Wednesday, August 24, 2016

The Alpha's (The Blood Bar Chronicles) by Doris O'Connor, Cherise Nicholis, Jorja Lovett, & Arya Grey

Goodreads description:
Perfect Timing by Arya Grey
David Malm had given up on love, but on a trip through time he meets Josie. She reignites a lost fire in his soul.

Josie McNair may be all fire on the outside, but her lack of self-confidence has her insides twisted over meeting her writing group. She begins to realize there are more creatures in the world than she first suspected and finds herself thrown into a life where time has no meaning.

Time-traveling peace-keeper David Malm could never believe in love again. When Henri instructed him in 3042 to look in at the Blood Bar on this particular night in 2011, he didn't envision it turning into a supernatural disaster, let alone be in the throws of passion with a beautiful stranger. Josie reignited something in him he'd thought he'd lost forever, and he would do anything to keep her safe.


Alpha’s Vixen by Cherie Nicholls
From IT geek to Mystical Beacon in one night; not the usual WLF meeting it has to be said.

Dora "Dizzy" Williamson is a busy lady, but she finally makes time to meet some of her writing group in a new bar. Surely a couple of hours with the ladies wouldn't be too bad, right?

Xander de Rista is CEO and alpha to his pack, so being drawn to a new bar that prickled his fur doesn't sit too well with him. Tonight feels different; there are too many supernaturals in one place, but one human stands out to him. One he intends to claim and protect, because hell isn't just breaking loose, it is coming to town.


Saving Hope by Doris O’Connor
Fate cannot be denied. When an ancient vampire finds time catching up with him, can he protect the only woman capable of thawing his heart?

Noelle has only one thing on her mind: how to save her sick daughter from a mysterious illness. A night out with the girls ought to be a distraction, but it turns out to change her life forever.

Fate is not something Henri, a two-thousand-year-old vampire, takes lightly. When he steps into the bar teeming with supernaturals, there is only one scent he finds—Noelle, the one woman he’d never forgotten—and she holds a secret that could cause a war. With time finally ticking in his ear, there is only one decision he can make—he has to protect her or die trying.


In Her Element by Jorja Lovett
When quiet Ana Chapman meets Fire Elemental, Zanaan, at the Blood Bar, a night of hot sex makes her realize just what she's been missing.

For the first time in her life, Ana Chapman is ready for a little excitement. Escaping her mother's tyranny in Belfast for one weekend in Edinburgh to meet her online writers' group seems more than enough to cope with. But her visit to the Blood Bar changes everything. Spontaneous public orgasms, supernatural beings, and teleportation weren't on her agenda for the trip. Neither was losing her virginity.

Zanaan is a Fire Elemental, who most humans can't see. When the shy Irish lass locks eyes with him in the bar, he's drawn to her, and this time it isn't the Salamander legend spurring his chase to bed a mortal. After a night of passion with Ana, he feels the effects immediately—he's losing his powers and becoming human. It's what he always wanted. Isn't it?

My thoughts:
I liked the idea of the writing club as way the girls met and became friends.  I was pleased by the way each story repeated a bit and yet told just a little bit more about how each girl fit into the whole picture.  The characters are great, the storyline is wonderful, the number of different supernatural beings involved is fantastic.  The only thing I felt like I was missing at the end was more story.  I can't wait to find out how it all works out.
It's a fast read - you practically run from one story to the next as the women fall into relationships and a destiny that none of them had known even existed.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Blood of the Demon (Demons of Infernum #1) by Rosalie Lario

Amazon Product Description:
Keegan lives to exact revenge on the evil demon who sired and abused him. When his father devises a plan to bring on the apocalypse, he and his three half-brothers, interdimensional bounty hunters for the Elden Council, are charged with capturing and delivering their father for punishment.
Art gallery owner Brynn Meyers has no idea that her ability to read memories embedded in objects and drain people of their life force means she has demon ancestry. Unfortunately for Brynn, she's also the key to raising an ancient zombie army, which puts her on every demon's Most Wanted List.
And no one wants her more than Keegan's father.
Keegan must protect Brynn from his father by any means necessary, but he'll have to learn to harness the other half of his genetics―the far deadlier, uncontrollable half―when he starts to fall for the one woman standing between him and the vengeance he so desperately seeks. The one woman he'll never be able to resist.

Rosalie - thank you so much for your patience, I enjoyed your book very much. I am sorry for the length of time that has passed since I got the book.  

My thoughts:
I enjoy Rosalie Lario's books and was once again pleased.  Blood of the Demon was a wonderful read. I fell for the characters on the first page and couldn't wait to find out where the plot would take them.  The storyline keeps you interested and on the edge of your seat; and the characters are created with enough depth that it was easy to become emotionally invested in the outcome of the story.  

It is hard to describe what each person will see in or take from a story...in this book I saw responsiblity, duty, brotherly love, devotion, honor, friendship, desire, fear, hatred, injustice, betrayal, pain, loss, hope and love.  

The complexity of the characters relationships to each other is one of the most intriguing aspects of this story.  It leaves the reader (well, me anyway) wondering about the way we live our own lives.  Do we live in the moment? Do we plan for the future? What would we willing give for the ones we love the most?

I am always looking for that story that hooks me from the start, leaves me hoping for that perfect ending, and keeps me struggling to put the book down when I should be doing something other than reading.  I found that again in this series.

I read purely for entertainment.  I had a friend ask me once, "What have you read lately that was profound?" I wasn't sure how to reply.  I don't look for anything profound to read - I look for something that is entertaining and interesting.  It strikes me now, as I am writing my thoughts of this book, that most of the time - I find more than I am looking for, and the profoundness (if there is such a thing) is in how the story makes me feel or view myself and my world. 

Monday, August 15, 2016

Suddenly I read less

As I am sure you can tell, I have blogged less and less each year for the last few years, until last year when I was almost non-existant in the blog world.  I think I have finally found a happy medium between reading all the time and never taking the time to read.  I am sure that for most of you, this is something you have had figured out for years, but I guess I am slow.  

I am finally to a point where I believe that I am living my life instead of just reading about the lives of others.  It is a change that has taken some adjustment.  Instead of reading 100+ books each year, my goal is to read 12 reaview books and 12 just for fun books.

I just wanted to put that out there.  If I have agreed to read a book for you and haven't finished my review yet, I am sorry.  Thank you for your continued patience.  I am working through my review books; but have boxes of books, a computer that didn't survive the move as well as it could have, a lost external hard drive (I believe it is in a box in the garage), and at least one flash drive that no longer wants to be accessed.  

Thank you again for your patience, I look forward to getting back into blogging again.