Monthly Archives: October 2012

FATAL DECEPTION (Red Stone Security #3) by Katie Reus – a review

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FATAL DECEPTION (Red Stone Security  #3) by Katie Reus- a review

FATAL DECEPTION is the third e-novella  (October 3, 2012 release) in Katie Reus’s romantic suspense Red Stone Security series.  Katie has written this series so that each storyline can be read as a stand alone or as part of the whole.  Red Stone Security is a high tech firm owned and operated by the Caldwell family.  Each son is a former CIA, Navy Seal or Special Forces agent who will eventually need his training when the love of his life faces danger and death.  Fatal Deception is Harrison and Mara’s story.

Harrison and Mara’s relationship is already established so there is no character development.  They are married and we are not privy to their courtship or how they met.  Harrison is a dominant alpha male who requires submission in the bedroom and the only thing they seem to have in common is great sex. Both use sex to detract the other from problems or stress.  Mara, on the other hand, is slowly pulling away from her Harrison and he fears that she is either going to run or is having an affair with another man.  The couple’s relationship developed quickly and they were married within a short period of time and Harrison finally realizes he doesn’t know his wife as well as he should.  Mara is hiding something about her past and it has finally caught up with her life.

Mara’s love for Harrison is never questioned.  But she isn’t the woman that Harrison thinks he married.  She has a past that has resurfaced and has placed everyone she loves, including her new family, in danger.  Hoping to spare their lives, Mara embarks on a series of covert missions to put distance between the Caldwell family and her former life.  But when Mara is involved in a traffic collision she knows it is time to reveal the truth.  The hidden cache of arms in the trunk could land everyone in prison and end the relationship with man that she loves.  And everything will begin to crash around Mara when a co-worker is abducted and Mara is the only person who is able to negotiate her freedom-for a price.

FATAL DECEPTION takes a bit of a different path than Katie’s other Red Stone Security storylines.  There is no angst or buildup of the relationship.  We do not get any of the intimate details of their courtship or even the how and why’s of Harrison’s involvement with Red Stone Security or his former life.  In fact, there is very little of the Red Stone storyline except for a brief appearance of the brothers and their mates as it involves Mara and her past.  Fatal Deception is Mara’s story more than a story about the couple.  Yes, the sex scenes are hot, but that is basically the only interaction we see between the couple until Mara reveals the truth behind her ‘deception’.  Perhaps that is why I did not feel a connection to this couple, because they did not feel a connection to each other.

READING ORDER
1. No One To Touch
2. Danger Next Door
3. Fatal Deception

LINKS TO ORDER

Amazon Kindle
B&N Nook
KOBO

Reviewed by Sandy

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Young Adult Storylines-The Requisite Love Triangle

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YOUNG ADULT STORYLINES-The Requisite Love Triangles

 

As most of you know I am NOT a fan of the YA love triangle for so many reasons but the biggest and most heartbreaking is the fact that everyone deserves to love and to be loved especially by the object of one’s affections. The YA (young adult) storylines are fraught with more love triangles than any other genre or age-defining series and with the new crop of authors and young adult series arriving on our virtual shelves at an alarming rate my angst is blossoming fourfold.  With the advent of the e-reader and the ebook, there are so many authors promoting theirbooks and storylines that as a reviewer I am unable to keep up with the daily proliferation.  And yet, there is nothing new or awe inspiring about many of these new novels, but there is one constant – that of the teen-aged love triangle. Whether the attraction is between humans, human and vampire, vampire and were, or a sub-species of supernatural being, the attraction between these young adults presents a conundrum of very large proportions on differing levels.

Does a YA storyline require a love triangle to keep the reader’s attention?

For some apparent reason, the love triangle is a major premise in the young adult storylines.  From Stephenie Meyer’s TWLIGHT saga (Bella, Edward, Jacob):  Cassandra Clare’s MORTAL INSTRUMENTS (Clary, Jace, Simon) and INFERNAL DEVICES (Tessa, Wil, Jem):  L.J. Smith’s VAMPIRE DIARIES (Elena, Stefan, Damon) to indie authors like Addison Moore’s CELESTRA (Skyla, Logan, Gage, Marshall) series the 3-way and sometimes 4-way love interests are heartbreaking, angst-ridden, gut wrenching and occasionally annoying and condescending. And in many of the cases, the heroine is in love with both man-boys (or more in some cases) and vice-versa.  This alone makes for a heart-breaking storyline knowing that one or more will not stand up to the unwritten guidelines set out in the young adult budding romance category. In many cases, the author will add another female character to appease the ‘runner-up’ for the heroine’s affections or in some cases (gasps) kill off the also-ran.  Fans of ‘Team Jacob’ were slightly incensed when Stephenie Meyers wrote a new ‘love interest’ for Jacob in the form of Edward and Bella’s newborn hybrid vampire/human daughter:  Cassandra Clare has found a partner for Simon with Jace’s ‘sister’ Isabelle:  and Infernal Devices’s Jem appears to be on his way out possibly succumbing to an addiction:  and in the case of Addison Moore’s Celestra series all 3 young men profess their love for Skyla and yet each is willing to risk her life and even kill (if necessary) the object of his affection –doesn’t really sound like love to me but it apparently works- each incarnation she is still deeply in love/lust with the man-boys and is willing to profess her love and intentions with each depending on whom she is with at the time.  I kid you not-this young woman is in love with all 3 man-boys and they are in love with her.  The intensity of the love is beyond the capabilities of most humans, yet this young woman professes her love to each as though he were the only one for her. And…each man professes his love for the girl hoping that he will be the ONE…*sigh*…my head hurts.

 

What I have to point out (and bear with me on this) is that these storylines are works of fiction and if there is one thing I know, many readers love these characters as though they are best friends and lovers. They will discuss the intimate details of the character’s lives and place human attributes, human rules and human laws on fictional, fantasy and supernatural beings.   When a reader places his/herself into the storyline, and becomes deeply involved with the characters and the premise, he/she will feel the angst and heartbreak associated with the loss of love or rejection by the heroine (in the cases I have mentioned).  Many young readers will side with the rejected lover because he is usually the underdog and can feel both empathy and sympathy for unrequited love.  The teen years are hard enough for many young adults fighting acne, hormones, first love, crushes and mood swings of epic proportions, and yet they endure the stories of rejection over and over in the hopes that perhaps one day, reflecting the reality of everyday life, the underdog may win the girl and live happily ever after. But real life is not a fantasy or fiction storlyline, and in most cases, the girl doesn’t get either boy because there is rarely the reality of the love triangle.  But fantasy/fiction is the operative concept.  We read to escape for a few minutes or few hours.  We are taken to magical worlds where men with wings swoop in and take us away to a hidden cave or secret location (looks around wondering if anyone noticed I lost my way). But I digress.


And yet many will read this and say ‘give these young adults more credit’.  Believe me, I am, but with the popularity of the Twilight Series and the uproar over Team Edward vs Team Jacob, many fans take their storylines and characters very seriously.  And to add fuel to the fire, the heroes and heroines are all beautiful and the images portrayed on book covers and in the movies reflect the unnatural perfection of the storyline characters, as do most adult novels, but most adults know the difference between reality and fictional characters.  When a face is placed on a character, that character begins to take on a believable persona.   Jacob (aka Taylor) and Edward (aka Robert) by any other name and face, would illicit a different reaction if the actors portraying the characters looked like the average teenaged boy with pimples who has yet to shave or reach his full height.

Do we (adults) do an injustice to young adults writing ‘romance’ stories where physical perfection always wins out? 

At a time where image is everything and is so pronounced in the media, on TV and the big screen, the young adult storylines are filled with beautiful teens, who overcome some tragedy to find the perfect mate waiting for them when their head comes above the proverbial water and yet there will always be the one who wasn’t quite good enough, perfect enough or destined by fate to be the ONE. And here lies the problem with the love triangle-someone will always be hurt.  Regardless of whether or not another ‘mate’ is found, the initial drama of the unrequited love will forever be part of the storyline premise and the boy left behind will always know he was never good enough on some cosmic scale of teenaged justification. And in some cases, it is the reader who will walk away with a broken heart wishing that Bella chose Jacob or Clary chose Simon. The reader will imagine him/herself waiting in the wings to rescue the runner-up in a tale of heartbreak and love. And there is usually something physically different or wrong with the one who didn’t get the girl.  In some cases the difference is subliminal (blonde hair vs black hair) where the reader is not wholly aware of the semiotics used throughout the story.

 

So like many others readers, the perpetual young adult love triangle breaks my heart when I imagine so many young teens facing their own reality of unrequited love although not on the same scale as most of today’s YA storylines.  The angst and pain of lost love or the experience of rejection is real enough when it happens to you, but to read about it in virtually every YA novel, brings it full circle with every publication and premise in the young adult genre.  I know my heart is breaking, the tears will fall and by the end of the book, I am exhausted. 

 

So, I offer this post up for thought.  I know I am not the only reader who is frustrated with the YA love triangle.  What is your opinion regarding the young adult love triangle?  Do you feel that today’s young readers are savvy enough to distinguish between the fictional love triangles and the reality of their own lives?  Do you think that these YA love triangles are too heartbreaking and angst-ridden for those readers already experiencing a tumultuous life as a teenager growing up in today’s world? Do you think the Young Adult storylines require or need a love triangle to keep the reader’s attention?

 

NOTE:  The series and storylines mentioned in the article are only a few of the young adult books I have chosen to acknowledge with regards to a three way love interest.  I am in no way pointing a finger at a specific author or novel, but use these as a few examples that come to mind where the love triangle is a major premise in the storyline development.  

My thoughts-Sandy

 

 

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REFLECTED IN YOU (Crossfire #2) by Sylvia Day-a review

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REFLECTED IN YOU (Crossfire #2) by Sylvia Day- a review

REFLECTED IN YOU (Crossfire #2) by Sylvia Day

REFLECTED IN YOU is the second storyline (October 2012 release) in Sylvia Day’s erotic romance Crossfire series. Gideon and Eva’s relationship continues its’ sexually charged and frighteningly obsessive climb until there is no place left to go but into the abyss. The roller coaster of emotions is blatantly palpable but our hero’s frenetic change between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde will give you the same whiplash as the storyline’s heroine. Reflected in You continues at the same point in which we left off in Bared To You.

Gideon and Eva’s relationship is built on a mutual need. The sexual energy is highly charged and there is rarely a moment when the couple is not engaged is some sort of act. Their need for each other seems to overwhelm their daily lives so that at any moment they could be caught in the act. But great sex isn’t always enough and Eva will learn that first hand when Gideon begins to pull away. Even couple’s therapy isn’t working when one-half of the pair refuses to admit the truth.

Eva’s best friend and roommate Cary has sworn to Eva to clean up his act, but will find himself a victim of Eva’s past. Hoping to take Eva away for a weekend for two, Gideon all but kidnaps Eva for some R&R pledging himself to her for all eternity. But Gideon is hiding a secret and Eva begins to believe that whatever is pulling him away, has something to do with his past. His inability to confide the truth to Eva will plant the seeds of mistrust and jealousy will rear its’ head when Eva finds Gideon in pubic with his ex-fiance. Thinking two can play at that game, Eva embarks on a series of lunches that will push Gideon Cross over the edge.

Gideon’s nightmares once again play a major role in the development of mistrust between the couple. His refusal to open his heart to the woman who has fallen in love with him, will begin to form a barrier that will grow larger every time he withdraws and refuses to acknowledge his past. When Gideon is ready, Eva may not be around to hear the truth.

Eva’s past will eventually catch on two levels. A former flame will come to town hoping to reconnect, but a young age, she acted defiantly and stupid, and does not want to revisit the past. But Eva’s nightmares return as well, and in true thriller fashion, her nightmares will become real. As Gideon continues to pull away, Eva comes to the realization that perhaps her past was too difficult for Gideon and, that alone, would shatter the confidence she has been rebuilding for so many years. Perhaps she was meant to be alone after all.

REFLECTED IN YOU is an amazing ride of emotional ups and downs. Sylvia Day has taken two broken souls and thrown them together into what can only be called a tsunami of gut wrenching waves of sorrow and pain. This couple is utterly wrong for each other and yet utterly right. Eva grounds Gideon’s personality quirks as well as his heart. Reflected in You will leave you wondering when a secondary storyline draws attention to Eva’s past and the investigation lands on everyone’s front door.

LINKS TO ORDER
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Books
B&N Nook and Books
The Book Depository
Books a Million

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

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BARED TO YOU (Crossfire #1) by Sylvia Day- a review

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BARED TO YOU by Sylvia Day -a review

This review is a repost from a previous review.  With the release of REFLECTED IN YOU, we are posting both reviews to keep the timeline balanced.

BARED TO YOU is the premiere novel and May 2012 release for Sylvia Day’s Crossfire Series. Sylvia introduces Gideon Cross a billionaire with multi-corporations and financial investments, and Eva Tramell, a 24 year old woman with a new job and a new outlook on life.

Eva Tramell was hoping to make an impression on her first day at Cross Industries, but landing hard on her ass in the foyer wasn’t how she had hoped to impress.  And worse, the beautiful sexy, dark and dangerous man who rescued her pride was none other than Gideon Cross, owner and financier. Eva’s position to a junior ad exec was just what she was hoping for to allow her to break free of her mother and step-father’s need to control.  But Eva was hiding a painful past, one that her mother was unable to forget and her step-father had paid to hide. 

Gideon Cross is a man of power and wealth.  Along with the money came responsibilities to him employees, his corporations and to the many charities he had chosen to support and back, including one specifically for abused and battered children.  But the sight of that beautiful blonde woman landing on the floor was something he would not forget.  She stirred something inside, he had long forgotten.  Along with his power and money, came the people, especially the women who wanted to know Gideon Cross, but Gideon was one to hold back secrets.  And like Eva, Gideon too, hid a horrible past that would haunt him night after night. 

Eva and her boss Mark worked well together.  They became quick friends and along with his boyfriend Steve, Mark tried to ensure that Eva was accepted.  The many layouts and presentations together were successful and caught the eye of Gideon Cross.  And there was a sexual tension growing between Eva and Gideon that was palpable by the many employees at Cross Industries.  Mark took it upon himself to not only chastise Eva but to warn her about the repercussions of becoming involved with an office romance.  Although Eva was quick to turn aside all of Gideon’s advances, the couple were heading into a relationship built on sexual attraction and need. On the night of the dinner for the Battered Children’s charity, Eva could no longer resist the desire and need growing between she and Gideon. But Gideon’s quick exit and disappearance from the function left Eva feeling cold and used.  She did not want to be his latest conquest.

But not all was what it seems.  Gideon’s need for Eva grows to an obsession.  He is unable to describe his desire and need, but only that he is growing jealous of her friendships with others including Mark and her roommate Cary.  Cary is a bisexual man and a model, with a dark history of drugs and abuse.  When Cary thinks he has finally found love with Trey, he goes about sabotaging his relationship with one-night stands and sexual games. And only Eva is willing to help Cary back from the brink.  But she may not be strong enough to save Cary from the disaster he is fast approaching.

Gideon and Eva’s relationship is filled with sexual encounters and daily affirmations.  And the lover’s are fragile.  There is a hunger for each other that is not easily quenched, but trust is hard to gain.  Both have been hurt, literally, and their trust in one another is slow to develop.  Gideon admits his need to control, but when he suggests that Eva willingly submit to his demands, she must admit something about her past that could end their relationship.  Surprised by his reaction, Eva was hoping Gideon was able to confide his secrets to her.  But the nightly terrors that ride Gideon in his sleep only grow until their relationship is threatened. Hoping to ease some of Gideon’s pain, Eva suggests couples therapy and is pleased when Gideon is willing to try.  But Gideon still is unable to talk about the many demons that ride him hard.  There is a family history of pain and suicide, depression and neglect, and Eva is only now discovering that the man she has fallen in love (with); the billionaire corporate CEO; the man desired by every woman; the man who looks more put together than anyone she has ever see is so fragile and in so much pain.

Eva’s past is hard for Gideon, and perhaps that is one reason he is unwilling to talk about his own.  But when Eva is finally introduced to a woman who was once a significant part of Gideon’s life, she is unable to control the hurt, anger and jealousy that engulf.  Eva feels betrayed with the knowledge that Gideon is keeping secret much of his past.  And it will take a much longer time to learn to forgive and forget, when everyone is ignoring the giant elephant standing in the room.

Bared to You is an erotic story that centers on the relationship between two dysfunctional people, who are both trying to swim in a sea of pain and sorrow. Eva’s past is revealed but Gideon’s history is one that we have yet to learn. There are many skeletons in the proverbial family closet and hopefully Sylvia will reveal more in her next Crossfire novel-Deeper In You.

LINKS TO ORDER
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Paper Books
B&N Nook and Paper Books
The Book Depository
KOBO
Books a Million

Bared to You was supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

 

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NEVER SEDUCE A SCOT by Maya Banks-a review

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Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks- a review

About the book: Release date September 25, 2012

Eveline Armstrong is fiercely loved and protected by her powerful clan, but considered “touched” to outsiders. Beautiful, fey, with a level, intent gaze, she doesn’t speak. No one, not even her family, knows that she cannot hear. Eveline taught herself to read lips and allows the outside world view her as daft, content to stay with her family. But when an arranged marriage with a rival clan makes Graeme Montgomery her husband, she accepts her duty—unprepared for the delights to come. Graeme is a rugged warrior with a voice so deep and powerful she can hear it, and hands and kisses so tender and skilled he awakens her deepest passions.

Graeme is intrigued by his new bride, whose silent lips are ripe with temptation, whose bright, intelligent eyes can see into his soul. As intimacy deepens, he learns her secret. But when clan rivalries and dark deeds threaten the wife he has only begun to cherish, the Scottish warrior will move heaven and earth to save the woman who has awakened his heart to the beautiful song of a rare and magical love.

Review:

Neither the Armstrongs nor the Montgomerys were happy about the marriage between the two clans that was ordered by their King. The two had been blood enemies for decades and the King knew that the only way to try and unite the two strongest clans was to try and intervene in the only way he could: an ordered marriage. And to go against the Crown would have been a declaration of war.

Graeme, his brothers, Bowen and Teague, and a contingent of their warriors set out for the Armstrong Keep for the wedding that neither clan wanted. Even though they were apprehensive, they knew that this would keep them on the good side of their King. Upon arrival at the Armstrong Keep, tension was thick. Eveline’s mother and father we both worried that Graeme would not be worthy of their daughter. Boy, were they ever wrong.

The wedding happened very quickly. Once it was finished, Eveline left the family that she loved and headed for the Montgomery Keep, bound and determined to start her new life and earn the respect of the clan. Needless to say, she was not welcomed with open arms. She was met with downright disdain by some. Graeme knew he had his work cut out for him.

Once Graeme learns that Eveline can read lips and communicate, things start falling into place. He learns that a terrible accident a few years ago left her deaf, not “daft” as she was called. She then tells him her story as to why she allowed her family to believe that she was deaf. It was for self-protection and self-preservation. Rorie, Graeme’s little sister, is one of Eveline’s biggest champions, and along with her brothers, vow to keep Eveline safe. But, after an attack on Graeme on Montgomery land, will they be able to keep their word? Will Eveline’s family work with the Montgomerys to save her or will war break out between the clans?

Never Seduce a Scot is a wonderful story. The love that grows between Graeme and Eveline is amazing. Banks does a wonderful job in building their story. Eveline is breathtaking in her courage and resolve. A deaf woman marries a man from a rival clan and is determined to make it work for both clans’ sake? Let’s just say that she wins over the Montgomery Clan in grand fashion. She will be a hard act to follow in the rest of this trilogy. The way she stands up to the members of the Montgomery clan who don’t think she is worthy is amazing. And Graeme knows what a lucky man he is, as do his brothers. The McCabe Trilogy, in my humble opinion, is the best trilogy I’ve ever read. After reading the first book in this trilogy, the McCabes may have a little competition. 😉 Banks wrote a deaf character in honor of her husband, who is also deaf. I can’t imagine a bigger honor than having such a wonderful love story written with that in mind. Once again, I worship at the altar of Maya Banks and can’t wait to read the second installment. If you haven’t read Banks’ Historical Romances, I have no words to tell you what you’re missing.

Reviewed by Vickie M.

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A HUNGER SO WILD (Renegade Angels #2) by Sylvia Day-a review

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A HUNGER SO WILD (Renegade Angels #2) by Sylvia Day

A HUNGER SO WILD is the second full-length novel (July 2012 release) in Sylvia Day’s Renegade Angels series.  Part of the series premise follows that if a Sentinel (Watcher Angel) falls in love or mates with a mortal/human their wings are removed and they become the Fallen. As a Fallen, they are now vampire, and require blood to survive. But along the way, a few of the Fallen have requested leniency and begged off from vampire status and have become ‘lycan’-infused with demon blood with the capability to shift. The lycans are currently on the run, hoping to escape servitude to the Sentinels. A Hunger So Wild will see lycan, vampire and sentinel join together in a war against a virus of unknown origins and an enemy that hits too close to home. This is a very detailed storyline thus I highly recommend you read the series in order including the two recently released novellas.

Vashti is a fallen angel, vampire, second-in-command to Syre (leader of the Fallen)  and a grieving mate.  With the loss of her mate Charron over 60 years ago, Vashti has had to suffer through the indignity of her mate’s death and a personal attack against herself within hours of his murder.  Revenge has been the foremost on her mind, knowing the three unidentified lycans were still on the lose and all the information she finds leads to a dead end.  But over the years, Vashti has made it known that no lycan is safe until she gets her revenge. Killing more than her share, Vashti knows that she has become the target of the lycan community, but when Syre sends her on a mission to joins forces with the lycan Alpha, she knows she could be walking into a trap. Vashti has always blamed the Alpha for the death of her mate.

Elijah Reynolds is a descendant of a fallen angel, a lycan, and a reluctant pack A2lpha.  And when the beautiful vampire Vashti presents Elijah with a proposition regarding the hunt for the mysterious ‘Wraith’ virus, Elijah knows that his inner wolf wants more than a working relationship-he wants his mate-and Vashti will be his. But their efforts to hunt down the origins of the virus, will meet with negative road blocks, suspicious pack members and surprising blood tests following a vicious attack by vampire wraiths. Needing help to save Elijah’a life, Vashti will confront a powerful sentinel putting her own life at risk. 

Throughout the story, Sylvia brings together many of the characters from her previous novels and novellas allowing for a smooth continuation of the series storyline. The sentinel Adrian and his vampire mate Lindsay will be the focus of healing an injured lycan, as well, Adrian will finally get the emotional relief he has needed from his loving mate:  Syre believes that his second-in-command has been compromised by her feelings for a lycan, and many of the missing and dead vampires, lycans and sentinels will come into question when a virtual paper trail leads back to a trusted friend. And the revelations regarding the origins of the virus will point to an unholy alliance of vampire and sentinel.

The relationship between Elijah and Vashti begins as one of mutual disdain but the anger hides an attraction that both cannot deny.  Elijah had previous dealings with the vampire and knew that his attraction to the female would have to be sated.  But Vashti’s guilt for the loss of her first mate will tamp down many of her natural feelings towards Elijah and those that she cannot control will throw her off –balance and into a relationship she never thought would happen again.

The search for the origins of the wraith virus will unite the species in a common cause.  When it is learned that there is a possible cure, Elijah will ensure that the lives of those targeted will be protected from a vampire hoping to save his own kind.

A HUNGER SO WILD is a remarkably detailed storyline that addresses many of the major points and premises in the previous novels. The revelations of those involved in the death of friends and family, and of a virus so lethal, that there is only one solution-and that solution may cause panic in the hierarchy of angels. A wonderfully seductive storyline that kept me on the edge from start to finish.

READING ORDER
1. A Dark Kiss of Rapture
2. A Touch of Crimson
3. A Caress of Wings
4. A Hunger So Wild

LINKS TO ORDER
Amazon Paper Books
Amazon Kindle
B&N Nook and Books
KOBO
The Book Depository

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

 

 

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A CARESS OF WINGS (Renegade Angels #1.5) by Sylvia Day

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A CARESS OF WINGS (Renegade Angels #1.5) by Sylvia Day

As we begin our feature saluting Sylvia Day, A Caress of Wings is a repost from a previous review.

A CARESS OF WINGS is an e-novella (June 2012 release) in Sylvia Day’s Renegade Angels series.  Part of the series premise follows that if a Sentinel (Guardian Angel) falls in love or mates with a mortal/human their wings are removed and they become the Fallen.  As a Fallen, they are now vampire, and require blood to survive. But along the way, a few of the Fallen have requested leniency and begged off from vampire status and have become ‘lycan’-infused with demon blood with the capability to shift.  The lycans are currently on the run, hoping to escape servitude to the Sentinels.

A CARESS OF WINGS is a short story that follows the rescue of a human male-Trevor Descansos by Sentinel Angel Siobhan.  Trevor had been held prisoner by a horde of virus-infected vampires for over a year.  Tortured, sexually abused and used for his blood, Trevor begged for death. Weak and dying, all he knew was the daily pain and torment of hundreds of hungry mouths biting and clawing for his blood.  But when a beautiful angel freed Trevor from his chains, he knew death had granted his wish.

Siobhan is a researcher for the Sentinels. Knowing their blood was a cure for the vampire virus proved invaluable and dangerous at the same time.  If the vampires knew then every Sentinel would be targeted.  Looking for a cause to the vampire virus, it was one of Siobhan’s responsibilities to investigate and test new theories surrounding the virus that was quickly overtaking the vampire hordes. But finding a dying Trevor chained to a wall pulled at her heart.  Guilt ate at Siobhan for not finding Trevor sooner, but by infusing his blood with her own, Trevor would soon make a quick physical recovery.  But it was his emotional mind and his memories that would cause bigger problems for the pair, when Trevor and Siobhan begin to develop a strong attraction to each other.

Siobhan knew that to fall for a human would mean to Fall as an Angel.  Warning bells alarmed whenever she considered the possibility of a relationship with the sexy human male.  There was only one recourse for Siobhan, if she were to save her wings, and that would be to wipe Trevor’s memory and hope that she would never encounter him again.  Hope is for fools, when she must deliver a package to Angel Towers and seeing Trevor-the connection between the couple is stronger than either can resist.  But Trevor has changed in the weeks since Shiobhan sent him away and now the realization of what he is will force Siobhan to make a decision she never thought would be made.

A CARESS OF WINGS is a short story.  Siobhan was previously introduced in an earlier storyline and A Caress of Wings opens a premise into another potential Fallen Angel.  To be honest, in the beginning I had a difficult time connecting to the pair.  Perhaps it is because the Sentinels are without emotions, yet Siobhan most definitely felt something for Trevor. Trevor’s delirium was well written, but once he was back to health, his personality reminded me of a puppy lost and looking for someone with whom to play.  Also, the premise of The Fallen Angels is technically lost when the current crop of storyline characters does not meet with the same fate as previous Angels who fell.  Perhaps, like real life, the Sentinels have evolved and learned from their mistakes in the past. An interesting storyline, and one that I hope Sylvia continues throughout the series.  Now that a number of Angels are falling for humans, there will have to be a resolution that will satisfy everyone. Looking forward to A Hunger So Wild.

READING ORDER
1. A Dark Kiss of Rapture
2. A Touch of Crimson
3. A Caress of Wings
4. A Hunger So Wild

LINKS TO ORDER:
Amazon Kindle
B&N Nook
KOBO

Reviewed by Sandy

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DEBORAH COOKE-Drake and the Dragon’s Teeth Warriors Dragon Legion Novellas

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Deborah Cooke-Drake and the Dragon’s Teeth Warriors series of Dragon Legion Novellas

 

TITLE:  Kiss of Danger

AUTHOR:  Deborah Cooke

SERIES:  Dragonfire (Drake and the Dragon’s Teeth Warriors)

RELEASE DATE:  February 2013

HERO:  Alexander

 

 

TITLE:  Kiss of Darkness

AUTHOR:  Deborah Cooke

SERIES:  Dragonfire (Drake and the Dragon’s Teeth Warriors)

RELEASE DATE;  March 2013

HERO:  Damien

 

 

TITLE: Kiss of Destiny

AUTHOR: Deborah Cooke

SERIES: Dragonfire (Drake and the Dragon’s Teeth Warriors)

RELEASE DATE: April 3013

HERO: Thad

 

SOURCE:  http://www.facebook.com/AuthorDeborahCookeFanPage

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