Thunderstruck - By Kendall Grace

Book Description - 'Desperate to distance herself from her previous life, and her high-powered ex, Jo Montgomery moves to a tiny slice of Georgia, an impetuous decision if there ever was one. Though not nearly as impetuous as throwing herself into an intimate relationship with her new neighbor. Hawk Stephens, a horse breeder and local celebrity, is sex personified, a man built for dark deeds in dark places. But he wants far more from Jo.
Every instinct tells Silent Hawk that Jo is The One, and despite her obvious uncertainty, his Apache beliefs give him faith. The signs are unmistakable. His skittish little filly requires a strong hand, patience…and blazing, mind-bending sex that leaves no doubt to his feelings and intentions.
But before their love affair has barely begun, the reemergence of Jo’s ex, coupled with a potentially tragic event, forces Jo to make decisions that not only damage Hawk’s beliefs, but could also shatter their tender romance beyond repair.'



Not striking, but sweet.


This e-book was a quick and easy read for me.  Classified as 'Western Erotic Romance' from Ellora's Cave, it is on the 'steamier' side of sexy - one that worked for me.  I have not read any work from this particular author before or from this particular direction of sub-genre, so I was very curious to see how the book developed.

Jo Montgomery is a woman with baggage.  It's the kind of baggage that has caused her to move to Georgia, seeking a fresh start and a little bit of peace where she isn't forced to face her past at every turn.  Hawk Stephens, (aka Silent Hawk), is the man that can make Jo stop running, if she'll only give him a chance and trust him.  Their chemistry is off the charts and when they are in a room together, the tension is palpable.  The sex is hot, but not enough to fix their problems.

I had fun with this book.  It wasn't a heavy read and it didn't require me to engage myself too much.  While it was fun, some aspects of the book were a bit boring - simply because it is difficult to write a fresh scene that hasn't been done before. (My opinion at least.)  However,  I liked the depth of the characters and I liked how developed the cultural aspects of the story were as well. 

3 Stars

Undying Destiny - by Jessica Lee

Hello Kenric St. James,  you may growl at me any time...


It has been a while since I've sat down and read paranormal romance.  It has been a little longer since I've sunk my teeth (pun intended) into a paranormal romance of any sort of depth that managed to hold my attention for any length of time.   My, oh my, this book was the PERFECT fit to return to after a brief hiatus from the paranormal world! 

The novel is fast-paced and engaging.  We are drawn into vampire Kenric St. James' complex world immediately through a dream.  It is that dream we are introduced to Marguerite, an ancient obsessed that is not only obsessed with Kenric, but also wants him to join with her so they will be a force to be reckoned with.  The dream is also important, as we get a look at Kenric's past and what has made him the man/vampire he is today & it also gives great insight into Marguerite's mental stability and character as the plot thickens.

And the plot does thicken, quite a lot and quite well too.  Enter the Enclave.  Enter Emily the nurse with an attitude that made me smile.  Yes, the plot thickens!  The men of the Enclave also grow interesting too... such as Guerin, who seems to know how to push Kenric's buttons just right & Arran, a loner with a soft heart.  

Along with phenomenal character development comes not only an engaging action packed read, but also a sexy and steamy read too.  (Did I mention the book contains alpha males?)  I enjoyed the book immensely and felt a great kinship with the characters.  In fact, this is the type of book that could easily develop into more and I would be delighted to see more from not only Jessica Lee, but also to hear more about the Enclave!

Overall - 4 stars!!

The Englishman - by Nina Lewis

Meh. 


 I started reading this book with high hopes... My opinion was based on a combination of things like word of mouth, fellow reader reviews, synopsis of the book, and even the appeal of the book cover. I wanted to love this book... I really, REALLY wanted to love this book.  I kept reading & reading in an effort to try and love this book.

To be fair, I will say that the author did a fantastic job in terms of writing style and editing. Ms. Lewis' writing is smooth, transitional, and almost effortless. I had no difficulty following the author's ability to tell a story, but I did difficulty with the story line. However, as far as 'technical' effort, the author's work was virtually flawless.

The awesome concept of fiction is what doesn't work for me, may work 100% for someone else. No story is going to reach everyone, every time. Please consider this while reading this review & judge accordingly. For me, 'The Englishman', was a hot mess in numerous ways. It had too much going on in so many different directions, I couldn't follow it all as it unfolded. The 'secondary plot' was so complicated that I quickly lost interest, therefore when it was 'solved', I didn't even realize it. Finally, the 'main characters' of the story... we see the heroine almost immediately, but there are many aspects of her life that I'm still scratching my head about. And the Englishman, Giles? A very similar scenario for me. Lots of questions, very few answers.

I had to make myself finish the book & it was a huge effort. (It's a bit long, which is great if you are enjoying the read.) I can't honestly say I enjoyed reading this book, but I wish I could. However, I DO appreciate the author's effort & I also appreciate her writing style and the work she put forth into ensuring the final product was polished. I'd like to see more of her writing & I'd definitely be interested in reading something else from her in a different story line.

That said, it has been brought to my attention that I should try to use some sort of 'rating' system with my reviews.   So, in the future I will attempt to rate books I've read on a 0-5, with 5 being the equivalent of those '5 star' books.

This book was a struggle for me... so 2.5 stars. 

Tangled (The Tangled Series) - by Emma Chase

Standing Ovation!! 

 This book was such an unexpected surprise... as in, I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did!! It was a welcomed surprise too... so, so very welcome! And after reading a few books that were merely, 'tolerable', 'okay', and 'good', this work of fiction, 'Tangled' was like a breath of fresh, country air! Have I mentioned how much I love the country air?

I'll spare the synopsis, there's no need to repeat what's already available. I will tell you that 'Tangled' is a story that is told from the the male character's point of view, something that the reader doesn't get to experience very often.  Not only was it a risk (on the author's part), it gave the book a completely different spin that we normally don't get to 'see' as a reader and personally, I think the author nailed it. Perhaps my favorite aspect of this book is the amount of humor & sarcasm it contains. This entire story is woven with an extreme amount of hilarity and dry wit... in addition to romance.

Overall, I think this book is beyond brilliant. Emma Chase went above and beyond and delivered a final product that exceeds every expectation that a reader could possibly want in a book. I laughed while reading 'Tangled' until I had tears running down my face. The writing flowed effortlessly & this is one of 'those' books that I didn't put down until I finished it. Not only did I laugh loudly, I also cheered, booed, and shook my head in disbelief at the antics of some of the actions of the characters.




And I've just heard some awesome news from the literary world... there's a second book in the works, so it looks like the fresh country air is going to hang around for a while!

I can't wait to read more! Bravo, Ms. Chase, Bravo!!

Fire Inside: A Chaos Novel by Kristen Ashley

Burn Baby, Burn!


 My review title sums up how I feel about this novel... but I'll take a few minutes to clarify the use & placement of my adjectives. First of all, if it were possible, I would love to give a standing ovation or tip my hat to the outstanding Ms. Kristen Ashley for delivering a truly awesome book - again. I always, ALWAYS, look forward to the days I know one of her books are releasing...regardless which book series it is from because I know I am guaranteed a phenomenal read, every time. (She never disappoints, ever.)

Moving on to 'Fire Inside: A Chaos Novel', I have so much time invested in this book (from various characters & other events that took place in previous books) that I felt like I was sort of getting acquainted with 'old friends' when I started reading. Does this mean this book can't be a stand alone? Not at all... at least, I don't think so. However, for me, I think my experience was even more powerful BECAUSE I knew the characters and I knew what each one of them had been through... the paths they traveled to arrive where they are today. A few reviewers mentioned that they found Lainie annoying & I could see that from one perspective...especially if the reader wasn't aware of her past. Me, I found Lainie was much stronger than I thought she would be, especially for as much as she has been through over the years...so it's all about the perspective & interpretation. And Hop? Well, he surprised me too, in a variety of ways. I expected him to be a much 'harder' man. Beneath that 'rough' exterior was a soul that had the ability to heal much more that I anticipated.

What I loved even more about this novel is that Kristen Ashley keeps the emotions real. She doesn't try to hide the depth of pain her characters are feeling or the shame that Lainie still carries with her at times. Lainie's mother is an alcoholic and we (the readers) can feel the moments of embarrassment that Lainie experiences when dealing with her & the moments of righteous anger when she is speaking with her father. The emotions are a truly, truly moving and powerful element in this story and Kristen Ashley has done a fantastic job reflecting them in a way that her audience can absolutely relate to the characters, 100%... it's amazing.

So when I wrapped up the novel this afternoon, I was left with a couple of thoughts... I totally loved the title, "Fire Inside". I felt like I had a 'fire inside' of me while I was reading this novel & there were moments I was 'burning'... from emotions and yeah, from the kicking sexy scenes too! It is said that a writer's job is to 'evoke emotions' when writing a story... well, Kristen Ashley has done that & more in this story!!

I loved it to the moon & back! And I'm still on fire inside!

Once Burned: A Night Prince Novel by Jeaniene Frost

New series alert, new series alert! 

I love Jeaniene Frost... let me count the ways... actually, if I attempted to accomplish that, we'd likely be here a while.  Instead, I'll dish on her new book and release - the first in a new series, 'Once Burned:  A Night Prince Novel'. 

This series follows vampire Vlad Tepesh, a character spinoff from Jeaniene Frost's popular Night Huntress books.  Along for the ride is Leila, a human that has never been able to lead a normal life due to a freak accident as a teenager- because of that, she is left with some unusual talents.  A combination of fate (or bad luck) and a slip up, Leila ends up 'blowing her cover' and exposes her talents for the world to see.  Leila's exposure attracts the wrong sort of attention, namely a group of vampires set on using her & her gifts to seek revenge on their nemesis - Vlad Tepesh.  And let's just say, when Leila and Vlad meet, the sparks fly - literally. 

This wasn't my favorite book by Jeaniene Frost.  To be honest, I was slightly disappointed when I finished reading 'Once Burned'.  The book fell a little flat for me - both in terms of characters and plot & that surprised me... perhaps because I had been anticipating this release for months.  I didn't feel the connection to the story or to the characters that I normally do when I am reading one of Jeaniene Frost's novels.   It is also important to note that this is the first book in a series, it is not a stand alone read!  And as a fellow reader pointed out, the next book doesn't release until spring 2013! (To that I answered, "Genius takes time!")  However, Jeaniene Frost is amazing...to the point of being brilliant...so even though I was a bit disappointed in 'Once Burned', I'll be waiting for more - like I always am. 

No Such Thing as a Secret - by Shelly Fredman

 

I lust after a good mystery.

And when said mystery includes romance, comedy, with a good dose of sarcasm I can appreciate, it’s love for me.  So when I picked up Shelly Fredman’s, ‘No Such Thing as a Secret’, it was NO surprise that I devoured the book quickly.  ‘No Such Thing as a Secret’ is the first book that kicks off a series introducing Brandy Alexander - a television reporter that quickly finds herself in situations that she may not be so qualified for, but never let it be said that she can’t adapt! 

Chaos is what happens when Brandy returns to Philadelphia for her best friend Frannie’s wedding.  Philadelphia is Brandy’s hometown, and the one place she hasn’t returned for the four years. She’s been working and living in Los Angeles, leaving Philadelphia after her ex-boyfriend broke her heart, and the only reason she has returned is because of her best friend’s impending nuptials.  She seems to be an accident waiting to happen, although narrowly avoids danger.  However, combined, this is a situation guaranteed to make you laugh until you have tears streaming down your face…unless you don’t have a sense of humor or are in a coma!  How about an example of the chaos theory in action?  Taking a drunken tumble off the stage in front of an ex-boyfriend is likely to qualify…  The humor is light, fast, and witty.  One of the things I truly appreciate about Ms. Fredman’s writing is that she doesn’t try too hard and overextend her writing to include the humor, it flows naturally.   (Shelly Fredman’s writing gives me the rosy cheeked appearance - they are red from laughing so hard.) 

When I finished ‘No Such Thing as a Secret’, I was absolutely blown away by Ms. Fredman’s amazing skills as a writer.  It takes immense talent to write a book that comes together on so many different levels.  The dialogue and characters are part of the charm of this story and for me, very easy to form a quick opinion of and  how Brandy’s relationship functions with each.  The setting of Philadelphia is an integral part of this book and series, and I love how Ms. Fredman highlights aspects of the city throughout the setting.  Even more, I’m absolutely thrilled because as things leveled off at the end of the book here,  I know there is a second one in the wings!

I enjoyed this book tremendously.  I laughed, loudly.  For me, it was sort of an appreciation of the Chaos Theory meeting someone I loved and wanting to wrap in bubble wrap, perhaps strap a helmet on them and seat belt them in… but thanking them for caring so much because you know their heart is in the right place… that’s what Brandy’s character symbolizes for me.  And I really want to hug Shelly Fredman too, for giving me a character I can relate to, even if she’s fictional.