Theirs for Capture by Shelli Stevens

Title: Theirs To Capture
Author: Shelli Stevens
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-60504-480-4
Format: Ebook
Genre: Paranomal, Shapeshifter, Erotica
Length: Novella
Rating: 5 Lyres
Reviewer: GJM

When I first read the blurb for this book I wanted it there was just something about a princess being chased down by her lion and tiger mates that had me wanting to read more and I wasn’t disappointed.

When Delilah is informed that her father has agreed to a union that will place her in a triad with Jason and Pierce she is not a happy camper. While she has had a close friendship with Jason since childhood that is all she sees it as a “friendship”. It doesn’t take long for Delilah to decide that Jason has betrayed her friendship as he has never even hinted that he wanted her as a mate let alone that both he and Pierce had been negotiating with her father without her knowledge for quite sometime. Delilah is determined to not be part of a union without love so she does the only thing a Falcon can do she takes flight.

Pierce informs Delilah that she will accept the union in his usual arrogant manner he seems to think that since Jason and himself have finally gotten her father’s consent things will go smoothly and that will be the end of the matter. So he is none too pleased when Jason tells him Delilah has flown the coop on the day of their union and the two males now need to chase down their wayward mate.

A Falcon being pursued by a Lion and a Tiger what do you think her odds would be trust me Delilah will give the big cats a run for their money. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found once I started it I had to finish it Ms Stevens had me hooked right from the start. I really loved the irony of two big cats wanting a union with a bird after all cats and birds are natural enemies.

Rhapsody in Red by Donn Taylor

Title: Rhapsody in Red

Author: Donn Taylor

Publisher: Moody Publishers

Genre: Christian, mystery

ISBN: 9780802451163

Length: novel

Rating: 5 lyres– Recommended Read!

Reviewer: A.D. Roland

Preston Barclay, a history professor, likes his life as a self-proclaimed recluse. When his wife died, he developed musical hallucinations, and his work and isolation helps him deal. When a colleague is murdered, the evidence points to him and another professor, headstrong Mara Thorn. They both realize the only way they are going to escape blame is to build their own defense, they take on the case themselves. With an incompetent college administrator, relentless police, and some bad guys who wear black and drive big SUV’s on their tails, they must find a way to prove themselves innocent.

I loved this book. I’m generally not a huge fan of mystery, but Mr. Taylor’s quirky, light-hearted, poignant writing hooked me from page one. I read it in one sitting, and I can’t recall a single negative thing about the book. It was such an interesting story, with captivating characters and some pretty funny moments! The Christian elements in the book are light, gently encouraging without overwhelming.

Definitely a ‘5′ in my book!

Splattered Beauty by Brandon Ford

Title: Splattered Beauty

Author: Brandon Ford

Publisher: Artic Wolf

ISBN: 0981747272

Genre: horror

Length: Novel

Rating: 4 Lyres

Reviewer: Ash Arceneaux

 

Alyssa Peyton was once the most in-demand scream queen in B-movie Hollywood. Married to a successful director, she had her choice of prime roles. Until a younger, prettier actress came along and stole her husband, her roles, and her life. When Alyssa meets Taryn, a devoted teenage fan, things go from bad to worse.

I’ve sort of halfway followed Mr. Ford’s work via Myspace for a while now. He’s one of those new young (and sorta cute) authors that are redefining small press horror. I was more than happy to get a chance to review this book.

I don’t have many bad things to say about it. Mr. Ford’s style is clean and crisp, to the point. The gore isn’t overdone and is in the right places. While I wouldn’t call it ultragory or anything, there’s enough guts and splatter to satisfy any horror fan! Splattered Beauty is fast-paced, well-written, and a delightfully shocking read!

As for the characters. This is probably the only negative thing I have to say about the book. I thought Alyssa could have had a better descent into madness. She sort of flipped a little too quickly. I wanted to see her suffer her mental illness a little more, and then her short, brutal career as a serial killer would have been more fulfilling. Wow, I sound like a freak for saying something like that…

Nah, just a horror author myself…

Anyway, back to the review. I didn’t like Taryn at first. She made me think of those wierd girls we all went to high school with who wore their questionable sexual orientation on their sleeves, enjoyed the ostracizing they got for being creepy and leering in the locker rooms and not  quite washing themselves well enough. After Tarnyn became a fixture in the story, she quickly became the strongest character in the story.

Overall, Splattered Beauty is a book that definitely is worth the read.

Scoprio Risen by Desiree Lee

Title: Scorpio Risen

Author: Desiree Lee

Publisher: Tease Publishing

ISBN:

978-1-934678-97-8  

Release Date:   Format: Ebook

Genre: Paranormal 

Length: Short Story

Rating: 4.5

Reviewer: Val Pearson

Amukan Troik was the Alpha leader of the Centruroides Clan of Reno. It was his duty to represent his people and a new contestant to vie for leadership had just presented himself. His name was Koda Webb of the Loxosceles Clan. Although Koda had a reputation of being vicious, Amukan was determined to represent his clan with integrity and determination. On a trip out to the desert with is wife Elna, to get away from everything, they are attacked and Amukan is certain he sees a tattoo on the leader before both Amukan and Elna are murdered. Deylen, Amukan’s son, has been looking for the opportunity to show his father that he has what it takes to take over leadership of the clan. Upon Amukan’s death, Deylen gets his opportunity but is faced with opposition from neighboring clans. Koda Webb is the first to challenge him. Lance one of Koda’s clan has a run in with Erik, one of Deylen’s clan. Rather than have Erik killed as Koda wants, Lance and Erik are told to fight it out. Erik wins and tells Lance that he does not want to kill him. Later Erik is found dead and the domino effect over power soon takes place. It becomes a war between the clans. To blow off steam, Deylen heads to the casino and who does he see? None other than than his lab assistant Seneca McLane. She is dressed to the nine’s and she’s counting cards! Privately calling her on her game, he joins the table, wins a few hands and asks her to dinner. Let the fireworks begin!

Seneca McLane, a mortal, is brought in to Deylen’s lab as the new lab technician.

She is a fiercely independent, strong-willed and opinionated. Seneca finds herself hopelessly attracted to Deylen but he is her boss and she cannot risk losing her new job as she has to save up for medical school. Together they strike up a plan to join forces at the casino tables. With Seneca being a mortal, any relationship between Deylen and Seneca would be prohibited. It could only cause her danger.

I fell in love with Scorpio risen right from the first paragraph. Deylen’s character was painstakingly loyal to his clan and to Seneca. The relationship between Deylen in a way was bittersweet with the fact that their relationship was forbidden. Their sexual relationship was intense. Deylen and Seneca were unable to keep their hands off of each other. I could feel the attraction the two had together from the minute their characters met.

Desiree Lee has done it once again. Scorpio Risen was an intense read on several levels. The plot was amazing. The conflict between the hero and enemy made this book just that much sweeter. The emotions between Deylen and Seneca left me wanting to read more about the two as a couple. This was a smart, witty, and very intelligent read that I would recommend to anyone who is a romance reader. If you are new to paranormal romances (like me) or have never read one, I highly recommend you try this book out. It is written in a very articulate way and lends explanations when necessary. I consider this to be an excellent book. The only thing I could possibly think that would make this a better book is if it were longer.

Sweet Charity by Lauren Dane

Title: Sweet Charity

Author: Lauren Dane

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

URL: http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/sweet-charity

ISBN: 978-1-60504-273-2

Release Date: December 23, 2008

Format: Ebook

Genre: Erotic Romance

Length: Novella

Rating: 3

Reviewer: Sonya Harrison

 

For years Charity Harris has wanted one man, Gabriel Bettencourt. Tall, handsome, and incredibly sexy…Charity can’t stop thinking about the man. The sexual tension started when they were teenagers and culminated one night years ago when they gave in to their desires. Charity avoided Gabriel for a time after that disastrous night of mechanical sex. Eventually they got past the awkwardness of that moment. They patched up their friendship, but the sexual attraction still remains, as evidenced in the furtive glances and playful flirting. Gabriel is the man for her, but he’s holding back for some reason. Charity plans to find out the reason why….and this time she won’t stop until he gives her an answer.

Gabriel wants Charity more than he cares to admit, but a girl like that deserves a gentle loving kind of guy and he’s not him. Gabriel’s kinky sex practices would likely offend Charity and her friendship means the world to him. Denying those dark urges had led to an embarrassing performance years ago that he has no wish to repeat, so avoiding the subject is his way of dealing with it. Gabriel doesn’t want to hurt Charity, yet he has convinced himself it’s for the best. Charity is a strong, beautiful, and independent woman; the last thing she needs is guy who wants her to be his sexual submissive.

Charity finally confronts Gabriel catching him completely off-guard. He quickly learns that when Charity asserts herself, she means business and he can no longer resist. A dinner date turns into an explosive night of passion and Charity not only responds to Gabriel’s sexual games, but seems to enjoy them. Gabriel, shocked and charmed by Charity’s trust is still not quite convinced that he’s the right guy for her. Charity embodies everything Gabriel could possibly want and the realization has him running scared. Charity isn’t afraid to play his wicked games, but she wants to win his heart…and this time she’s playing for keeps.

SWEET CHARITY is a contemporary erotic romance with the Christmas holidays serving as the backdrop. Charity and Gabriel’s angst-filled affair takes place during a time when relatives have gathered together to honor family and religious traditions. It was heartwarming to watch the couple connect through their shared ethnicity (Portuguese) and deep love of family. That aside, Gabriel’s constant brooding over his dark proclivities got repetitious and I found myself getting impatient with him constantly going on about the kind of man Charity should have while totally dismissing what she knew she wanted. Gabriel seems to view himself as somehow too tainted for Charity because of his enjoyment of BDSM which led me to wonder…if he thinks it’s so awful, why continue to do it? This contradiction chilled much of the hot factor for me. Charity for her part is direct and to the point. She knows what she wants and has no problem telling Gabriel what that is in plain terms. It’s refreshing to see the heroine in a role as the aggressor who refuses to sit around and sulk while her guy “gets his head right.” Charity’s boldness of character makes this story enjoyable though the heat level barely climbs above a slow simmer. Readers who enjoy sassy heroines and “BDSM-light” romances may want to give SWEET CHARITY a try.

Julian’s Jungle Book by Kate Hofman

Title: Julian’s Jungle Book

Author: Kate Hofman

Publisher: DCL Publishing

ISBN: 9781921347900

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Length: Novella

URL: N/A

Reviewer: Sonya Harrison

Rating: 2

Ashley Fanshawe has been treated to a holiday courtesy of her generous employers. For 3 weeks she will enjoy a leisurely vacation on the Caribbean Island of Frangipani – a privately owned tropical paradise with an affluent clientele. A new job awaits Ashley back in New York and she’s determined to give it her all, but for the moment she plans to relax and paint the local scenery. The lush beauty of the island inspires her as she explores the tropical forest just beyond her private quarters. Along the way, she discovers unusual plants, exotic birds, a quiet stream – and a very handsome, very naked man taking an afternoon swim.

Julian de Castelfranco does not take kindly to trespassers and that includes Ashley Fanshawe. His failed marriage to a cheating wife has left him bitter, ill-tempered, and reclusive. Angered by the intrusion of this wandering guest, Julian sets his dog on Ashley, but to his surprise, Ashley stands her ground charming his “vicious” Rottweiler and shaming him in the process. Determined to make amends for his rude behavior, Julian invites Ashley to dine with him and assigns himself as her personal island tour guide.

Julian finds Ashley intriguing and her short stay is perfect for a no-strings-attached romance, yet all too soon her vacation comes to an end. Ashley must go back to New York and Julian has a business to run, however unforeseen events would bring Julian and Ashley together once more. Ashley may have forever lost her heart to Julian during those passionate nights in Frangipani…and perhaps Julian cares for her much more than he is willing to admit. When Ashley finds herself at the threshold of a major life changing event, she must decide to either turn to Julian and risk rejection…or simply learn to live with her cherished memories of their short time together.

JULIAN’S JUNGLE BOOK begins with an airplane flight, but the book itself never quite takes off. From the onset, Julian came off as bossy and presumptuous with moments of tenderness here and there. Ashley seemed to accept his behavior with very little pushback and for a person who is supposed to be New York savvy, she was pretty clueless. The character inconsistencies were difficult to reconcile. Julian’s internal dialogue left much to be desired and I found it irritating that nearly every character in the story felt the need to express how much of a “slut” his ex-wife was. Ashley and Julian’s conversations fell flat and the lack of an identifiable plot caused the first half of the book to drag. Things picked up once Ashley returned to New York, but not enough to save the story from the mounting pile of romance novel annoyances. There’s the innocent heroine who cries/stutters whenever she gets upset, the jerky hero who boasts of his sexual mastery yet looks down on women with such experience, and there’s even a couple of mean girls tossed in to pick on the inexperienced virgin for good measure. Overall I found JULIAN’S JUNGLE BOOK lacked the warmth and passion that readers look for in an island romance.

Though I must say, although I didn’t care much for the hero, there is one thing I did like about Julian; He had a really cool dog – in fact, the dog was my favorite character in the entire story.

Theirs to Capture by Shelli Stevens

Title: Theirs to Capture

Author:Shelli Stevens

Publisher:Samhain Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-60504-480-4

Rare Vintage by Bianca D’Arc

Title: Rare Vintage

Author: Bianca D’Arc

Publisher: Samhain

ISBN: 978-1-60504-381-4

Release Date February 6^{th 2009}

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Word Count: Novella

Rating: 5 Lyres

Reviewer: GJM

Rare Vintage is the second book in the Brotherhood of Blood series.

After her best friend Lissa marries Atticus a vampire and becomes vampire herself Kelly goes to work for them as their personal assistant at their vineyard. Kelly is not their only guest they are also currently playing host to master vampire for the local area Marc La Tour.

Even though Marc has been told Kelly is not on the menu he can’t seem to help himself and while he doubts she could possibly be his one and only mate he finds himself drawn to her in ways he has never been drawn to a woman in over 600 years.

Kelly for her part is attracted to Marc but will fight her feelings for him rather than become a meaningless fling or worse still a handy snack.

As I have already stated this is the second book in the series however it can be enjoyed as a stand alone though be warned if like me you read it without reading the first book you will be rushing to buy One and Only. So I’d suggest reading them in order.

I thoroughly enjoyed Rare Vintage and once again fans and new readers alike will be drawn into the story quickly. The chemistry between Marc and Kelly is strong and both characters are very likable. The secondary characters are also very strong. Combine this with a fast paced story that has you turning pages and once again Ms D’arc has written a winner now I have to go get the third installment of the series.

Three for All by Raina James

Title: Three For All

Author: Raina James

Publisher: Siren Publishing, Inc.

E-Book ISBN: 1-60601-420-X

Release Date: January 27^{th 2009}

Format: E-book

Genre: Contemporary, Erotica, Ménage (M/F/M)

Word count: Short Story 15K

Rating: 4 Lyres

Reviewer: GJM

Rather than make a difficult choice Shelby Daniels left home for culinary school and never came back. Now her Uncle has passed away leaving her with a strange shared inheritance. Shelby is back and has to face Gabriel Mackenzie and Justin Walters the two men she never stopped loving and still can’t choose between.

Gabriel and Justin have one last chance to convince Shelby to stay. Half the battle was getting her to come home, her Uncle’s will has not only brought Shelby home it’s given them the opportunity to put their plan into action.

Ms James offers the reader a beautifully written contemporary romance with a great storyline. The Characters were very appealing and Shelby’s torn between two lovers dilemma wasn’t over done. I found Three for All to be a quieter, gentler more understated ménage story. This would be an ideal first ménage book for readers that want to read a ménage book but don’t feel ready for the full on intense ménages that are out there. A great read that zipped along at a steady pace my only complaint would be that it ended too soon. I’ll be adding Ms James to my list of must keep an eye out for authors as I really enjoyed reading this one.

Second Moon by Lynn Lorenz

Title: Second Moon
Author: Lynn Lorenz
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
ISBN: 9781595784995
Release Date: October 2008
Format: Ebook
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
Length: Short Story
Rating: 4
Reviewer: Katherine Petersen

Samantha Waters gets in her car to drive to her hotel after a monthly dinner with her sister and realizes she has a biker on her tail. She heads for a bar to phone the police rather than lead the stranger to her hotel. She’s in luck. Off-duty cop Duke Stevens was just about to leave but stops after Sam enters.

Duke Stevens is a werewolf and he’s dying. He lost his wife to cancer two years ago, and without another life mate, he will continue on his path to a slow death. But, he senses that Sam is his new mate, but convincing her of that won’t be easy.

While Sam’s sister and grandmother claim they’re witches and believe in the supernatural, Sam, the practical one, has other ideas. She has an incredible attraction to Duke and allows him to follow her to the hotel to make sure she’s safe and even to come in, but she gets skittish when she finds out he’s a werewolf. After all, they don’t even exist.

Lynn Lorenz has crafted an enjoyable love story in Second Moon. With crisp writing and realistic dialogue, she brings the characters to life. It’s easy to understand Duke’s hurry to get Sam’s commitment—he doesn’t know how much time he has. But, it’s equally easier to understand Sam’s hesitation. Men have hurt her before, and becoming involved with Duke will change her practical, organize life topsy-turvy. It’s an enjoyable story and fans of erotic paranormal romance will have a nice Halloween-focused treat in this tale.