Review: The Lady is a Vamp

The Lady is a Vamp by Lynsay Sands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has gotten me back into the Argeneau stories again. After the last book, I was a little hesitant to dive into another one, but I'm glad I did. This book definitely didn't follow the typical storyline.

Jeanne Louise is a researcher at Argeneau Enterprises and she's so obsessed with her work that she barely notices anything around her. It's this trait that gets her in trouble on her way home. She is startled to find someone else in her car and then gets knocked out. Upon waking, it's clear that she's in a bit of trouble. She can't control her captor and he seems determined to keep her under his control.

Paul is acting out of desperation. He also works for Argeneau Enterprises but had to take a leave of absence after her daughter was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Knowing that turning her might be the only way she can survive, he concocts a plan to kidnap Jeanne Louise. Things quickly spiral out of control. There's car chases, lots of steamy attraction, and oodles of secrets. What begins as a "simple" kidnapping ends up possibly changing Paul's future.

You can probably predict that this ends with a HEA, but there are some surprises along the way. Who knew that you could bargain with Lucien? Who knew that kids could even be turned? I learned a bunch that I hope gets brought up in the future books. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the enforcers find their mates...

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Review: Deathly Revelations

Deathly Revelations by R. Holland
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not really sure what to make of this book. It was short and gave a good introduction to this world, but I found it pretty difficult to like any of the characters. I'm getting ahead of myself, though.

The book starts with some truly dark and horrifying scenes introducing us to a vampire named Simon. He's tried to live according to his rules, but ends up having to break ties with his current pack after they do something really bad. Really, really bad. I had a hard time reading it. He ends up captured while wandering and pondering life. I was a little confused why we met him and went through all that, but it comes back later.

Ana is a spoiled girl who happens to have just lost her sister in a tragic car accident. Trying to focus on her birthday (and Christmas?), she scurries down the stairs to find her mother and father loading her into a car on some unannounced trip. This trip leads her to a "seeker" compound where the hits just keep on coming. She's supposed to train to hunt vampires. Oh, and her parents are not her real parents (something her mother makes real clear during the trip there). Oh yeah, and pretty much all decisions are now in the hands of the mysterious council.

Ana is not one for following rules, so she breaks just about all of them during her first day or two there. One important defiant action ends up introducing her to Sam and Simon, the vampires that are currently being held captive. Things in the compound are not as they seem and some really bad stuff ends up happening that leads Ana to team up with her new allies. We get an ending of sorts, but it's clear I should want to continue on to see what happens. I'm not sure I do, but I'll definitely keep it in mind.

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Review: More Than A Hunch

More Than A Hunch by Kate Douglas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

HOT HOT HOT!

This book was steamy, smutty goodness and I loved every second. Not only did you get some excellent erotic reading, you also got a decent story here.

Nita is a reporter who has been having steamy dreams about a mystery man for some time now. The dreams appear to be escalating, but she's pretty sure it's just hot flashes. Upon getting a mysterious phone call from a local businessman, she learns that she's not the only one having these dreams. On top of all that sexual chemistry is the fact that her previous investigative journalism might be the only thing that can save his daughter.

There's some sexy times, but Martin and Nita end up working together to save his daughter and get their much deserved HEA. I loved this.

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Review: Things Forbidden

Things Forbidden by Raquel Dove
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book as completely unexpected and had me 100% engaged within the first pages. We join the story of Paris, a lonely demon lord, on the prowl and enamored with an innocent, Zoe.

Zoe routinely bathes in the local pond, late at night. It's here that Paris spies on her, becoming more and more addicted to her. On one fateful night, a stranger tries to attack her. In the brutal way of demon lords, Paris ends up protecting her and then promptly putting her under contract. Instead of quickly going into the land of smutty goodness, Paris is called away by the council to hear some pretty awful news - he's been mated to the most horrible but most powerful person available.

Zoe doesn't exactly take the news that Paris now controls her lightly. She goes into full research mode and ends up trying to use that knowledge to break her contract. Turns out, that's a bad idea that can lead to into eternal servitude. One thing leads to another, and Zoe and Paris end up helping each other out. All in all, this was a jam-packed quick read that had me wanting more from this world. Sadly, I'm having trouble finding any.

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Review: Cursed Under The Moon

Cursed Under The Moon by Sakura Fruit
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'd give this short book somewhere between 2 and 3 stars, really. It would definitely benefit from a run through the spelling and grammar program of any Word application. Having similar words replaced with the incorrect ones definitely took me out of the story a little bit.

This story is about Daren, a boy who is destined to destroy the world. His mother, the queen, upon learning this, hands him off to her servant to raise him until he reaches adulthood. At that point, she's supposed to kill him to protect the world. During this time, however, he meets and falls in love with a neighbor girl, giving himself one weakness. His adopted mother, as you can probably predict, fails in her task, starting the end of the world.

The story kind of goes this way and that, without much explanation about how Daren gets his powers, what his real goal is, and how things progress. We meet more members of his lady love's family, there's evil demon powers exposed, lots of killing, and in the end we get a somewhat (?) happy ending. This was a self contained short story that had a good idea but could use some help in execution.

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Review: The Newborn Vampire

The Newborn Vampire by Evelyn Evans
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a short paranormal romance set in some not confirmed time period. There's some action, some mystery, and a bit of a darker type of vampire than I'm used to.

Catherine has lived a sheltered life with her grandmother. All of that changes when a traveling circus comes to town. Her grandmother reluctantly goes, and ends up introducing her to a young man that she claims is her grandfather. Lots of questions obviously come up, which all revolve around the fact that the entire circus is made up of vampires. These vampires aren't the sparkly nice ones, or even the ones that don't kill people. They have to kill people to survive and tend to kill a virgin girl in each town. Hard to support, right? It left me a little conflicted that I was supposed to support Catherine and her new boyfriend while they went out hunting innocent girls...

There's also this big bad roaming around searching for her. Samuel is Catherine's father, but he selfishly got her mother killed by simply impregnating her before she transitioned to being a vampire. The story ends in a battle, some good news, and this odd feeling that you've been rooting for the monsters.

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Review: Antonia Bells

Antonia Bells by Ramz Artso
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was completely addictive! I'm so sad that it's over, and it looks like there are no other books to follow. Even knowing that, I'm glad I read it.

Antonia Bells is a loner student at a Swiss school. She keeps to herself, trying not to stand out too much, and ultimately tries to escape her horrible home life. During one such escape attempt, she ends up being attacked by a shapeshifter and saved by some stranger with a bow and knife. Writing it off as imagined, she tries to go about her normal-ish life until confronted by that same boy as a new student at her school. Kellan (said boy) ends up introducing her to a new and fantastical world. At the same time, another new student, Mason, tries to lure her to his side.

Caught between these two guys, Antonia also learns that she's a prophesied "dragonborn." While still trying to accept that and all the magic in this new world, things escalate quickly. What should have been a slow introduction to this world and its political machinations ends up with her being thrown into a violent war. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, but was a really great introduction to this world. I wish there was more.

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