REVIEW: Bound By Your Touch by Meredith Duran

ISBN 978-1-4165-9263-1
Genre: Historical Romance
(c) July 2009, Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster
Meredith Duran's website

Rating: 4.5 stars





Buy Link: Book Depository

"Wonderful romance and a great read! Not to be missed!"

I was charmed by Meredith Duran's The Duke of Shadows. It is no wonder then that I come to read Bound By Your Touch with a lot of expectations, the least of which is that I should love this book, too.

Bound By Your Touch started with our heroine, Miss Lydia Boyce, being embarrassed in her presumptions of a gentleman's feelings who, in fact, had developed a tendre for her sister without her knowing about it. The prologue has such promise--a sympathetic heroine whom I can't help but root for, and I also anticipate the comeuppance that is sure to befall her um, "evil" sister. (However, there's no comeuppance, because Lydia is a much better person than I am.)

In the four years hence, Lydia developed a strong sense of self, all of which is tied up in her work for her father. She is clear in her feelings toward her family, in that one doesn't shy away from love when it becomes painful. Hence, it's possible to be hurt by a family member yet still continue to love him/her just the same. She has overcome certain desires (for a husband and family) when she believes she will remain a spinster and it is so wondrous to see all these get revived when she starts to fall for James, who gives her hope.

James, who portrays himself as a wastrel and lives to anger his father, is captivated by Lydia. He couldn't understand Lydia's devotion to and faith in her father, despite there being suspicions of her father being involved in a crime, as his own father had let him down very badly years ago. Yet in her, he finds himself learning about faith, and in her he finds his freedom and what he could be.

We also see a wonderful kind of parallelism between the two characters and their situations: Quiet, retiring Lydia and the effervescent playboy James, Lydia who loved her father and James who hated his, and some other stuff which are discussed in other blogs/review sites. I won't repeat them here, and all I can say is that for all the tender scenes between James and Lydia, this book is worth a read. I especially like the one wherein Lydia was declaring her father's innocence and yet, despite herself, doubt was creeping in. To prove her claim, she has to break a stone figure with a hammer. There was a wordless communication between the two of them--with James knowing somehow what was going on in her head, and Lydia knew this--and with every strike, she finds it harder and harder to hold onto her faith at the same time her physical body was tiring. Until finally, James came behind her and lent her his strength, that they were going to do it "together". It was a powerful scene in terms of the emotions it evoked in me.

Bound By Your Touch has its own appeal over The Duke of Shadows, and in my opinion, BBYT could be better than DoS overall because of the heroine. Then again, I was only charmed in the first half of DoS.

Buy Link (paper): Book Depository

REVIEW: Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward

ISBN 978-0-451-21804-9

Series: Guardians of Eternity, Book 2

Genre: Paranormal Romance

(c) March 2006, Signet Eclipse, Penguin Group

J.R. Ward's website

 Rating: 4.5 stars





Buy Link (paper): Book Depository

"A great improvement over Dark Lover! Lover Eternal makes me a solid fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood!" 

I've said that there was nothing remarkable about Dark Lover, but I sure can't say the same for Lover Eternal. From the moment Rhage met Mary, I was hooked and caught. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. J.R. Ward is truly a remarkable author in the way she was able to get me to be invested in her characters. She is also very good at twisting the characters' emotions (like when Rhage was first rejected by Mary) and making me feel his hurt and her insecurity.

Rhage was so sweet as he tried to court Mary in a way that wouldn't alarm her. I like his persistence in pursuing her, despite her "rejection" (sort of) of him, and I like the way he treated her with care, the way he savored her. There was something very tender and precious about the start of their relationship, like the slow blossoming of flowers, specifically in their first dinner scene and later on, when he went to her house.

And Mary...Mary was so very human--her insecurities, her fears, her panic and her incredulity that a gorgeous guy like Rhage would be interested in her. It is so easy to identify with her and feel with her and for her. Yet, she is also amazingly brave in face of her sickness and in protecting people she cared about. So unselfish. I especially like the way Rhage described her eyes: "Gunmetal gray, surrounded by lashes the color of her hair, they were grave, serious, reminding him of males who fought and survived battle. They were staggeringly beautiful in their strength." Truly, despite Mary's insecurities, she is a warrior and a fitting mate to Rhage.

However, I was frustrated with her insecurities by the last one or two times (it went on way too long at the expense of Rhage's feelings) and she started to be annoying, especially with the way she hurt Rhage with her comments. I would've thrown down the book were I not felt compelled to know how it turned out in the end for them. But the scene after she pushed Rhage away and he came after her at Bella's farm house and she stoically held on to her position and Rhage turned away, ready to leave her....when she ran after him and his arms came slowly around her...sigh. Good sigh.

Rhage did something in the middle of the book that would've broken any woman's heart, especially one who was in love with him. I tried to understand why he did what he did, and the most I could come up with was because he cared too much about Mary to hurt her. Yet, at the same time, he was also in a quandary. Whatever he did or did not do, he would be hurting her. I feel that he needed to go through it to realize he was never going to do it again, that it was unbearable for him, that it also hurt him. He also seemed to accept his feelings for Mary after that, that whatever she hurled at him, he would still continue to love her and stay by her side (instead of leaving the way he did previous times).

And oh, of course, I'm totally curious and eager to know what's gonna happen to John Matthew. (Can't wait for Lover Mine. I love it when I start a series late, so now I have all the next books to look forward to without having to wait!) He should be Darius come back to life, isn't he? But why is "Tehrror" the name that he dreamed of?

And with this book, I'm solidly a fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. *grin*

Buy Link (paper): Book Depository

REVIEW: Threshold by Sara Douglass

ISBN 0-765-34277-4

(c) July 2004, TOR

Sara Douglass's website

Rating: 4.5 stars




Buy Link (paper): Book Depository

"Great story with a mix of fantasy, adventure, magic and romance"

Tirzah is a glassmaker, and her special talent is that of caging. She has an affinity with glass that enables her to do fine and detailed work unlike any. Which was why, when she, along with her father, was sold as a slave to pay off their debts, she was shipped to far away Ashdod to do caging work for the pryamid that the mages are building.

The moment she stepped foot inside Threshold (the pyramid), the glass screams at her that something is wrong, though they couldn't tell her the exact nature of the wrongness.

Where she met Boaz, a powerful yet cruel Mage, yet beneath is a sweet and tender man that captivated her. Which is the real Boaz? And what is the mystery and sense of evil that is hanging over Threshold?

I picked up this book due to recommendations from some online bloggers/readers and I wasn't disappointed. Ms. Douglass presented a unique form of magic here, that of the number one. I don't pretend to understand everything that she wrote here on that subject (math is not my strongest point), but it did open my eyes to the wonder of how a mundane concept as "one" could be manipulated and become a magic system all by itself.

Ms. Douglass also did some great foreshadowing in the story. When Tirzah carged the picture of a river with frogs in a piece of inferior glass as part of her test, we could not have known just how important this carving is. But it is very important--to Tirzah, to Boaz, to Threshold. Oh, and frogs also feature a lot here. In a way, they're magic. If I were a writer, I would never have thought to use frogs, because well, because...they're not sexy and not at all magic-inspiring. Yet, in this story, they worked.

Tirzah, as we can guess, possessed magic herself. She's an Elemental, and she can hear the glass and the metals, and later on, manipulate the elements. I love this passage, which she hears often throughout the book, as there's a certain lyrical beauty to it:

Hold me, soothe me, touch me, love me.

Tirzah started off as a timid, ignorant village girl resigned to her fate, and it's a pleasure to see her grow and develop into a smart and strong woman who was desperate enough to risk all to protect and hold her own. Boaz also did a lot of changing, but because this book is written from Tirzah's point of view, we only see his changes, which are more monumental than that of Tirzah, through her eyes. Would have been lovely to know what he was thinking and feeling though.

Unlike in romance novels, Boaz the hero was very cruel to Tirzah in the earlier part of the book, even to the point of doing her harm. But he did show remorse later on and, though I'm not saying that made it okay, there was a reason to his cruelty. Their romance was adequate, but I would've loved to see more romantic moments between them especially toward the second half of the book. But because this is a fantasy novel, I'm happy with what I'm given.

My only complaint is that the defeat of the villain was rather anti-climactic as we don't see the actual fight, because it was between him and Boaz. That said, I recommend this book to all who love a good story with a mix of fantasy, adventure, magic and romance. 

Buy Link (paper): Book Depository

REVIEW: Darkness Revealed by Alexandra Ivy

ISBN 9781420102963

Series: Guardians of Eternity, Book 4

Genre: Paranormal Romance

(c) March 2009, Zebra Books

Alexandra Ivy's website

Rating: 4.5 stars

Buy Link (paper): Book Depository

"An irresistible must-read!"

Anna Randal couldn't forget the man--no, vampire--who'd seduced her, then left her, on that unforgettable night so almost two centuries ago. How could she when she found herself possessed of powers that no human should have? He must have given them to her with his bite and so she searched for him and was elated when she found him in Chicago, only to realize he still affected her strongly and she may be getting more than the answers she wished to have.

As for Conde Cezar, he was forced from the bed that long-ago night to slave for the Oracles, the voice of justice in the demon world. But now he was tasked to protect Anna from an evil that sought to kill her, and he would fulfill his duty or die trying.

If you've read my previous reviews of Alexandra Ivy's books (Darkness Unleashed, Beyond the Darkness, Embrace the Darkness), you'd know that I absolutely love her writing. She has a way of pulling you into her world, and Darkness Revealed is no exception. It could be due to the way she employed only the absolute essential descriptions of the characters and the setting. This serves her well especially when her stories are romance interspersed with lots and lots of action. Magic, mayhem and violence galore! Add to that mix a gorgeous, protective hero and a strong, smart heroine and you've got a book that's an irresistible must-read!

There was, however, a slight flaw in this novel. That I could see, anyway. I don't believe for a moment that the villain would've known of Anna and not kill her right away. I mean, the villain struck me as the type to make sure that any threat wouldn't be left alive for even one second, even if the threat hadn't been fully established yet, whereas Anna was left alive for years while the villain tried to ascertain if she was a threat or not. Such dilly-dallying just isn't consistent with the villain's character. That said, this little detail didn't deter my enjoyment of this story. Whenever I see a book with the name Alexandra Ivy on it, I automatically pick it up, knowing I'm in for a good and enjoyable ride.

By the way, I didn't read the books in this series in sequence but that didn't affect my enjoyment at all. The books are standalones and it was fun to revisit old characters before we saw how the right heroine could fell these tall, strong vamps.

Buy Link (paper): Book Depository

REVIEW: How To Score by Robin Wells

ISBN 978-0-446-61842-7
(c) June 2009, Forever, Grand Central Publishing
Robin Wells' website

Rating: 4.5 stars

Buy Link (paper): Book Depository

"Laugh-out-loud funny! You definitely want to read this in the privacy of your home for the pleasure of laughing with no holds barred."

Ms. Wells writes stories that are laugh-out-loud funny, definitely books you'd want to read in the privacy of your home for the pleasure of laughing with no holds barred. She opened How To Score with a funny conversation between Chase Jones and Horace, the man he was coaching for his brother, that also serves to acquaint readers with the situation without info dumping.

Chase was filling in for his brother Luke as life coach because he was the reason Luke was in the Witness Protection Program, for which he felt guilty about. Just as he was thinking how much more he could endure talking to the losers that his brother has for clients, a woman named Sammi Matthews called, whose voice intrigued him and before he knew it, he was meeting up with her and dating her.

Sammi Matthews needed a life coach to help boost her self-confidence and to teach her how not to injure her future dates. Thus far, she had given one a black eye and cracked another's ribs. She puts the lessons her coach taught her into her dates with Chase, and before she knew it, she was falling for him. Although mishaps did occur when she was with Chase, he didn't seem put off by them...

Though Sammi's self-confidence is low when it comes to men, she is stubborn in her love for art deco architecture and goes all out to preserve it. However, with Chase's help (both as her life coach and as her date), she becomes more confident of herself. She is also a pushover, especially when it comes to her sister Chloe, and she is kind-hearted and really just can't say "no" to a friend who needs help. I expect she's the kind of woman everyone wants to be friends with, but she also needs someone to pick up after her messes. Her antics as her dog bites into Chase's jogging shorts and as she spills hot coffee into his lap are priceless.

Okay, normally, I don't like such type of comedic antics, coz they remind me of The Three Stooges, but I love it in this book because I think they're just right to portray the sort of person Sammi is and the situations she normally finds herself in. Of course, a lot of the troubles are actually caused by the dog, but if she weren't so soft-hearted, she wouldn't have agreed to take on the dog in the first place.

Chase, on the other hand, is also attracted to Sammi and soon, he finds himself in a quandary. Thus far, he has been talking to Sammi as her life coach (whom she thought was Luke) and dating her as himself. As such, he came to know her secrets, even what she felt regarding Chase. Time and again, he wanted to tell her the truth, but something or the other prevented it until he realized just how much Sammi meant to him and he was afraid that the truth might cause him to lose her.

And Horace is such an unbelievable character. Read the book and you'll know just how unbelievable he is. Does such a person really exist in the world? Still, it is his responses to Chase's questions and statements that sometimes has me laughing out loud. It's nice to see him closing the book as well, since it was his conversation with Chase that opened it.

I will be picking up Between The Sheets and see if it will also have me in stitches while I wait for Ms. Wells' next offering.

Buy Link (paper): Book Depository

REVIEW: Embrace the Darkness by Alexandra Ivy

ISBN 9780821779378
Series: Guardians of Eternity, Book 2
(c) April 2008, Zebra Books
Alexandra Ivy's website

Rating: 4.5 stars

Buy Link (paper): Book Depository

"A potent combination of danger and passion, friendship and betrayal"

Alexandra Ivy's writing has a way of sucking one in from the first page into the world she created and not letting go until the last page. Gripping with action and magic and interspersed with the sensuality of Viper's and Shay's romance, Embrace the Darkness is a potent combination of danger and passion, friendship and betrayal.

Lady Shay is half human and half Shalott demon, beautiful such that men lusted after her, but being a Shalott, her greater danger is from the vampires, who coveted her blood. In fact, her father was killed by a vampire who craved his blood. Thus, sparks fly and mistrust went deep when Viper, a vampire clan chief, saw her on the slave auction block and bought her.

Viper couldn't forget the beautiful half Shalott who saved his life. Intrigued and haunted by her, he searched for her and when the chance came, bought her to possess her as his own. However, he didn't bargain for the evil presence that sought to kill her or that he would risk his very life to keep her safe.

I love it when those protective male testosterone went into overdrive. Viper is almost as yummy as Jagr (Darkness Unleashed) with his long, silver hair. Especially when his protective instincts for Shay reared up, most especially when he even prepared to die to save her, his one regret being if he died, who will then protect her?  *good shiver*

Back to the physical, somehow, that was the image of Viper that stuck in my head--Slavic features with long, silver hair. Certainly, he may be more beautiful than Jagr, but Jagr struck the heart in a way Viper didn't. Though both have been tortured and Viper was even a slave once, we don't see this manifesting in Viper. It was as though his past had been wiped out, or even if he remembered his past, it was there in a dim corner of his mind, forever locked. Certainly, he conquered them, rising from the bottom of the ladder to the top, where he was no longer in a position to be bullied by anyone. Whereas Jagr showed his vulnerability in his centuries of solitude and when he was caged by the imp.

We also see that there's more to Shay than her blood or physical beauty. Being half human and half demon, she was considered her whole life as a mongrel, fitting into neither world. Strong and a warrior to the core, there's her hunger for female companionship--friends--and her insecurity at being unable to live up to the fierce warrior image of her Shalott ancestors. Yet, when courage was sorely needed, she had it in spades, fighting side by side with Viper. Truly remarkable.

I like that the story is bigger than Shay's and Viper's romance as we deal with vampire politics as well as in the greater demon world, with the werewolf packs struggling to be recognized and seeking to topple the vampires' Anasso (leader) from his thus-far undisputed position as the king of all the demons. I believe it would be better to read the entire Guardians of Eternity series in sequence, however, each book stands alone. I, for one, have no problems reading it out of sequence, as this is my second book after Darkness Unleashed (book 5).

By the way, it is also here that we are also introduced to Levet, the funny gargoyle who provided much needed comic relief! Abby and Dante from the first book also made cameo appearances, making me want to read their story. Certainly, it would be interesting to see how a vampire and a goddess managed to hook up together.

Buy Link (paper): Book Depository

GIVEAWAY & REVIEW: Beyond the Darkness by Alexandra Ivy

ISBN 9781420102987

Series: Guardians of Eternity, Book 6

Genre: Paranormal Romance

(c) April 2010, Zebra Books, Kensington

Alexandra Ivy's website 

Rating 4.5 stars






Buy Links (paper): Book Depository, Barnes and Noble 

"Another exciting book in the series! Not to be missed!"

I really love Alexandra Ivy's writing! Her prose flows like smooth, warm honey, the kind you'll never get enough of. I know I've said something to that effect before, but I witnessed it again in this story and in Embrace the Darkness, which I've read but haven't yet written the review.

I have to admit that when I was reading Darkness Unleashed (Jagr's story), I hadn't liked Salvatore Giuliani, King of the Weres, that much. I thought he was too smooth, too slick and let's face it, I hate any man who has a better grasp of fashion than I. In this story, Salvatore is still the same fastidious Were, but his head is by no means only wrapped up in his appearance. There's another side to him--the king who takes his responsiblity and duty to his people seriously, maybe at cost to his own life. The man who would do anything to protect his mate and keep her safe. When Harley itches at his protectiveness, he told her, "There will never be a moment when I won't need to protect you." Happy sigh, and in serious danger of melting! What I like best was his snappy, witty banter with the heroine. I could read on and on. Totally refreshing and never failed to bring a smile to my face.

Harley is a likeable heroine, strong, spunky, smart, an equal partner for Salvatore. I like that when she did finally meet her sister in person, she was wary and that they didn't immediately fall crying into each other's arms. Affection does take time to grow. Though she seemed to resist making any commitment to Salvatore, her reaction when she discovered he might be in danger is a dead giveaway to the people around her. But when she finally accepted her place as Salvatore's mate and queen, she stepped right up to her responsiblities.

In this book, we finally discovered who engineered the kidnapping of Harley and her sisters and the reasons behind! However, the story doesn't stop here. Ms Ivy cleverly dangles another thread before us, one that might have cataclysmic repercussions, and I hope we see this in the next book, which is still a long time coming--December 2010!

Sadly, there's not much about Levet here, except for the first few chapters. But there's a fascinating new character--Harley and Darcy and Regan's sister. There are intriguing bits about her, who is very mysterious and seems to be the catalyst to some world event. And then there's Caine, evil cur turned good guy? I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him. The next book should be plenty exciting!

Buy Links (paper): Book Depository, Barnes and Noble 

~ o ~

We have TWO GIVEAWAYS--any book from the author's backlist, which includes the one to be released in April (Beyond the Darkness)! One international and one US residents only. In fairness to everyone, this means there'll be two pools of entrants--one US resident pool and the other non-US resident. Please indicate your country of residence when you comment.

We'll also have Alexandra Ivy popping in and out of the blog, so if you've any questions, feel free to ask! She'll be around to answer and comment.

How to enter the contest?

Answer this question: Go to Alexandra's website and tell us which of her Guardians of Eternity books you'd like to read the most and why.

Extra chances to win:

+ 3 if you're an old follower of this blog
+ 2 if you're a new follower of this blog (start following from this contest/post)
+ 2 if you follow us on Facebook or Twitter
+ 2 if you take our poster (located on the right sidebar) about this contest and post it
              on your blog/website with a link back to us
+ 1 for every time you spread the word about this contest via Facebook, MySpace, Twitter,
              your blog, website or other form of social media. For example, you tweeted about
              this contest twice and also announced it on your Facebook. You also wrote a blog
              post. That's 4 additional chances! However, for these to qualify, be sure to come
              back here and post the links. Like, if you tweeted twice, give me both links.

If you do all of the above, at a minimum, that's 9 chances to win (8 if you're a new follower)! Remember, the more things you do to help us spread the word, the better your chances.

Contest ends on March 24 (Wednesday), 1159pm EST.

Winner will be picked via Randomizer.org and announced on March 25 (Thursday). Instructions will be given then on how to claim your prize. Be sure to come back and check because we won't hunt you down. If prizes are unclaimed after 1 week, new winners will be chosen.

Good luck!

REVIEW: Breaking Free by Cherise Sinclair

ISBN 978-1-59632-965-2

Series: Masters of the Shadowlands, Book 3

Genre: Erotic Romance, BDSM

(c) June 2009, Loose Id

Cherise Sinclair's website 

Rating: 4.5 stars







Buy Links (ebook): Loose Id, Fictionwise

"Great characters, wonderful story. Whether you're into BDSM or not, this is the book to read! Hard to put down!"

Cherise Sinclair knew how to twist your emotions into a giant, tangled knot where you hurt along with the heroine (and root for her all the way) or melt at the gentleness and understanding exhibited by the big and strong hero who knew what she needed.

Nolan King is an irresistible hero, especially when seen through the heroine's eyes. Irresistible not because of his looks or gorgeous figure, but for his qualities--the care he took for his subs, his patience and his genuine desire to give them what they need. He exudes power and authority, and more importantly, competence. I'm not into BDSM and I don't know squat about it, but if all the Doms were like Nolan, I wouldn't mind trying it out.

Beth comes across as wild and feral and fragile, all due to a deep-seated fear (with good cause), and I was happy to see her bloom under Nolan's care. Her past and her vulnerability really tug at my heart. No woman should suffer so, yet we know there are not a few women who were in such abusive situations. Cherise Sinclair captured Beth's emotional conflict and journey perfectly, and in the end, Beth discovers that the human spirit is more resilient than she thinks.

As a person who isn't in the Lifestyle, I'm glad I read this book because I believe I have gained an understanding about BDSM that I hadn't before. I have read a few stories dealing in BDSM before this, but for beginning readers on this topic, I would have to recommend this book as it gives one a rudimentary (and I hope, correct) knowledge about the subject matter without being heavy-handed about it. I do know that I'm going to read books 1 and 2 of this series as well.

I just have a slight problem with how the villain was made a non-threat, due to the hero's deliberate intent. Then again, possibly the author was showing us another side to Nolan--how he must have faced similar situations in his stint as a CIA and had thus acquired a certain ruthlessness that made him able to do what must, in his book, be done.

That said, I enjoyed the story and in fact, I have books 1 and 2 in my laptop and I'm looking forward to reading them while I wait for book 4, Lean on Me, Cullen's story (coming March 30).

Buy Links (ebook): Loose Id, Fictionwise

REVIEW: Love, Unexpectedly by Susan Fox

ISBN 978-0-7582-3826-9

Series: Wild Ride to Love series, Book 2

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
(c) April 2010, Kensington Brava
Susan Fox's website 

Rating: 4.5 stars




Buy Links (paper): Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes and Noble 
Buy Link (ebook): Barnes and Noble Ebook 

"Wonderful characterization, magnificent story. A great read!"

Susan Fox did it again! In Love, Unexpectedly, she takes us on an exhilarating ride on the train of love. Her compelling love stories will tug at your heartstrings and make you root for an HEA for the characters. In case nobody knows, Susan Fox is also Susan Lyons, who wrote Sex Drive, book 1 of this series.

Kat Fallon is the second child in the family, insecure and overshadowed by her brainy sister. To find a niche for herself, she became Ms. Sociability, cultivating lots of friendships, only to find out later on that her friendships were all shallow and she never let anyone gets too close to her. In her relationships with men, she ran at the first sight of trouble, not staying long enough to work things out with the guy. The longest relationship she has is her friendship with Nav Bharani, her neighbor, and consequently, she treasured their friendship very much and wouldn't do anything to jeopardize it.

Nav, on the other hand, had slowly been falling in love with Kat over the two-year period of their friendship, yet each time he mentioned them dating, Kat brushed him off. When Kat asked him to stand in as her boyfriend at her sister's wedding, Nav was hit by an idea so crazy that if he could pull it off, he just might get his heart's desire.

Ms. Fox excels in characterization and character development. As I read, I could see that Kat is so different from Theresa (the heroine in Sex Drive), and I like how we learn to know about Kat at the same time that she discovers things about herself and her family. Kat and her sisters are close as siblings could be, with the usual squabbles, and it was fun to see this family dynamic in their interactions and even better to see them move past their misconceptions about each other and develop a more mature relationship.

(It reminds me of me and my own siblings, and coincidentally [perhaps not?] the middle sibling is also Mr. Sociability, the one with the most number of friends among the three of us.)

As for Nav, I love the hope that burns bright in his heart and the persistence with which he pursued Kat, never giving up despite the numerous brush-offs she'd given him. I like that in a man, one who knows what he wants and goes after it, but of course, he shouldn't bulldoze her into accepting him. Which Nav doesn't. He just opens her eyes and mind to possibilities and waits for her to come to her own conclusions. Sexy traits in a man, and even sexier is his confidence, especially when there was no encouragement or whatever from Kat. Nav, end of Chapter 1: 

"Token good guy? Screw that.
He was going to be the sexy guy on the train." 

Their encounters as Nav flowed from one alter-ego to the other are exciting and stimulating. Nav is certainly unpredictable and one never knows what one would get when with him. I'm sure that was now Kat came to see him--exciting, stimulating yet safe. I don't believe for one moment that Kat failed to remember that he was Nav, in whatever guise he put on. And we can see this in the way she sometimes lapsed into thinking of him as Nav and the desperate way she convinced herself that he was Pritam or Dhiraj. I think she recognized subconsciously that he was giving her a reason to indulge in their attraction and she seized upon it, because she wanted it as well.

The set up disturbed me a bit, because Kat comes across as someone who wants to have her cake and eat it and not have to own up to the responsiblity. A bit cowardly and not as likeable as Theresa (Sex Drive).

However, I like the way we get to see what happens after the end of events in Sex Drive and how Kat's family interacted with Nav. Love, Unexpectedly is a great read in itself and as part of the series. I anxiously await the third in the series, flaky sister Jenna's story. I know I've labeled her as flaky, and may I say I "borrowed" the term from the books, but we all know that things aren't always what they seem. Plus, as I've said, Susan Fox aka Susan Lyons, is great at character development and characterization. Thus, it would be interesting to see Jenna as seen from Jenna's eyes.

As with Sex Drive, this book is written in alternate points of view per chapter, with Nav in third person POV and Kat in first person POV. Like I said, it didn't bother me, however, I find myself being more interested to read Nav's chapters than Kat. What can I say? I'm a girl. Of course, I'm more fascinated by the sexy hunk.

Buy Links (paper): Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes and Noble 

Buy Link (ebook): Barnes and Noble Ebook

*Note: The review copy was provided by the author.

REVIEW and GIVEAWAY: The Battle Sylph by L.J. McDonald

ISBN 9780843963007

Series: The Sylph Series, Book 1

Genre: Paranormal Romance

(c) March 2010, Leisure Books, Dorchester Publishing
L.J. McDonald's website

Rating: 4.5 stars




Buy Links (paper): Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes and Noble

Buy Link (ebook): Barnes and Noble Ebook

"Fantastic worldbuilding, diverse characters, magic and a magnificent fantasy adventure in a whole new world!"

With the prevalence of vampires and werewolves and demons, L.J. McDonald's unique worldbuilding blew me away. She has created a fantastic world of sylphs and the humans to whom they were bound. The sylphs were elemental spirits (air, water, fire, earth and healing sylphs) and of course, there were the battle sylphs that protected the hive. Sylphs lived in hives with a queen as the leader and she could take one or more battlers as mates. Think bee hive with the queen bee and her drones and worker bees and soldier bees.

Actually, the sylphs originally lived in another world and they were lured over to this Earthlike world (the action mostly take place in the kingdoms of Eferem and Para Dubh) and bound to one human master. The battle sylphs were attracted to the promise of the woman used as a sacrifice, and this woman was to be their queen (their love and mate), but the human man who was to gain the battler would kill the woman and bound the battler to him instead.

Read more about the sylphs.

The characterization is wonderful and unique for the characters being portrayed. Because the story is told from several points of view, we note how the narrative and the conversation differed for each character based on the character's age, background, experience and individual personality and circumstances. This makes for a holistic reading experience, wherein the reader gets to see the world from different sets of eyes.

For example, both Heyou and Solie are young, and we are made aware of this in their individual narration and in their actions. Whereas Leon Petrule as the king's head of security is an adult and seasoned soldier, and this can be seen in the way he acted and make decisions and in his thought processes. Not only that, but he is certainly not a sterotypical villain. He might well be the character that underwent the most radical change in the story.

The pivotal characters in this story are Solie, who defied the sacrificial death appointed to her, and Heyou, the battler who became bound to her.

Solie is seventeen years old, and she is young and sheltered, having never gone beyond her own and her aunt's villages. However, she is taught by her aunt to be strong and independent in the sense that she didn't need a man, if she didn't want one. This served her in good stead when she was captured to be a sacrifice to lure a battler over for the crown prince.

Heyou isn't your common hero as well. Though he is a battler, he is young and untried when he first crossed the gate to be bound to Solie. Yet for all that, he knew his duty is to defend and protect the queen and the hive with all that he has, even to the point of death. I like the part where he had established a bond with Galway, a trapper who had rescued him when Heyou was near death. Because Heyou is young and reminds him of his son, Galway acts like a mentor and father figure to him, something unheard of in the usual relationship between a battler and his master, which usually includes lots of hate.

Both Solie and Heyou did grow some over the course of the book, especially Solie as she needed to adjust to her new role. For all that she's young, Solie is smart, and she knew that she needed help and wasn't too proud to ask for it. Even in her inexperience, she rose to the occasion when needful and that is something to admire. Having such young protagonists who act their age would've taken away much of my enjoyment from the book had it not been for the balance provided by the adult characters surrounding them, like Leon, Galway and the two battlers Mace and Ril.

However, lest I give you a wrong impression, the story doesn't just focus on Solie's and Heyou's romance. No, there is so much more going on, like how they'd unwittingly made an enemy of the king and the possible consequences of that, and about how the sylphs are making a new hive in Eferem and the ways they're going to impact the world. That said, I'm interested to see how Solie and Heyou would have grown over the years, and I'm especially curious to know how Ril's and Lizzie's fate would play out in the next book, The Shattered Sylph.

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And this review marks the start of our new feature called Author Week!

This week, we have L.J. McDonald here with us, who will grace us with excerpts from her books (the sequel THE SHATTERED SYLPH is out next month, in case you're interested to know) and an interview! She'll be around, so if you have any questions, ask away!

Because we here at The Raving Readers love this book so much, we're giving away one copy of The Battle Sylph to a lucky winner! What's more, Dorchester Publishing has offered five additional copies for giveaway, so there will be six (6) lucky winners instead! Yay! Thank you, Dorchester!

And there's no geographical restriction, so everyone who lives on planet Earth, even the penguins in Antarctica, is welcome to cast your name into the hat.

How to enter?

Today's question: What is the best paranormal story/series you've read? Why do you love it?

Extra chances to win:
+ 3 if you're a follower of this blog
+ 2 if you follow us on Facebook or Twitter
+ 2 if you take our poster (located on the right sidebar) about this contest and post it
           on your blog/website with a link back to us
+ 1 for every time you spread the word about this contest via Facebook, MySpace, Twitter,
           your blog, website or other form of social media. For example, you tweeted about
           this contest twice and also announced it on your Facebook. You also wrote a blog
           post. That's 4 additional chances! However, for these to qualify, be sure to come
           back here and post the links. Like, if you tweeted twice, give me both links.

If you do all of the above, at a minimum, that's 9 chances to win!

Contest ends on March 12 (Friday), 1159pm EST.

Winner will be picked via Randomizer.org and announced on March 13 (Saturday).

Good luck!

REVIEW: The Club by Sharon Page

ISBN 978-0-440-24490-5
Genre: Historical Romance
(c) March 2009, Bantam Dell, Random House
Sharon Page's website 

Rating: 4.5 stars

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"Riveting and hard to put down! If you're looking for a historical romance that is unique and with substance, this is it!"

Enter into a world of dark pleasures and darker intrigues.

Jane St. Giles, Lady Sherringham, is on a mission to rescue her best friend, Del, who has gone missing. For this, she has to enter The Club, a place of sin and decadence, a place of which she is out of her depth. She is surprised to find that Christian, Earl of Wickham and Del's brother, has followed her and together, they made an uneasy pact to find Del. But when Del is found, Jane finds to her dismay that she is losing her heart to Christian, a man who determines only to teach her the pleasure she had never found in her husband's arms.

Expecting the usual historical romance, I was shocked and surprised to find that The Club is...so much more. Instead of the usual balls and soirees and musicals, light flirtation and determined matchmakings by the mamas, The Club deals with the story of women abused by their husbands and the existence of a sexual club catering to the desires of married couples where anything goes (but the main couple didn't partake). It is different and it is certainly not gentle reading (not only because of the happenings in the club but also the subject matter of the book).

Jane and her friends typify the kind of woman who stayed with their abusive husbands--wanting to run yet in the end not finding the courage to do so, scared yet not having anywhere else to go. I think it is even harder for women in historical times for under the law, they are the property of their husbands. Their spirits are crushed and they learned to be quiet, to be invisible, to obey and do whatever their husbands wanted in order to escape their punishing hands. To these women, the death of their husbands could only signify freedom.

For Jane, the death of her husband was a relief, and she looked forward to a simple and contented life with her meager savings. Her crushed spirit started to mend, and because of her experience with her husband, she determined to save other women from such a fate. Her friends and even Christian referred to her as "crusading Lady Jane". However, Christian's appearance in her life showed her that not all men are the same. With Christian, she dared to do things, knowing he wouldn't hit her even if he were angry at her. The way he protected her and kept her safe warmed her heart and made her want to stay with him, but she'd vowed never to marry again. She didn't want to put herself under the control of a man again. Before Christian's re-entry into her life, she only sought for survival, but with him, she dared to risk her heart again.

However, Jane, no matter how crusading she is, is not one of those annoying TSTL (too stupid to live) heroines. Her heart prompts her to rescue the people she loved, even if it puts her in danger, and she is courageous when the going gets tough, but she knew when to obey Christian when it counts. As for Christian, he appears to be a rakehell hero who breaks marriages and even kills a man in a duel, but underneath it all, he has a good heart and well, appearances are deceiving.

Still, I wonder why historicals almost always portray the hero to be the sort of man who goes from bed to bed. Even if he beds only women who sought him out and who are unhappy in their marriages and whose husbands have mistresses, he is just the same as the husbands, even if he has a good motive of bringing the woman pleasure that is missing in her life. Don't heirs to dukedoms and earldoms have better things to do? Like learn estate management and how to take care of their tenants so they can take over when their fathers died? Or maybe, estates run themselves under the management of a good steward.

Anyway, finding Del led to discovering that a greater mystery and more evildoings abound. I especially like the way the author foreshadowed who the ultimate villain would be, yet in the end, she still managed to surprise me.

REVIEW: Playing For Real by Madison Blake

ISBN 9781419918544
Genre: Erotic Romance, GLBT, Menage a trois

(c) November 2008, Elllora's Cave

Madison Blake's website

Buy Link (ebook): Jasmine Jade

"Scorching hot, unbelievable sexual tension!"

Shelli Madison enjoyed her deep and close friendships with Adrian Greene and Ethan Hunter, and she couldn't be happier when the two men fell in love with each other. However, one night at her company's dinner opened her eyes and heart to new feelings about her best friends. But Shelli was torn by her lust for them, as she didn't want to lose their friendships. Until the night the men forced her hand and engaged her in a delicious game that Shelli couldn't, and had no wish to, resist.

Ms Madison keeps me in tenterhooks all throughout the book! She creates these believable characters and places them in angst-and-sexual-tension filled situations that has me with my eyes glued to my laptop as I scrolled down to read as fast as I could (after I ran to the freezer for some ice cubes, of course). Adrian and Ethan are amazingly hot and hunky, and the way they try to seduce Shelli... Whew! I wish I were in her shoes. Ms Madison also imaginatively creates an erotic version of the game Chutes and Ladders (or Snakes and Ladders) and I know I'll never look at that game the same way ever again.

If there's a sequel, I'm getting it. In fact, I'm looking forward to reading Ms. Madison's other books.

Rating: 4.5 stars

 

Buy Link (ebook): Jasmine Jade

REVIEW: Nightkeepers by Jessica Andersen

ISBN 978-0-451-22437-8

Series: Final Prophecy, Book 1
(c) June 2008, Signet Eclipse, Penguin Group
Jessica Andersen's website

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"Great angst and conflict, and incredible worldbuilding. A must read!"

If you were like me and thought "I've watched 2012 and I don't need to read a book on the Mayan doomsday prophecy", you'd have missed out on a lot. Just the prologue of this book alone packed quite a huge punch and, though I thought I wouldn't like the book much, I was soon so caught up in the story that I used whatever free time I could snatch to read.

Strike knew he was a Nightkeeper, one of the few left to defend mankind should the end come at the Great Conjunction as it was foretold. At the same time, he hoped that his father's sacrifice twenty-four years ago to close the barrier was successful. No such luck. Not only is the end time coming, but how was he to win the war with so few of them (those who had escaped the massacre)? To top it all off, he may need to sacrifice Leah, the woman he's come to love, in order to save the world.

Jessican Andersen delivers on this book with its great angst and conflict, incredible worldbuilding and believable character development. Strike was the one who grew the most as he struggles with his birthright, his duties and responsibilities and his love for the one woman he needed to sacrifice to save a world that didn't know they needed saving. Leah was a bit overshadowed as the reader was pulled into the Nightkeepers' world and facts were revealed about their magic system and hierarchy. Learning about the world that Ms. Andersen created is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the book for me. (Could be why I also love to read fantasies.)

As I said, the prologue hooked me in with the action, the tension, the possible romance and the eventual heartbreak. The author's portrayal of duty over love was so on the dot that it was the first time I felt it so keenly (as compared to other books). There's also a longer prologue at the author's website, but I feel that the shortened prologue made a bigger impact on me as a reader than the longer one.

After Strike knew there were other Nightkeepers in the world, people whom he could call to join him in the fight to save the world, he began assembling his army. Short screen time was given to several of these Nightkeepers and their winikin (bonded servants to the Nightkeepers), but instead of feeling as though these were introductions to future couple pairings, they added depth to the world that Ms. Andersen was trying to portray. The changing group dynamics was also done well, in my opinion.

A problem I have with the story is the resolution of Strike's quandary with sacrificing Leah. Since this book is a romance, I don't think it's a spoiler if I say there's a happy ending and Leah is saved with Strike managing to save the world at the same time in this battle. Maybe I was reading too fast (and too lazy to re-read) but I was a bit confused as to how this came about.

Another problem is the way the characters sometimes were controlled by forces outside of their control, meaning the gods or the demons or what not. Like they did something but they don't want to do it and it's not them doing it as there was something else controlling their body. I'm not sure I like this device being used so often in the story, especially when the character's actions were needed to move the story forward. But then, if you look at it from another angle, Strike is just an emissary of the gods, just as the human Zipacna is a representation of the crocodile god from the underworld. The real battle of good vs evil is between the gods and the demons, and this could be used to justify the way both good and evil powers sometimes manipulate their pawns.

Rating: 4.5 stars

 
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REVIEW: Seduced at Midnight by Jacquie D'Alesandro

ISBN 978-0-425-22549-3

Series: Mayhem in Mayfair, Book 3
(c) 2009, Berkley Sensation, Penguin Group
Jacquie D'Alessandro's Website

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"Unique and intriguing with an unusual hero and the heroine who'd risk everything for him"

I love Tempted at Midnight so much I rushed out and got Seduced at Midnight. I was intrigued by Julianne's dilemma and wondered how Jacquie D'Alessandro would deal with it.

Lady Julianne Bradley is an earl's daughter, and she is the epitome of the poor little rich girl. She has everything--gowns, jewels, etc--but the warmth of a family, love, laughter, companionship. Her parents are the typical ton couple, and though it wasn't stated in the book, I believed they married for advantageous gain rather than love, as her father could barely tolerate her mother. The fact that Julianne is an only child and female renders her useless in the eyes of her father, as the title would now go to his younger brother, whom he hates. Her mother is cold and ruthless, seeing in Julianne a daughter who needed to marry to advance the family's position in Society.

However, Julianne is not content to be merely a beautiful decorative piece on the settee. Seeing her friends marry for love, she has dreams and wishes to find a husband who would love her and whom she could love in turn. She longs for romance, passion, love, friendship, companionship. Laughter. And she thought she could find all these in Gideon Mayne, the man who haunted her thoughts ever since she saw him two months ago.

There was only one problem.

Gideon Mayne is a Bow Street Runner, the best in the business yet a man so far socially beneath her that he needs to "step on a ladder to see the hem of her skirt"--Gideon's own words. Yet, there is no doubting the attraction between them, and Gideon fights it and himself. But when Julianne becomes the target of a murdering thief, Gideon is hired by her father to protect her.

As Gideon is so fond of summarizing things in one word, the word I have for this book--Delicious!

The author takes full advantage of the um, delicious situation our hero and heroine find themselves in and what we have is a hot, hot, hot story where the pages sizzled with their tension and passion, not to mention all that angst and internal conflict. I couldn't stop turning the pages and I finished the book in two days! (And only because I needed to sleep)

Julianne describes herself as not being very brave, but I think her decision toward the end of the book is one of the bravest things she'd done. I guess love is truly a very powerful force, able to move mountains and men's hearts.

As for Gideon, I would've liked it better if he had BEGIN SPOILER asked for Julianne's hand in marriage BEFORE he knew that she was willing to give up her station in life for him. That would've created more uncertainties for him, and there's nothing I like better than to put the hero through the ropes. In fact, he already had an advantage. He already knew Julianne loved him, though they hadn't spoken the words, and he knew she preferred him over her other suitors. What was keeping him from offering for her? Maybe he was insecure because although her life with him would be comfortable, it wouldn't be what she was accustomed to. Maybe he didn't want to subject her to the hardships of what their life would be should she marry him. And yes, that is exactly what we are told, during one of his thought-monologues. But still, I think Julianne should be given the chance to decide (well, indirectly, she was) since it's her life that's going to be drastically different. Certainly I would have LOVED the story more. END SPOILER But that's my opinion.

This book is unique in that the hero is not even a commoner in trade (read: not noble, but wealthy--good enough), but a Bow Street Runner, for goodness' sake, something that's beneath the ton's notice, unless they need help to catch the criminals who rob them. I don't think I've read a book where the hero is in this profession before. I think I'm a snob, but I don't usually notice the runners either, preferring to read about lords and ladies, earls and dukes.

Yet, here is this runner--the hero! Gideon's profession is actually one of the things that made me curious and intrigued to read this book, and the second is how the author is going to resolve the characters' situation. And she didn't disappoint, having given Juliana all the incentives she needed to make her want to forsake the cold, lonely world she's known for one of love and laughter with Gideon.

I love Jacquie D'Alessandro's writing and I'm off to get the rest of the series! One thing I love about this series is the friendship among the four women, and how Julianne's friends actively came together at the end to give her their support.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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