Farewell, 2015!

▬▬ JANUARY ▬▬▬ (8)
1. Revenant (LoD #6) by Larissa Ione (01/07)
2. Nightkeepers (Nightkeepers #1) by Jessica Andersen (01/15)
3. Living Nightmare (Sentinel Wars #4) by Shannon K Butcher (01/20)
4. Scent of a Mate (Sassy Mates #1) by Milly Taiden (01/21) *KLL
5. Blood Hunt (Sentinel Wars #5) by Shannon K Butcher (01/23)
6. Queen of Starlight (Sheerspace #1) by Jessa Slade (01/26)
7. Dying Wish (Sentinel Wars #6) by Shannon K Butcher (01/29)
8. Prime Obsession (Prime Chronicles #1) by Monette Michaels (01/31)
▬▬ FEBRUARY ▬▬▬ (7)
9. Enslaved (BotK #14) by Evangeline Anderson (02/03)
10. Torkel's Chosen (A World Beyond #1) by Michelle Howard (02/05)
11. Falling Blind (Sentinel Wars #7) by Shannon K Butcher (02/09)
12. The Blarmling Dilemma (Hearts in Orbit #1) by S.C. Mitchell (02/12)
13. Willing Sacrifice (Sentinel Wars #8) by Shannon K Butcher (02/18)
14. The Darkest Night (LoU #1) by Gena Showalter (02/25)
15. The Ruins of Karzelek (Mandrake Company #4) by R Lionsdrake (02/28) *KLL
▬▬ MARCH ▬▬▬ (4)
16. The Darkest Kiss (LoU #2) by Gena Showalter (03/10)
17. Binding Ties (Sentinel Wars #9) by Shannon K Butcher (03/20)
18. Venomous (Alien Warrior #1) by Penelope Fletcher (03/26) *KLL
19. Radiance by Grace Draven (03/28)
▬▬ APRIL ▬▬▬ (1)
20. Master of Crows by Grace Draven (04/03)
▬▬ MAY ▬▬▬ (2)
21. Born of Defiance (League #8) by Sherrilyn Kenyon (05/21)
22. A Viking's Peace (Vikings in Space #1) by Zoe York (05/28) *KLL
▬▬ JULY ▬▬▬ (1)
23. Thief (Fringe #1) by Anitra Lynn McLeod (07/31)
▬▬ AUGUST ▬▬▬ (1)
24. Targeted (Bok #15) by Evangeline Anderson (08/31)
▬▬ SEPTEMBER ▬▬▬ (11)
25. The Darkest Pleasure (LoU #3) by Gena Showalter (09/08)
26. Karac (Kaldar Warriors #1) by T.J. Yelden *KLL (09/10)
27. Pirates of the Dark Nebula (Hearts in Orbit #2) by S.C. Mitchell *KLL (09/18)
28. Hunted (Frost Station Alpha #1) by Ruby Lionsdrake (09/21)
29. Seduction (Frost Station Alpha #2) by Ruby Lionsdrake (09/22)
30. Pirates (Frost Station Alpha #3) by Ruby Lionsdrake (09/23)
31. Contagion (Frost Station Alpha #4) by Ruby Lionsdrake (09/24)
32. Glaciem (Frost Station Alpha #5) by Ruby Lionsdrake (09/25)
33. Reckoning (Frost Station Alpha #6) by Ruby Lionsdrake (09/27)
34. Arak's Love (A World Beyond #2) by Michelle Howard (09/29)
35. My Commander (Bewitched & Bewildered #1) by Alanea Alder (09/30)
▬▬ OCTOBER ▬▬▬ (11)
36. Vados (The Ujal #1) by Erin Tate (10/02)
37. My Protector (Bewitched & Bewildered #2) by Alanea Alder (10/07)
38. Wicked Nights (Angels of the Dark #1) by Gena Showalter (10/14)
39. Tave (The Ujal #2, part #1) by Erin Tate (10/15)
40. Tave (The Ujal #2, part #2) by Erin Tate (10/16)
41. Tave (The Ujal #2, part #3) by Erin Tate (10/16)
42. My Healer (Bewitched & Bewildered #3) by Alanea Alder (10/19)
43. Rogue's Destiny (The Ozera Wars #1) by Michele Callahan *KLL (10/20)
44. Fire & Ice (The League #4) by Sherrilyn Kenyon (10/21)
45. My Savior (Bewitched & Bewildered #4) by Alanea Alder (10/23)
46. Warlock Unbound (Heart's Desire #4) by Dana Marie Bell (10/29)
▬▬ NOVEMBER ▬▬▬ (7)
47. Releasing Rage (Cyborg Sizzle #1) by Cynthia Sax (11/02)
48. Born of Betrayal (League #10) by Sherrilyn Kenyon (11/05)
49. Flight of the Valkyrie by Jennifer Colgan (11/08)
50. Beauty Awakened  (Angels of the Dark #2) by Gena Showalter  (11/12)
51. Stranded (Warriors of Karal #1) by Harmony Raines *KLL (11/16)
52. Breathing Vapor (Cyborg Sizzle #2) by Cynthia Sax (11/30) 
53. Being Green  (Cyborg Sizzle #2.5) by Cynthia Sax (11/30) 
▬▬ DECEMBER ▬▬▬ (3)
54. My Brother's Keeper (Bewitched & Bewildered #5) by Alanea Alder (12/03)
55. Star Cruise: Marooned (A Sectors SF Romance) by Veronica Scott (12/10)
56. Burning Dawn  (Angels of the Dark #3) by Gena Showalter (12/18)

29  SciFi | 25 Paranormal | 2 Fantasy

Burning Dawn (Angels of the Dark #3)

"I want to give her more."

Available at Amazon.com

Burning Dawn
Gena Showalter
Angels of the Dark, book three
ebook, 432 pages
Published April 29th 2014 by MIRA
ISBN 9781488709562

A tormented past has left Thane with an insatiable need for violence, making him the most dangerous assassin in the skies. He lives by a single code: no mercy. And as he unleashes his fury on his most recent captor, he learns no battle could have prepared him for the slave he rescues from his enemy’s clutches — a beauty who stokes the fires of his darkest desires.

Elin Vale has her own deep-rooted scars, and her attraction to the exquisite warrior who freed her challenges her every boundary. But Thane’s unwavering determination to protect her means she must face her greatest fears — and enter a world in which passion is power, and victory means breathtaking surrender.

I'm definitely enjoying the Angels of the Dark much more than I am the Lords of the Darkness. And this, Thane's story, just might be my favorite of the Angels.

When we first met Thane back in book one, he was the epitome of a cold-hearted bastard and it's almost traumatizing to see him fall so far as he becomes a mindless sex slave to Kendra, a twisted Phoenix who used her poisons (and sex) to bind him to her. At this point not even even his beloved friends, Xerxes and Bjorn, can save him. It eventually falls to Elin, fellow slave and human/Phoenix half-breed, to set him free.

And soon enough, Thane goes from a sadistic/masochistic bed-her-and-forget-her jackass to a besotted romantic, living for Elin's happiness.

He headed into town to buy chocolates and romance novels. Several hours ticked past as he selected the very best of both. A man devoted time to what mattered to him- to what he deemed worthy of his attention.
When he finished, he tracked down Merrick.
A man guarded what mattered to him.

Too bad when he finally gets the chance to prove his faith in Elin, Thane's devastating failure shakes them both and their budding relationship to the core. With Elin's qualms about being unfaithful to her dead husband's memory, she finds even more of a drive to cut ties with the Sent One when he, upon discovering her mixed heritage, shuns her, abandoning her to what would have been her Phoenix masters had Xerxes not intervened. In the end, she ended up at the mercy of demons. Luckily, it took just hours for Thane to come to his senses and he has the chance to play Hero once more.

Had the ending not felt rushed as it did, this was definitely five star material.

4 out of 5 stars


Previously in the series:

Star Cruise: Marooned (A Sectors SF Romance

Us together, anywhere you want to be.

Available at Amazon.com

Star Cruise: Marooned
Veronica Scott
Kindle Edition, 140 pages
Published June 18th 2015 by Jean D Walker
ASIN B00ZZ0OCBS

Meg Antille works long hours on the charter cruise ship Far Horizon so she can send credits home to her family. Working hard to earn a promotion to a better post (and better pay), Meg has no time for romance.

Former Special Forces soldier Red Thomsill only took the berth on the Far Horizon in hopes of getting to know Meg better, but so far she’s kept him at a polite distance. A scheduled stopover on the idyllic beach of a nature preserve planet may be his last chance to impress the girl.

But when one of the passengers is attacked by a wild animal it becomes clear that conditions on the lushly forested Dantaralon aren’t as advertised – the ranger station is deserted, the defensive perimeter is down…and then the Far Horizon’s shuttle abruptly leaves without any of them.

Marooned on the dangerous outback world, romance is the least of their concerns, and yet Meg and Red cannot help being drawn to each other once they see how well they work together. But can they survive long enough to see their romance through? Or will the wild alien planet defeat them, ending their romance and their lives before anything can really begin?

This one had a rough start for me, but once it really started going (that is, when people started dying), I was totally engrossed by the story and the main characters, Simon (aka Red) and Meg.

Years ago, Red, while on task with his team, experienced a prophetic moment that forewarned him that he would have but one chance at love. After a mission goes awry and Red finds himself retired from the military he moves on to find security work on a high end galactic cruise line, but gets sidelined when he meets Meg, and suddenly his course of action takes a dramatic shift to a mediocre vessel.

Too bad the woman he's chasing isn't of mind to be caught.

As Red tries, and tries and tries, to make a good impression on the rule driven Meg, there seems to be no hope for the one chance he was destined for. Until the war raging light years away ends up on their beach and they're left marooned with no hope of a rescue.

With the responsibility of their clients' lives weighing on their shoulders, not to mention their own being on the line, Red and Meg come together to survive storms, wildlife, and dumb but deadly pirates.

There doesn't seem to be an official order to this series, but if the rest are anything like Marooned then I may have to start accumulating the collection.

4 out of 5 stars.

My Brother's Keeper (Bewitched and Bewildered #5)

"Would you rather I throw you on the bed 

and pleasure you so much that you don't know your own name?

Or would you rather I love you tortuously, drawing out every single wave of ecstasy 

until my name is the only thing you know?"

Available at Amazon.com

My Brother's Keeper
Alanea Alder
Bewitched and Bewildered, book five
Kindle Edition, 237 pages
Published: November 17th 2015 by Sacred Forest Publishing
ASIN B0147DJPN8

Two hundred years ago Kendrick Ashwood had a premonition that showed him the gruesome image of his baby brother being killed in the line of duty while serving with the Alpha Unit. When centuries go by and Keelan is still alive and well, he begins to relax. He believes that his prayers sent to the Gods to make him wrong this one time have been answered.

As Kendrick feels his godsdaughter’s magic flare out of control he immediately merges with her in an attempt to rein it in. That is when he learns of the tragedy that has taken his only family away from him.

Using every resource at his disposal he immediately heads for Lycaonia to find out for himself who would be suicidal enough to harm his brother. What he finds shocks him to his core.

Anne Bennett gets a phone call that changes her life. Her new best friend Keelan has been hurt and his commander is asking her to move in to help take care of him. Her heart breaks when she hears from his family that the dreams she has been having of them together were shared by Keelan and that he was meant to be her mate.

Upon meeting Kendrick, her entire world is shaken. His more mature appearance and perpetual frown makes him look more like the man from her dreams than Keelan ever did. When she can no longer fight her attraction for him she confesses her feelings only to have them rebuffed. Kendrick is adamant that he would never steal his brother’s mate. But Anne is almost positive that she was never Keelan’s mate to begin with.

As the Alpha Unit races to find the enemies who have stolen Keelan’s soul and covered Lycaonia in black magic, Kendrick begins to uncover dreadful truth behind the necklaces. When turning to Anne feels more natural than it should, Kendrick faces the fact that Anne truly is his mate.

As the paranormal world teeters on the brink of chaos, he finds himself protecting not his brother’s mate, but his own.

Back in book three, Keelan began dreaming of the woman he believed was his mate, as one by one the others of the Alpha Unit have begun to do. And he found the girl he dreamed of, working at one of the local markets. The problem, subsequently confessed in book four? He's not attracted to her. Finally, in book five, we discover why.

: SPOILERS :

Keelan is a witch, and has mistakenly confused mate dreaming with dream state premonitions enabling him to protect not his mate, but his brother, Kendrick's.

All of the women of B&B, have had their own quirky obsessions: computer coding and video games, clothing and the office-stealing closet to hoard it, make-up galore... and now, Anne brings us anime! Without the Dr. Who fanatic angle. Double yays!

Hands down, Kendrick is my favorite of all the guys so far. The guy carries a full library in his pocket (er, pouch) and is all but a hermit as he doesn't play well with others. Open-minded. Open-hearted. As Meryn said, the guy is fucking awesome! And sums up my view of the world as is quite nicely:

"My heart hurts, Sei. I fear for our future. I don't know if I want to live in this world anymore. I am so tired..."

With the tension of Kendrick expecting to gain himself a sister and finding his mate instead, my mind was all over the place with the many ways this story could have played out. And Alder does not disappoint in the least.

As Kendrick and Anne bond over their relationships with Keelan, a love of Japanese culture, and a progressing addiction to anime, currently focused on the boy love premise, the two begin their mating as friends with the cloud of their erotic dream sharing and ever distracting attraction to one another only mildly agitating the natural fall into love.

They comfort one another. They protect one another. And they don't shy away from their feelings. Eventually they confess their feelings and confirm that Anne is definitely not Keelan's mate.

Then, ohhhhh then...

Then everything gets all convoluted when it comes out that Kendrick is actually Julian, the long lost son of a once hunted king, and is the elder sibling to twin brothers, Keelan and Kendrick. The latter of which died as a babe. He's fucking awesome, and a prince! It comes out that Amelia's parents, in truth, weren't off gallivanting across the maps as hippies but on a secret quest in search of their lost king. Whom is now dead, his body lying in a grave dug by his own son, and resting beside his wife and deceased child.

The ferals' plot is unmasked further in this installment as it becomes divulged that Kendrick's parents were the first victims of this evil crusade. After three hundred years, you'd think that whoever is behind this would have achieved his goal by now, right?

4 out of 5 stars.

Book six, My Guardian, is due out sometime next year.

Previously in the series:

Being Green (Cyborg Sizzle #2.5)

Being Green
Cynthia Sax
Cyborg Sizzle, book 2.5
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Green, a cyborg warrior, cares for one being—his plant Windy. When Windy becomes sick, he’ll do anything to heal her, even venture across the universe to visit a worlds-renowned plant doctor.

He doesn’t expect to find love.

Doctor Shelby Cooper is the sole resident of a tiny planet. She prefers to be alone rather than risk caring for another being and then losing him. The curvaceous scientist is determined to resist Green’s patient caresses, his thought-burning kisses, his slow seduction.

She has underestimated the power of a cyborg’s passion.

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