Review: Blood Eternal by Marie Treanor

Title: Blood Eternal
Author: Marie Treanor
Source: received through blog tour in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:

Despite the growing passion that unites them, all is not well between Elizabeth and Saloman. She refuses to follow him as he builds his influence among the human population and consolidates his rule over the vampire world. A shocking revolt is just the latest crisis that's call him away.

But under Saloman's regime, vampires have become less concerned with secrecy. And after he joins forces with vampire hunters, Elizabeth begins to understand the inevitable collision of the two worlds. She could be a conduit between humanity and the undead-is she can manage to play both sides and stay alive...



Review:




Blood Eternal is the third book in Marie Treanor's Awakened by Blood series. In this book, Saloman's cousin Luk has been awakened. Saloman is the one who killed him so needless to say, Luk is out for revenge. Elizabeth still struggles between her love for Saloman and her duty as a vampire hunter.

First I have to say how bothered I am about the appearance of the book. It's a different size from the rest, and the cover doesn't look like it belongs in the same series at all. I do understand that the author probably had no say in this issue though.

I thought this book seemed rather slow, which is the main reason for me giving it 3 stars instead of 4. I was a little bored with the plot, and I just don't really have much interest in the secondary characters. I love Elizabeth and Saloman though, and I love reading the parts where they are together. Saloman comes to realize just how much Elizabeth means to him, and it was sweet to see this softer side of him. If you liked Saloman in the other books, you will love him in this one.

I don't think this would be a good stand-alone book. I think the two previous books would need to be read in order to fully enjoy this one. I'm not positive, but it appears that this is the last book in the series. That saddens me because the ending of Blood Eternal is great and there is so much potential for more.

Find the author at her website:
http://www.marietreanor.com

Find this book at the following places:
Amazon (paperback)
Amazon (Kindle)
Barnes & Noble

Review: Fate Fixed by Bonnie Erina Wheeler

Title: Fate Fixed
Author: Bonnie Erina Wheeler
Source: received through blog tour in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:

When Lexie Anderson’s mother suddenly announces she is marrying a Romanian immigrant, Lexie willingly leaves behind her busy life in Connecticut for her penance in “The Moose Capital of the World.” Small town living is strange enough, now Lexie must cope with her overbearing stepfamily monitoring her every move. They disappear into the woods at night and keep a strange secret locked in their shed. Her once calm mother is now having violent outbursts and Lexie’s little sister is hearing sinister sounds coming from the forest behind their new home.

Lexie’s biggest surprise comes when she discovers the boy she has been dreaming about since her accident is living in Maine. Despite Torin’s questionable reputation, Lexie cannot resist the physical and emotional attraction pulsating between them.

Animals and people in town are turning up dead and Lexie learns the strange new world she lives in has real life monsters. Just when she decides she wants to be with Torin forever, she must fight to protect her mother and sister from being harmed a formidable evil.





Review:



Fate Fixed is the first book in Bonnie Wheeler's Erris Coven series. It's a YA paranormal romance about a teen girl named Lexie. Lexie's mother suddenly marries a guy that has three sons, and her life spins out of control. Lexie's mom isn't the same person anymore, she has to move to a new state, 2 of her new step brothers are infatuated with her, and she discovers that not everyone she knows is human.

The one good thing that has come out of all of this is Torin – the boy she has been dreaming about for months. Imagine Lexie's surprise when she first sees him in her new town. Torin has been dreaming about Lexie as well and has been waiting for the moment that she comes into his life. When they first meet, it's instant attraction. It's more than that really, it's like love at first sight. Things get pretty intense between them very quickly. Unfortunately, she has a step-brother or two trying to interfere...

I enjoyed this book very much! It actually kind of reminded me of Twilight – and that's ok with me because I'm a big fan. It's edgier than Twilight though. There is a love-making scene, but it was nicely done. It felt right, even though the characters are fairly young – and it wasn't detailed. There is also some mystery, suspense and gore. The author keeps you on your toes wondering what will happen next.

I had a hard time putting this book down. I was captivated from the very beginning. Lexie is very likeable, and is somebody that readers can connect with. I really liked Torin and his tortured soul. I was even interested in reading about the secondary characters – and that doesn't happen to me very often. I am looking forward to book #2 very much!

Find the author at her website:
http://fatefixed.blogspot.com/

Find this book at the following places:
Amazon (Kindle)
Amazon (paperback)
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords

Cover Reveal - Lauren Kate

Here are a couple of new covers in case you haven't already seen them - both are Lauren Kate books. I absolutely love all the covers in the Fallen series, and these are no different:


The sky is dark with wings. . . .
In RAPTURE, the highly anticipated fourth and final novel in the FALLEN series, Luce and Daniel are together . . . but for how long? Can history be rewritten? Or are some punishments eternal?



What makes your heart race a little faster? Just in time for Valentine's Day, it's FALLEN IN LOVE, four wholly original new stories collected in a new novel set in the Middle Ages by Lauren Kate. FALLEN IN LOVE gives fans the much-talked about but never-revealed stories of FALLEN characters as they intertwine with the epic love story of Luce and Daniel.

The stories include: Love Where You Least Expect It: The Valentine of Shelby and Miles; Love Lessons: The Valentine of Roland; Burning Love: The Valentine of Arriane; and Endless Love: The Valentine of Daniel and Lucinda

Click HERE for a sneak peak at Fallen in Love!!!

Review: The Lost by Caridad Pineiro

Title: The Lost
Author: Caridad Pineiro
Source: received through blog tour in exchange for honest review

Synopsis:

Adam Bruno is no ordinary millionaire. The heir to an ancient race possessing a dark, powerful magic, he can shapeshift and create energy. His gifts make him a living weapon and have forced him to live in seclusion. But now an inhuman force hunts down Adam-just when he finds someone who makes him feel more human than he ever imagined possible . . .

Home from combat in Iraq, Bobbie Carerra wants only peace, yet soon joins Adam in a terrifying battle against paranormal enemies who hide in plain sight. She's drawn to his strength of mind and body; he's attracted to her courage and intoxicating energy. Their scorching passion can either transport them to the heights of ecstasy or-if Adam's powers rage out of control-destroy them. But when an invisible brotherhood tightens its nets and someone Adam trusts betrays him, only a heartrending decision can save them.

Review:




The Lost is the first book I've read by author Caridad Pineiro, and I really enjoyed it. It's the first book in a series called Sin Eaters. This is a paranormal romance about a man named Adam Bruno. Adam doesn't really know who or what he is. Adam was adopted as a boy and doesn't know his family history, but he knows he's not completely human.

Adam meets Bobbie as he is coming out of work and is attacked. Bobbie helps Adam kick some butt by using her cane. She is such an awesome heroine to have in a story. Bobbie was seriously injured while in combat in Iraq. She barely survived, and has many physical and emotional scars. I love how flawed this character is. She uses a cane to help her walk, but she is a strong and independent woman. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was 11. By looking at me, you wouldn't know that I have it – but I worry about being disabled one of these days. I'm scared of not being able to do things for myself. I already have to get my husband to open bottles and jars for me and it's frustrating. I really loved seeing how sexy Bobbie is in Adam's eyes – even though she's disabled.

That says a lot about Adam's character – the fact that he can overlook Bobbie's faults and only see beauty. These two have great chemistry together! The lovemaking was very steamy – intense actually. I liked how these two fell for each other so quickly, but yet it didn't seem like it was too quick. I think that things happened at a good pace. I was a little distracted by the change of viewpoints. I don't mind a mix of viewpoints from the hero and heroine, but when secondary characters jump in there as well it can get confusing.

The book didn't end with a cliffhanger, but there were some loose strings at the end. I am looking forward to the next installment to see what happens, and I will also be checking out some other books by this author when I get the chance.

Find this book at the following places:

Amazon (Kindle)
Amazon (paperback)
Barnes & Noble

Find the author at her website:
http://www.caridad.com/

Review: Somewhere in Between by Stacey Kennedy

Title: Somewhere in Between
Author: Stacey Kennedy
Source: received from author in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:

U.S. Marshal, Wyatt Tanning is in a race to catch a serial killer who has evaded the authorities. Just as the case hits a dead end, an unexpected email gives him a lead. As much as he wants to share the surprising message with his lover, Rye Daniels, he must hunt a killer first.

Darby Grant never expected that one night would change her life forever, but that’s exactly what happened. Not only has she been abducted, but she is in a situation that nightmares are made of. As she begins to lose all hope, fate steps in to offer her aid, but she’s well aware things will never be the same again. Soon, though, Darby begins to realize that might not be such a bad thing…

*warning - contains m/m and a ménage love scene.



Review:

Somewhere in Between is a novella that follows Stacey Kennedy's book Takedown. In Takedown, we meet Wyatt and Rye – which is a male/male erotic romance. In Somewhere in Between, Wyatt and Rye meet a woman named Darby who they instantly feel a connection with. This book contains both a male/male love scene and a threesome.

These books aren't for everyone. I know that a lot of people are squirmish when it comes to M/M love scenes, but Stacey Kennedy makes it HOTTT. There's more to it than just sex, the characters have a connection that takes it to another level. There is also an interesting story involved. Wyatt is a U.S. Marshall who is trying to catch a killer. Darby is a victim that Wyatt feels compelled to protect.

The story is sweet, sexy, and suspenseful. This novella is a quick read – you can easily finish it in one setting which makes is really convenient. Stacey Kennedy writes a great story. If you are on the fence about trying books like this, I suggest you try this one – I bet you'll like it!

Find this book at the following places:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords

Stacey Kennedy's website:
http://www.staceykennedy.com/

Review: Jenny Pox by JL Bryan

Title: Jenny Pox
Author: JL Bryan
Source: received through blog tour in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:

Jenny has a secret. Her touch spreads a supernatural plague.

She devotes her life to avoiding contact with people, until her senior year of high school, when she meets the one boy she can touch, and she falls in love.

But there's a problem--he's under the spell of his devious girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

Now Jenny must learn to use the deadly "Jenny pox" she's fought her entire life to hide, or be destroyed by Ashleigh's ruthless plans.

Not recommended for readers under sixteen due to mature content.



Review:




Wow, I must say that I think this is the strangest book I've ever read! That's not necessarily a bad thing. The story centers around Jenny – who has what people call the Jenny pox. She is basically lethal to touch. Her whole life, she has had to keep her body covered – including wearing gloves wherever she goes – so she doesn't accidentally kill somebody. How awful would that be? I connected with Jenny in a lot of ways. Not the lethal touch part, but the fact that she is an outsider. She's lonely, she keeps to herself, people think she's weird so they make fun of her, etc... I think there are a lot of girls out there who could identify with that.

During Jenny's senior year in high school, she finally meets the one boy she can touch. Because of Seth, she isn't alone for the first time in her life. I liked seeing the unpopular girl get the boy. Life is looking up for Jenny, but it doesn't last. Seth's ex-girlfriend Ashleigh will stop at nothing to get what she wants, including revenge on Seth and Jenny. Ashleigh really is the worst kind of villain – and she has this ability to manipulate people. The things that she is capable of is scary

The things that happen in this book are just bizarre. There are some gross, disturbing, and gory moments. It will definitely keep your attention. I honestly don't recommend this book to most teenagers. There's a lot of adult content involved – one of which is sex. I really don't mind reading about teen sex usually – especially if it's between 2 mature teens who are in love and it's tastefully done. However, there is one scene in this book that I think goes over the line in calling this young adult. I will leave it at that – I don't want to give too much away. Also, there is a lot of drug use in this book. It's not just a few random people – it's everyone. Even the heroine in this story is a druggie. In my opinion, the book made it seem like you weren't normal if you weren't doing it – and I don't think that's the best image for teens.

Paranormals blog tour & Giveaway!!!

Welcome to the Paranormals blog tour! This tour ends November 4th, but you're not too late for some awesome giveaways! There are a lot of stops on this super cool tour, with amazing giveaways you can still enter! Today I have a blog post from author JL Bryan that includes his playlist from Alexander Death!

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It’s Wednesday, so it must be time for the final playlist reveal. These are the songs I put together to represent Alexander Death. Here are why I chose some of them:

“Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi featuring MGMT. I think this catches the mood of Jenny and Alexander’s situation early in the book.

“Time to Pretend” by MGMT. Yeah, that’s two songs with MGMT, but that’s how it goes sometimes...I really couldn’t decide between these, so I used both. This is also about the time they spend at Alexander’s place. It really catches that mood of “Hey, let’s drop all our problems, and run off to Mexico for sex, drugs, and parties!” Of course, there’s already a worm of despair and destruction in a choice like that...

“Falling Down” by Tom Waits, performed by Scarlett Johansson. This reflects Jenny’s spiritual state, though not necessarily her emotional state.

“Schism” by Tool. A dark, tense song, good for the zombie-filled climax of Alexander. (The video goes well with a zombie story, too.)

“Not to Touch the Earth” by The Doors. And this goes after the climax.

Not to touch the Earth,

Not to see the sun,

Nothing left to do but run run run

Let’s run

Run with me...

“This Old Road” by Kris Kristofferson. I wanted to include this song for some mixed reasons that I’m not sure I can explain. But I do think it’s nice to have a much younger Kris Kristofferson in “The Highwayman” video on the previous soundtrack, and now this fairly recent, solitary song here. A song about a highwayman, and a song about a road. Hm.

“Lullaby” by the Dixie Chicks. Well, it’s a lullaby, and it’s a simple expression of eternal love. Which is really the best kind.

View the complete playlist HERE on Youtube.

About the author:

J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on the English Renaissance and the Romantic period. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA.

He enjoys remixing elements of paranormal, supernatural, fantasy, horror and science fiction into new kinds of stories. He is the author of The Paranormals trilogy (Jenny Pox, Tommy Nightmare, and Alexander Death). Fairy Metal Thunder is the first book in his new Songs of Magic series.

He lives in Atlanta with his wife Christina, his son John, two dogs, and two cats.

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

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Find out more about The Paranormals trilogy:


Jenny Pox:

Jenny has a secret. Her touch spreads a supernatural plague. She devotes her life to avoiding contact with people, until her senior year of high school, when she meets the one boy she can touch, and she falls in love. But there’s a problem–he’s under the spell of his devious girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all. Now Jenny must learn to use the deadly “Jenny pox” she’s fought her entire life to hide, or be destroyed by Ashleigh’s ruthless plans.
Not recommended for readers under sixteen due to mature content.

Paperback
Kindle (currently FREE!!!)

Tommy Nightmare:

While Fallen Oak recovers from the Jenny pox, someone new is hunting Jenny. Like Jenny, Ashleigh Goodling belonged to a pair of opposites with powers that mirror each other. Now Jenny and Seth must face the opposite of love…

Paperback
Kindle



Alexander Death:

While Seth searches for Jenny, Dr. Heather Reynard of the CDC unravels Seth and Jenny’s secrets. Alexander opens Jenny’s mind to her deep past, and to the full horrific extent of her powers. Torn between her feelings for Alexander and Seth, and between her past lives and her present, Jenny must prepare to face her enemies in the final, catastrophic battle…
Paperback
Kindle

GIVEAWAY: an Alexander Death inspired Bracelet with a skull for Alexander's powers! One lucky person who comments on this blog post will win!

The next giveaway is a Kindle Fire - skinned in the winner’s choice of Paranormals artwork and loaded with an AMAZING indie library! Simply fill out the form below (just once during the course of the tour) and you’re entered to win the latest and greatest from the biggest name in eReaders: an Amazon Kindle Fire! Open US/Canada. See full contest rules here.

Visit the other stops for more chances to win awesome giveaways! You can find a complete tour schedule at Kismet Book Touring.