Category Archives: 4 Flames

BLOODLUST
Nightshade #2
Author: Michelle Rowen
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Personal Purchase

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (July 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425242137
ISBN-13: 978-0425242131

Jillian Conrad’s blood has killed the vampire king. Now an enemy to all vampires, she is targeted for elimination. So is the infant daughter of the dead king. If Jillian doesn’t stand in the way of her death, then everyone, living or dead, is in great peril.

When I first started this series, I got the feeling of it being more of an urban fantasy than a paranormal romance.  While there was definitely some sexy scenes in the first book, it was still edgy enough to be a darker read.  So when Bloodlust released, I was excited to jump back into the world of dark and suspense with Jillian and Declan.


What I loved the most was the turmoil between Jillian and Declan.  While they are both attracted to each other, they each have their reasons for staying at a safe distance as well.  They do the mating dance of should I or shouldn’t I, but they also have some steamy scenes of caving into the lust between the two.  I admit that I was actually looking forward to Declan and Jillian coming together and figuring out a way to make it work.  I was also anxious to see how they were going to deal with the fallout from killing the Vampire King.  I loved the twists and the surprises the author brings to this book.  While I wasn’t a big fan of the former Vampire King until the end of the first book, the introduction of his brother brings evil to a whole new level.


If you looking for a more edgy and dark feel to your paranormal romance books without falling into the deep end of urban fantasy, then the Nightshade series should give you enough enjoyment of both worlds to satisfy you as a reader.

Very Good! I would recommend this book! 4 STARS

 

FALLING FOR ROMEO
Author: Jennifer Laurens
Source: Personal Purchase
Genre: Young Adult

Reading level: Ages 13 and up
Paperback: 204 pages
Publisher: Grove Creek Publishing; 2 edition (May 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1933963948
ISBN-13: 978-1933963945

John can have any girl he wants. Jennifer’s never been kissed.
Everybody thinks he’s perfect. She’s got issues with pride and jealousy.
They were best friends-once. Now, they’re playing Romeo and Juliet. Virgin lips Jennifer must have her first kiss on stage with John, the guy every girl in school wants. The pressure and tension build along with each staged kiss. Both are shocked when feelings bloom. Can either tell which kisses are real and which are for show?

Author Jennifer Laurens has to be one of the best authors to portray in her writing the perfect blend of teen angst, romance and sweetness.  Everything I have read from her has been wonderful and captivating.  Falling For Romeo is another wonderfully written book that I wish had been around when I was a teenager trying to find something to read.


John is the perfect crush of his high school.  He is sweet, outgoing, a jock, and all around good guy.  He volunteers, is a good son and is now playing the lead in the high school play of Romeo and Juliet.  Jennifer has won the coveted role of Juliet for the play and happens to be John’s next door neighbor.  They grew up playing with each other and John considers her his best friend even though he hasn’t been much of friend lately.  Together they need to work through their differences and put together the best play they can. 


I loved the characters in this book.  They have real problems and struggle with balancing many activities while trying to renew their friendship.  One has a bad home life, the other longs for what was once great between the two.  While Jennifer has never been kissed by a boy really, she is nervous over the big kissing scenes that are the pivotal points in the play.  It was hilarious at how she tried to get experience in kissing so she wouldn’t be horrible at it for John. 


While I enjoyed the book and would recommend it in a heartbeat to everyone, I wasn’t as excited about it as I normally am with this authors books.  Maybe I was turned off a little by the retro looking cover, or maybe it was my reading taste at the time, but it was still a sweet and fun read. 

Very Good! I would recommend this book! 4 STARS

TOO HOT TO TOUCH
Rising Star Chef #1
Author: Louisa Edwards
Source: Personal Purchase

Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks; 1 edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 031235648X
ISBN-13: 978-0312356484

When it comes to competitive cooking, Max Lunden is no stranger to winning…though he’s never been great at working with a team. A master chef—and major hunk—he’s traveled the world, picking up new cooking techniques as well as beautiful women. But when the prodigal chef returns home to his family’s Greenwich Village restaurant, he discovers one too many cooks in the kitchen—and she’s every bit as passionate as he is…

Juliet Cavanaugh used to have a crush on Max when she was just a teenager, hanging out at Lunden & Sons Tavern, hoping to catch a glimpse of the owner’s oldest, and hottest, son. Now a chef herself—competing in the biggest culinary contest in the country—Juliet will be cooking side by side with the one man she’s always admired…and desired. But despite their simmering attraction, Juliet is determined to keep her cool—no matter how hot it gets…

First of all, look at that yummy cover!  I had to force myself to quit drooling at it long enough to actually read the story!  Of course every time I turned the page I had to look and drool again.  But you are wanting a review of the pages inside that gorgeous cover so wipe the drool from your chin and lets get started. 


This is the first book in a new series by author Louisa Edwards.  This series focus is on a competition called the Rising Star Chef and a family who runs their own restaurant that is need of attention due to lack of business.  Juliet, or Jules, is a long time friend of the family who just happened to live with the Lunden family for awhile after she had a falling out with her Mother.  She is also best friends with the youngest son, Danny Lunden.  Even though she has found a best friend in Danny, her heart has always belonged to his older brother Max.  Unfortunately, the night she moved in with the Lunden’s, Max also left town due to a family disagreement and hasn’t returned until now.


With the family and staff entered into the competition, they realize they need Max to help guide them with his worldwide knowledge and hopefully realize he is needed back home for good.  His Father’s health is failing and Danny has taken on too much responsibility with the restaurant. While they are going through the competition though, Jules and Max are trying to fight their sexy feelings toward each other.  Unfortunately, Jules and Max are fighting a losing battle on that because the tension and sex appeal between the two were rising faster than a loaf of bread!  


If I had to pick one thing that I didn’t like about this book though, it would be the constant references to the recipes and such.  I understand that the chef competition involves new recipes and stunning dishes, but at times it seemed to go a little overboard in the food knowledge.  Of course, this downfall also wanted me to try some of the recipes that the author includes at the end of the book.  I did have several drooling moments due to the recipes and dishes involved instead of the cover.


If you are a fan of this author then I am sure your are going to enjoy this new series. So go on and indulge in this new romance series and relax in knowing that you won’t gain any calories while reading it!

Very Good! I would recommend this book! 4 STARS

WORKING STIFF
A Revivalist Novel #1
Author: Rachel Caine
Source: Personal Purchase

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Roc; Original edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451464133
ISBN-13: 978-0451464132

Bryn Davis was killed on the job after discovering her bosses were selling a drug designed to resurrect the dead. Now, revived by that same drug, she becomes an undead soldier in a corporate war to take down the very pharmaceutical company responsible for her new condition…

Since Rachel Caine is one of the wonderful authors who have mastered the vampire niche, I was thrilled to discover that she was going to include the world of zombie like creatures as well!  While her vampire series is focused on the young adult crowd — and adults who are addicted to them too! — her Revivalist series is focused on the adult genre.  While I have never been a huge fan of the zombie craze, I was ready to open them with open arms and dive into the dark side with Rachel Caine.


Talk about some bad luck!  Bryn’s first day on the job at a local funeral home goes from bad to worse when she ends up dead.  Her boss is involved in some shady dealings with a top secret drug from pharmaceutical company Pharmadene.  When she gets caught snooping into the private meeting, she finds herself becoming one of the clients on the steel table.  Yet, when she awakes she finds herself revived and not in the here after.  She is given the secret drug and brought back as a sort of zombie like creature by undercover agents Patrick McCallister and Joe Fideli.  Bryn is forced to work with them to bring down the company that is creating this drug.  


Now when I think of zombies I think of brain eating, flesh sagging, brainless creatures.  Author Rachel Caine brought zombies to a better evolved typed of zombie.  On the outside, Bryn appears to be a normal human being.  Unfortunately, she is just being kept alive because of the drug.  If she doesn’t get a shot, her body starts to decay like any normal dead body.  Basically Bryn is dependent of the drug that she is trying to stop being produced.  I liked the dynamics of the plot and loved each of the characters involved.  I absolutely loved Joe Fideli the best though! He was hilarious and at very protective of his family.  I didn’t really like Patrick at first though.  He seemed cold and distant which made it hard for the romance to progress for me.  


Even though the romance was not what I liked, the story and story progression was wonderful.  I love this new and creepy series and can’t wait to read about what is to come for Bryn!

DARK EDEN
Author: Patrick Carman
Source: Amazon Vine
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (November 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062009702
ISBN-13: 978-0062009708

Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night’s experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden? 

When seven patients have been unable to be cured of their phobia’s, they are sent to the mysterious place called Fort Eden.  With its promise of a cure, Fort Eden takes the seven patients to the center of their phobia and confronting it head on.  


When Will and the six other patients arrive at the entrance of Fort Eden, Will sneaks off and decides he isn’t going to be apart of the therapy.  He doesn’t want to be there and he doesn’t know what to expect.  When he does sneak into Fort Eden though, he discovers mysterious rooms, cameras and puzzles to solve to find out just how Fort Eden can cure the phobias.  Will watches the other patients on the monitors from the bomb shelter. He tries to figure out how Rainsford is really curing their fears and discovers that it comes with a big cost.


I was pulled into this book from the first page.  If you decide to read the book, be aware that you can venture further into the world of Fort Eden through multimedia enhancements including audio and video as well as the written story.  While I didn’t use either of the other options, I still enjoyed the story as the written journey.  Everything you read through the story has some sort of meaning by the time you get to the unexpected ending.  Things that you don’t think are too important will come to light as a major clue in the story as well. 


If you are looking for a creepy and great new read this season, then Dark Eden will capture your interests and drop you into the fears of the seven kids. While it wasn’t my favorite of the year, it was a fun experience to read and try to figure out!