Review: Dark Pleasures by Aja James

Title: Dark Pleasures
Author: Aja James
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publication Date: June 15th, 2018
Buy: Amazon

NOTE:  Story is for mature readers due to sexual content.

Goodreads - Devlin Sinclair, the New England Dark Ones’ Hunter, is on a mission to track down the elusive and mysterious Medusa, perhaps the ultimate nemesis the Pure and Dark Ones have been battling in recent years.

But he can’t do it alone.

Grace Darling has isolated herself from the world since a very young age, after her parents’ death and because of her own social disability. Awkward and brilliant, a born sensualist, Grace agrees to a blind date that changes the course of Destiny.

She has the skills he needs.

Their chemistry is off the charts, but will she, can she, give him the love he craves?

My Review - Dark Pleasures is book 4 in the Dark/Pure Ones series. We start off with a bit more of Sophia's story. It seems with each book in the series we get a little more of her story, though woven throughout the main storyline. In this case, the story of Devlin and Grace.

Devlin, a Dark Ones vampire, is very computer savvy but he needs the help of someone even more skilled at hacking than himself. That's where Grace comes into play. Devlin needs Grace's help to hack into Zenn, a tech company that Grace works for and helped build the computer systems for. While Grace eventually agrees to help him, there is something she needs from him as well.

I really liked Devlin and Grace's story. Grace was a rather interesting character. She has a unique form of Autism Spectrum Disorder. In her case, she doesn't really show or express feelings. She doesn't know how to. And that makes her blunt, direct and honest to a fault. I found it rather refreshing.

Then we have Devlin! He has a past that haunts him and perhaps even hinders him at times with regards to his feeling for Grace. But I loved his character. :)

As with most of the books in this series, you not only get a main story (in this case that would be Devlin and Grace's story) but you also get more information about characters that you've been introduced to in previous books. As I mentioned already, we learn a bit more about Sophia but also there is some interesting revelations made regarding Tal, Inanna's father and Inanna's adopted son, Benji. Of course, I can't tell you what that is. ;) Just trust when I say it's some intriguing information that I'm sure will be further delved into in a subsequent book.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and the series as a whole.


**ARC given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.**

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Review: The Billionaire's Assistant by Rose Francis

Title: The Billionaire's Assistant
Author: Rose Francis
Genre: Romance
Publication Date: July 11th, 2016
Buy it: Amazon 

NOTE:  Story is for mature readers due to some sexual content.

Goodreads - Stressed Naomi is having one of those “Murphy’s Law” kind of days—everything that can go wrong is going horribly wrong. Traumatized by events from the night before, she ends up distracted at work—to the point that it gets her fired. Her continued distraction leads to more catastrophe as she almost smashes into a stranger as she hurries away—or is it a blessing in disguise?

Noticing her distress, the handsome, wealthy-looking stranger offers her an attractive solution to her immediate needs: work for him as his personal assistant—no catch.
Ha! She doesn’t believe him, but her desperation makes her accept, and it isn’t long before she suspects he wants a whole lot more from her than getting his coffee!

She has been saving herself, but can she resist the hunk who saved her?

My Review - ******BEWARE - REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS******

I'm rather disappointed with this book. I wanted to like it but I almost stopped reading it twice. But when I realized that I was close to half way through it already, I decided that I might as well finish it.

This story was mainly just told to you as a reader instead of having the dialog necessary to feel like you are there, that you're a part of the story. There is one part in particular that I thought could have made for an exciting twist in the story and ... NOTHING! Yes, the author added the twist, which I'll be honest, I didn't see coming and got all excited to see what would happen. But pretty much nothing happened. Let me explain.

So, you have Naomi and she's hoping one day she finds her sister who was adopted when they were young and Naomi wasn't. She hasn't seen or heard from her sister since. After she's offered a job by billionaire businessman Kevin, she gets a message from her sister through Facebook. She's all excited to reconnect with Tyra (aka Alyssa) that Naomi tells her about her life, her new job, etc. One day Naomi up and leaves Kevin's house without telling him where she's going (not that she had to tell him though, but Kevin was expecting to see her at breakfast and she never showed.) She left a note behind telling him that there is something she needs to do and she'll be back in a couple hours. About an hour after she leaves, and with Kevin going out of his mind waiting for her return, she shows back up at the house.

Kevin is naturally thrilled to see her back, because he thought he may have scared her off, but he notices some odd things about her. So he tells her to go upstairs and wait for him in the room, she'll know which room. Next thing you know, he's calling Naomi, who had gone out to meet her sister. Now you do find out earlier that Tyra is Naomi's twin, but that they are fraternal twins. There was no mention prior to this that they looked identical. I suppose that was the author's way of sneaking the twist in there. But the next thing you know, Naomi returns and they have Tyra locked in a room until Naomi makes a decision on what should be done with her. I would have personally loved to see the scene play out more, not that I wanted Kevin to sleep with Tyra, thinking she was Naomi. I'm beyond happy that he knew Naomi well enough to realize that Tyra wasn't her, but the whole thing was so anti-climactic. And then there wasn't even a scene with Naomi confronting Tyra about what she tried to do.

I'm not sure that I can say I liked any character in this book. Laura, Naomi's roommate in the beginning, only seemed to care about herself. Laura's hook-up tried to rape Naomi and although she apologized, she didn't seem to care that much, and she certainly had no issues with bringing random guys home again. Plus, all she seemed to do was try to bring Naomi down.

There were times when Kevin first hired Naomi, that things he thought were just downright creepy. I can probably safely say that that was not the way the author intended to portray Kevin, but that's the way it read to me. It's something that an alpha male character might think, to be controlling, but that was not Kevin. I never got a real alpha male sense to him, and that's okay!

Oh well, I didn't believe the romance in this book, and I didn't like that there was so little dialog. I'd seen reviews, even of books that I've read myself, where people have mentioned this sort of thing and of the books that I've read myself, I didn't agree with their statements. But this one, I understand what they mean now.

Find Rose Francis Online
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Review: Dark Desires by Aja James

Title: Dark Desires
Author: Aja James
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publication Date: April 5th, 2018
Buy: Amazon
 
NOTE:  Story is for mature readers due to sexual content.


Goodreads - Ryu Takamura is the Dark Ones’ Assassin. He has never missed his target…until now. Until her.

Ava Monroe is a talented geneticist who holds the key to the vampire race’s future…and perhaps her own as well.

Their attraction is explosive from the first. She would do anything to have him. He would sacrifice all to protect her.

But will their love triumph over seemingly impossible odds as they battle enemies new and old? Especially the demons from Ryu’s past? And deep within his heart?


My Review - Dark Desires is book three in the Pure / Dark Ones series. The world within this series is rather large, with many characters that are important to the stories. Because of that, in the first two books, I found myself having a little difficulty following along, remembering who was who and so forth. However, I didn't have that problem with this book. Apart from Ryu and Ava there were really only a few characters from the previous books in this story, as well as some new characters, but I just felt this one flowed easier for me.

I absolutely loved Ava and Ryu. Ava is incredibly smart and she basically just says exactly what she is thinking, even if she doesn't mean to. So when it came to her feelings for Ryu, from the very beginning, she'd just flat out say what was on her mind. Ryu was more reserved with his feelings and that primarily was due to his upbringing. He didn't have it easy. His mother was a prostitute and he witnessed too much at a very young age. He didn't know who his father was and his mother wouldn't tell him. And even though he seemed to want to dismiss his feelings for Ava, he couldn't.

Ava's work as a geneticist was extremely important to her not just because her own father was living with Parkinson's disease, but it was her father that really fueled her desire to find a cure for any number of degenerative diseases. And vampires weren't even something she thought existed. So when she finds out it doesn't really frighten her. She's more intrigued than anything.

Dark Desires really held my interest. And as much as I loved book one, Pure Healing, I think this one might just be my favorite so far. So if you enjoy paranormal romances with some action, mystery and suspense, I think you will enjoy Dark Desires.

Find Aja James Online
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**I received a digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Happy Ever Never by Brittany Holland

Title: Happy Ever Never
Author: Brittany Holland
Genre: Romance


Goodreads

A modern twist on a classic tale. A love story tangled with secrets, seconds chances and destiny.

Destined to be together, doomed to be torn apart.

When Willow and Piers first met, she was searching for adventure and he was longing for a place to belong. They both found more than they bargained for. Hopes and dreams for their future destroyed by a secret that had to be protected at all costs. Willow was forced to say goodbye to London, leaving behind a heartbroken Piers.

Willow tries to move on but she can't seem to let go of the past. When clues surface leading Piers to her, he realizes he's lost more than he ever imagined. Angry, he leaves her no choice but to return to London with him.

Undeniably drawn together, history starts repeating itself until lies and insecurities threaten to tear their love apart.

Will it be happily ever after for Willow and Piers, or does their story end with happy ever never?

My Review

Happy Ever Never kept me thoroughly immersed in the story of Willow and Piers. Anger, jealousy and betrayal basically tore them apart but their love for each other never faded. And although Piers was initially angry with Willow when he finally found her after a little more than five years, they do their best to repair their relationship.

There is a part of this story that I'd love to talk about but I worry that it might be considered a bit of a spoiler, since I didn't see it coming when I started reading. So I'll just say that I loved this little secret. :)

While I did enjoy the story there were instances that confused me a bit. At one point where Piers and Willow are arguing it didn't feel right. It was like the argument, the anger behind it came right out of nowhere. Especially considering they'd been getting along well at this point.

Willow is needed back in England to be present at the reading of her Aunt Wendy's will. During this time you learn that her Uncle James is unwell. I don't recall if his illness was exactly explained but I felt that his part in this story wasn't finished. There was also another thing that I felt was left hanging, though this book does NOT end in a cliffhanger.

After I finished the book I decided to contact the author to ask some questions and was informed that while the books in this series are standalones, they are interconnected. So even though I felt that there were things that weren't fully explained, those things are likely to be resolved in a future book.

Anyway, I found Happy Ever Never to be a very enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. It is definitely worth a read!

-- I won an ARC of Happy Ever Never from the author via a Facebook giveaway and voluntarily reviewed it.--

Find Brittany Holland Online
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Review: Dark Longing by Aja James

Title: Dark Longing
Author: Aja James
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publication Date: January 18, 2018
Pre-Order: Amazon

NOTE:  Story is for mature readers due to sexual content.


Goodreads

“Every story has more than one side, like a crystal that captures and reflects different colors of light. Do not take for granted what you think you know, for until you hold the entire jewel in your palm, the temptation is to fall prey to illusion and deception.”

This is a story of the Dark Ones…

Inanna: the vampire warrior

Known as the Angel of Death among her kind, she has lived millennia alone, one of the remaining True Bloods in existence, unconsciously longing for the one male she could never have.

Gabriel: the forbidden human

His soul recognizes hers from the first encounter. With the first touch, he is awakened. Though he does not know it, he has been searching for her across the ages.

But even as they are finally reunited, their love faces seemingly impossible odds. Will history repeat itself or will they break all the rules and chart a new course together?


Review

Let me start off by saying that this is book 2 in a series. I originally read book 1 back in 2012, so to reacquaint myself with this world, I re-read book 1 before starting this. And I'm very glad that I did.

The main story in this book revolves around Gabriel and Inanna (aka Nana Chastain). Inanna is referred to by her kind as the Angel of Death. And this story begins with Gabriel visiting his terminally ill wife which is where Inanna comes into the picture. She made a Blood-Contract with Olivia (Gabriel's wife) to help her and to end her suffering. But Olivia also asked Inanna to take care of Gabriel and their son, Benji.

Inanna is immediately drawn to Gabriel from the moment she first saw him. The same can be said for Gabriel when he first meets Nana Chastian as well.

Gabriel, in need of money to help take care of his son and pay his wife's medical bills gets involved in illegal fighting. But we are talking about fighting to the death. Although Gabriel excelled at fighting, Inanna kept an eye on him because of her promise to take care of him, protect him, but also because she cares for him. After his first successful fight, and the fact that he became an Internet sensation (as the fights were live-streamed over the Internet), he was forced into fighting again. Things don't go so well for him the second time around though!

Now there are other storylines in this book that are connected to Inanna and Gabriel's story. So it switches from one to another frequently as well as taking you back into Inanna's past. I particularly enjoyed learning about Inanna's history, her family and her first love.

When I agreed to read and review Dark Longing I asked the author if the books were standalones or if the stories were connected. She said they can be read as standalones. I'm inclined to disagree. LOL In book 1 you are introduced to many of the secondary characters that appear in book 2. And, in fact, one of the storylines that runs throughout books 1 and 2 revolves around Sophia, the teenage queen of the Pure Ones. She meets Ere in Pure Healing as he's a teaching assistant in one of her college classes. She's attracted to him, and although I can't quite say he feels the same for her, he is a bit obsessed with her. And that mysterious storyline continues in Dark Longing, but only a little bit. The mystery behind who Ere is and what his interest in Sophia is still remains.

Another character that you read about in both books doesn't even have a name or a specified gender. This character is referred to as it or the creature. It's featured more in this book than the first though, as if it's storyline is building from one book to another. Which is basically what is happening with Sophia's storyline. So yeah, I personally can't say that the books are standalone. But the main storylines are, for the most part anyway, wrapped up by the end of each book. It's the subplots that continue from one to another.

So while I did enjoy Dark Longing and I loved the storyline about Gabriel and Inanna, I did find it kind of confusing and a bit difficult to follow along. I think part of the reason for that is, as I already mentioned, one of the characters is more often than not referred to as 'it' and, as far as I was aware, was a vampire. But then there is another character that is only, at certain times, referred to as 'the vampire', so for awhile there I was thinking they were the same character. You do eventually learn who the vampire is and the reason the author didn't use their name makes sense. Not referring to the vampire by name, especially when interacting with the creature, added to the intrigue.

One other little thing that I found odd was that in the present time of the story Inanna goes by the name Nana Chastian and in her past she is Inanna. Yet the author more often than not referred to her as Inanna throughout. Which, if I'm being honest, I preferred the name Inanna anyway. :) However, it just felt weird as well. I don't know, I just felt as if the author should have stuck with Nana in the present and Inanna when referring to her distant past. At least until her past identity becomes known to those in the present.

I am curious to see where the author takes this series. In particular, I'm interested in seeing where Sophia's story goes.

Find Aja James Online
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** I received a digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Rellik by Teresa Mummert

Title: Rellik
Author: Teresa Mummert
Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
Publisher:  Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (Oct. 28th 2014)
Get it: Amazon | B&N | iTunes


Goodreads

Rellik Bentley is to die for.

He can have any woman he wants and they will do anything to be with him. He uses and abuses them like drugs and tosses them out with the trash. The only thing he gives a f*ck about is his music. That is, until Ella Leighton walks into his life and stumbles upon one of his darkest secrets. In the midst of doing damage control, he begins to obsess over the mysterious woman who wants absolutely nothing to do with him. Rellik won’t take no for an answer.

REVIEW

Up until this point I hadn't read one of Teresa Mummerts books despite wanting to. I'm not sure why I hadn't. I heard so many great things about some of her books through social media and various book blogs. So when Rellik went on sale recently, I bought it and dived in.

The premise of the story was interesting enough to keep me glued to the pages because I really wanted to know how the story played out. However, I was flabbergasted by all of the glaring mistakes in the writing. I just kept wondering whether anyone besides the author read this book prior to it being published. I know how easy it is to make mistakes when writing and not noticing those mistakes until you re-read over what you've written a number of times. Even then some mistakes are still missed because you know what you meant to write, so the errors are overlooked. And for me, I have a bad habit of highlighting errors when reading digital books. When I finished, I believe I had a little over 70 errors highlighted. But to be honest, I'm sure there were more mistakes than that. The images below show some of the early highlighted mistakes. At least some are what I believed to be mistakes because I either hadn't heard the phrase used before or it just didn't make sense to me.

--

Now I did like the way the story was told in some respects. You get small bits of Rellik's and Ella's pasts woven into the story so that it kept me wondering what exactly happened to the two of them that led them to where they are today. Which, of course, kept me reading. It also made me wonder how their stories connected. But I have to admit that there were times that I was just completely confused.

This next part contains spoilers. The spoiler tags didn't work so to view, please highlight.

-start of spoilers-
Okay, so we learn at one point by a brief mention that there is a serial killer dubbed the Dream Killer.  Ella later tells Rellik that she believes that her father is the Dream Killer and wants him to kill her father for her. Rellik does but then Ella finds out that the killer was not her father at all. It was in fact Rellik himself. Now what confuses me, unless I missed something, is that I don't understand what drove Rellik to become this Dream Killer. Who were his victims? How did he choose them? Was it just random? I don't understand and to be honest, I'm not sure that it was entirely relevant to the overall story. I suppose one might think that because of what happened in his past, the fact that he was the cause of his father's death and then the abuse and suicide of his girlfriend, that it would make him angry enough to want to kill people who he deemed were bad ... but why? Also, you assume that Rellik doesn't know anything about Ella when they first meet but in fact, he knew about her. He put an eviction notice on her door although I don't understand why. It might have been so that he could offer her a place to stay and keep an eye on her because of the fact that he knew (I'm assuming from his friend and Ella's boss) that she was researching his past and he wanted to know why.
-end of spoilers-

I have read my fair share of books that had a lot of mistakes in them but I don't believe that I have ever been quite as frustrated with any of them as I was with this one. I guess my expectations were just too high to start with. It's unlikely that I will be in any particular hurry to read more of her work but I'll probably give her another chance at some point.

As much as I hate to do it, I'm giving this book two stars.

Find Teresa Mummert Online
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Review: Hollywood Holiday by Sasha Summers

 

I'm excited to be participating in the blog tour for Hollywood Holiday by Sasha Summers. Also, there is a wonderful giveaway associated with the tour. For more information on the giveaway, head on over to the Inkspell Publishing blog.

Title: Hollywood Holiday
Author: Sasha Summers
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: InkSpell Publishing (Dec. 7th 2012)
Get it: InkSpell Publishing

NOTE:  Story is for mature readers due to some sexual content.

Synopsis
All she wants for Christmas is for Hollywood to love her again. But once she meets him, her Christmas list changes.

Jen’s only Christmas wish: Hollywood falling back in love with her. Meeting ex-Marine Gunner was a bonus. She likes that he isn’t impressed by celebrities or the movie biz. She likes that he’s funny and sweet … and drop-dead gorgeous. And she loves that he has no idea who her alter-ego is: Jen Fleming, Hollywood bad-girl and paparazzi target number one. Why ruin an amazing affair when he’s leaving after the new year?

But the closer they get, the harder she falls, and the more she wants to tell Gunner everything. Especially once he shares his secret with her.

Her new Christmas wish: Gunner accepts and loves her for who she really is.

Review

Hollywood Holiday is the sequel to Hollywood Ever After which I previously reviewed and loved. In this book you have Jenny, a famous Hollywood actress who is returning home after a stint in rehab for a problem with alcohol. She's terrified to fly (unless she's drunk), but the man she ends up seated next to on the plane is more than kind and helpful to her while she's freaking out, and he doesn't even know who she is. By the time they arrive in L.A., they both are interested in seeing each other again even though Jen is afraid that Gunner, the ex-Marine she befriended, will hate her if he finds out who she really is.

Gunner is headed to L.A. to visit his family for Christmas after several years of not seeing them, one year of which was spent in a military hospital. There is something about Gunner that makes him shy away from closer relationships with woman, but he really liked Jenny and is hoping to see where it might lead.

This is another great story by Sasha Summers. I loved that Jen was not in anyway like you might expect a Hollywood starlet to be:  mean, arrogant, selfish, etc. She is very down to earth, humble, and caring. She's not above taking public transportation due to having her license revoked for a drunk driving accident. She wants to put her life back on track and be a better person than she was before. And she just hopes that Gunner can see her for who she is now and not the person she was before. The problem is ... telling him.

Gunner doesn't like actors, or liars. An incident from his past has made him a bit prejudiced against them. Even when Gunner finds out that Jen is an actress, though he is still unaware of who she really is, he's accepting of her job choice and realizes that he was being unfair. I absolutely loved Gunner! He is perfect. I don't know what else to say about him.

There were a couple things that didn't add up for me though ... and I read the book three times. As I'm sure you can imagine, Gunner does find out what Jen's professional name is. But I don't understand his reaction; I don't understand his anger. Sure, he feels lied to even though Jen tried to tell him more than once. He never once recognized her as someone famous. He'd never met her before. She never did anything to him worth getting so upset over. So why? I am leaving out part, so as not to give anything away, but even then, it doesn't make sense to me. Apart from that there were a couple things that I feel, having read book one a couple times, were inconsistencies within the story but are very minor things. And although I did like that Jen wasn't arrogant and she has some insecurities, I think that I would have liked her even more if she didn't obsessively worry about what Gunner's reaction to learning the truth might be.

One last thing, I loved that practically everyone from book one was brought back for this story! I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into Claire and Josh's life since book one. Plus Claire's kids, mother, and Josh's father and sister. I am very much looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

** I received an eARC copy of the book from InkSpell Publishing for review.**

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Review: Whisper of Memory by Brinda Berry

Title: Whisper of Memory
Author: Brinda Berry
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy
Publisher: Etopia Press (Nov. 5th 2012)
Get it: Amazon, B&N

Synopsis
Weapons training and winter formals...a deadly combination.

All Mia ever wanted was to fit in at Whispering Woods High. But being a portal-finder who dates a guy from another dimension sort of makes it hard. Mia's brother disappeared over a year ago, and agents from the IIA began policing people's movements through dimensions. She'd trusted Dr. Bleeker from the local university when he'd told her the IIA were the bad guys. But even a girl with an extraordinary ability to sense things can make mistakes.

Now two people are dead, and as a portal gatekeeper for the IIA, Mia needs to find Dr. Bleeker before he hurts anyone else. And her boyfriend Regulus, an Agent for the IIA, carries secrets of his own. Between learning about weaponry, finding the perfect dress for the winter formal, and catching bad guys, who has time to fit in?

Review 

Whisper of Memory continues where The Waiting Booth left off. If you haven't read The Waiting Booth yet, I recommend that you do not read any further. I don't want to spoil anything for you.

Previously we learned that Mia's mother was an IIA agent and that she is now helping Dr. Bleeker despite the fact that he is killing people for his experiments. And when Mia first meets her mother again after so many years -- her mother took off when she was just a toddler -- Nancy pulls a gun on her. Needless to say, Mia does not have warm and fuzzy feelings towards the mother that abandoned her. On top of all of that, her missing brother is sending her vague messages that only confuse her more and make her ask more questions for which no one has any answers. Oh yeah, and according to the IIA, dating among IIA members is forbidden.

I was very much looking forward to reading this sequel to The Waiting Booth. I enjoy the mystery of the story and the budding relationship between Mia and Regulus. Not to mention, Arizona is such a fun character who has a crush on Mia's best friend Emily. And let's not forget Austin, who is in love with Mia, but he's one of her best friends, and she thinks of him more like a brother. So with Whisper of Memory there is the continued mystery surrounding Mia's brother Pete and the gangs attempts to find Dr. Bleeker and learn as much information as they can regarding Pete.

OK, for some reason I didn't enjoy this story as much as the first one. I still liked it though, don't get me wrong, but it seemed kind of slow going at times, and I just didn't feel as if the whole winter formal part was necessary. I suppose that sort of thing is normal for a teenage girl in her senior year of high school, and although there wasn't a significant portion of the story dedicated to it, I feel it sidetracked the story a bit. Maybe that's just me being antsy to find out what's going on.

There is something major that happens to Regulus that I pretty much expected, though I didn't want it to happen, and I'm very curious to see how that affects his relationship with Mia in the long run. And I'm still itching to know what is really going on with Mia's mother and Dr. Bleeker and what exactly Pete is up to. So I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

** I received a copy of The Waiting Booth for review as part of the Knights of the Round Table group on Goodreads.**

Find Brinda Berry Online
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Review: Kiss of the Butterfly by James Lyon

Title: Kiss of the Butterfly
Author: James Lyon
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: James Lyon (July 22, 2012)
Get it: Amazon

Synopsis
"The smell of blood is in the air, I sense it even now. People thirst for it; the entire country is mad with desire for it. And now we are going to war with our brothers because they look like us, and because we can smell our blood coursing through their veins...” A mysterious letter starts a university student on a journey into the war-torn lands of rapidly disintegrating Yugoslavia. Naively trusting his enigmatic professor, the student unwittingly descends into a dystopian crucible of decay, destruction, passion, death, romance, lust, immorality, genocide, and forbidden knowledge promising immortality. As the journey grows ever more perilous, he realizes he must confront an ancient evil that has been once again loosed upon the earth: from medieval Bosnia to enlightenment-era Vienna, from the bright beaches of modern-day Southern California to the exotically dark cityscapes of Budapest and Belgrade, and horrors of Bosnia.

Vampires have formed an integral part of Balkan folklore for over a thousand years. "Kiss" represents a radical departure from popular vampire legend, based as it is on genuine Balkan folklore from as far back as the 14th century, not on pop culture or fantasy. "Kiss of the Butterfly" offers up the real, horrible creatures that existed long before Dracula and places them within a modern spectrum.

Review

The story revolves around Steven, a university student who with the help of Professor Slatina, receives a scholarship from the Balkan Ethnography Trust so that he can get inside of war-torn Yugoslavia to finish his research for his dissertation. Professor Slatina, however, has Steven researching vampire lore, but there is more to it than what Professor Slatina is willing to admit to Steven. Steven's research not only puts himself but other people in danger. The government doesn't want him uncovering certain truths.

I have to admit that I dreaded writing this review. It's not that I hated the book, not at all, but it was very difficult for me to get into the story. I'd say I was probably half way through the book before it really became interesting. Under normal circumstances, I probably would have given up on trying to read it, if I hadn't agreed to review it.

The factual information that was woven into the story, I enjoyed that to some extent. For some reason though, I felt like I was reading a history book. There are a lot of hard to pronounce names (though granted, there was a small guide at the front of the book that helped with that) and a lot of historical dates offered up. I had a hard time following along at time.

Now, as I've said before, I'm no expert on punctuation and such, but I've read quite a lot in the last few years to feel as though there were quite a few errors in this book. Part of the reason I felt it was hard to get through the book was because of the way it was written. For example, instead of a character's unspoken thoughts being italicized, they had quotes around them as if they were spoken out loud. Occasionally there was a change in scene but no obvious break to let the reader know of the change, which would throw me off. And although this may seem odd to mention, colons were used way more in this book than I've ever seen used in one book before, and I don't believe it was always used correctly.

Having said all that, I do feel that Mr. Lyon has a great way with words. For me though, I suppose that there was just too much, and it interrupted the flow of the story. But I was rather fascinated by the vampire lore, and I really enjoyed the cast of characters that Steven met along the way.

** I received a ebook copy of Kiss of the Butterfly in exchange for a review.**

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Review: Blaze by Joan Swan

Title: Blaze
Author: Joan Swan
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Brava (Sept. 25, 2012)
Get it: Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository

Synopsis
The hotter they come, the harder they fall…

With a man like him, every mission becomes personal…
Ever since FBI agent Keira O’Shay started tracking a young boy named Mateo, she’s felt a connection even her empathic abilities can’t explain. She needs to save Mateo from the cult leader holding him hostage. Nothing can interfere with that—not even the reappearance of Luke Ransom, the hot-as-hell fire captain she’s regretted walking out on for three long years.

Losing Keira left Luke vulnerable—in every way. When they were together, the powers each possesses were mysteriously enhanced. But it’s the sexy, surprising woman beneath the tough exterior that Luke’s really missed. Even if she betrayed him utterly. And even if agreeing to help her uncover a government conspiracy means watching his life and his heart go up in flames again…

Review


Keira O'Shay is a former firefighter who is now one of the best shooters the FBI has. For at least a year now, Keira has been trying to rescue a little boy that she can't explain why she's so drawn to. Rescuing Mateo is Keira's top priority.

When Keira's former lover is assigned to help her on the mission, though neither new the other was there, things get a little tense. Luke still loves Keira but is hurt by her decision to leave him. What hurts Luke even more is Keira's love for the child she knows nothing about, especially when the idea of  having children was one of the things that drove a wedge between her and Luke. But Keira's childhood defined who she is today, and it's something she's not shared with Luke.

Blaze (Phoenix Rising book 2) is actually the first book by Joan Swan that I've had the pleasure of reading. I really enjoyed the story. There seemed to be a lot of attention to detail in terms of the military actions, medical stuff, and the storytelling itself. And I felt that the romance aspect was well done. Of course, being the romance junkie that I am, I got a bit frustrated with Keira at times. I won't say why, of course! For the most part, I did understand the reasoning behind her actions.

This book is rather action packed and suspenseful with a nice slice of sexual tension between Luke and Keira. There is even a bit of mystery thrown in, which I imagine will lead nicely into the next book in the Phoenix Rising series. I was fascinated by the special abilities that Luke, Keira and their former firefighting team have because of a prior exposure to chemicals at a warehouse explosion. Their abilities help them greatly at times and gave the story its paranormal aspect. And although Mateo can only speak Greek, I loved his interaction with Keira and Luke. He's such a sweetheart. :)

Now, as I am no expert on proper sentence structure and such, I can't be sure that what I felt was wrong is in fact wrong, but one thing that seemed incorrect to me as I was reading was how it seemed as though there were incomplete sentences at times. For me, in those instances, it disrupted the flow of the story. If I would go back and combine what I thought was the incomplete sentence with the one before it, it flowed better. But seriously, other than that, I loved reading Blaze. I'm definitely going to have to get Fever so that I can get caught up with this series.

** I received a copy of Blaze from the author in exchange for an honest review.**

Find Joan Swan Online
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Blog Tour - Review: Metamorphosis by Devon Ashley

I'm thrilled to participate in the Metamorphosis (book 2 of The Immortal Archives series) blog tour. I previously participated in the Ordained (book 1) blog tour as well, so I was really excited to read and review Metamorphosis. There is a great giveaway associated with this tour, so if you haven't entered yet, feel free to do so at the end of this post. Good luck!

Since Metamorphosis is book 2, I want to warn that there will likely be spoilers for Ordained in my review.

Title: Metamorphosis
Author: Devon Ashley
Genre: YA Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Devon Ashley (Nov 15, 2011 )
Get it: Amazon | B&N | Smashwords


Synopsis
Change is not always a good thing...

Some survived the battle – but not without a price. As one heart starts up again, another dies down. The pure vampires learn their immortality isn't as strong as they'd thought – the status of their hearts determines their vulnerability. And when the truth gets out, a betrayal by one of their own will cost more lives.

Review

When we last saw Emily, she had a decision to make. She had been accidentally exposed to Abby's blood which infected her with the vampire virus; however, because it was only a very small amount, it won't turn her into a vampire, it will kill her. So her choice is to either allow Abby to turn her into a pure vampire or die. Not really much of a choice, is it?

Metamorphosis starts off shortly after where Ordained ended. Emily is transitioning into a vampire and learning about herself all over again. With the help of Abby and Noel's training, she's slowly but surely familiarizing herself with her new abilities ... some of which even Abby and Noel didn't expect her to have.

For pure vampires, injuries and illnesses cause their hearts to start beating again until they have healed. So for Emily, it took a little while after being turned for her heart to stop beating, but for Abby, having been seriously injured at the end of Ordained, her heart is still beating despite her physical injuries having healed, causing Noel concern.

Now as much as I would like to say more regarding the storyline, I can't. Devon Ashley takes you on a crazy ride with this book. There are some surprises throughout this book and one mega serious betrayal that I never saw coming and which I honestly became emotional over. Truth be told, I wanted to yell at Devon and say, "How could you?". You also learn more about Abby's past, her family that is important. Having read Metamorphosis, I understand why the synopsis of the book is so vague. You can't go into too much detail without spoiling some of the surprises and shocking revelations.

While I very much enjoyed this book, I felt as if the beginning was a tad slow. But seriously, once it gets going ... hang on. As I've said, there are a number of surprises plus there are things that are revealed that will surely be important in the next book, and I'm so looking forward to finding out what happens next!

** I received a ecopy of Metamorphosis from the author in exchange for a review.**

Find Devon Ashley Online
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GIVEAWAY

Blog Tour - Review: The Crimson Crimes by Patricia K. McCarthy

You probably know me well enough now to know that I love vampire novels, so when I was asked if I would be interested in participating in The Crimson Crimes tour, I was happy to!  The Crimson Crimes is part of a series of vampire books that I'd not heard of before. Below is my review of the book, and tomorrow I'll have a guest post by Patricia K. McCarthy for you. There is also a giveaway associated with this tour, so be sure to enter to win at the bottom of this post!

Title: The Crimson Crimes
Author: Patricia K. McCarthy
Genre: Vampire Erotic Fiction
Publisher: PKM Publications (Jun 29, 2012)
Get it: www.patriciakmccarthy.com

NOTE: Book suited for mature readers, 18+, due to sexual situations and language.

Synopsis
It’s the dead of night in the dead of winter, and bodies have been found, stacked ceiling-high, in a hillside cave in Ottawa’s Strathcona Park; necks pierced, blood drained – the usual. The city is gripped by a dusk-till-dawn curfew. The press, police and public have whipped each other into a glorious panic over someone or something called the “Vampire Undertaker.” Well, when did a silly curfew ever shut down the kitchen party at the Crimson house? Bring beer, bring smokes, but please bring yourself to meet The Vampires (there are at least four of them) and their quirky human pals. We can take turns feeding the baby vampire, stalling the cops when they come knocking, and tripping out on that time-dream machine up in the bedroom. You’ve got to love people who know how to make their own fun! You’ll never know where Patricia K McCarthy’s “Crimson” stories will take you or guess what’s going to happen next, not that you’ll be complaining! Oh, and of course this novel is well-seasoned with smutty bits – every good plot deserves pepper.

Review

Samuel Crimson is a hybrid vampire (half human, half vampire). His father Sir William Hennessy, the only vampire in existance, wanted to create a new hybrid race of vampires by biting pregnant women in their 9th month of pregnancy which is how Samuel came to be what he is.  Prior to Sir William's death, he changed Samuel's wife Magdalene into a vampire. Now Magdalene is the one true vampire in existence, thus making her the supreme ruler.

When Sir William's hiding place for his victims becomes compromised, Samuel along with Magdalene and their closest friends Kevin and Derek Coffey and David Three Rats set out to remove and bury the bodies before they are discovered by police. Unfortunately, things don't go as expected, putting them in more danger.  Also, Cain, Samuel's half-brother, is out to exact revenge against Samuel for the death of their half-brother Raven since Samuel is the one that killed him.

When I read up on this book prior to signing up with the tour, the information that I found stated that the book, although book five in the series, can be read as a standalone novel. Maybe it's because I've yet to read the first four books, but I don't agree with that. It really felt to me as if it was a continuation, though you are given some pertinent information to catch you up to speed with what is going on at the moment. Plus, by the end of the book there is no resolution to any of the things going on in the book. My guess is that some or all will be resolved in the next book.

Now, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book. I've read a lot of vampire related stories since becoming a fan of reading. I love when authors come up with their own take on vampires. I would be bored if all vampires in every book ever written were all the same. So I thought it interesting that there seemed to be only one true vampire in existence at a time in this book. Sure, there are hybrids but they don't exist in the same way that a true vampire does. In The Crimson Crimes, a true vampire needs blood to survive, they don't sleep ... ever, and they can't be captured on film. However, that is not the case with a hybrid. Hybrid's can live without blood but not food, they sleep, and they can be photographed. For Magdalene, not being able to sleep keeps her from experiencing the dreaming stones which allows the user to travel through time within their dreams and see past or future events.

At the beginning of the book the author warns about strong language and rudeness, etc. Had I not read that in advance, I might have been a bit shocked by some of the language at first, but none of that bothered me. About the only thing that annoyed me a bit was when it felt like I was reading driving instructions. I wouldn't have minded if it only happened once, but it seemed like any time the characters were on the road or discussing where they were going and how they were going to get there, it seemed to consist of detailed instructions on how to get from one point to another.

I do feel the book is well written and very interesting. I am curious about the previous books and of course the next one because I would very much like to know how the situations in The Crimson Crimes play out.

**I received a copy of The Crimson Crimes from the author in exchange for a review.**

Review: Blood of the Vines by Ann Cory

Title: Blood of the Vines
Author: Ann Cory
Genre: Paranormal Erotic Romance
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books (Jun 10, 2012)
Get it: Amazon, B&N 

NOTE: Book suited for mature readers, 18+, due to sexual situations and language.

Synopsis
Once a vampire, now a vampire hunter, Regan Fellows walks a fine line with her reputation. Unable to afford her favorite Italian leather outfits, she takes any job she’s offered. When the owner of The Vines, a popular nightclub, asks her to investigate strange occurrences within her establishment, her investigation takes a disturbing turn. As Regan explores the labyrinth of rooms within The Vines, she discovers blood-filled carboys, discarded bodies, and shadows that follow her every move. But they aren’t the only problems.
Sexy bartender, Garrett Reynolds is a bona-fide distraction, and flawless at the art of breaking down her resistance. Even in the midst of tracking a ruthless horde of vampires, Regan can’t deny him. And that attraction puts her in more danger than any job she ever accepted.


Review

Regan Fellows meets with Selena, the owner of a nightclub called The Vines that caters to vampires. Selena wishes to hire Regan, a vampire hunter, to find out where a new supply of blood is coming from. Selena wants her club to provide healthy, filtered blood to her vampire patrons but the higher-ups are doing some shady business. Tainted blood can kill vampires and that's not good for business.

While at the nightclub, Regan meets Garrett Reynolds, the sexy bartender. Despite her professional work ethic, she finds herself often distracted and unable to concentrate when Garrett is around, potentially putting them both in danger.

I found the idea that Regan was once a vampire but went through some sort of painful extraction process in order to make her mortal again very interesting. Though mortal now, she still has some special vampire abilities she's not particularly happy to still have but they do come in handy in her line of work.

The mystery aspect of the story was interesting. I found myself very curious as to what was really going on, and what or who the shadows were that seemed to follow Regan around.

Now, although I thought the idea behind the story and the writing was good, I think that the story would have been better had it been longer. It's novella length, and for me, I felt that the story was rushed. I would have liked to have gotten to know Regan and Garrett more, and the big confrontation with the bad guys was resolved too quickly, too cleanly. I can't be sure exactly but one of the sex scenes may have taken longer than the confrontation. I did feel a build up to the story but was rather disappointed with the way things were resolved. At times I felt a bit lost and confused as well.

Blood of the Vines is book one of a series, and despite everything, I am interested in Regan's next adventure.

** I received a copy of Blood of the Vines for review as part of the Knights of the Round Table group on Goodreads.**

Find Ann Cory Online
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Review: The Secret Life of Copernicus H. Stringfellow: Surreptitious Superhero by Lorin K. Barber

Title: The Secret Life of Copernicus H. Stringfellow: Surreptitious Superhero
Author:  Lorin K. Barber
Genre: YA
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc. (Mar 13, 2012)
Get it: Amazon, B&N

Goodreads
Copernicus H. Stringfellow, a.k.a. Nick, is not your run-of-the-mill genius. His mind is so powerful it can stop a speeding automobile or stem internal bleeding. As Nick goes about quietly doing good, he discovers that his powers are greatly enhanced by the nutrients present in Twinkies. Follow Nick on his amazing adventures in this humorous and exciting action-packed book for all ages.

Review

Copernicus H. Stringfellow is not your average guy, although he tries to be. He's extremely rich, though you wouldn't know it to look at him, and Nick is incredibly intelligent. He had a difficult childhood, ended up being raised by his aunt and uncle. Nick grew up tall, gangly and awkward yet he is probably one of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet.

Nick has learned to harness his mental powers to do amazing things, usually to help others. He does have a bit of a mischievous side to him. In his attempt to learn what his brain needed to function at optimal capacity, he realized that all the ingredients needed are present in Twinkies, thus they play a big part in this story.

I received a copy of The Secret Life of Copernicus H. Stringfellow from the author for review. The synopsis doesn't go into too much detail but I was still intrigued by it. This was such a fun story to read. I hardly wanted to put it down once I started reading. It has a little bit of everything: mystery, action, romance, intrigue, humor, suspense. A number of times as I was reading my mouth dropped open because I wasn't expecting something that was shocking or surprising. And I particularly enjoyed the humor in it.

At the beginning of the book Nick is on his way to Seattle. He feels a pull towards there. He just knows that he's needed there for some reason, though he doesn't specifically know why. He visits an old professor of his at the local hospital who gives him a job at his request. Along the way Nick meets a wide variety of people whom he becomes friends with and helps along the way.

I don't believe I've read a book quite like this before. Lorin K. Barber seems to have a unique way of telling a story, and I found it very entertaining. As weird as it may sound, I like when a book has some small parts written in other languages. Granted, I don't usually know how to pronounce the words or understand them, but thankfully in this case there are translations included. And Nick has this obsessive need to calculate everything which was odd but funny at times. He also loves to use big words.

Although I very much enjoyed the story, I did find myself confused a few times as I was reading because of the way some of the dialog was presented. I would be reading dialog from say Nick and then the next piece of dialog I assumed was the person he was talking to, only to realize it was still Nick speaking. There is also an intense scene where Nick's obsessive calculations got to be a bit much however it was very much within his character.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a fun, lighthearted, exciting story.  I'm actually hoping there might be another adventure for Copernicus H. Stringfellow in the future.

Find Author Online
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Review: The Life and Death of Lily Drake by T. Michelle Nelson

Title: The Life and Death of Lily Drake
Author: T. Michelle Nelson
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: InkSpell Publishing (Aug 21 2012)
Get it: Pre-Order @ InkSpell Publishing - B&N


Goodreads
For Lily Drake, slaying vampires is easy...Dating them is the hard part.

Lily Drake is your everyday hard-working single mom…until a gorgeous vampire shows up on her front door who she mistakenly assumes is her blind date for the evening. As one crazy scenario after another unfolds, Lily finds herself falling in love with two vampires, slaying the evil ones, and being prophesied as the savior of the entire undead race.
Deciding between pizza and Chinese take-out will no longer be one of the hard decisions facing Lily Drake once she is emerged into vampire society. Humanity or immortality? That doesn't hold a candle against this question - which of the two handsome vampire cousins?

The Life and Death of Lily Drake is not your typical vampire love story. It’s a tale about the humorous mistakes a woman makes simply trying to survive not only life, but the dating scene. How will Lily manage working full-time, taking care of her young son and fighting the undead at every turn?
Lily will have to figure it out, but who better to save the world than a mom?

Review

When Lily Drake mistakes a vampire for her blind date her whole word is turned upside down. She wakes up in a strange bed inside of an even stranger mansion, unsure of how she got there and afraid of why she's there. When it is explained to her that she is descended from two powerful vampire bloodlines and that she's needed in order to protect not only human life but vampires as well, she naturally thinks everyone is out of their mind. Vampires don't exist, right? Lily soon learns just how wrong she is.

Being turned into a vampire herself is not something that she's willing to do though. She has a 12 year old son to think about. Keaton is the most important person in her life. But when she falls in love with Mathias, she gives a second thought to the idea of turning. And then when spending a lot of time training with Valentine, Mathias' cousin, turns into strong feelings towards each other, Lily's left even more confused.  Now she must decide which of the two cousin's she really wants, if either. Then there is the small matter of humans not being allowed to know that vampires exist.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. There were some very interesting twists that I didn't expect nor did I see them coming, particularly a betrayal that I was shocked to learn about. Being a fan of romance, I naturally was rooting for Lily and Mathias. It broke Lily's heart to think that if she didn't turn, she'd have her memories wiped and she'd lose all of the vampires that she's grown to care so much for including Rose, Burchard and Valentine. But then when Valentine fell in love with Lily and she realized she loved him in return, I wasn't sure who I wanted to root for at first. But when I really thought about it, it really wasn't a hard decision. Needless to say I was pleased with the ending.

Now although I did enjoy the book, I did feel as though there were some slow moments. There just seemed to be some instances where the flow of the story was interrupted. I guess maybe, for me, some of those instances was when you were told about the everyday, mundane things that were going on in Keaton's life. I get that the story is about Lily and that her son is very important to her and that she wants life to be normal for her son. It was just that some of what was being told regarding his everyday life slowed the story down for me.

I still very much enjoyed the The Life and Death of Lily Drake! I think the surprises and the twists that I mentioned more than made up for any area I felt slowed down the story. I would definitely read more of T. Michelle Nelson's work.

** I received an eARC copy of the book from InkSpell Publishing for review.**

Find T. Michelle Nelson Online
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Review: Pure Healing by Aja James

Title: Pure Healing
Author: Aja James
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Aja James (May 4 2012)
Get it:  Amazon | B&N

NOTE:  Story is for mature readers due to sexual content.

Goodreads
In the world of Pure Ones, where sexual intercourse with anyone other than one’s Eternal Mate leads to a slow, painful death within thirty days, love comes with the warning label “fall at your own peril.”

Rain, the Healer of this immortal race, is the only exception to the rule. In order to harness and accumulate enough energy to heal severe wounds, she must take a Consort once every ten years and draw strength from his blood and body through sexual exchange. As the war with vampire hordes wears on, few Pure-males who are strong enough to serve as her Consort remain.

Valerius is one of the few. As the Protector of the race, he is by far the strongest candidate Rain could hope for. Despite their instant attraction ten years ago when they first met, Valerius has staunchly avoided applying to be the Healer’s Consort. The brutality and violence he suffered as a Roman sex slave in his human life ate away at his soul, leaving a raw, gaping wound of anguish and self-doubt, which two thousand years of stoic, solitary existence has not been able to heal.

As the decadal rite draws near, as threats from their nemesis intensify, and as Rain’s strength drains with every healing act, Valerius beats back his inner demons and gives himself to the Healer unconditionally. Rain chooses Valerius despite her fear that her desire and need for him would lead her to repeat the mistakes of the past with her first Consort. To avoid that tragedy, Rain stipulates from the beginning that Valerius cannot fall in love with her, for she cannot love him in return. Even though the consequence is death, this is the one promise Valerius cannot keep.

As Rain and Valerius battle their personal pain and fears, they must decide whether they let their histories and duties dictate their destiny or whether they risk all for a chance at everlasting love.

Review


I'm not going to start out this review like I would normally do by giving a bit of an overview of the story. The synopsis does that well enough. What I will start out by saying is that I loved this book.

Quite a few characters are introduced and have their own bits of story that need to be told so that it can lead up to the bigger picture. But what I loved most was the story of Rain and Valerius. He had a brutal past that left him unable to endure being touched. A mere touch causes him extreme physical pain. It's really quite heartbreaking to learn of exactly what happened to him at such a young age and how, despite a connection that he feels towards Rain from the moment he sees her, he not only doesn't feel he is worthy enough to be her Consort, he doesn't believe that he can give her what she need to survive. Rain didn't have an easy human life either. I found myself crying a number of times while reading this book. You just can't help feeling for Valerius. His past, his current struggles, his self-doubt. For me, it was rather heart-wrenching to read.

Then there is the part of the story that involves Sophia, the Pure Ones' Queen. She almost seems like your typical teenager. She goes to school, thinks about boys a lot, but Sophia isn't typical. She's guarded at all times, and she's training in combat for a war that is coming between Pure Ones and vampires. At school Sophia meets Ere, a teaching assistant to one of her professors. He's interested in Sophia, and she's smitten with him, but there seems to be a mystery surrounding him.

And, of course, there is the possible war with vampires that I mentioned! The vampires seem to be trying to destroy all of the Pure Ones, even if it means turning Pure Ones into vampire assassins to do it.

I just found Pure Healing to be so interesting and intense that once I got into it I didn't want to put it down. I definitely recommend it to those who love paranormal romances. I'm assuming that this is just book one in a series because not all aspects of the story were resolved by the end. There are still secrets to be revealed, mysteries to be solved. I honestly can't wait for more.

** I received a copy of the ebook from the author in exchange for a review. **

Find Aja James Online
Goodreads