Review: The Wicked Vampire

The Wicked Vampire by Kate Baxter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books just keep getting better and better! Each new installment becomes my new favorite and this was no exception.

This book was the story of yet another mismatched pair. In this case, we follow Sasha's Romeo/Juliet love story as she finds out a berserker is her mate. Ewan, said berserker, is the sworn enemy of vampires (as all berserkers are) but he's more concerned with saving up enough money to abandon his "master" and his go nowhere cause. In order to amass a small, illegal, secret fortune, he's had to put himself in cage matches to the death, using his formidable berserker strength to win. It's during one such match that these two star crossed lovers meet. I guess "meet" is a strong word for the dirty, wicked time they have with one another, but ultimately it's this time spent together that gets them both in trouble.

Sasha has been on a dangerous spiral since abandoning her post as head of security. With no responsibilities, she's been pushing the limits of what she can handle until fate throws her a curveball. At first glance, she knows that Ewan is her mate, but that doesn't mean that this feud between their species magically goes away. What starts as a secret love affair eventually ends up pitting both sides against one another in an even bigger way than before. While navigating all the secrets, people trying to kill them, and their own reluctance to admit their feelings, these two really grew into an awesome couple. If this is what we can expect as the next few vampires pair up, I'm eager for more!

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Review: Vampires in America: The Vignettes - Volume 2

Vampires in America: The Vignettes - Volume 2 by D.B. Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I always have a bit of a hard time reviewing short stories. Each story should probably get its own rating, but since I typically read them all in one sitting, it becomes hard to tell them all apart in the end. Overall, this was a nice addition to the Vampires in America books, but is definitely not critical to understanding what's going on with the characters in the main books. It was nice, however, to get to spend some additional time with these familiar characters.

In general, these stories are like little treats for the reader. Sure, you get maybe 10% of some sort of story but the rest is pure smutty goodness. Who doesn't want to go back into the bedroom with some of your favorite couples from the series? Seriously, if this would bother you, what are you doing reading this set of shorts? There's even a warning! That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed them all in their own way. All the down and dirty goodness was a nice departure from reading something more dark and serious. What better to read as a reward during the holidays? Check these out!

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Review: Endless Chase

Endless Chase by N.J. Walters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This last (?) book in the Dalakis Passion series is definitely my new favorite. Chase is a character that has been at the peripheral for a while and definitely deserved his own love story. I'm really glad that he finally got the mate he deserves. While I've read the rest of the series, since this book occurs some years after the original set, it can probably read as a standalone as well.

We don't start the book with our familiar Chase, instead starting with a mysterious newcomer. Katya is a woman willing to do anything to avenge her murdered parents. We get an inkling that she may be more plugged in to the supernatural world than we know, but one this is for sure - she's trying to endear herself to the leader of some "vampire hunter" group, she's well trained, and she's trying to find a way into the Dalakis castle. All of this spells trouble when she and Chase have a chance encounter in the woods that leaves them both more involved than they'd like.

Chase has grown up a lot since we last saw him. He's now an established artist, traveling and showing his work as needed, visiting family, and hiding the fact that he's been suffering from headaches that are getting progressively worse. In an effort to escape his problems, he has been wandering the woods looking for inspiration. It's there that he meets and falls head over heels for Katya. No, these two do not have it easy - and who would want to explain all these secrets away to a bunch of intimidating and overprotective vampires? Throw in some action, more secrets, more reveals, and even hotter scenes in the bedroom (or as close to the bedroom as these two get) and you've got a really fantastic read. If you've never checked this series out before, here is a great intro. If you've read all the other books, you will be very happy with the way Chase's story gets done.

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Review: Bittersweet Christmas

Bittersweet Christmas by Nina Croft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an adorable and quirky (and smutty) Christmas short story! I really enjoy the order books, but if you haven’t read the series, you can probably still enjoy this short little gem.

Winter, Father Christmas’s half-pixie daughter, intercepts a letter written to him from a lonely orphan. Said orphan is related to none other than John Ryan, the order’s newest vampire-werewolf hybrid. He’s been in lock down since joining the order, so he hasn’t seen his nephew in years, but he’s somehow convinced himself that it’s for his own protection. Liam (the orphan) doesn’t see it that way, which prompts his letter.

John Ryan is still coming to grips with his newfound freakdom, and with that comes the incessant company in the form of a babysitter. Sure, it protects the innocents from him freaking out and killing everyone, but it is driving him insane. Winter ends up breaking into his room one morning to surprise him as his new self-described babysitter. These two have some serious chemistry and an adorable way about them. I’m always one for the weirdo pairings and this is definitely strange. Who would’ve thought that a werewolf-vampire would meet his match in a pixie-ish goth chick?

Obviously, this wouldn’t be a good holiday story without a happy ending, so we get one of those. We also get a nice cherry on top in the form of a Winter/Ryan romance. What’s not to like?


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Review: Under a Vampire Moon

Under a Vampire Moon by Lynsay Sands
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This far into the series, I think you’d be hard-pressed to just jump right in. At this point there are just so many characters, their mates, history, and events that all usually point towards the content of the next book. This book, however, was really a road trip-like book, where a subset of the familiar characters are all on vacation together, giving you a new look at everyone and not much to catch up on. There wasn’t even really some big build up to bad guy activities that you needed backstory on. Yes, I know how everyone they mention got together, but I think you’d be able to muddle through without it.

The pacing in this book was a little strange. We spend a lot of time watching Christian, an immortal of the Argeneau family, pine for Carolyn, a lonely soon-to-be-divorced human, while pretending to be gay. That about sums it up, really, with the very small twist thrown in just at the end to give some motivation to a character.

I guess I can’t fault the amount of smut and romantic intentions, it just felt rushed towards the end when we finally got some honesty in the air. I enjoyed Carolyn as a character. I liked Christian building a relationship with his mom at the same time as with Carolyn. I guess it was just a little heavy on the pretending to be gay storyline. I also feel a little bad for Jack.


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Review: Murder on the Sugarland Express

Murder on the Sugarland Express by Angie Fox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was another fun murder mystery! I think that even if you’ve never read a book in the series, you’d enjoy this fun, quick read.

We join Verity as she continues to navigate small town life, while dating her ex-fiancé’s brother. After a particularly stressful stretch of drama, they decide to go on a historical and romantic vacation. Who wouldn’t love a trip on a renovated luxury train? Well, there is also the small matter of Verity’s newly coupled ghost, Frankie, wanting to tag along with his girlfriend. Oh, and the small matter of an ominous warning from a ghostly conductor of the previously destroyed train. Verity just can’t seem to catch a break and go on a real vacation.

Of course, Verity is not one to let things go. She can’t just go on vacation without something horrible happening, and in this case it’s a murder. Much like the game of clue, Verity and her boyfriend are forced to detective out “whodunit” before the ghost train crashes once again. I admit, I didn’t solve the mystery before Verity did, so I guess that means it was truly a challenging mystery. I love these books, all the wonderful characters, and this book was a great addition to the series.


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Review: Lure of Oblivion

Lure of Oblivion by Suzanne Wright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I freely admit to jumping in and out of this and the parallel series from this author. While I’ve enjoyed each one I’ve read, I always spend a little time “catching up” on what I’ve missed. This book was no different. I’m sure they would probably be better enjoyed in order, or by binge reading them all at once, but that’s just not the way I’ve been doing it myself, so my review may reflect that.

Gwen is a tough human being. It was a nice departure to find a human who so readily stands up for the shifters, even if they start out as strangers to her. One such stranger, a woman getting beaten nearly to death, ends up being rescued by Gwen. The person assaulting the shifter woman turned out to be a member of a very “connected” family in town. This doesn’t stop Gwen from reaching out to the shifter council to report the matter, especially when it becomes apparent that the town sheriff doesn’t view the victim as worth his time.

Zander winds up in Gwen’s B&B to attend the reading of his uncle’s will. Through a twist of fate, he’s able to step in and help her stand up for herself (and the wounded shifter woman), though I am not sure she needs him as much as he wanted to be needed. These two are prickly and awesome to watch build a relationship. What starts as a sizzling fling quickly grows to something so much more. With all the drama in town, it’s easy for Zander to make excuses to stick around even longer. From there, things explode in more ways than one.

As always, this made a great addition to the series and brought back many familiar faces. Gwen and Zander are a welcome addition to the mated couples in the group. I’m eager to see a big showdown that gets the group some progress in the larger storyline of the extremists and the movement. Maybe next time? I’m hopeful!


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