Review: ★Verum★ by @Court_Writes

Verum 
Author: Courtney Cole
Genre: New Adult; Dark Romantic Psychological Suspense
Release: February 2, 2015

The truth shall set you free.
My name is Calla Price and I’m drowning.

My new world is a dark, dark ocean and I’m being pulled under by secrets.

Can I trust anyone? I don’t know anymore.
The lies are spirals. They twist and turn, binding me with their thorns and serpentine tongues. And just when I think I have it figured out, everything is pulled out from under me.
I’m entangled in the darkness.
But the truth will set me free.
It’s just ahead of me, so close I can touch it. But even though it shines and glimmers, it has glistening fangs and I know it will shred me.
Are you scared?
I am.
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 Review5 stars

I’m unsafe.
And he has found me.
What a strange thought.
But then again, I’m a strange girl

I um stunned stupid. Utterly speechless. Blown the fuck away by this book. I can’t even describe to you what it did to me.

I was a fan of Courtney Cole before this series, but now? I’m convinced that the woman is an evil genius. I don’t even want to know what went on inside her head as she was writing it. But I can definitely tell you what went on inside mine…a whole lot of crazy.
Let’s touch on the biggest thing here: the writing. It is out of this world phenomenal. The way that Courtney paints a picture through her words makes you think you’re going crazy right along Calla. No joke. The utter vividness of the madness is something that jumps right out of the pages at you. I had goosebumps the entire second half of this book as I was reading it.
The truth is stark. 
The truth is hurtful.
I lay it out there, like flesh flayed open, like pink muscle, like blood.

Calla agrees to allow Dare to take her back to where it all started; Whitley. A place where Calla’s grandmother lives. A place where secrets are buried deep but are also bubbling to the surface of Calla’s mind. Confused? You should be.
They can’t get to me.
I won’t let them.
I don’t know them.
And I don’t want to.
While Nocte answered one question, only to leave us with a million worse, Verum is five times worse. There’s a secret that Calla is struggling to unearth from her mind. But her mind is still a fragile and broken thing. She knows that she’s in danger, but she doesn’t know from what…or from whom.

Dare is my heart, but Dare isn’t a light. He’s my darkness.

The entire book Courtney dangles this secret in front of you like a carrot. It was absolutely maddening. You’re left almost salivating and twitching to know what it is.

The truth will set us all free.

I know it feels like I’m giving you absolutely nothing, and that’s the only way to go into this book. Absolutely blind. You simply have to experience this madness right along with Calla.

He’s a weapon, armed for obliteration. And if I’m not careful the obliteration will be my own.
While Verum unearths quite a few dark secrets from the past, it will leave you with a thousand more questions.
I tend to be a very analytical reader. I will pick apart every detail trying to figure out a plot twist or a mystery as I read, and most often than not, I’m usually on point. It’s a rare thing where a book manages to take me by complete surprise. And Verum managed to do just that. I read it in one sitting. It’s just not a book you’ll be able to put down. You’ll be reading it with your heart in your throat feeling like you’re going mad until the very last page. And that, my friends, is where Courtney Cole manages to throw in a mother of all plot twists. As a matter of fact, I have a pretty good mental image of what I’m assuming she looked like as she was writing it…

Yeah. It was killer.
I absolutely cannot wait to see what she has in store for us in the conclusion of this mind-blowing trilogy.

Don’t miss the first book in the Nocte Trilogy…

 

ARC Review: ★HERO★ by Samantha Young

HERO
Author: Samantha Young
Genre: Contemporary Romance (standalone)
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Length: 384 pages

The emotional and unforgettable new romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series.

Alexa Holland’s father was her hero—until her shocking discovery that she and her mother weren’t his only family. Ever since, Alexa has worked to turn her life in a different direction and forge her own identity outside of his terrible secrets,. But when she meets a man who’s as damaged by her father’s mistakes as she is, Alexa must help him.

Caine Carraway wants nothing to do with Alexa’s efforts at redemption, but it’s not so easy to push her away. Determined to make her hate him, he brings her to the edge of her patience and waits for her to walk away. But his actions only draw them together and, despite the odds, they begin an intense and explosive affair.

Only Caine knows he can never be the white knight that Alexa has always longed for. And when they’re on the precipice of danger, he finds he’ll do anything to protect either one of them from being hurt again…

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Review
4 stars

The only thing I was starting to predict was that if I did by some miracle find a way to make Caine see who I really was, I was almost positive that I wasn’t going to come out of it unscathed.

There is nothing better for me than a hate to love trope. Nothing. I eat it up and ask for seconds and thirds. I will never get enough of it. Add into that equation a brooding business man and a fantastic heroine and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a terrific read!

If you’re a fan of Samantha Young’s writing, I can almost guarantee that you will love this standalone novel for her about finding love in the most unlikely of places.

…sometimes you’ve got to let yourself be vulnerable even when it’s the scariest thing in the world.

Alexa Holland is a succesful assistant to a photographer. She knows her job and she does it well. But her mother’s death recently has left her reeling, and the dirty family secret that it unearthed even more so. She idolized her father as a little girl, so to learn about the dirty details of his shameful past mistakes was a shock. To learn that his actions also ruined the lives of another family was even more so. So she writes her father out of her life and tries to live her life even though she still continues to feel like she’s living in the shadow of his sin.

This becomes glaringly obvious to her when she runs into the one person that her father hurt the most with his actions. A man whose life he ultimately ruined but still turned around to make himself an immensely successful and rich business man; Caine Carraway.

Even though she had nothing to do with her father’s decisions, Lexie wants to explain to Caine who she is and that she’s nothing like her father. Unfortunately her impulsive decision doesn’t quite pan out the way she wants when the only reaction she gets from Caine is disgust and the loss of her job in the process.

Lexie is definitely one tough cookie. This was the thing that I really loved about her character. She never crumbles under the weight of her troubles, she faces them head on. And that’s precisely what she does when she pushes her way into Caine’s office the next day and demands he hears her out. She’ll beg if she has to if it gets him to call her boss and get her job back and to see that she’s nothing like her father.

But Caine has a different plan in mind. He refuses to see past the sins of Lexie’s father, and he can make her pay for it…in the form of a job. She’ll no longer be jobless, but she’ll work for him…

Caine is a very intense character and he definitely doesn’t shy away from making Lexie feel like she’s below him. Luckily Lexie has a backbone and never fails to give as good as she gets.

Tomorrow you’ll receive your employment contracts. Once you sign those I’m your boss.” When I didn’t answer he said, “That means you act the way I want you to act. That means you shelve your attitude and the twenty questions.”
“Should I shelve those next to ‘personality’?”

Thus begins their intricate push and pull. I think this may have been my favorite part of the book. The banter between Caine and Lexie was fantastic. Caine was a straight up asshole at times, and Lexie always pushed his buttons right back. But beneath the obviously anger there was also this undercurrent of lust. Samantha Young did such a fantastic job writing that in without making it be too obvious or too sudden. The chemistry between them, though felt right away, is still a slow burn. And when they finally give into the inevitable?

Caine doesn’t thaw right away, not even close. The push and pull continues for a very large chunk of the book. There are times where even though you see that he’s drawn to Lexie, he’s still an asshole

I don’t know what this is you’re trying to do, but you and I are not the same.” He took another step back from me. “And I am not for you. I’m not your white knight. I’m just the guy who wanted to fuck you.”

I really enjoyed that part of the book, though. The progression of their relationship, considering their past, is a very realistic one, and I appreciated that. It takes Caine a while to really see Lexie and who she truly is and Lexie never gives up on him. The chemistry between them is absolutely sizzling. Miss Young can definitely write one incredibly sexy love scene.

This would have been a solid five star read for me if not for one small thing; Caine’s ‘secret’. There’s a lot of build up to why he is the way he is and why he doesn’t believe he can be the man for her. He continuously pushes her away because of this. But I have to say when the entire thing was finally revealed…I was left underwhelmed. It was this feeling of ‘that’s it? That’s what it was?’. For lack of a better word, it just seemed a little lame. Luckily that was such a small part and it didn’t really take away from my enjoyment of the books as a whole. I definitely really enjoyed this one and highly recommend to any fans of sexy contemporary romance that like their heroes a little intense with a dash of asshole

Blog Tour, Review & #Giveaway: ★Kick★ by @CarmenJAuthor

Kick 
Author: Carmen Jenner
Release Date: January 26, 2015

When I was ten, my father indoctrinated me into the family.A brotherhood who would fight, protect, and give their lives for one another. A club whose ties ran thicker than blood, murkier than the dirt and grime that tainted my soul. Stronger than the bonds that connected me to my own family.

A band of brothers, where loyalty was kept and paid in a currency of blood.

When I was twenty-seven, I betrayed that brotherhood.

I’ve spent every day since running, avoiding paying back that debt.

My name is Daniel Johnson. I have betrayed everyone I ever loved.

And I’ll betray her too.

This is my story—if you’re screwed up enough to want to read it.

Warning: KICK contains graphic violence, profanity, drug use, and explicit sexual situations of a taboo nature. Intended for an 18+ audience only. Not intended for pussies.

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KICK Trailer

Join the KICK Release Day Party: http://on.fb.me/1t9xQnN
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Visit the Saint Savage MC official website: http://savagesaintsmc.blogspot.com.au/
Review
4 stars

I’m not the hero in this story; I’m the motherfucking villain.

Are you easily offended? Do you like fluffy MC books with a touch of Disney? Do you like easily redeemable anti-heroes that even at their worst still have some sort of lightness to them? Well fuck that and your delicate fucking sensibilities! Because you sure as fuck are not going to find it here.

Kick is a brutal, gritty, unapologetic, and no-punches-pulled look at the underbelly of the violent and bloody world of the MC. The men of Savage Saints are not men that are going to make you swoon. These are men that you’ll find yourself thinking you should be rooting against, and yet you can’t help but feel an inexplicable connection to. They’re all utterly fucked up in their own ways, and in the midst of that is Daniel “Kick” Johnson; a recent Savage Saints member but no less fucked up than the rest of them.

Fans of the Sugartown series may remember Kick as Ethan’s old MC brother, but if you haven’t read it, no worries, you’ll get a hell of an introduction into his world here. Kick is an asshole of epic proportions, and I’m not just talking of the sexy asshole variety, I’m talking flat. out. asshole. Born to a a drug whore mother and an MC member father, he was indoctrinated into the life at just ten years old. He was forced to grow up fast and hard. Life spared no feelings for him, teaching him a lesson no man should ever learn in a way that he’ll never forget it…

Sometimes kindness is a far worse weapon than brutality…

He’s learned early on that there are no happy endings for him and not to get close to any woman long enough to let her rip his heart out.

I love the broken ones because for a brief second, in the heat of the moment, I can forget how fucked up I truly am inside. I can forget about the darkness that i crave. I can forget who I am and focus on someone else’s pain…

 

But then Kick’s already fucked up world gets twisted on it’s axis even more when he meets her. A woman that may be even more fucked up than any of the club whores that he’s been tangled up with in the past.

But before you go thinking this is a romance that’s centered around the MC life, think again. It’s nothing even remotely close to that. This is Kick’s story, and while it may be at times erotic, the romance is very much secondary, and it works. So if things like graphic sex with other women other than the one he ends up with bother you, well my delicate little friend, this book is sure as fuck not for you.

His dark eyes challenge, they dare me to run, but they also implore me to stay. It’s ironic that the only thing keeping me here, keeping me grounded, is the man who abducted me.

Most of the story is told in Kick’s POV but you do get glimpses inside Indie’s head every now and then. It’s not a lot, but it’s enough to really make you connect with her. Ultimately, though, the star of this story is Kick.

I don’t wanna fuckin’ need her. I don’t wanna need her. I never wanted to feel this shit, this helplessness again.


This is definitely not a book for the faint of heart. It’s violent and it’s fucking brutal. It will grip you by the throat and keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. It will also leave you reaching for that liquor cabinet at quite a few scenes.

Carmen truly brought the gritty fucked upedness with this book. And I for one enjoyed the fuck out of it. Speaking of ‘fucks’, this book had over 500 of them. Yes, I did a fucking ‘fuck’ count. My kindle actually lost fucking count. No joke. Carmen Jenner has managed to out-fuck my kindle. Ironically I DNFd a book last month for being riddled with what I found to be too many “fucks” for the sake of trying to be gritty and dark. That was not the case here. While my second 4 letter word makes quite a few appearances here, it never felt forced. It actually fit the story as a whole, and that says a lot. I guess what I’m trying to say here is that if lots of cussing offends you…

I kid. But also, this book is not for you.

She’s been through hell and she looks like a fuckin’ warrior. But if she’s a warrior, then what does that make me?
Warriors don’t need saviors.
Warriors save themselves.

I seriously enjoyed the hell out of this book. It was a non-stop, heart-pounding ride. It’s no small feat to take two completely fucked up characters and yet somehow make them work. Together. It’s also no small feat to take a character like Indie, with everything that she’s been through, and yet still give her a backbone of steel.

In short? This book was fucking awesome. And I can’t wait to see what else the evil genius mind of Carmen Jenner has in store for this series.

…because revenge is sweet. Until it isn’t.

Additional books by this author

Welcome to Sugartown 
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Enjoy Your Stay
Greetings from Sugartown
Welcome to Sugartown Website:

 

About the Author

Carmen Jenner is a thirty-something, USA TODAY Best Selling Author, doctor, pilot and CIA agent. She’s also a compulsive, flagrant prevaricator who gets to make things up for a living.

While Sugartown may not technically exist, Carmen grew up in a small Australian town just like it, and just like her characters, she always longed for something more. They didn’t have an Elijah Cade, though.

If they did, you can be sure she would have never left.

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Blog Tour, Review & #Giveaway: ★Second Debt★ by @PepperWinters

Second Debt by Pepper Winter is LIVE!
Read the dark & sexy continuation to Jethro & Nila’s Story!
Amazon / Amazon UK / iBooks / Nook / Kobo 
About The Book

“I tried to play a game. I tried to wield deceit as perfectly as the Hawks. But when I thought I was winning, I wasn’t. Jethro isn’t what he seems—he’s the master of duplicity. However, I refuse to let him annihilate me further.”
Nila Weaver has grown from naïve seamstress to full-blown fighter. Every humdrum object is her arsenal, and sex…sex is her greatest weapon of all.
She’s paid the First Debt. She’ll probably pay more.
But she has no intention of letting the Hawks win.
Jethro Hawk has found more than a worthy adversary in Nila—he’s found the woman who could destroy him. There’s a fine line between hatred and love, and an even finer path between fear and respect.
The fate of his house rests on his shoulders, but no matter how much ice lives inside his heart, Nila flames too bright to be extinguished.
Review
4.5 stars

I wanted to be like him. I wanted to protect my secrets so damn well that whatever I did next would come as a surprise.
I wanted to rule him.

When Debt Inheritance came out, Pepper Winters introduced us to the cold, brutal, terrifyingly unfeeling Jethro Hawk. And with each new installment of this series she has been systematically chipping away at his armor to reveal more and more of the man that keeps hidden inside, behind the icy persona. In Second Debt, if you’re not convinced of his internal struggle that he’s been facing since he first laid eyes on Nila Weaver, then we haven’t been reading the same book.

And while Jethro’s steely reinforcements have been tumbling down, Nila has been busy building hers back up. When she comes face to face with the cold hard truth of her imminent future, she can no longer deny it. She knows what’s coming for her and she needs to accept it. She also has to accept the fact that the one man that she’s felt an unwilling connection to will also be the man that deals the death blow. She can’t possibly care for a monster. She needs to be just as cold and lethal as the rest of the Hawks.

I didn’t want food or water or shelter.
I didn’t need love or understanding or connection.
I wanted retribution.
I wanted justice.

But now the tables have turns, and it’s not only Nila that’s facing a danger. For years Jethro has been hiding a secret about who he is…what he is. A secret that just may cost him everything, including his life. It’s a secret that he’s been diligently keeping from everyone in his family. All but his sister Jasmine.

But ever since Nila Weaver has stepped into his life, his methods of keeping it secret no longer suffice. He yearns for her and knows that she may be the only cure to what he needs. Nila is no longer the naive woman that first stepped through the doors of the Hawk estate. She’s learned pain, she’s learned hatred, and she’s ready to taste revenge. But no matter how much she tells herself that Jethro should be at the center focus of her hate, she can’t deny the inexplicable connection that they’ve formed; a connection that he seems to feel just as much.

Our eyes locked with fury.
Then something happened.
Something switched.
Fury became desire.
Desire became insanity.
I couldn’t withstand the command.
“Fuck this.”
I kissed her.

Much like the installments before it, Second Debt is a book that will keep you at the edge of your seat the entire time. Pepper will leave you crying and begging for any new scraps of information that she deems worthy to throw your way. It’s as painful as it is engrossing. You’ll get some answers only to be left with even bigger questions.

What was this…this tether? How had she captured me so completely, and how the fuck did I sever it?
The deeper I fell into her, the worst it got.

Then comes that cliffhanger. I should be used to this by now, 3rd book in, right? Fucking wrong! That was freaking painful. This woman is the queen of giving you just enough while leaving you begging for more. It’s truly a skill, and I for one can’t wait to see what she has up her sleeve next

Series Reading Order

Debt Interitance (Indebted #1) ONLY $0.99

First Debt (Indebted #2)

Second Debt (Indebted #3) January 26th:
About the Author

Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex.

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends.

Her Dark Erotica books include:

Tears of Tess (Monsters in the Dark #1)

Quintessentially Q (Monsters in the Dark #2)

Twisted Together (Monsters in the Dark #3)

Her Grey Romance books include:

Destroyed

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One Month of @ElleKennedy with #GIVEAWAY continues with ☆One Night of Troublel☆

If you guys have been following my reviews, then you already know that I have been OBSESSED with this sexy new series from Elle Kennedy. And the best part? It only gets better with each book. So I’m so freaking excited to spotlight this fabulous author, now with the 3rd book in the series and also my favorite! Elle truly saved the best for last! If you haven’t read this series yet, now’s the time to discover it. Trust me, you’ll love it. I know I sure as hell did!

About The Book

One Night of Trouble
(After Hours #3)
Genre: Erotic, Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 5, 2015
Length: 237 pages

No More Mr. Nice Guy…

The moment AJ Walsh sees the sexy, tattooed pixie walk up to his bar, it’s lust at first sight. He’s always been labeled the “nice” guy―opening doors, buying flowers, and never, ever having one-night stands. But with this wicked little angel with red lips and unfathomably dark eyes? Oh, yeah. Tonight, “nice” has nothing to do with it…

Brett Conlon is trying to convince her family that she’s put away her reckless wild girl side for good. Nothing―and no one―could be better for her reputation than golden boy AJ Walsh. So they make a deal: if he plays The Good Boyfriend for her family, he can be a very, very bad boy with her. Now their one naughty night is about to turn into a whole lot of trouble…

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Excerpt

Without breaking eye contact, she grasped the bottom of her dress and teasingly drew it up her thighs. AJ’s mouth went bone-dry as he watched the fabric slide higher and higher, revealing tantalizing glimpses of her smooth, fair skin. When the koi fish on her thigh became visible, he was hit with the memory of dragging his tongue over the tattoo while his fingers pumped inside her.

A groan slipped out as he focused on her bare sex.

“Good girl,” he rasped. “That’s just what I wanted.” She was about to let the dress drop when his hand flew up to stop her. “No, keep holding it up.”

Her breasts rose as she sucked in a breath, but the material stayed bunched between her fingers.

“Spread your legs more,” he ordered.

She widened her stance, exposing herself fully to his hungry gaze. His cock had turned into a slab of marble, pressing painfully into his zipper, but he didn’t make a move to release it yet.

He’d never fucked a woman in his office before. He knew Gage and Reed got it on with Skyler and Darcy in their workspaces all the time, but AJ had always tried to act professional at work. Taking a woman on his desk would’ve felt like breaking the rules.

He was sick to death of rules.

“Walk over to the door,” he said softly. “Brace your hands on it and bend over. Make sure your dress stays up.”

Her breath caught. “What if I don’t want to?”

“Then you don’t get my cock.” Slanting his head in challenge, he slid his hand down his abdomen and cupped himself over his pants.

Brett’s eyes widened, lips parting seductively. Waves of arousal rolled off her slender body, and his own body responded in fervor, his erection thickening beneath his palm.

It occurred to him that they’d gone from hi to spread your legs in five seconds flat, but that only made the whole encounter even hotter. She wasn’t there so they could talk about their days.

She was there so they could make each other come.

 Review

4.5 stars

For this one night, he could drop the good-guy mask and act on the primal urges he’d been fighting his entire life.

Well, well, well, Miss Kennedy. Seems you’ve been holding out on me with AJ and you managed to save the best for last. In the previous two books AJ has always come off as the safe, unassuming, and tamer of his 2 partners. Always the reasonable one and almost…dare I say…boring? Well, still waters run deep, my friends. Because all this time AJ has been hiding his inner bad boy and apparently he just needed the right woman to bring it out in him.

You know, you’re really not as nice as you look.”
“Isn’t that what I’ve been telling you all along?” His smile widened. “There’s nothing nice about what I’m going to do to you tonight.”
And then he touched her…

Brett Conlon is done with her wild, bad girl ways. After her most recent choice of boyfriends puts her in a situation that lands her in jail for the night, she swears she’s done. No more drinking, not more wild parties; she’s on the straight and narrow now. She needs to prove to her father that she’s reliable enough to run the tattoo parlor on her own. So she makes a change and sticks to it…until a blast from her past tempts her to let her inner bad girl out to play, if only for a night.

C’mon, angel, give me a taste of the wild girl you used to be. I promise you can lick her up again after tonight…” He parted the top of his pants. “At least until the next time I want her to come out.”

AJ Walsh is used to being the good boy; a good son, a good friend, and the dreaded ‘nice guy’ when it comes to his relationships. He has a type too; he likes them blonde, beautiful, classy…and safe just like him. So why is a wild brunette beauty covered in tattoos all of a sudden calls to him like a siren? Used to everyone liking him he doesn’t understand why the woman is glaring daggers at him and giving attitude to boot. Especially when all he wants to do is let the true personality he’s hiding loose with her for reasons that he can’t understand.

Ha. Boy next door, her ass. AJ Walsh was the devil.

Brent remembers AJ very well from her high school days. He was 3 years older, popular, star football player, and wanted by every hot cheerleader. Why would he remember the shy and awkward younger girl that all his female friends used to taunt? But AJ is also not at all what she expects and when he makes it clear that even though he may not remember her from high school but he’s very interested in getting to know her better now…well how can she turn that down?

So they make a deal; Brett will give AJ a taste of the wild side he’s craving and in return AJ will pretend to be her boyfriend for the week to make her look more respectable and reliable to her father and brothers. A win/win, right?

This was probably my favorite book in the series. The chemistry between AJ and Brett is sizzling from the very start and it doesn’t let up until the last page. Brett was a great heroine; sassy, a little wild, and incredibly endearing.

My one fear was that AJ’s ‘transition’ from nice guy to bad boy wouldn’t really be believable or feel forced. But Elle Kennedy pulled this off effortlessly. Not only did I believe it, I could see how he’s been hiding the inner bad boy that has been brewing under the surface all these years. His reasons for the personality change were heartbreaking, and it made so much sense that it just pulled everything together for me.

AJ was the perfect combination of bad boy dirty talker with a nice guy. He didn’t need to be a man whore to pull off this vibe, and it was perfect. If you’ve enjoyed the first 2 books in this series, then you’ll definitely love this one. And if you haven’t read this spicy little series yet, then I’m not sure what you’re waiting for.

DON’T MISS THE REST OF THE SERIES

One Night of Sin (After Hours #1)
One Night of Scandal (After Hours #2)
About the Author

A USA Today bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a BA in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

Elle loves to hear from her readers. Visit her website www.ellekennedy.com or sign up for her newsletter to receive updates about upcoming books and exclusive excerpts. You can also find her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter (@ElleKennedy).

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Review: ★Hot Ice★ by @LynnRayeHarris

Hot Ice
Series: Hostile Operations Team #7
Author: Lynn Raye Harris
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: January 27, 2015
Length: 257 pages
 

 

When fire and ice collide, you get steam…

Grace Campbell leads a privileged life. The daughter of a United States senator, she moves within the social circles of the rich and famous. But Grace is also a scientist, and when someone learns she possesses the knowledge necessary to create a new super virus capable of destroying entire nations, she becomes a target for terror groups and foreign governments alike.

Garrett “Iceman” Spencer didn’t join the Army’s elite Hostile Operations Team to babysit a spoiled rich girl, but when his superiors insist on assigning him to a senator’s daughter as her security detail, he has no choice but to comply.

It’s a shock to find that beneath the glasses and serious scowl, Grace Campbell burns hot. And Garrett, who’s been burned before, suddenly wants to immerse himself in the flames.

Keeping Grace alive—and keeping his hands off her—is a full-time job for this HOT soldier. Failure is not an option…

The Hostile Operations Team is back in this thrilling new novel of suspense by a USA Today bestselling author!

Buy Links

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Review4 stars

You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?”
“And you’re a filthy-mouthed nerdy girl I’d like to lick from head to toe the very next chance I get.”

Lynn Raye Harris has become synonymous for sizzling hot Romantic Suspense for me. If you’re looking for an action packed and steamy romance, the likes of Cindy Gerard, Pamela Clare, or Maya Banks, then you my friend, have just stumbled onto your holy grail. I’m not even kidding. I love this series. Not only does it continue to get better with each book, but Miss Harris continues to give her readers incredibly drool worthy and panty melting heroes that will never fail to get your hearts pumping. Not one of her heroes sound the same, and I truly appreciate that. She writes strong heroines, dirty talking heroes, heart pounding suspense, and so much steam your kindle might catch fire.
There is nothing I love more than the hate to love trope, and this book delivered that in spades. Grace Cambell is the beloved daughter of a US senator. She may have lived a privileged life, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t work for what she does. She might be a little uppity and a whole lot nerdy, but that doesn’t take away from her brilliance as a research scientist. But when her research leads her to discover a super virus that she intends to find an antibiotic for, there are less than noble forces out there that want to weaponize it. After Grace gets accosted by an armed man in the parking lot of her work, her father refuses to take risks with her life and calls in a favor with HOT.

He knew her kind- born with a silver spoon and unimpressed with anyone she deemed beneath her.

Garrett “Iceman” Spencer is a special ops soldier for an elite military agency. The last thing he wants to be doing is playing babysitter to a privileged princess, but when his commander tells him to jump, he asks how hight. But it’s not long before he begins to see beyond Grace’s uptight personality, to the passionate woman beneath. Unfortunately even if Grace wasn’t hands off because of his assignment, he also has no desire to give himself over into the clutches of another woman. His ex-wife had made sure of that.

But even if he hadn’t been ordered not to get involved with her, it wasn’t a good idea. She was a senator’s daughter, a scientist, and he was a guy with a fucked-up history, an ex-wife who hated him, and a daughter he adored above all else.

As much as I loved Garrett, I liked Grace just as much. She may be an introvert at heart and a woman that’s unsure of her sexual appeal, but she also had a backbone of steal and she wasn’t afraid to go after what she wants. It’s not long before the chemistry that’s brewing between them gets to a boiling point that neither of them can deny.

Sex had never felt so good, so necessary to her existence before now. Anything he wanted, she would give him. Anything, just to feel one tenth of the pleasure she felt right now.

When bullets begin to fly and they realize Grace’s life is in even more danger than they all thought, Garrett is determined to protect her at all costs. He’ll lay down his life for her, but his heart is still off limits. Even though Grace always gives into the passion between them, that’s not to say that she’s a doormat. Quite the opposite actually; she definitely gives as good as she gets.

We all have complicated lives, Garrett. That’s what life is- complicated, messy, joyful, thrilling, heartbreaking, exciting. It’s all those things rolled into one, and sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it’s not. You don’t have a monopoly on complicated, so get over yourself.

I really enjoyed this latest installment of the HOT series. It was sexy, it was action packed and quick paced, and it was entertaining. I’m not sure why, but I found the revelation of who the bad guys were to be a little anti-climactic. That may have been because I kept building certain things up in my head while trying to figure it out. I have to say that I love all these little nibbles that the author keeps giving us of the mysterious Ian Black. I can only hope that he’ll soon get a book of his own.

Grace and Garrett may not have been my favorite couple in the series, but they’re definitely still up there. Their banter was great and their chemistry was even better. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait until the next.

For a man with a dirty mouth, you sure are a poet sometimes.”
“That’s me. A frigging Shakespeare in camouflage.
Roses are red, violets are blue…this dress makes me horny, now let’s get the fuck out of here and go do something porny.

Don’t miss the rest of the series!

Hot Pursuit (Hostile Operations Team #1)
 Amazon / B&N (Free on both platforms)
Hot Mess (Hostile Operations Team #2)
Hot Package (Hostile Operations Team #3)

Dangerously Hot (Hostile Operations Team #4)
Hot Shot (Hostile Operations Team #5)
Hot Rebel (Hostile Operations Team #6)

Blog Tour, Review & #Giveaway: ★The Untouchables★ by @JJMcAvoy

TheUntouchables Tour
The Untouchables
Ruthless People #2
Publication Date: January 22, 2015
Also in this series: Ruthless People
Genres: Contemporary, Dark, Romance
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Tour: The Untouchables by J.J. McAvoyBook 2 in the Ruthless People Trilogy.“One Secret. Multiple Casualties.”

Everything Melody Callahan has ever been told about her past is a lie. Her father lied. Her husband lied. But like all secrets…they come out. Not only is her mother, Aviela, alive but she won’t stop until she tears down everything Liam and Melody have spent the past year building.

With a new target on their back and the media now focused on their family as the Presidential election approaches, Liam and Melody must fight on two battlefronts. Melody is torn between being in love with Liam and wanting to kill him for lying to her. Being in love and showing love are two different things in her world. Liam wants to do anything to protect his family even if that means hurting the people he loves.

Family is everything… but what happens when they’re out for your blood? Everything they have been through is nothing compared to what is coming…

***Warning: This book contains adult language and subject matter including graphic violence and explict sex that may be disturbing for some readers. This book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.***

Buy Links
BOOK TRAILER

The Untouchables Soundtrack http://wp.me/p3p2N1-tj
Read The Untouchables Prologue and Chapter One http://wp.me/p3p2N1-sR
Review
3.5 stars
I was a Callahan. God help whoever stood in this family’s way. 

The Callahans are back and they’re as crazy as ever. Ruthless People was one of my favorite books from last year, but it’s definitely a book that’s either for you…or not. There’s not really a middle here. Melody and Liam are borderline psychotic, violent, ruthless, and their volatile relationship pretty much mirrors that. If the first book wasn’t your cuppa, I don’t suggest you read this one. If you were like me and found the first book entertaining for exactly what it was, then you definitely need to read this one.


We were all fakers; lying to people who were lying to themselves.

The Untouchables takes off immediately where Ruthless People ended; Liam finds out that Melody’s mother that everyone thought had died in the plane crash years ago is not only alive and well but is even more ruthless than her daughter and wants them all dead. He’s determined not to let Melody find out until he has more details, but Melody is just as determined to discover whatever it is that Liam is keeping from her.

All the motives for murder are covered by four Ls: Love, Lust, Lucre and Loathing.”
-P.D. James 

Of course nothing stays hidden long and when the queen B is pissed, heads start to roll. The truth about her mother turns out to be much more than her simply being alive and after Melody and her family. A long standing vendetta soon begins to become uncovered and the Callahans may be facing an enemy that is even more ruthless and dangerous than them.

I wasn’t sure what was coming, but I knew it was coming straight from hell. 

When Melody’s life is threatened, Liam is determined to protect her at whatever cost…even if he has to kill his own family members to do it. This is not a man to be messed with. Liam is as Liam was, quick tempered, violently overprotective, and always horny.

While Melody and Liam may still fight like they want to kill each other, the passion between them is just as fiery.

I was addicted to her.
She glared at me and I wanted her, she sneezed and I wanted her. She was everything… 

There was a lot, and I mean A LOT that happens here. Truth be told, it was almost too much for my puny brain at times. I think that had I read Ruthless People right before this and had all those details fresh in my mind, I would have enjoyed this a lot more. As I began to get further into the story I began to realize that I had forgotten some very pivotal details and the author doesn’t really ease you into that information here, more throws you right into the deep end. Now that’s not necessarily bad, because it may get redundant to have all these things repeated, but it did impact my enjoyment since I did forget. It was the smallest details too, like Declan being Liam’s cousin and not brother. At first I thought it came completely out of left field, but when I went back to re-read parts of Ruthless People, I realized this was something that was revealed a while ago.

Murder is like potato chips: you can’t stop with just one.
-Stephen King 

All that being said, the biggest reason for my lower rating was the POVs. There were a lot of them. I’m talking everyone and their mother had one. Literally. You had Liam, Melody, Declan, Olivia, Sedric, Neal, Coraline, and even 2 side characters that were the hired muscle. This is something that will either work for you or it won’t. Unfortunately, I fall into the latter. my puny brain just couldn’t keep up. Between trying to remember all the details from book 1 and then wrapping my head around everything that was happening here, it was taking me forever to read. I kept having to go back and re-read many parts simply because I would find myself lost. Now again, perhaps if Ruthless People was still fresh in my memory, I wouldn’t have had this issue, so take what I’m saying with a grain of salt.

This wasn’t a game. This was our fucking family, and nothing trumped family. 

My one quibble aside, this was still entertaining as fuck. Filled with murder and betrayal, mystery and suspense, this was a non-stop action packed ride. The question of who is the game changer that is currently pulling the strings and looking to overthrow the Callahans is something that remains a mystery until the very end. Then JJ hits you with a motherfucker of a cliffhanger. Luckily the wait for book 3 isn’t long, so my reaction wasn’t quite as stabby as it could have been haha.

I can’t wait to see how it all resolves. The stakes are certainly high and it’s bound to be one epic conclusion.

READING ORDER

 

RUTHLESS PEOPLE (BOOK ONE)
THE UNTOUCHABLES (BOOK TWO)
AMERICAN SAVAGES (BOOK THREE)
About The Book
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J. J. McAvoy first started working on Ruthless People during a Morality and Ethics lecture her freshman year of college. X number of years later, she is an insomniac who has changed her major three times, and is a master in the art of procrastination. If you ask her why she began writing, she will simply tell you “They wanted to get their story out.”

She is currently working on her next novel . . . so please bug her on Twitter @JJMcAvoy

Review: ★Love Hurts★ by Mandi Beck

 
Love Hurts
(Caged Love #1)
Author: Mandi Beck
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult, Fighter Romance
Release Date: January 18, 2015

Even when she won’t fight for us, I’ll go to war for her…

Inside the Octagon, I have no fear. I’m at home, in my element, inflicting pain onto men trained to hurt me just as badly. Making them submit, knocking them out, maiming them, because it’s them or me. And I choose them.Outside the Octagon, my only weakness is a five-foot-two, classy as fuck woman that I’ve loved for most of my life. She’s the one that brings me to my knees, fills my arms, my heart, and one day soon, my bed. She makes me reckless. Volatile. I drink too much and try too hard to fuck my way out of feeling—all because of her.

Frankie De Rosa is my girl, my best friend. I haven’t earned her yet, but I won’t stand by and let anyone take her from me. She will be the greatest fight of my life, but she’s worth the battle.

Love hurts, but anything worth having does, right?

I’m Deacon “The Hitman” Love — Welcome to the Cage.

Buy Links

 Review4 stars


We flamed bright and then crashed, losing everything in the process.

You know how sometimes you stumble unto a book that while it’s a little rough around the edges, you can just tell that with a little more time honing their craft, you’ve just discovered an author that’s about to go straight to your auto-buy list? Mandi Beck is definitely that author for me. Was this book perfect? No, there were quite a few parts that didn’t really work for me and didn’t quite add up. But for a debut novel, this was fantastic. I’m always more lenient in my ratings of a debut novel and author simply because it takes time to truly discover your perfect formula. I can also tell you that Mandi definitely has hers with the dirty talking OTT alpha male that Is Deacon. I loved it! It has a few of your typical New Adult circumstances that may not work for everyone, but this angst whore just gobbled it right up.

You can’t lose someone that makes up a part of who you are. We are a part of each other, Princess. That’s never going to change.

Deacon “The Hitman” Love is a successful MMA fighter that’s never lacking for female attention. Unfortunately no amount of faceless women and a few sweaty hours spent between the sheets will never erase his longing for the one woman he truly wants; his best friend, Frankie. Deacon has been in love with Frankie for almost as long as they’ve been friends. She’s been a part of his life and his family’s for years. While she may be like a sister to his brothers, the way he feels for her is anything but brotherly. But Frankie doesn’t see him that way and she’s been dating a royal douchebag that Deacon can’t help but rile at every chance he gets. But then one stolen kiss changes everything…

I loved you, but I wasn’t ready for you. I hadn’t earned the right for you to love me back yet.

Frankie doesn’t trust Deacon and his love-them-and-leave-them habits not to break her heart. Her boyfriend is the reasonable choice for her or at least that’s what she makes herself believe. But when Frankie gets hurt, nothing will stop Deacon for fighting his way into her heart.

Frankie is terrified of letting Deacon in, but it’s not long before she realizes that her feelings for him are much deeper than she’s let herself believe.

My mind is screaming at me to run, run far and fast because in the end, he’ll burn me. It’s what he does, even though it’s not what he sets out to do. My heart though, my heart is swelling, weeping, and singing all the time.

The relationship between Frankie and Deac was definitely a volatile one. Deacon is hot tempered and Frankie isn’t much better with her flip-flopping feelings. But it just worked in this book. Maybe it was all the delicious dirty talk?

Because I have to say that Deacon really delivered on that end.

I struggled a bit in the first half of the book to really understand the dynamic of Frankie and Deacon’s relationship. I would have loved to have more development on that and really getting a better look into their past that led to the certain quirks they currently have; him kissing the inside of her wrist, buying her expensive jewelry for her birthdays, his whole family calling her “The Princess” etc. I’m not sure if this will be something that Mandi may give us in the next book, but it would have been great to have here. As it was, I struggled a little to really develop a connection to Deacon and Frankie’s friendship. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely chemistry between them, and the author does a great job with that.

I am a strong woman, Deac. I have overcome a lot in the past few months, but I don’t think I can be strong enough to survive you.

Deacon also definitely has his share of bonehead decisions here. There were times where I wanted to reach through my kindle and beat him with it just to make him see sense.

Frankie was a big question mark for me for a good portion of the book. Considering the majority of the story is told in Deacon’s POV, it was tough to get a good grasp on her. Does she truly care for Deacon the way he cares for her? Is the presence of another guy going to introduce a love triangle? (shudders). Luckily this more or less gets ironed out in the second half, and I found myself warming up to her. Although she is dating someone in the beginning and there is the ex boyfriend that suddenly entered the picture, I never felt that dreaded love triangle situation. Frankie and Deac are definitely the main focus, and I’m so happy about that.

While I could sit and nitpick at certain parts, the bottom line is that I enjoyed the heck out of this book, minor quibbles and all. It was angsty, sexy, and with a little element of suspense. Plus it’s set in my home town of Chicago. How do I not love that?

My biggest quibble? That. Fucking. Cliffhanger. OMG! I swear it almost made me stroke out. How could you leave me like this? HOW? How, I ask you?!! That was just cruel. I need the next book like yesterday! But as much as I hated the cliffhanger, it also made sense. A lot of times I read books and it feels like an author cuts it off suddenly for shock value or for no other reason but to split a book that could have easily been one longer novel into two. This was not the case here. You can tell that these characters had come a somewhat full circle and it needed that break. So as much as that cliffy made me a stabby shouty mess, I get why it was necessary.

I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this couple next!

He’s like a feather floating on a breeze, weightlessly riding the wind, until that air starts to swirl around him violently and the lightness of the feather no longer matters, because now in the tempest, it is a deadly, living thing. That’s our Deacon. pain is his art and he’s incredibly adept at it.

Review: ★FALLEN★ by @_callie_hart

Fallen
Blood & Roses, #4
Genre: Dark, Erotic Romance
Length: 165 pages
Release Date: July 8, 2014
Sloane

For over two years, Sloane Romera has pinned everything on finding Alexis. Life was going to get better. Easier. Happier. The nightmare of having a missing sister was supposed to end, and everything was supposed to go back to normal. However, now that she’s found her sister, Sloane is discovering that life has a way of ridiculing what we expect of it.

Nothing is easier.

And ‘normal’ is falling for a man who might never be able to feel the same way.

***

Zeth

A lengthy history of breaking things with his fists has given Zeth Mayfair a fairly good idea of how to get his own way. But when his goal, the one, single woman on the face of the planet that he’s truly ever wanted, can only be obtained by fixing things instead of destroying them, how can he adjust a lifetime of violence in order to make her his once and for all? And how can he make sure that she is safe?

The first part is going to take time. But the second part…

The second part is easy.

He must kill Charlie Holsan.


5 Zeth Addict Stars

He’ll break you. He’ll take everything you’ve built and tear it down, and coming back from something like that is so much harder than recovering from any regular addiction.

I’m not sure if you’ve gotten the subtle hints I’ve been dropping lately about just how addicted I am to this series. Every book I read I think, it can’t possibly get any better. But then it not only does, it just blows me away. The way that Callie Hart has taken all these secrets and twists and weaved them together that slowly trickle feeds you the information chapter by chapter, book by addicting book, is absolutely fucking brilliant.

Zeth just continues to punch his way straight into my heart. I can’t get enough of the man. This perfectly imperfect, volatile, violent, utterly fucked up man.

I’ve been drawn to him for the sex. I’ve been drawn to him for the power he exudes. Hell, I’ve been drawn to him for his arrogance and his sheer cockiness, which is infuriatingly attractive…
But the weaker side to this man, who seems so indestructible, is the reason why I’ve felt myself tumbling, falling, sliding down some frightening, unnameable slope.

For two years Sloane’s one focus has been to find her sister. She’s done things that she never imagined she’d do to reach those ends. She’s made choices that have irrevocably changed her life and it will never be the same again. She never expected the truth of where Alexis has been all this time and dealing with the fallout of it all is not something she things she can handle. She just wants to go back to her life. To the time where things were simple and uncomplicated. But the one thing that happened in that time, the one man that she should leave behind, she just can’t.

Zeth doesn’t like complications, he fixes his problems with his fists, but his life is nothing but complications. The complication of a woman that’s better off without him that he can’t ever let go; the complication of his boss thats out for blood; and the complication of what those two things mean together.

Fallen, like all the other books in this series, was an action packed and thrilling page turner. Sexy, addicting, this series has very quickly become one of my favorites and Zeth, my favorite anti-hero. These are books you will read in one sitting and a series you’ll binge one. Trust me, I’ve been in the world of Blood & Roses for over a week now and I’m sad to see it almost come to an end. But oh man, I cannot wait to see how everything comes together.

I told you once this could be a fairy tale if you let it. And I told you the part I’d play in that fairy tale…
For you, I can switch characters. I WILL be Prince Charming for a night.

READ THE SERIES IN ORDER

Deviant (Blood & Roses #1)

Release Blitz, Interview, Review & #Giveaway: ★Temperance★ by @EllaFrank2012

Temperance 
Author: Ella Frank
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Release Date: January 13, 2015
 “Tell me about this place. This… Arcania.”
What if your life as you knew it ceased to exist?

That is the question Naeve Brannigan and her three sisters are faced with on the eve of their 25th birthday.
Continuing a tradition they’ve hidden from their mother for years, the four women arrive at a tarot shop to have their futures told.

Only this time their futures aren’t predicted—they’re forever changed.

They’ve awoken in a strange time and place with no knowledge of how they got there. All they have to go by is the word of a man who claims to be family—a family they’ve never heard of. He tells them of a world they could never have imagined. One that has been cursed by an Empress fueled by old revenge—revenge their mother appears to be at the center of. As they fight to survive the people and dangers of an unknown land, they slowly begin to unravel its mysteries to find that they hold the key to saving this world…this Arcania. 

The question that remains for each of them is: Who do you become when the you that you always were is no longer?

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

DGR: Hi Ella, thanks for allowing me to interview you once more. I love having you here at DGR. Can we start with a quick introduction for readers that may not be familiar with your work yet?

EF: Hi Lana! Thank you for having me. I always love visiting DGR whenever I can.

A quick introduction on myself…let me see. I’m a Gemini, which may or may not explain the multiple voices and personalities always coming out of my brain.

I love to write all kinds of romantic based fiction, whether it is M/F contemporary, M/M, erotic and erotica, and now I can say fantasy. I love it all!

DGR: Temperance marks the beginning of your new series, The Arcanian Chronicles. This is certainly a step away from anything that you’ve written in the past. What made you want to write in this genre?

EF: I wanted to write something different. I love to read all genres, but sometimes I find that when I’m reading the same thing over and over I tend to get bored. The same could be said with my writing. Sometimes you need a change, and for me I definitely felt the need to switch it up, to try something new.

DGR: I have to say, I absolutely LOVE the synopsis for this book. It sounds almost whimsically good. Was it as fun to write as I’m sure it’s going to be to read?

EF: Was the synopsis fun to write? Ha! Funny you should ask because I am pretty sure all authors would agree that the synopsis is NEVER fun to write. It’s the monumental task of trying to condense a three hundred-page story into three paragraphs. I’m thrilled you loved it, and that it took you on it’s own mini journey. That is what I was hoping for.

DGR: Can you tell us a little about the series and your plans for it? How many books do you plan to write for it?

EF: A little about this series…hmm, well I can’t say much without giving things away. But I will tell you there will be four books for sure, since there are obviously four sisters. There is the possibility of a fifth because there is one character in there that certainly needs a story of his own…so we will see how that unfolds. But for now I would say between four and five books.

DGR: One of my favorite parts of this book were the incredibly vivid visuals and world building. Was there anything in particular that you used for your visual inspiration for this?

EF: Thank you! That was the hardest part. I must have re-worked those first fifteen chapters, three or more times. Trying to capture the way I wanted the world to look. With the first book in a series such as this, you are certainly going to encounter a lot of character introduction and world building, you just hope against hope that you do it in a way that intrigues the reader and takes them to another place. Enough so that that they want to know more about it and can really envision the land you have created. It was a huge challenge and one I procrastinated over for months.

I built up a very full Pinterest board, and had a lot of images I drew inspiration from as I built my Arcania.

DGR: There are a lot of things happening in Temperance and quite a few unique characters that are introduced. Are all books in the series going to follow this kind of formula with multiple POVs and other interwoven storylines along with the romance?

EF: Yes, there is a lot going on, I know. But I kind of like my stories that way. I love knowing what every character is thinking and how they are feeling as the story progresses. So yes, I do see the entire series being told in a similar light.

While this is a fantasy romance series, and there is an aspect of romance that will be in each of the stories, it is also about the relationships between the families and the people within the world that I really want to build.

So hopefully that will come through for the reader, and will make them either root for good or evil, or to know more about the magical beings that will pop up. There is plenty more to discover as we go deeper into the world, that’s for sure.

DGR:  In Temperance you introduce some very intriguing characters like Ry’Ker, Kai, Bastian, and the 4 Brannigan sisters. Will each of them be getting a romantic interest of their own?

EF: Yes, yes, yes and yes (ßwas that vague enough? Ha!) I can’t tell you anymore than that. They will each have a story, and some of them have already met who they will fall for, while others…have not.

DGR: I loved Naeve and Kai together. Are we going to get more of them in the next book?

EF: Yes! Certainly. Their story has just begun. I feel as though everyone’s story will be told through all of the books, even though it is obvious there is a main couple it’s focused on…does that make sense? I won’t just be leaving Kai and Naeve as they were when you finished the book. They still have a long way to go on their journey.

DGR: If you had to describe Temperance using only 3-5 words, what would they be?

EF: Different
Beautiful
Intriguing

DGR: So what’s up next? Can you give us a little sneak peak into what the next book will bring or how soon we can get our hands on it?

EF: The next book I’m working on is the second in the co-authored series I am writing with Brooke Blaine, and then Trust (the third installment in my Temptation Series). I have no set dates yet, but both will be in the first half of 2015.

The second book in The Arcanian Chronicles will likely release around the same time this one did next year, as they take longer to write and I wish to dedicate the time it requires and do a good job on it. But in between I’m sure there will be some other project from myself.

Thank you as always for having me here on your blog Lana. It’s always a pleasure to work with you.

Xx Ella

4 Stars

Who do you become when the you that you always were is no longer?

I added this book to my TBR before I even knew what it was about. Ella Frank has been an auto-buy author for me for years, so if I see a book by her it’s a no brainer add. Period. After finishing this all I know is that I just want to live in her brain for just a day. I’m so serious. I’m convinced that the woman is storing a whole workload of pervy worker elves up there. How on earth does she keep coming up with such brilliant plots and then putting them off so flawlessly? I ask you! It’s just not humanly possible. And yet, when it comes to Ella, she continues to blow me away with each new book.

Why don’t you tell me about this place? This…Arcania.”
“Come closer, and I will show you.”

From just the first chapter I knew I was in for one amazingly intriguing and unique read, and I was so right. The world of Arcania was vividly painted through words, magical, and filled with so many unique characters that it actually took me a little bit to truly get a grasp on it.

Many years ago, a being that is now know as a “sensualeer” brought was almost the cause of the destruction of the entire land. An empress, born to magical powers, she gave in to the cravings inside her when she came in contact with a man, and the darkness within her took over. Since then an order was born with a higher being to oversee it in order to prevent such a thing from happening again.

Years later, set in Arcania past, Maeve, the eldest of her 4 siblings, is getting ready for her 25th birthday on which she will be meeting the man that is fated for her. Unfortunately the man that is destined for her is also the one that her sister is in love with. A sister that also happens to be marked with the blood of the crazed empress that upon the news that she will never have the man she loves, surrenders to the darkness within her

…and so the story begins.

In present time and in the modern world, Naeve along with her 3 sisters, are getting ready for their 25th birthday. A birthday where a tarot reading transports them to a different world and introduces them to things that they have never imagined.

There is A LOT of plot development and world building that takes place in this book. So much so, that there are multiple POVs that are also introduced, aside from the one of Naeve. This is also the brilliance of Ella Frank; because where I would usually find something like this to be too convoluted it actually worked here. The more I read, the more questions I had, and the more things begin to tie together. And I was absolutely sucked in before I even knew it.

He was like everything else in this strange, new world- a beautiful nightmare. Dark, dangerous, and lethal.

Kai was the mysterious brother of one of the Imperial Guards and the man sent to help find the 4 sisters when they get dropped in the world of Arcania. Knowing nothing about who they are or where they came from, he begrudgingly agrees to help find them in exchange for something that he wants to be named later. Kai was a character that grabbed my attention from the very beginning with his obviously dark secret, brooding personality, and tortured self. He was a bit of an enigma…much like his brother and head of the Imperial Guard’s Ry’Ker.

There was A LOT going on in this book. There were the connections between all the characters, the mystery behind what L’iAM, Naeve’s uncle and current ruler of Arcania is hiding, the secret of his son and his still unknown powers and so much more. Because of this, the romance that begins to develop between Naeve and Kai kind of took a secondary place. But don’t get me wrong, while it may not been predominant, it still played a role…

From the beginning Kai had overwhelmed her, frightened her, and controlled her destiny. But right near and now, the look in his eyes told her that she was the one in control. HE was under her spell.

As much as I’d love to give you more than this, I’d only confuse you. This is one of those books you really need to experience to understand. Having read a number of books in the romantic fantasy genre, this was very different…but in a good way. I wouldn’t really qualify this as JUST a romance because it’s so much more than that. Though I did wish that it did have a bit more with the romance since it did take me quite a bit to finally wrap my head around everything.

This is not a complete standalone in a series. This is a continuing plot that will continue throughout the series. While there is a somewhat cliffhanger, it’s not as bad as it could have been. It leaves off in a satisfying enough place that it won’t leave me a rage mess until the next book comes out. But it gives you just enough of a tease to still crave the next release anyway,

I can’t wait to see what the genius mind of Ella Frank has in store for this series next. Definitely a series I will gladly be continuing with.

**Teasers taken from the fabulous Ella Frank


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