that he wanted to track Valli down and take care of her, when he really didn't have to. they were both victims of mad people, and no one would have blamed him if he had chosen to go on living his life away from everyone and everything. I thought his choice showed how much of a good person Blade is, how brave, loyal and honorable he is.

Valli is just as brave as Blade is, albeit a bit too naive at times. I was a bit sad for her, because it was easy to see how her childhood affected her, and influenced her ability to defend herself or to sense when people want to harm her. Even so, I liked her. I liked how she tried to understand what had happened. She's a perfect match to Blade, if you ask me. 

The story was really fast-paced, almost a little too fast-paced if that makes sense. I definitely did not see the ending coming, because I wasn't able to figure out who the bad guy was. I am curious to see what will happen in the future with everyone that worked at or for the Benson clinic, as well as the future of Pantera. All in all, a pretty good book, perfect for Paranormal Romance lovers.



Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon Canada

 

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She was as passionate as he could ever desire. But there was a part of her that remained elusively out of reach.
It was why he’d never used the word “mate” to her. Even though every time she kissed him, touched him...every time he was inside of her or fuck, just holding her hand as they watched the sunset on the porch, he’d wanted to.
“Humans can be just as loyal.” Hiss broke into his dark thoughts. “We’ve seen that with our own eyes.”
It was true. Lately the Pantera had brought many humans into the Wildlands. They had proven to be devoted mates and treasured assets to the pack.
“Yes.” He spoke his worse fear. “I just feel like she’s holding something back from me.”
“Give her time,” Hiss commanded. “She’s been through hell. She needs time to heal.”
Blade grimaced. Logically he knew it’d only been a few days, far too soon for a human female to feel comfortable with the dramatic changes in her life. Especially after all that Valli had endured.
But logic had nothing to do with a male who was eager to mate.
“My cat doesn’t want to be patient,” he muttered.
Hiss dropped his hand and stepped back, a small smile curving his lips.
“Then be a man until she’s ready for your beast,” he said.
Blade scowled, watching as Hiss turned and sauntered down the trail.
Be a man? What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Growling deep in his throat, Blade resisted the urge to dismiss the words. Maybe Hiss was right. Being in the Wildlands meant that his cat was much closer to the surface than when he was moving around in the outside world. Perhaps his female needed to know that he could be human as well.
So what did human males do to win the hearts of their females?
A slow smile curved his lips.
Romance.
Ah, yes...
A candlelit dinner. Flowers. Soft music so he could hold her close as they danced.
Yes. He would create a night that would sweep her off her feet. And then he would get down on one knee as a man would do, and ask her to be his mate.
But for that, he was going to need help.
Pivoting on his heel, he shifted back into his cat and took off through the trees and back to the communal center.

 


       

Alexandra Ivy & Laura Wright’s BLADE – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:
August 9th
BFD Book Blog – Review & Excerpt
I Smell Sheep – Excerpt
Reading in Pajamas – Review & Excerpt
August 10th
The Book Disciple – Review & Excerpt
August 11th
Ruby's Books – Review & Excerpt
August 12th
Gi's Spot Reviews – Review & Excerpt
The Reading Cafe – Review & Excerpt
August 13th
Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt
Vagabonda Reads – Review
August 14th
Books n Wine – Review & Excerpt
Loves Great Reads Blog – Review & Excerpt
August 15th
Kdrbck – Review & Excerpt
Untamed Bibliophiles – Review & Excerpt
August 16th
British Book Binge – Review
Evermore Books – Review & Excerpt
Reads All the Books – Review & Excerpt
August 17th
Jax's Book Magic – Excerpt
Angels With Attitude Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt
August 18th
G & T's Indie Café – Excerpt
Novel Addiction – Review
Reese's Reviews – Review & Excerpt


Alexandra Ivy is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. From Alexandra: “I’m not exactly sure when I fell in love with books. Probably on my mother’s knee listening to her read Dr. Seuss to me. I do remember that I was barely old enough to cross the street by myself when I discovered the delights of the local library. Could anything be more wonderful than spending summer days surrounded by stacks of Nancy Drew mysteries? Over the years I fell in love with Victoria Holt, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and J.R.R. Tolkien just to name a few. I read poetry, essays, biographies, and plays. In fact, I read anything I could get my hands on. Years later (no, I’m not admitting how many) I’m still an avid reader, and my tastes are still as varied as they were in my youth, which I suppose helps to explain why I enjoy writing regency historicals under the name of Deborah Raleigh, as well as my contemporary paranormals as Alexandra Ivy. For now that is enough to keep me busy, but who knows what the future might hold! I do have a few other loves in my life besides reading and writing, the most important being my unbelievably patient husband, David, and my two sons, Chance and Alexander. Without their constant support and belief in me, I never could have been able to follow my dreams. They are truly my heroes.


Website ** Facebook ** Twitter


Laura Wright is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. From Laura: “Unlike many of my peers in the writing world, I wasn’t a writer or a reader until I left high school. During my youth I was into theater, song and dance, commercials and boys. I loved romance surely, but I had never read a romance novel until my late teens. With that said, I remember the day I did like it was a moment ago – my aunt gave me the Jude Deveraux novel, Knight in Shining Armor and I couldn’t put it down until the very last word. Then I went straight to the library and got another – then another until I’d read everything she’d ever written. After that, it was McNaught, Howard, Schone, Kleypas, and the Silhouette line, Desire. I instantly loved those emotional, sexy reads, so much so that I began to carve out ideas for my own stories, themes that were unique to me and moved me. In 1997 I enrolled in UCLA extension writing classes, met my mentor and critique partners and since have never stopped writing. I was committed then and I still am now; the need to tell my own romantic stories a full on obsession. My first manuscript was rejected, and though the second one was as well the editor who’d rejected it wanted to see something else from me. I had something (note to authors; always keep working, even after you’ve sent in a proposal) and sent it right away. The day I got the call telling me Desire wanted to buy Cinderella and the Playboy was the best day of my life. That is until I married my husband, and had my two beautiful children. But I must say, writing is much like motherhood – tough, grueling, surprising, delicious and for me, a dream come true.”  

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter

       

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Cover Reveal: Inked Memories by Carrie Ann Ryan

Today we're excited to give you a look at the SUPER swoonworthy cover of Carrie Ann Ryan's INKED MEMORIES with you! INKED MEMORIES releases October 31st - check out the cover below and preorder your copy now!

 

About INKED MEMORIES - available October 31st!

The Montgomery Ink series by NYT Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan continues when the final Denver Montgomery sibling refuses to fall for his brother’s former flame—the company’s new plumber.
Wes Montgomery watched his entire family fall in love, and now finds himself ready to settle down. Except the one person he seems to find chemistry with is not only his twin’s ex, she also works for Montgomery Inc. But when the two find themselves in one compromising situation after another, Wes realizes he’s having second thoughts about the dynamic woman who’s burst her way into his life. Sure she sets off his temper, but she also makes him hot in every other way possible.
Jillian Reid never loved her best friend like everyone thought she should, so she pushed him away so he could have his future. Now, despite fighting it, she finds herself attracted to the one man she shouldn’t. When her father’s health takes a turn for the worse, and a danger no one saw coming show its face, she’s forced to turn to Wes for help. The two of them have fought off their attraction long enough, and each cave to the desire. But this enemies-to-lovers tale might have an ending no one ever dreamed of.
INKED MEMORIES releases October 31st, 2017 - preorder your copy now!
✦Amazon http://amzn.to/2p0UqOU ✦iBooks http://apple.co/2foEDcy ✦Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/2pVfvgV ✦Kobo http://bit.ly/2fD4AnO ✦Google Play http://bit.ly/2pqze65 ✦Amazon Paperback http://amzn.to/2kz640M

 Want a signed INKED MEMORIES postcard? Sign up here!

About Carrie Ann Ryan

Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, and Gallagher Brothers series, which have sold over 2.0 million books worldwide. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over fifty novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not writing about bearded tattooed men or alpha wolves that need to find their mates, she’s reading as much as she can and exploring the world of baking and gourmet cooking.

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Book Review: Legend Of Love by Lisa Kessler

Author: Lisa Kessler
Series: The Muse Chronicles #2
Audience: +18
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: December 5th 2016
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):
The Prophecy - “Every generation the nine daughters of Zeus are reborn, and with their rebirth are also nine Guardians. They will be marked by the gods, and given gifts to protect his treasure. Their abilities will only be unlocked when they find their muse.”

Callie O'Connor's life has never been the same since the Muse of Epic Poetry came alive inside of her. Now she's on the other side of the country, working as civilian psychologist for the Navy, and leading her Muse sisters in their quest to reopen the Theater of the Muses.

But nothing could have prepared her for Hunter Armstrong. He's a Navy Seal, driven, confident, and dangerous. And he plans to do more than just protect her.

The gods couldn't have picked a better Guardian. But as Hunter soon discovers, Callie has some skeletons of her own in the closet, and loving her could lead to his destruction.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Lisa Kessler in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

I'm completely in love with this series, and I'm waiting anxiously for each and every book in this series. The second book in this series takes the story further, by introducing a new Guardian, Hunter, but also by making the villains more evil and scarier, maybe even a little bit deranged.

Hunter is an interesting choice for a Guardian. I like how his military career was portrayed and how it played into his role as a Guardian. I also liked the fact that he didn't have the same gift as Nate, so I'm assuming each Guardian will have different gifts. I'm also assuming that their gifts are somehow tied to what the Muse they're protecting.

Callie was a great heroine. I like how she dedicates herself to working with military men and women, to help them heal from traumas from being in war zones. The thing I liked most about her is that she's not perfect, she has a little bit of a wildness in her, due to her Muse, that she tries a lot to keep under control.

I liked Callie and Hunter together, they make a great team, and I liked the little glimpse into Mel and Nate's future. The pacing was great, and there were a few developments in the overall story, that of some really deranged people trying to keep the Muses from opening up the Theater of the Muses, that I'm very curious to see how it will play out in the future books.

All in all, a great book and one that any urban fantasy lover should add to their TBR piles.



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