Monthly Archives: May 2018

Dark Queen by Faith Hunter – a Review

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Dark Queen by Faith Hunter – a Review

 

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Description:
As Enforcer to the vampire Master of the City of New Orleans, Jane Yellowrock stakes her reputation and her life on keeping her territory safe. But Leo has been issued a blood challenge by the emperor of the European vampires, who seeks to usurp all of his power and possessions. If Leo loses the match to the death, the city will be forfeit, and the people of New Orleans will suffer the consequences. Jane can’t let that happen.

Preparing for the duel requires all of Jane’s focus, but with so much supernatural power in play, nothing goes according to plan. She has to rely on herself and the very few people she knows she can trust to stand and fight. Only two things are guaranteed: nothing is sacred, and no one is safe.

 

 

Review:

Dark Queen by Faith Hunter is the 12th book in her fantastic Jane Yellowrock series.  Wow..Dark Queen was an incredible emotional rollercoaster of ride. At the end of everyone of the 12 book in this series, I have noted that each book gets better and better.  Dark Queen takes this even further, as it enthralled me from the start, and shattered my heart so many times.  With saying that, it is no doubt that Dark Queen is the best book in the Jane Yellowrock series.  Faith…I am in awe how you pulled me in and never let go, even to the final moment. 

Dark Queen picks up a short time after the previous book ended, as Jane, her team and the Master of the City’s team prepares for the upcoming battle with the European Vampires.  With days remaining before the battle for rule of Europe and America, Jane is in the middle of major security preparations. They all know that if Leo and his team lose, it will be the death of so many, as the Europeans would assume control, and kill everyone working for Leo.   Jane, Eli and Alex are in the middle of some pre meeting attacks that are attempts to hurt and destroy the American team, which warns of betrayals to Leo, the Master of the City; including former friends, dangerous witch and enemies.

Jane also finds herself in a personal issue, as someone from her past arrives throwing her for a loop.  She must reconcile the possibility of this being real, or just someone using her.  This was an interesting development that we probably will explore in the future.   I loved how Beast continued to play a big part sharing the battles with Jane. I got a kick out of Eli becoming closer to Beast, which was a short release from all the tension.

Closer to the halfway point, Leo calls a meeting of all his clans and staff; to complete the preparations for the upcoming battle, as well in the event of his death.  This was an awesome meeting, which turned out to be one of the many highlights that I fully enjoyed.  Heirs were named, Clans tightened, and a new clan created…Clan Yellowrock.  I loved seeing all the new members of Jane’s clan that she added, in order to be their protector.  I loved this part so much, that I went back three times to read it again, as well as the final 1/3 of the book.

When the story moves to the battle of the Leo and Titus, the tension rises and there are no breaks along the way.  It was totally nerve wrecking, and emotional; constant violent action, as well as horrible deaths for all sides. I could not put the book down, and forced myself to read slower for fear of what will happened next, and who will we lose.

It is always great to spend time with Jane’s continued growing team, many of whom we have come to love.  Eli has is great, as Jane’s loyal second;  Alex, the techie, who is fully coming into his own; Bruiser, Jane’s love interest, whom I have come to love; Edmund, Jane’s Primo, who is also Leo’s heir: Molly, her best friend, who is a powerful witch; Brute, the wolf who can’t shift; plus many more we continue to meet. Of course, needless to say,   I adore Beast, and especially as now they are fully one; stronger, better, smarter, and unbeatable. I loved seeing Jane begin to learn to use more of her powers, as she rises up to be a true Dark Queen.  But will that be enough to save them all?

The last half of the book is not only violent, intense action & mind boggling battles, but the emotional toll we feel from the shocks we suffer after many deaths we did not expect, as well as the fear of how much more we will lose.  As much as we have prepared ourselves over the last few books about the European vampires coming to destroy the Master of the City and take over America; Faith Hunter has taken us by surprise at how far this would go.  Jane as the Dark Queen is a fantastic heroine, and Is more powerful then she has ever been, as her and Beast were a force to reckon with.    

I will not give spoilers, as this is certainly one story you need to read.  What follows is an exciting, wild, intense, action packed  adventure that has Jane, Eli, Leo, Alex, Edmund, Molly and Bruiser and so many of the secondary characters that we have known throughout the growing evolution  of this series, fighting for their lives. We have little time to breath, as one fight after another finds Jane in the middle of death defying situations.  Will Jane be able to stop the ultra powerful enemies, and save her friends?  Will Leo survive or will the European vampires succeed in their takeover attempt?

Dark Queen is a fantastic mind-boggling addition to the Jane Yellowrock series.  For those of you who have not read this series, you are missing a great series, a super wonderful bad-ass heroine in Jane Yellowrock, and author who kills it (& us) every time.   Please Faith, though you ripped my heart out, please  keep on giving us more of Jane Yellowrock. I am not ready to let her go.  Warning:  Dark Queen does end in a cliffhanger.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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Shake It Up (Man of the Month#8) by J.Kenner-Review Tour

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SHAKE IT UP (Man of the Month #8) by J. Kenner-Review Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 1, 2018

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There are a million reasons why I need to stop thinking about Taylor D’Angelo naked.

She’s too young for me, for starters.

She’s too ambitious.

She’s my job.

Romance was the last thing on my mind when I agreed to look into her stalker as a favor.

Now, she’s all I can think about–and in every position I can imagine.

I’m not the only one obsessing.

The threats against her are intensifying along with our connection.

If I give in, if I let our bodies take over, it could draw her stalker out.

Our passion could save her.

Or it could destroy us both.

Meet Mr. August – He’ll do anything to protect her.

**Shake It Up is part of a binge read series by New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and #1 International bestselling author of the million copy Stark series, J. Kenner.

Each book in the series is a STANDALONE novel with NO cliffhanger and a guaranteed HEA!

•••••••

REVIEW: SHAKE IT UP is the eighth instalment in J. Kenner’s contemporary, adult MAN OF THE MONTH erotic, romance novella series focusing on a fund raiser for the popular Austin, Texas bar known as The Fix. This is thirty-six year old, police detective Landon Ware, and twenty-four year old work-study university student Taylor D’Angelo’s story line. SHAKE IT UP can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary although I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion.

SOME BACKGROUND: The Fix on Sixth, a local Austin hangout and bar, is in desperate need of renovations and a quick influx of cash so a plan is put into motion, by a group of regulars, a plan that includes a Man of the Month calendar competition, a recipe book, and a reality show aimed at rehabbing the bar.

NOTE: SHAKE IT UP is a bit of a departure from the series in that most of the events and story line are not directly connected to the Man of the Month competition and celebrations but focuses on the threats against, and protection of, our story line heroine.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Taylor and Landon) SHAKE IT UP picks up shortly after the events of book seven TURN ME ON. Working on her Master’s Degree in film study Taylor D’Angelo finds herself a part of the promotional crew at The Fix on Sixth. A recent spate of barely veiled threats against our story line heroine forces Taylor to reveal a potential problem for the crew, their friends and family, and ultimately herself. Enter police detective Landon Ware, and the man with whom Taylor will fall in love. What ensues is the building relationship between Taylor and Landon, and the possible fall-out as the threats against Taylor become more personal and life-threatening.

SHAKE IT UP focuses on the search for a stalker. Taylor suspects the who and why but is reluctant to reveal the entire story. Landon struggles with his attraction to the woman he has chosen to protect, a woman who has starred in all of his fantasies since the first time they met.

The world building continues to follow the Man of the Month fund raising efforts for The Fix on Sixth but takes a back seat to the events of the past few story lines. The premise is intriguing and engaging; the romance is seductive and intense-there is a definite palpable sexual attraction between our leading couple. The characters are colorful, dynamic and charismatic. SHAKE IT UP is a fast paced, energetic and impassioned tale.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Down On Me
Hold On Tight
Need You Now
Start Me Up
Get It On
In Your Eyes
Turn Me On
Shake It Up

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

J. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.

Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal mommy lit.

JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swoon for them.” A five time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy). Her Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series (as Julie Kenner) is currently in development with AwesomenessTV/Awestruck.

Her books have sold over three million copies and are published in over twenty languages.

In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YouTube | Amazon Author Page

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Someone to Care by Mary Balogh – Review & Giveaway

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Someone to Care by Mary Balogh – Review & Giveaway

 

 

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Description:
Once the Countess of Riverdale, Viola Kingsley throws all caution to the wind when adventure calls in the form of a handsome aristocrat. . . .

Two years after the death of the Earl of Riverdale, his family has overcome the shame of being stripped of their titles and fortune–except for his onetime countess, Viola. With her children grown and herself no longer part of the social whirl of the ton, she is uncertain where to look for happiness–until quite by accident her path crosses once again with that of the Marquess of Dorchester, Marcel Lamarr.

Marcel Lamarr has been a notorious womanizer since the death of his wife nearly twenty years earlier. Viola caught his eye when she herself was a young mother, but she evaded his seduction at the time. A prize that eluded him before, she is all the more irresistible to him now although he is surprised to discover that she is as eager now for the excitement he offers as he is himself.

When the two defy convention and run away together, they discover that the ties of respectability are not so easily severed, and pleasure can ensnare you when you least expect it.

 

 

Review

Someone to Care by Mary Balogh is the 4th book in her wonderful regency Westcott series.  I do not read a lot of historical romances, but I will read every book in this series, which is very well written by Balogh and the wonderful characters she has created from the Westcott family.  Someone to Care is different as instead of the children finding happiness, the heroine and hero in this one are an older couple around 40.

Viola Kingsley, the former Countess of Riverdale, is attending another gathering of the large Westcott family.  Viola and her three children lost their inheritance when her deceased husband was found to be a bigamist. Two years has passed, and though her children have adjusted (Camille found happiness in the 2nd book, her other daughter and son seem to be content in their lives), Viola is still embarrassed and feels tainted from the scandal, even though everyone in the family treats her well and cares about her and her three children.  Watching everyone in the party enjoying themselves, Viola decides to leave early.

Marcel (Marguess of Dorchester) is considered a womanizer, and a man that puts the fear in others.  When Marcel lost his wife years before, he changed and became more of a loner.  He had put his son and daughter in the care of his sister in law, and rarely sees his children.  When his carriage breaks down, Marcel is stuck at an inn overnight.  While leaving the restaurant, he notices a familiar face; he remembers the woman he was beginning to fall for 14 years ago and was rejected, since she was married at the time.  Viola also staying overnight at the same inn, recognizes Marcel looking at her.  Marcel approaches Viola, and they reminisce about the old days, and her embarrassment over losing the title and fortune in her now defunct marriage. Since they are stuck over night, they decide to take a walk around the town, join some festivities. A slow build romance between former friends will begin. 

What follows is sweet romance between two people who are basically quiet lonely life.  They decide to run away and have some fun, eventually becoming lovers.  It was nice and fun to see how they were both enjoying each other’s company, as well as their hot chemistry.  After a couple of weeks, both Viola and Marcel’s family begin to worry, and each begins to look for them.   Just when Viola decides she needs to go home, so her daughters don’t worry, they are found.  Marcel will automatically go on the defensive and protect Viola, as he tells the family members that they are betrothed, which shocks Viola.  Unfortunately, this will slowly cause Viola and Marcel unhappiness to be in a situation they never intended.

When they are home with both families coming together for a betrothed party, both Viola and Marcel are at odds, each thinking the other doesn’t care.  The wedding will be called off, and the two go back to their lives.   Marcel came off as a rake, causing the Westcott family to dislike him.   Will Marcel and Viola find a way to be happy again?

 It was wonderful to see all the Westcott’s again.  This is a big family, and we get to see many of them in each book.  Marcel’s son and daughter were very nice too.

The romance between  Viola & Marcel was wonderful to watch, with so many emotions, both sad and sweet.  I can’t say enough about Mary Balogh’s writing, as the Westcott series is a ‘do not miss’.  If you enjoy regency romance with an adult couple, you should be reading this one.  Someone to Care a  heartwarming story, great characters, and a wonderful couple.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy Provided by Publisher

 

Mary Balogh’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of SOMEONE TO CARE to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

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9.. Giveaway runs from May 1 to 6, 2018

 

 

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