Darkness & Lies: A Brotherhood Novel

Darkness & Lies
A Brotherhood Novel, book one
Brandi Salazar
ebook, 256 pages
Published September 20th 2011 by Brandi Salazar (first published September 16th 2011)
ISBN13
2940013423190
Amazon Free Read

Explorer Cheyenne Oppenello lives for adventure and has made it her life’s work to seek out the world’s most notorious myths and legends, and she’s determined to make sure that nothing stands in her way. Accompanied by a colorful band of teammates and friends, their most recent hunt has brought them to Iceland where, up on a mountaintop lies a legend so great that, if true, could thrust them into the spotlight making all of their wildest dreams come true. Unfortunately they have no idea that this mission could very well be their last.

Erias is on a mission of his own. And this includes keeping Cheyenne and her teammates from sticking their noses where they don’t belong. Part of The Brotherhood, guardians to The Gate, Erias is charged with protecting the world from creatures bent on death and destruction and he will do whatever it takes to ensure they never see the light of day.

Can Cheyenne’s determination go up against a fierce man like Erias to get what she wants? Or will Erias prove to be the one adventure she wasn’t prepared for

• No man, unless they were a fictional character dreamed up by a woman, would ever be that incredibly devoted, loving, attentive and sexy.

Why does truth have to be so sad?

When we first meet Erias, he's a devoted husband and father. Then hell rains down and he loses everything, including his mortality. Centuries upon centuries later, in present day, he's become an alcoholic ass who uses women for the moment and casts them away with a "Get the fuck away from me" send off. Oh yeah, this guy's a real prince. His dreams are filled with his loss, of his wife to whom his marriage had been arranged but nevertheless with whom he'd grown to love on their very wedding night. He feels like he's cheating on her. Doesn't stop the son of a bitch, though. Not even for a second.

So yeah, the urge to console our dear Elias battled greatly with the overpowering compulsion to stab his still beating heart into oblivion.

Behr and Alastair... less infuriating. Actually, Alastair just wanted to kill the bitch so he didn't piss me off at all. Behr's only crime against my moral code was phone sexing a married woman. Tattling on Erias and Cheyenne didn't bother me so much.

Not sure how much logic made the foundation of this tale. No sane woman, after enduring the first few days Cheyenne did in meeting Elias, would still consider him a viable love interest. He'll, I doubt even an insane woman would.

I was about halfway through with this book when I decided to go ahead an add book two to my shopping list. WHY OH WHY didn't I read the blurb for that one before I jumped into this one? Just after I ranted about renegade writers swapping love interests, too. I'm so screwed.

A Warrior's Betrayal: A Brotherhood Novel, book two

Being a Brother and a caretaker isn't an easy job, especially when you find yourself coveting the one person you were meant to protect but never have- your brother's woman. That is exactly where Behr finds himself- in love and out of luck. Nothing a little killing can't remedy. While looking for a little trouble to take his mind off what's brewing at home, Behr finds the perfect distraction: hunting down the mythical Rage demon prowling his city's streets.

Lost and alone...

Cheyenne doesn't know what to do with herself. Weeks have passed with no sign of Erias, and as far as she knows, he's dead. Just when she resigns herself to the difficult task of moving on with her life, he reappears, but the Erias she knew no longer exists. He's a demon, the very thing he and his brother's hunt each night. Can Erias overcome this transformation and find the strength to make it back to Cheyenne and the Brotherhood, and if he does, will they accept him? In a world plagued with uncertainty, only one thing is definite: no matter how it ends, someone's heart is bound to get ripped to shreds.

What is it about Cheyenne!? First, Kris falls for her (after he cheats on her). Then Sebastian. Elias falls hard within seconds. Now I have Behr's dumbass self to look forward to! Ugh. Pickin's must be slim up in this world...

And oh look, a teaser: A Warrior's Betrayal Chapter One ... Somebody shoot me.

First she thinks him a serial killer, then a rapist. He tells her he's a guardian of the gates of hell then, flip the page, and she thinks she's in love. What the capital F-Fuck is wrong with this woman???? The one and I do mean ONE good thing Erias ever did was save her from choking, and he was the one that made her choke in the first place!

But no, he's the one because for the first time the little voice that tells her to hold onto her virginity didn't say a damn thing. Incredulous doesn't begin to cover it. I wanted to gut them both and I wasn't even done yet. Salazar definitely has talent as a writer but her characters are schizophrenic.

Go ahead and mark it down. This was the book that drove me to madness, because despite my rantings I'm going now to buy book two. But let me say first that I'm giving Behr the benefit of doubt. He doesn't love her. He just wants what Erias has and the dumbass is taking it far too literally.

Don't let me down, Behr.

3 out of 5 stars.

Darkest Knight: Knight's Curse #2

Darkest Knight
Karen Duvall
Knight's Curse, book two
ebook, 336 pages
Published March 20th 2012 by Luna
ISBN 9780373803446


Betray your sisters or your lover. You choose.

After the warrior she loves saved her from a murderous gargoyle, Chalice watched helplessly as Aydin turned into a gargoyle himself. Now, free from the curse that enslaved her, Chalice pledges to join her sister knights in The Order of the Hatchet—and do whatever it takes to regain Aydin's humanity…and his love. What she encounters within their hallowed sanctuary is pure intrigue.

Someone—or something—is murdering her sisters in their sleep, provoking fear and suspicion among the order. Meanwhile, Aydin, unable to stay away, starts haunting Chalice's dreams, urging her onward. Ultimately, Chalice will be faced with an agonizing choice—one that will tear away at her newfound identity and force her to choose between duty and desire.

I knew it. I knew he'd be trouble.

Of course, they would want Chalice with Rafe. He's a guardian angel and its their family tradition. Want to hear the crazy part? I could easily see her with Rafe. And that's not me at all. I'm very territorial once I pick my mated pairs. He's hers. She's his. And it usually works out great, if I don't manage to wander into the realm of some renegade writer who thinks its epic to change love interests from book to book.

Rafe is such a hard ass... but he's a likeable one. I love Aydin but he's got the boyish charm while Rafe is definitely all man. *sigh* Too bad, so sad. She belongs to Aydin.

They were some things you just knew while reading this story, others... I didn't know where to begin my guessing. I knew Rafe had the heart. Duh. No clue Maria had a second identity.

The biggest mindfuck to this book was the blurb. Who wrote it? Because it doesn't really match the facts. Chalice didn't watch Aydin go gargoyle. I wish she had. And he doesn't "haunt" her dreams. He just steps into them. That's not *haunting*.

There's really no choice for Chalice. She loves Aydin. Rafe isn't an option, even though it's the only way she'll have a child and the only way Rafe can become human, which he yearns to be. The fool.

4 out of 5 stars.

Previously in this series:

Knight's Curse: Knight's Curse #1

Knight's Curse
Karen Duvall
Knight's Curse, book one
ebook, 315 pages
Published August 23rd 2011 by Luna
ISBN 9780373803408

A skilled knife fighter since the age of nine, Chalice knows what it's like to live life on the edge--precariously balanced between the dark and the light. But the time has come to choose. The evil sorcerer who kidnapped her over a decade ago requires her superhuman senses to steal a precious magical artifact...or she must suffer the consequences. Desperate to break the curse that enslaves her, Chalice agrees. But it is only with the help of Aydin--her noble warrior-protector--that she will risk venturing beyond the veil to discover the origins of her power. Only for him will she dare to fully embrace her awesome talents. For a deadly duel is at hand, and Chalice alone will have to decide between freedom...and the love of her life.

Another book shelved as urban fantasy, and again I'm oblivious as to why...

I wasn't going to read this one but an advertisement for its sequel was featured at the end of Michelle Sagara's Cast in Peril, and it sounded good. So I thought what the hell... and I'm so glad I did.

Raised by monks for the first thirteen years of her life, Chalice is an exceptional female with senses so heightened, werewolves and vampires alike would be jealous. Abducted by a man who claimed to be her father, she was taken from her old world home and brought to a thriving America and trained as a thief of magical relics. Oh yes, magic runs abundant in this paranormal world.

After failing to collect the mummified hand of Saint Geraldine, Chalice is sent to the Fatherhouse with Gavin following shortly behind. It is here she meets Aydin, a nine hundred sixty-seven year old fellow thief and kindred spirit who doesn't look beyond thirty (and barely manages to act even *that*). He, too, is bonded to a living gargoyle. Ah, the gargoyle.

Both Chalice and Aydin have been been tattooed at the base of their skull with a mark that bonds them to a gargoyle. Chalice's is Shui. And he's one homicidal bastard. Every seventy-two hours, Chalice must make contact with Shui, specifically his saliva, to keep her from transforming into a gargoyle as well and losing her humanity forever. Another symptom of the bond? It feeds an attraction between she and Aydin, making for a fine dose of tension. Especially after Gavin introduces him as his spy.

While Chalice's world is filled a vicious bondmate and people just waiting for a chance to betray her, Aydin's is not. His gargoyle, Shojin, actually likes him, and the guy's got friends. Caffeine addicted ones with pets that coo like babies and shapeshift with every facial alteration. Ah, Ling-Ling.

Finally a writer that gets it. She thrusts Chalice and Aydin together and there they stay. Even move in together. From Aydin, Chalice begins to learn just how much she doesn't know. How to lie being only the beginning.

The guy is truly a force not to be trifled with and has a number of powers at his disposal, which made the complete and total neglect of the scene where he gave up his humanity to save Chalice from her curse a serious WTF moment. I wanted that scene! How does one just skip over something like that?

So Aydin was the true star of the show for me. Gavin was a reasonable villain. Quin, eh. Rafael.... I've got a feeling he's going to be trouble. Geraldine could take a flying leap and Chalice, I actually liked. She's a simple girl with ordinary wants and dreams. And that works for this reader.

4 out of 5 stars.

• Throughout this exchange, Aydin hung out in the science-fiction and fantasy section. He wasn’t close enough to hear us talking, but I’m sure he must have caught the gist of our conversation from our facial expressions and body language. I’d giggled in all the right places, touched my hair and gazed up at Quin through my eyelashes. I slid a look in Aydin’s direction to see if he still watched, and he did. Outright. It made him look like a stalker. I scowled at him and he seemed to catch himself, returning his attention to the book in his hand.

Insatiable

Insatiable
Cari Quinn
ebook, 254 pages
Published February 15th 2011 by Loose Id
ISBN 9781607379515


Having all of her is the only thing that will satisfy him.

Shawn Griffin and Rachel Cooper have been best friends practically since birth, thanks to their families' close relationship. But for the past few years, Shawn has been fantasizing about getting his best pal in his bed. When she announces she's taking a trip to reconnect with an old lover, Shawn knows the time has come to put up or shut up. If she wants to go to New York City, fine. But he's coming with her.

Rachel doesn't know what to think of Shawn's sudden interest. Determined to live life on her own terms, she refuses to fall right in line with her wealthy family's wish that they get married and have perfect little babies. She just didn't count on how determined her seemingly laid back -- and extremely sexy -- best friend would become after setting his sights on what he wants. Her, over and over again.

But when tragedy strikes, Rachel begins to wonder if she'll lose not only her lover but her best friend too.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, exhibitionism/sex in public.

• “What are you looking for then?”
  “What I've already found.” He took a breath. Let it out again. “I love you, Rachel.” When her expression didn't change, he let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Capital L, Rach. The big kahuna. Not best-pal love, but the I-want-to-eat-tropical-fruit-drizzled-with-honey-off-your-breasts-and-make-love-to-you-all-night kind. Get my drift?”

LoveloveloveloveLOVE!

I'll never get enough of the friends becoming lovers theme. I want them all!

And this one had surprisingly more drama than many I have encountered. Shawn and Rachel have been friends since practically forever. They've shared everything-except their bodies.

When Rachel decides to visit her ex, the one that left her for a dream career in New York and fathered her miscarried child so many years ago, Shawn can't take it anymore. She's never even imagined he could want anything but a friendship from her until he kisses her. Tongue, passion, and all.

Except, she doesn't kiss back.

And then, suddenly she's gone. Away from him and away from the west coast, on a flight for New York. What's a guy whose been madly in love with his best friend all of his adult life to do but finish what he started.

My heart went out to Shawn. After more than a decade of unrequited love, he's reduced to take her however he can get her and gives it however she'll take it. I didn't agree with it at all. But hell, I could empathize.Except for that advice he took from his father, which sadly, was his last. Does that crap actually work on women. It would never on me. I'd sooner kill the sonofabitch.

On the flipped side of the perspective, I could relate to Rachel, too. Way back when sex was something she was only curious about, she asked Shawn to be her first and was outright rejected. Since then, she's blocked every impure thought about the guy and packed him away into the best friend box which became the foundation of her life. And now, without warning, he's breaking down each and every wall that committed him to the friend zone and it's forcing her world to crumble.

She tries to come up with any kind of explanation to his sudden turnabout, but nothing fits. She continues to fight. He continues to pull.

Eventually Rachel agrees to give them a chance but it's not before she breaks him. And breaks him baaaaad! Hell, I felt an all out assault on my emotions as Rach put Shawn through the wringer. His pain. His joy. His ache. His hope. His grief...

In his desperation to win her, Shawn cuts off all communication with his family to spare their "it's meant to be" pressure on Rachel. And it costs him dearly. Oh, the trauma!

I can't in good conscience give this anything less than five stars. It's just too *real*. So many friends-to-lovers books have an air of incredulous about them, but this, this could happen. And it just wrecks me.

• “You gave me a mind-blowing fuck in an elevator.” His laughter rumbled against her ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “And I gave you candles and rose petals on the bed.”

Some girls get rings with a proposal. Shawn gets birth control pills.