Amanda Ashley’s new novel His Dark Embrace to be released June 2012
A VAMPIRE’S KISS. A WOMAN’S SURRENDER.
Tall, dark, mysterious—and with a faint scar on his cheek that only makes him more gorgeous—Kaiden Thorne is one schoolgirl obsession Skylynn never forgot. Now, returning to her childhood home after eight years, she can’t believe her reclusive neighbor is still living across the street—and hotter than ever. Skylynn doesn’t know how Kaiden manages to stay so young, virile, and impossibly attractive. But she knows she wants him…even if he harbors a fearful secret he refuses to tell her.
When Kaiden sees the beautiful young woman Skylynn has become, he can no longer control the bloodlust that is his true nature. Once he pulls Skylynn into his arms, presses his lips against hers—and accidentally draws blood—he longs for more. Only she possesses what he wants and what he needs. Only she can save him or destroy him. But once Skylynn agrees to help Kaiden battle his darkest desires, there is no turning back…
Amanda Ashley’s Desire the NIght be be released September 2012
A VAMPIRE IN CHAINS Held captive in a basement prison, wrapped in silver chains, the vampire Gideon is too weak to fight the monster who enslaves him. For years, she’s tapped his precious blood like a fountain of youth—sustaining him with human females she captures for his pleasure. But with the latest victim she brings him, he senses something intriguingly different. Something dangerous, yet oh so tempting.
Kay Alissano is no ordinary woman. Every full moon, she must answer the call of the wild—unleashing the wolf within. As daughter of the Shadow Pack’s Alpha, Kay is extremely powerful—and when she’s offered up to Gideon, she doesn’t surrender easily. In wolf form, she might be able unchain Gideon’s heart and set them both free—if only he can resist the urge to consume her, body and soul, before the next full moon…
With the upcoming Hunger Games movie coming next month, and this was a TRC recommend, here is a review of the Hunger Games Trilogy. Enjoy!
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, was recommended to me by a few friends as a must read. Since this was considered a young adult novel, I was undecided if I wanted to read YA, though I did love the Twilight series. But the feedback on this was excellent, and the consensus was that this series was for Adults, as much as for Young Adults.
The base of this futuristic story takes place in a nation called Panem, which was risen from the ruins of the United States and all of North America. Panem was divided into thirteen districts, with each concentrating on one specialized skill, such as food, coal mining or electronics. The ruler of these districts was a powerful Capitol, which was very oppressive to the districts, as those in the Capitol were treated like the rich, and the other districts lived in poverty. A rebellion rose from the districts that the Capitol defeated, which brought about the destruction of district #13.
To prevent any thought of a future uprising, the Capitol uses an annual Hunger Games event, which is a televised fight to the death in a hostile arena, which is meant to put fear into people. Every year two children from each district, a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18, are chosen by lottery to represent their district. The winner gets a life of ease for them and their family, and the loser gets death. Only one winner out of 24 teenagers survives every year.
In the first book, “The Hunger Games”, we get to meet the heroine of this trilogy, Katniss Everdeen, who is from District 12. Katniss is around 16, when the story starts. You meet some of her family and friends early on, such as her sister, Primrose; her mother, and her friend, Gale. It was Gale and Katniss, who would go out together to hunt, which was against the rules of the District, but they would sneak out to hunt small animals and sell them for money or keep for food.
At this years Reaping (the lottery drawing), Katniss is nervous, but she is more nervous for her sister. Katniss is very protective of Prim, but she feels confident that Prim, who only has one name tag in the lottery pile, since she is at the youngest age and this is her first drawing. As they get older, the more name tags go into the pot, increasing your chances to be picked. Of course, Prim’s name is selected. Katniss panics and runs as they take her sister away. She shouts out that she volunteers to take her sister’s place, which is allowed. The boy’s name chosen was Peeta Mellark, who is the baker’s son, whom Katniss only knows from afar. Peeta, pales in comparison to Gale, who at 18 is very handsome and as they say “smoldering”. The last time District 12 had a winner was 30 years ago, with Haymitch, who will be their mentor for the games.
Once you get past the introduction of the characters, and the choosing of the “Tributes”, the storyline gets very exciting, full of suspense, and very very violent. The 24 young kids are thrown into a violent environment, where only the strong survive, and in this case only one. Prior to going into the fight at the arena, the stage is set, with other characters brought in as part of their team to dress them up for the opening night, where they are introduced to the television audience. You meet and get to know the people who both Katniss and Peeta become close to, prior to the games. Cinna, the stylist, who designs her clothes for the show, becomes very close to Katniss; Haymitch, who is their mentor, and the one who has to get supporters to be able to occasionally send them help, such as medicine, food, etc during the games. Katniss, who is the strong one of the two, and must protect Peeta early on, knows she can never become close to Peeta, as she will have to kill him at some point, in order to survive. The advising team, forces Katniss and Peeta to pretend they are falling in love, in order to win over the people to their side during the televised games.
Capitol, especially President Snow, are all evil. They have created an arena (landscapes, forests, water, deserts) that is dangerous, and horrific. They have complete control of the environment, as they can control the weather, send in crazed animals, or change the terrain while the Games are in play. They do it as enjoyment for themselves, and as a tool to control the districts from ever rising up in rebellion, as the districts watch on television, their young children/family/friend fighting to survive a violent death…barbaric.
It is pretty exciting to watch Katniss, fight to save herself, and eventually Peeta. The Capital uses a ploy midway to change the game that if the district pair survives together, they will both be allowed to live. But as evil as they are, at the end, when only Peeta and Katniss are alive, they change it again. But Katniss manages to use her pretended love for Peeta as a trick to save them at the end. I could not put this book down, and fortunately for me, I could immediately go to the next book. Very exciting first book, but if you are planning to read, be prepared for the violence.
The second book of the series is “Catching Fire”, which picks up with Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark returning home from their victory as the last people standing from the Hunger Games. Katniss and her family are living in a nicer home, with everything they need. But she still likes to visit her old home, and her friend Gale, who became somewhat distant when she was away. But their friendship resumes, as Katniss hardly sees Peeta anymore. After a visit from President Snow, Katniss finds out that there is the beginning of unrest growing in the districts of Panem, and she is the face the rebels want to use for their fight. All this because of her trick at the end of the games, to beat the Capitol, and to save both her and Peeta. The President wants to make sure that Katniss proves to everyone that she does love Peeta, and use that to try to stop others from using her as the face of the rebellion.
The pair must go on a Victory tour together, where they must both show that their love for one another is real. The Capitol pulls another surprise, forcing all the victors of the Hunger Games from the past years to go back into the games this year. Though we get to meet some of the old team, who helped style/mentor Katniss and Peeta, there are some new characters that are very good, such as Finnick & Johanna. But it was great to get to know Gale even more, as well as Haymitch. Catching Fire is very similar to the Hunger Games, as once you get past the first third of the book, you are back in the violent games. The only thing different is a group of the Tributes have allied up with Katniss and Peeta, to help each other until the time comes that they have to separate to fight one another. The story is the same, very exciting, brutal, suspenseful, and very violent.
The major twist at the end, changes the game totally. There was a reason why some allies were so willing to help Katniss and Peeta, and they have been split up. Unfortunately the ending was a serious cliffhanger. Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to wait.
“Mockingjay” is the third and final book in the Hunger Games Trilogy. The book picks up with the few survivors totally broken up. They are badly injured either physically or mentally. Peeta and a few others are now captive with Capitol. Katniss, and Finnick are mending in the now functional District #13, which has been behind the rebellion all along. Katniss is bitter, because Haymitch and many of those who were helping the rebellion behind the scenes did not tell her or Peeta. She blames them for Peeta possibly being tortured or worse dead, as at the end of Catching Fire, they had saved her and Finnick, leaving Peeta and the others to the Capitol. Katniss has a hard time recovering, constantly being drugged to help relieve the pain of healing, and the nightmares. But in time, she knows she cannot let the Capitol do what they have done to her and all the other young children. She willingly becomes the face of the rebellion that will lead the uprising. The 13th District is lead by President Coin, who doesn’t really like Katniss, but she needs Katniss to help with rebellion.
Through most of the book, you follow Katniss and her team, which now includes Gale, to visit all the other Districts and get them to fight the Capitol. Coin sends in her soldiers, and they slowly begin to win this war…..and it is a war….brutal, violent and many deaths. Katniss when helping to fight the enemy, is followed by her communications team, who film her, so that the revolution can see their hero.
Peeta has been brainwashed by President Snow in the Capital, and is being forced to dispute the claims of Katniss and the rebellion. Worried about his mental stability, Katniss asks for Coin to find a way to free Peeta. The mission is successful, but once he comes back to them, he becomes a danger to Katniss, as he is fully brainwashed that she is the enemy.
The story continues, as they move to win this war, but make no mistake, it is very emotional, as so many lives are lost. You feel the terror, the emotional ride along with Katniss, as she mourns the innocent and those she cared about, as she sees them die along the way to the Capitol. The war is eventually won, but at terrible cost. It breaks Katniss, as she has been through hell, and at near the end, there more twists that will blow you away. As I said, it is a war, and Collins does not mince words, she shows you every detail throughout the entire series.
Katniss continues to love both Gale and Peeta, but in the end, once she mentally pulls herself back, though she will never be the same, she will make a choice. I feel due to the content of this book, it is an Adult book. Sure the story is YA, with the young heroine and hero. But the violence, deaths, war, horror belongs in an Adult book. However, many YA book are also Adult books, this is one of them. I fully enjoyed this series, it was hard to put down, and I had to keep on reading. Great story, great characters, and a great heroine.
Barb
Here is the trailer for your viewing. I can’t wait to see this movie.
ORACLE’S MOONan excerpt by Thea Harrison on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 9:37pm ·(Facebook)
“Hello, are you still there?” she asked.
Even though she spoke softly, the sound of her own voice shattered the deep, late night silence. She couldn’t sense Khalil’s presence in the house or even on the property, like she had earlier. But now that she had turned her attention toward him, she could feel a tenuous thread of connection that streaked through the air like a vapor trail left from an airplane.
Still, she got no response when she called his name, not even a shift in the air. Terrific. He wasn’t paying attention. She felt the impulse to pace but stifled it. Pacing had become more trouble than it was worth. Instead, she spun the office chair in circles. Of all the foolishness she had been guilty of in her life, feeling peeved that Khalil didn’t respond when she called him—especially after she had been so insistent that he go away—ranked high on the list.
Maybe he was on a date. Maybe he had a mate. Maybe he had several mates. Maybe he was watching TV. Hell, as far as she knew, maybe he didn’t even need a television set, he just sucked up the information on the airwaves.
She pinched her lower lip and spun in more circles, watching the shadowed room go round and round. An affinity to things of the spirit meant sometimes going past the teachings from her childhood, to an understanding that resided deep in her gut. She patted along the edges of the connection, learning as she explored the thread. When she was confident she had a good sense of it, she wrapped her awareness around the thread and yanked.
Far in the distance, an immense cyclone whipped around to give her its full, startled attention. She stopped spinning and sat back in her chair as it streamed toward her, spitting with fury.
The cyclone exploded into the house. The window curtains spun into a knot, and all the loose papers on the desk blew around the room. Black smoke seethed in the office and coalesced into the figure of one outraged Djinn.
He wore a dark crimson tunic and trousers, his raven hair pulled ruthlessly back from that elegant, inhuman face. His ivory skin was luminous against the rich red, and his diamond eyes shone brighter than the backlit computer screen, casting the shadowed office into even deeper darkness.
Yeow. He seemed bigger when he was angry. He snarled, “You dare?” Well, that experiment went well. She raised her eyebrows and pinched her lower lip again. “Would you rather give me a cell phone number that I can call?”
He gave her an incredulous glare. “How did you know to do that?!”
“I’m good at what I do?” she offered. What exactly had she done? She patted the air, found the thread of connection and gave it another small, experimental tug. Sulfurous anger boiled the air. Okay. Whatever it is, it must be like pulling the tail on a cat. He bared his teeth and hissed at her. “Stop doing that!”
She muttered, “Also? Apparently sometimes I can be kind of stupid.”
We created Tickle Your Fancy to enjoy the fun stuff that takes place in The Reading Café, as this is a place we can all hang out, while we drink our coffee or sip our margaritas. Just relaxing and talking about books can lead to funny stuff when we are having fun. Below is another one of our contributors. so without further ado….
Tricia Talks
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet – William Shakespeare.
Name, name, name……I need a name for my corner of Tickle My Fancy………UGH….The pressure of a name…….. Pick the wrong one and it falls flat, like a bad joke. Pick the right one and it fits, just like Cinderella’s glass slipper. Barb and Sandy have given me great ideas…..Totally Tricia….Talking with Tricia….Tripping with Tricia…..
Tripping with Tricia brings to mind a run in I had with a curb and that blue rascal the Cookie Monster. Let’s reminisce, shall we?
Once upon a time, I was at a Christmas party for work, all of the important people were present. You know… the people you want to impress. So I mingle and charm my way through the party, being my cute little self. At the end of the night I was walking out the door carrying the leftover cookie tray that I brought. I’m talking and walking and WHAM! I trip over a curb. I slam into a co-worker, cookies go flying high in the air. It was spectacular. I ripped the knees out of my new pants and scuffed my new boots.
After the police investigation, eye witnesses confirmed that the Cookie Monster was seen sneaking up behind me, giving me a violent shove. Once I was on the ground, the Cookie Monster stole my cookies! But the justice system did prevail!!! The Cookie Monster is now serving three years in minimum security and is currently on a 12 step cookie program.
On a side note, my incident with the curb prompted my employer to paint all of the curbs at our headquarters a BRIGHT yellow. Not exactly the lasting impression I was aiming for but whatever. So maybe Tripping with Tricia isn’t the perfect glass slipper. It fits more like a pair of scuffed boots.
Talking with Tricia? Is that the name? No, it doesn’t seem to fit. Totally Tricia? No, that’s not it either. Talking Trash with Tricia? GASP! Who says I talk trash???? Not using that name, Barb will be washing my mouth out with soap! I’ve thought and pondered, trying to find the perfect name. I will be contributing random thoughts, talking about whatever pops in my head. Sounds scary, but it really isn’t. Tricia…..talks. THAT’S IT! Tricia Talks. Ahhhh, the perfect glass slipper. Thanks Sandy and Barb for the perfect name. Now that I have on my glass slipper, would you two please find my Prince Charming? I’m really tired of kissing frogs.
Welcome to Tricia Talks. I hope you enjoy my random bits of nothing.
*Disclaimer: Tricia or the Cookie Monster was not permanently damaged in the writing of this post.*
It gives THE READING CAFE the great pleasure to introduce cover model and fitness expert James J. Rizzo.
TRC: Hi James. Thank you very much for taking the time to help us with the interview. For those who do not know, you flew onto our radar with the mistaken identity as the cover model for Jeaniene Frost’s—Once Burned. The Reading Cafe notified Jeaniene about the error, and she has since corrected the information, but we are more than pleased to have you as today’s guest.
We will start with some STATS, and then onto the questions: STATS: Birthplace: Wilmington DE Age: 32 Height: 6’2” Weight: 210lb Chest: 46” Waist: 34” Eye Color: Blue Marital Status: Single Siblings: none Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration w/concentration in Marketing
TRC: Please tell us a little about yourself, growing up.
JJR: I was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. As an ONLY child growing up, this was difficult. My parents quickly became my BEST friends. I come from a very strict, old fashioned Italian family so much discipline was enforced! 🙂 My parents sent me to the best schools and insisted my education be done privately as opposed to public. They suggested I get involved in sports later on as a means to get out of my comfort zone and make new friends. I played varsity basketball and AA/Senior American baseball. This slowly transformed my confidence and created hobbies I believed in, but I still felt like an outcast in parochial school through early parts of high school because of my physical appearance.
TRC: As a child, did your parents encourage you with your personal goals?
JJR: As a child, my parents raised me with tremendous love and teaching right from wrong but my Grandfather became my mentor and life coach. I felt much more comfortable coming to him with my concerns and dilemmas because the wisdom he shared was priceless!
TRC: WE have read, that you were teased as a child because of your appearance. And you were determined to make changes in your life. How did this affect your childhood and your career today?
JJR: Yes, It was very challenging growing up and being excepted because I was looked at like an outcast. I was tall for my age, lanky, and since I had my father’s eye site, I had a very bad astigmatism causing me to be near sited. As a result, I had to wear thick glasses, which made me very self-conscious.
I took up exercise as a hobby in a neighborhood friend’s basement. From that moment on I knew it would be apart of my life forever because it became my addiction. This time-line from age 11 – present has transformed my life and the lives of others by being the fitness expert I am today. I am a successful entrepreneur, fitness model and up and coming actor in NYC. This ALL stems from having strict discipline and incredible will power.
TRC: As a personal trainer, you are called upon to make changes to other people’s lives. What challenges have you faced with some of your clients?
JJR: Being a personal trainer is not earning a paycheck by telling people what to do. It’s relating yourself to their situations of being self-conscious of managing their weight, disability, or terminal disease (ex. diabetes.) I have had to get clients ready for they’re wedding day or rehab. an injury they sustained. The biggest pressure of the trainer is TIME SENSITIVITY! My background and life story Is how I relate to each individuals’ need. My background allows me to relate both physically and emotionally.
A clear example of a client success story is when I worked at my first gym in NY at Equinox. I had a client named Cindy, whom you can find her testimonial on my web-site. I transformed her life inside/out and she was asked to give a presentation on her success since she was nominated most improved member in the entire gym. This was quite an honor for the both of us and today she is like family!
TRC: Take us through YOUR daily regimen for working out and diet.
JRR: My daily regimen consists of a healthy breakfast, which I consider to be the most important meal because it jump-starts my day! My breakfast, lunch, and dinner consists of a high protein diet. I love meat! (lol)
My workouts consists of a brief warm-up of calisthenics-box jumps or rowing, jump-rope, and even boxing, mixing it up on different days to keep the body guessing so to speak. I then tackle my abs for about 15-20min.-every day since they require lots of stimulus. Finally I go into my main workout routine such as chest, back, and legs depending on the day. I concentrate on higher repetitions when performing weights to keep my body lean and less bulky. In the acting and modeling world, this is key!
TRC: You have now ventured into acting and modeling.. Can you tell us about your most recent television appearances?
JRR: Yes, I had recently filmed a scene with Sonja Morgan on “THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY,” which is hopefully coming out soon. I made a house-call with a NY Veterinarian and I act as her assistant. It was a pretty funny scene-don’t wanna give too much away!:)
(Pictured: James with Katherine Heigl at the premier of her movie: ONE FOR THE MONEY
TRC: AS a cover model, you recently appeared on The Norse King’s Daughter by Sandra HIll and When Passion Rules by Johanna Lindsey. Can you tell us about your modeling shoot for these particular covers?
JRR: These covers were entirely different in the sense of photography is concerned. In the shoot for “The Norse King’s Daughter” I had to get very intimate and in-touch with my feelings with the female model. It felt almost I had a direct connection with her like the movie-“The Princess Bride” and the theme of “TRUE LOVE” 🙂
In the novel “When Passion Rules” by Johanna Lindsey, I played a Sailor/Captain of a ship. I felt a strong leadership presence all throughout filming.
TRC: Have you ever refused an assignment and why?
JRR: In this business, people will always see how far you will go. It’s especially important to remain reputation worthy I always say. On Model Mayhem you turn down a lot of jobs- haha.
TRC: Many models refuse to pose NUDE, but there are several of your pictures that run close to the line and beyond. What is your opinion about nude photography ?
JRR: N/A
TRC: What would you tell a new and younger model, about posing for nude pictures?
JRR: I would tell them to ALWAYS keep their reputation in mind!
TRC: Have you ever considered writing a book about personal fitness training?
JRR: Yes, I was thinking of writing more of a motivational book with fitness and life lessons as its main focus. In the meantime, I have been asked to be featured in a former colleague’s book as a contributing writer.
TRC: Is there an assignment you would have liked but didn’t get? Is there someone you would like to work with, but haven’t ?
JRR: In this business, there is plenty of assignments you feel that you should have gotten but didn’t. I learned very quickly that it’s nothing personal. It could be any type of demographic for the reason you didn’t book the job. A good example is when I Iived in DE at the time and called out of work as an assistant manager because I got a call-back for a 50K chili’s national commercial. It ended up Evander Holyfield didn’t want to use a posse anymore so they threw it out-FRUSTRATING IS NOT THE WORD!!:)
I would love to work with Liam Neeson one day because I love his attitude and fighting spirit! He has such a commanding presence on the big-screen.
TRC: Tell us about your favorite assignment?
JRR: My favorite assignment was when I was crowned 2008 “King of the Bounce” for the new Adidas bounce technology they were adverting for their sneakers. This was a commercial and you-tube video showcasing a bunch of different characters. I’ll never forget, each character had their own scene but in the end they said we were going to face each other in a boxing ring down at Chelsea pier and that’s when my competitive side really came out! I ended up winning an extra grand for the shoot.
TRC: What are you doing today?
JRR: Today, I am concentrating on evolving myself more as an actor and model. Since I moved to Manhattan two years ago, my life is much more convenient. I am still contemplating making the big jump to the west- coast too.
TRC: WE found you on the WWW, when an author accidentally named you as her cover model. Many people have access to personal information. Do you think the WWW allows for too much information in the wrong hands?
JRR: Yes I do, but in this business especially, you are always going to be in the public eye.
TRC: Is there anything you would like to add? Something you would like us to know?
JRR: I would like to add my quote I recently made that sums up my thinking and is why I got to be where I am today! – “CONSTANTLY RE-INVENT YOURSELF, TAKE ON NEW CHALLENGES, AND FEAR NOTHING ALONG THE WAY!” (JAMES RIZZO)
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
LIGHTNING ROUND
Favorite Movie: Scarface Last movie that you saw: The Grey Favorite TV show: HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Last book that you read: THE ONLY INVESTMENT GUIDE YOU’LL EVER NEED Favorite food: STEAK & LOBSTER Favorite dessert: BUTTERSCOTCH CHEESECAKE Dark or Milk Chocolate: DARK Boxers/ Briefs or Commando: (we always ask) BOXER MOSTLY BUT COMMANDO ON THE WEEKENDS- LOL Comfort level changes! 🙂 Favorite Sport: BOXING/MMA Favorite Type of Car: MASERATI Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Aniston: JENNIFER ANISTON IN HORRIBLE BOSSES DEFINITELY! 🙂 Orange Juice or Apple Juice: ORANGE
TRC: James, we would like to thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions.It has been a pleasure talking with you and we wish you all the best in your career.
JRR: Let me know if you need anything else. Thanks again for this opportunity!
THE READING CAFE is offering a GIVEAWAY to one of our eligible members. A copy of Johanna Lindsey’s WHEN PASSION RULES-will be offered. James is the cover model for When Passion Rules. To be eligible for the giveaway:
1. You must be a member of THE READING CAFE website.
2. You MUST post a comment on James Rizzo Interview Post.
3. Between February 6 and February 12, 2012, all members who post a comment on the interview with James Rizzo, will be eligible for the giveaway. At the end of the posted dates, a name will be drawn from all of the eligible entries, and the winner will be notified.
Alexis Morgan has announced the first book in her new fantasy romance series Warriors of the Mist:
MY LADY MAGE to be released July 2012.
The second book in the Warriors of the Mist series has also been announced but no date at this time:
HER KNIGHT’S QUEST (2013)
As well, Alexis has announced the title for her latest in the VAMPIRE series: SAVAGE REDEMPTION to be released September 2012. This is Conlan and Shea’s story.
Take Another Look at Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens.
Released in 1998, Devil’s Bride is the first novel in the Cynster series of historical romance books by Stephanie Laurens. The most famous and eligible of the Cynster males, Sylvester “Devil” Cynster meets his match in Honoria Wetherby, a finishing governess and a woman who would fit well in the 21st century.
Honoria Wetherby has been hired, to prepare the young daughter of a wealthy couple, for her coming out. But when she happens upon a bleeding and dying man alongside the road, Honoria isn’t one to pass by without notice. Giving aid to Tolly Cynster, Honoria is suddenly propelled into the world of the aristocratic rich and famous of the English countryside. When Sylvester, aka Devil Cynster, arrives to help his young cousin, it is then, that he meets the energetic young woman and swears to himself, that Honoria will be his bride.
Never one to step back from a threat or challenge, Honoria places herself in a compromising position to help Devil comfort his dying cousin. But when Tolly succumbs to his gunshot wounds, in the small cabin where they sought refuge, the Cynster males vow to find his killer. But Honoria is placed in a precarious predicament, when it is discovered, that she spent the night in the cabin, un-chaperoned with Devil Cynster, and Devil takes it upon himself, to demand her hand in marriage-to make an honest woman out of her.
Honoria is a very modern woman, for Regency England. Although investigating the death of Devil’s cousin, may prove to be exactly what she needs, her freedom is what she demands. But, when Devil announces to the family that he has found his bride, Honoria is whisked into action, helping prepare for the funeral and family mourning period. With the idea in mind, that she will aid the family during their time of grief, Honoria involves herself with the dealings of the Cynster males and their efforts to locate and ferret out Tolly’s killer. But, there are unsettling details surrounding the death, that require further investigation and Honoria takes it upon herself, to seek answers to the questions.
As with all romance storylines, Devil and Honoria are sexually and physically attracted to one another. Her physical beauty, as well as her penchant for finding herself in situations, that require her rescue, put Devil on alert. But, someone is trying to kill Devil, and with the help of his cousins, they try to track a killer. When the clues and information, start pointing to a beloved family member, Honoria is caught in a trap,that could very well end all of their lives.
Devil’s Bride introduces us to the Cynster family including the Cynster males. Demon, Vane, Gabriel, Lucifer, Scandal and Devil are all members of the Bar-Cynster, a name they had given themselves, as young, pleasure-seeking men. But one quiet and reclusive family member was never involved or accepted into the group, and now, a history of extra-marital affairs and ½ brothers, may bring the Cynster family to their knees.
As an introductory book to the series, the Devil’s Bride was a wonderful read. The ‘mysterious murderer’ is blatantly obvious, so the ‘mystery’ is less than palpable. Devil and Honoria’s relationship is filled with angst, smoldering sex, scandalous behavior and the realization of love. The introduction of the Cynster males, leaves plenty of opportunity to continue the storyline (18 at last count) and the romance world of Stephanie Laurens is forever etched in my soul. I found a new romance hero in Sylvester “Devil” Cynster, a man that I could truly call …my own!!
