Monthly Archives: March 2016

Never Love An Outlaw / Never Kiss an Outlaw (Deadly Pistols MC) by Nicole Snow-reviews

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Never Love an Outlaw / Never Kiss an Outlaw (Deadly Pistols MC) by Nicole Snow-reviews

Deadly Pistols MC

 

NEVER KISS AN OUTLAW
(Deadly Pistols MC Romance #2)
by Nicole Snow
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance, MC
Release Date: March 1, 2016

Never Kiss an Outlaw

99¢ ebook deal: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 1, 2016

ONE KISS CAN RUIN A GIRL, OR MAKE HER WHOLE AGAIN…

CORA

Never kiss an outlaw, they said. Easy advice, until the day my father’s dirty secrets made me property of the Deadly Pistols Motorcycle Club.

Easy, until I came face-to-face with the beautiful bastard who makes me burn with every glance. Firefly.

I tried to fight it. Threw every insult in the world his way, hoping to hide how bad my lips were begging to be kissed.

Now, I’m losing the battle. Completely.

FIREFLY

No more games. I cut Cora a hundred kinds of slack when she landed in my world, one that’s too twisted for a sheltered spitfire.

I laughed at the sass and smears coming out of her mouth ’til the day the Prez made me her bodyguard. Then I put an end to her crap.

I protected her. I laid down the law.

One raging kiss shut her up for good. Never expected what came next, this urge to rip off her clothes, throw her on my bike, and own her.

•••••••••••••••

REVIEW: NEVER KISS AN OUTLAW is the second installment in Nicole Snow’s contemporary, adult DEADLY PISTOLS MC erotic, romance series focusing on the members of the Deadly Pistols motorcycle club. This is MC enforcer/Sargent at Arms Firefly Davis, and newbie teacher Cora Chase’s story line. NEVER KISS AN OUTLAW can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.

Told from alternating first person perspectives (Cora and Firefly) NEVER KISS AN OUTLAW follows Cora as she becomes a virtual prisoner of the Deadly Pistols MC. With her father targeted by a rival MC, the Deadly Pistols take it upon themselves to save the only daughter of a man they once called a friend. What ensues is the building but forbidden relationship between Cora and Firefly, and Firefly’s need to protect Cora with his life.

The relationship between Cora and Firefly is one of immediate attraction but Firefly is a manwhore, and Cora is a little too innocent and hands off by orders of the MC president. But orders are sometimes meant to be broken, and Cora finds herself falling in love with a man who could destroy her heart. NEVER KISS AN OUTLAW is first and foremost a love story, wrapped in a blanket of threats and bloody revenge.

NEVER KISS AN OUTLAW is a gritty and dark MC story line. The $ex scenes are graphic, numerous and intense; the language is rough and ‘in your face’; there is no limit to the violence and threats between rival motorcycle clubs. There is ugly revenge, betrayal, murder and death; no one is safe when a member’s life or that of his old lady’s has been threatened.

NEVER KISS AN OUTLAW is an intense, sometimes tragic look at the MC lifestyle. The story is alarming but addicting; the characters are ill-fated and impassioned; the romance is passionate, seductive and hot. There is some duplication between the first installment and book two-duplication of phrases, language and scenarios.

I will add that the story line ended at 49% of the Kindle ebook. My ebook further included a copy of book one-NEVER LOVE AN OUTLAW. I was also a little disheartened at the quick resolution to the story line conflict-I was hoping for something more; the story epilogue fast forwards two years in the life of Firefly and Cora.

Reviewed by Sandy

___________________

Never Love an OutlawNEVER LOVE AN OUTLAW
(Deadly Pistols MC #1)
by Nicole Snow
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic, romance, MC
Release Date: October 9, 2015

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N /

About the book: Release Date October 9, 2015

I’M FALLING FOR AN OUTLAW I HATE…

MEGAN

I wasn’t supposed to end up in an outlaw biker’s bed. I wasn’t supposed to love it. I definitely wasn’t supposed to crave his fiery kisses, beg for his touch, or ache to know the man behind the evil looking ink and scarred smirk.

I was the good girl. He was the monster. Then everything changed.

I became a prisoner. I prayed for Skin to save me. He did – and he kept me for himself.

SKIN

I went psycho when I saw her in that dirty whorehouse. She’s everything I never wanted, a spitfire with a body meant for claiming.

Then she told me her secret, and I almost needed a straitjacket. I saved her life instead. I gave her a second chance. I’ll brand her, bed her, own her, no matter how much hell I’ll pay. Outlaws love like ticking time bombs, and I’m gonna blow Meg’s world apart ’til she’s begging for more…

•••••••••••••

REVIEW: NEVER LOVE AN OUTLAW is the first installment in Nicole Snow’s contemporary, adult DEADLY PISTOLS MC erotic, romance series focusing on the men and women of the Deadly Pistols MC. This is MC member/ club treasurer Skin (aka Parker), and Megan Wilder’s story line.

Told from alternating first person points of view (Megan and Skin) NEVER LOVE AN OUTLAW follows the rescue of Megan Wilder-a spoiled, rich socialite who vanished six months earlier and was never seen again. Fast forward to present day, where MC biker Skin finds Megan a prisoner and slave at a trucker’s whorehouse about to be sold to the highest bidder. What ensues is a rescue that finds our heroine going from one prison to another but this time she will fall for the man who holds both her body and heart captive.

The relationship between Megan and Skin is very quick to develop. Within a matter of days, Megan is offering herself to Skin in ‘appreciation’ for saving her life. The $ex scenes are intimate and intense, but I did have some issues with Megan’s desire to please Skin, when she is offering him the same thing she was forced to perform while imprisoned in a whorehouse, and held against her will. The quick ‘change around’ and acceptance is questionable and not without some cringe worthy moments.

We are introduced to several members of the Deadly Pistols MC as well as several members of a rival gang. We get up close and personal with Megan’s family who want what is best for their daughter but find themselves caught between doing what they believe is right, and what is best for their child.

The world building focuses on the MC hierarchy, control and power. The MC lifestyle is dirty, gritty and raw. The violence is graphic; the language is crude and rough. Women are more or less chattel-to be used, abused and thrown away. Falling in love with a biker is never going to be easy.

NEVER LOVE AN OUTLAW is an interesting read but I felt there were too many plot holes and unbelievable scenarios. The writing style is simple; the characters are colorful; the romance felt forced and unimaginable. I was hoping for something….more.

Reviewed by Sandy

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True Blue SEALs: Zak (Seal Brotherhood ) by Sharon Hamilton-a review

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TRUE BLUE SEALs: ZAK (Seal Brotherhood #13) by Sharon Hamilton-a review

True Blue SEALs Zak

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 20, 2016

Zak and Amy are destined for each other. After successfully passing the BUD/S training, and helping to stop a San Francisco terrorist attack, Zak goes to the arena of war with the rest of his SEAL Team 3 buddies, to return a changed man. Amy will have to negotiate the pain in her heart as she works to discover the man she loved going off to war is still the man of her dreams, and only if she can convince Zak he still is that man.

•••••

REVIEW: TRUE BLUE SEALs: ZAK is the thirteenth installment in Sharon Hamilton’s contemporary, adult SEAL BROTHERHOOD military romance series. ZAK focuses on the relationship between childhood friends new Navy SEAL Zak Chambers, and Amy Dobson-Chambers. TRUE BLUE SEALs can be read as a stand alone. Some of the previous story line characters and couples play secondary and supporting roles. We were previously introduced to Zak and Amy in TRUE NAVY BLUE (Seal Brotherhood #12).

Prior to his first Secret Ops mission, Zak Chambers proposed to his long time girlfriend Amy Dobson. Knowing that he wanted Amy waiting for him upon his return, Zak convinced Amy that a quick wedding was something they both needed, and proceeded to give the woman he loved, everything that she wanted. But something went wrong for SEAL Team 3, on their latest secret mission, and Zak returned a changed man-a man whose emotional and physical damage may have been more than he could have handled. While Zak struggles with his recovery, Amy struggles with the walls Zak continues to build around his heart. Amy will become Zak’s strength-a woman who isn’t willing to let go of the man who has chosen to close off his mind about the future.

TRUE BLUE SEALs looks at the struggles of military couples; their strengths and weaknesses; their support and nurturing; their heartbreak and survival. The premise focuses on recovery and acceptance; the characters are emotional and real; the relationship falters while Zak comes to terms with all that he has lost and more. Sharon Hamilton writes an emotional story line that is relevant to many of today’s military families and homecomings.

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

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Ignite (Wildwood #1) by Karen Erickson-a review

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IGNITE (Wildwood #1) by Karen Erickson-a review

Ignite

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 15, 2016

Weston Gallagher is falling hard-for the wrong woman. One night of passion has haunted him for years. Now he’s got a second chance to get the girl of his dreams…but there’s just one problem:

She hates him.

Eight years after he stormed out of Wildwood, California, West has returned to his hometown as a firefighter. His friends and family are thrilled he’s back-with the exception of Harper Hill. His best friend’s sister is all grown up and in all the right ways. He knows she’s going to do everything she can to protect her heart and keep him at arm’s length, but West has other ideas.

He will win the girl that got away. No matter what it takes…

•••••••••••••

REVIEW: IGNITE is the first installment in Karen Erickson’s contemporary, adult WILDWOOD romance series focusing on the men and women of Wildwood, California but especially the Gallagher family of brothers, and their sister Wren. This is fire fighter Weston Gallagher, and book keeper Harper Hill’s story line.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Harper and Weston) IGNITE follows the rebuilding of a relationship between Harper and Weston. Eight years earlier, following a night of passion with Harper, Weston escaped the small town of Wildwood, California and never looked back. His latest assignment finds Weston back in Wildwood, and falling in the love with the woman whose heart he broke years before. Harper has never forgotten or forgiven West for walking away, and isn’t prepared to fall in love-all over again.

The relationship between West and Harper is one of second chances; a rekindling of a love that was destroyed when West walked out of town without a goodbye or KMA. The rebuilding of the relationship finds our heroine looking towards the future, and never regretting the past. The $ex scenes are intimate and seductive.

The secondary and supporting characters include Harper’s best friends Wren Gallagher and Delilah Moore-Delilah has a thing for Weston’s brother Lane Gallagher but her heart is constantly breaking as Lane refuses to acknowledge there is anything between he and Dee. We are also introduced to the youngest Gallagher brother Holden as well as their fire captain Tate Warren –who has caught the eye of the Gallagher sister.

The world building focuses on the people of Wildwood, California and a series of suspected arson fires sweeping the town. The storyline ends with a happily ever after –for now- while the investigation into the fires is on going. There is still much more story to tell.

IGNITE is a predictable second chance story line; a rebuilding of a relationship that was destroyed by a night of passion followed by an all too quick exit out of town. The premise is enjoyable; the characters are animated although their lack of maturity was not ideal for a romantic adult story line. The romance is a quick build to forgiveness and a happily ever after-for now.

Copy supplied by Edelweiss

Reviewed by Sandy

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Fly (Velocity #1) by Molly McLain-a review

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FLY (Velocity #1) by Molly McLain-a review

Fly

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 14, 2016

Meet Colton Wade, FMX rider…

I’m just a small town guy who caught a lucky break. Now I’m living the dream, on the brink of high-flying super-stardom. But something’s missing.

That something is Taylor.

She’s my best friend. The one who makes me want to push harder and higher. The one I fall back on when shit gets tough. The one I’d give it all up for.

I’d do anything to protect her. To make her dreams come true too.

But a single night changes everything.

And now the one she needs protection from…is me.

•••••••••

REVIEW: FLY is the first installment in Molly McLain’s contemporary, new adult VELOCITY romance series focusing on FMX rider Colton Wade, and his best friend Taylor Jansen.

Told from alternating first person points of view (Colton and Taylor) FLY focuses on the friends to lovers relationship between Colton and Taylor. Best friends for most of their lives, Taylor and Colton have been dancing around their attraction to one another for years. When an opportunity presents itself for Taylor to join Colton in Vegas, as part of his latest FMX professional tour, things begin to heat up between our couple wherein expressions of love are revealed in the heat of passion. But things go from good to bad when Colton’s management team wants to publicize and use a fake relationship with his ex Bria (friends with benefits), forcing a wall between Colton and the woman he loves. What ensues is a series of misunderstandings, miscommunications, mean girl set ups, and the immature reactions of two people who aren’t willing to speak up when the time is right.

FLY has a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including several members of Colton’s FMX team, fellow riders, and competitors. We are also introduced to Bria-Colton’s friends with benefits-who wants something more and is willing to do everything in her power to possess the FMX star; and Matt-a young man who has fallen for Taylor Jansen. Taylor’s family and friends play a significant role in her life including a father whose personality is volatile following an accident that left him with permanent brain damage, and a mother who stands by her man.

FLY is a story of building love but a story that is more YA (with the exception of one love scene) than new adult. The requisite love triangle (s) and other love interests vying for attention is front and center; as well as the mean girl who uses her relationship with Colton to destroy Taylor’s heart. The story line trope is very predictable and better left to the YA audience; for me, the appeal of the YA trope disguised as NA has passed its’ expiry date. The lone $ex scene is mostly implied; there is no graphic sexual content or text.

There is limited background information about Taylor and Colton’s earlier years together, as well as limited information about Colton’s rise to stardom in the FMX games. I would have liked the story to delve a little deeper into their earlier history together. The story behind Taylor’s father’s accident is very slow to reveal with only hints as to what has happened and why.

FLY ends on another predictable cliffhanger. Let’s hope that our couple grow up fast and realize they are no longer in high school.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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ZEL: Markovic MMA #1 by Roxie Rivera-a review

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ZEL: MARKOVIC MMA by Roxie Rivera-a review

Zel

99¢ ebook deal: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 7, 2016

To escape a debt owed to the mob mixed martial artist Zel Tesla agrees to one final match with one of his league’s most notorious fighters. If he wins, he’ll clear the debts he incurred trying to save his young son’s life and earn his freedom.

But one chance encounter with a luscious burlesque performer in Vegas threatens all those carefully laid plans…

Ten years ago, Sara Contreras fled Houston with the help of her mobbed-up friends. Since barely escaping with her life, she’s built a multi-million dollar empire, but she’s always looking over her shoulder, wondering if the dark, dangerous secret she left behind in Houston is going to catch up with her.

When Sara’s past threatens everything Zel has worked so hard to achieve, she has to make a painful choice. She can sacrifice her love for Zel and let him go—or she can fight for him, facing the secret that nearly buried her back in Houston and the loan shark who owns them both.

***Includes the connected books Ivan (Her Russian Protector #1) and Alexei (Her Russian Protector #8) as a FREE BONUS***

•••••••••

REVIEW: ZEL is the first installment and novella in Roxie Rivera’s adult, contemporary MARKOVIC MMA erotic romance series-a spin off from Her Russian Protector series.. This is MMA fighter Zel Tesla, and exotic dancer Sara Contreras’s story line. ZEL runs parallel to, and overlaps some of the time line of ALEXEI (Book #8) in Roxie’s HER RUSSIAN PROTECTOR series.

Told from several third person points of view ZEL focuses on Zel’s upcoming championship fight with a man who has already killed one of his former opponents. Meeting exotic dancer Sara Contreras, just days before the championship match, finds our hero distracted and thinking about a future with a woman he barely knows. When Sara’s past comes back looking for revenge, our heroine knows that for Zel to keep his head in the match, she must walk away before both of them find themselves deeper in debt to the mob.

The secondary and supporting characters include several of the couples from Rivera’s HER RUSSIAN PROTECTOR series including Ivan and Erin Markovic(Ivan #1);Nikolai and Vivian (Nikolai #4); Alexei and Shay (Alexei #8) as well as Sara’ s sister Lucy. Sara’s connection to the mob comes in the form of an ex-husband, and a step brother who wants what he deserves. Besian returns and we see a different side to the Albanian mobster.

ZEL is a fast paced story of insta-love; of one man’s many heartbreaks, and one woman’s need to save the man with whom she is falling in love. The premise is entertaining and revealing; the characters are animated and intense; the romance is a quick build to a happily ever after. ZEL is the first book in Rivera’s MARKOVIC MMA spin off series, and I am looking forward to many more.

Own a copy

Reviewed by Sandy

***Includes the connected books Ivan (Her Russian Protector #1) and Alexei (Her Russian Protector #8) as a FREE BONUS***

______________

IvanIVAN (Her Russian Protector #1)

REVIEW:  IVAN is the first storyline in Roxie Rivera’s contemporary/romance/suspense series Her Russian Protector. IVAN is a short introductory story, basically 80 pages in length that prefaces a number of friends and members formerly involved with the Russian Mob.

The storyline premise focuses on Erin and Ivan. Erin needs to find her drug-addicted sister before it is too late. She knows Ivan’s reputation as a no nonsense man with connections. Making her way into his fight club, Erin will soon discover she has also made her way into Ivan’s heart.

Ivan is our hero: a man who admits he is not perfect but a man whose primary passion is Erin. Hoping to find her sister, Ivan and his fellow Russians uncover a connection that goes deeper than a simple addiction.

IVAN is a story about one woman’s love for her sister and her many attempts to save her from self-destruction. There is an immediate connection between Ivan and Erin-one that is protective without being too alpha; loving without obsession; romantic without control. Ivan is a man who has fallen for a stranger the moment she walks into his life.

If you like a quick and easy read-one with love, romance, sex and several sexy Russians waiting for their story to be told, IVAN is your first stop in HER RUSSIAN PROTECTOR series by Roxie Rivera.

Reviewed by Sandy

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AlexeiALEXEI (Her Russian Protector #8)

REVIEW:

ALEXEI is the eighth full length installment in Roxie Rivera’s contemporary, adult HER RUSSIAN PROTECTOR romance series. This is former Russian enforcer/businessman Alexei Sarnov, and leather designer/cleaning lady Shay Sandoval’s storyline. ALEXEI falls somewhere in the timeline between Nikolai Vol 2 and the novella Lion’s First Roar, and has been released prior to book number 7-Kostya.

ALEXEI revisits some of the previous story line characters including Nikolai and Viv, Detective Eric Santos, Russian enforcer Boychenko, Albanian mobster Besian, and several others -byway of mention only. We are introduced to Russian newcomer and bodyguard Stas, and Shay’s BFF Kylee-whose past is mired in betrayal and loss. Many familiar names and characters are woven throughout the story.

ALEXEI is an entertaining story line with colorful characters but I felt less than invested in Shay’s happily ever after. Perhaps it was the heroine’s constant disregard for her own safety, and the safety of the man with whom she had fallen in love that left me questioning any hope for their future. I had so much hope for ALEXEI’s story but sadly this will not rank as one of my favorite Russian Protector story lines.

Reviewed by Sandy

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Romancing the Ranger by Jennie Marts – a Review

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Romancing the Ranger by Jennie Marts – a Review

 

Romancing the RangerAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM

Description:
Reese Hudson meant to destroy mementos from her last failed relationship, not burn down an outhouse and incur the wrath of a sexy park ranger. When the judge rejects her offer to pay for the structure and sentences her to rebuild it—with the hot ranger supervising—she embraces the challenge to take control of her life.

Park ranger Wade Baker wants nothing to do with the rich city girl, no matter how tempting he finds her lush curves. She’s too much like his ex-fiancée, and if he’s learned anything, it’s that women like Reese don’t fit into his world. And he sure as hell wants no part of her big city life.

Reese may not know a hammer from a screwdriver, but she’s working hard to prove she’s not just some pampered princess to be toyed with. And damn it if Wade doesn’t admire her tenacious spirit. If only they got along half as well outside the bedroom as they do in it, there might be a chance for them after all…


Review:

Two chapters in and I didn’t want to put the book down – I already liked where it was headed and knew the swoon-worthy was in my future. When Reese’s cathartic act of courage and bravery ends in the fire and destruction of an outhouse, incurring the wrath of Park Ranger Wade, chances are bleak that these two will ever find common ground. Jennie Marts, author of Romancing the Ranger (A Cotton Creek Romance), will prove us wrong. I enjoyed being wrong. ;D

“What’s wrong with you people from the city? You think you can come up here with your fancy clothes and your flashy cars and disregard all the rules. You could have caused some real damage here. You don’t care about anyone but yourselves. Money doesn’t fix everything, lady.”

Bad first impressions are off-putting yet equally delicious when, upon examination, or flirtation, the layers of a person are revealed and you’re left completely stunned. Wade and Reese are two such people who receive a bounty in exchange.

Reese is a city girl ordered to make “unconventional” restitution for the restroom she burned down: Sentenced to two weeks of community service in Cotton Creek Falls, Reese is to rebuild the outhouse herself! In a fresh and fast-paced story, Reese and Wade learn each others strengths and weaknesses. I enjoyed their easy banter and wasn’t surprised by how quickly they developed feelings for each other.  

While the flames blaze in a sexier scenario once these two connect, the sins of their exes wreak havoc on self-esteem, and a future, if these two remain in denial. Humiliated and overruled, respectively, Wade and Reese are trying for a fresh start. They’re firing on all other cylinders, but niggling doubts, those unhealthy, unfair comparisons, are poisonous and destructive to HEA. It’s understandable to be cautious, but Wade gave me whiplash! Reese was very sweet and patient and fought for her independence.

Romancing the Ranger wasn’t of earth-shattering proportions, nor was there a murder or mystery to solve. This was about two people learning to trust again. Learning to accept themselves and not fear they’re going to be found lacking in any way. It was lovely to see Wade and Reese come into their own skin and own their happiness.

Review by Carmen

Copy provided by Publisher

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Ride Hard (Raven Riders MC 1) by Laura Kaye-Excerpt Reveal

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Ride Hard (Raven Riders MC 1) by Laura Kaye-Excerpt Reveal

Ride Hard Banner

RIDE HARD
Raven Riders MC #1
by Laura Kaye
Release Date: April 26, 2016

Ride Hard

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / itunes /

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A shy and distrustful woman running from a controlling ex-fiance seeks shelter with an outlaw motorcycle club with a tradition of protecting those who can’t defend themselves, and falls under the watchful eye of the club’s mysterious and intense leader who’s intent on discovering all her secrets

Brotherhood. Club. Family.

They live and ride by their own rules.

These are the Raven Riders . . .

Raven Riders Motorcycle Club President Dare Kenyon rides hard and values loyalty above all else. He’ll do anything to protect the brotherhood of bikers—the only family he’s got—as well as those who can’t defend themselves. So when mistrustful Haven Randall lands on the club’s doorstep scared that she’s being hunted, Dare takes her in, swears to keep her safe, and pushes to learn the secrets overshadowing her pretty smile.

Haven fled from years of abuse at the hands of her criminal father and is suspicious of any man’s promises, including those of the darkly sexy and overwhelmingly intense Ravens’ leader. But as the powerful attraction between them flares to life, Dare pushes her boundaries and tempts her to want things she never thought she could.

The past never dies without a fight, but Dare Kenyon’s never backed down before….

Laura Kaye promo

excerpt

 

So much better out here,” Haven said, the night air cool against the tingling warmth of her skin. Although she was pretty sure that not all of the heat burning through her insides was from the alcohol—her unusual flirtatiousness and closeness to Dare over the past half hour had made her desperate with a heat that had nothing to do with her drinking game. She walked to the railing and leaned against it, chuckling a little at herself for needing the support it offered. She felt so damn free, and it was a heady, exhilarating thing. “What’s funny?” Dare asked, settling a hip against the railing right beside her. Arms crossed, jaw ticking with tension, dark eyes blazing, he was staring at her like he wanted to reprimand her or devour her. Oddly, neither alarmed her the way she would’ve expected it to. Haven shook her head, leaning it back and letting her gaze float over the night sky. Blurry points of light swam in the moonlit heavens. It was beautiful and peaceful despite the pounding bass beat of music thumping from inside the clubhouse. “Not funny, just good. Happy, you know? Being able to do something a little . . . scary, but knowing I’d be safe doing it.” When Dare’s gaze narrowed, she shrugged. “I don’t know.” A long moment passed before Dare finally spoke. “You are safe here, Haven. Never doubt it.” Peering up at him, she nodded, all kinds of words sitting on the tip of her tongue, challenging her to let them fly. “It’s weird feeling safe—or at least safer—after a lifetime of not. It makes me want to try things I could never let myself try before. It makes me . . .” She shook her head and dipped her chin. Dare stepped closer, his thighs coming up against her hip. He lifted her chin and made her look at him. The contact combined with the command in the gesture lanced white-hot desire through her veins. “Makes you what?” “Want to feel alive,” she whispered, her heart suddenly racing in her chest. Dare’s jaw ticked again as his gaze swept over her face. She didn’t think she was imagining the raw emotion pouring off of him and wrapping around her, but she wasn’t sure if she was reading that emotion right or projecting her own desire onto him. “Do you feel alive, Dare?” she asked, the alcohol flowing through her and the night spinning around her like she was walking through a dream. “Jesus,” he bit out. The rough desperation in his voice made her wet between her legs. “Just once,” she whispered, not sure what she was asking him for. But he seemed to know. Because his hand was suddenly tangled in her hair and his mouth was suddenly on hers, claiming, probing, tasting. Haven moaned and parted her lips, inviting him deeper. Dare jerked back from her, his fingers rubbing roughly over his lips. “Fuck, I’m sorry.” On instinct, Haven’s body pursued his, pinning his back to the railing. “Please don’t stop,” she said as her hands gripped his shoulders. She had the strongest urge to climb him, to wrap her legs around him, to grind against the hard bulge pressing electrically against her belly. “Please,” she whispered, tilting her mouth toward his. “I liked it.” Dare’s hand cupped the back of her head. “You’re killing me.” “Dare,” she said, her body restless against his. In a move that sent the world spinning, he flipped them around so that she was the one pinned against the railing. He pushed his legs between hers and leaned down over her, forcing her to arch her back, to yield, to open to him.“Tell me what you want from me. Say the words,” he said, his eyes absolutely on fire. Her heart was a runaway train in her chest, frantic and picking up speed. The thought of giving voice to her desires was terrifying and thrilling and dizzying all at once. “I want your mouth,” she said. The words sounded odder out loud than they had in her head, but they were more accurate than asking him to kiss her—because her mouth wasn’t the only place she wanted his. “Jesus,” he rasped again, his mouth coming down on hers once more. The whimper she released was part relief, part anticipation. It had been so long since she’d kissed someone that she felt a little uncertain, but Dare’s intensity barely allowed her the capacity to worry about it. He was like a dark storm bearing down on her, relentless, magnetic, all-consuming. Rough callouses from his hands scratched against her cheeks as he guided her. Hard breaths spilled over her lips, and the wet slide of his tongue tasted like whiskey and desire and man. Her hands found the soft length of his hair, and her breasts pushed against the hard plane of his chest. Then her lips were freed as his mouth slid over her skin—exploring her cheek, her jaw, her ear, her neck. He hiked her up to sit on the wide railing, the move surprising a gasp out of her, especially as he crowded the space between her legs, pushing himself closer, bringing his erection against the place between her legs craving friction, hardness, so much more of him. Maybe even all of him. One strong arm wrapped around her back and held her steady, while the other hand stroked her hair, her face, her breast. The soft groans and breathy grunts spilling out of him were delicious and thrilling, and bolstered her confidence that she wasn’t the only one losing herself in this moment, in these touches. She almost couldn’t believe this was happening, and part of her was certain she must be dreaming. Because Haven Randall didn’t have beautiful things in her life. At least, never before.

 

 

About The Author Black and Red

Laura Kaye NewLaura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

 

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Midnight Bites by Rachel Caine – a Review

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Midnight Bites by Rachel Caine – a Review

 

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Description:
MIDNIGHT BITES, the new Morganville Vampires short story anthology! It will bring together almost everything that I’ve written in short form about Morganville … though I did leave out some of the original “diary” entries that appeared on an earlier version of the Morganville website, simply because they were just scenes and not stories, and were generally really short snippets. This is all short fiction, and it’s been carefully organized into the timeline, so you can read from the earliest adventures (some of which belong to vampires) all the way through some post-Daylighters goodies.

MIDNIGHT BITES includes a total of more than 50,000 words of brand new content, which makes me very happy indeed (and I hope will also make you happy, too). From stories featuring our favorite bunny-slipper-wearing mad scientist to a mystery solved by police chief Hannah Moses, I think you’ll find this is a diverse group of stories that will shine a little more light in the murkiest corners of Morganville.

 

Review:

Be still my heart! I had hoped when Rachel Caine wound down this series that she wouldn’t be able to stay away. Fortunately for fans of this series, she couldn’t. Midnight Bites is a wonderful collection of short stories, some of which we’d read before, but some that let us know what’s been happening in Morganville since we were last there.

There are stories that will break your heart all over again. I’ve made no attempt while reviewing this series over the years that Myrnin is one of my all time favorites, not only in this series, but in all of fiction. To read about his childhood and what happened to him once his mother sold him still makes me tear up. Those stories alone made this worth the read for me. We are not only treated to previously written material, but also to what’s happened since we left. There are wonderful stories of what everyone has been up to since the last installment, but even more than that, at least for me, this collections just reiterates that this is one of the best YA paranormal series out there. We get to see what prompted Caine to write certain characters they way she did. To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of that sort of thing, but absolutely loved the way Caine did it.

Midnight Bites is absolutely a MUST HAVE for fans of the series and I’m so glad that we got another peek into the residents of Morganville. Well done, Rachel Caine! Very welldone!

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Publisher

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