Druid Quest by Cornelia Amiri

Druid Quest by Cornelia Amiri

Oak Seer, Sulwen has just witnessed the massacre of her friends, teachers, and homeland. Barely surviving the Roman attack, she is given the message from the Goddess Andraste, to search for Queen Boudica, and aid her in the battle against the Romans. When Sulwen begins her quest for Londinium, the area in which Queen Boudica is waiting, she is soon accompanied by four spearmen from other tribes in hopes of keeping her safe during this journey.

Once she reaches the Queen, she is reunited with her mate, Rhys, the Arch druid. And yeah, they gotta make a little ‘sex magic’. On with the journey, Rhys and Sulwen butt heads, but they are both so head over heels for each other it’s obvious. Rhys has a fear that he is reluctant to tell Sulwen about… he may be fated for death.

Druid Quest by Cornelia Amiri is a look into the mind of someone that has done her research and has a love for the Celts and Druids. For me, the story was a little too step by step and I didn’t really feel like the characters were clearly pictureable. I wanted to love Druid Quest, but it was just a little hard getting me captivated. There were times when the action picked up, and I liked the thought and ideas put into making this novel, but it was hard to keep my attention during the down-time. I hope in the future that Ms. Amiri will put more emotion and description into her main characters. 3 Hearts

Drowned Sorrow by Vaness Morgan

Drowned Sorrow by Vanessa Morgan

Once you enter Moonlight Creek, you might as well say goodbye to the life you used to know. Moonlight Creek has its secrets, dark, foreboding secrets that could reach out and snatch you whenever the mood strikes. The lake is filled with bodies that are bound to the small village, bodies that have either made a choice, or the choice had been made for them. A vacation for ex-television journalist, Megan Blackwood and her daughter, Jenna, turns into a nightmare.

Megan had just lost her son seven months ago, divorced soon after, and now she quit her job as a journalist to spend more time with her daughter. Suffocation can be too much for a teenage girl. Moonlight Creek was supposed to be a relaxing bonding trip for the two of them, but it seems someone you never suspect has been watching, waiting for the moment to show Megan that there are others in the world… and they want her!!!

Drowned Sorrow by Vanessa Morgan is a gripping horror novel that young adults can enjoy along with any other horror fan. Not too detailed, or bloody-gory. If this makes any sense it was actually a clean horror read that was quite entertaining. I’d read another Vanessa Morgan novel : ) 4 Hearts

All of Me by Lori Wilde

All of Me by Lori Wilde

All of Me by Lori Wilde is a breath of fresh air. Her characters come off cold and stubborn but gradually warm up to each other, Lori’s books are like a breath of fresh air. So much denial when it comes to the heart. The heart says, YES I’m in love but the mind is too stubborn to agree with it.

Jillian Samuels was a hard core prosecuting attorney that knew how to do her job, and to do it well. When he mentor passed away, the man named his successor was a total jerk to Jillian. Alex and Jillian had an affair in the past, she had no idea he was a married man until she showed up at his doorstep one night clad in only a duster and cowboy boots, it was a major blow to the ego when Alex’s wife answered the door. Jillian never had a track record so to speak with men, living an unpleasant childhood, never feeling loved hurt her to the core. She wouldn’t dare let any man get close to her again, Jillian didn’t believe in true love… especially not for her. So the day she quit her job, she made a wish on the magic wedding veil passed down from her friends. That wish was about to come true, all too soon. Picking up and moving from Houston, Tx to Salvation, CO could be a great thing, or it could only bring trouble…

Tucker Manning aka the Magic Man of Manhattan moved to Salvation shortly before his wife passed away. He had lost his Magic touch once Aimee passed away, two years later he was still grieving and bitter. When he was in a drunken stupor out on the lake on the 2nd anniversary of her death, he fell in, resulting in his brother in law making him take a vision quest. In that quest, he saw a temptress seduce him. Little did he know he was about to come face to face with the woman in his vision and she was going to turn his world upside down; and even try to kick him out of his OWN house. He just had to prove the house was really his… kind of hard to do with a missing deed.

Life as Jillian and Tuck knew it was about to go all up in smoke. Two lonely hearts desperate for love but too scared to succumb, come together in a flurry of sheets, sweat and a blizzard outside. Grab a cup of hot chocolate and come along for the ride.

Lori Wilde’s Wedding Veil Wishes series is a sultry and sweet mixture of everything naughty and nice. All of Me is the 4th book in the series, it’s one of those books that you can read nonstop and not feel guilty eating chocolate the whole way through with. There were a few minor inconsistencies, but they hardly detracted from the storyline, it was a great read with great passion. 4 Hearts

Hachette Book Group
ISBN# 0446502057

Desire Unchained by Larissa Ione

Desire Unchained: A Demonica Novel by Larissa Ione

The last thing Shade remembered was climbing in the ambulance with his sister, and then all went black. Upon waking he found himself in a dungeon, chained to wall, but there was someone else in the room… someone he thought he disconnected himself with nearly a year earlier. Oh and it looked like she was about to rip him to shreds, it wasn’t his fault she caught him with two other females in bed.

Runa wanted revenge on Shade, not for screwing around on her, but for what she was now. Once a human, now a werewolf, Runa had been working with the military and was on a mission to discover more about the demon hospital UG. She had to make a stop to exact her revenge and was captured. Oh man was Shade going to pay. Ummm, not so much, you see the brother Roag that was supposed to be dead, was back in singed flesh and bone and had a pretty nasty plan. A plan that is about to backfire and heat up the blood in both Shade and Runa.

Shade is cursed, he can not love another woman. If he does for instance fall in love, he will fade away into a life of torture. When Roag messes with Shade and Runa’s minds, Shade thinks killing Runa will save him from the curse. But what will save his heart from falling in love with the woman that wanted to kill him?

Desire Unchained by Larissa Ione rocked! It was the hottest book that I’ve read so far this year! I’m usually not into the BDSM but if it makes sense, Ms. Ione made it tasteful and highly erotic. I loved the teaser at the end, and will make sure to read the next book in the Seminus brothers series. 5 Hearts

Stakes and Stiletto's by Michelle Rowan

Stakes and Stilettos by Michelle Rowen

Sarah Dearly is still a newly made vamp at 10 weeks, and she is still a recipe for disaster! Now with the blood of two ancients, Sarah is more sought after than she could ever dream. Not everyone is out for her blood, although most are, there is still the matter of the scorned witch that Sarah managed to tick off about ten years ago. And the reappearance of the Red Devil who was said to have vanished about a hundred years ago, well, now he’s back and he saves Sarah from being killed… she still managed to get staked after all.

Ok, so I mentioned the scorned witch, but I didn’t mention the curse she thrust upon Sarah. Sarah is more dangerous now than ever, she is a nightwalker and with that comes some pretty nasty repercussions… all except the mind control; that kinda rocks. In Stakes and Stilettos her pushing 700 year old vampire boyfriend Thierry begins showing his dark side after her curse, the even worse part is he’s obviously in love with Sarah but he’s still married! The Red Devil wants more than just to save Sarah, and he does something to force Sarah into submission, but what does he want in return for saving her life?

Stakes and Stilettos by Michelle Rowan is out of sight and totally addictive. Her character, Sarah is not a drama queen, but a drama magnet it just seems to follow her everywhere! Stakes and Stilettos is the fourth novel in the series and it leaves you mouth wide open disappointed BECAUSE I really wanted to know what happened next. I guess I’ll have to wait until September 2009 to find out. 4 Hearts

Hachette Book Group
ISBN# 0446505846

Monster's Proof by Richard Lewis

Monster’s Proof by Richard Lewis is about a ten year old math genius that gets himself into a bit of trouble when his old childhood imaginary friend, Bob, is called for to save his life. Darby Ell was about to unleash something unexplainable into his world, and this creature made up of numbers, manifesting as a human will wreak havoc all over the place. The creature that Darby conjured up believes in symmetry, elegance and balance… but he is not always good, as you will soon find out.

Darby, his sister Livey, and a couple of strange withdrawn characters must come together to put Bob back into his non-existent form. A story of monsters, evil and light, what will come of the world once Bob throws Darby’s book into Hilbert space? Darby’s crazy Aunt was once working so hard to keep this equation a secret, now she may be part of the key to help Darby put Bob back in his place.

Richard Lewis’ novel is a young adult type story that I would put out there for those between 10-16. Within the pages you’ll find monsters, mathematicians, a cult that worships the Spirit of Numbers, a little lesson in, be careful what you wish for, and a lot of MATH!! See that’s enough to scare anyone right there. I did read an ARC so I’m not sure that all of the spelling errors, grammar, and inconsistencies will be corrected so my review is based on the ARC. While this was an adventure to read, at times it did hit low points where I wanted to skip ahead and see the outcome before finishing the pages I was on. All in all, kids will enjoy it… adults maybe not as much. 3 Hearts

Dogging Truth by Kevin Hughes

Dogging Truth by Kevin Hughes

Dogging Truth by Kevin Hughes is like taking a look right inside a private eye’s thought process from beginning to end. This particular story is about solving a murder mystery that has more than just one facet to it. The hard part will be discovering hidden pasts, sniffing out the truth, and learning to not think like a cop for TJ Jenkins. He is enlisted by his ex-wife to help prove Robert Weborg’s innocence in the case of murdering his wife.

TJ wanted nothing to do with the case when Elizabeth first presented it to him, it was with the encouragement of TJ’s soon to be adopted son, Billy, that he took on the difficult task. A secret past of Tina Weborg throws a monkey wrench into the scenario as TJ tries to put the pieces of this very messed up puzzle together.

Robert Weborg was an ex-cop and also had some training as a SWAT sniper, so it would seem like he would be the perfect one to blame here, especially when all the evidence pointed to him. Just when TJ was onto Tina Weborg’s estranged love life, pieces of the puzzle started clicking together. Now, the hard part is, should TJ believe what his gut is telling him, or will his helping hurt more when it comes to solving this tangled mess of a case?

Kevin Hughes penned Dogging Truth not only for men to enjoy but females as well. With his portrayal of a strong female character and well thought out story line, this was a catchy suspense novel to read. I enjoyed the many facets of the novel, and I suspected someone the whole way through, only to find out I was wrong. Sometimes I have to admit, the story did kind of hit a slow point leading up to the major finds, but nonetheless, it was well written and detailed well. There were a few touchy editing details in the ARC, but I know Mr. Hughes will have it perfect before it goes to print. 4 Hearts

No Escape by Shannon K. Butcher

No Escape by Shannon K. Butcher

Grant Kent out of the blue receives a call from a woman he has not seen in fourteen years. Panic in her voice makes him nervous, so he drives to Springfield Missouri, a place he said he would never return to after his horrible past. Killing a man didn’t exactly put you in everyone’s good-graces, even if the man was a pedophile, child rapist, and a foster father. Grant saved Isabelle Carson, but he couldn’t save those that were already molested. A dark past better left in the dark, but one bright shining moment he’ll never forget is the day he met Isabelle.

Isabelle Carson knows that people are being murdered, they’re not simply committing suicide like the police and papers are saying. Someone is killing her friends, people she knew from foster care. Does it seem at all coincidental that these recent “suicides” were all residents of the same foster family she was from fourteen years ago? It would seem that Edgar Lavine is killing from the underworld, but with not much evidence it is hard to prove a murderer is on the loose and out for revenge.

Isabelle has always had feelings for Grant, and Grant for Isabelle. Time and distance will make the heart grow fonder, and an explosion of drama and danger will bring these two star characters together in an unforgettable way. Isabelle has grown up to be a lovely woman, Grant has spent his stint in the military now he’s a security consultant. When Dale, Isabelle’s foster son is taken by his newly paroled father, all hell is about to break loose. While Isabelle tries not to be killed, by accident, poison, or by someone she trusts, Grant is trying to prove his innocence and find out who is killing these people and trying to get Dale back before something horrible happens to him. A flurry of unfathomable events is about to take place, come along for the ride?

Shannon K. Butcher is a brand new author for me, but I very much enjoyed her work. Exquisite detailing, believable characters, and love so true and pure it could overcome any boundary, Ms. Butcher is simply bewitching. 4 Hearts

Hachette Book Group
ISBN# 0446510289

Kill for Me by Karen Rose

Kill for Me by Karen Rose

Let me start off by saying this is probably going to be one of the shortest reviews I have ever written… in a good way! I am afraid if I go into too much detail that it would be a spoiler to those that have read the other books in the series.

Karen Rose is the author of Die for Me, and Scream for Me, a New York Times Best Seller. I can see why she made the best seller list!! Having not read her two previous books in this trilogy, I did at times feel like I had missed out on some major crucial details in Kill for Me, but every single moment of this book was engaging, and suspenseful to the max!

Susannah Vartanian was one of the girls raped thirteen years ago by a group of young rich boys, and has yet to be able to live a normal life. With the help of Agent Luke Papadopoulos and the whole PD and FBI Dept’s in Dutton, Georgia and a few other states, Susannah may finally get some insight to her past, and find out what her brother Simon had going on in his sick head. Susannah is about to discover that her whole life has been something other than what she has known, she will have to do something she has never done before. Lean on Luke to help her through this, that may prove to be more difficult that either could have ever expected.

Nothing is as it seems in Kill for Me, there are so many dark buried secrets, a huge cast of characters, and a whole lot of danger. Explosive, cunning, and purely magnificent, I have no other choice but to pick up the other two novels I haven’t read. Karen Rose has got the skill it takes to enthrall a reader. In the beginning I was overwhelmed because as I said I think I missed a lot of history from not reading Die for Me and Scream for Me, this shouldn’t be a stand alone book… but somehow it kind of works. 5 Hearts

Hachette Book Group
ISBN# 0446510300

Once Bitten by Kalayna Price

Once Bitten by Kalayna Price

Kita of the Nekai cat-shifter clan, has been on the run from her destiny for five years. She would use her shifter ability to become a lonely starving house cat, moving from place to place until, she ends up in Haven and her whole life changes. Kita’s clan has strong shifters such as lions and tigers, a small calico kitty has no place in ruling those that will always be much larger than her. Kita will discover, she has much bigger fish to fry and turn from the hunted to the hunter, and in a way the hunted again.

Nathanial saved her life by killing her, he made her a vampire and now she’s a vampire with claws that refuses to feed. Waking up from being drugged, Kita has no idea what to expect from the crazy lady Mama Neda or the man she refers to as Hermit. To make matters worse, her old friend from the Firth is in Haven to take Kita back home, and there is a judge that just put a death sentence on Kita, Nathanial, and Bobby’s lives. Kita is accused of making a rogue shifter that is murdering girls left and right, Kita and her companions have 2 days to catch the shifter or the demons will come to collect their souls.

Once Bitten by Kalayna Price is a Vampire/Shifter Paranormal Fantasy novel that I think would appeal to mostly Young Adults. While it was a nice read, it seemed a little sluggish at times during the search, like all the walking and such. I did find a few inconsistencies to the story as well as some spelling errors, and I will have to check with the author on her feelings of vampires and reflections. This is the first book in the Haven series, and I think with the more Ms. Price writes, the better she will become. Young Adult girls will swoon over the strong male characters and try to be just like Kita. 4 Hearts

Belle Bridge Books
ISBN# 978-0-9802453-9-4