Leontine's Book Realm

Master At Arms is a novella where Kallypso Masters, masterfully introduces the reader to three main characters; Adam Montague, Damian Orlando and Marc D'Alessio. The novella is divided in five segments. The first three introduce the male leads and the last two how they form a bond together. My two favorite introductions where those of Adam and Damian and I'm chomping down the bit to read their stories.

Kallypso Masters deftly combines backstory, current situations and settings where I was able to immediately connect with the characters. Fierce emotions portrude from the characters, the BDSM is still what I consider light; some spanking and bondage. But one scene between a woman, Damian and Marc was uber hot so I have high hopes for the full length novels!

Master At Arms is a novella the way I want them; enought depth and layered storytelling,fiery sexual chemistry and fascinating characters whom pull me in and make me want their entire story. Two thumbs up for this introduction to the Master At Arms series!

This was a well thought out storyline with plenty of smoking hot sex play. However, the balance of eroticism and emotional depth was off for me, up till a point where the sex dragged on. It was in the last third of the story where I started to love the conflict and character growth. The ending was emotionally gratifying. 3.5 stars

When Kitty Thomas offered Big Sky for review I jumped to the chance. Comfort Food is still one of those erotica stories I’ll remember for its unusual and thought provoking storyline. I love challenging my boundaries but I think I bit more of than I can chew with Big Sky. I normally love the Dom/sub trope but what Kitty Thomas gave me rubbed me the wrong way. 

Due to her own machinations, Ronnie hits rock bottom and with no penny to her name. She meets Luke by chance and he offers her a place to stay and work. His offer, however, has a lot more in store for Ronnie. I didn’t like Ronnie right off the bat with her nature of living above her means. Luke was interesting in the beginning but when Ronnie decides to move into his ranch the “fun” starts and all I wanted to do was slap Luke a good one across the face.

 

Quote; 

'He released her then. She’d gotten only a few steps to the door when an electric zap shot up her body. She crumpled to the ground, shrieking so loudly she could barely believe the noise had come from her own mouth. She convulsed a few more times, then lay still, disoriented and terrified. Yes, Luke could do anything. He stood over her, a small remote in his hand. “If you try to signal for help in any way, I will push the button, and I won’t push it just once.” The shock cuff made even the idea of branding seem like child’s play.'

Luke’s way of conditioning Ronnie was the first sign of irritation. I couldn’t get in to the mind set of Ronnie why she would go along with it. Still I was patient enough to see her evolve. Then something else happened that was a major red flag for me.

 

Quote; 

'I’m not kidding, Veronica. You will be her. Or else. You’ll make me forget you aren’t her. I’m not going back to before I found you. You will love me and obey me and submit to me, and you’ll do it with that look of adoration 'Trish used to give me or I’ll never stop making you regret wearing her face.” His voice had risen as he became more intense. “Am I getting through, here?'

Trish was Luke’s former submissive who died in childbirth. I had major trouble with the fact Luke wants Ronnie to become Trish. He didn’t value Ronnie on her own spirit or her own personality. No, he liked her because Ronnie looked like his deceased submissive. This fact made it very hard for me to believe in any kind of relationship between them.

There’s a fine line between a dominating man and an asshole, between a woman who finds strength in submission or just submitting. Luke and Ronnie didn't hit the balance right and I couldn't really get invested in their relationship dynamic. The character development and their motivation to be together was very self-centered and it put me off. Then the ranch helpers also got involved in the erotic nature of the game played by Luke. They wanted to drink breast milk from her.

 

Quote; 

'Luke pulled away. “You’re going to give me milk like a good little animal, aren’t you?” She closed her eyes against his scrutiny. He stroked the side of her cheek. “I’m going to condition you to want to give me what I want. By the time your body is ready, the idea will arouse you so much, you’ll happily let me milk you every day.” Maybe a part of her sick, twisted mind already wanted to.

The erotic trope in Big Sky is definitely dark and twisted. While I like authors to push the envelope and search the boundaries of the reader, the sexual nature of Big Sky couldn’t make me gasp for breath or read on with a pounding heart. It was all; “Are you kidding me!” The ending befitted the story but like the rest of the story it didn’t leave me in any way satisfied.

Kitty Thomas possesses incredible writing skills but in Big Sky the characters failed to resonate with me and due to this the eroticism fell flat for me.

2 stars 

 

Quote; 

'I take care of what’s mine, princess.'

 

Over the course of my life as a reader I sometimes feel blessed to be there when certain authors find their way in publishing their stories. The impact they give me with their writing style, their characters and emotions is a treasured connection. On a rare occasion an author resonates on such a visceral level words are not enough to convey what their stories do to me. This is certainly true for me regarding, Tiffany Reisz. She aims for my heart with her vivacious and intricate characters, she searches for my boundaries with whom they are and thrills me with the plotlines.

With the previous novels in this series, The Siren and The Angel, Tiffany Reisz has introduced me to phenomenal characters and storylines which blow me away each time. With The Prince I got to return to these beloved characters and I couldn't wait to find out where the story would take me.

The Prince is a story told in three timelines, the past with Søren and Kinglsey at St. Ignatius all boy school. The present, North; with Søren, Kingsley and Griffin, and the present, South; with Nora and Wesley. I love this kind of storytelling where the author begins with separate story threads and gradually intertwines them. It builds the anticipation, it tantalizes the curiosity and especially the timelines of the Past and the North kept me begging for more. I think the main whodunnit plot is cleverly done where the culprit's identity is cloaked in mystery for quite some time. The viciousness lies is in the warning signals which told me this person was very dangerous. The shock of the ending still has me reeling and let me warn you that The Prince has a cliffhanger ending.

The past storyline gave me a dose of Søren and Kingsley I reveled in. As adults their characters already kept me in thrall and as I love to dig in the past how they came to be it gave me exactly what the doctor ordered. I was spellbound by the back and forth emotions zinging between Kingsley met Søren, how their relationship developed and how they explored their desires. With them pain and pleasure, domination and submission is eroticism at its best. The only thing that niggled me on various occasions was the fact young adult Søren acted just like the adult Søren in the previous novels, and this surprised me. Like there is no growth in his characterization except his external circumstances and his level of experience in sadism, which seems already impressive as a young adult.

The present is full of mystery, of great dialogues between the steadfast cast of characters and in this timeline Nora and Wesley also surprised me. In all their wants, needs and absence of kink it surprised me how little I was invested in their relationship. I love Nora, I love Wesley, I love them both as they lived in Nora's house but now, in Kentucky, it just fell flat for me. Nora always makes me care and get invested in the men whom capture her heart but it just didn't feel right for me. Like a part of Nora wasn't into it.

I might have a few things that didn't work as well for me but on the level in which Tiffany Reisz gives the reader a story I still couldn't tear myself away from the pages. The emotional and sexual connection between various characters was equally intense creating a moving portrayal of their relationship. It swept me off my feet and made it hard to touch ground again! The characters are multi-faceted and have such distinct voices that over the course of the three novels they've come alive for me.

Tiffany Reisz has an exceptional gift to write characters whom get under your skin and inserts plots in her stories which blind sight you as it unravels. The Prince reveals the past of one of the most mysterious characters I've come across in years and gives a present to sink your teeth in.

Quote:

Kingsley; Nora could hurt his body in beautiful ways. But only Soren could tear open his soul.

I am one of the readers that hasn’t jumped onto the “Fifty Shades” bandwagon for various reason and backs away when a book is pitched as the next Fifty. However, that all was ignored when I read Bared To You and utterly fell in love with Gideon and Eva. The emotional rawness between them struck a chord with me and I couldn’t wait for the sequel, Reflected In You. The need to know how these star-crossed lovers would get to their happy ever after was as visceral as breathing. So the moment my review copy became available I started reading and couldn’t stop until the final page was read.

Reflected In You begins where Bared To You ended and it quickly drew me in to the lives and love of Gideon and Eva. Gideon is still master of his world and Eva is included in that. He is still gorgeous, his sexual prowess are still off-the-chart intense, he is still emotionally twisted but he also tries very hard to make the love work between him and Eva. Eva is aware of her strengths and flaws, she wants to do things in her own way and this clashes with Gideon’s need to control. Her insecurities play a big part in this story and will be recognizable for many readers. She is vibrant, fun but also just as emotionally twisted as Gideon.

All these insecurities were magnified by the feelings Gideon and Eva were battling with. Because their love is as dark as it is intense as it is passionate and it is imbued with a raw hunger that is undeniable. I can’t even begin to phantom how Sylvia Day found the words to relay the depth and intensity of the romance to the reader, the fact is, she did! The effect of her writing skill made me get that feeling if Gideon and Eva can work through their issues it will be an everlasting love. Or if they don’t, it will be a catastrophe of the heart and soul, devastating two people. To match the emotions there is the physical fire between this couple. The stamina of Gideon and Eva is mind-boggling but scorching to read! All they feel is poured in to the moments when they have wild ‘I can’t get enough of you’ sex. The steam almost rose from the pages, either that or my glasses fogged over! The eroticism, Sylvia Day imbues in to Reflected In You matches the rawness of the love between Gideon and Eva. It is an addictive combination I couldn’t get enough of.

The romance also contained almost insurmountable problems for the main pair to overcome. The words “trust me” and “wait” frustrated me as much as it did Eva. Trust is very hard for Eva and her reactions to what she witnesses is easy to understand. The actions of Gideon cause for major suspicion and riddle the plot with many questions. The plot development is tautly written but gave very little information up to a point I was a very frustrated reader. It was the kind of frustration where I wanted to get to know how it all connected, which wasn’t bad, but the need to know why and how drove me insane at some points. The first person narration contributed to that as well. I loved seeing it all from Eva’s point of view and through lots of dialogues I got a connection with Gideon as well. But Gideon was keeping secrets, many secrets. And it took a long while for me to understand him. I will say that the effect from the plot is definitely in the tail and the impact it had was one sweet ride and connected everything for me. The romance, the angst, the individual actions, it suddenly all made sense to me and I felt a new degree of investment for the cast of characters in the Crossfire trilogy.

Gideon and Eva is whom it all revolves around but there is an equally well-defined supporting cast. Cary, who is also twisted up inside, is one I adore. His humor and friendship with Eva enriches the story in a unique way. Mark, Steven and Shawna add depth to Eva’s work and social life. Victor, Monica and Stanton are family for Eva to fall back on and the love between them is evident. They are all engaging characters the reader gets to care about.

There is nothing in, Reflected In You, that was less than stellar. It takes a gifted author whom portrays flawed by fantastic characters and a gripping storyline for me to read the entire book in one sitting. I just couldn’t let go of Gideon and Eva, they resonated with me, up to a point where I ignored the outside world in favor of the story told.

Reflected In You feels like a written vortex where the characters suck you in with their romantic ups and downs and will not let you go until the last page. The emotional and sexual hunger Gideon and Eva have for each other borders on an addiction but it is just as addictive to read!! January 2013 can’t come soon enough!

As a woman who dabbles with Tarot cards on occasion I was instantly intrigued by the blurb of Poison Princess. As an avid reader of the Immortal After Dark series I already knew I love Kresley Cole’s imagination, but would she be able to deliver in the Young Adult genre? Well, that question was answered in the first chapter because the premise was instantly raising a multitude in questions and spine-chilling tension. The scene was set with an invitation by Arthur for Evie to come into his home for some food. After the flash, food was scarce and all he wanted was Evie’s story. And what a story it was.

Via the first person narrative Evie came to life in the most intimate of ways. Her every thought, feeling and inner dialogues portrayed a young woman who was confused but wanted answers. I was irrevocable drawn into Evie’s world. The mystery of her nightmares created a fantastic tension and evoked an ominous feeling about what was to happen. In the beginning Evie tried desperately to hold on to a sense of normalcy. I got a glimpse of what her life was before her nightmares. Classes, boyfriend, conversations with friends, partying but underneath it all there was that warning which lied within her nightmares. The nightmares are violent and dark giving me the shivers as Evie experiences them.

The days leading up to the Flash was riddled with questions and warnings which made rhyme nor reason for Evie. I was absolutely riveted to the pages with all this hair raising tension of what was to come and the questions I wanted to have answered, just like Evie. Jackson, was another mystery I wanted to unravel. His Cajun good looks, his chip on his shoulder, mannerism and his accent, it all completed a picture of a young man who knew life could be rough. After the Flash he could be overbearing, wanting things his way but he also wanted to protect and keep Evie safe. There is so much more to Jackson than meets the eye.

Kresley Cole gave the cast of characters tremendous depth, are well-defined and just leap of the pages. The rich, imaginative descriptions created a setting with a grim atmosphere and I could feel the desperation radiating from the characters who survived the Flash. I could sense the fear and the determination from Jackson and Evie, who travel together to find Evie’s grandmother. The dangers emanating from various sources was spine-chilling and made my heart beat faster during various scenes. I couldn’t get enough of the stage set by Kresley Cole and the characters who had to deal with this new world and its dangers.

The fantasy element of the Arcana is masterly done. From the get-go, Kresley Cole gradually introduces the reader in to the what the Arcana entails. Enough is explained to understand and yet at the same time there is so much mystery surrounding it, I kept hungering for more information. Throughout Poison Princess a steady supporting cast was introduced. Selena, Matthew, Finneas, I have a feeling they are here to stay and while some hold my favor over others they add interesting possibilities!

Evie’s interaction with Jackson sizzled and there’s definitely an inexplicable push-pull there between like and dislike. The attraction brims with a sensual tension and there is a promise for deeper feelings but I feel the romance is merely beginning at the end of Poison Princess. The gripping story instantly hooked me with the back and forth in timeline. It might take some readers getting used to but after a while it creates a layered storytelling that appeals to the imagination. The road trip lost somewhat in tension in the middle but picked up after a few chapters. The ending was mind blowing good and it will make one scream for more!!! It showed the incredible development Evie already went through in Poison Princess and it boggled my mind where she is going to. I’m very eager to find out!

Kresley Cole gave us another memorable cast of characters, living in a richly envisioned post-apocalyptic world with one of the most engaging heroine´s I´ve met in 2012. Evie will take the reader on an unforgettable journey!

4.5 stars

If there is one author this year whom has made an indelible impression on me then it is Tiffany Reisz. I consider myself a high maintenance, erotic romance reader. I want the complex rather than the fluffy. I want authors to seek out my boundaries rather than play it safe. I want characters to make thought provoking decisions or actions rather than be vanilla. Tiffany Reisz fits the needs for the extraordinary to a tee with her stellar writing skills and enigmatic characters.

The Angel is the sequel to The Siren and superseded my ever expectation. The sheer excellence in every aspect of the storytelling seeped in to my imagination and took me on a great journey. The deviant sexual tension and play between Nora, Søren, Griffin and Michael was arousing to read. The array of emotions and the character development made me laugh one moment, read breathlessly the next and cry in other moments. The layered characterization is stellar, each character was three dimensional in their personality and they became real to me. The past of Søren broke my heart yet at the same time forged a bond between the both of us and I didn’t resist the magnetic pull he had. He is intriguing, complex and somewhat disturbing but I came to love every aspect of him! Nora is diabolic humor, love and wickedness wrapped up in such a strong personality. I admire her, her outlook on life, who she is and the deep, abiding love she feels. Kingsley still has so much mystery surrounding him but I loved him for it. I love a good puzzle and this man definitely is one! I also got to meet Michael; his growth in ‘The Angel’ was amazing to witness and touched me in so many ways. His budding strength and sense of self endeared me. And then there’s Griffin, for all his sexy joker ways there is depth in his heart and soul. By the end of the story he had me wrapped up in his charismatic ways.

Each of these character claimed a part of me in a way where it leaves me changed as a reader. The writing style of Tiffany Reisz flows very well, is also evocative and draws you in from the very first chapter. And what a beginning it was. The secrets of Nora, Kingsley and Søren are a lure all on their own! In ‘The Siren’ there were hints but in ‘The Angel’ secrets are revealed which are bloodcurdling dark, intense and just very sad. I loved Tiffany Reisz for it. For giving me the truth, painstakingly real and once revealed, right in my face for me to deal with on my own terms. It connected me to Søren and Kingsley in a way ‘The Siren’ could not. The way, Tiffany Reisz advanced and explored their past was just a breath away from mind blowing fantastic! If, Tiffany Reisz didn’t already owned me as a reader, she does now. There are lots of story twists many readers will love.

One of those story twists is, Suzanne, the reporter who wanted to reveal all. Suzanne’s actions had quite an effect on me. At one moment I hated her, the next I sympathized with her and at the end I kind of liked her. The plot twist she fuels embarks the core cast on a journey, one I couldn’t get enough of. Nora spends lots of time with Michael and Griffin. The carnal pleasures are titillating and various descriptive scenarios I read was like it got plugged right in to my senses. Chills, thrills, hot flashes and squirming in seat as a result. The eroticism read sophisticated sexy yet tapped in to all the dark desires of the characters and they owned it. Which was another reason for me to love them something fierce.

2012 is the year of Tiffany Reisz with ‘The Original Sinners’ series which will seek out and perhaps step over your boundaries, aim for your heart and will give you new characters to fall madly in love with! The Angel claimed me from start to finish and marked me as a reader.

Ever since the first novel in the Mark Of The Vampire series, Laura Wright has been able to draw me in to an exciting world populated with a multidimensional cast of characters. From the first moment Dillon and Gray made their entry in to this series they pulled at my heartstrings. Their turmoil, their life force, their attitude, it all appealed to me. Gray and Dillon have their premise told during the first four books and it contained a promise for their own story. While Eternal Beast can be read on its own, as always, I feel the story will be that much richer if you’ve read the previous entries in this series. Not only for the romance but also for the ongoing plot.

Every time, Laura Wright puts two strong minded characters together the developing feelings go with challenges, fierceness, sharp-edged dialogues and full-blown passion. Gray and Dillon gave all that and more! The source of Dillon’s emotional damage is evil to the core and instantly triggers the desire for revenge. I wanted lots of pain for the villains to match their heinous acts! While Dillon was a victim she got out of it stronger, a warrior woman and I liked her barbed personality. She doesn’t allow people to get close to her but some of them eventually just do. Gray is gruff and has a single-minded focus on leading the Impures to freedom. His attraction to Dillon has been palpable from the moment they met. Even though it seems impossible for them to fall in love it is in each encounter the attraction is like a live wire of fierce emotions connecting them together.

The romance development is spectacular. So are the erotic scenes! The whirlwind of feelings, the slowly earning of trust, the chemistry ablaze with sexual energy, it drew me in and kept me anchored in the story. In Eternal Beast they put it all out there for the reader. Layer by layer got peeled away for me to see inside their hearts and I loved the connection it forged with me. Dillon and Gray have some of the hottest dialogues to draw each other out and to acknowledge what is between them. They both have their journey which made me flip the pages as fast as I could, wondering where it would lead to. Difficult characters such as them don’t “do” instant love. Through all the difficulties in both romance as well as the plot a love is forged so strong, so deep, that when they finally get to that high-stake moment of surrender, it becomes a toe-curling and utterly satisfying moment for the reader. Just the way I like it!

The plot was gradual, but this is something I came to expect from Laura Wright. She builds the tension to a height with explosive action scenes, obstacles to overcome and mystery. Sometimes the suspension subsides in favor of the romance but by the last third of the novel I was riveted. As the reader I knew much, how key characters were involved and what their plans were. However, it was a puzzle to solve how things were to play out, keeping me on the edge of my seat. Again, just the way I like it!

By now, in the fifth story, there is a rich cast of characters with the Roman brothers and their beloved wives, the Mutores, the vampire race and its Order. I’m especially liking the Mutores, shapeshifters whom never meant to be but with larger than life personalities. The taunting banter between them and the Roman brothers made me smile. Egos can clash but at the end of the day, they got each other’s back.

In Eternal Beast there is a riveting plot, steeped with a scorching sexual tension between star-crossed lovers who are guaranteed to capture the heart from the start. Another winner in this series!

This duology definitely has a duality in stories. I didn't like Exiled but I loved Sway. Full review to come soon.

When I read Blade Song I was caught in the middle of my likes and I cannot even say dislikes, but rather the inability of certain elements to truly pull me in to the story. The beginning was intriguing. I got introduced to the main characters and a plot was initiated with enough mystery to trigger my inquisitive mind. The more chapters I read though the more the story kept at a level of interesting and me really liking the characters. I found nothing really unique that set me on fire which would keep me completely focused on the story at hand.

The world building felt very formulaic with the witches, the shifters, vampires. This isn’t bad but if I don’t find anything to make them stand out; whether this is in culture, rituals, magic or even physique it remains basic ingredients. The world around them was nicely envisioned, especially the outdoors. Then the plot of kidnapped children and the Alpha cat’s nephew, Doyle was intriguing. The tension was good and definitely brought along enough action with it to get the blood pumping. It also was a tool to introduce the various races and supporting characters. In which T.J., Goliath and the Green Road witches were instantly likable. Strong women to the core, each have an enigmatic personality and Goliath, is a friend I would have at my side any day of the week.

The characters were the strongest element in Blade Song and something that J.C. Daniels excels in. I really liked Kit from the start. She has attitude, backbone, knows how to work her sword and her past brought a gritty side to the story I loved. Even though sometimes I felt the balance off in terms of a little too much focus on her weaknesses it was necessary. Her past has formed the amazon warrior she is today and a part of me liked the fact that her weaknesses were real and made her vulnerable. Each time she chooses to fight it is because her heart was also in it, that is something that truly resonated with me.

Damon is a cat shifter that was ordered to keep Kit safe during her job at solving the mystery of Doyle’s vanishing. He has a sharp tongue and a caring heart with a strong willed personality to make him stand his own next to Kit. If there is another thing I enjoyed from beginning till end is the sarcastic bantering and enigmatic dialogues between Damon and Kit. They were evenly matched and the fast paced interaction was titillating at various times. There was an attraction and a sultry heat was growing between them. This doesn’t have the main focus but as I loved seeing these two together it was an added bonus to get some hot and sexy time as well.

The challenges for Kit and Damon also lie in dealing with the vampire, Jude Whittier and the cat Alpha, Annette. I didn’t like them at the beginning and there was a sparkle of ‘loving to hate these characters’ at the end. Jude, he irked me in so many ways but his ‘I’m king of the world’ attitude really put him on the list of unlikable persona’s. With his scheming, Jude adds a tension to the plot and overall story that kept me on my qui vive. Towards the end the plot accelerates in action but the conclusion was a little bit easy. There was no ‘aha’ moment but the possibilities for future stories are interesting to say the least. I think Kit will surprise me in so many more ways in the future. I know Damon definitely surprised me in Blade Song!

So, while the world may not have the engrossing or contain the “pull me in’ factor, the plot was nice and the characters were the ones that kept me engaged. I loved the grittiness of Kit’s emotions, the power of Damon’s character, the friendship from the secondary characters and the evilness of Jude and Annette. Enough to make Blade Song an enjoyable read!

3.5 stars

Quote:
My sword arm is mighty
I will not falter.
I will not fail.
My aim is true.
My heart is strong.

I’m the descendant of some truly legendary badasses and I’ll damn well make myself wake up-

Quote:
She sent me back a smiley. Hey, don't let the sexy asshole bite you. I think that’s their sign they’ve accepted it.

Quote Damon;
“Your mouth was another problem for me,” he muttered, leaning in and licking my lower lip. “You fucking smart ass. Mouthing off from the get-go. I've never found a smart ass so appealing until I met you.”

Up till now, Kristen Callihan is one of the two authors in 2012 who instantly shot to my favorites list with the first book I read by them. In Firelight I was entranced by everything that story had to offer me. In Moonglow, Kristen Callihan ups the ante even more, which I didn’t think was possible! Characterization, plot, world and romance development, four basic story ingredients that in the hands of the right author means being whisked away into another exciting world, experience rip-roaring suspense and witness an epic romance ignite. Kristen Callihan is such an author!

From the first page I was thrust into a scene of brutal murder. The hero and heroine met and their combustible personalities created verbal firework. The overall plot arc in Moonglow takes such an exciting turn with poppy and inspector First Class, Winston Lane at the lead. The more I read, the more I wanted to know, the more I found out, the more I was engrossed by the story unfolded! It almost felt addictive.

Ian Ranulf is nine degrees of complication that made him an incredible character to unravel. His issues enabled the reader to gradually see very deep in to the persona, what made him tick, where did he come from on certain matters. He’s gruff and coupled with his, at times, wild mannerism gave him a dangerous edge. One minute Ian shows intense emotions and the next he’s completely feral. He kept me on my qui vive how he would react, act and fall in love. He surprised me in more ways than I can count which made him such an exciting male lead to get to know!!

Daisy is a woman I could connect with. I love the women, Kristen Callihan portrays in this series. When I think of the sisters in this series I’m somehow reminded of Lisa Valdez’s Dare sisters. Their capable, strong, talented, opinionated, passionate and in the case of Daisy and her sisters, come with a unique gift. Daisy gave as good as she got opposing Ian. I loved their verbal sparring. The fact that she played an integral part in the investigation. Her personality practically burst from the pages and her intensity really resonated with me.

Daisy and Ian together are two bold distinctive persona’s, they clash and they let the other know exactly what they want. The dialogues between them is alive with emotions. It was so good to see them almost at opposite ends and see the feelings blossom. Their bickering gradually transforms in to a deeper emotion. Their chemistry burned between them and it made the sensuality spine-tingling good. I felt the love bloom between Ian and Daisy. It wasn’t instant but rather a process of strong wills succumbing to the powers of love. The imagery, Kristen Callihan portrays in the mind’s eye was vivid, alive with a spectrum of feelings and it made it all very easy for me to envelop myself in this world she created.

If the romance spoke to my heart then the world building spoke to my imagination. I thoroughly enjoyed what Kristen Callihan brought to Firelight in terms of world building but she knocked it out of the park in Moonglow. The depth and layered diversity intrigued me. The new characters introduced brimmed with personality and I couldn’t get enough of it. Especially the secrets revealed in Moonglow were mind blowing and had me gasping in shock at the revelation! I wanted more with each chapter read, it was a compulsion I couldn’t ignore!

The plot played a big part in revealing all the new. It also added tension to the whodunit plot. Often I get a sense with the clues uncovered where the author is going, this author however inserted the surprise factor with her plot. At the end I was “OMG”, “You got to be kidding me”, “No, no, nooooo”, and then I was crying. I was so engaged with these characters, what they had to endure and uncover, and it was all due to the incredible writing style of Kristen Callihan. When an author can establish such a strong connection between me and the story she has to tell, well, that is the author I would love to read stories from over and over again!!

Moonglow took my breath away with its beautifully captured romance, the spine-chilling plot, the amazing world, but most of all, the phenomenal characters who wiggled their way in to my heart.

Quote Daisy:
Loneliness, need, and despair made him quake. A flash of something darkened her eyes as she looked him over, understanding, pain that was her own, and then it was gone. If she treated him with pity, he’d howl and leave her standing alone on the street, but her pert chin merely lifted. “If you have plans to swoon simply so you can look up my skirt, I’ll kick your head and leave you where you lay.”

Quote Ian:
For a moment, she simply breathed, the Northrups’s raw voice broke over her. “I cannot think.”
She closed her eyes and concentrated on the cool feel of his shirt against her hot cheek. “Why?”
“My mind is filled.”
Her free hand, heavy with languor, drifted along his arm and he trembled softly.
“With what?” she whispered.
“You. All the time. You.” He sighed. “Daisy has up taken residence here.” Yet it was to his heart he pressed her hand, to feel its pounding. “How to keep you safe. How to keep you out. How to keep…you.”

Quote Daisy:
Strengthened by it, Daisy pulled herself up. Fear me. Besides her, Conall looked at her if seeing a ghost. She smiled with grim satisfaction, the feeling of fearlessness like a drug in her veins. Run away, little wolf, or I shall kill you.

Quote Ian:
“This,” he whispered thickly, “this is what I thought of when they had me. Touching you.” He kissed her again. “Tasting you.” He touched her cheek, his mouth brushing over hers. “You were my safe harbor.”

(any and all mistakes in the quotes are mine as I had to copy them in handwriting)

As I began reading Star Crossed I realized something a few chapters in; this books should come with a warning because the sexual heat and dirty conversations between Juliet ‘Jules’ Conner and Romeo “The Gladiator” Wellings are off the chart! You would be in need of a fan and oxygen real quick. So it didn’t take long for me to be completely immersed in the sultry to and fro between Jules and Romeo.

Kele Moon knows how to portray the sexy, let me rephrase that in page-melting sexy and in Star Crossed she took it a creative notch further. Even if I thoroughly enjoyed myself with the erotic antics between Romeo and Jules I also wondered at one point where the conflict would be coming from. The first hundred and thirty pages or so it is erotic romance at its finest and yet I missed a certain element that would tightly weave everything together. Perhaps this is due to the time frame in the first quarter of the story, which spans a few months where I got intervals between events instead of a complete timeline. After the hundred and thirty pages it felt like all elements blended more tightly and became a well-rounded whole where the effect of Kele Moon’s writing was going full force.

First let me talk about characters because each single one adds a wonderful voice to the story. They pulled me into their world and I loved being their every second!! With Romeo Wellings I got a dirty talking, tortured hero who checked off the items on my list of what I want in a hero. He’s very determined when it comes to the woman he falls for. He is sexy personified. He has passion for his job as an MMA fighter. He has issues and emotional scars. And he has heart for his family. Romeo meeting Jules was instant combustion. Jules has a tough-as-nails attitude, she is there for everyone, she has humor and intelligence, she embraces her sensuality but underneath it all there are some complex issues. Together, Romeo and Jules let the romance skyrocket from the pages and it was so easy to invest my emotions in their trials and tribulations.

Next to this magnetic pairing there are Romeo’s brothers, Casanova and Valentino. The camaraderie between the three brothers immediately gives off the vibe of a tight-knit family. Tino (Valentino) is the young, sexy and party-party guy whereas Nova (Casanova) has a fierce intelligence and loyalty. Nova really is my kind of man material. There is darkness, a bit of badness but he is also a soulful man. He triggers that instant curiosity and need uncover what drives him, to get underneath that surface of his attitude. The backstory of both contains so much more than the first impression led to believe. I think it is a masterful move of Kele Moon to introduce these three Italian men; Romeo, Casanova and Valentino to the Battered Hearts cast. And with these men the mafia. It brought a tension to the story that heightened the risks, the romance and the intensity of the interpersonal connections between a multitude of characters.

Of course I also got a dose of Clay, Melody and Wyatt. I remember feeling very irritated by Wyatt’s attitude in Defying The Odds but I got a different perspective of him in Star Crossed. I got a glimpse inside his soul and I was floored. He made me cry even if he still has those irritating moments. There are layers to Wyatt’s character and I can’t wait for Kele Moon to lay it all bare for me! I can’t get enough of the depth in characterization this author brings to each main and secondary character. The connection it forged while I was reading Star Crossed amazed me and I simultaneously reveled in it!

While I initially missed a romantic conflict I had no idea what was in store. The attraction is instant between Romeo and Jules and it births a strong romance. That love gradually got more complicated and got challenged by external conflicts. The tension of the external problems were subtle at first until I got to a point where it got to full-blown chills and thrills danger, which kept me enthralled reading the chapters away. The feelings pouring out of the characters resonated with me and I got to laugh, I got to cry, I felt fear and I got to squirm in my seat. I’m still astound how the story development caught me off guard and I enjoy such surprises. I also fell in love all over again with the atmospheric small town setting of Garnet. It brings an intimate feel to the ‘everyone knows everyone’ angle and a leisure to the rhythm of the days I like.

In Star Crossed, Kele Moon amps it up and creates a deeply touching tale where a breathtaking romance and a riveting conclusion kept me engrossed. With a unique blend of multi-faceted characters who have realistic flaws, provocative eroticism, soul-baring emotions and a writing style that amplifies the former this author can’t write fast enough!

Each time I read a story from Kele Moon I get to fall in love with new characters. What reader says no to that!!

4.5 stars

Quote :
“Touch me,” she pleaded, wanting it to be his hand and body that pushed her over instead of her own. “Please.”
Romeo slid his hand between her body and the bed, finding her clit as he started moving faster, losing himself to the rising tide. He was speaking in Italian. She could tell he was confessing things, and she heard the emotion even if the words were lost on her.
Love. Passion. Fear.
They all spilled out of Romeo as he fucked her body and owned her soul. Then his hand fisted in her wet hair once more, pulling her head back until she was tasting the passion, salty with tears—she didn’t know whose, and it didn’t matter because they were suddenly one soul, two halves that had found home in a place where they least expected it.

Quote;
With white headphones in his ears, his brother bounced and danced and kicked at that stuffed sack of beans, and for the life of him, Romeo couldn’t tell if he was trying to hurt the thing or date it.

Quote;
“What sorta heavyweight goes over the upper limit?” Romeo looked at his bare stomach in concern. He’d been eating at that Hal’s place nearly every day, and he was feeling very content and complacent with Jules. Didn’t guys gain ten pounds the moment they fell into a real relationship? “Am I getting fat?”

I will not review it due to me not finishing the story. I read the first hundred pages and Allie just didn't work for me as a heroine. In my opinion, as this story is told from first person POV, you need to feel a certain connection in order for the story to work.

A more detailed eleboration to come soon.

Review to come soon!

Coloring inside the lines and following the rules of romance is not something that applies to Tiffany Reisz or the story she has written with; The Siren. She has made up her own rules for her characters and the story progress, and I was engrossed by it. The Siren might not be a romance in the traditional sense of the word but it is in fact a story of the heart, of emotions, of conflict and passions. Not every author makes such a story work for me because I need characters whom I care about and whom fit an out-of-the-box story. All I can say is that Tiffany Reisz hit the mark with Nora, she is the epicenter of The Siren in which everything revolves around.

I am blown away by the depth and layered characterization of each character but Nora was fascinating me from the get-go. She is full of joie de vivre, unapologetic in her passions, straight forward in her opinions and with each page I wanted more of her. Her inner conflicts resonated with me, connected me to her and kept me on edge where she would go and what she would ultimately choose for herself. Reisz created such a distinct and memorable female lead with Nora that it is a good thing she created equally distinct and memorable men to opposite Nora.

Zach, Søren and Wesley are three men in Nora’s life for different reasons. Zach is an editor and assigned to Nora’s new erotica book. He is layered and conflicted with an attitude that, in combination with Nora, made the pages sizzle and burn just by their interaction alone. Wesley is this sweet heart of a young man, completely entranced by the woman Nora is. He brings a fresh faced innocence to the story that sharply contradicts the edgy BDSM elements. I liked him a lot, I liked his role in Nora’s life and my heart was touched by him on various occasions. And then there’s Søren. Oh.My.Lord!!! How he pushed my buttons!!! I wanted to fight him, I wanted to scream at him, I wanted him out of the story, I wanted more of him in the story and I was utterly spellbound by him. He got a rise out of me with his self-assured charisma. His past with Nora is rooted in so much emotions and Tiffany Reisz made me feel every bit of the love, the pain, the despair and the utter feel of belonging together. I think the portrayal of Nora and Søren’s relationship was powerful via the memories/writing of Nora and it made it all feel so very personal. With Søren I was pulled in two directions but all I knew by the end of this story is I wanted more of him.

The characters, both major and minor, where everything I ever wanted as a reader. I love to dive in to the soul of the characters and Reisz laid them all bare for me. I wanted to feel and witness the conflicts with each character, and Reisz established that connection full force! I wanted the dialogues to become a live wire between the characters and Reisz made it so! I’ve said it before but the dialogues between Zach and Nora are verbal Viagra. The potency of their animated conversations kept my succumbed to the pages until the wee hours of the night. Their attraction is exquisitely drawn in my mind’s eye via the verbal and physical interaction. I was completely absorbed by the main characters and loving it every page. The relationship development might be out-of-the-box but it has class and finesse!

The writing voice Tiffany Reisz possesses is a luring one. It’s one that kept me focused on these wonderful, complex characters and the emotions they feel. The eroticism is spine tingling hot, edgy but so well drawn it has a mesmerizing allure to it. The eroticism serves a purpose that is aimed at the core of each character and it made them come alive for me even more. My heart was ripped open by the choices they made but oh, how the author made it work for me.

The Siren is a deftly written erotica story that wow-ed me from the first chapter and left me baffled by the end. Nora, Zach, Søren and Wesley are memorable and emotive characters whom come alive in all their strengths and flaws. The interconnected relationship between Nora and her three men is rich in emotion and diabolical in its conflict which makes it very good for the reader to unravel it all. I fell so hard for this story and the writing talent of Tifanny Reisz that she became an instant favorite author of 2012 for me!

4.5 stars

Quotes:

Zach:
And now here he was, hauling his arse into Connecticut to meet some loony smut writer who’d somehow convinced one of the most respected lions in publishing that she deserved one of the best editors ion literary fiction. Yes, some days he hated his job. Today he felt certain it hated him back.

Nora:
“Writing erotica is like fucking someone for the first time. You aren’t sure exactly what he wants yet so you try to give him everything he could possibly want. Everything and anything…” She enunciated the words like a cat stretching in sunlight. “You hit every nerve and eventually you’ll hit the nerve. Have I hit any nerves yet?” Zach clenched his jaw. “Not any of them you were aiming for.”

Zach & Nora dialogue:
“Literary friction?’
“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Zach shook his head.
Nora leaned in close to him. He was suddenly and uncomfortably aware of the long, bare curve of her neck. She smelled of hothouse flowers in bloom.
“I can.” She breathed the words into his ear.
Zach exhaled slowly, pulled, reluctantly away from her.
“I’m a brutal editor.”
“I like brutal.”
“I’ll make you rewrite the whole book.”
“Now you’re trying to turn me on, aren’t you? Shall we?”
“Fine,” he finally said. “Save me then.”

Nora:
“Søren,” she said and met his eyes. In those dark, dangerous depths he saw a glimmer of something human - not merely sympathy but empathy. And he felt something inhuman in response – not passion but pure animal need. For a brief moment he imagined his hands digging into her thighs and the bite of her leather boots on his back. He tore his gaze away before her uncanny ability to read him saw that image in his hungry gaze.

Zach:
Why was he letting himself think about this? He had to stay objective about the book and its enigmatic author with her dark hair and red dress and her words that burned.

Writing quote:
He placed his hands on her fluttering stomach and brought them slowly up to her breasts. A night with him meant waning pleasure and waxing pain, waxing pleasure and waning pain. He brought her through the cycle over and over again. The pain brought her body to life. The pleasure was always most acute when it followed the pain.

Writing quote:
His mouth was at her ear now. With words intimate and secret he whispered his love for her, his pride that she was his property, his possession, his heart. She was always his, would forever be his. New tears flowed now but they were ones wrenched from her by love and not torture. This was her favorite pain.

Nora:
“I blew you. You liked it. Get over it,” she said as a naked woman wearing only a tail feather held in place in a way Zach didn’t want to think about sashayed past their table.

Nora:
It was the strangest sensation. Her instincts told her to throw him on his back, tie him down and have her way with him. Lying there so passively while he touched and kissed her felt so unusual, as if he was making love to her in a foreign language, a beautiful language to hear, but one she didn’t understand.

Once I started reading Kiss Of Crimson I couldn't put it down. All story elements are tightly woven together and I gobbled it all up but it is Tess and Dante whom elevated this story from its predecessor. They touched me with a range of emotions flowing between them as well as their individual struggles. I enjoyed their interaction, the live wire if fiery attraction and the blooming, more tender emotions that comes with falling in love.

Lara Adrian has concocted an addictive blend of vampire lore, action-laden plot, well rounded characters and romance that will make my heart beat faster. Every. Single. Time!

4.5 stars