Vengeance Born, the excellent first installment in the Light Blade series, effectively draws the reader in with its opening sentence. The world of the series has two main components: the Na’Reish vampiric demons who enslave humans, and the humans, led and protected by Light Blade warriors, who worship a feminine deity they refer to as The Lady. When the story begins, Annika, a half human/half Na’Reish healer, goes to the dungeons to see to the wounds of a captured Light Blade warrior. (more…)

On her graduation day from high school, Grace finds out the hard way that she is the daughter of the legendary Pandora, from the Greek myths—when a deadly and beautiful woman tries to kill her. She is saved in the nick of time by her Aunt Phoenix and a gorgeous young man, and then dragged on an impromptu road trip. It turns out that her guardian, Phoenix, is actually a centuries-old faerie, who has been entrusted with protecting Pandora since her mother died. (more…)

Sweat & Seduction by Darragha Foster introduces the reader to the world of jinnis. It tells the story of Maggie Abbott, a regular person who has the unbelievable pleasure of having a jinni in her life. Adanto is said jinni, a member of the Sila Djinn society and hers to command. When Maggie finds out she has a medical issue and makes some changes in her life, it is Adanto who comes forward with a proposition that she can’t say no to. (more...)

Nyx Fortuna has a plan: he wants to avenge the death of his mother, the fourth Fate that no one ever hears about, which means tracking down her three sisters (the ones he holds responsible) without them knowing who he is. Having followed the three Fates to Minneapolis, Nyx finds it difficult to keep a low profile, even with the occulo spell that obscures what he really looks like, when he defends a young woman in a bar, and ends up stabbed for his trouble. Given his status as an immortal, Nyx does not die from his wounds, but Elizabeth, the young woman, does not know this, and takes him to her home to recover. Despite his attraction to Elizabeth, and perhaps even because of it, Nyx leaves the house, promising to return. (more…)

The title of this book is Rocked by Barbara Elsborg. At first, I was curious as to the meaning and that the title might not fit, but I kept on reading. And as I finished the book, I realized that this was the perfect title because that’s what I was. It is also a play on words. This is a very – and I do mean very – erotic story. Barbara is ingenious in how she has written this. I was confused at with the structure of the story, but as I continued to read, it opened up like a flower in the sun. The main characters are introduced separately so you get to know them at different times. When each are faced with what seems to be impossible they have to overcome their fears and figure out the best way to solve the problem that affects them all. (more…)

In Dragon’s Heart, we learn that dragons are real. They existed on the Earth in a time of free-flowing magic until the time of man brought the fear about any who are powerful and different. When their species became hunted due to the betrayal of one of their own, they had to flee to another world called Akgon. But leaving Earth cut them off from much of their powerful magic and their truemates, many of whom had to shed their dragon bodies and go incognito as human. Their kind are called the brethren and they are back to reclaim their magic. Draakar, the Dark Lord, the King of the dragons, comes to find his true mate, a crucial enterprise for the survival of his people and for his own heart.
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The Order of the Blood by Nicole Vlachos and Lane Morris was a great book. The storytelling and background of the characters made for an interesting story. The writers spelled out their story in such a manner that you could relate to the characters and look forward to what’s coming next.

Ian and Robin had been friends as mortals over ten years ago. Finally they are reunited, and Ian is a newly turned fledgling vampire without a Sire while Robin has managed to stay human despite others’ attempts to do otherwise. The Brethren is looking for both Robin and Ian to kill them both. Robin takes Ian to Simon, an angry man who’s application to become a member of the Brethren was denied centuries ago. He is now the leader of the Order of the Blood and has a constant rivalry with the Brethren. He even went so far as to create an army to kill all the Brethren they could find. (more…)

Mark Tavery is a dragon specialist for Searchlight. While on an investigation, Mark finds a genie’s lamp. When Mark rubs the lamp, out pops Luke, the most attractive man that he has ever seen. There is an immediate attraction between them, but Mark fights this attraction because of his past abusive relationship. Luke wants to give his Master Mark his heart’s desire. Luke also wants to give himself to his new Master.

There is something killing magical beings along the coast of Florida, and Mark is determined to find out who it is and why. He hopes to talk them into going to Searchlight and getting the free manmade blood that will nourish and help them to survive. Mark is pretty sure that it’s a dragon killing these creatures.
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Mara is skeptical when she finds the elusive Dangerous Curves, a website guaranteeing to match big, beautiful women like her with hunky, adoring men. Mara’s ego is still crushed after being left at the altar when her groom eloped with his soul mate, the bachelor party stripper, but she longs for a companion in her life and in her bed.
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This Haunted World is a dark and disturbing graphic novel that will be published at first digitally. The storyline is very disconcerting and the artwork is shadowy, at times violent, and others gloomy.

This Haunted World is set in an apocalyptic world that is full of suffering and blood. Many believe that this is what is called the End Times and God is finally punishing humanity for its greed and ego. Whatever religion you believe in, all can agree that this is the beginning of the end of civilization. The characters we follow are all shades of a sort. We don’t really know them, as they don’t know themselves, only chaos and death. We have a Corporal who has just (barely) survived a raid, a student who is accused of murders, a Senator and a tribal leader. (more…)

I stay up until the candle burns down and the light fades away.

Then I go back to sleep. Knowing that ghosts and monsters are real.

In fact, some of them are my very best friends.

Fathom by Merrie Destefano takes the normal concept of a legend and completely flips it. It’s a fabulous premise: creatures of the sea* tell the tale of a Kira Callahan, a young woman who mourns the loss of her mother and sister. The legend so captivates a group of these sea creatures that they take the dangerous journey from their homeland (I use the term “land” loosely) to Crescent Moon Bay where Kira lives.
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The third book of the acclaimed Atlantis series, Atlantis Unleashed, packs a punch exploring a lot of new settings for its heroic cast and taking some great risks with its edgy hero, Justice. The novel continues the storyline of the Atlanteans’ search for the missing gems of the mystical Trident of Poseidon but takes the ongoing quest away from the vampires already met throughout the series; instead, Day takes her readers through a story of healing and self-acceptance, largely centered in the lush jungles of Guatemala.
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Well here we are on book four of the Collegium Chronicles. I cackled when one of my all-time favorite creatures put in an appearance. If you love Lackey like I do, you will be tickled to know the Suncats show up in this book. Here we move more into the romance with Bear and Lena as well as Mags and Amily.

This story dwells a lot more on the young ones learning to stand up for themselves. There are some SERIOUS plot holes. One had me paging backwards and rereading an entire chapter to see if I have missed something. I had not. Too much is not explained.
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Did you read my last review of this series where I was singularly underimpressed? Color me surprised but this one did not do it for me, either. You get dibbles and dabbles of story but so much is left to the guessing of the reader. And, children, this cranky old Southern Belle does not like to have to guess. I did enjoy the kirball, although it is such a nod to quidditch that it is hard to divorce my Hogwarts from my Heralds.

I am enjoying the newness of the Collegium and the old guard vs. the new guard. That is an interesting bit that I wish would be delved into more. (more…)

Jim Oster, a bio-engineer, inadvertently tears a hole between two realities, and in the process, his beloved wife Val is killed. A grieving Jim must enter this world and find the Dark Gulf, a place where souls eventually ascend or are forever swept away in darkness, if he ever hopes to be reunited with his wife.
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Catherynne M. Valente follows up on Habitation of the Blessed with a solemn, melancholy journey back to the mythical lands of the Ancient and Medieval Middle East. Prester John, a priest of the Catholic Church, has settled and become king of a nation of legendary creatures. John has married the blemmye Hagia (a humanoid who lacks a head and has facial features in her torso) and sired a daughter with her named Sefalet. Sefalet is bald and featureless, with her mouth and eyes in each of her hands, one of which speaks ugly predictions of death and desolation. Sefalet intensely feels a sense of anguish and alienation at her strange identity as the flawed daughter of the King and Queen.
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The corelings rise from the earth each night as the sun sets. These demons have one objective: wipe out all humans. The magical wards the villagers use can be breached, and the wards that have the power to kill have been lost for generations.

Now a group of young survivors sets out beyond the safety of their warded villages to seek the ancient knowledge that can save mankind. A great battle looms on the horizon and these brave young fighters are all that stand between the demons and the rest of the world.
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Grave witch Alex Craft is still reeling from her ordeals in Grave Dance. Her eyesight is still wonky, her relationship with Falin, the fae FIB agent, is seemingly doomed, her love for Death fluctuates with every day she doesn’t see him, and her new, “glowing” way of life may place even more of a strain on her venture into the world of private investigations with her best friend, Rianna.

Everything changes when Alex witnesses a man jump off a building. Ruled a suicide, the case appears cut-and-dried to the police and witnesses – well, the witnesses who can’t see dead people. Alex’s powers as a grave witch throw her into an investigation of apparent suicides — an investigation that finally brings business to Tongues for the Dead, but may also bring the true death to Alex’s doorstop.
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Magdalena was excited at the opportunity to have her cards read while visiting New York in 2002, but was pleasantly surprised when the reader used an old Bohemian form with which to lay out the cards. Feeling that the reading was exact, Magdalena returned home to Prague, where she looked for the right event that would set her reading in motion. She found it late one night walking by the river, which looked suspiciously like one of the scenes from the Tarot cards used during her reading. As she waited, a small boat rowed up to her, carrying two women; one was the troll, who guarded the river and bridge, and the other, named Fen’ka, had been burned as a witch in 1365, and she begged Magdalena’s help to clear her name.
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Taking the Viking men from their home was her last hope to save her sister from life behind the walls of a brothel. Aliyah’s demand was high and Fatin knew they did not deserve the fate she was delivering them to, but there was no other option. The former sex-thrall knew from the look he gave her that the one Viking that had touched something inside of her when she captured him was dangerous to not only herself but to her heart. (more…)