Category Archives: 1 Flame

Daring The Moon
Author: Sherrill Quinn
Source: Personal Purchase
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Brava
 (February 1, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0758231888

It takes a lot of ruffle Taite Gibson, investigator with the Pima County Attorney’s Office. But the enormous, snarling werewolf that’s stalking her through the streets of Tucson? Yeah, that oughta do it. 


Those terrifying attacks convince Taite to seek out Ryder Merrick, a reclusive British horror writer reputed to know everything about werewolves, including how to kill them. 


Turns out he also knows how to leave her shaking with desire…On his remote private island, Ryder can live safely with the beast inside him, unable to harm others or himself. Then Taite arrives, her lush, sweet scent and gorgeous curves tempting him to give in to every wicked hunger. And as a full moon rises, the only way to keep Taite safe from the evil that’s followed her here is to convince her to trust in an attraction that’s deeply dangerous, and wilder than she ever guessed…

I really tried to enjoy this book.  When the story even ventured from paranormal to just plain wacky, I kept pushing myself to finish it.  Do you know how hard it is to finish a book when it is not just clicking for you?  Well, this book took me much longer to read than normal because it was one of those books that just didn’t bring enjoyment to me.

The only character I truly enjoyed in this book was Cobb.  Yes, the butler is the one highlight of this book that made me even consider finishing it.  Taite was naive and at times lacking any strength.  She is described as being some tough woman but she was spineless enough times to  make me wonder how she even stood on her feet.  Declan was an okay character mainly because his accent brought out some funny dialogue.  He was protective of Taite in a big brother way that was nice.  Ryder was a bit rude to begin with but slowly started to warm up.  One main issue I had with this book was the instant attraction and love between Ryder and Taite.  Ryder barely meets her for a day and is already wanting her for a mate.  The bad guy was pretty easy to figure out as well.  I already knew who it was before the first half of the book had been read.

In my opinion, this could have been a better book if the author had progressed a little more in her writing.  I won’t say it is immature, but the writing is still in the infant stages of story instead of mastered.  I really think the author would be better off reworking some of the story to make it better.  Hopefully the authors writing has grown since this book and her next book I pick up will be much more pleasant to read.

       

Into the Crossfire
Protectors #1
Author: Lisa Marie Rice
Source: Publisher
Genre: Adult Erotic Romance
Publisher: Avon; Reprint edition
 (November 29, 2011)
ISBN-13: 978-0062085795

Sam Reston’s world is dangerous, uncertain, violent . . . with no room in it for the helpless and weak. Then the most beautiful woman in the world moves next door to him . . .

Nicole Pearce’s life is complicated enough. The last thing she needs is to get involved with a secretive, hard-bodied, hard-headed neighbor. Yet Sam leaves her breathless–her body tingling with desire–and it takes every ounce of her fabled control to resist offering herself to him, no strings attached. What she doesn’t know is that Sam Reston is on an undercover assignment . . . and she’s about to step into the crossfire.


Never has Sam ached for a woman so badly. Now Nicole’s in grave danger and he will become her shield. Because a terrorist plot hatched half a world away is heading to their doorstep–and it can be derailed by only one man and one woman.

When I first received this book for review, I should have trusted my instincts.  They were telling me that I never have had a great reading experience with novels by Lisa Marie Rice.  They are usually over the top or lacking chemistry between the two main characters.  While the author does enjoy spicing up the romance and involving action as well, the combustion of sensual attractiveness is never present for me when I read the books.

Into the Crossfire could have been a hit, but it lacked some things to make it great along with an overabundance of narrating that became annoying to this reader.  The first couple of chapters are full of narrative and not enough dialogue to balance it out.  It quickly became boring to me as a reader and I had to force myself to keep going with the story.

The character of Sam was borderline for me.  At times he could be sexy as hell, but other times he would step out of character and not quite fit the bill of ex Navy Seal.  The character of Nicole was not great in my opinion. She was stuck up, indecisive, and at times a risk to them both.  Which also brings me to the plot of the story.  There was one right?  I am still disappointed in the plot because there wasn’t much for the reader to go on with it.  We would get small glimpses at it and some information, but then the book would shift focus again.

Overall another book by this author that just didn’t cut it for me.  If you are a hardcore fan of this authors writing though, then you might want to pick it up just so you can read the new series that she is featuring.

       

Kiss Crush Collide
Author: Christina Meredith
Source: Amazon Vine
Reading level: Ages 13 and up
Publisher: Greenwillow Books (December 27, 2011)
ISBN-13: 978-0062062246

Leah has the life most high school girls would kill for—popularity, glowing grades, a rich, athletic boyfriend. So why does she feel like she can’t breathe? And why can’t she stop thinking about the boy from the country club? The one who isn’t her boyfriend, the one that her mother would never, ever approve of, the one that her perfect older sisters would never, ever look at twice. The one who is always looking back at her. Irresistible attraction, smoldering glances, the bad boy and the good girl—Kiss Crush Collide has everything that a steamy forbidden romance should, and then some.

Since this book was compared with Perfect Chemistry, I knew it had big shoes to fill.  I absolutely loved Perfect Chemistry and if it is being compared to it, it better be able to deliver.  Add on the fact that this book hasn’t gotten so much hype revolving around — plus a great cover– and you would think it would be a winner.  Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me.

I had a really hard time getting into this story.  Leah was not a favorite character for me from the first chapter. I just couldn’t connect with her. She didn’t really feel bad about making out with another boy even though her boyfriend was still in her life.  She had annoying family that was at times a little too much.  Within the first few chapters we are introduced to so many characters that it left me confused and wishing I was taking notes.  The book is also off balance with most of the story revolving around Leah and lacking story from Duffy.  The romance was instant — making out the first time they meet — and forced for the reader to accept it.

Overall, it is definitely not a book I would reread again.  This was a big miss in the young adult genre, but others might enjoy it as it is.

       

The Demon Lover
Author: Juliet Dark
Source: Amazon Vine
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Releases: 12/27/2011
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of writing her bestselling book, The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. After all, Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she finds herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.


But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: He’s not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the incubus, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this demon lover from her heart.

This book had such promise for me after reading the summary.  I thought it was going to be a paranormal romance with modern and gothic elements woven into the story, but this book was nothing like I expected.

The book starts out slow for me and doesn’t pick up much after that.  The character of Callie was hard to get attached to in the fact that I couldn’t find myself really liking her.  I am not sure if it was her personality or the overall writing of this character but Callie never evolved into a true character in my mind.  I also felt the cover to be misleading as well.  When you look at the cover before reading the summary, you expect it to be young adult.  That cover just screams that genre to me.  Then when you read the summary, you realize this is in no way a young adult book.  The sex scenes involved in this book were poorly executed and just creepy at times.  Also, unless you are a fan of heavy narrating, be prepared for quite a bit of story with very little dialogue.  Predictability is very prominent in the story as you will have figured out the plot line very early on.  So if you are looking for suspense and drama in that aspect, be prepared to be disappointed.

This was one of those books that I had to force myself to finish and it felt like a chore reading it instead of enjoyment.  This is book is proof that you can’t judge a book by its cover, but also by its summary.

       

FAMILY STORMS
Storms #1
Author: V.C. Andrews
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star (February 22, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1439154996
ISBN-13: 978-1439154991

In the eye of the storm . . .

In the hospital, Sasha is whisked off to a fancy private suite at the request of wealthy Mrs. Jordan March, a complete stranger who keeps watch by Sasha’s bedside and insists she come live at her family’s sprawling, luxurious mansion. Sasha soon learns Mrs. March never recovered from the loss of her daughter Alena, and with nowhere else to go, Sasha agrees to use Alena’s room, sleep in her bed, and wear her clothes. But someone will make sure that Sasha never takes Alena’s place: a jealous sister dead set on making Sasha’s life a living hell.

This is the first book I have read by well known author V.C. Andrews.  She is famous for her Flowers in the Attic series, but I never had a chance to check them out and read them.  When I was offered this novel for review, I figured it would be a good place to start and work my way backwards through her books.  


While I really enjoyed the first couple of chapters in this book, it really started to stall after that.  It seemed to stretch on and on with no real progression in the plot.  After Sasha and her Mother are hit by a car, Sasha wakes up in the hospital and learns that her Mother didn’t make it.  They were homeless and therefore without insurance so she wasn’t really receiving the treatment she deserved.  When Mrs. Marsh shows up in her hospital room and moves her to a private room, she is curious to know why she is helping her.  Mrs. Marsh reveals that her daughter Kiera was the one that hit them with her car while intoxicated with drugs.  Mrs. Marsh is very wealthy and insists that Sasha come live with her and her family so she can have a proper home and wonderful life.  Sasha is hesitant in moving in with her because she feels it to be a betrayal to her Mothers memory to live in the same house as the person who caused all the heartache. 


After Sasha moves into the home though, she realizes Mrs. Marsh has some ulterior motives for her being there.  She seems to be replacing her daughter Alena with Sasha after Alena passed away awhile back.  Sasha is living in her room, wearing her clothes, and even being treated like Alena by Mrs. Marsh. 


The book is predictable and rather quite boring after Sasha is moved into the house.  I struggled with finishing this book and was just thankful when it ended.  If this is any indication of what the other books by this author are like, then I am not too sure I will be picking up anymore.