Review: Dark Predator by Christine Feehan

Dark Predator
Christine Feehan
Series: Carpathians #22
Publisher: Berkley
Published: September 6, 2011
Audio Book {13hrs}
Source: Personal Library
Genre: Paranormal
Maguarita Fernandez, Zacarias de la Cruz
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

Enter the world of the Carpathians: an immortal race of beings with animal instincts whose males, without their lifemate's light, only have one option ...turning vampire. Zacarias de la Cruz has finally found his lifemate, but is it too late? Is he too close to turning into a vampire to turn back?

As brutal as the undead he hunted, Zacarias De La Cruz was a master executioner. Over the long, dark centuries, he plunged into so many battles they blurred into an endless lifetime of evil that hardened the soul of this merciless, ruthless and implacable dark predator.

Now his stark and savage journey is over. After a thousand years in a gray world, he has accomplished everything he set out to do. His brothers are safeguarded. Each has found a woman who completes them. And they are at peace. For his brothers, Zacarias has walked the edge of madness, but with centuries as a killing machine now left to the past and without a hunt to define him, Zacarias wonders, for the first time in his life, who he really is.

The answer awaits him back home in Peru , in the betrayal of a woman who is readying her trap, in the vengeance of an old enemy, in the inevitable consequences of a bloody family legacy, and in the deliverance of a lifemate he never could have imagined.

I was disappointed in this installment of the series. I really love the Carpathians, but I didn’t love Zacarias. I know he’s very very ancient, like no other, and has chosen a path of solitude, but his interaction with Maguarita was not that great to me.

His constant referring to her as a “lunatic” was not endearing although I know it was meant as an endearment. I didn’t feel that these two had any kind of depth or emotional connection. She was just his lifemate but not the love of his life. I didn’t feel that there was any more to it.

Their story I don’t feel added anything to the overall series and could have been a novella in an anthology instead of dedicating an entire book to these two. I kept stopping and starting with this one because I just couldn’t get into the two of them as a couple. I just finished this one to stay current with the series, but I think I could have skipped this one and still been able to pick up the next installment without being lost.

Definitely not my favorite of the series.

Read by Erik Bergmann, Kristine Ryan
Duration: 13 hours
Recorded Books

Narration: C-

The male narrator was okay, but the female narrator was a little whiny. I'm not sure if the narrators played a part in my dislike of this novel or not, but they did not help.

Review: Mystical Warrior by Janet Chapman

Mystical Warrior
Janet Chapman
Series: Midnight Bay #3
Publisher: Pocket Books
Publish Date: June 28, 2011
Mass Market Paperback {p.351}
Source: Publisher
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Fiona Gregor, Trace Huntsman
Challenge: 100+, Summer Romance
Buy the Book: Amazon

An eleventh-century lass with a stubborn streak unleashes the red-hot hero inside her modern lover in bestselling author Janet Chapman’s irresistible new Midnight Bay adventure.

Trace Huntsman’s peaceful life has headed to hell in a hand-basket ever since stunningly beautiful Fiona Gregor moved into the vacant apartment above his house. Kidnapped centuries earlier and transformed into a red-tail hawk, Fiona is human once more and must learn how to be a modern woman. But damned if Trace is going to be the one to teach her. Not when her mere presence ignites a fiery passion deep within his cautious heart.

Fiona longs to overcome the painful memories of her tragic past—to let down her guard and become a mother again. But so far her handsome landlord is not exactly thrilled with the stray animals—and suitors—that keep following her home. When the wizard Maximilian Oceanus shows up, Trace reaches the end of his rope. Weird things happen when Mac is around—raging storms, snarling demons—but this time, Midnight Bay is at the center of a fierce battle, and Fiona is the primary target. Only Trace can save her, but first, the lovers must set aside their fears...and open up their hearts.

Fiona is trying to adjust to her new life in the 21st century as a single, independent woman. With some pushing from her brothers, she gets her own apartment, living above Trace's house.

This is book three in the series, and I read book two and fell in love with these characters, with this town. So of course I had to continue forward with book three. I loved both Fiona and Trace in the previous book and was excited to see them get their own story. Although Trace tries to fight it, he can't help but to be attracted to Fiona. But with Fiona's horrible past and fear of men, he tries to keep his distance. But Trace seems to be one of the few men she isn't afraid of.

The storyline pulled me in from page one. I had already formed a connection with the characters reading the previous book, but even if I hadn't I would have been drawn in with this one. Chapman writes strong, likable characters that feel like like family.

One of those secondary characters that you can't help but love is Mac. He piqued my interest in book two, and I fell in love with him in book three. He may hold all this magical power, but he's just as vulnerable as the rest of us. I really hope Mac gets his happily ever after.

Review: Eat Prey Love by Kerrelyn Sparks

Eat Prey Love
Kerrelyn Sparks
Series: Love at Stake #9
Publisher: Avon
Publish Date: October 1, 2010
Mass Market Paperback {p.373}
Source: Personal Library
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Caitlyn Whelan, Carlos Panterra
Challenge: 100+, Paranormal
Buy the Book: Amazon

Wanted: Bride. Must love children. Mortals need not apply.

Carlos Panterra is looking for a mate, a woman who will love and care for the young orphans he's recently taken under his wing (or paw, as the case may be). When the shape shifter spies the beautiful Caitlyn, it's like sunshine amidst the darkness. At last, he's found the perfect woman, except...

Caitlyn Whelan is mortal. Worse, her father is the head of a CIA agency bent on hunting the undead. Still, Caitlyn knows that Carlos is the man for her, shape shifter or not. So she jumps at the chance when her sister offers her a job to work with him, determined to show Carlos their attraction is more than just animal magnetism. But danger lurks in the night, and their unleashed, untamed passion might just get them both killed...

Eat Prey Love was a funny and entertaining take on vampires and shape shifters. The blurb is what caught my eye about this book. A shape shifter searching for a wife to be the mother of his orphans that he's taken in.

Carlos and Caitlyn had an instant attraction that Carlos chose to fight because Caitlyn is human. But that didn't stop Caitlyn; she was determined to have Carlos. There didn't seem to be anything going on deeper than their attraction.

I enjoyed Caitlyn's interaction with the children, but I would have liked to have seen more of that. Afterall she would become their mother, but she only had limited interaction with them. Plus she really only interacted with two of the children he took in.

The book was a bit short on action but it was big on laughs. I'll have to go back and read all the books in the series leading up to this one.

Review: The Vampire Next Door by Ashlyn Chase

The Vampire Next Door
Ashlyn Chase
Series: Strange Neighbors #3
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: August 1, 2011
Mass Market Paperback {p.354}
Source: Publisher
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Morgaine, Sly Flores
Challenge: 100+

In this third installment of Chase's lively, sexy, paranormal trilogy, we meet witch Morgaine, who is deathly afraid of the dark, and her vigilante vampire neighbor Sly, who has his reasons for hating sunlight. Sly needs Morgaine's magic to help heal a broken fang, but with further help, and sometimes hindrance, from the wacky apartment dwellers around them, they may become each other's last hope for a normal life...

Morgaine is a witch who has pretty much every phobia you can think of. She and Sly, the resident vampire, are a likely match because he too has just been going through the motions of living since he was turned.

These two seemed to have a mutual affection for one another, but the chemistry was pretty none existent. They really liked each other, and were nice people in their own right, but I just never bought them as a "couple." It felt as though they were together for the sake of the story.

The secondary characters living in the building did offer a bit of comic relief. Especially Lily, the new resident to the building, who seemed to be one of the more interesting characters. But we seen very little of her. Morgaine's cousin Gwyneth was a bit too over the top with the southern speech and her ditziness.

Overall the story seemed to start out okay with great potential, but never really took off.

Review: In the Heat of the Bite by Lydia Dare

In the Heat of the Bite
Lydia Dare
Series: Regency Vampyre Trilogy #2
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: July 1, 2011
Mass Market Paperback {p.368}
Source: Publisher
Genre: Historical, Paranormal
Characters: Rhiannon Sinclair, Matthew Halkett
Challenge: 100+, Historical

Chivalry is far from undead...

Matthew Halkett, Earl of Blodswell, is one of the few men in the ton who can claim to be a knight in shining armor- because that's precisely what he was before being turned into a vampyre. When he spies a damsel in distress in the midst of a storm in Hyde Park, his natural instinct is to rush to her aid...

But not every woman needs to be rescued...

Weather-controlling witch Rhiannon Sinclair isn't caught in a storm-she's the cause of it. She's mortified to have been caught making trouble by the imposing earl, but she doesn't need any man-never has, and is sure she never will...

But when Rhiannon encounters Matthew again, her powers go awry and his supernatural abilities run amok. Between the two of them, the ton is thrown into an uproar. There's never been a more tempestuous scandal...

In the Heat of the Bite started out interesting enough in the way in which Rhi and Matthew met. After that, there wasn't much of anything all that memorable about them as a couple. I found more entertainment from the scenes of Radbourne than the scenes that contain the hero and heroine. Matthew was likeable, but lacked a bit of fire that I guess I was expecting from a vampire.

This was my first novel by this author so I was not expecting or prepared for the Scottish vocabulary. It ended up being a distraction for me from the overall story. I almost gave up on reading it because I kept to re-read lines to undersatnd what was being said before I finally got used to it.

This read lacked the heat of it's title. The way the story ended with loving being the answer, was somewhat of a disappointment.

Review: Heart of the Highland Wolf by Terry Spear

Heart of the Highland Wolf
Terry Spear
Series: Heart of the Wolf #7
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: June 1, 2011
Mass Market Paperback {p.383}
Source: Publisher
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Julia Wildthorn, Ian MacNeill
Challenge: 100+, Summer Romance

Ian McNeill, laird of Argent Castle finds his capital squandered through unwise investments and the wolf clan's home that has been theirs for centuries is in danger of being forfeit for nonpayment of taxes. When a movie producer contacts him with the notion of using his castle to produce a movie, Ian abhores the idea, but it's his only salvation. Even worse, his people become extras in this epic Highland movie. But when one American werewolf romance author, Julia Wildthorn, slips into the castle under the guise of being with the movie company, except she is trying to jumpstart her muse with writing a book set in old-world Scotland--specifically about his castle and his people as the characters in her newest book venture--she and Ian tangle.

Julia is in Scotland with her best friend Maria to do research for her upcoming novel. While Maria and her crew are filming a movie at Laird Ian MacNeill's castle, Julia is doing her own investigating.

Julia finds herself attracted to and intrigued by the laird the minute she lays eyes on his picture. The feeling is mutual for Ian when he first sees Julia.

Although the book opens with a great scene, the overall story was a slow start. I didn't really start to get into the book until around chapter 15 or so. Before that, it didn't really seem like much of anything going on between Ian and Julia, just a lot of page filler. The romance between the two was pretty much nonexistant. Ian was constantly suspicious of Julia and trying to figure out what exactly it was she was hiding. The bulk of the story was him trying to figure her out and her lying to him.

Overall it fell short of my expectations. I really wanted to enjoy this one, but I just never really got there. When it was all said and done, I didn't feel like I knew Julia nd Ian any better than I did when I started the book.

Review: Here Kitty, Kitty by Joyee Flynn

Here Kitty, Kitty
Joyee Flynn
Series: Purrfect Mates #1
Publisher: Siren Publishing
Publication Date: December 30, 2010
Kindle {p.106}
Source: Publisher
Genre: Erotica, Menage, Paranormal
Characters: Avery Donovan, Cord Hartwell, Tyson Fitzgerald
Challenge: 100+, Ebook

Avery Donovan has escaped after being held captive almost thirty years. He is injured and on the run seeking refuge. While making his way across a ranch in southern Montana, he catches the unique smell of his mates. Alone and scared, he decides to trust fate and follow the scent of his men. Childhood friends, Cord Hartwell and Tyson Fitzgerald, have spent decades denying their feelings for each other until one day, an injured saber tooth tiger shows up on their front porch, shifts into a gorgeous man, and changes their lives. Avery has forty-eight hours to convince them he is their mate and claim them, or he will die. Will Cord and Ty finally admit their feelings for each other and their desire for Avery, or will they continue to deny their feelings and risk losing their chance at happiness?

Here Kitty Kitty starts out with Avery showing up on Cord and Tyson’s doorstep. Tyson and Cord have always been in love with each other, but it takes the appearance of Avery to get them to act on their feelings. I felt that Avery making them act on their feelings made Ty and Cord’s love for one another somewhat lesser.

The interaction between the three of them was great. Even the interaction between Ty and Avery or Cord and Avery was good. It was the interaction between Ty and Cord that was lacking.

I truly enjoyed the coming together of the werecats and werewolves. Avery’s family seemed like really likeable characters. I would enjoy seeing more from his siblings.
This is a nice start to an interesting series.

Review: SWAT Team One and the Social Worker by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

SWAT Team One and the Social Worker
Dixie Lynn Dwyer
Series: The Men of Five-O #1
Publisher: Siren Publishing
Publication Date: April 20, 2011
Kindle {p.246}
Source: Publisher
Genre: Erotica, Menage, Paranormal
Characters: Samantha Gray, Adam, Donny, Dustin, Kyle, Trey Valdamar
Challenge: 100+, Ebook

Caught in the middle of a hostage situation, social worker Samantha Gray faces death to help a family in need. When she calls for help, the SWAT Commander and his team of four gorgeous men come to her rescue. These five handsome faces, sexy bodies, and take-charge personalities send her body into sexual turmoil, but she has to resist. She fell in love once and caused her lover's death. She can't give in to temptation this time, no matter how desirable the brothers. The Valdamar brothers are a pack of Alphas hired by the government to keep the peace. They discover their mate, but she refuses to reciprocate their advances. As trouble continues to find her, they lose their patience and decide to take what is theirs and shield her from further harm in the one place she resists-their arms. Note: This book contains physical abuse of the heroine by the villain.

At first I was a little apprehensive about one woman and whole SWAT team because most stories I’ve encountered with more than one woman and two men seem to have lots of sex and not much story. Not the case with this one. Ms. Dwyer does an excellent job of providing a truly interesting storyline outside of the bedroom. Don’t get me wrong, the sex was smokin’ and abundant, but the characters had more going on than just sex.

Ms. Dwyer does a great job of letting the reader get to know these five men’s personalities. As a reader, I didn’t feel like I got to know one brother better than the other. Although Sam did spend alone time with one brother over the others, I didn’t feel as though they were being excluded or left out.

SWAT Team One and the Social Worker had a lot of action and plot twists that I wasn’t expecting from an erotic novel, but was pleasantly surprised with. This is my first book by Ms. Dwyer, but it definitely won’t be my last.

Review: Sex and Solar Flares by Larissa Lyons

Sex and Solar Flares

Larissa Lyons
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Publication Date: July 16, 2010
Kindle
Source: Author
Genre: Erotica
Characters: Aurora, Charles Morgan
Challenge: 100+, 50 States ~ Hawaii

Can a fearless fairy seduce a stuffy scientist?After crash-landing into the sexiest man on Earth, apprentice fairy Aurora abandons her assigned task in favor of seduction. And during a starlit constellation tour, she takes her own journey-right into Charlie-s pants!Boarding a cruise ship bound for Hawaii, astronomer Charles Morgan is entranced by the whimsical beauty who propositions him in the most amazing way. Would he like to have sex with her? Does the sun shine and the galaxy spin?A night full of lust and stars, dusted with a hint of magic, just might bring these two unlikely lovers together for their own big bang!

Aurora meets Charles, a professor, while on a cruise. Charles and Aurora are drawn to each other.

Aurora is a fairy on a mission, but appears to be sidetracked by her attraction to Charles. But appearances aren’t always what they seem.

This novella was not short on the steam between these two.

Review: How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf
Molly Harper {Blog | Facebook | Twitter}
Series: Naked Werewolf #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: February 22, 2011
Mass Market Paperback {p.371}
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Moonflower Duvall-Wenstein, Cooper Graham
Challenge: 100+, 50 States ~ Alaska

Northern Exposure

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated. . . .

Mo moves to Alaska to get away from her overbearing parents, only to fall for the resident werewolf.

From the opening line I knew I was in for a funny read. And Molly didn’t disappoint. Mo and her smart mouth was a riot throughout. I immediately liked her from the start.

Cooper however was another story. I didn’t like his broody attitude or his behavior toward Mo. His whole reasoning behind his unpleasant attitude just didn’t fly with me. It wasn’t enough to warrant his behavior. At times he came across as a complete and utter jerk.

As for the rest of Grundy, they were all amazing. These characters were described and portrayed in such vivid detail that they made you feel as if you were a part of the community too. I truly enjoyed Abner’s shameless flirting. He was one of the more delightful characters of the Grundy backdrop. Among others were Mo’s parents and the scenes where Mo first meets Cooper’s family were some of my favorites.

How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf was a quick paced, fun read. I was literally laughing out loud. I want to revisit Alaska to see what the residents up to, especially Alan and Kara. I will definitely be reading the next installment.

Review: Everlasting Kiss by Amanda Ashley

Everlasting Kiss
Amanda Ashley
Series: Everlasting #1
Publisher: Zebra
Publication Date: February 1, 2010
Audio Book {11 hrs}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Daisy O'Donnell, Erik Delacourt
Challenge: 100+, Whisper Stories
My Rating:

Desire Never Dies

Daisy O'Donnell doesn't get the attraction some women feel for vampires. She likes her men with a heartbeat. And she's just met one who's full of life: Erik Delacourt, the unreasonably sexy man she keeps meeting at a popular L.A. nightclub called the Crypt. She barely knows him, but there's no resisting the connection she feels. . .

There's one important detail Erik hasn't gotten around to telling her yet. He's a powerful vampire out to hunt the Blood Thief who is draining young vampires all over the city--and who has just raised the stakes by destroying one of Erik's friends. To Erik, Daisy is a bright spot of innocence in a world of darkness and menace. He'll do anything--even lie to her--to keep her safe and pure.

If only he knew that Daisy has something of her own to hide...

Daisy is a blood theft. Erik is a vampire. So of course these two cannot coexist together. But Daisy and Erik just can’t seem to stay away from each other. When Daisy steals the blood of the female the head vampire of Los Angeles turned, she and Erik must work together to keep her off the radar.

This one started out a little slow for my liking. It picked up somewhat with the arrival of Daisy’s brother Alex. With his arrival there was a tad bit more action going on in the case of vampire hunting.

Erik and Daisy’s relationship didn’t offer much heat or all that much believability. I didn’t feel the supposed love these two felt for one another. With that aside, I did enjoy one of the secondary characters, the head vampire, Rhys. His story is next in the series, so I may revisit to see how his turns out.

Read by Jennifer Ikeda

Duration: 11 hours

Recorded Books

I had no problems with the narrator. She handled the voices and accents well, but I just didn't enjoy the overall story that much. But that was no fault of the narrator. 

Review: Just a Taste of Me by Stormy Glenn

Just a Taste of Me
Stormy Glenn {Blog | Facebook | Myspace | Twitter}
Series: Wolf Creek Pack
Publisher: Siren Publishing
Publication Date: July 1, 2009
Kindle
Genre: LGBT, Paranormal
Characters: Quilliam Reece, Keeley
Challenge: 100+, Ebook, M/M
My Rating:

Reece knows Keeley is his mate the moment he meets him. But Keeley is not only human, he's a man.

Alpha of his own pack for just three months, having a man for a mate is a headache Reece doesn't need. But not claiming his mate is not an option. However, Keeley is unlike any man he has ever met, from the top of his gorgeous honey blond hair to the bottom of his fire engine red painted toenails, Keeley is hot!

Reece becomes even more enchanted with his new mate when Keeley loses his temper with Reece and hits him with a cookie sheet. Just when Reece accepts being mated to a man and starts to care for him, Keeley is attacked and nearly dies. Reece discovers a plot that involves more than just the death of his mate, but also his entire pack.

Can Reece save Keeley and his pack, or will he have to choose between them?

Reece is the Alpha of his pack, so image his surprise to realize his mate is Keeley, a petite little man. Reece has been living his life up to this point as a straight man, so he doesn’t understand why he is fated to be with a man.

So when Keeley comes into the bar that Reece happens to be, he can’t seem to take his eyes off of him. And when trouble follows Keeley into the restroom, Reece follows to protect his future mate.

The whole mating process, Keeley easily complies with, letting Reece bite him as well as drinking his blood in return. No questions asked. And at this point neither of them knows the others name.

The two of them feel their way around each other in this relationship. Reece having never been with a man before, is untrained in the aspects of lovemaking with a man and has to rely on Keeley to show him the ropes. Keeley on the other hand is constantly getting upset and offended by everything Reece says or does, which leads to a lot of time in which Keeley spent sulking.

The two finally get it together and make a rather enjoyable read. The secondary characters prove to be of great interest as well.