Deacon by Kristen Ashley

Reviewed by Lucy
Adult read 18+

(Warning: Dark Read) I'm a huge KA fan and have read all of her books. I preordered this book and couldn't wait to devour it as soon as it hit my nook. This series, while darker than her others, are great reads if you enjoy the genre. Deacon was mentioned in the Raid novel, another great read, so you have some background into his history.

The book starts out with Cassidy, a young woman who recently bought property with vacation cabins in the Colorado. It had been a dream of hers since the age of 13, one she included her current boyfriend Grant in on. Unfortunately, Grant's promises to help her but doesn't follow through, preferring to drink with his 'buds', and enjoy the outdoor activities the mountains have to offer, leaving Cassidy with all of the labor he never seems to get around to doing.

During a particularly ugly argument, a knock comes at the door. Enter John Priest, aka Deacon. The the man is large and menacing, coming to the counter requesting cabin 11, he refuses to give a credit card and pays cash. Cassidy is pretty sure his name is an alias and doesn't feel right renting him a room. But she needs the money as Grant reminds her, so does so anyway. Something about the stranger, while she does fear him, intrigues her.

Always cold and a man of few words, over the years, and long after Grant is gone, randomly he continues to come back, always for cabin 11. Cassidy finds herself looking forward to his return, even though he remains distant and cold, finding herself wondering about the stranger and his life, until one day something happens to change all of that.

I won't say any more, not wanting to spoil the book for anyone else. But what you will find are devastating secrets, heartbreak, beauty, and pain. Kristen Ashley doesn't disappoint as she pens the story of her latest damaged alpha male. As always I can't wait and see what she does next. I gave this book four instead of five stars because I thought the conflict resolution at the end needed something more after what happened between the characters. Other than that, a solid KA read. Links listed below

http://www.amazon.com/Deacon-Unfinished-Heroes-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B00M8T7P86

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deacon-kristen-ashley/1120028661?ean=2940046068276

Burning Alive by Shannon Butcher

Reviewed by Lucy

Adult read 18+

Every year, my public library has an amazing fundraiser call the book bag sale. I love this sale. Ten dollars will buy you two large tote bags which you are able to fill to the brim with book or all shapes, sizes, and genres. My shoulders hurt from lugging two totes while going nuts up and down the crammed aisles, but it was totally worth it for the 30+ books I brought home. The only downside is, there isn't much time to mill about, read the synopsis, or ponder. So the upside, I have a lot of new books, the downside, some are series books and unfortunately they are not book 1.

Anyway, in honor of the upcoming season, I've been getting into the spirit, broadening my reading base by getting better acquainted with the paranormal genre. One of the books that happened to find it's way into my reading bag was written by the wife of an author Winnie enjoys, Shannon Butcher. While the book was released in 2009 (okay so it's been around for a while), but it was new to me as well as number one in the series, so I gave it a try. 

The story is an urban paranormal romance in the Sentinel War series. The story begins with Helen, a humanitarian who cares for the elderly, having diner with Ms. Mabel at a local diner when she sees a man who has been at the center of a disturbing vision ever since she can remember. This man scares her and with good reason. It is Drake's smiling face she sees as she is burned alive. 

When Drake notices her, he is immediately drawn to her without understanding why. It doesn't take long before he finds himself approaching her, as if not in his control. As he gets near her, touches her, he realizes that she is a source of comfort and for a sentinel like himself, this is an impossibility.

While the story centers on these two individuals, there are many points of view and side stories throughout the novel. I personally thought this helped to add to the back story of the Sentinel race, which I thought was interesting and well written. It didn't take long before the story really took off, the plot unfolded nicely, held a good pace, keeping me interested to see where it all lead. I enjoyed her first novel enough to continue on in the series. I'd give it 4 out of 5 on the rating scale.

http://www.amazon.com/Burning-Alive-The-Sentinel-Wars/dp/0451412710

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/burning-alive-shannon-k-butcher/1100310344?ean=9781101046586

Erron by Melanie Schulz

Reviewed by Lucy

recommended for 16+ 

From the moment I began this read, I was drawn in. From beginning to end, I devoured this book in three days. This author gives you bits and pieces of information that unfold throughout, keeping it interesting and driving you to find out what happens next. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the way this was penned, though I know some don't care for changing points of view. The story of Erron is told from a duel perspective, and though it does indeed center on this unique male, it unfolds through two points of view, both expressed in first person. Willow, a young woman who the lonely and reclusive Erron finds himself drawn to, and Paul, a man employed by organization who has been hunting him for over four years. It becomes clear early on the what you see with Erron is not as it appears.

This book is full of secrets, half truths, twists, and turns. There isn't much I can reveal about the series of events that occur without ruining the journey for you, but I will say that you can't help feel for these characters. Even the antithesis grew on me as I found myself rooting for him as well. Her characters were well formed, rich and complex. The plot was strong and the story flowed well from chapter to chapter. 

My only complaint, was I felt the ending was too abrupt given the background and build up leading to the climax. I would have loved for the author to have given a bit more insight and detail into what came after for Erron and Willow. For that reason, I would give this novel a 4 star rating instead of 5. Still definitely a solid worthwhile paranormal read I recommend for the price point of $3.99. (Link to book found below for Amazon)

 http://www.amazon.com/Erron-Melanie-Schulz/dp/0692274847

 

In His Eyes by Nina Pierce

Reviewed by Vivian
Recommended 18+

A crime mystery. On the outside Maggie Callaghan thought she had it all, three great kids, her own business and a wonderful husband, or so she thought. While walking through the kitchen during their annual fourth of July barbecue she finds her newly divorced friend precariously intertwined with her husband, Alex.  Her heart broken she and her husband decide to separate. Maggie rents a seaside cottage, where she and Alex take alternate weeks with their children at their home and the quaint cottage.

On her first week at the cottage alone Maggie takes a long look at her marriage.  Alex had taken her for granted, and she needed time to sort out her life. Karen, her close friend tries to comfort her, and sets her up with Seth, the physical therapist Maggie just hired. One night Seth's anger got the better of him and freaked her out. Then there was Dan, an acquaintance, But then Maggie met Jack a cop, who made her feel wanted. Alex tries to repair the damage he has caused and get his wife back.

While Maggie jogged along the sandy beaches she became the interest of  someone watching from the shadows. A serial rapist and murder and Rainmaker, an FBI agent was on the hunt for him.

This was well written and kept me guessing as to whodunnit. I would go back and forth from the characters always certain I knew the culprit. With great character and good plot I give this 4 stars. At $3.99 this is a great value for a great read. Below are the links for Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

http://www.amazon.com/His-Eyes-Nina-Pierce-ebook/dp/B00H2BBPNG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410916251&sr=8-1&keywords=in+his+eyes

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-his-eyes-nina-pierce/1117544616?ean=9781494269432

Knight by Kristen Ashley

Reviewed by Lucy
Recommended 18+
Adult read

In anticipation of Deacon, the next to be released in Kristen Ashley's Unfinished Hero's series on September 23, 2014, I thought to rewind and go back to the beginning to her first novel in the series titled Knight. I have enjoyed nearly all of what this author has created over the years, some more than others, but I will say overall, she rarely disappoints. This book and series for me was no different.It is by far one of her darker novels, telling the story of characters who have survived trauma and unusual upbringings that have left a lingering effect on their lives for better or for worse.

Our story begins with Anya, a woman who has struggled most of her life, including financially after being orphaned as a young girl and raised by an alcoholic neglectful aunt. While begrudgingly attending a party, she meets Knight, a young wealthy mysterious and harsh man. The two couldn't be more different. Knight is mysterious with a dark edge and well off while Anya is sweet, kind, good natured as she struggles from week to week to make ends meat.

Knight decides to leave Anya alone despite being enamored with her, believing her to be better off with a normal traditional man, something Knight most definitely is not. That changes when Knight finds Anya in his nightclub. Finding her in a bad situation, he decides he doesn't care if he's right for her. He pursues her, deciding he's going to take care of her by making her life easier and goes about doing just that. This is something Anya hasn't had since the passing of her parents.

Throughout this book, most of the time I found Knight to be either a bastard or the best thing since chocolate. I won't say anything more, no plot spoilers. What I will say is this is by far more than a boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, girl falls for boy and both live happily every after. Kristen Ashley in my opinion delivers yet again. This is definitely an anti-hero type book, darker than your average romance read. For $3.99 it's a good value, a recommended 4 star read.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Knight

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/knight-kristen-ashley/1110498584?ean=9780615803838

Handcuffs & High Heels: A Ruby Wisdom Mystery by J.M. Edwards

Reviewed by Vivian
Recommended 18+

I would categorize this as a high jinx mystery novel. This story centers around a divorcee, Ruby Wisdom, who was at one time married to the town of Wormwood's local sheriff. Currently she is a private detective hired to solve the towns crime, one involving Violet Sullivan. On their initial meeting Ruby requests she bring a box of Little Debbie Swiss Rolls along, one of her favorite treats. She hires Ruby to investigate her husbands indiscretions,Violet suspects her husband Tripp is planning on leaving her for his bookkeeper. Her case changes from infidelities to murder when Tripp is found murdered, naked wearing nothing except fur-trimmed handcuffs and leopard print high heels. Ruby tries using her past relationship with her former husband Hank and current flame Clint, a UPS driver to help solve the mystery of who killed Tripp.

I enjoy books that I cannot wait to pick up and finish the read. This story lacked that for me.  To be honest, I did not connect with the characters. The author's attempt at humor was tongue and cheek. The novel's plot, in my opinion, requires little concentration on the part of the reader. A great mystery should make the reader think and consist of twists and turns, allowing the reader to enjoy a novel's whodunnit factor. This lacked on all counts. It was a short easy read, if this is your type of book it would be something to consider for a rainy weekend.

Currently, this book is priced at $2.99 on Amazon (link posted below), at a little over 180 pages making it an okay value. I suggest you pick this one up at your local library. Considering this is a  high jinx mystery and not my normal read I would give this 3 stars.

http://www.amazon.com/Handcuffs-High-Heels-Wisdom-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00M8N1LJ6

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/handcuffs-high-heels-jm-edwards/1120023215?ean=2940149636006

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Reviewed by Lucy
YA novel 16+

If you haven't read this book yet, you are completely missing out on an experience. Colleen Hoover crafts a story that makes you feel and think as you take this journey with her characters, and in this book, you will take a journey. This debut novel, completely took me by surprise. This novel is about about unfairness, loss, grief, sorrow, love, acceptance, understanding, all of the things that make life harsh and beautiful. (This is the first in a series of three.)

The book opens with 18 year old Layken, who along with her young brother Kel and mother Julia are literally parking the moving truck, having sold their old house in Texas moving north to Michigan. This is after the unexpected sudden death of her father, a sorrowful circumstance that left the family with few financial choices leading to the move. Angry about being uprooted, she is getting ready to start her senior year away from everyone and everything she has known. Underneath the cloud of grief, Layken is struggling to find her way in this new family situation with the void left by her father's demise.

While waiting for her mother to situate things with the land lord, Layken meets her new neighbor Will and his younger brother who happens to be Kel's age. They all seem to hit it off, the brothers as well as Layken and Will. Will offers to help Layken find the grocery store, taking the long way around to spend time with her. Later the two go out on a date, Will taking Layken to a favorite place of his, where poets read their orginal works. A bond forms quickly as their relationship takes root, the silver lining in all that has occurred for Layken...Will. Unfortunately, as Layken has learned, life isn't always fair, and as quickly as the two came together, they are torn apart.

I will say no more for fear of giving too much away. This a beautiful story that makes you feel everything the characters do as it unfolds. It's tragic and beautiful, will take you from highs to lows and everything in between. Not only did I love the main characters Will and Layken, the brothers Kel and Caulder where fantastically written as well. This book is a bit more than most I tend to read, but was absolutely worth the price tag of $7.99 for ebook or about $14.00 for paperback. Slammed is a home run, a book I have read more than once, a 5 star read!

http://www.amazon.com/Slammed-A-Novel-Colleen-Hoover/dp/1476715904

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/slammed-colleen-hoover/1108162651?ean=9781476715902

Wildest Dreams by Kristen Ashley

Reviewed by Lucy
Recommended for 18+

Kristen Ashley, known to many readers as the queen of Alpha male novels, has a fantasy series called Fantastical where magic, adventure, and the fairy tales worlds come alive. Having read and loved many Kristen Ashley novels over the years, starting with her Rock Chick series, I must admit, I was tentative about this series. I put it off until I had devoured most of her straight forward romance adventure novels. Part of it was I had high expectations due to previous works, that I feared she wouldn't hold up when switching genres in this way. I should have had more faith in you Ms. Ashley. Once again, I fell into a all night book-a-thon, continuing into the following day, unable to put the book down until finished type state. I was in total story junkie mode with this one.

The story begins with a young adventure seeking junkie named Seofin, Finnie for short, who contacts a witch known as Valentine, who for a large sum of money, promises her the ultimate adventure. A trip to an alternate universe, one parallel to ours, one where our twin exists, though different from ourselves, in a world very different from our own. Having made contact with the other Seofin, the Finnie of this world and of the other agree to trade places for one year. Our Finnie is driven by adventure, but more so out of the desire to see her parents, who in this world have since perished, but live on in the parallel universe.

The switch is made, and shortly thereafter, our Finnie finds herself in a magical winter wonderland as a real live princess. What the original Seofin forgot to mention however, is that she was set to marry the Drakkar in mere moments. He is an immensely large man with a surly disposition and apparent dislike for Finnie, which also the former Seofin forgot to mention. After getting hitched and ditched by her new husband in a remote part of this frozen foreign land, Finnie gets exactly what she was looking for, an adventure. Finnie, being strong willed and determined makes the best of what she was given, and finds herself enjoying this strange yet wonderful world. As time passes, she also gets more than she expected in the Drakkar.

For me, Kristen Ashley always meets expectations when writing her alpha male characters. In this novel she also does a fantastic job in writing strong female characters of substance. If you are looking for a good adventure romance, in a fantasy setting with sci-fi elements, then this is the story for you. Magic, elves, dragons, and a wonderfully crafted world await you within these pages. At over 500 pages for $3.99 it's a great value for a rich story with great characters giving it 4 1/2 stars. Links listed below for amazon, barnes and noble, and author's web page.

http://www.amazon.com/Wildest-Dreams-Fantasyland-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B005HH1HVM
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wildest-dreams-kristen-ashley/1105099123?ean=2940011458903
http://www.kristenashley.net/menu/titles/fantasyland_series.html

Tall, Dark & Lonely: A Pyte/Sentinel Series Novel by R.L. Mathewson

Reviewed by Lucy

recommended for readers 18+

R.L. Mathewson, I must confess, is one of my favorite authors. The first book of hers I read was A Neighbor from Hell, a story that literally had me laughing out loud to the point that my children thought I was slightly off...well more so than they normal. While monster books, (traditional vamp and werewolf novels), generally aren't my first go to book, given that I enjoyed her writing style, I thought I'd give her Pyte Sentinel Series a try. 

The book begins many long years in the past with Ephraim, who finds himself chained to a bed disoriented to find there is something quite amiss. Ephraim soon learns along with his father and brothers, that he is indeed different, setting him on a path of torment he must endure for about 2 decades. 

Our story then fast forwards to present day with the 23 year old woman Madison who is currently driving cross country with her neglectful sorry excuse of a mother and two younger sibling to their estranged grandmother's house. Madison struggled but managed to primarily raise her younger brother and sister while her mother lived a carefree life filled with men, drugs, and alcohol. 

It is after arriving in New England, at the boarding house her grandmother owns, where Ephraim and Madison meet. They are set up beside one another in the boarding house and share a bathroom. While Madison is curious about the reclusive detective Ephraim, Ephraim is drawn to Madison on several different levels. 

I won't say much more about the story itself so I do not spoil it for others, but I will say that is has all things I have come to expect with R.L. Mathewson novels. Great characters, good plot, humor, and just a good overall story. As far as value, this book is over 300 pages for $.99. You can't get any better than that folks. While this novel did come out several years ago, I chose to review it because the fourth book, and last in the series as I understand it, is set to be release October 31, 2014. I have read all of the pyte/sentinel books so far and enjoyed them all. I would rate this as far as value, story, and length at a 4 to 4 1/2 star review. Totally recommend it even for those of you who are not paranormal book readers.  Below you will find the link for both Amazon and Barnes and Noble if you are interested in purchasing. (For the Nookers...this book is part of the lending library, so you can always see if a fellow reader has it available to borrow.)

http://www.amazon.com/Tall-Dark-Lonely-Pyte-Sentinel-ebook/dp/B004GNFNRM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1410460912&sr=8-6&keywords=rl+mathewson+kindle+books

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tall-dark-lonely-r-l-mathewson/1029686352?ean=2940032987000

Stay by Emily Goodwin

Reviewed by Lucy
Recommended 18+

Warning! Adult read. While this is considered a romantic read, it falls into the dark and dramatic for me. If you are a sensitive reader, you may find the subject matter in this novel disturbing. This story centers upon the human trafficking of young women and girls and deals with rape involving sexual slavery. I bought this book on sale for $.99 on Amazon at the suggestion of a fellow reader.

Alrighty, let's get to it shall we. Okay, so I tend to favor these darker reads about the damaged psyche, the monster who is missing part of his or her humanity and what made him or her that way. So, I have some experience reading these types of books. What I usually find is that they center around the Stockholm Syndrome condition between the character, which I find fascinating as well, though surprisingly I did not find it here.

Our story centers around a young college age woman named Addie. While attending a gay pride parade in support of a friend in the company with her sister and other best friend, a chance encounter changed the course of her life, who she was and ultimately who she was to become. Upon seeing a young woman upset seemingly fearing she was being followed, she finds this same young woman later in the day in a secluded alley, when two men approach. Not understanding the nature of these men, Addie asks them for help. Moments later, Addie finds herself captive by the hands of two men, Zane and Jackson.

I hate spoilers, so I won't say much more about what unfolds. What I will say, within these pages you encounter damaged people, two to be precise, who find a true beautiful true connection. One built on trust, understanding, and hope in a place where none of these things should exist. The only complaint I have about the book, is at times it felt rushed taking away from the characters. That said, it was still a great read that I would recommend. Honestly, for me this was a huge bargain for $.99. Regular purchase price is $2.99 and totally worth it. Link to Amazon found below. I give it 4 out of 5 stars! Definitely 18 & up.

http://www.amazon.com/Stay-Emily-Goodwin-ebook/dp/B00KGHZCVE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410232162&sr=8-1&keywords=stay