ARC Review: Need (Want, Book Two)

Rating: 4.5 Stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Want, Book Two
Author: Stephanie Lawton Website :: Facebook :: Twitter
Publication Date: May 17, 2013
Buy: Amazon

Isaac Laroche is cursed. All he wants to do is hide out and feel sorry for himself. Never mind that he got caught sleeping with his seventeen-year-old piano student, or that he abandoned her when the truth was exposed. 

Isaac’s feisty high school sweetheart has different plans. Heather Swann has returned to their hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to regroup after breaking up with her troll of a fiancé. She’s restless and looking for a diversion, but she bites off more than she can chew when she sets her sights on rehabilitating Isaac with her unorthodox sexual, mental, and physical plans. 

The two quickly reconnect, but their happiness is threatened by family secrets, old vendettas and the death of a beloved father-figure. 

Can Heather handle Isaac’s baggage, or will her own come back to haunt them both?

*Need is the second novel in the Want series. I would absolutely recommending reading Want before continuing with Need because so much of Isaac's story is based around the events in Want. If you haven't yet read Want, there will be some spoilers in my review.*

And if you haven't read Want yet, DO IT! Here, I'll make it easy: CLICK ME!

Review: Dark of a Dark Knight

Rating: 4 Stars
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Author: Zoe Forward Website :: Facebook :: Twitter
Publication Date: March 1, 2013
Buy: Amazon

Summary:: In the shadows of our world, a secret band of warriors fights to protect us. They are the last line of defense against an evil no human can stop. 

An ancient nemesis has resurfaced. Duty demands that Ashor Vlahos, Scimitar Magi commander, recruit a magical healer to fortify the remaining eight magi. The gods' choice is the woman who helped him escape torture a decade ago. Ashor couldn't have imagined a better punishment for his vow-breaker homicidal incidents than for the gods to bind him irrevocably to the only woman in the universe he cannot have. The soul-searing desire she ignites in him is strictly forbidden.

Kira Hardy, M.D. is a brilliant, hardworking internal med resident with big secrets. But when Ashor asks for aid after a brutal daemon attack, she is sucked into his dangerous, secret world. Enslavement to the magi, no matter how hot they are, may be an unattractive life plan, but being targeted for death by their enemies is less tolerable. 

She must trust the sexy, tormented Ashor to keep her safe while he must deny his ultimate desire and keep Kira at arm's length lest he bring destruction down on them both. As a centuries-old evil catches up to them, they face a crucial decision--follow the gods' rules or follow their hearts.

Ashor Vlahos is the perfect alpha male, leader of an ancient Egyptian magi group, created and resurrected by the gods to protect human kind from Hashishins and demons. After years of fighting evil and not yet finding his senariai, or soul mate, Ashor is fighting back the darkness threatening to take over his soul.

Release Blitz & Giveaway: Alpha Girl

Summary:: Seventeen year old Rose Goldman is highly unpopular in the little town of Halfway. Ever since the 'attack' when she was a girl, people and animals have been afraid of her. She gets bullied in school, and called 'wet dog' because of the way she smells, despite being extremely hygienic. 


However, life takes a turn when a new teacher starts at Halfway High. 


Mr. Stone, the quirky and charismatic English teacher is twice Rose's age, but she feels an unexplainable pull towards him from day one. Despite her better judgement, Rose pursues a friendship with Mr. Stone, who seems unable to stay away from her. What is pulling this unlikely pair together? 

Release Blitz: Bluffing the Devil

Summary: After losing her fiancé to a freak accident, Alexia Riley decides to swear off relationships and focus her energy on conquering the male-dominated sport of professional poker. 

When Alexia finds herself being visited in her dreams by a mysterious new man, she begins to wonder if her world is slowly starting to unravel around her. 

Tested by a double-dealing nemesis on the tables and tempted by a mysterious "dream man", Alexia soon contemplates making a deal with the Devil to rid herself of these torments. What bargain will she strike with the Dark Prince to get what she wants? As temptation for a mysterious dream man weakens her resolve, a desire to defeat her greatest rival beckons her. Will she sacrifice her soul for victory? Love? Or does she want something else entirely? 

The stakes have never been higher for Alexia than they are when she is bluffing the Devil.

Review: Duality (Melancholia, Volume 1)

Rating: 5 Stars
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance
Series: Melancholia
Author: Elle Casey Website :: Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter
:: Goodreads :: Amazon
Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Buy: Amazon

Summary: Malcolm's had a problem for as long as he can remember. No matter where he goes or what he does, he leaves misery in his wake. Sadness and negativity are his constant companions, influencing others around him until they cannot bear to live. 

But then Rae shows up in his life, and everything changes. Darkness cleaves to light. Anger yields to joy. The question is whether she'll be his salvation or his destruction. 

DUALITY is a 3-book Young Adult/New Adult Paranormal Romance. Volume 1 will be published April 30, Volume II May 31, and Volume III June 30, 2013.

Holy. Flipping. Moly. Elle Casey has yet again astounded me with her amazing writing, characterization, and unique view on the paranormal. I completed the 360 pages of Duality in about 5 hours - never putting it down, completely entranced.

Cover Reveal: Just One Cup

And here we have another cover reveal! This is my first introduction to Ms. Cassandra Giovanni and I'm looking forward to reading some of her previous releases as well as this novel, Just One Cup. Here is the summary: 

Emma Walker was a writer who'd lost herself to someone else's anger--who had given up on ever feeling like herself again. 

Evan Levesque was a rock-god--the one all the woman wanted, but he'd never gotten used to the loneliness between the stage and real life. 

With just one cup of coffee they'll begin a journey of self-discovery at each others sides, but can Emma handle Evan's fame while dealing with her own demons? Emma's checkered personal past, a bad relationship that haunts the edges of her memories, threatens to make everything implode on them when Evan takes matters into his own hands. 

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words...they'll destroy my soul--Can Emma handle being put back together and facing who she's become because of it?

Ohhh, do I love me some rock-god meets broken chick. Mmhmm! I haven't really been interested in music-based books because I am a musician and it's hard to not be overly judgmental of the characters, but this book seems to have more depth than the run-of-the-mill rockstar-likes-average-girl-who-doesn't-think-she's-good-enough theme.

This cover seems pretty self-explanatory. My favorite surprise? The treble clef and staff behind CG's name. Too cute! And man, I love me a guy with some tattoos! I think that the model for this doesn't quite look "rockgod-y" (yes, I just used that as an adjective) however, I'm hopeful that after reading the novel, he'll will remain in my mind this emo-rocker type of guy. So, what do you lovelies think?

Spotlight and Excerpt: Born In Flames

Genre: YA Fantasy
Author: Candace Knoebel Blog :: Goodreads :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Amazon
Release Date: September 6, 2012
Buy: Amazon :: B&N

Summary:: Red mirrored scales race up my arms as the haze of pain blurs my vision. My bones crack, breaking to realign. I scream. It is then that the realization of my unavoidable fate sinks in; I am of a dying race. I am dragon. 

Aurora Megalos, orphaned and teetering on the edge of adulthood, thought finding her past would curb the sting of being an outcast. Having no memories of the time before she awoke on her foster mother’s doorstep, she yearns for the emptiness inside her to be filled. With her fellow orphaned best friend, Fenn, by her side, she has nothing to lose and everything to gain. But something powerful stirred within her that she couldn’t explain. Something wanted out. 

In the dark of night, a crazed Seer, dubbed Mr.Creepy, erases everything she’s ever known with an impending prophecy. She now faces two paths. Return to her true home to protect a dying race against a growing evil, or stay hidden in the safety of our realm with a shot at a true love. With a vengeful Arch Enemy stopping at nothing to see her dead, she’s running out of time; a decision must be made. What would you choose?

Cover Reveal: Bluffing the Devil

After losing her fiancé to a freak accident, Alexia Riley decides to swear off relationships and focus her energy on conquering the male-dominated sport of professional poker. 

When Alexia finds herself being visited in her dreams by a mysterious new man, she begins to wonder if her world is slowly starting to unravel around her. 

Tested by a double-dealing nemesis on the tables and tempted by a mysterious "dream man", Alexia soon contemplates making a deal with the Devil to rid herself of these torments. What bargain will she strike with the Dark Prince to get what she wants? As temptation for a mysterious dream man weakens her resolve, a desire to defeat her greatest rival beckons her. Will she sacrifice her soul for victory? Love? Or does she want something else entirely? 

The stakes have never been higher for Alexia than they are when she is bluffing the Devil.

Just the blurb alone makes this book unique. My husband has played poker for years, though not professionally, so it intrigues me to read about poker mixed with some paranormal and romance. I was looking forward to seeing the cover for this beauty and I am SO HAPPY to be apart of its reveal. So, lets reveal!

Blog Tour: Wide Awake

Rating: 5 Stars

Author: Shelly Crane Blog :: Goodreads :: Facebook :: Twitter

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 22, 2013

Buy: Amazon :: B&N

A girl.

A coma.

A life she can't remember.



When Emma Walker wakes up in the hospital with no knowledge of how she got there, she learns that she's been in a coma for six months. Strangers show up and claim to be her parents, but she can't remember them. She can't remember anyone. Not her friends, not even her boyfriend. Even though she can't remember, everyone wants her to just pick up where she left off, but what she learns about the 'old her' makes her start to wish she'd never woken up. 

Her boyfriend breaks up with the new girl he's dating to be with her, her parents want her to start planning for college, her friends want their leader back, and her physical therapist with the hazel eyes keeps his distance to save his position at the hospital.



Will she ever feel like she recognizes the girl in the mirror?

Shelly Crane does it again! I am a huge fan of Shelly and her Significance series, so when I was given the opportunity to read Wide Awake, I was more than excited.

Promo Blitz: The Order of the Black Swan

Author: Victoria Dannan
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Fantasy
Series: The Order of the Black Swan
Release Date: February 14, 2013

Synopsis: Discover a world of adult fantasy where modern day knights of a secret society interact with an alien, a witch, a demon, a psychic, a berserker, a most unusual vampire, werewolves, elves, and fae. Fairytales intersect adventure, romance, and emotion proving that true love can find you in the strangest places, even when you're least expecting it, even when you're far, far from home. *This is a compilation of the first three installments of the Black Swan serial saga.*

I love Victoria Dannan. She is not only a wonderful writer and world builder, but I just "get" her style, you know what I mean? She's one of those writers that I always look forward to reading again and again because I know that I'll learn something different each time.

I have reviewed all three of the novels included in this mega-pack and the links for them are here: My Familiar Stranger (Book One), The Witch's Dream (Book Two) and The Summoner's Tale (Book Three). This is definitely a series that I would suggest to any paranormal romance lover!

Victoria Danann

 http://www.VictoriaDanann.com

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