To Crown a Traitor (What Lies Between Stars #2)

I’m not sure I forgive her,
but I think I want her to forgive herself.

Available at Amazon.com

To Crown a Traitor
Katherine Macdonald
What Lies Between Stars, book two
ebook, 632 pages
Independently Published July 6, 2026
ASIN B0FRXS34P7
ARC


A traitor on the run. A prince bound by duty. A love caught between ruin and redemption.

Branded a traitor for a murder she did not commit—and haunted by the ones she did—Wren is a fugitive in both worlds. Hunted by her own people, pursued by the humans, and chased most of all by the man she cannot forget, she is left with nowhere to turn.

Prince Cassiel never wanted the crown, yet with his mother lingering between life and death, the weight of the kingdom rests on his shoulders. To rule, he must set aside grief, bury betrayal, and condemn the girl who lied to him. But every choice tears the realm closer to war—and every thought drifts back to Wren.

When Wren offers him the chance to regain his sight, Cass must decide whether to follow her into enemy lands, or lose everything to the darkness closing in. Old wounds burn, old desires flare, and the fragile hope between them might be the only thing strong enough to defy fate.

But with kingdoms ready to fall and blood demanding vengeance, can a traitor and a prince truly carve out a world where they can be together?

Come back.

Stay away.

Explain yourself.

No. Don't.

This is the heart-wrenching conclusion to the tale of Wren, the half-fae girl who was fated to meet Cassiel, the second-born son.

The foundation of their relationship has been shaken, cracked, and practically torched with dragon fire, and it's not enough that they have to emotionally find a way back to each other but from there, they’ll have to fight to craft a world in which they can stay together.

It was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it delivered.

Our boy, Cass, is missing his girl, and I have never been so hyper aware of the heart in my chest. With every turn of the page, there’s longing edged with pain. Hope touched by devastation. And guilt fueling a quest to make amends.

This book hurt me.

It tortured my emotions until the very end. Two years?! You had to devastate my guy for two whole years??

5 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | paperback

Previously in the series:

2026/31

31 Total Reads in 2013

WOAH! What a year. My number might be low, but this year packed one hell of a punch with some awesome reads.

Next year, my plans are to switch things up a bit. Can you believe I've never read a book before it was made into a movie before? Nope, not even the Harry Potter series. So the banner for the Divergent looked good, so yes, that'll be the one. And it's a YA, so it's a one-bird/two-stones kind of thing.

I'm also going to, wait for it, ...give a go at some reads that fall nowhere near the Romance genre. Gasp, right?

The New Goal: 10 Books from my TBR pile... that have been collecting dust for years.

So those be the plans. And these be the numbers:

24 Paranormal | 4 Contemporary | 2 SciFi | 1 Fantasy

Reads of 2013

Cold Sight: Extrasensory Agents #1

Available at Amazon.com

Cold Sight
Leslie Parrish
Extrasensory Agents, book one
ebook, 359 pages
Published July 6th 2010 by Signet Eclipse

After being made a scapegoat in a botched investigation that led to a child's death, Aidan McConnell became a recluse. Still, as a favor to an old friend, Aidan will help on the occasional XI case. But under his handsome, rugged facade, he keeps his emotions in check--for fear of being burned again.

Reporter Lexie Nolan has a nose for news--and she believes a serial killer has been targeting teen girls around Savannah. But no one believes her. So she turns to the new paranormal detective agency and the sexy, mysterious Aidan for help.

But just as the two begin forging a relationship, the case turns eerily personal for Lexie--and Aidan discovers that maybe he hasn't lost the ability to feel after all.

Despite all of his success using his psychic abilities to find lost persons, one wrong move, resulting in a young boy's lost life, has cost Aidan everything. Oh, he'll help out every now and then. Anonymously. But even his friends can't manage to pull him back, until reporter Lexie Nolan gets a second chance at salvaging her reputation, and seeks out Aidan in a desperate attempt to find the missing girls only a select few even believe are actually missing.

I tried to finish this book in one sweep, but then it happened- Reaver arrived- and Cold Sight was put on the back burner. It's quite telling when one could actually walk away from a book without looking back. But it's not all CS's fault. Reaver is awesomeness!

I was, to an extent, enthralled by Aidan and Lexie's chemistry. However, getting sidetracked into the mind of the killer put a big damper on things. Strange, because I usually like that little detail, but in this case, the killer was way too boring.

3 out of 5 stars.

Reaver: Lords of Deliverance #5

"We’re the most fucked-up, star-crossed lovers in history."

Available at Amazon.com

Reaver
Larissa Ione
Lords of Deliverance, book five
ebook, 416 pages
Published December 17th 2013 by Grand Central Publishing
ISBN 781455526963

WARRIOR OF HEAVEN

Reaver is an angel with a past, a record, and a less-than-heavenly attitude. Powerful enough to fight alongside the fiercest battle angels-and crazy enough to risk his wings on a one-way mission to hell-he's agreed to go where no angel has ever gone before...to steal the most seductive and dangerous prize of Satan himself.

ANGEL OF HELL

Harvester is one of the Fallen, a once-heroic angel who sacrificed her wings to work as an undercover agent in hell. But now her cover has been blown, and she's been doomed to an eternity of agonizing torture. Even if Reaver can snatch her away from Satan's lair, even if they can fight their way out of the underworld's darkest depths, there is one thing Harvester can never escape-her newfound thirst for an angel's blood.

:: This post contains SPOILERS ::

As we mindblowingly established in the last book, Reaver was once Yenrieth, the angel who fathered the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Here, we find that Harvester was once Virienne, the angel daughter of Satan (conceived before he fell) who once loved Yenrieth to the point of devastation.

Harvester chose to fall from Heaven and become a spy knowing full well that should she ever be discovered, no one would save her. But when Reaver learns the truth of her actions, and of the protection she's spent centuries bestowing upon his children, he risks his wings and very life to go after her. It should be noted that Reaver has no memory of ever being Yenrieth, and Harvester has no idea that they are one in the same, having his image completely wiped from her memory.

 "I remember me. And you. I remember us."

As the two flee Hell, the pasts of Yenrieth and Virienne come flowing. Yenrieth was an ass. Virienne was a weak, besotted fool. And they were the best of friends, until they ultimately betrayed one another. Now, Harvester and Reaver are left to answer for the actions of their former selves and fight for the chance to actually be together in the face of Lucifer's upcoming rebirth and Raphael's twisted sense of right.

• “Why did you kiss me back at the cavern?”
  Too flustered to form a clever response, she said simply, “To annoy you.”
  He laughed, a hearty, soul-deep sound. “You do that a lot. You always have.”
  Always have? He made it sound like they’d known each other for centuries.
  “Did it work?”
  “Oh, yeah.” He shifted, lifting his hips, and the motion put his erection fully against her sex as she straddled him. “It annoyed me. It would annoy me if you did it again.”

Once free, Harvester is rewarded back her wings, just as Reaver's are cut from him and he is once more an Unfallen. Until, that is, it's revealed that Reaver is a Radiant, the strongest of all angels. His wings are returned, now golden and Harvester is once again assigned as the Four Horsemen's Watcher, albeit for the side of Heaven now. And Revenant, the hero of the next installment, is placed as the Watcher for Hell. And, btw, Revenant is Reaver's twin brother.

He loved that her shiny new halo hadn’t crushed her horns.

5 out of 5 stars.

Previously in the series:

Riding the Storm: Acro #1

"I care, because if Dev has you, no one else has a shot."

Available at Amazon.com

Riding the Storm
Sydney Croft (aka: Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler)  
ACRO, book one
ebook, 281 pages  
Published August 28th 2007 by Delta (first published January 1st 2007) ISBN 9780385340809

A storm’s rage. A woman’s desire.

A man with the power to set them both free.

He can summon lightning at will. Emerge unscathed from the center of a tornado. Strip a woman down to her barest defenses through the sheer force of his sexuality. He’s gorgeous, dangerous, and the target of parameteorologist Haley Holmes’s latest mission.

Haley has been dispatched to the Louisiana bayous to investigate the phenomenon known as Remy Begnaud–a man with a gift he never wanted: the ability to control a storm’s fury. But even a woman trained in bizarre weather phenomena has no defense against the electrifying power of the ex-Navy SEAL...a power his enemies would kill to control. With her agency monitoring their every move, Haley’s job is to seduce Remy, gain his trust–and help him harness his extraordinary gift.

But who will protect her from this voracious lover who’s introducing her to a new world of erotic thrills—a man who grows increasingly insatiable with each new weather event? Haley knows a big storm is approaching—and with it will come unexpected delights. But so, too, will the storm unleash her greatest fears: an enemy bent on destroying Remy. And her worst fear of all—falling in love with this magnificent man, then having to betray him.

Read just ten percent of this book and you'll never see storms in the same light again.

Remy, or T-Remy as they call him in his neck of the woods, needs a woman who can handle him in bed.

And just like Remy needs a certain type of woman... their story needs a certain type of reader. Waaaayyy too much smut going on, as ironic as that may sound. I think I filled my quota for the next year.

Honestly, the main story was nothing but a fuck-ton of sex scenes and I found myself more drawn to the back story, if it can even be called that, of Annika and Creed. The two ACRO agents have been sent by Dev to do some investigating in his childhood home where a pissed off ghost still abides. The two can't stand eachother because, basically, they tempt one another far too much. But while Creed is ready and eager to go one on one with Annika's heart and body, Annika still hides behind the guise of being Dev's woman. Until--she discovers Creed is the one man with an immunity to her powers.

3 out of 5 stars. And wtf? Creed and Annika don't even get their own installment? Just a novella in the The Mammoth Book of Special Ops Romance. Grr.

Pieces of You

Available on Amazon.com

Pieces of You
Mary Campisi
Kindle Edition, 163 pages
Published June 22, 2011
ISBN 2940012804112

Quinn Burnes's mother disappeared when he was only fifteen leaving him with a despondent father, a little sister who suffers panic attacks, and eight notebooks containing the truth about his mother. He guards this secret for eighteen years, until on an otherwise normal day, his mother re-enters his life, pleading for his help. She's in danger and the only thing that can save her is reclaiming the identity she shunned years ago.

Quinn is a master of emotional detachment, from his successful career as a personal injury attorney to his strings of meaningless relationships with beautiful women who possess uneasy temperaments; a sure formula to keep his heart safe and insure he's the first to walk away. Until he meets the mysterious 'Danielle' a woman with too many secrets who's on the run from the abusive, estranged husband she shot and may have killed. Danielle isn't like any woman he's ever met, but can he risk his heart for someone who's doing exactly what his mother did eighteen years ago? Someone who may ultimately leave him, just like his mother?

Quinn Burnes is all kinds of screwed up.

When Quinn was 15 years old his mother disappeared, leaving himself, his sister, and their father behind. Many feared foul play had taken her away but Quinn came to learn the truth when he discovered his mother's diaries. She hated her life.

Now, a success of an attorney and a cynical jerk, Quinn surrounds himself with people he doesn't stand a chance of getting attached to. Meanwhile, his little sister, Annie, has issues of her own-suffering panic attacks whenever Quinn or her fiance, Michael, are ever late or miss a call. But Annie doesn't know the truth of her mother's departure from her life and Quinn will do whatever it takes to spare her the pain of it.

Enter Danielle. Or, that's what she's calling herself now that she's on the run from an abusive husband--whom she murdered. Maybe.

So yes- twists, lies, cliches, and stereotypes construct this story well. I honestly think Campisi was aiming to spark a bit of hatred for each and every character involved. Obviously, the mother. But it was Quinn who kept my right hand itching to whack him upside the head with a blender. The guy could be such an ass.

3 out of 5 stars.

Bound by Night: MoonBound Clan Vampires #1

Available on Amazon.com

Bound by Night
Larissa Ione
MoonBound Clan Vampires, book one
ebook, 400 pages
Published September 24th 2013 by Pocket Books
ISBN 9781476700199

A WOMAN OUT FOR BLOOD

Nicole Martin was only eight years old when the vampire slaves rose up in rebellion and killed her family. Now she devotes her life to finding a vaccine against vampirism, hoping to wipe out her memories—along with every bloodsucker on the planet. But there’s one thing she cannot destroy: her searing, undeniable attraction for the one man she should hate and fear the most...

A VAMPIRE OUT FOR REVENGE

A member of the renegade vampire MoonBound Clan, Riker is haunted by demons of his own. When he recognizes Nicole and remembers how her family enslaved his loved ones, his heart burns for vengeance. But when he kidnaps Nicole and holds her in a secret lair, his mortal enemy becomes his soul obsession, his greatest temptation, and, perhaps, his only salvation—a hot-blooded lover who could heal him with her touch... or bury him forever.

Eighty years ago, the existence of vampires was revealed.

Sixty years ago, the enslavement of the vampire race began.

Twenty years ago, the rebellion started.

When the midwife of the ShadowSpawn clan gets herself captured by humans while returning from the MoonBound clan's land, the ShadowSpawn hold MoonBound responsible, promising all out war if she is not returned to them. Riker, second in command to Hunter, knows they haven't the numbers to win. He offers up a plan: Capture and force Nicole Martin, CEO of Daedalus (the very company responsible for the continued enslavement of vampires) to release her.

But Nicole and Riker have a shared past of their own. One obscured by illusions and lies. Twenty years ago, Nicole watched as Riker held a knife to the throat of his mate, Terese, who served as a nanny to Nicole's family. Watched as Terese's life ended and everything Riker had was torn away from him. Riker blames Nicole and her entire family for the enslavement of his people and the death of his mate and their unborn son while Nicole lives in hatred towards Riker for taking away the only person that ever truly loved her.

It is only when the two become one another's sole chance of survival that the truth of that night is revealed and both begin to realize that neither of them are the monsters they once believed each other to be. Nicole sets out to make things right, confronted by the horrible actions of the company she is responsible for, and earns the trust of many of the MoonBound clan members. Such includes Grant, their clan scientist and necessary doctor who's not all there in the head; Lucy, a childlike female vampire with a love of chocolate; and Myne, Riker's closest friend save for Hunter, the clan's fearless, video game addicted leader. (Fuck you, Spyro!)

Hunter and Myne are all that's left of the true born vampires.

Riker was turned by his own military as an experiment to produce the perfect soldier. He was mated to Terese, a mild mannered, fragile female vamp as a strategic move among the clans by Hunter. He grew to love her and blames himself terribly for failing her. Since her death, he has never taken another female to his bed.

Cat-like vampires do nothing for me. Thankfully, these sexy bitches are nothing but wolf! There's no bat references. No hissing like crack addicted cats. They don't fly. They don't leap buildings. But what they do... is kick some serious ass, rip out fuck tons of throats, and spill enemy blood like nobody's business.

They also don't feed like newborn babes.

They can mate without feeding. That alone has some serious anti-stereotype factor. And I ate up every single bit of it! I can't remember the last time I had to have my husband physically take a book out of my hand to enable me to stop reading but at two a.m. it had to happen with this one. Oh yes, Ione's worlds have a gravitational pull all their own.

::SPOILERS BELOW::

When failure once more falls upon Riker, he surrenders himself to the -- clan, leaving behind his newly discovered, very much alive son (though not his by blood) and also Nicole, who is finally succumbing to the vampire virus.

Nicole survived a vampire attack when the slave's rebelled, and although she was injected with what should have been a vaccine to vampirism, she was forced to let Riker attempt to turn her when her half-brother, Chuck, held them both hostage and demanded Riker turn her as what amounted to a science experiment.

During Riker's imprisonment, he is shown mercy only by Ailyn, the youngest of the twin daughters of the ShadowSpawn's chief, Kars. She's been deemed unfit for mating, and fighting, while her vicious elder sister, Rasha, is considered a prize of a female.  In the end, to save Nicole, Riker, and their unborn child, Hunter vows to give Kars what he's wanted for years-Hunter agrees to mate his daughter. Obviously, Rasha. 

But Hunter is cursed. And so, he summons the demon whom his grandfather bargained with to be released from the curse of having to give over the firstborn child of he and his mate. The Demon, Sam -yes, Sam- gives him an out although warns him that he'll die in the end. Hunter must take one of the twins with him on a quest. Obviously, he should, and will, choose Ailyn. 

Loved it! Loved every damn minute of it... even though I have to wait nine freaking months to continue it!! 5 out of 5 stars.

Chained by Night, book two, is due out August 2014.

Ablaze

Ablaze
Dahlia Rose
ebook, 50 pages
Published April 9th 2012 by Sugar And Spice Press

Hailey knew the consequences of her actions. Heaven would cry for what she was about to do, but her charge was to be kept safe at all cost. Her glory, her immortality, was no question. She was an angel, and the boy she protected was to be a leader of men, a peacemaker like no other. While heaven would protect him, hell wanted him dead. They sent their best, Pennemuel, a demon enforcer, and what he wanted more than anything was her. Hailey gave herself to him, willing to stop a war between heaven and hell, to protect the boy she now loved more than anything. She carried a secret, one that only few knew. In the taking of her body, Penn would become hers as well, tethered by love. He would be her strongest ally in the fight that was to come.

She looked like she was made of bronze, and her glow actually made his eyes hurt. Pennemuel thought he would be the toast of all his peers by taking an angel and could see himself climbing to the highest level in the demon realm. He didn't know by sleeping with her, love would be the punishment. When the fist affects of it punched his heart like a fist, he regretted his actions. He was not meant for love or redemption, yet when Hailey looked at him, he was lost and would do anything to protect her. With hell nipping at their heels, they fought side by side to protect the boy she loved. All the while, he tried to decipher his new feelings and actually try his hand at romance.

Together they were united in a common good, yet for the first time in his existence, he couldn't see his future. She kissed him, and in her arms he felt alive, almost whole. Could a demon in love find his place in the world, in the embrace of an angel, or would his sins damn them both?

After Rogue Rider, I went hunting. Because, seriously, who could get enough of Larissa Ione? And did I ever find! She has a new vampire book out, the first of a new series. She *also* co-wrote an entire series, ACRO, with Stephanie Tyler (author of the Shadow Force series, which I loved!) under the name Sydney Croft. They date back to 2007, and yes, I so snatched up book one: Riding the Storm.

But those will wait.

I also have Boone Brux's third book of the Bringer and The Bane series on hold. Right now, I need some more demons and angels.

To protect her charge, Hailey offers up her body to the demon, Pennemuel, in trade for his aid in keeping the boy safe. Penn has no trouble at all accepting her offer. He delights in the thought of not only screwing her of her innocence, but bringing about her fall from heaven. What he doesn't expect is losing his own soul in the process, and that of his heart. 

Now a traitor to Hell, Penn takes Hailey and Sam on the run. Allthewhile, Hailey shuts him off. Won't look at him. Except to scowl. Won't touch him. Unless absolutely necessary. Her only care is for the boy she believes has the power to change the world. And Penn can't bear to leave her. 

This definitely satisfied my craving. A tad over the top but pleasant nonetheless and easily comes together with a happily ever after ending. 3 out of 5 stars. 

Shadow Dreams

Shadow Dreams
Evangeline Anderson
Kindle Edition, 95 pages
Published September 30th 2013 by Evangeline Anderson (first published 2004)

A lonely divorced girl gets a new pet to keep her company. But is Shadow more than he seems?

Once there was a boy of the Bitterwater Clan of the Din'e, the Navajo People. He lived with his ma'sani, his grandmother, in the Four Corners in the Navajo Nation on a reservation...

So begins the story of James Redtree, a Navajo man who is transformed into a dog by his grandmother's curse.


Doomed too wander the world as a dog until he finds a woman to love and belive in him, James ends up as Shadow, a huge, mixed breed mutt that looks like a wolf crossed with a pony. From there it's a short trip to the local Animal Shelter where he's scheduled to be euthanized.

Enter Angelina Dean, Jelly to her two best friends, who convince her that getting a dog for protection and companionship is the best thing to do. She's alone in the big old house her grandmother left her since her husband of three years ran off with his personal trainer, Justin.

Having never been a "dog person," Angelina is reluctant to take on such a big animal but Shadow's sweet disposition wins her over. She takes him home and weird things start happening.

Angelina can't figure out what's going on. Who ever heard of a dog that prefers salad to gourmet dog food? Or one who changes the station from Animal Planet to ESPN when she's out of the room?

But what really disturbs her is the strange, recurring dream she keeps having. Who is the muscular Native American man who keeps appearing in her bed and why are the dreams so vivid? She is plagued by the idea that her dreams are somehow tied to her new pet, Shadow, but that isn't possible...is it?

Then, on the last night of the full moon, her dream man says something that haunts Angelina. "This is my last chance," he tells her. "I need you to believe in me." But can the practical Angelina do as he asks before it's too late?

I do love stories involving writers...

This is an oldie of Anderson's, recently re-released due to demand. I can't say the premise did much for me, or how James went about his goal to get Angelina to believe in him but the smut, as always, made up for what I felt was lacking. FYI: Angelina, on her own, is a disaster.

3 out of 5 stars.

Rogue Rider: Lords of Deliverance #4

"I'm five thousand years old... 

But the day you found me in the woods, that's when my life started."

Rogue Rider
Larissa Ione
Lords of Deliverance, book four
ebook, 380 pages
Published November 20th 2012 by Piatkus
ISBN 9780749955571

They're here.

They ride.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Born of a match between good and evil, four siblings stand between hell's minions and everything they want to destroy. They are the Lords of Deliverance, and they have the power to ward off Doomsday... or let it ride...

The prophecies were there but no one listened. Until now.

Jillian Cardiff came to this remote mountain town to forget the demon attack that almost killed her. Instead, she rescues - and falls for - a gorgeous stranger who has no memory of anything other than his name. Handsome, charming and protective, Reseph seems like the kind of man that Jillian can trust. But with hints of a troubling history of his own, he's also the kind of man that can be very dangerous...

Reseph may not know his background, or why he mysteriously appeared in Jillian's life, but he knows he wants to stay. Yet when Jillian's neighbours are killed and demon hunters arrive on the scene, Reseph fears that he's putting Jillian in danger. And once it's revealed that Reseph is also Pestilence, the Horseman responsible for ravaging the world with death and destruction, he and Jillian must face the greatest challenge of all: can they forget the horrors of a chilling past to save the future they both desire?

I knew this book was going to be good (despite the amnesia that the story opens upon) but my level of focus, or lack thereof, being what it is lately I chose to put it off lest I fail to savor the epic goodness inside. 

Then my last read happened, and I desperately needed something to put the fire back in my fantasies. Enter the Lords of Deliverance. 

Oh Reseph. The best of them. Now, alone, naked in a snow laden forest with no memory of ever being Pestilence, the Horsemen whose seal had broken. Saved by his siblings in the last book, Reseph knows only his name now. And that he doesn't like being alone. 

When Jillian, survivor of a demon attack, finds him face down in the middle of the forest with an impending blizzard on the rise, she loads him up on her horse's sled and drags him home. And kudos to Jillian. This girl's a keeper.

Despite the loss of Reseph's memory, the core of him remains. His instincts, and the familiar, are all at the forefront of his consciousness. Computers are familiar. Condoms, not so much. Love? First time falling for this warrior.

So many good things happen in this book. Limos gets pregnant. Yays for Arik! And Reaver finds out he's a father. Oh yeah! And not just *any* father, no- he's the father of the Four fucking Horsemen! Reaver *is* Yenrieth.

And Reseph murders their mother. yeah...

Reaver and Harvester go beyond the definition of fascinating for me. Betrayed by Harvester, a Fallen Angel and co-Watcher of the Horsemen, Reaver has been tortured violently, his wings cut from him, and has been left for months to be slowly digested over and over again in the belly of one of Hell's creatures. But Harvester, despite her many many sins to the contrary, is not all bad. Unfortunately (Or fortunately?), she plays by her own rules. For very good reasons. She loves the Horsemen. Has been watching over them since their births. And even saved Than's life when he was a child.

Anway-- She cons Reaver, offering his freedom, for the location of Reseph to which he refuses to trade. So she offers up another bargain: Reaver goes free if, at a time of her choosing, he must submit to her for the sole purpose of sexual pleasure for a full 24 hours. Original? No. Deviously wonderful? Yes! Although appalled (and I honestly couldn't fathom why) Reaver agrees and the deal is sealed with a kiss. One that Reaver is flabbergasted at having enjoyed.

I am so stoked that these two get their own book--due out December 17th! Reaver being the daddy was just the icing on the molten chocolate cake. Finding out Harvester has been a spy for Heaven ALL ALONG, oh yeah!

I could have easily gone without the smut in this book if only to stay right there in the heat of Reaver and Harvester's spats. By the end of this installment both R&H have been removed as the Horsemen's Watchers. Harvester is being tortured by Satan, --her father!--, and Reaver has said fuck it all and is on his way to save their Fallen ally.

Reseph's battle against Pestilence is over in a blink. Which didn't affect me at all. I was turning pages for Reaver alone.

5 out of 5 glorious stars!

Previously in the series:

Bite Me: London Undead #1

Bite Me
PJ Schynder
London Undead, book one
ebook
Published June 24th 2013 by Carina Press
ISBN 9781426895654

Few people walk the streets of London since the zombie outbreak, but that's not an issue for Seth. As a werewolf, he can handle himself and save humans reckless enough to take a nighttime stroll. While on patrol he comes across a group of people under attack. The one woman brave enough to take a stand against the zombies catches his eye—and not just because of her way with a gun. Learning the beautiful woman is homeless and fends for herself only intensifies his urge to protect and care for her.

Maisie can't help but admit that she's attracted to her werewolf rescuer. She's drawn to Seth's strength and ferocity, and finds herself opening up to him in ways she never imagined, even though she's determined to not rely on Seth or anyone else. She doesn't want another person to get hurt—or die—for her sake. She has enough scars, physical and emotional, from the last time…

But when Seth realizes something is drawing the zombies to Maisie, there may be nothing he can do to save her.

In Bite Me, we are introduced to Seth, an Alpha werewolf, as he assists his beta, Danny, in collecting samples from still active zombies--I can't very well say 'live zombies' now can I?-- And really, who better to do the job than a werewolf with natural immunity to the zombie virus?

They part ways, leaving Seth to blow off some steam and continue the patrol. It's then that he falls upon human Maisie who's hell bent on saving a wayward family that was stupid enough to get lost in the park at night. She holds her own, gun in hand, quite well but her ammunition is fast depleting and Seth jumps in, in a half shift, to finish the job.

And earns a bullet through the shoulder for his trouble when Maisie is forced to do so in order to hit the zombie attached to his back.

Maisie knows all about the existence of werewolves. And fae and vampires. She's aware Seth will heal on his own but offers her aid in cleaning his wound as a show of gratitude. Pause here for a quick recap of Maisie's past:

Years ago, when the zombie rise was only beginning, Maisie had a brother and mother. She fought one night with them, whether to run or lock it down and wait for help to come, and ended up fleeing to the park for some fresh air and space. Her family followed, foolishly calling out her name, and attracting zombies to their location. Each of them were attacked. Only Maisie, although bitten, survived. Her friend, and doctor, Brian, amputated the infected flesh, leaving Maisie with a scarred and twisted leg and forced to rely on crutches. From that moment, Maisie got herself a gun and learned to shoot it well.

Over a very few short hours, Seth finds himself captivated by Maisie. Eager to lay a dead rabbit at her feet and smother her with his scent. He vows to court her slowly though, especially with his own painful past haunting him.

Seth had a mate once. One with the power to control the zombies. He feared for her, and made her promise to stop, which she did. Only, she betrayed that promise. And when her power failed, the zombies turned against her, and devoured her.

By the end of the book, in which only a day has passed, Seth learns that multiple "empty" buildings have been targeted by tactical working zombies in which squatters have made their home. Maisie, too, lives in such a state. The "something" that is drawing the zombies to Maisie?--is the landlord that has been fighting Brian and Maisie about their lease. She's attacked, and again bitten, even as Seth fights the hoard for her life.

As the virus spreads, Seth is left with no alternative but to combat it with a virus of his own. And so, expectantly, he bites and effectually Changes her. Ta-dah! The end.

I didn't love it. I don't hate it. And so, 3 out of 5 stars.

Outcast

Outcast
Evangeline Anderson
ebook, 97 pages
Published August 26th 2008 by Loose Id

Sayana Nakamura is of one of the great houses of planet Kanasum and she has the silver eyes and indigo hair to prove it. But when her family name is tainted by bad luck, she is shunned by the superstitious people of her home world. Because of her genteel breeding, Sayana is expected to accept her fate and die with dignity. She refuses, and goes looking for a new destiny aboard the casino ship orbiting her home planet. There she must do the unthinkable--sell herself to the highest bidder in the sex auction in order to earn the credits to survive even though she knows this will brand her forever as an outcast when she returns to Kanasum.

Caleb Joiner is an ex-smuggler with time to kill and money to burn which is how he ended up on the casino ship in the first place. He is drawn to Sayana's delicate beauty but it is her fierce courage in the face of adversity that wins his heart. He tries to talk Sayana out of auctioning herself off but she is determined to follow her destiny. What can Caleb do but follow her...all the way to the auction and beyond.

Publisher's Note: Outcast is a re-edited, revised book previously released by another publisher, and it contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Dubious consent, exhibitionism, voyeurism.

I love Publisher's Notes that serve as a warning, especially when it lists all the good stuff! UNFORTUNATELY, this book contained not a one of the things we were warned about!! Whatever...

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, which is why I am appalled that someone would shelve it as "utter-shit" on Goodreads. Along with "no-just-no" and "never-again". Of course, the woman did mention paying $4.49 for a 97 page book--(I can't recall what I paid although it's currently listed at $5.49 on Amazon)--and that's just way too much to pay for this short story. $2.99 tops!

To take a Kanasumi woman's virginity will result in the changing the color of their eyes. I *know* I've read that somewhere before because I love the sound of it so much. I just can't put my finger on where...

When Sayana's father dies and her uncle gambles away all of her family's money and most treasured heirloom, the Nakamura family is considered tainted by bad Jo, or bad fortune. Once the good of her name is gone, a Kanasumi woman is to prick herself with a poisoned needle and go honorably into death. Sayana has every intention of following through with her duty but only after she sees to the wellbeing of her two younger sisters before she dies. To do that, she intends to sell her virginity for the credit necessary to pay for their boarding at a local convent.

Aboard an orbiting ship of her planet, Sayana's path crosses with Caleb Joiner, an ex-smuggler who is "independently wealthy and indescribably bored". Despite his inner voice telling him Sayana is not his problem, he rises to occasion of serving as her white knight when two thugs attempt to rape her and, later, attempt to buy her.

Caleb offers to give her the money, even lend her the money. Anything to keep her from doing the unthinkable but her honor will not allow her to take charity. She must earn her pay or the bad Jo will only increase.

Obviously this book is reminscent of the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, and for one, even Cowboy Bebop. Okay, maybe it's been too long since I've watched CB but space and smuggling were the only two links I could make to that.

The plot of the story was entirely believable. Some cultures still have very strong, unbreakable, ways of belief. The romance, although pleasant to read, was not nearly as convincing. He shares one decent conversation with the girl and Caleb already thinks he's falling for her. Pickin's must be slim up in space.

3 out of 5 stars.

Reveal Me: Unveiled #1

Reveal Me
Cari Quinn
Unveiled, book one
ebook, 51 pages
Published January 19th 2011 by Ellora's Cave
ISBN 9781419931277

Alana MacGregor craves excitement, but when her sometimes lover dumps her at a popular sex club, she wonders if she's outgrown her live-fast-and-recover-later lifestyle. The last thing she expects is to run into the nerdy guy she rebuffed in high school-or for him to rock her world in ways no other man ever has. Hot on the trail of a story, Carter Nicholas can't believe his luck at encountering the one woman he's never forgotten. He's come a long way from being a wall-hugging geek. Now he gets all A's between the sheets. But can he convince Alana he's her sure ticket to an unforgettable night-and maybe much more?

Alana doesn't immediately recognize the blast from the past Carter Nicholas when they reunite at Kink, a traveling sex club. And she doesn't want to admit it's him when she eventually does. She just wants to get screwed, find her best friend, and forget the night ever happened.

For Carter, Alana is his ultimate fantasy. The big what-if of his life. And while he's not giddy over fucking her in front of everyone in the whole club, he's not about to let the moment pass him by. Thankfully, somebody cries wolf and we're able to avoid that particular situation altogether.

So Alana is the whore and dear Carter's the nerd. If you like it hot and quick with a living happily for now ending, this one's for you.

2 out of 5 stars.

Hecate's Own: Heart's Desire #2

Hecate's Own
Dana Marie Bell
Heart's Desire, book two
ebook, 243 pages
Published April 9th 2013 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN 9781619210967

When a witch is hot for teacher, the sparks are sure to fly.

Zachary Beckett has been a screw-up most of his life, but he's finally done something right. He saved his brother's life at great personal cost, and now he's on his way to Cleveland to train as a witch. There he meets Johra Yashodar, a teacher with the belief that Zach is still a screw-up. It isn't long before Zach realizes he's hot for teacher.

Jo has never met someone like Zachary Beckett. His blue eyes haunt her, his body is made for sin and his magic... well. The less said about that the better. He's the worst witch she's ever met, bar none. But Jo is determined to help him, and to do that she'll fight the attraction she feels towards him tooth and nail.

But things aren't always what they seem, and when Zach realizes he's under a hex he comes into his own... as one of Hecate's Own. Chosen by the Goddess Herself to fight evil, it's up to Zach and his brothers to save Jo from a fate worse than death.

Warning: This novel contains explicit sex, graphic language, a sexy, awkward, blue-eyed wolf-witch and a woman who can make his dreams come true.

Zachary Beckett, youngest of the Beckett brothers, has never had much luck with magic. Until, he learns that he's been practicing the wrong kind of magic all along. He is not a wizard like the rest of his family. He is a witch. And he soon discovers, he is Hecate's Own, one of the chosen of the Goddess herself.

I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as I did the first. I loved Zach back in Shadow of the Wolf but his relationship with Jo came across as rushed and a tad forced. I don't do the older woman/younger man affair as it is. Here, it only made the coupling worse.

We do, however, get to meet Gen, Gerard's destined mate, who is also an Own and a member of the warlock Godwin family, the villains of the Heart's Desire series. As a bonus, we meet Daniel's intended, Kerry. And the man is *so* not happy about the news.

3 out of 5 stars. (I added a star because I do love these brothers)

No Romance Required: Love Required #3

Make me believe you're in this bed with me, that neither one of us is alone tonight. -Cory

No Romance Required
Cari Quinn
Love Required, book three
ebook, 250 pages
Published August 12th 2013 by Entangled: Brazen
ISBN 9781622667963

Faking it never felt so good…

Cory Santangelo is used to getting his way, both in the boardroom and the bedroom. Lately he hasn’t had much opportunity to do anything but work, but one unexpectedly sexy night in a gazebo with Victoria, his gorgeous and feisty interior designer, changes all that—especially when they’re caught on camera. Suddenly Cory’s sterling reputation is no longer above reproach. Since his impromptu encounter coincides nicely with his need for a girlfriend to get his well-meaning, meddling parents off his back, he decides to ask his lifelong frenemy for a favor.

To pretend to be his girlfriend for a month. No strings attached.

The only problem? Vicky Townsend wants those strings tied all around her. She’s battled a long-suppressed crush on Cory, and their combative work relationship has only fanned the flames. When he suggests his needs are more than she can handle, she’s ready to up the ante. And her bargaining chip is lots of delicious, inventive sex.

Until they discover nothing feels as good as making it real…

Cory and Vicky have kept me entertained since their beginning. Their witty verbal sparring would be enough to have me hanging on page after page even without the intense physical chemistry. There are *very* few books that send me looking for a fan. This was one of them.

Cory's world revolves around his business and financial success. He doesn't "long for anything he couldn't satisfy within the columns of a profit-and-loss sheet." Nice life, huh? But to Vicky, Cory's just a "distracting combination of megalomaniac and man candy, covered in geektastic frosting that wreaked hell on her hormones." They've known each other since high school and Vicky has been half in love with Cory for years.

“We’re both going to watch you shatter for me.”

This book opens up on the same night that the first book closed and things ignite rather quickly. Much too quickly. In that what-the-hell-just-happened kind of way.

This book is hot. Chapter six alone was *blazing*. Cory's need to be in control isn't confined to the office. The man has BDSM fantasies. And they are oh so yummy.

Her chin came up. “There’s nothing fun about someone restraining me.” “What if the restraints are all in your mind?” He pressed into her skin, knowing he would leave an indent. Wanting to. “And what if that someone was me?”

I worried for Cory. So alienated from the world. Vicky was the closest, and only, person left he had as a friend. I wondered what would come that would break him. Instead of being broken, though, he was awakened.

"In the red sweaterdress I peeled off her she looks like a miracle.” He gritted his teeth and fought to haul in air. “I don’t deserve one, but God, she makes me wish.”

The man has a talent for words.

"Imagining you’re behind me, whispering in my ear. I can smell you, your soap and your perfume. It reminds me of being outside, in the barn. The smells of hay, earth, and fresh, clean air. Everything so sharp and crisp. That scent’s inside me even when you’re not around. If I breathe in right now, you’re there. Always.”

The end sneaked up on me. I was too busy devouring page after page to realize it was all about to be over. Hot damn. What a ride.

5 out of 5 stars. Best of the series!

Previously in this series:

Purity: Pure & Tainted #1

I fear nothing. I feel nothing. -the Purist code

Purity
Evangeline Anderson
Pure & Tainted, book one
Kindle Edition, 348 pages
Published August 28th 2013 by Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
ASIN B00EUBGMB6

K is a fourth level Paladin and a servant of Purity—the holy nothingness she has been taught to revere and aspire to from childhood. Born on a sexless world from an artificial womb, K was fitted with a black mesh skinsuit at the tender age of nine. The suit nourishes and defends her from enemies and serves as her main weapon in the holy war her people have declared on the rest of the universe. It also eradicates even the slightest traces of emotion. Leading her purge squad in a never-ending mission to rid the universe of the Impure, K is accustomed to killing or enslaving everyone she meets.

That is, until she meets Boone.

Boone is a doctor and geneticist from Colossus—a heavy G world which has rendered the people who inhabited it larger and stronger than regular humans. He’s more than happy to stay on his own planet and do research—until his little sister is taken by Purists and delivered to the pshalite mines. Frantic to rescue her, he hatches a desperate plot—capture a Paladin and use the enemy pawn to gain access to where his sister is being held. K falls into his net—but not without a fight. When she is wounded in the battle, Boone is forced to cut off her skinsuit in order to save her life.

Now, removed from her comforting routine and separated from the parasitic suit, K is beginning to change. Her body is blossoming and her mind is opening. For the first time in her life she can feel…whether she wants to or not. In order to survive in her new environment she has to cooperate with Boone.

However, she soon finds that it isn’t just her body he holds prisoner…
but also her heart.

The cover of this book was done to perfection. That *is* K.

K is a Paladin and a Purist. They do not believe in emotion. They do not believe in touching. They train, they live, to purge the universe of the impure--that is, anyone not a Purist. Or enslave them.

Boone knows next to nothing of the Purists and is therefore left to trust Loki, his ship's Erian pilot, on how to handle their new prisoner. And well, Loki has theories. He's a manipulative bastard, too. Loki believes K shares some of the DNA of his people who are not only touch sensitive, but touch dependent.

When K begins to suffer from the loss of her suit, Loki screams that she's touch deprived and instructs Boone, having already touched her to tend her wound, to keep skin to skin contact with her.

And K does not do touching.

Recovered, she immediately tries to kill herself. Boone's touch has contaminated her beyond cleansing. Her people will purge her for it. It is only honorable that she save them the trouble.

Sexual tension attraction comes sloooow in this book. Boone's first impression of K likens her to Earth's hairless cat, asexual, and scrawny. Then he feels like a father with a child as he explains food to her for the first time in her life. A child that has never gone through puberty. Despite it all, little by little he begins to appreciate the womanly attributes she does possess.

That's when puberty sets in.

But by then, Boone knows he's falling for K and Loki has even managed to win me over. I didn't like the guy at first. Then Sweetie happened. And that homosexual fool owned that scene. XD

This book was AWESOME. I daresay it was even better than the Brides of the Kindred. Easy 5 stars. I couldn't put it down and ended up finishing long before I had intended to. Boone is easily the most laid back character I've ever read. He's also ready and willing to do whatever it takes for the people he loves. He's not above prostituting himself for the means to save his sister or, to save K, he's perfectly willing to fight, die, step aside, and even wait for her.

Book two, Tainted, was previewed at the end and follows Hesler, a former Paladin who has learned to command his suit as he travels back in time to gather the necessary antibiotics to save his best friend. He's only taken off his suit once since his escape from the Purists and depends largely upon it to damper both his emotions and raging sex drive. Ugh. Why time travel? Keep the suit. I like the idea of the suit.