Christmas Awards 2011

Friday 27 May 2011

Deadly Fear


Deadly Fear by Cynthia Eden

Publisher: Grand Central

August 2010

ISBN: 978-0-446-55924-9

Pages: 385


Jasper, Mississippi


Monica Davenport is a FBI Special Agent and she has made her career by profiling serial killers. She has walled off her emotions and herself from everyone around her because of her ability to get into the minds of the killers. Being in the minds of sadistic killers has taken their toll over time. The only one that has ever managed to get close to her or through her defenses is Luke Dante a fellow agent.

Luke Dante has the ability to get the victims of crimes to talk to him and get them to remember things that they didn’t even realize they knew. Now Luke is being teamed up with Monica again and between the two of them they make the perfect team professionally but can they make the perfect team in their personal lives? Luke is determined to try and have a future with Monica but first he is going to have to break through the walls she has built around herself. He did it once and is determined to do so again but this time he plans on it being permanent.

Luke and Monica are after a killer that takes delight in torturing his victims with their deepest, darkest fears. Now Luke and Monica are going to have to race to find the killer. First though Luke and Monica are going to have to face their deepest, darkest secrets if they are going to have a chance to catch the killer and have a chance to have a future together. The killer is hunting and is getting a lot closer to Luke and Monica than they would like and if they are not careful they just might end up as the next victims.



For readers that enjoy Criminal Minds they will love this first book in the series. The author wove a story that will take the reader into the twisted mind of a serial killer and have the reader trying to find out just who the killer is and where they will strike next. The suspense and action in this one makes it one book that is very hard to put down as the reader will want to read to the end to find out just who the killer is. The author does a great job of leading the reader on a path that the reader is never sure exactly where it is leading. The ending is amazing and the suspense doesn’t stop until the very end.


I give this one 5 red roses

Desire Unchained


Desire Unchained by Larissa Ione

Publisher: Grand Central

March 2009

ISBN: 978-0-446-40098-5

Pages: 380


New York & Costa Rica, Present Day


Runa Wagner did the one thing she never expected to do and that was fall in love with a stranger. Someone who seemed to know all of her deepest desires. The passion that was between them was so strong that she never has a chance of resisting it. All that came to an end the day Runa discovered Shade’s betrayal. Now Runa has gone through a transformation that she never expected and isn’t completely sure of how to handle and which was just made even worse when she is taken as a prisoner by Shade’s darkest enemy.

Shade is a Seminus Demon that has had a love curse placed on him one that promises him eternal torment. When Runa left him Shade thought that was the end of Runa and her irresistible charm. Just when he thought he was safe Shade wakes up in a dungeon chained to a very different Runa. This Runa has a strength that was never there before. If Shade thought she was dangerous to him before that is nothing compared to what she is now with all the changes she seems to have under gone. Now things are getting even worse with their captor placing a spell on them that has bonded them as mates for the rest of their lives.

Now Shade and Runa need to fight for their lives and their hearts if they have any hope of surviving the madman that is now after them. It is going to take everything they have to find a way out of the mess they have suddenly found themselves in. Runa is going to find out just how strong she has finally become both physically and mentally. Shade is going to find out just what is most important to him and he will have to try and find a way to overcome his curse if he hopes to have the future he suddenly wants to have with this new Runa.


This one is one hard to put down once the reader starts it. The world building begun in the first book in this series takes on more detail with this second book. The characters have even more depth as their stories really start to unfold as the series moves along. This story also delivers some really good twists to the overall story that makes the book move right along as you read the story. This is one not to miss.

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Thursday 19 May 2011

My Maven, My Everything


My Maven, My Everything: Sons of Thanatus 1 by Joyee Flynn

Publisher: Siren Publishing

April 2011

ISBN: 1-610-34598-3


Contemporary, New Orleans


Madden “Mad” Forrest is a member of a secret order that is rumored to be descended from the gods that is known as The Sons of Thanatus. They are a group of people that have some very special abilities. Abilities that if they are not careful can get them into some very sticky situations. They have the ability to hear the souls of the dead. The order does what it can to help those that no longer have a voice to get the peace they need to move on. Mad just finished a draining job and he is now ready to have a little fun and relaxation. It looks like he just might have found what he is looking for when he first sets eyes on Josh McGreggor.

Josh McGreggor is about to start a brand new job and he has decided that before he does he is going to have one night to have fun. When he sets eyes on Mad he can’t believe his luck in finding someone so very hot and sexy. It looks like Josh is going to get his wish for having a night of fun before he starts his intense new job.

Mad and Josh are quickly finding out one night together is not going to be enough for either of them. Now they need to find a way to be together so that they can see if they have a future together but with their jobs that may not be as easy as they would like. Only time will tell if they will be able to make it together or if they will end up alone.



This is a wonderfully written emotional story but it also one that is not for everyone. Reading about the characters past and watching the struggle with it so they can find a way past it and find the future they both want so very much together is emotionally wrenching. It also shows how they got to be where they are now and how much but Mad and Josh appreciate what they have managed to find together.


I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Forget Me Not


Forget Me Not by Marliss Melton

Publisher: Forever

October 2008

ISBN: 0-446-61482-3

Pages: 384



Gabe Renault is a SEAL that was held in a prison camp. Unfortunately he can’t remember why as he has lost the past three years. He doesn’t remember the mission that went wrong and landed him in the prison camp hell he has been in. The only thing he does remember is that he needs to escape and get back to the wife he left behind. His wife is the one thing that has kept him alive in what has become his own personal hell.

Helen Renault is pulling her life and that of her daughter’s back together now that Gabe is presumed dead. She is standing on her own for the first time in her life and is enjoying very much. Everything is about to change because suddenly Gabe is back but he is no longer the same man as the one that left on that last fateful mission. This man isn’t the secretive one that left the one that comes back is open and loving. This is the man that she could easily lose her heart to completely.

Gabe is starting to remember what he forgot and that is making him a target for those that don’t want him to remember. With every memory Gabe recovers the more danger he is in. There is government treachery going on and if he isn’t careful he just might end up dead the way he was originally declared. Now Helen and Gabe are in danger and it is also jeopardizing their second chance at love and a future together.


This is great suspense story as it takes the reader on several twists and turns that will have the reader eagerly turning the page just to see what will happen next. The characters are very well developed and engaging to the story line. The story is written in a way that is guaranteed to have the reader emotionally evolved as Gabe works to recover his memories and to hang on to the new found love he has found with Helen. The story has plenty of action that keep the story moving at a fast pace. This is the first book in the story that will have readers wanting to read the rest of the stories just to find out more about the secondary characters and if they will find the love that Gabe and Helen were able to find.


I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Saturday 14 May 2011

Secret Desires


Secret Desires: Tri-Omega Mates 1 by Stormy Glenn

Publisher: Siren Ménage Amour

October 2008

ISBN: 978-1-60601-287-1



Leyland Summers is a tri-omega werewolf. Not only are they very rare but he has powers that even other tri-omegas don’t have. Being a tri-omega means that he also needs to have two mates to keep him grounded and protected. Leyland has always looked forward to the day he finally found his mates. It looks like things are about to get very interesting in Leyland’s life. He has found the first of his mates and as soon as Jake McAlester takes Leyland home Leyland finds his second mate in Jake’s beta, Lucas. Now Leyland has to explain that being a tri-omega means that they will have to share him even if they had never heard of that before.

Jake McAlester is alpha of his pack. Though he and Lucas have been lovers for ten years, now that he has found his mate he feels that he needs to end things with Lucas. What Jake never expected was to be able to have both Leyland and Lucas. Now that he finds out that they are all mates he has to readjust his thinking and figure out just how this is going to work. Of course Jake is fast finding out that Leyland is anything but docile and he is going to have his hands full but luckily it looks like he will be able to get help from Lucas.

Lucas was happy to find out that Jake had a mate but devastated to find out that he was going to lose Jake to someone else. Now he finds that he is attracted to Jake’s mate not realizing at first that Leyland is also his mate. Jake and Lucas are going to have to work fast to convince Leyland that though Jake and he might love each other and have for years that doesn’t mean that they don’t have enough love for Leyland too. Leyland is fast becoming very important to Jake and Lucas and they will have to convince Leyland of that or they just might lose the best thing to ever happen to the two of them.



This takes the story of werewolves and puts a very nice twist on it to make new and fresh and different from the usual story. The emotions between the characters are very intense and will keep the reader riveted to the story. This is the beginning of a series that starts out fantastically and will keep the reader interested in this series. For some readers this might not be the series for them but for those that enjoy these kinds of books this is one to check out.

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Underground Guardians: Healer


Underground Guardians: Healer by Lisa Renee Jones

Publisher: Lisa Renee Jones

May 2011




Mexico & Nevada 2015


Marcella Hunter has always known she was different from pretty much everyone else. She has a special gift that makes others want to be able to control her so that they have control of her power to heal others. Her mother had the same gift but rather than be used by others chose death. Marcella was raised by her aunt. Now some men that are super soldiers are after her and they don’t’ care what they have to do to get her. They are not about to let anyone or anything get in their way. Marcella has always been on the run but she knows something evil is headed her way and she has to find a way to escape this latest problem. Marcella is also going to have to find out why she has this overwhelming desire to be with and stay with a man she doesn’t know but feels that she does. That man is Diego Montez but is he someone she can trust or is he part of the evil that is after her? Marcella has always had very good instincts and even though they are screaming at her to trust Diego she must be careful because she has never felt this way about anyone and she doesn’t want to trust her feelings and find out too late that she made the wrong decision.

Diego Montez is racing to save Marcella because she is also the key to help defeat the super soldiers. First he has to convince her to trust him and that he means her no harm. What Diego never expected was to find out that Marcella is his mate. Now he has to deal with his overwhelming instinct to make Marcella his right now but if he doesn’t he will be too distracted to protect her the way his instincts insist on. Diego knows that time is quickly running out for them to have much in the way of choices so he is going to have to talk fast and show Marcella that he means her no harm. One of the ways he will be able to get Marcella to trust him is to let her heal the child she has come to heal but they will have to be careful that the enemies hunting them both doesn’t find them first.

Diego is fast finding that Marcella has a mind of her own and he isn’t going to be able to order her about to get her to do what needs to be done. He also knows that their true strength lies in them bonding and making their connecting as strong as they can otherwise the super soldiers will win and this is one fight Diego and Marcella cannot afford to lose. It is going to be a race against time if they are going to have any hope of survival.



This story takes the tale of Area 51 and runs with it. The author has built a world around Area 51 and made it her own with this one. The world building is amazing and very engaging. The action in this story is fast paced and will have the reader turning the pages just to find out what happens next and whether or not Diego and Marcella are going to make it through all the trials they are facing to find their happy ever after. The secondary character adds a great deal to the story and helps bring the story to vivid life.

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Micah: Marius Brothers


Micah: Marius Brothers Book 1 by Joyee Flynn

Publisher: Siren Publishing

September 2010

ISBN: 1-606-01896-5



Micah Marius has been looking for his mate for a very long time. Being the fourth brother of seven isn’t always easy but at least he knows he can always count on his brother if he needs too. Fighting demons with his brother is not always simple as they would like but at least they are protecting their people, who are vampires, from those that would harm them. Out fighting demons Micah runs into trouble and gets injured and has to find a doctor fast if he is going to make it. The last thing he expects to find is his mate. Now if only he was just a little more aware of what is going on he might be able to enjoy finding his mate at last.

Riley Johnson is a doctor for his people that just happen to be vampires. When Micah first comes into his hospital he recognizes his mate right away and if he wants to have a future with Micah, Riley is going to have to save him first. Now if he can just get Micah to realize that when Micah saw his mate he was actually looking at Riley and not someone else.

Now Micah and Riley are going to have to find a way to work through all the changes that are suddenly taking place in their lives. If Riley wants a future with Micah he is going to have to find a way to move his clinic so that Micah and Riley can be together especially with Micah being a warrior for the vampires and needing to be close to other warriors for when they are needed. That is just one of the many obstacles standing in their way but both are determined to find a way around them so that they can have the future they both so desperately want with each other.


This is a great story on vampire that has it own unique take on vampires. It is a very quick read but definitely worth reading. It is also the start of a series about the Marius brothers that will have the reader eagerly reaching for the next book in the series. The world building is fantastic and draws the reader into the story.


I give this one 4 red roses

Warrior Ascended


Warrior Ascended by Addison Fox

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

March 2010

ISBN: 978-0-451-22938-0

Pages: 359


Modern day Egypt & New York City


Ava Harrison is a museum curator that has been working on continuing her father research of Egypt’s ancient treasures since his murder. She has just managed to get an exhibit that just might really make her career: The Summoning Stones. This is the chance for her to show what she can do at New York’s American Museum of Natural History. What she is unused to and really doesn’t need is having to work along side an arrogant archaeologist that the museum brought in just for this exhibit to help ensure the safety of the stone. Now Ava is going to have deal with working with Brody Talbot and an attraction that seems to burn completely out of control any time he comes near her.

Brody Talbot is a Zodiac Warrior that was created specifically to fight Enyo, the Goddess of War. Brody is a Leo Warrior that if he isn’t careful just might end up fighting his last battle. Brody has to stop Enyo from trying to fulfill the ancient prophecy that is connected to the Summoning Stones. Brody is finding out that the only person who can help him understand more about the stones and what they just might be capable of doing is Ava. Now he is going to have to find a way to protect her from his enemies and find out how to deal with the stones before Enyo has a chance to enact her plan or there might be a lot people who end up dead. Brody also isn’t sure what to do with the fierce attraction he feels for Ava and where that is going to leave them when this latest battle is over. First he is going to have to do everything in his power to make sure that both he and Ava come out of this battle alive and then just maybe they will have the chance they need to discover just where this attraction is taking them.


With a fight against a Goddess about to take place who knows who will come out of this battle alive. Brody knows if he doesn’t succeed in stopping Enyo there is no telling what will happen to the world that he is sworn to protect. Brody is going to have to figure out real quick how to deal with the stones and Ava or else a lot of innocents will end up paying the ultimate price.



This story takes the usually myths involving the Greek Gods and Goddess and turns it on its ear. The author took this story and made a wonderful world that is a lot of fun to read about and to get lost in. There is enough of the original myths that the reader doesn’t get lost in the telling of this tale but enough new things that make is completely original and one not to miss. This is the first story in the series and will have readers clamoring for more from this author.


I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Underground Guardians: Protector


Underground Guardians: Protector by Lisa Renee Jones

Publisher: Lisa Renee Jones

May 2011




Groom Lake Military Base, Area 51, Nevada 2015


Holly Heart is a scientist that is interested only in helping people. She knows her genetic research can do that and has found several answers to some diseases that will save peoples lives. There were other scientist and government officials that wanted to use genetic research to create super soldiers. What most people don’t know is that they succeeded in creating the super soldiers. Now there is a fight going on that most people don’t know about but that Holly is suddenly going to find herself in the middle of. If she doesn’t trust the right person it could very well mean her life and the life of others. Into her life walks Mason Alexander and now the question is can she trust him and just what is she going to do with the overwhelming attraction she feels for him.

Mason Alexander has been quietly fighting a war to protect the innocent against super soldiers that most people are completely unaware of their existence. Mason’s latest mission is to get Holly to help the government find a way to take care of the super soldiers because if they can’t find a way to stop the soldiers than the soldiers just might get what they ultimately want: world domination. Mason knew Holly was important to the fight what he didn’t expect was to find out how important she was going to become to him. Now they are going to have race against time to stay ahead of the soldiers and their leader or Holly just might end up dead.

The super soldiers’ leader is after both Mason and Holly so that he can get what he ultimately wants and that is to rule the world. Mason is going to have to find out who he can trust to help him with the enemy so that the world will have a chance to survive. Mason is suddenly finding out things that he never knew but with Holly’s help just might be able to over come what is coming. The only way to find out if they are going to survive is to find a weakness in the super soldiers because a battle is coming and they need to be prepared for what is coming.



This is the book that led to the author’s newest book The Legend of Michael. This gives the reader a little background on the world she built around Area 51. This is a very engaging story to read and will be very hard to put down until the very end. The characters are great and so is the storyline. The story is packed with action and you are never sure exactly where it will be going next but you are never disappointed with where it ends up. This is one not to miss especially if you read The Legend of Michael.


I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Thursday 5 May 2011

Pleasure Unbound


Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione

Publisher: Grand Central

July 2008

ISBN: 978-0-446-40103-6

Pages: 389


Modern Day, New York


Tayla Mancuso is a demon-slayer that has learned to never depend on other or to trust completely. Tayla thought she knew all there was to know about demons but she is going to find out that she doesn’t know enough. After being injured and ending up in the demon hospital she is going to have to prove to her friends and colleagues that they still have her loyalty, but it looks like the only way to prove her loyalty is to betray the doctor that saved her life, Eidolon.

Eidolon is a doctor that runs a very unique type of hospital that treats demons. Being a demon himself he is uniquely qualified. While searching for a mate of his own that will stop a horrific transformation Eidolon is forced to search for the one responsible for the preying one his people. Tayla could very well be the one doing the preying but she also fills him with a passion he has never felt before. Now he will have to decide if he want to try the one thing he knows he shouldn’t and that is allow Tayla close enough to become a part of his heart and soul. Only time will tell if he is making the biggest mistake of his life or if he has managed to find the perfect mate for himself.


This one will take what the reader knows about demons and turn it on its head. This isn’t your normal demon story and will have the reader stopping everything just to read this book. Once you start you won’t want to stop reading until the very end. The story has some great twists to it and will have the reader trying to guess what is going to happen next and if the characters are going to manage to get out of this alive. The secondary characters really help build the story into something that is an amazing read. This is the first in the Demonica series and it starts the series out with a bang that will have the reader eagerly reaching for the next book in the series.



I give this one 4-1/2 red roses