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Monday, March 24, 2014

Alpha & Omega Series!!!! Alpha & Omega, Cry Wolf, Hunting Grounds and Fair Game

Read from March 23 to 24, 2014


I should start of my review by saying I adore Patricia Briggs's Mercedes Thompson series and that this series is basically a spin off of that series with the same general feel, same world and many of the same characters.

I'm writing my reviews for Alpha & Omega, Cry Wolf, Hunting Grounds and this novel Fair Game together. I listened to all these books on
Audiobook, they all had the same narrator and I listened to them back to back with no breaks in between so the story to me at this point was a continuous one.

I have only read the Mercedes Thompson series and this series todate by Patricia Briggs and I love how she weaves the world she builds around the strength and background of her characters. There are so many elements of our world that it makes it easy to relate and yet keep the paranormal feel.

These novels are based on the stories of Charles and Anna. Charles is the youngest son of the Marroak who is the leader of all the werewolves..at least in North America. Charles is approx 200 years old and was born to an Native American woman who's family was steeped in shaman magic and his father was also of a magical background. He is also the only born Werewolf. Anna is a force turned werewolf who was horribly abused by her first pack until Charles rescued her and new her as his mate.

In Alpha & Omega we learn of Anna's story. This book like most in this series has very dark overtones dealing with rape and abuse. We also get our first glimpse of Charles and Brother Wolf in this novella which is truly the introduction to the entire series. It is a must read for any starting in as the background in this book will give you a better understanding of motivations in the rest of the series. I gave the book 4 stars which is my highest rating for a novella. PB does a great job of not getting too carried away with world building at the expense of the character building.

Cry Wolf gets us into the meat and potatoes of Charles and Anna's mating and introduces us to more of the pack in which they reside. This story also has dark elements of black magic and human/animal sacrifice. The story moves quickly and Anna begins to learn more about herself and about her status as an Omega wolf. We see inside Charles's head and find out what made him the man he is today and how he is changing because of his love of Anna. Again the story is woven around the characters and keeps you on the edge of your seat. You really don't know who is going to survive until right near the end of the novel. There is definitely an action/adventure feel to this book but with really raw edges. A 5 star read for me.

Hunting Ground is where the story line and the characters really take off for me and I made my connection with the main characters more deeply. I'm also a fan of suspense novels and this book had all the earmarkings of a wonderful who dunit. In this novel the Wolves are coming out of the closet (so to speak) and Charles must attend a conference with Alphas from North America and Europe. From there the mayhem begins with Vampires, attempted murder, actual murder, over protective alphas, white witches and more. I just couldn't put this one down for one minute it was a great read! I gave it 5 stars.

Fair Game is the book I just finished and again I loved it...it had a crime procedural feel to it..which again I just adore. In this outing Charles and Anna are helping the FBI solve across decades serial killer who is as we find out targeting Fae and now Werewolves. Anna truly comes of age in this novel ...she is manifesting self confidence and some major kickass abilities. Charles on the other hand is deal with Ghosts and self recrimination which has made him withdrawn and is injuring his relationship with Anna. We are also introduced to new characters..the Boston Alpha Isaac who is a hoot. FBI agents Leslie and Goldwaite as well as some other alphabet agencies. We also meet a powerful fae..some witches..black witches and other bad bad characters. This book is truly dark in some places as it does deal with a sado sexual predator and we do hear what has happened to some victims. The novel was exciting, pretty fast moving. With an interesting ending ...I can't wait for the next book in this series. Another 5 star read for me.

As you can tell I am really enjoying this series ..it feeds my love of the paranormal, suspense, police procedural and has the romantic elements that are a must in all my reads. If you have not started this series...I highly recommend you do. The narrator of the audiobooks is wonderful by the way...he does a great job and in no way takes away from but rather enhances the reading experience.

Looking for a UF series? You gots to try this out NOW!

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Just Released HYBRID!!! Long awaited book 2 of the Healer Series by B.N. Toler

Many you of you may remember me going on..and on...and on about a fabulous book I read last September.  It was Healer and I though it was absolutely amazing.  It was fresh, it was different and it gripped me and wouldn't let go.   Well, I am happy to announce that HYBRID the second book in the Healer Series was released March 15 and it is Fabulous.  (see below for my review on Hybrid and reposting of Healer)




B.N. Toler is a new name in Urban Fantasy and she certainly shakes up the genre.




B N Toler is a happily married, mother of three, and HEALER is her first self-published book. She has worked in several fields, including real estate and orthodontics, but writing has always been one of  her passions. Though she has written many stories, HEALER is the first one she ever really fell in love with.

Some of her other passions include reading and music. She enjoys most genres including fantasy, erotica, romance and supernatural. She loves to find a book she can't put down. Some of her favorite authors include Charlaine Harris (The Sookie Stackhouse Series), Karen Marie Moning (The Fever Series), Sylvia Day (The Bared to You series), and recently she's become a big fan of Samantha Young (On Dublin Street).



 To give you a bit of a tease  Healer is about a young girl Aldo who knows she has special powers but her world is turned upside down when she meets Thomas and finds out that there may even be more about herself and her life than she is aware.  The story has more ups and downs than a roller coaster and enough angst to keep even the teenager in us happy. Healer is a coming of age and a spiral into the unknown.  Hybrid picks up where Healer left off but we see Aldo maturing even more and starts to figure out that there might be more to her than what she guessed.  Her life, her loves and a whole lot of kick ass sizzle.

Synopsis: Hybrid

My Aunt Lucy used to say, “If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.” She said many wise things I never heeded when she was alive. I want to be the woman that’s okay with hiding from what she fears and letting her big, strong man protect her. But that’s not me. I hate to be scared. I hate the feeling that there is an evil out there that could hurt me if it finds me. But mostly, I hate that so many before me lived in fear and died at the hands of evil. That is why I cannot find peace within. There is no peace for me while Healers suffer the atrocities of others.

I know Rhett would protect me at all costs. He loves me. And that is why I must leave him behind. It’s impossible to justify hurting someone you love—or many you love—to do what you truly believe is right. Lucy also used to say, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” I get what she was trying to tell me now. Hindsight is twenty/twenty. Sometimes we choose a path we think will lead us toward a noble cause, full of ambition and altruism, only to look back and see we’ve run over and crushed the ones we love most along the way. I can only pray that one day those I love will forgive me.

I woke up and I left. I left Rhett, the man who saved me from myself. The man I love. I left my brothers—my best friends.

I left.
But leaving led me to more. I found answers. I found others like me—who want what I want.

But most importantly, I found myself.

My name is Aldo Lawson.

I’m awake.

And I’m a Hybrid.




Goodreads link to HYBRID


Just to tease you even more the author B. N. Toler has graciously provided me with her dream cast as she imagined them while writing.

Cast:

Aldo:       Shailene Woodley
Whit and Hudson:  Shai LeBeouf
Rhett: Chris Helmsworth
Sarah: Brittany Snow
Lucy: Jamie Lee Curtis
Lila: Eva Mendes
Thomas: Mark Salling
Eileen: Krysten Ritter
Flynn: Ryan Gosling
Bridge: Damian Lewis
Daniel: Taylor Kitsch
Andre:  Paul Walker (RIP)












How completely Yummy is that??



Wanna win a copy??  Rafflecopter


Rafflecopter Giveaway ENTER HERE!









*PSST*!!  Healer is currently .99...check it out

Amazon US:
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble

B.N. Toler Social Media Links:
Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter

.

NOW MY REVIEW! 

Hybrid

I've been waiting Six LONG months for this book and I was so excited when Author B.N. Toler gave it to me early so that I could write an honest review.  

Hybrid is the second book in the Healer Series and picks up where Healer left off.  We find Aldo with her brothers and still crushing on Rhett.  But in this book we see her grow into herself and a become the beginning of the woman she is going to be.  Aldo is 20 years old for the most part in this novel and we see her take on more adult themes and experience more sizzle and spice than went on in the previous book.  

Once again B. N. Toler's fresh perspective on the genre has made this a must read book.  Urban Fantasy?  Paranormal Romance?  This book has it all.  The plot is fast moving and it kept me up all night literally reading I just couldn't put it down.  I couldn't believe when I finished the book it is 5:45am and I hadn't yet slept.  It just kept in it's grasp and wouldn't let go...there was no place to stop and I just didn't want to anyway.  

We learn more about Aldo's enemies and about Aldo herself and how she came to be with Lucy.  We even learn more about Lucy and who she was prior to taking on the triplets.  We see more of Whit and Hudson in the first part of the book and it puts our mind at ease that they are happy and doing well.  As the story continues we are introduced to a whole new cast of characters who will become lynch pins in Aldo's life.  Yes some of these characters are male, hawt and beautiful.  The steam came off the pages in clouds!  

The crafting of the characters was genius.  Aldo's character begins to have more depth and becomes at first someone you wanna smack but gradually as we read and she learns there is a depth there that can't help but touch the reader and make you feel what she is going through with her confusion of her love life.  Her attraction to things and people she felt she should not be attracted.  Daniel, on the other hand grasps you because of the mystery surrounding him and his life.  We get glimpses of his life and what made him the man he became but we have the knees knocked out from under us as we get into the last 1/4 of the book. Each of the secondary characters jump from the page.  Eileen is hilarious, Flynn is fun loving and Bridge needs a kick in the ass.  

I personally can't wait for the next book in this incredible series.  Another 5 star review for Ms. Toler and a huge! recommendation to read this novel...in fact if you have not yet discovered the Healer Series book 1 THE HEALER is currently on sale at Amazon for .$.99 so drop everything and one click it NOW. 

Healer by B.N Toler Repost of Review from September 2013

Healer
'
Read from September 26 to 27, 2013


Amazing Debut for B.N. Toler! A Paranormal series so different from the rest I hate to call it a PNR!

Description:

Healers, such as Aldo Lawson understand the power of their gift, although at times, it seems more a curse. Upon meeting a handsome young healer named Thomas, Aldo's life heads into a tailspin. With his arrival, Aldo's aunt, the woman who raised her, is forced to share a hard and scary truth--vampires exist. And not only do they exist, but they thirst for healer blood.

Aldo's world is turned upside down when her aunt is murdered and Thomas disappears. Riddled with questions, she sets out to find him.

Submerged  in a world filled with sex and danger, Aldo hopes to find the vampires that will lead her to Thomas. When they find her first, she is forced to piece together truths, deal with her pain, and finds that not everything is what it seems

The Author gave me this book for an honest review. Thanks Ms Toler

My Thoughts:

Wow, where do I start.

Is the book perfect no, it is a first novel by a very new writer however, that being said holy cow! this is a breath of fresh air in the Vampire genre. In fact, it is not so much a Vampire novel as it is a truly paranormal novel. The writing is fabulous and as you keeping reading the novel it gets better and better. Her characters were interesting, in some places sketchy but since this is a 3 part series I think a lot of the blanks will be filled in as we make our way to the ending of book 3. Aldo is an interesting character although at times confusing but confusing in a young girl way. She struggles with her feelings and fears. She has the normal teenage angst and behaves as expected around a cute older guy. Thomas is a mystery from moment one and that is what keep us readers on our toes right until the end and actually even then I was chomping at the bit for the next one.

The book started out writing from Aldo's "present" and then we are faced with chapters bouncing from present to 6 years before. I was a bit confused at first but muddled my way through and got used to it. I wonder if a simple chapter title would make this a smoother transition? Apart from that the story flows with it's bends and twirls and sudden change in direction then twisting once again. I admittedly was finding myself flabbergasted in the last 1/4 of the book. The spins were enough to make me want to read all night.

Starting a world from scratch is difficult for even the most experience authors and even then the first book of the series is often the worst as there is so much to explain. BNT did this seemlessly and using the different points in time as a vehicle to further her plot and keep the story moving.

Brava Ms Toler on an excellent first book and I can't wait for 2014 to read the next book in this trilogy! Toler's name is now in my *watch* list and with writing this good I know her future books will be amazing.

5 stars for this budding author and a standing ovation for the uniquness of the story and the ingenuity used to keep readers surprised. A MUST read this Fall ..don't miss what the buzz is all about read this today:) 

Buy this today from :

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble

Monday, March 17, 2014

Tall, Tatted and Tempting



Read on March 17, 2014 


I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I started to listen to this book. I had never heard of it or the author but a good friend recommended it who usually does not enjoy New Adult novels so I had to give it a try. I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the characters and the story. 

I would consider the book a sweet romance but with grit and an edge but not raw which is fine cause the book didn't need that rough rawness. I loved that Tammy Falkner used hero/ines that were different. Logan being deaf was truly unique and I enjoyed and respected how TF portrayed him without making him less than any other hero in any other novel. Kit with her reading disability was the perfect balance with Logan. It was wonderful watching them learn to communicate and revive skills that were set aside years ago. 

The chemistry in the novel was over the top..I could feel the sizzle between Kit and Logan in fact steam just jumped from the pages but even better I could feel the love that Logan had for his brothers and how that love fully encompassed Kit and brought her into the family fold. Kit's love for this new family was so overwhelming she made life changing decisions to keep them intact. 

I did listen to the book on Audiobook and the author was a bit disappointing. I felt Logan's voice was all wrong and that his character took a bit of a hit because of that I would recommend you read the book instead of listen. 

I awarded 4 stars for a surprising book about love, family and HAWT tattoo artists! I should mention there was a slight cliffhanger at the end of the story but if you chose not to read on ..you could let your imagination end the story easily. I personally am off to read the next novel because I love the brothers and I *have* to find out what happens with Matt. Don't miss out on this special story...read it today! 



Winners of Wolf Hunger!



Congratulations!!

Winners of the free copies of 


are

Ellen
and
Cindy Moore!

Please provide your email to me and we will forward the ebooks to you. 


If the emails are not received by March 24th 6pm another name will be drawn. 

Friday, March 14, 2014

Just Released!! 'Wolf Hunger' Dragon Heat book 3 by Ella J Phoenix and Giveaway!


Available March 12, 2014

Backcover Blurb

When the last box of deadly bullets is stolen, the hunt is on and the Vampire King’s band of fighters is set for the challenge of recovering it. But Yara, the shifter-witch, has other problems to face.  She must help her leader to overcome the strange illness that has befallen her before it’s too late. For that, she must go back to the only place she swore never to return – her home land. 
Rafe is a typical lone wolf who spends his nights earning his bucks in the fighting ring. When he was offered a pardon for his debts in exchange for the Vampire King’s head, he didn’t even blink, thinking it would be a hard mission but not impossible. He just wasn’t expecting the saucy shifter-witch to cross his path and ruin his plans. Now, he can’t get her out of his mind and the clock is ticking for him to make good on his word. 
This is the third novel of the Dragon Heat series – a paranormal lover’s delight with vampires, shifters, dragons, witches, bathed in magic. 

***Warning: this novel contains hot, steamy, descriptive sexual scenes. Enjoy.***

Amazon Link



And Just for you:  A Sneak Peak and Giveaway

....Chapter One!

The crowd was clearly not in the mood to cooperate tonight, or the current fighters weren’t doing their jobs properly. Either way, shit was going to hit the fan very soon. The usual cheering had been replaced by curses and boos just 3 minutes after the bell rang. 
Hidden in the shadows, Yara cracked her neck, left, then right, then carried on wrapping her hands with the protective cotton straps. After ensuring both her wrists, knuckles and thumbs were safely strapped, she pushed off the stool and stretched her calves. In the corner of her eye she saw Dyam, her vampire friend and brother-in-arms of sorts, leaning against the bar. His silky-smooth long hair and olive skin contrasted heavily against those of the other patrons, who were basically a bunch of supernatural, stinking low-lifes. His chocolate gaze briefly met hers. He gave her a quick nod, then returned his focus to the octagonal cage-like ring in the middle of the club. Yara roamed her eyes over the crowd and spotted her other co-pilot in the mission, the vamp Joel, standing a few feet from Dyam. Just like his counterpart, the royal bodyguard exuded a calm that was as reassuring as it was deceiving. Yara had no doubts that he was ready to pounce at anyone or anything to protect her. 
Joel lifted a blond brow at Yara, as if asking if she would still go ahead with the plan. She narrowed her eyes at him. By the gates of Hiad, of course she would! Ever since they destroyed Dr. Burvis’ laboratory in the U.K., where the psycho was attempting to mass market a bullet-size H-bomb, they had been trying to track down the last box of the little atomic fellas – the box she had let be stolen. Damn the Soartas! She was still kicking herself for that. Yara had come face to face with the mugger and what had she done? Did she kick his ass and snatch the box away? No, she stood there, like a deer headlights, hypnotized by gods knew what! Now after almost three months chasing ghosts and dead ends, they had finally got wind that the thief was going to sell the bullets tonight, and the deal was going down here, at this fighting joint. And since she had been the only one with access to the place – let’s just say she enjoyed the occasional bet – it was only natural for her to set their plan and get that freakin’ box back. They had carefully planned it all out – while the patrons were focused on the fights, Joel and Dyam would go in disguised as patrons and search the general area of the club. Sam and Hikuro, Yara’s best friend and the vampire king’s second in command, were outside, ready to jump in if needed. Yara would be working on the inside, since she had easy access to backstage. It was all mapped out and calculated by the second. In no time, Yara would be able to spot the buyer and the seller, then she’d call Joel and Dyam, they’d break the deal up, get the box back and tah-dah! Mission accomplished. 
However… it was easier said than done. The Dungeon, the fighting joint in question, was famous for holding the most brutal and ruthless fights to ever take place outside the umbrella of the law. They were usually quick, some even lasting less than a minute, but the best ones – the ones that really drove the crowd wild – lasted ten times as long. A massive scoreboard located just above one of the ends of the cage-like ring displayed the sad tally of the current battle. The ten-foot iron net shook with another blow from the contestants but the crowd wasn’t impressed. 
“Hey, gorgeous.”
Yara turned around to see her “guy” staring back at her. CJ was the Dungeon’s master of ceremony. Despite his many shortcomings, he had been her contact for a lot of her “hobbies,” like her underground fights and her poker nights with morally-questionable individuals. He had even introduced her into her favorite past-time of late. A naughty smile lifted the corner of her lips. Yep, it was worth keeping him around, and his half-demon/half-human nature had come in handy more than once. The SOB had an incredible knack for sensing bad news, and tonight his gaze carried a weight that didn’t match his relaxed greeting. 
“Hey, CJ,” she replied as gravely. “What’s up?”
“The buyer is here,” he replied, scanning the area for eavesdroppers. 
He lifted his chin toward the back of the room. Yara followed his hint, and spotted a tall blond man with grey eyes leaning against one of the pillars on the far corner. 
The buyer was Phillip – the draco who was working with Dr. Burvis in London, the rat bastard who double crossed them one too many times. 
Yara clutched her jaw tight. “What about the seller, any sign?”
CJ shook his head. “No, but I’ll keep you posted.” He started walking away, but stopped, turned back around and pinned her with his eerie snake-like eyes. “Look, be careful out there, alright?”
“If I had a penny for every warning I got, I’d be rich by now,” she answered. 
“I’m serious,” CJ replied. 
Yara frowned, then narrowed her eyes at him. “Is there anything else you’d like to share, CJ?”
He quickly scanned the area as if afraid they were being over heard or something. “Weird vibes in this place tonight. Weirder than usual. Just saying.” He shrugged then walked off. 
Hmm, a knack for sensing bad news. 
A loud thump followed by a painful grunt called Yara’s attention back to the mission. The crowd cheered rowdily. And another one bites the dust, she thought. After a few seconds, a massive bouncer left the cage carrying one of the fighters over his shoulders. But apparently the audience wasn’t very supportive of the winner, because all he got was a shitload of boos and curses. The iron grid around the ring was the only thing that protected the winner from the empty bottles that went flying by. She bet that the supposed winner was thanking the Soartas for the protective grid. People thought the cage-like ring was to keep the fighters in and protect the audience, but nah, they were so wrong, it was there keep the angry mob out. 
Yara was very well acquainted with what went down in this sort of hellhole. Only one fighter was divulged before the showdown. His opponent was a surprise – supposedly “taken out of the hat.” This way the audience were kept intrigued by who would fight whom, and throw more money on last-minute bets. 
“And now, for the second fight of the evening we have two very different opponents,” CJ declared from his safely guarded post near the sound booth. “On one side, we have the bulldozer of the east mountains, the beast who enjoys ripping his opponents guts out – Bulldozer Jones!” he chanted, pointing to the opposite direction. 
From her vantage point, Yara couldn’t see much – the place was packed to the rafters – but she bet that someone who had been nicknamed after a tractor wouldn’t be scrawny. 
Suddenly, a bushy head opened the sea of drunks and made its way into the ring. 
“And to fight against the beast of the east,” CJ bellowed over the keyed up cheers from the crowd, “a queen of the underground circuit, a flower that would tear you apart and leave you smiling. From the depths of the Amazon jungle, I give you …”
Oh-oh.
“Yara, the Brazilian witch!”  
Fuck. 
The crowd went crazy, searching for a rose with thorns. 
Yara took a deep breath, straightened herself up and pushed her way through the sea of smelly males. She didn’t bother using the little side door to the ring; she climbed the tall iron fence instead and landed expertly on the inside. 
The drunken mob went completely silent. A coin would have been heard dropping on the sticky floor.
Yara roamed her eyes over them, clearly showing she wasn’t seeking anyone’s approval, and met a bunch of confused looks. Some guys stared at her face, others were locked on her red sports bra and spandex shorts, but none had any idea of what to make of her. 
Then someone shouted, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” 
And the cursing started again, followed by very creative indecent proposals.  
Yara ignored them all. Having been in that ring a couple of times before, she knew the crowd’s disapproval would come sooner or later. Not worth wasting her time; instead, she focused on reading her adversary. 
Being more than a head taller than her, Bulldozer Jones did his nickname justice. His neck was the size of her thighs; his chest was so puffed up that his bulging arms were resting on a 45-degree angle away from his body. His bushy red hair was thick and short, looking more like a fur. Long sideburns framed his disproportioned face, and matched his fat nose. 
She sighed. Ai, Apa DobrĂ½, this was going to hurt. With virtually no rules and no referees, there were only two ways to end a fight in the cage – as the winner or a corpse. You could do whatever you wanted to earn your cash in the ring, except shape-shift or use magical powers. That’s why it was very rare to see a female name on the scoreboard. 
Yara flicked a glance at the panel on the far wall. CJ’s assistant was holding her name in his hand, as if waiting to see if it was worth the effort to put it up or not.  
So encouraging. 
“Last bets, fellas!” the bookie, and owner of the joint, shouted from somewhere near the bar. 
A swarm of males surrounded him, waving dollar bills up high and shouting “On Jones! On Jones!” 
Yara rolled her eyes but deep inside, she’d have bet her money on the bulldozer as well. She took the opportunity to scrutinize the room. Phillip had disappeared. The guy who stole the bullets from under her nose in London would have arrived. The cage was a few feet higher than the standing audience, so she should be able to spot him easily, but would she recognize him? Their encounter had been so quick and he had been protected by the shadows, so despite her acute eyesight from her panther inmĂ£, all she could get was a glimpse of his amazing biceps and ripped abs.
Dyam moved from his spot near the exit to the crowded front row. His eyes were filled with concern. She gave him a reassuring nod, but deep inside her panther paced anxiously. She could do this; she had won many fights like this before. The main question was at what cost? She liked her limbs how and where they were, and would like them to stay that way. 
The bell rang. Bulldozer Jones jumped forward, like an ugly bear in heat. 
“I’m gonna make you beg, love,” he drawled. “And after I take you down, I’m gonna show real fun.”
“Charming,” Yara replied. 
She lifted her fists high up, to shield her face, and kept her feet light, skipping in place. It would be a lot harder for Heavy Jones here to hit a fast, moving target. Her only chance was to use her speed and agility against his sheer strength. 
He came at her with the arrogance of a bulldog, drooling and all. Yara’s stomach churned at the sight of his ugly yellow teeth. Without ceremony, he threw a cross punch at her. She quickly shifted her balance and hunkered backwards, missing the guy’s wrist by a few inches. She then slid underneath his still outstretched arm and punched his exposed ribs, several times. Bulldozer hunkered down, obviously feeling the pain. 
For the second time in the night, the crowd went silent. Sharp intakes on breath and curses of disbelief replaced the earlier slurs.
“Yara, look out!” 
Dyam’s shout brought her back to the present. She turned around, forearms high for protection but it was no use. Jones’ fist connected to her right ear with such a force that she saw stars. She stumbled sideways and before she could recover, a tight bear-hug locked her in place, whooshing the air out of her lungs. 
Not good, not good at all. She tried to break free, but Bulldozer’s thick arms were like an anaconda around her. 
“That’s it, bitch, struggle for me, I love a fighter,” her charming opponent drawled just inches from her nose. Then he clacked his teeth together, as if giving her a snapshot of what he’d really like to do to her. His putrid breath reached her, making breathing even harder. 
The crowd went absolutely insane. 
Dark spots filled Yara’s eyesight, her oxygen intake was running dangerously slow; a few more seconds and the Bulldozer would succeed in blacking her out, or worse, cracking all her ribs. 
Right. Time to end this circus. 
Yara lifted her knees up and planted her both feet firmly on his thighs. Using them as leverage, she pulled back as far away from the stinking rat as she could, and then rammed her forehead into the fucker’s nose. A crack and a grunt later, she was free to breathe. 
“You fuckin’ bitch! You’re gonna pay for this,” he bellowed holding his bleeding nose. But in no time, he was charging at her again, arms outstretched, like a bull in Pamplona. 
Yara swirled around, hooked her left arm on his and in a fluid movement, she dragged him down and over her, lifting his heavy body by her feet. Bulldozer did a cartwheel in the air and crashed down with a loud thump on the arena. 
The crowd cheered and more profanities were suggested, together with marriage proposals. Hmm, that’s an improvement. But Yara didn’t have time to laugh at the crowd’s change of heart. Before Jones could recover, she climbed on the thick fence, then jumped, elbow first, on top of S.O.B.’s stomach. 
“Oooh,” the audience shrieked. 
Feeling the love in the room, Yara stood up and swirled around slowly, making sure they all saw the message stamped on the back of her shorts – “Dream On.” 
Suckers.
Her respite didn’t last long, though. Jones shook his head awake, pushed off the floor and roared at her. Yara stood her ground, showing him no fear, but then, the unthinkable happened. He started heaving and growing and getting heavier at each breath. Smoke came out of his abnormally enlarged nostrils and two horns emerged from his forehead, at the same time a set of immense wings popped out of his shoulder blades. His eyes turned bright yellow and his skin got covered in thick red fur.
Oh. Fuck. 
The Bulldozer was a Lamassu deamon, aka a freaking winged bull. 
Her evening was getting more promising by the second. 
“Hey! No shifting!” she heard someone yell, but the crowd had gone even more berserk with the promise of a good blood-spilling showdown. 
The Lamassu lunged forward. His spike-like teeth glistened with moisture. The ringmaster was giving no indication that he intended to stop the fight, so it was up to her to get her ass out of that cage, and fast. At the same time that Jones lunged at her, she shifted to the right, dodging his attack by a millimeter. Leveraging off the guy’s own weight, she leaped off the ground and landed on his back. He tried to get her off him, but, as she predicted, his arms were much too thick to reach back. She rode him to the left, then to the right, making him lose his balance. In no time, they crashed to the ground. Advantage #1: neutralized. While on the ground, the Lamassu couldn’t use his height and length against her. Next step, neutralize Advantage #2: his freaking wings. With her left hand, she quickly pinned one of his arms to her chest, while her right hand locked his elbow out-stretched. She then placed her left foot on his hip, pivoted her body exactly forty-five degrees to the right, then swung her left leg up, wrapped it around the bastard’s neck, and squeezed. The beast tried to fight her off, but the beauty of an arm-bar move is that no matter how big you are, the more you struggle, the more you choke. 
Thank you, Brazilian jiu-jitsu! 
After a few moments of more struggles, his limbs lost the strength, went floppy then completely still. He wasn’t dead, Yara knew it for a fact, but the beast was going to enjoy a little nap before waking up with a headache from Hiad. 
She took a deep breath and stood up. The crowd replied with applause, whistles and other less-polite noises. Joel was clapping his hands together, his loud laughter adding to the audience’s cheers. Even Dyam’s grim face showed a hint of amusement. She winked at him. He shook his head in disapproval but she noticed his lips curving up in a small smile. 
Now all they had to do was find the thief, get the box of bullets and get the hell out of there. As per protocol, she would be taken to the back room to receive her share of the winnings. And as per their plan, she’d use the opportunity to access the secure area and find the bastard thief with the box. 
Yara’s eyes perused the room, looking for CJ, but didn’t find him. Instead she met the most amazing grey gaze. Fearless. Powerful. Viral. 
Wow. 
The pair of eyes belonged to a dark haired, tall man with sharp features and broad shoulders. Even his long sleeved T-shirt wasn’t enough to hide the well-defined muscles underneath. 
Again, wow. Her panther purred inside. 
She frowned. I know him, her mind uttered, but from where? A tightness curled in her heart, something she’d only felt once before – when the Soartas placed her at a crossroads that changed her life forever. Yara blinked, trying to deal with the flood of feelings that threatened to overwhelm her. Focus! Focus on the mission! 
The sound of the cage’s small iron chains opening up reached Yara’s ears. The bookie got inside and gestured for the crowd to shut up. They complied, barely. “This fight is a ‘no contest’!’” 
“What?” Yara shouted in utter disbelief. 
“It’s not valid.”
“Why?” 
“Because shifting and magical tricks are not allowed in my ring.”
“I didn’t use any magic,” she growled between clenched teeth. 
“But he shifted,” the bookie retorted, pointing at the Lamassu deamon still napping on the floor. “And that’s not allowed.” 
Loud cheers mixed with angry curses swamped the house. 
“You worthless prick!” Yara shouted. If that weasel thought she’d let him take that win away from her without a fight, he was terribly wrong. She had gone through Hiad to get them inside that club tonight. She was not giving up now. 
She opened her stance and prepared to give the bookie a piece of her mind, when the fence was suddenly shaken so hard that made both of them stop halt. 
“Let her fight me,” the guy with amazing grey eyes said. 
He looked at Yara as if daring her to accept. She glared back at him, and couldn’t stop the low growling from escaping her mouth. 
“Let her fight me,” he repeated, louder this time. “And if she wins again, she takes the winnings … from both fights.”
There, he’d done it. The crowd stood up and roared, showing their support with whistles, clapping and more obscene proposals. She glared at the mob, unable to mask her annoyance. Seriously? Every time? 
Yara turned back around and faced the owner of the ridiculous idea. “I won the fight with honor, no cheating. I deserve my share.”
“And your share you will get,” the bookie said with a sleazy smile. “All you need to do is defeat our champion.”
Champion? Ai, Apa DobrĂ½, her night couldn’t get any better. 
As if on cue, the crowd cheered again, like the filthy monkeys they were. 
Yara quickly searched for Dyam. He wasn’t happy. He ran his tongue over his teeth and shook his head, a clear sign of “don’t you dare accept this.” Joel was right there, too. Murder stamped on his face. 
Did she have any choice in the matter? If she backed down from the challenge, they’d never be able to come back to the club – hell, they’d probably be kicked out like rabid dogs and miss out on the chance of retrieving the black box with the last sample of the atomic bullets. No, she couldn’t let Phillip get his hands on that box. If that happened, their entire efforts in London would have been for nothing, and Hiad would break loose. Literally. 
Yara exhaled a tired breath. She had no other choice but to agree with fighting this new guy. “Whatever. Just don’t spring any wings or horns when you lose, alright, champ boy?” she sneered.  
Grey Eyes bowed ceremoniously, then leaped over the grid and landed smoothly in the middle of the ring. The bookie took his cue and quickly made himself scarce. 
At close range, Yara was able to scrutinize her new adversary better. He wasn’t handsome in a Hollywood sort of way. His beauty was rough, savage, but very handsome nonetheless. 
He grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. 
Ai, Apa DobrĂ½. Yara’s jaw dropped involuntarily. His broad shoulders and pecs were covered in intricate tattoos. His square jaw carried a delicious stubble, that matched perfectly with his deceivingly disheveled brown hair. There was a raw vibe to him that permeated in the air like the amazing scent of dark spices he gave off. And reverberated all the way to her core. 
We’ve definitely met before … but where?
That was so not the analysis she needed to be doing right now. She shoved the wanton wonderings back into her subconscious, and focused on the planning her fight moves. 
He stood imperially on the opposite side of the ring, watching her, but not giving her a hint of opening the tally. 
She cocked an eyebrow at him.  “So are we doing this or what?” she asked. 
A lazy, crooked smile played on his lips. “Let’s dance.”

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Random draw: Giveaway will be announced here March 17 so give the blarney stone a kiss and cross your fingers:)  

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Murder of Crows

Read from March 09 to 11, 2014 

What can I say I fricken! love this series. Anne Bishop's creativity knows no bounds. Murder of Crows picks up where Written in Red leaves off. 

The story, the characters the world building ..all absolutely ROCK! I made Written in Red my top read of 2013 and I can see even this early in that Murder of Crows is going to be in my top 5 favorite books of the year.

Anne Bishop's take on Urban Fantasy is fresh and dynamic. The uniqueness of her world and the characters that inhabit it is nothing less than sensational. I did listen to this on Audiobook and the narrator was absolutely perfect. Every new character was someone you could connect with and want to know more about. I love both Simon and Meg, the inner circle of characters are fabulous and I want o learn more about them and touch on their stories more in depth. 

The whole story line was so different than anything else I have read in PNR or UF and so well written. Anne Bishop crafts such a well rounded plot and then follows it up ..she doesn't get too involved with creating multiple plot lines just the ones necessary to use as a vehicle for her main plot. 

The series so far is like good old whiskey...it has a long burn ...and tastes oohhh soo good. I just can't wait to see where Anne Bishop is going to take us next in "The Others" series!! I know it is going to kill me until the next edition is out!

5 golden stars for this seriously unique urban fantasy book! If you haven't started this series...I recommend you do! It is definitely worth the price of purchase!!!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Hard As You Can


Read from March 05 to 06, 2014

I'm loving this series, Laura Kaye blends suspense, ex military, tattoo artists, bikers, drug dealers, human traffickers and romance and comes out with a blockbuster novel. 

Hard As You Can is the 2nd book in the Hard Ink series and continues the story from the first novel. Let me be clear each book contains it's own romance and there is a story arc that continues from book 1 into book 2 unresolved. This arc is really the basis of the series and what brings all the characters together . Then the chemistry between the H/H takes the story in a new direction. 

Laura Kaye's characters are marvelous. They jump out of the pages at you. In this novel you can't help but love Shane. He is alpha but has a tenderness about him that gives him a bit of a softer edge than most of today's heroes. This tenderness makes him perfect for our heroine Crystal who needs some kid glove treatment after what she has been through in her young life. You can't help but feel the emotions each of these characters bring to this romance and the fear that moves the story along. LK's secondary characters are supportive and have their own individual characteristics and no two are even close to being the same. 

The plot has an edge, a rawness to it that makes it believable and keeps you turning page after page to see what happens. There is enough steam to keep the ER readers happy but a lot of suspense to keep the SR readers right with the ER readers. Over all a great book that takes you on the fast track and keeps going so fast you never want to get off. 

I give this novel 5 stars as it has everything I love in a romantic suspense novel and more. I can't wait to read Easy and Jenna's story in the novella that will be out shortly. If you haven't met the Guys and Gals from Hard Ink Give it a shot trust me you will be buying book 2 before you finish book 1! Enjoy!