A Night to Remember by Bret Jordan

PUBLISHER: Purple Sword Publications
AUTHOR: Bret Jordan
GENRE: Contemporary Horror, Paranormal Erotica, Demon Possession
OTHER: M/F
LENGTH: 11 pages
HEAT LEVEL: Boiling
RATING: 4.5 roses!
REVIEWED BY: Willow

BLURB:

Frank awakens to an unexpected erotic surprise from his wife. Her new found zealous need for a little bondage has him caught off guard yet left him pleasantly stunned. But what's gotten into Melissa? Dare to unravel the mystery with him in this chilling short from dark fantasy and horror author Bret Jordan.

REVIEW:

Frank is awakened by an erotic surprise indeed. Seems his wife has decided try some new tricks. At first he’s a little taken aback by her almost feral hunger, but as her skillful mouth and hands—not to mention other parts of her body—work him over, he quickly lets his growing need silence the warning in his head that screams something’s not right here!

Melissa isn’t quite herself. A spectacle at church earlier that day has changed her life forever. I won’t say if that’s a good thing or not; you’ll have to read A Night to Remember and decide for yourself. I will say that Frank and Melissa’s marriage will have a new “twist”.

My first thought upon finishing the story was, “Wow, that totally creeped me out.” Bret Jordan has successfully written a story with a whole lot of meaning packed into a few pages. It’ll definitely leave you wondering what the future holds for Frank and Melissa, and what her final statement in the book means.

If you’re looking for a quick read that’ll get you turned on, get you thinking, then likely give you the heebie-jeebies, then grab your free copy of A Night to Remember. It’ll make you wonder…

Embraced by the Shadows by Mayra Calvani

PUBLISHER: Twilight Times Books
AUTHOR: Mayra Calvani
GENRE: Contemporary Paranormal Romance, Vampire
OTHER: M/F
LENGHT: 173 pages
HEAT LEVEL: Luke Warm
RATING: 3.5 roses!
REVIEWED BY: Willow


BLURB:
In a bazaar in Istanbul one evening, ten-year-old Alana Piovanetti glances into the shadows to find a man watching her. He smiles, and over time she convinces herself that it was just her imagination that placed sharp fangs amongst those flashing teeth.

Twelve years later, Alana is surprised when she is chosen to manage a new restaurant opening in her home city of San Juan. She has neither training nor experience to justify her success. But La Cueva del Vampiro has the kind of ambience she adores, for Alana has always had a penchant for horror and the dark side of life. Yet she is also plagued with dreams of dark sensuality, dreams that take on shattering reality when she meets the stunningly handsome, charismatic Sadash.

For Sadash is the man she saw in the shadows so many years before…and Sadash isn’t human…

REVIEW:
Alana always had a fascination for the bizarre, the morbid.  Her dreams were filled with images that would terrify any other child.  After losing her father and then her mother at a young age, she was raised by her uncle, a loving man who was otherwise ignorant of her strange curiosity with things like vampires and the undead.  In school, she mostly hung around her best friend, Valeria.  They were called the blonde and the brunette, and were an inseparable pair.  Other than a short reprieve for college, they remained close, even moved in together to start their careers.  While Valeria had focused her attentions in the field of law, Alana had acquired a degree in business marketing. 

Alana's first job offer was a management position at a new club that was solely dedicated to lovers of gothic gore.  Now, not only was she getting to dress up like her favorite fiction creature, she was getting a pretty hefty sum to do so.  But was it really fiction, or did things truly go bump in the night?  While Valeria seemed overly thrilled about Alana’s new job, Alana couldn’t help but wonder why she’d been chosen for the position when she had no experience.  Who was the secretive owner of the nightclub, and did they have some sort of connection?  While common sense told her that was impossible, her recent dreams suggested otherwise.

On one of her first nights at the club, Alana notices a strikingly handsome face staring at her from across the room—I say face because that’s all she sees of him.  In the next instant, he’s gone.  But his startling eyes were enough to leave a lasting impression.  It isn’t long before she sees him again, this time in full form.  Sadesh is his name, and Alana soon learns that he’s more than he appears.  

Embraced by the Shadows was an enjoyable read.  Mayra Calvani's presentation of vampires is with a slightly different approach.  These creatures, while beautiful and sensual beings, as are most vampires, are solely driven by their bloodlust.  I was a little disappointed that Alana and Sadesh didn’t make love—who doesn’t want to see the two main characters get together—but I understand that the author’s point was to go beyond the carnal needs of the flesh and develop an emotional bond that far transcends anything possible with mere mortals.  Sadesh reminds me of Anne Rice’s character, Louis, and Alana could be likened to the little girl he sires.  At first she doesn’t grasp the importance of adhering to the rules and regulations that come with being a creature of the night.  But through Sadesh’s careful patience and some hard lessons, she learns what it truly means to be a vampire.  If you’re interested in the vampire psyche, then this is the book for you. 

Mate Hunger by Marisa Chenery

PUBLISHER: Elloras Cave
AUTHOR: Marisa Chenery
GENRE: Contemporary Paranormal Erotica, Demons, Immortal Warriors, Undead
OTHER: M/F
LENGTH: 122
HEAT LEVEL: 911!
RATING: 5 roses!
REVIEWED BY: Willow



BLURB:

Book two in the Ra’s Chosen series.

Set is a warrior chosen by the sun god Ra to protect mortals from the undead who hunt them. That is what he knows. Unfortunately, having watched his leader, a fellow warrior, succumb to a destined mate, Set also knows he will someday suffer the same fate. Set doesn’t need nor want a mate. He’s just fine on his own, thank you very much. But when a spitfire of a woman is thrust into his life, whose sole mission seems to be to knee him in the groin and escape every chance she gets, he’s intrigued. A lot.

Desiree may have lusted after Set from afar for months, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to go willingly with the behemoth of a man spouting a whole bunch of garbage about immortality, an ancient Egyptian god and her destiny as his mate. No doubt he’s two bricks short of a load. But when they touch, passion like she’s never known consumes her. Perhaps he’s not so crazy after all…

REVIEW:

Set could probably have any woman he wants, but Desiree is the one woman he needs. As one of Ra’s Chosen—Egyptian warriors selected by the sun god himself to protect humanity against the demons released by the evil god Apep—Set has a lot of responsibility on his plate. But Ra never intended his Chosen to go it alone. Each of the six gorgeous warriors would have a mate. They just had to wait their turn.

When Set begins showing the signs of finding his mate—increased hunger for blood that no donor seems to satisfy—he knows it’s just a matter of time before he finds her. Problem is, he has no idea who she is. After a long night of hunting, he just wants to chill with his fellow warriors at the Oasis, a bar in Phoenix where they go to grab some beers and find donors, but fate has other plans. He’s attacked by an undead in the parking lot outback. No big deal; he easily disposes his foe. Unfortunately, he has an audience, a young waitress from the bar.

Desiree doesn’t know what to think when she sees Set, one of the gorgeous men who frequent to bar, brawling with a guy that looks a little odd. What’s wrong with the guy’s eyes? Were those fangs? And when the man dissolves into a pile of dust after Set cuts him with a bronze blade, she doesn’t know if she should scream or just run. Next thing she knows, she wakes up in Set’s bed and he’s telling her she can’t leave, ever. Oh, and that he needs her blood to survive. Not exactly a good first impression. At least he promises great sex in exchange. Desiree just has to decide if she can buy into all this paranormal craziness and if she’s ready to become Set’s eternal mate.

I loved book one of Marisa Chenery's Ra’s Chosen series. Book two, Mate Hunger, proved no less satisfying. She’s created an enthralling world of immortal warriors, enchanting romance, and a plot full of action that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The sex scenes are satisfyingly descriptive and really spice up the story. Just be sure to keep a glass of ice water nearby, you’re gonna need it. The author does an excellent job with scene detail and description. Her characters are enticing and easy to connect with. I didn’t notice any editing errors and very few distractive words. Dialog could have been a bit stronger at times, but in no way took away from the story. Overall, it was a wonderful read and I look forward to the next book in her series.

Forget the typical vampires penned by most authors; Ms. Chenery has created a new type of blood-drinker that will likely set you afire with longing. Her warriors are smoking hot and have stuck with this reader even after reaching the end. I can promise you this, I’ll be thinking about this book for a long while to come. 

Feral Hunger by Stephanie Bedwell-Grime

PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
AUTHOR: Stephanie Bedwell-Grime
GENRE: Paranormal Contemporary, Vampire Romance
OTHER: M/F
LENGTH: 46 pages
HEAT LEVEL: Boiling
RATING: 4 roses:
REVIEWED BY: Verbena
BLURB:
Vlad the Impaler? Don’t make her laugh…
Vlad is un-living proof that even a shy guy with the unfortunate name of Leslie can remake himself. Vampire, cad, player, he embraces it all without a pesky thing called a conscience. Until he receives a “special delivery” on his doorstep. A woman on the brink of death. One look at the sexy blonde, and his inner Leslie—his long-forgotten conscience—moves him to do the right thing and save her life.

One minute Jaelyn is enjoying a night out at a club. The next, she’s under a brutal vampire attack. Adjusting to her new life as one of them is hard enough without the added charm of Vlad’s grumpiness with the whole situation.
Instead of sending Jaelyn on her merry way, Vlad gives in to another totally uncharacteristic urge—to solve the mystery of who assaulted her, and why whoever it was dumped her at his place. There must be a connection, and it surely can’t have anything to do with their budding attraction.

But delving into a dangerous vampire underworld could remake their undead lives once again. Permanently.

REVIEW:
Who wants a dead girl littering their stoop? Vlad sure as heck doesn’t. Someone made a late-night snack out of this chick, and it wasn’t him. More disturbing is why the heck they left her on his doorstep? He didn’t want to be a sire, and he certainly couldn’t call the cops—they didn’t deal nicely with creatures like him. Should he just close the door, pretend he didn’t see her and let her die? Or take her inside and upset his pleasantly uncomplicated life. Decisions, decisions.


READ THE FULL REVIEW: Long and Short Reviews.

Eternal Embrace by Ann Lory

PUBLISHER: Champagne Books
AUTHOR: Ann Lory
GENRE: Paranormal Contemporary, Vampire Romance
OTHER: M/F
LENGTH: 218
HEAT LEVEL: Boiling
RATING: 3 roses!
REVIEWED BY: Verbena


BLURB:

Dimitri Alexios lives alone in his San Francisco mansion, if one could call loathing what he is and hating his maker living. Until he beholds the mortal woman who appears on his doorstep. Her gentleness brings light to his darkness, and her innocence calls to him. Yet she knows nothing of his world, or the dangerous predator that constantly rages within him.

Museum curator Cassie Stephens, sent to catalog antiques at the Alexios estate, is surprised to discover Dimitri is anything but the old man she expected. He’s handsome and darkly mysterious, not the sort who’s usually attracted to her girl-next-door looks. Yet she’s ensnared by his irresistible charm.

Cassie’s passion has touched a heart he thought no longer capable of love. Now he must turn his strength to a deadly task: a battle to save the woman he loves from the maker who would love nothing more than to rip her away from him…

REVIEW:

Take one vampire bent on an eternity of loneliness, add one female who dreams about finding a fairy tale love—just like the one’s she’s read in romance stories—and you get a passion that won’t be denied. Ms. Lory’s Eternal Embrace provides nothing less than a fervent attraction between two very unsuspecting characters...

READ FULL REVIEW AT: Long and Short Reviews.

Under a Shifter's Moon

PUBLISHER: Black Lyon Publishing, LLC
AUTHOR: Kari Thomas
GENRE: Paranormal Contemporary, Romance, Jaguar Shifter
OTHER: M/F
LENGTH: 200 pages
HEAT LEVEL: Boiling
RATING: 5 roses!
REVIEWED BY: Willow


BLURB:
He was fated for another, but created to love her …

Decreed by Elders, alpha Jaguar Shifters Lyon Savage and his brother must decide Pride rule in a way not seen for centuries. Under a Shifter’s Moon, a mating can take place with a chosen human to produce a child, and the father of that child will become the one Alpha. Now Lyon must choose the love of his Truemate—or accept the decree to save his Pride and secure his future.

Strong and selfless, Kitlene is a rare woman whose blood, like her niece’s, carries something of the Shifter within its DNA. Willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of family, she offers herself to the Alpha Cat whose very presence pulls at her soul—and whose love brings with it a deadly complication.

REVIEW:

Born Alpha twins, Bryce and Lyon have vied for the coveted right of Alpha leader over their jaguar clan their whole lives. But Alphas never give in. Neither is willing to concede to the other, causing a division in the pride. Trouble brews amongst the other shifter races. A rumor of an impending war with the humans has everyone on edge.  Bryce is in favor of this war, feeling as though the jaguars should join with other cat shifters and dominate the earth, but Lyon is more conservative. Jaguars should be wild and free, as they’ve always been.  Living with the humans, among the humans, is the best course of action, for one species cannot live without the other. Their numbers are dwindling. Mating with humans might be the only way to save their species.

Kitlene and Ariel have known about their destiny for most of their lives, but neither of them is quite prepared when their protector, one of the jaguar Elders, tells them it’s time for Ariel to do her duty and marry Lyon. Ariel is young and immature, so she responds as any teenager would, with tears and temper tantrums. Unable to bear the grief in her niece’s cries, Kitlene decides to go to Lyon and offer herself instead. Problem is; Kitlene carries another gene, one that will kill her upon birthing a child.

When Lyon hears that his destined bride has run away, he’s furious with the Elders for not protecting her better. Out on the streets alone, she will be the target of all shifter species, and not in a good way. Little does he know she’s on her way to him.  When one of his body guards tell him she there, at his club, he’s all but ready to give her the lecture of her life for putting herself in danger, as well as the future of his pride. He marches across the club, set to verbally tear in to her, but when he sees her, he’s hit with a sucker punch that nearly drops him to his knees.  Their attraction is unmistakable, could she be his Truemate? Something most shifters never find? Could fate have been this kind? Ah, but therein lies the cruelty of destiny, for it is Kitlene who stands before him, her eyes full of fear, strength, and challenge. Not Ariel, his destined bride. And then, all Hell breaks loose.

Kari Thomas has once again created an amazing world of shifters, weaving them right into modern society and human lives.  In Under a Shifter's Moon, she’s taken great care to create characters that really get into your heart.  The budding love between Lyon and Kitlene, as well as a few other characters, will have you crying, laughing, and turning each page with fervor to know what happens next. A whole myriad of emotions awaits you as you slip out of everyday life and enter the world of the jaguars and count the days until the Shifter Moon arrives. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves Urban Fantasy, it definitely delivers. Romance, excitement, and danger all balled into an easy to read few hundred pages. Thank you, Ms. Thomas, for once again giving me the pleasure of experiencing your talent.

Soul Hunger by Marisa Chenery

PUBLISHER: Ellora's Cave
AUTHOR: Marisa Chenery
GENRE: Contemporary, Paranormal, Erotica, Demon, Undead, Immortals
OTHER: M/F
LENGTH: 183 pages
HEAT LEVEL: 911!
RATING: 5 roses!
REVIEWED BY: Willow



BLURB:

Book One in the Ra's Chosen Series

As one of Ra’s Chosen warriors, Mehen must protect mortals from the undead who hunt them. Gifted by the sun god Ra with immortality and other abilities, Mehen has never struggled with the task. Until one night when he saves a woman from three undead, and finds himself in need of saving. Something about the woman stirs him, and he’s consumed by his need not only for her body, but also her blood.

Blythe may have been saved by the man who took out her attackers, but her reaction to the feel of his arms around her and the way his eyes wander to her neck don’t make her feel much safer. When she’s taken to his headquarters against her will, she finds herself a prisoner. But when he unleashes passion in her like she’s never known, she realizes she’ll do anything to stay imprisoned.

But Blythe is not who she seems. And Mehen finds himself in the fight of his life to save the woman he loves from the evil that yearns to possess her.

REVIEW:

How could one woman turn the world upside down for man who’s lived for hundreds of years? And yet, that’s exactly what Blythe does. Then again, Mehen’s not just any man.

As one of the Ra’s six chosen warriors, Mehen’s duties are to protect humanity. Every night he and his brother’s in arms hunt and destroy the undead. Afterward, they like to chill at one of the local bars before heading back to their warehouse turned impenetrable fortress. The night he meets Blythe is no different—he saves her from the undead. What happens afterward changes his whole immortal life.

The sun god Ra has declared that no mortal is to know about his warriors or the undead that Apep, god of evil, uses to gather souls. His Chosen have been charged with the duty of “wiping” the memories of any human who witnesses them. When Mehen can’t wipe Blythe’s memories, he knows something’s wrong. In all his years, that’s never happened.

Blythe has had her fill of overbearing men. Her ex saw fit to shelter her away from society whilst he took his pleasures elsewhere. Now divorced and scraping by, she’s sure as heck not ready to fall for another pretty face, particularly one who sees fit to kidnap her, lock her in his bedroom, and want her blood! Too bad her body seems hell bent on betraying her better sense.

Soul Hunger is book one in Ms. Chenery's Ra’s Chosen series. The book starts off with a bang and just keeps getting better. Poor Blythe just wants to get her life back on track and Mehen has no desire for a permanent girlfriend. Unfortunately, the gods have other plans. The characters are a so easy to love. Her warriors aren’t your typical men. They eat, sleep drink beer, etc. like any mortal, but they require blood and sunlight to energize their strength. These aren’t vampires; no the author has created something else. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep you on edge and the sex is good enough to make you drool. Just don’t short out your computer or ebook reader! Other than a few editing mistakes—which by no means detract from the story—I couldn’t find any flaws. Ms. Chenery has an excellent grasp on grammar and character point of view. She has created an enthralling world of to-die-for warriors and a heroine that’ll make you laugh. By the time you’re done, you’ll want a warrior for your own. Of course, Mehen is taken so you’ll have to choose from one of the remaining 5, all of whom are equally tempting.

If you like bad-boy, warrior-type men who can carry the weight of the world on their shoulders and still make you squirm beneath their capable hands, then you better grab a copy of Soul Hunger by Marisa Chenery. Just be warned, you’re likely to fall hard for her immortals. I know I wouldn’t being one of their midnight snacks.

Pirate Unmasked by Judie Kleng

PUBLISHER: Black Lyon Publishing
AUTHOR: Judie Kleng
GENRE: Historical, Action/Adventure, Pirate
OTHER: M/F
LENGTH: 209 pgs
HEAT LEVEL: Boiling
RATING: 4 roses!
REVIEWED BY: Verbena



BLURB:
In both captain and lady lurked a bit of pirate.

Fleeing from an unwanted life in Crete, high-spirited Julie Sinclair decides her only escape is to disguise herself as a man and board The Black Hornet. Working as the ship’s new cabin boy, she comes face to face with the perils of the high seas—and a torrent of new emotions in the ship’s dashing young captain.

And the truest treasure they’ll find is love.

Captain Daine Challenger at first doesn’t recognize the beautiful green-eyed vixen aboard his ship, but once he does, there’s no forgetting her a second time. When Daine is injured and Julie taken from him, he’ll fight against the odds all the way to America to get her back—if only her heart still lies with him.

REVIEW:
Hoise the sails, secure the riggin', and batten down the hatches, we're setting sail from the lovely isle of Crete on a whirlwind of adventure in Judie Kleng's Pirate Unmasked. Be prepared for inclement weather, lusty pirates, and a dashing captain who will likely steal your heart...

READ FULL REVIEW AT: Long and Short Reviews