Uncross My Heart

Uncross My Heart
Jennifer Colgan
ebook, 272 pages
Published January 11th 2011 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN 9781609283278

Magick made him human. Only love can keep him that way.

After a century of living la vida muerta, Julian Devlin's closest ally casts a de-vamping spell that leaves him defanged and demoted from his hard-won place in Baltimore's vampire hierarchy. Disoriented by his transformation, he can't even find his way home.

The indignities don't end there. Before he can explain to the quirky consignment shop owner why he's hiding in her basement, she's punched the newly re-acquired breath out of him and smacked him upside the head with her knock-off purse.

Zoe Boyd's scream could have peeled paint from the walls-if she could get her heart out of her throat. Common thugs aren't supposed to have a smile so panty-melting that she finds herself apologizing for scaring him.

She's also too busy managing her friends' love lives to take on an ex-vampire with revamping and revenge on his mind. Until she guides him home and ends up neck deep in his world of trouble.

As Zoe risks her life to give him back his death, she warms the soul Julian never thought he'd own again. And when he tracks down a devilish witch who can reverse the spell, immortality without Zoe suddenly seems like cold comfort...

Warning: This novel contains sensual love scenes between a fashion-forward hero and a fashion-unconscious heroine, abuse of Italian loafers, and a few love bites. Don't worry, freshly sharpened fangs don't hurt. Much...

No! This was *not* suppose to disappoint me!

It started out perfectly well-a nice, outside of the box, vampire read- then it was as if this thing started scratching with a vengeance to get back in said box. By the time Julian and Zoe made it to bed together, and wow-could that moment have been any less thrilling?, I didn't have much care for how this story went on. Oh sure, I enjoyed the betrayals and the surprises, but all that damn trouble just to stay a vampire and then all that other trouble to de-vamp a vampire only to turn right back around and say Hey, wanna be a vampire?

The true ick was the Draconus and his cooky magic of turning people into vampires and tweaking the spell like it was a recipe for spaghetti sauce. A little heart here, a little memory loss here. Add a speck of invisibility and mediocrity. Damn, I was just so happy it ended. 2 out of 5 stars.

Tranquility

Tranquility
Anya Bast
Otherkin, book two
ebook, 28 pages
Published December 2008
Amazon freebie

Roane leaves the Fury werewolf pack to make room for his brother, Merrick, and his new mate. A natural alpha, there's nowhere Roane can go in wolf country and not stir up trouble. He settles in a town called Tranquility and immediately raises the hackles of the local pack leader.

Even worse, Roane gets one look at Scarlet, the pack leader's sister, and will do anything to possess her. Scarlet tries to resist him, but his touch inflames desire she can barely control. And that means heaps of trouble for both of them.

This short story is a free title, offered by New York Times bestselling author, Anya Bast. Tranquility is part two of a two part series. Fury is the title of part one. These titles are highly erotic and meant for those 18 years or older.

Shame on me for having expectations.

Being an Anya Bast read, though a free one at that, I expected better than what I found between the covers of this book. Roane doesn't want to be pack Alpha, but he wants to be a lone wolf even less. He swears he's not out to overtake Marrik's pack, but that's exactly what he does. I didn't care for Scarlet and it sucked that you had to hate Marrik for Roane to appear likeable. This story has a basic structure, typically rushed for its size, and not exceptionally well written. The fault in my displeasure, though, falls to me. Not so much the author. The idea of a 'queen of the pack' may have put me off from the very start. 2 out of 5 stars.

Mad Love

Mad Love
Paisley Grey
ebook, 2,300 words
Published June 18th 2011 by Paisley Grey Publishing
ASIN B0056VBTSA
Amazon freebie

Can friends ever be lovers?

When Grant's best friend asks him to inseminate her, he fears that intimacy will expose the love he's been hiding all these years.

Never realized how fast 2,300 words can go. Seriously, blink twice and this one's over.

With its shotgun start, it's pretty good. But sometimes you've got to wonder why writers end books the way they do. This one finished with such a dull thud that it completely eclipsed whatever good feelings spawned at the gate.

Touch Me

Touch Me
Meg Harris
ebook, 37,000 words
Published July 14th 2011 by Meg Harris
ISBN 2940012750594
Amazon freebie

Seasons Change: Two college students make love--and fall in love--across the changing seasons.

Fantasia: She's his best friend, but he can't stop fantasizing about her. Does he have the nerve to turn fantasy into reality?

Pumpkin Pie: When Levi Roberts comes home to visit his childhood friend Kira Anderson, he's surprised to discover that pumpkin pie is the sexiest fragrance he's ever smelled.

Hands On: Lora catches her friend Mason engaging in a hands-on activity, and offers him a helping hand of her own.

Warnings: Explicit sex, self-pleasuring, blunt language.

In Seasons Change, a little summer fun brings two long time best friends together in their first taste of passion. Sex in the mud. Sex in a pile of leaves. Sex in the... snow. It's a sweet tale actually but it lacked a declaration of love and that was the one thing that really would have brought it home for me.

Fantasia is the story of a young cubicle worker who falls hard and fast for the new hire at his place of employment. They click from the start but Rae has a boyfriend, thus dooming Nash to the seemingly eternal role of just a friend. Years later, Rae and her beau call it quits but by now Nash is too afraid to act on his feelings and the subtle hints he may only be imagining Rae is giving him. I liked this one far more than the first. The fantasies are way hotter although the ending was just as anticlimactic.

Levi and Kira have been friends since the third grade. They were inseparable, even through high school. Now, in their late twenties, their time apart has grown more and more, till Levi realizes it's been two whole months since he's seen his best friend. They make plans to have dinner at her place, where her new pumpkin scent inspires Levi to take their relationship to the next level. Again, I liked this one much better than the last. There's a pattern though... no declarations of love whatsoever. Yet.

Lora met Mason when he was still hung up on his ex-wife. Even after all this time, she's convinced that he's still in love with her. So it totally shakes her world to find him one night masturbating to a photograph of herself. Despite having a boyfriend, Lora hasn't been able to keep herself from fantasizing about her best friend and faced with this little reality, she can't fight the need to finally experience what it would be like to be in Mason's arms. Just as hot as the last two, with a declaration of love to seal the deal. The best was totally saved for last.

Katrina's Seduction

Katrina's Seduction
Tina Fine
ebook, 50 pages
Published October 23rd 2009 by Tina Fine
ISBN 2940000723333
Amazon freebie

When Katrina Mitchell shows up on Johnny Mueller's doorstep in LA, she harbors far more secrets than Johnny could ever imagine. Johnny's new tenant has the same first name as a woman from his past, and a body that feels familiar, but he chalks the similarities up to coincidence. After all, she has a very different face than his Katrina. They can't be the same person-right?

Three years ago, Katrina survived a train crash that took her memory and left her face horribly disfigured. Numerous surgeries and uplifting mental therapy sessions later, she's got a new look and a drive to discover her past. With the aid of her therapist/one-time-lover, Blaine, Katrina hops a plane to LA in search of the man that stars in her erotic dreams. The same man who left her for another woman-his wife.

Although the blurb revolves around Katrina and Johnny, the story itself is more focused on she and Blaine, and the hot, dirty sex they share. After she reunites with Johnny, the plot gets somewhat abandoned as Kat realizes there are things more important than the past and all the questions she came in search of stay unanswered. And I wanted those answers! 4 out of 5 stars.

An Unwanted Hunger

I saw the initial rush of fear as I seized you.

An Unwanted Hunger
Ciana Stone
Kindle Edition, 144 pages
Published December 7th 2009 by Ellora's Cave
First published December 26th 2008
ISBN 9781419919268

Amazon freebie

Passion this strong is dangerous. They both know it. Mortal enemies, their respective factions have been at war since the dawn of man. Resa is a Dhampir, bred and trained to hunt Vampyres. Constantine is a prince among the Vampyre, the oldest and most lethal.

Nothing good can come of this hunger, this need that drives them relentlessly toward one another. Neither reason nor devotion to duty can stay their need. There is but one way to quench the thirst that drives them. Once sated, they can return to the battle and see which one, if either, is left standing.

But one drink from the cup of desire serves only to magnify the hunger. One act of lust that could alter them forever, changing the course of destiny.

BEST part of this book is the journal entry that makes up the prologue. Instant high for me. What followed, although very well written, fell far into disappointment territory. Every obstacle was was just too easily solved. Resa learns that her entire life has been built on lies and is betrayed by her every ally... no big deal. She easily jumps ship and into bed with Constantine who takes her as his mate unintentionally but wholeheartedly. So what if his people won't accept her. The matter never really even comes up. At war are we? Retreat and somehow everything is better in the morning.

I'm not entirely sure if there was an actually ending to this story. More like Resa and Constantine's parts ended. Nothing solved, just delayed. 3 out of 5 stars.

That Old Black Magic: Living in Eden #3

That Old Black Magic
Michelle Rowen
Living in Eden, book three
ebook, 320 pages
Published December 6th 2011 by Penguin Group
ISBN 9781101552438

Reluctant witch Eden Riley knows that codependent relationships aren't good, especially when you're possessed by a sexy but troublemaking demon. Darrak's physical form makes good girl Eden want to go bad, but the constant itch to use the soul-destroying black magic she's recently acquired might force Eden to explore her dark side in an entirely different way.

And when her magic starts manifesting itself without conscious effort, both Eden's life and the possibility of a future with Darrak are threatened-since only one of them might be able to survive this.

The third installment and it's still only been a month since Darrak came into Eden's life. That's how busy these books of Rowen's are!

For three hundred years the archdemon Darrik has been trapped inside human hosts, slowly absorbing their humanity. Our compassion, our needs, our fears. But only now does the true torture begin as he finds himself in love with his current host, Eden, all the while absorbing some of her angel essence and the battle between good and evil causes a physical ache inside his body.

I found myself missing the old Darrik as this one started off. The new, much more angelic Darrik is sweet and all and certainly doesn't hold much back when confessing his love for Eden but yeah, typical me, I yearned for the demon. Enduring his stress of whether Eden really loved him and having him crushed by her failure to accept his marriage proposal was just too sad. Too vulnerable. And too mushy.

At midpoint though, things take a drastic turn and suddenly, it's a race to conclude the series. The curse gets broken. Eden discovers she's pregnant. Multiple deals get made with Lucifer. And yet another chick falls for Ben. What the hell is the deal with Ben?!

It wasn't my ideal epic ending and honestly, the 'Lucy' name left me with all kinds of icky feelings. And that is *so* not the last memory I want from a series that started out as great as The Demon In Me. 3 out of 5 stars.

Previously in the series:

Beg Me

Beg Me
Shiloh Walker
ebook
Published November 19th 2010 by Shiloh Walker
ISBN 9781452497


Beg me…there had been a time when those words made her burn with desire. But now, there was only fear.

Once, Tania Sinclair’s life was almost perfect…oh, it had its ups and downs but she was happily married to a guy that adored her, one who had no problem indulging every kinky fantasy she ever had. But a couple of tragedies later, she’s barely holding it together. A car accident took away her husband, and an attack from somebody she should have been able to trust has shaken not only her confidence, but it’s also stripped away her fantasies and even made it painful to look back on her memories of her husband without fear.

Two years after her attack, Tania is determined to take her life back and the first step is taking back herself…her fantasies, her dreams, her memories. There’s only one person she can trust to do it, too. One person she wants enough…Drake Bennett, her husband’s best friend.

Falling for your best friend’s wife—never smart. Drake’s watched Tania quietly for years, watched her…wanted her, knowing he’d never have her. First, she was taken. And then, that night two years ago—a night that still scars her, a night that’s left bruises on her that still haven’t healed. He does what he can, though, because he loves her too much not to. He’s her friend, there when she needs him.

And now she needs him. She’s asked him for a favor…one that just about blows his mind…

Warning: This book involves light bondage play, rape fantasy & role-playing. The acts between the hero & heroine are consensual, but they may not be ideal for all readers.

It's been too long since I've picked up a Shiloh Walker book. Two whole months too long.

Three years ago, Tania lost her husband, Kyle, in a car accident. He was her everything, the one man she could share her sexual fantasies with, no matter how rough and kinky they were. A year after that, those fantasies and the memories linked with them were defiled and destroyed by Kyle's twin brother, Kent, as he used Tania's secrets against her in a savage attack that left her raped and nearly broken.

As she begins to take back her sexuality, and her very self, she turns to the only other person aware of her deviant desires-her husband's best friend, Drake. A man who's been in love with her long before Kyle became her husband.

This story has the kink, but surprisingly it also has the romance factor. Drake doesn't hide behind his feelings long and although he willingly plays Tania's fuck toy he makes it perfectly clear where his heart stands. It's a 4 out of 5 stars for me. The fulfillment of the rape fantasy could have been much hotter.

Demon Touch

Demon Touch
Doranna Durgin
Kindle Edition
Published September 1st 2011 by Harlequin Nocturne Bites
ISBN 9781426834080

Ever since the night Alex Donally found the demon blade in his hand—and in his thoughts—he has been driven to fight evil. When he meets Deb Marchand, he feels compelled to protect her from her violent ex—and aroused by the visions of passionate encounters they both experience when they touch. The blade is showing them what they can have—if Deb can risk giving her trust and heart to a vigilante.

Some time ago, Alex came into the possession of a shapeshifting blade with a thirst for vengeance. I can't say it changed him. I can't even say it bothers him. Things just 'are' in this story, keeping with its repetitive Could be, Would be, Should be mantra. What I can tell you is that I didn't care for the writing technique of this book. It was choppy, vague, and lacking a much needed flow. Being my third read by Durgin, its safe to put into writing that I won't be picking up any more of her work. Two stars seems to be the best I can ever attribute to my experiences with her, as is the best I can do here. 2 out of 5 stars.

Immortal Rider: Lords of Deliverance #2

Immortal Rider
Larissa Ione
Lords of Deliverance, book two
Mass Market Paperback, 414 pages
Published November 22nd 2011 by Grand Central Publishing
ISBN 9780446574471


The signs are everywhere...disastrous world events. Evil rising up, unleashed upon the innocent. The prophecies were there...but no one listened. Until now. The time has come for those who can either usher in Doomsday...or prevent it. They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Arik Wagner, a soldier with the U.S. Army's paranormal unit, the R-XR, kissed a girl and liked it. And then he went to hell as punishment. Where he's spent weeks being tortured...and plotting revenge.

Limos, Horsewoman of the Apocalypse, isn't your average girl. She's immortal, dangerous, and her fiancé is Satan himself. In a moment of weakness, she gave in to her desire and kissed Arik, triggering her fiancé's wrath - and his claim on her. In order to save Arik, and the world, Limos must make a dangerous pact with her recently turned evil brother, Pestilence. A deal that might just cost her her soul...and her heart.

So... first impression here (as far as this particular book is concerned anyway) is that Arik has a very dirty mind. And a fetish for coconuts. Well not really, but I just love how Ione tells a story. Even things a reader finds in numerous other books seem to become something altogether original just by the ways she delivers it.

At an engagement party for and hosted by Ares and Cara, Arik breaks from the crowd for some fresh air. Limos, the third Horseman and destined 'Famine', has been driving his libido wild and the throng of demons isn't helping his control. When she challenges him to spar in an attempt to settle the agitation she senses in him, Arik goes in for a kiss. Then hell itself opens up to swallow Arik whole and he goes on to spend a month being tortured at the hands of Satan's minions.

Release from his prison doesn't come easy. Regaining a sense of reality afterwards is an even greater challenge. Especially since Pestilence (aka Reseph) went all vampire on him in an attempt to claim Arik's soul for a bargaining chip.

The side stories are a wonderful compliment to the book which is a nice change since most are either distracting or a downright nuisance. Regan steps further into the spotlight in this installment and the plot to break Thanatos's seal begins. Oh yeah, it's time to get Than laid and make him a daddy!

Meanwhile Reseph has been in Limos's ear and her scales are tipping (literally) toward the dark side with every lie she's forced, and secretly thrilled, to tell. This is a double whammy as lying seems to be the one thing Arik detests above all else thanks to an abusive, alcoholic father. Just another obstacle in the way of he and Limos getting together. That, and a very aggressive chastity belt. And let's not forget Satan.

(spoilers) Harvester and Reaver, the two watchers, evolve drastically in this book as Reaver becomes a victim of Harvester's cruel plans when she captures and mutilates him with the cutting off of his angel wings. The two do still have a chance in the future, if they don't kill each other first.

We meet Lilith, the Horsemen's mother, and witness a glimpse that Reseph is very much still present inside Pestilence. Limos is forced to reveal her sins against her brothers, earning herself some very scary wrath from Ares and Thanatos. And Lucifer, too, for altogether different reasons. She and Arik manage to break her betrothal contract to Satan just before Regan takes advantage of Thanatos and holy hell, that Guardian better keep running. The fourth Horseman is pissed.

4 out of 5 stars.

Previously in the series: