Dark Haven by Mandy Monroe

Title:Dark Haven
Author: Mandy Monroe
Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Release date: February 2011
Format: Ebook
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Full Novel
Rating: 5
Reviewer: CLR

 
Blurb:
Trapped between two horny vampires and one lusty werewolf on a cruise ship with several hundred other weirdos that thought that they were vampires, Scarlett seriously considered jumping ship. Unfortunately, she hadn’t discovered the truth about her fellow passengers until the ship was somewhere in the middle of the ocean. She decided she wouldn’t have much success talking her way out of the sharks taking a bite out of her, but she would soon realize she wouldn’t have much luck where the men were concerned either.
 
WOW…. This book was so hot. After I finished it I immediately went to the authors books to see if there were any more like this coming out soon.  The female lead in this book is very practical, strait-laced and doesn’t do anything without planning in advance. She won this trip and thought what the hell it’s a free vacation. It turns out to be a themed cruise and she doesn’t believe in any of this vampire crap and wants to get off the ship right away but discovers she can’t and decides to try and enjoy her herself as she is stuck there anyway until the first port.  The first dinner she has, she meets the 3 hottest guys whom she can’t seem to resist or them her.  From there it just goes uphill and gets hotter, except for the evil female vampire trying to kill them before they get her first.

Alien Rule by Tracy St. John

Title: Alien Rule
Author: Tracy St. John
Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Release date: Febuary 2011
Format: Ebook
Genre: Futuristic Romance
Length: Full Novel
Rating: 5
Reviewer: CLR

 
Blurb:

Marked for execution, Jessica McInness knows joining the enemy is her only hope for survival. However when Kalquor’s crown princes arrive to rescue her, she discovers the three alien men aren’t quite what she hoped for in lifelong mates.   Arrogant and brutish, the royal clan infuriates her—and awakens passions as no other men have.
The Kalquorians are determined to seduce the temperamental woman who inflames their lusts. They relentlessly pursue the hesitant Earther, resorting to forceful means to claim her as their mate.  But love comes at a high price when the princes’ choice of a princess incites a rebellion on Kalquor…and endangers Jessica’s life.
 
This was an excellent 2nd book in the Kalquor/Earth Series.  It was very hot and exciting I couldn’t put it down until I finished it all.  The hero’s are VERY alpha but the heroin gave as good as she got, she’s a spunky little thing.  I can’t wait for the next book in the series and hope it comes out really soon. Make sure you go buy the first book too, because if you haven’t read it your going to want after reading this one.

The MacCumail Bloodlines #1 Dark Promises by Marie Kenward

Title: The MacCumail Bloodlines Series #1 – Dark Promises Author: Marie Kenward Publisher:The Wild Rose Press Release date: 2009 Format: Ebook Genre: Paranormal Romance Length: 402 pages Rating: 5 * Recommended read Reviewer: CLR   Blurb: Three-hundred-year-old vampire Alexi Dugas knows everything there is to know about evil. After all, for centuries he’s walked a tightrope between his blood-thirst and his humanity. When he inadvertently rescues a young woman from his former clansmen, he must decide once and for all if he’s more man than beast, for Sarah Hennessy carries a weapon that can forever alter the delicate balance of power in his dark world. Now, after living in the shadows and surviving in those shades of gray, Alexi must finally choose which side of the battle he’s on. Unfortunately, doing the wrong thing will cost him Sarah’s love. But, doing the right thing might just cost her life.   This is a great book.  It’s  about a reluctant love between a vampire who doesn’t think he can control his blood lust enough to deserve to be loved and a woman who won’t give up on him, Also, defeating the bad guys and saving the world from killer psycho vampires.  This book has it all,it makes you laugh and cry and sometimes want to scream but it flows together seamlessly to make a great story.  It makes you want to go out and buy the next story right away, I can’t wait  to read the next one.

The MacCumail Bloodlines #2 Dark Whispers by Marie Kenward

Title: The MacCumail Bloodlines Series #2 – Dark Whispers Author: Marie Kenward Publisher:The Wild Rose Press Release date: November 5, 2010 Format: Ebook Genre: Paranormal Romance Length: 430 pages Rating: 5 * Recommended read Reviewer: CLR Blurb: He is Mikael MacCumail, leader of a vampire clan. The oldest of his kind, he is considered invincible. Deadly. Most fear him, and he’s lived unchallenged for over a millennia. Until the night he loses it all.Stripped of his memory, stalked by vampires and vampire hunters alike, Mikael finds an unlikely ally in young hunter Emily Davenport. On the run with no one to turn to and no one to trust, the line between predator and prey begins to blur. In a world of unfamiliar shadows, Emily becomes his only light. Her beauty tempts him, her innocence disarms him. Mikael has waited centuries to find a woman like Emily, but when his past catches up with him and he discovers why his memory was taken, he must prepare to face an enemy he doesn’t know how to defeat. An enemy with no physical body, a life form–an entity–that lives inside vampire blood, moving from one body to the next, killing. And now it wants Mikael.   This Is a great sequel.  Mikael has absolutely no idea who he is or where he comes from but he puts himself on the line to save Emily, and they end up on the run. He is very protective and loving towards Emily throughout the book and shows what a good person he is.  He protects her but also lets her have the freedom to do things for her self, which I imagine would be a little hard for someone who lived when women had no rights, Twenty-four centuries ago.  I found I enjoyed the story between them very much, the budding romance and the mystery of who he really is, especially when he is found but doesn’t believe them about who they tell him he is at first.  Then he has to hide his memory loss when he goes back to his life, so people don’t know because he has no idea who did what, to make him lose his memory and who’s trying to kill him. This was a great read, I couldn’t put it down. I recommend it just as much as I did the first book in the series.

Kiss of the Silver Wolf by Sharon Buchbinder

Title: Kiss Of The Silver Wolf
Author: Sharon Buchbinder
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Paranormal Black miniature
Length: 106 pages
Release Date:  October 20,2010

Reviewer: CLR
Rating:3 1/2
 
Blurb:
When Charlene Johnson’s parents die in a single-car accident, she’s left behind as guardian for her severely disabled older brother. When her father’s death is ruled a suicide she is forced to move to the sleepy rural town of Eden, Kentucky, the very place her mother always warned her about.
From the moment Zack Abingdon sees Charlene, he knows she’s the one. Despite the electrifying bond between them Charlene senses things are not all what they seem. Secrets within secrets unfold, and ultimately Charlene has to make a life and death decision between rejecting her true nature and accepting her place within the wolf pack.
 
This was a suspense filled book with lots of secrets. This was a book about a woman who had to be strong so she could take care of her brother and find out what was going on in her families lives while she wasn’t there. What really happened to her parents? What’s up with her brother Joey and all the other special boys with a name that starts with J.   Why is she all the sudden a lot hairier then she was before?  All these questions that need answering.  I think the author did a pretty good job of pacing the story with the answers ,except the romance was a little too fast. But overall I enjoyed reading this book.

Out of Bounds by Vicki Lyn

Title: Out of Bounds
Author: Vicki Lyn
Publisher: Loose Id
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-60737-864-8
Release Date: October 2010 Available Now
Format: Ebook
Genre: Contemporary, MM
Length: Short Novel
Rating: 4.5 Lyres
Reviewer: TR

    Chandler is an artist who decides to return to his hometown to get away from L.A. and a love affair gone wrong. Titan is a former NFL pro, who after a career-ending injury, retired and became a football coach at the local high school in his hometown. They met when Chandler volunteered to hold after school art classes at the same high school where Titan works. Instant attraction. Problem is, Titan, being a former and still famous sports star, and now a high school football coach, is deeply in the closet. So deep, he has never had a real relationship in his whole life, just one-night stands. He knows better than to become involved with the only openly gay man in this small town, but he can’t resist him. Chandler had no intention of becoming involved with a man who was in the closet, but he finds it happening anyway. Then trouble occurs. A virulently homophobic parent who hates his son taking art classes, starts spreading rumors that Chandler came on to his son. It’s not true of course, and the kid denies it, but the rumors get worse and worse. The father contrives to have Chandler fired from his job teaching the kids, but that’s not enough for him. He wants to drive Chandler out of town, and things start to escalate into more dangerous acts. Will Titan come to his lovers defence? Can he without compromising his own position? Will he just let him leave town and him as well?
    I quite enjoyed this story. It was very believable the way the story unfolded, a natural progression of events. I could almost feel Titan’s conflict, his refusal to do what he thinks will destroy his life, while at the same time having a desperate desire to keep Chandler in his life. I think that this is a true reflection of many gay men today, stuck in the closet out of fear, and not without reason. What happens to Chandler in this small town, could easily happen in many homophobic communities. That’s not to say that everyone there is like that, it’s just that they are always the loudest. This was a very well done book, and I appreciated the characters, the suspense, and most of all the ending.

Blacque/Bleu by Belinda McBride

Title: Blacque/Bleu
Author: Belinda McBride
Publisher: Loose Id
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-60737-866-2
Release Date: Oct.12, 2010 Available Now
Format: Ebook
Genre: Contemporary, MM
Length: Short Novel
Rating: 5 Lyres
Reviewer: TR

 
 
     Lukas Blacque is a werewolf with a secret. He is a gay werewolf in a society that doesn’t have them. It’s not unknown for werewolves to have sex with pack members of the same sex, especially when playing dominance games for pack hierarchy. Werewolves are very sexual beings after all. But for a werewolf to have absolutely no sexual interest in the opposite sex is unheard of. To make matters worse, he’s the Alpha’s oldest son, and his father has just informed him that he wants him to be his heir as the next Alpha. Not only that, but he expects grandchildren from him in the near future. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. It doesn’t help that he is so strongly attracted to the vampire, Oliver Bleu, who works in the shop next to his. Oliver Bleu is a vampire who is not doing too well. He is becoming weaker and weaker due to insomnia that vampires are not supposed to have, and this is making hunting and luring prey more difficult, which just makes him more weak. When he was stronger and more attractive, it was easy to lure people to him with sex, glamour them and feed a bit, and no harm done. Now, everything is more difficult. When he gets involved with Lukas Blacque, a man he has wanted for years, he gets all the sex and blood he needs. Until Blacque breaks it off with him, after just one weekend, because of his new pack responsibilities and fear of his pack finding out. And then there is his insane vampire maker, who has been tracking him for decades, and may have finally found him.
    I really enjoyed this book. It flowed so well, the characters were likable, and the action was exciting as well. I don’t just mean the sex, although that was well done, but there were some great fight sequences too. There was a little dominance/submission in their relationship, but not too much for those like me who don’t like it, but probably enough to interest those who do like it. It worked well with the story, so it didn’t bother me, and it wasn’t extreme. Overall, this is one of the best M/M books I have read this year. Kudos to Ms.McBride. Write more like this!

Queens of Merab 1: Temair’s Fyre by Violet Summers

Title: Queens of Merab 1: Temair’s Fyre
Author: Violet Summers
Publisher: AudioMinx
Release Date: Available Now
Format: audio book
Narrator: Daphne Parnell
Genre: Fantasy/Erotica
Length: 2 hours 21 min
Rating: 4 Lyres
Reviewer: TR
 
 
    Temair is the Crown Princess of her country, Emetra. This is a world that is ruled by women, three Queens who each rule their own country. Each Queen is expected to have four husbands, representing Fire, Rain, Wind, and Earth. There are noble families representing each element, who have trained to have power over their element. A Queen is expected to have a consort from each family, who will act as a protector and advisor. Temair doesn’t have any consorts yet, but isn’t worried because her mother is still young and healthy. When her mother, the Queen, calls her in to tell her that she is finally pregnant again, Temair is overjoyed for her. She knows how long, and through how many miscarriages, her mother and fathers have tried to have another child. What she doesn’t expect, is that because of this pregnancy and the Queen’s health, her mother needs to retire and have Temair assume the throne. One problem, Temair can’t be Queen until she has her four consorts. So she sets off on a tour of the Queendom in search of her consorts. First stop, the Fyre lands. Miach, the eldest son of the Fyre family, has no intention of ever marrying. He has no plans to be under the constant thumb of a wife. He has no interest in the Crown Princess. Everything changes when there is an attempt on the life of Temair. He saves her, and in the process alters his life completely.
     This was an interesting story, which I enjoyed. It feels a bit incomplete though, probably not too surprising considering this is the start of a four part story. I like the female heroine, how she seems so quiet and unprepossessing, but knows herself and is not afraid. She travels with two other princesses, and prefers they take the limelight, is more comfortable being unnoticed for the most part. It allows her to look at people and see clearly. I enjoyed the secondary characters as well. The hero grew on me, although he seemed kind of surly at first. The narrator does an adequate job in the audio book. She is not the best I’ve ever heard, but by no means the worst. She is good enough to be easily listenable, which after some of the narrators I’ve heard, is all you can really expect from most audio books. Overall, I would recommend this audio book for people interested in this genre.

Black Moon Rising by Eliza Gayle

 

Title: Black Moon Rising

Author: Eliza Gayle

Publisher: Loose Id

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-60737-874-7

Release Date: October 2010

Format: Ebook

Genre: Erotic / Ménage/ Paranormal/Werewolf

Length: Novella

Rating: 3 Lyres

Reviewer: GJM

Sierra is about to be named as Alpha to her pack all she has to do is choose a mate, now faced with the difficult task of deciding which of her two lovers should be proclaimed her mate the three decide she should pick Marek since Marek is a werewolf while Nolan is human. Just as the ritual is to begin the pack is attacked.

Nolan and Sierra are about to learn that sometimes the past can come back to bite you in the ass. Marek will have to decide if he still wants to stand by his mate when he discovers what she has done. After reconciling her past errors will Sierra learn that it might be better if she faces her future honestly by openly admitting she has more than one mate?

I really wanted to love this book but it fell short of my expectations in places it dragged and in other places felt rushed. Nolan came across as feeling left out and a little jealous of Sierra and Marek. However this was touched on here and there but basically not really delved into. We add Cole to the mix and both Nolan and Marek seem to be largely left alone to fade into the background while Sierra tries to come up with a way to deal with her guilt over Cole. To be honest I think there was more than enough conflict to explore between Marek and Nolan. Cole was just a complication that wasn’t really needed at all.

I usually love Ms Gayle and I did enjoy Black Moon Rising but I believe I’d of loved it if Cole had been missing from the plot altogether his story line did nothing in my opinion to enhance the story in fact I found him boring and was disappointed that he lasted as long as he did.

THE MEND MARK– Win a bracelet!

*Leave a comment, and I’ll choose one lucky winner to recieve a FREE Mend Mark bracelet!

The Mark of Love

The Mend Mark tells a powerful story in two words

Dallas/Fort Worth, TX—Have you been “Marked?” The Mend Mark is a mission, a movement, an entire revolution. It is a bracelet meant to remind its wearers of Christ’s love and sacrifice, and its message is the passion of its creator, Hunter Harrison. 

The Mend Mark is an innovative and distinctive bracelet that is designed to reflect the scars and nail holes of Jesus. When worn, the band resembles the deep holes of the nail driven into the wrists of Jesus during his crucifixion. By bringing the story of Jesus’ life and death to constant awareness by wearing a bracelet, Mend Mark is meant to powerfully remind wearers of the ultimate act of love Jesus made for all of humankind.  One circle is imprinted with the word “love,” and the other says “remember.”

Harrison’s mission is to remind all to remember Christ’s love in both his life and death. But more than only a poignant recollection, the Mend Mark is meant to inspire and motivate wearers to live a life of service. Harrison strives to bring people together around the simplicity and power of love as lived by Jesus. But this is no example of passive love. The Mend Mark calls individuals in all walks of life to love with a profound sincerity and commitment great enough to change a neighborhood, a community, a world.

Harrison leads this call to love and sacrifice by example and joins hands with each Mend Mark bracelet purchaser to take the first step in global change. A portion of each bracelet sold goes to support Living Water International, an organization combating the clean water crisis victimizing over one billion people worldwide. Each $5,000 given will result in one well drilled, providing a community with clean water.

But wearers should be prepared to be seen. Unique in its design, the Mend Mark is sure to be noticed and gives wearers an opportunity to share the story of the profound love of Jesus for each and every person. “It was important to me that the design was simple and generic enough that the observer had to ask about it to know what it meant. But I also wanted it to appear distinctive enough that it sparked curiosity,” reveals creator Hunter Harrison. “I wanted it to require the wearer of the product to engage in conversation about the love of Christ (and hopefully show that love to others) instead of just letting the product talk for them.”

Launched in late 2009 after a year and a half of packaging, material, and design development by Harrison, the bracelet has been sold across the United States, Canada, and the UK and has been featured in retail stores as well. The Mend Mark bracelet movement has grown to further fame after being worn during performances by American Idol winner Lee Dewyze, Idol runner up Siobhan Magnus, Decyfer Down, Israel Houghton & New Breed, Pillar, and Finding Favour, to name a few. Says Harrison, “I want it to be more than just another bracelet; I want it to represent a movement.” Based on the way things are going, a movement is exactly what it is becoming.

$9.99

www.mendmark.com

Become a fan of Mend Mark on Facebook – Follow Mend Mark on Twitter (mendmark)

 

And now, a brief Q&A with the author of The Mend Mark.

Q&A With Hunter Harrison,

Creator of the Mend Mark

Q: How did you arrive at the idea for the Mend Mark? Why a bracelet? 

A: I always thought about getting a tattoo. I still haven’t, but tattoo designs frequently cross my mind, and if I ever got one I would want it to be meaningful. On one particular day, I had the idea of getting two circles tattooed on my wrist to resemble a hole. But not just any hole—the hole that killed a king. The more and more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that nowadays EVERYONE has a tattoo and it would almost be rebellious NOT to get one. (I guess you could consider me a reverse rebel.) So I decided to do something a little different, something that would reach many more people than just some ink on my wrist. I took the idea and designed a bracelet instead, and consequently, the Mend Mark idea was born.

Q: At first glance Mend Mark seems like a nebulous name. What does it mean?

A: I’ve always liked the word “mend” and I feel like it’s underused. So it was an easy decision to incorporate that into the name. It fit the product purpose, and since it was representing one of the marks of Jesus, Mend Mark was an obvious choice. Plus it had a nice ring to it and with tattoo roots it seemed natural to call it that. I wanted it to be more than just another bracelet or wristband. I wanted it to represent a movement. So the “Mend Mark” it became.

Q: What are you hoping will be accomplished through the wearing of the Mend Mark bracelet and through the Mend Mark movement?

 

A: There are three main things I want to be accomplished. First is that I wanted people to remember the sacrifice. I wanted to unite people—Christians (no matter the denomination) and even people of other worldviews—on one common message: LOVE. The love that Christ preached in particular. With so many books out there and theological debates on who’s right and who’s wrong, sometimes we forget the simplicity of Christ’s main message: LOVE. I figured that no matter what one believes, they can’t deny that selfless love can change the world… and sometimes we need a reminder of that. So I coined the phrase “Remember Love” to be printed on the bracelet. The second thing is that I wanted people to emulate the emotion. I wanted it to require the wearer of the product to engage in conversation about the love of Christ (and hopefully show that love to others) instead of just letting the product talk for them. I felt that if this was done properly it could force people into intentional situations where they were able to demonstrate their faith. If I was a non-believer and I saw someone wearing an obvious Christian product, I doubt I would ask that person about it because I would already know what they were going to say. But, if I saw this, I would want to know what it was. It sparks curiosity… and in turn that curiosity may open some doors for people to share the love of Christ with others. Finally, I wanted it to inspire people to change the world around them. I decided to find a cause to support through the sales of the bracelet. There was no reason for me to keep all the profits for myself. I wanted to be able to give back and share the proceeds somehow. I researched and prayed and petitioned God on what ministry to support and God led me to Living Water International. I knew I wanted to help fight malnourishment in one way or another and providing “Living Water” seemed to fit the purpose of the product—using “love” to mend. That’s what it’s all about and this product allows that to happen on a global scale.

Q: Where did the inspiration to create the Mend Mark come from?

A: My mother was the most influential person in my life. She raised me on her own, even homeschooled me in high school, and I think that extra time with her really impacted me. She passed away from cancer in 2007, but she always told me I would do great things. My wife, Morgan, has been extremely instrumental in encouraging me to take those words from my mom to heart and make them a reality. Morgan motivates me like no one else can and has been a tremendous source of love and support throughout the entire process.

Then my work in banking inspired me. All day long I am helping people achieve their dreams getting businesses and ideas started. I wanted to get out there and start doing something myself. But I wanted it to be meaningful. Since my son was born two years ago, he’s given me an added motivation to do something bigger than myself, something that will somehow leave a legacy behind.

Q: The Mend Mark is certainly growing as a movement. It’s even been worn by celebrities. What’s next for the Mend Mark?

A: The Mend Mark isn’t the first idea I’ve tried to get off the ground. It definitely won’t be the last either. By far, it’s been the most fun and the most successful, and the one I’ve been most passionate about. I’m currently working on additional product designs as well as T-shirts that will go along with the original Mend Mark purpose. The future is bright and I can’t wait to see where God takes it.