Lord of the Vampires- Gena Showalter (book 1)

Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with a need for vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.

Nicolai the Vampire is renowned for his virility, but in a cruel twist of fate “The Dark Seducer” has become a sex slave in the kingdom of Delfina—stripped of his precious timepiece and his memory. All that remains is a primal need for freedom, revenge—and the only woman who can help him.

When the wanton vampire summons Jane Parker, she is helpless to obey. She's drawn to his dark sexuality and into his magical realm. But for this human, all is not a fairy tale. For saving Nicolai could mean losing the only man she's ever craved...

I picked up this book not knowing it was a four book series that will have each book written by a different author. I will admit I wanted to read this book because of the author, Gena Showalter, I LOVE her writing. The Lords of the Underworld are one of my favorite series and man can this woman tell a story with hot, sexy men in it. But if you go into this book thinking it will be like her LotU series you will be surprised like I was, the story is wonderful, the characters are fantastic and her writing is absolutely awesome like always BUT it is different from her other work. (That’s just my opinion though)

Nicolai is being held prisoner and being used as a sex slave for two evil princesses who happen to be witches. He was bought at the sex market with one sister knowing who he was, so they stripped all of his memories from him. For years (but he doesn’t know how many until the end) he is being held captive with a spell that does not age him or anyone around him. He calls to Jane, the only person that can help him, from the realm he lives in to her world, which is the real world but there are vampires and other supernatural beings in it. Nicolai was able to kill one of the evil witches so when he called Jane he was able to cast a spell to bring her to his world with the face and body of the dead Princess. Only Jane and Nicolai can see the real Jane.

With Jane’s help he is finally able to escape and go search for his family that he is finally starting to remember. From the beginning Nicolai thought he was using Jane just for his escape but he soon realizes that he needs her for so much more in his life. Like always I need to stop here before I completely tell ya’ll the entire story. I really liked Jane, she was a strong female who had been through so much in her own life and needed everything she got in the end. Now to Nicolai- oh sweet Jesus this male just oozed sex appeal- my poor Kindle was smoking at the end of this book because of this vampire!
http://paranormalromanceblog.com/royalhouseofshadows/lord-of-the-vampires/
 

                                                                              Wendy

Richelle Mead - Succubus Revealed (Book 6)

When you enjoy reading a great series like this one, finishing the last page is not something you want to do. Richelle Mead has taken her readers on an unforgettable roller coaster ride with Georgina Kincaid and Seth Mortensen from the beginning of book one, Succubus Blues. Now with this final installment, bits and pieces (that you didn’t know at the time) from all the books fall into place like a giant jigsaw puzzle. The obstacles faced by any relationship aren’t easy. Throw in a few vampires, demons, imps, and angels and you have a supernatural tale that is bound for complications. Without a doubt, these characters were truly awesome, stepping up to be more than just secondary sub-characters as they grew through the series along with Georgina and Seth. The wide spectrum of emotions and feelings they all produce show how Mead’s wonderful writing talents shine through her words. Many of the subplots also conveyed meaningful closures. One of my favorite is with Carter and Georgina. This scruffy, answer-dodging angel will make you cry.
 “Well,” he said, clearly enjoying my confusion. “It was actually for two souls, since you and Seth were both saved. But even if it wasn’t, it still would’ve been worth it. Do you know the price of one soul, Georgina? It’s beyond rubies and diamonds, beyond any mortal reckoning. If it had taken me centuries, if it had taken a dozen more angels to help me, it all would have been worth it.”
I lowered my head, feeling tears come to my eyes. I thought about how often I’d disparaged Carter, how many times I’d scoffed at the silly hard-drinking persona he put on. Yet, no matter how much I dismissed him, Carter had always been there in the background, always showing interest in Seth and me. He’d protected me and given me advice, and I spent most of my time mocking him.
“I’m not worthy of that,” I said. I might be human now, but I understood how powerful a heavenly creature Carter was. “I don’t deserve that much regard.”
He reached out and tipped my chin up. “You do, Georgina. And if you don’t believe me now, then strive to be. Live your life. Be kind. Love those you know. Love those you don’t know. Be worthy of your soul.”
A tear escaped, rolling down my cheek and probably messing up my mortal mascara. “Thank you Carter. Thank you for everything.”
OK, give me a sec (using my hands to fan my quickly turning red face and watery eyes),..... I have to go and get me a Kleenex now.
Another memorable moment is with the delicious nephilim, Roman. Swinging the pendulum, I have hated and loved this character, yet in the end he stepped up to the plate with a selfless sacrifice for love and a kick in the ass for Hell.
 I leaned my head against him. “Why are you so nice to me?”
“Because Carter’s not your only fan.” When I looked back up, I saw Roman’s green eyes were deadly serious. “You’re a remarkable woman, just by your own nature. Smart. Funny. Compassionate. But what’s really great is that you’re so easy to underestimate. I did when we first met, you know. And Hell is now. No matter what their reaction to your appeal is, I guarantee most of them doubt you have a chance. You’re going to break the unbreakable. And I’ll be there helping you, as much as I can.”

Amazing words from an amazing character that I hope down the road we get to read more about. Spin-off time! Please Ms. Mead, Please!
Ending this story brings an delightful HEA that we all love to read about yet leaves the door wide open for the adventures to go on in another direction. Richelle Mead is an illustrious author that I really enjoy and will always keep an eye out for future publications she has yet to release.

My Rating - 5
Shonna

Forged In Fire- Trish McCallan (book 1)

Beth Brown doesn’t believe in premonitions until she dreams a sexy stranger is gunned down during the brutal hijacking of a commercial airliner. When events in her dream start coming true, she heads to the flight’s departure gate. To her shock, she recognizes the man she’d watched die the night before.
Lieutenant Commander Zane Winters comes from a bloodline of elite warriors with psychic abilities. When Zane and two of his platoon buddies arrive at Sea-Tac Airport, he has a vision of his teammates’ corpses. Then she arrives—a leggy blonde who sets off a different kind of alarm.
As Beth teams up with Zane, they discover the hijacking is the first step in a secret cartel’s deadly global agenda and that key personnel within the FBI are compromised. To survive the forces mobilizing against them, Beth will need to open herself to a psychic connection with the sexy SEAL who claims to be her soul mate.

I recently read FORGED IN FIRE by Trish McCallan and I must say I thought it was awesome.  The author books the story as Military with a paranormal twist.  And that is exactly how I would describe it also.  This book is the first in a series about four Navy Seals that are friends and in the same unit together (really three Seals and their Commander).  The whole book takes place in one day's time frame.  It starts out in the morning with three off duty Navy Seals awaiting their flight to Hawaii to attend a wedding.  Zane is the hero of this book and he has the special ability of sometimes seeing the future when he touches someone.  This has been extremely helpful on ops the three of them have been on together, but when Zane inadvertently touches his friend's arm this time and sees the immediate future, it is shocking.  He sees his friend's eyes fixed as in death with much blood and destruction around them.  And, it is taking place on the plane they are suppose to board in a matter of minutes.  In the meantime the female heroine of the book (Beth) comes to the airport because she has had a horrific dream the night before that includes the hijacking of a plane and the death of almost all of the passengers on board.  In her dream she has seen the three Navy Seals and has also seen all of the hijackers' faces.  She recognizes the Seals immediately and decides she needs to go tell them what she is pretty sure is going to happen on that flight.  Unbeknownst to her, as soon as Zane sees her walk in, he recognizes her as his Life's Mate (also a little gift that his family happens to have).  He has been waiting his whole life to find her, and now that he sees her, he is not about to let her get away.  There is much more of course, but it is so thrilling, with so many twists and turns I don't want to give anymore away than I already have.  But once I started it, I could hardly put it down until I was done.  It is more than a romance with more than just a typical military type plot.  It is long enough for great character development of not only the main characters but the secondary characters as well.  I really want to know all of their stories and find out why they have the attitudes they have.  Each character is unique in their own way.  I can hardly wait for the next installment in the series which is due out next spring. 

I definitely give the book 5 stars out of 5.  Terena (Guest Blogger)

Authors website: http://trishmccallan.com/

Noah- Jacquelyn Frank (book 5)

The Nightwalkers have lived in the shadows of our world for centuries, gifted with abilities few humans can comprehend. For Noah, duty is all—until he meets the woman who is his destiny…
SHE WILL TAKE HIM
BEYOND HIS WILDEST DREAMS.
As Demon King, Noah is dedicated to protecting his kind from their human and Nightwalker enemies. Yet for six months he has struggled with vivid dreams that threaten his very sanity. Every night he’s tormented by images of a woman both achingly real and tantalizingly beyond his grasp.And his bone-deep need leaves him no choice but to force her to leave the life she’s known and enter a world beyond her imagining…
Every day, Kestra risks her life in perilous missions that veer just shy of the law, but she instinctively knows that the imposingly sensual figure before her is a danger unlike any she’s ever faced.
Kestra has sworn never to trust or need another man, but Noah’s lightest touch scorches her with fevered desire, branding her as his mate, blinding them both to the terrifying truth. For within the ranks of their own people lies an adversary growing in number and power. And nothing and no one will be safe again…
Desire awakens at night…
Oh how I loved Noah from the beginning, to me the author wrote him as a perfect friend, King and all around great guy so to see him slowly come unraveled was fantastic to me. I liked how he knew what was going on with himself but in his heart he just could not admit that he was turning and that the evil was starting to take a hold of him. As a Fire Demon, the most powerful demon of all the demons, & King on top of it everyone thought he would never sway towards the dark side. After years of watching all of his closest friends and even his family find their perfect mates, it's really all he wanted for himself. He knew that he would never be able to rule his people if he turned and he never wanted his best friend Jacob to make the decision to put him down if he did. Noah spends most of his time reading and holding Jacob's infant daughter, so when the betrayal of his actions affect her that is what devastates him the most.
For six months Noah has been dreaming of a human female, they can talk to each other in their dreams and do a whole lot more. Noah never realizes that she could be his mate until he stops dreaming about her, he uses ever means possible to find and save her, no matter the consequences to his life or his friends lives. Once in Noah's world, Kestra's eyes are opened to a whole new life, with even more dangers than in her human life. With Kestra not wanting to open herself up to love she hurts Noah in ways she never knew possible.
I enjoyed the love story in this book and even the parts with the danger, it was an action packed book but I knew what it was going to take to make Kestra open her eyes and heart to him (but I still loved the story)- it was great reading about the other characters from the previous four books. One thing I really liked about the book was the "new" threat to their world, I was getting a little tired of Ruth.
My Rating: 4.5

Elusive Echoes- Kay Springsteen (Book 2)

Sean McGee and Melanie Mitchell, best friends since the day Sean’s mother died, and seemingly destined for each other, are struggling to understand the feelings and emotions that seem to be pulling them together and yet pushing them apart. It had always been Sean and Mel since age six, but at age thirteen Melanie was taken from the home, the people and the town she loved and put on a darker path she hated.
In her early twenty’s, feeling broken, Melanie returns to Orson’s Folly, a town that represents goodness, security, and love. Sean is overjoyed, but soon discovers that Melanie is not the exact same girl who left years earlier, she is harder and edgier and full of secrets. Over time, with his cautious ways Sean eventually rekindles the love and has Mel wanting more than what they currently have and she’s dreaming again about a life that she had always wanted – Sean. Though they’ve stoked the flames of their attraction, the trust and closeness they once shared hasn’t been stable and Sean feels that he is losing what ground he had gained and Mel slipping away from him. Current events have Mel’s past crashing down on her, she has to come clean about everything or lose everything she ever wanted.
Sean McGee and Melanie Mitchell’s gripping story Elusive Echoes thunders with emotion and suspense as we watch unravel a life of mystery, deceit, pain and love. But is their love enough to withstand the lies? Can there be love without trust? Can they move forward or will they be forced to love and let go?
What a great book! I said it before but will say it again Kay Springsteen writes a captivating story! Elusive Echoes is the second book (book one is Lifeline Echoes) and though it can be read as a standalone book, I highly recommend reading the book one first as it will have you loving the characters even more! I’m hoping that Ms. Springsteen continues on her journey through Orson’s Folly, as I for one, have signed up for the ride and as I sit here my mind keeps wondering back to whose story will be next?
Review Rating: 5

Reviewed by: Laura (Guest Blogger)

http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=3449

Jeaniene Frost - One Grave at a Time ( Book 6)

Having narrowly averted an (under)world war, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift from New Orleans’ voodoo queen just keeps on giving–leading to a personal favor that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous spirit. Centuries ago, Heinrich Kramer was a witch hunter. Now, every All Hallows Eve, he takes physical form to torture innocent women before burning them alive. This year, however, a determined Cat and Bones must risk all to send him back to the other side of eternity–forever. But one wrong step and they’ll be digging their own graves.
Grinning from ear to ear, I felt like a kid in a candy store as I opened my kindle. My pulse began to race as the first page appeared in front of me and my eyes began scanning the words that would unfold this new adventure. Snuggled down on the couch I knew I would not move as long as I could get away with it, and have regrets later when my joints and muscles were stiff from inactivity. “One Grave at a Time” is the sixth installment that Jeaniene Frost has dangled in front of her huge following of Night Huntress fans, and without a doubt, it just gets better and better. Reading this a little at a time to make it last isn’t an option. Once you start you won’t stop and then,.... you still want more. The evolvement and changes in Cat and Bones characters from the beginning of this series have brought them together to a key point in this story. This strong relationship has matured and gone forward with a true appreciation and gathered understanding of the love they share for one another. Another unique twist that surfaces is a significant conversation between this couple about the future and the limits it could bring concerning the quest in front of them. Try as they may, recognizing the fact that even though they will give it their repeated best shot, failure is a possible outcome when it comes to capturing the “Inquisitor” they seek to apprehend. The agreement not to let this evil phantom consume their life's, but accept that some goals are just not a realistic accomplishment (even to an immortal) is a different new depth of thinking that makes Cat and Bones so much more than characters on a page. Fighting a ghost plants things on a whole new playing field for these vampires and creates a fresh approach to an action packed, butt kicking story. Some old faces pop in to help from earlier books as well as several newly introduced characters that spark side plots that beg for future tantalizing tales to be developed by this never disappointing and extremely witty author. I can not wait for book seven.

My rating - 5

Shonna

Let me just say I was not disappointed with this book. I enjoyed the story and the plot was good throughout the book. Cat still has some powers that attract ghosts to her. So it starts out with her finding out that her uncle Don is now a ghost and because of Cat's power he is unable to leave. But Cat and Bones are called to Don's old office to find out that a Madigan is there to check out the facility and he keeps doing jingles in his head to keep Bones and Cat from reading him. I do not like him at all. So now Cat and Bones have to deal with his tormenting. Bones and Cat go home to find another ghost in their house besides Fabian. Her name is Elisabeth and she tells Cat and Bones about this evil ghost named Kramer. He is evil and every year on Halloween he comes back and burns three women at the stake. So they go meet up with a medium named Tyler who helps them call Kramer to them, which works very well and he almost kills Tyler. So then they get a ghost hunting team together and develop a way to trap Kramer forever. Will Cat and Bones be able to trap Kramer or will he be around to torment again and again? I love the way the author brings the characters out. Tyler and Ian are hilarious. You get to see Spade and Denise also.

I enjoyed the book and my rating is a 4-5

Reviewed by Sandy - Guest Blogger

Bound by Night- Amanda Ashley

A Vampire's Kiss Is Forever. . .

Once featured in a horror movie, the crumbling Wolfram estate is said to be haunted by ghosts, witches, and worse. But Elena doesn't believe a word of it—until she spends the night and wakes up in the arms of a compelling stranger. . .

Tall, dark, and disturbingly handsome, Drake is the most beautiful man Elena has ever seen. For centuries, he has lived alone, and Elena is the first woman to enter his lair—and survive. And Drake is the first man to touch her heart and soul. By the time she discovers who he really is—and what he craves—it's too late. Blood lust has turned to love, and Elena is deeply under Drake's spell. But forever comes at a price for each of them. . .

Let me start of by saying I love Amanda, she was my first Vampire book author I ever read , She's very kind and answers all the questions I send her in emails.

Elena is orphaned by a car crash and sent to Transylvania to live with her Aunt and Uncle. Sadly her Aunt dies a few years later and she and her cousin are left in the care of her uncle who sees these girls as anything other then his children. He lusts after Elena for years. Until her cousin is said to have run off with a boy from another town. Her uncle decides this is the best time to take Elena as his wife. With no where to go Elena leaves home and heads for the abandoned castle on the hill hoping to hide out until she can find away to get away from her uncle. Once inside the castle she finds a comfy sofa and falls asleep. Only to awaken in a bed half undressed. Drake was shocked to find a woman in his castle he doesn't visit that often, but when he needed to get away from the modern world he did. Drake is a 500 year old Vampire and has been running from his coven for years. His sire wants him to return home to marry a breeding female Vampire because Drake's vampire people are not made but born. He was ready to head back and face his future until sweet and helpless Elena comes into his home. Never feeling what love was he knew this new feeling had to be it and he would protect Elena with his life.

Rating is 5