Author: Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright, Lorelei James, Lara Adrian, Nazarea Andrews, Megan Erickson
Series: 1001 Dark Nights
Audience: +18/
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
Release Date: October 31st 2017
My Rating: 4 cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):
About 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Twelve:
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright, Lorelei James, Lara Adrian, and introducing Nazarea Andrews and Megan Erickson. Six Dark Tales. Six Sensual Stories. Six Page Turners.
KAYDEN: A Bayou Heat Novella by Alexandra Ivy
Kayden is obsessed with revenge after his parents disappeared when he was just a cub. Now the gorgeous Hunter has discovered the man responsible for betraying them – Joshua Ford – and it’s time for payback. Beginning with the kidnapping of Joshua’s daughter, Bianca. But last thing he expects is to be confronted with the horrifying realization that Bianca is his mate. Will he put revenge before his chance for eternal happiness?
SIMON: Bayou Heat Novella by Laura Wright
Sexy male model, Simon refuses to give up his exciting life in New York City to return to the slow heat of the Wildlands. For a decade, many pantera have tried to capture the rogue Diplomat and bring him home, but all have failed. Now it’s Tryst’s turn. The hard, brilliant, and gorgeous, Hunter is the ultimate tracker. But can the admitted beast-girl of the Wildlands capture her prey without losing her heart in the process?
STRUNG UP: A Blacktop Cowboys Novella by Lorelei James
Rancher Creston Grant retreats from the world after he loses the love of his life….Can his former flame, rodeo cowboy Breck Christianson prove he’s a changed man who can give Cres a second chance at love?
MIDNIGHT UNTAMED: A Midnight Breed Novella by Lara Adrian
For Breed warrior Ettore Selvaggio, stealth assassinations are only one of his specialties. The last thing Savage expects to find behind enemy lines is a woman he once adored. It’s been years since Savage last saw Arabella Genova. Years he’s strived to banish to his past, along with the fierce desire he once felt toward Bella and the irresistible calling of her blood that stirs in him even now, despite the fact that she belongs to another male.
DIRTY SEXY SECRET by Nazarea Andrews
Even when you know better….
There are a million reasons why Hazel Campton is off limits: she’s a journalist. I’m a cop. Oh, and she’s my foster sister.
My secret is I didn’t care. I haven’t stopped wanting her since I slept with her the night before she left.
She’s trouble. Always has been.
It’s hard to resist the thing you’ve always wanted…
Growing up with Brandon Archer means I know him. Good. Bad. Everything in between.
It’s just never mattered.
My secret? That night. The one I stole, that’s kept me from Archer and Green County, for four years.
Now I’m home, and nothing has changed. Except me. And not in the way that means a damn thing.
Because I still want him.
Everything can change with a knock at the door…
Secrets. Everyone has them. Archer. Me. This town.
Perfection only runs surface deep in Green County. When there’s a knock at me door, it’s a familiar face all covered in danger, and all those secrets we hide? They’re about to come tumbling out.
BITE THE HAND THAT BLEEDS by Megan Erickson
Roxy heads below the streets of Mission City to a vampire club, determined to give up her blood in exchange for much-needed cash. She has no idea that the handsome, brooding vampire she meets there will awaken desires she didn't know she had, and will change her life forever...
Every Dark Nights tale is breathtakingly sexy and magically romantic.
*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.
Every time I see there's a new story being added to this series I get all giddy and excited, because I just know I'll have a great time reading them. I already knew two of the stories in this bundle, but I still enjoyed reading them. The review for those two are shortened versions of the original reviews I wrote for them, but my thoughts haven't changed.
Kayden/Simon by Alexandra Ivy & Laura Wright
Kayden is a guy that has suffered a lot, especially since his parents disappeared when he was really young. I liked that even so, he didn't let that anger and that pain rule his judgement. I liked him, and I hope to read more about him in the next books. Bianca is a heroine that I enjoyed reading about. I liked that by the end of the story she finds courage to do certain things that I don't think in the past she would've done them.
Simon's story was my favorite one out of the two. Simon is a hero that hides stuff, and he hides them really well. I loved him, really. He's one of those characters that just need a bear hug, you know? I liked his interaction with Tryst, I liked seeing him trying to keep one step ahead of her. Tryst is a unique character. As the blurb says, she's more her animal than she is human, and I don't think I've ever read about a character like that before. It was interesting, but I would've wanted to read more on that subject. Maybe if the story was longer, we could've explored that side of Tryst more, but even so, I enjoyed reading the way she sees the world.
Rating: 4.5 cups
Strung Up by Lorelei James
As I haven't yet got to read her Blacktop Cowboys series, I was not familiar with Breck from the very beginning of the series, to see how he changed and how he became the man he was in this book. But I can tell that even before this novella he was a strong, confident man. Reading about what he went through after his ex announced it to everyone that Breck was gay, really made me respect him more, and also be incredibly sad for him. I get even sadder when I think that this is real. Even today, there are people who can lose everything just based on their sexuality, and that is infuriating to say the least. But I greatly respect Breck for finding the strength to move on, to try to make a bad situation into a good one.
I met Cres in the
1001 Dark Nights Bundle Six, and since then I've kept my fingers crossed that he would get his own story. I never imagined that his story would be so tragic, but I wanted his story told. I've hoped for an M/M story from Lorelei James since forever, and I was super happy when Cres got his story. As I said, he has a really sad story, but at the same time a very hopeful one. I also loved that his family was so cool with his sexuality, and that it wasn't something they focused on. Even in the previous novella, the one I was referring to earlier, it didn't feel like the Grant family defined Cres as his sexuality, which was honestly such a great thing.
Rating: 5 cups
Midnight Untamed by Lara Adrian
It's been a while since I read a Lara Adrian book and I forgot how much fun they were. This story is part of her Midnight Breed series and it's a pretty interesting one. I love that the story took place in Rome. I also enjoyed how fast paced it was.
Ettore was an interesting character. He's a strong, brave, really honorable guy. You discover his backstory halfway through this story and I really like what I found out. He did the right thing in the past, even though he knew it would hurt him. And he did the right thing in the present, even if it might have turned out to be the worst idea ever. I liked that about him.
Arabella has an interesting gift. It was interesting to see how a few years changed the way her brother treated her. I thought she was a really strong female, given the circumstances. I know I probably would do a shitty job at keeping my wits together, but she defended herself and she was willing to do whatever was necessary to keep her family safe. I respected her for that.
I really enjoyed this story and it made me want to go back to read the Midnight Breed series all over again.
Rating: 4 cups
Dirty Sexy Secret by Nazarea Andrews
This story was based on secrets. It's told from dual perspectives, of Hazel and Archer, and it's interesting to see how their secrets come to life. I enjoyed the story, even if at times I was a bit lost.
Hazel and Archer have a really sad story. It's hard to talk about one without talking about the other one as well, really. It's almost like the story was written, actually. You can't have Hazel without Archer. They're both really damaged people, but also very brave and very loving. They're also really loyal, too loyal at times.
Most of the characters felt damaged in a way, and I am definitely going to keep my eyes out for the next book in the series, because I need to know the rest of the secrets. Like I said, that seemed to be the theme of this story and, as a really curious person, I found that quite fascinating.
Rating: 3.5 cups
Bite The Hand That Bleeds by Megan Erickson
This was such a short story, but it was interesting enough to make me want to learn more about the world that Erickson created.
You get a tiny glimpse into the world of the vampires, and it's quite an interesting take. It almost felt like a cross between old-school vampires, with their scariness, the way they act, how they speak, and kind of new, modernized vampires, with their blatant sexuality. While I couldn't get a real feel of the characters, because the story is so short, I definitely want to read the books in the series to find out more.
Rating: 3.5 cups
As I said, this bundle is full of great stories and, as always, the authors behind 1001 Dark Nights don't disappoint. Now I'll be biting my nails, waiting for the next bundle.
I saw this cover last week and I fell in love. I love sailing ships. I have a thing for them. And any drawing/painting/photograph with a ship in it will catch my eye. What I love most about this cover is that it seems as if the ship is caught in the middle of a storm. Which is kind of fitting for the story itself, at least based on the blurb. I like the colors used for the background, and the fog around the ship. It kind of makes me think that the fate of that ship is hanging on by a thread, that the fog is threatening the ship somewhat more than the storm. There's also a kind of shadow underneath the ship, a weird shape, and I want to know what that is about.
Aside from ships, I have a thing for fiery designs. This cover is simple and yet it holds a world of tiny details in it. The crown looks like a metal/iron crown that was burned down, and I can see some random designs in the smoke/embers around the bottom part of the crown. I see what looks like wings in the middle, some flowers, maybe some feathers... There's a lot happening with that crown. I also like how the crown seems to be crumbling, the ash slowly falling off and disintegrating on the title. Another really cool thing is that the background is really simple.
This might be my favorite cover that I've seen lately that has a cover model. The model reminds me of Lagertha. I love that we can't really see her, it makes her more dangerous and more badass, which I love! But at the same time I wonder why exactly half of her face is hidden. What is she hiding? I also love the design on the blade of the axe. I love the feel of the entire cover, and I really, really want to see it in real life. I wonder what designs would there be under the dust jacket of a HB version of the book.
