Review: Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle

Canyons of Night
Jayne Castle
Series: Looking Glass #3; Arcane #11
Publisher: Jove
Publish Date: August 30, 2011
Kindle {p.237}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Paranormal
Charlotte Enright, Slade Attridge
Challenge: 100+, Sci-Fi
Buy the Book: Amazon

Charlotte Enright, owner of a small antiques shop called Looking Glass Antiques on Rainshadow Island, and Slade Attridge, the community's new chief of police, both have something in common: they possess strong paranormal talents.

They met several years ago when they were in their teens spending the summer on the island. Slade saved Charlotte from a gang of drunken toughs, but then at the end of the summer Slade and Charlotte went their separate ways and started their adult lives.

Now, fifteen years later, they have both been drawn back to Rainshadow Island. They will discover the adult passion they have for each other and start to explore some of the mysteries of the forbidden section of the island known only as the Preserve.

Charlotte has had a crush on Slade since the night he saved her from her attackers when she was a teen. The two of them have always had some sort of connection, but Charlotte’s talent has made it somewhat difficult for her to be in relationships. That is until Slade.

Both were the perfect match for the other. They were these quirky characters that had just the right amount of chemistry. I really liked both Slade and Charlotte from the beginning. I liked all the residents of the island.

The mystery aspect was interesting enough. I didn’t suspect the culprit at all. That person was never really on my radar.

A nice addition to the series.

Review: The Storm That is Sterling by Lisa Renee Jones

The Storm That is Sterling
Lisa Renee Jones
Series: Zodius #2
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: November 1, 2011
Mass Market Paperback {p.339}
Source: Publisher
Genre: Paranormal, Sci-Fi
Rebecca Burns, Sterling Jeter
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

Sterling Jeter, Renegade Super Soldier, is fearless, powerful, and wildly unpredictable. His life-threatening mission is to save the beautiful, brilliant astrobiologist Rebecca Burns from ruthless villain Adam Rain. But their immutable mutual attraction threatens to put them in the path of death... or worse...

This book drew me in from the prologue. I was instantly intrigued by Sterling and the blossoming relationship he had with Rebecca. You could tell there was a mutual attraction that had the possibility of becoming more.

Fast forward 14 years later that attraction is still there. Only this time they also have a little issue with trusting one another. With both the Renegades and the Zodius trying to get their hands on Rebecca, she doesn’t know which team Sterling is playing for.

This is another action-packed installment to this paranormal series. It’s a fast-paced read with something for everyone. Even the secondary characters bring something to the table other than just filling pages. There’s never a dull moment with this series.

Review: Their Taydelaan by Rachel Clark

Their Taydelaan
Rachel Clark
Publisher: Siren Publishing
Publish Date: April 12, 2011
Kindle
Source: Publisher
Genre: Sci-Fi, Menage
Characters: Jade, Mitchell, Zack
Challenge: 100+, Ebook
Buy the Book: Amazon

How did bumping into a man in a hospital corridor develop into dreams of red-hot threesomes? Jade can't understand why she's dreaming of the man she literally bumped into three months ago, but when she actually meets the men from her dreams at her sister's party, things seem to spiral even further out of her control. Unwilling to believe her sister's explanation, Jade still can't deny the telepathic link she now shares with the two men. Zack and Mitchell have finally found their third, the woman who completes them-their Taydelaan-but she seems intent on denying their future together. Can they convince Jade that being loved doesn't mean being dependent?

Jade encounters her mates while at the hospital for the birth of her sister’s child.

Their Taydelaan is an erotic adventure of Jade, Zack, and Mitchell becoming a permenant triad. These three were having amazing sex before ever truly meeting each other.

I really enjoyed the fact that Jade questioned the whole situation and didn’t just accept what was being told to her. She didn’t automatically accept the that these people were aliens and her life partners.

Once again Ms. Clark does a great job in getting across the emotions of all the parties involved.

Review: Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle

Midnight Crystal
Jayne Castle
Series: Dreamlight Trilogy #3
Publisher: Jove
Publication Date: August 31, 2010
Audio Book {8hrs}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Marlowe Jones, Adam Winters
Challenge: 100+, Whisper Stories

For many earthly centuries, a legendary curse has plagued the Winters family, stemming from the tumultuous founding of the Arcane Society. But now, on the futuristic world of Harmony, the curse's final mystery will be unraveled...

Head of the ghost hunters guild Adam Winters and dreamlight reader extraordinaire Marlowe Jones must break the curse, save Harmony's entire underworld-and fight a passion that could destroy them both.

Midnight Crystal takes place in the futuristic city of Harmony, which has always been one of my favorite futuristic settings. Marlowe and Adam were great together and evenly matched.

The storyline of the missing lamp was a bit lacking and didn't seem to hold my attention much. I was more interested in the romance Adam and Marlowe than the lamp storyline.

I know the author is painting a picture of the city and the characters' powers, but sometimes it gets to be too much. And if you're like me, someone who's been reading the series from the beginning, it can become rather repetitive.

Read by Tanya Eby
Duration: 8 hours
Brilliance Audio

Narration: A

The narrator was great. Tanya did a nice job of capturing the individual characters.

Review: Taydelaan by Rachel Clark

Taydelaan
Rachel Clark
Publisher: Siren Publishing
Publication Date: February 11, 2011
Kindle {p.75}
Source: Publisher
Genre: Sci-Fi, Menage
Characters: Kayla, Jessica, David
Challenge: 100+, Ebook

Kayla has been hurt before so it feels very safe to secretly fall a little in love with her best friend and her best friend’s husband. Jessica and David have a few secrets of their own, and the fact that they’ve both fallen in love with Kayla is probably the least shocking of them. They’ve been searching for their Taydelaan, or third, the one who completes them, but they found Kayla instead, and no matter how sensible it should be to walk away, neither Jessica nor David wants to. They love Kayla and are willing to alter their plans for the future just to stay with her. But in an effort not to hurt the woman they love, they’ve left out a few essential details. When Kayla finds out and their world comes crashing down, will they be able to convince her she is exactly where she belongs?

Kayla is in love with her married best friends. Already having been burned by a man she didn’t realize was married when she was involved with him; Kayla is unwilling to go down that road again and has closed herself off. Unbeknownst to her, Jessica and David are in love with her too.

Taydelaan was an interesting read for me in the fact that it featured two females to one male. You don’t really see much of that when it comes to ménage relationships. So that added a unique spin on the overall experience. Ms. Clark does a nice job managing to express the emotions of all the involved parties in a way that the reader feels engrossed and invested in the story.

It was a quick read but it moved along at a believable pace and progression. My only complaint would be that I would have liked to see more of their triad relationship outside of the bedroom. They were never a threesome in public settings, other than David picking the two ladies up from work on one occasion.

This was a promising read for me and I look forward to reading more from Ms. Clark.

Review: Virgin by Cheryl Brooks

Virgin
Cheryl Brooks
Series: The Cat Star Chronicles #7
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablance
Publication Date: June 1, 2011
Mass Market Paperback {p.356}
Source: Publisher
Genre: Sci-Fi, Futuristic
Characters: Avondia Karon, Daxtronian Vandilorsk
Challenge:100+, Summer Romance

Zetithians have a feline gene that gives the males remarkable sexual prowess. Refugee Dax is no exception-but as a virgin, he has no idea how to use it. His fumbling attempts at romance fail to tempt the beautiful Ava, but he is determined to learn the art of love. Let the seduction begin...

This was my first novel of the Cat Star series, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I believe this is the first romance novel I’ve read that the male counterpart was the virgin. I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t part of what drew me to this book.

Ava is a passenger on Dax’s ship that he has an unexplainable attraction to. Never before has he ever been affected by a woman like this. He’s not sure of how to go about convincing her that she should be with him, so he seeks advice from friends. One is a lady’s man and the other has his one issues when it comes to getting women.

The overall story of Virgin was interesting enough to keep me reading. The sex between them was hot but the romance was a tad lukewarm. The secondary characters provided most of my entertainment. Watching Waroun on his quest to get laid was a major highlight.

Ava and Dax were such likeable characters that in their own right that I couldn’t help but want a happy ending for them.

Review: The Legend of Michael by Lisa Renee Jones

The Legend of Michael
Lisa Renee Jones {Facebook | Twitter}
Series: Zodius #1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: May 1, 2011
Mass Market Paperback {p.382}
Source: Publisher
Genre: Paranormal, Sci-Fi
Characters: Cassandra Powell, Michael Taylor
Challenge: 100+, Paranormal Romance

HE IS A LETHAL WEAPON…

One of an army of human soldiers injected with alien DNA, Michael is a legend within this new race, split between good and evil. Untamable, he has walked on the dark side and returned to the light. Feared and misunderstood, he leaves everything behind, including the one woman destined to be his mate.

HE IS HER ENEMY…AND HER DESTINY…

Fate leads Michael back to Cassandra Powell, for she holds the key to defending his comrades. With their loyalties divided between duty and the people they love, only together can Cassandra and Michael overcome insurmountable odds to save humanity from the wrath of a madman.

But no ordinary woman can control a creature such as Michael, and only one thing is clear—the world will never be the same…

Michael is a GTECH soldier that has been injected with alien DNA. He is feared by humans and his fellow GTECH counterparts. All except one person. Cassandra Powell.

Cassandra is daughter to the GTECH creator and is attracted to and intrigued by Michael. The two of them spark up a relationship, but when all hell breaks loose, she doesn't see him for two whole years.

This is where part two of the novel begins. All the action of the war between GTECHs and mankind takes place here. All of the action kept me on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what happened next.

The Legend of Michael was very well written. I didn't feel like all the action was just an afterthought thrown in to fill pages. Michale and Cassandra were both very likable characters with their own personal demons. That's what made them so likable and real. Plus the chemistry between Cassandra and Michael was hot. I was glad that the two of them had a mutual affection for each other before the lifebond.

The GTECHs were like super soldiers on steroids. Like with all things, you have your good guys and bad guys. The Renegades and the Zodius. They were each led by twin brothers, Caleb and Adam. I like to refer to them as Cain and Abel, but in reverse.

I definitely want to continue on with this series. Ms. Jones wrote a fantastic opener to what looks to be a great paranormal romantic suspense series. If The Legend of Michael is any indicator of what's to come with this series, it's going to be a great action-packed adventure.