Rush of Darkness by Rhyannon Byrd

Raine Spenser is on the brink. Held prisoner because of her abilities, Raine—a powerful psychic as well as vampire—desperately needed a savior. But the last one she expected was the green-eyed soldier who'd once hunted her kind. Since her rescue, she's tried to forget Seth McConnell, unable to cope with the strange, simmering attraction that draws her to the compelling human.

But their goals—find the Kraven who held Raine captive and destroy him—are the same. The ever-growing web of danger surrounding them draws these two unlikely allies closer together, and anger slowly turns into an explosive passion they're finding harder and harder to deny...

~~

**I requested this title for review from NetGalley**

I have kind of weird feelings about this one. It was a good book but at the same time it didn't really hold my attention the way the previous installments did. Now this could be attributed to a few things - the first thing that comes to mind though is that this book is coming a pretty long time after the previous one. As it's not written to act so much as a stand alone I had to do a lot of mental digging to pull out plot lines and character backgrounds to remember what the heck was going on.

What keeps this from being a total thumbs down? Seth and Raine. Their emotions and chemistry are so explosive that I was completely drawn into wanting to know what happened with them. The Markers? So-so. The Casus? Eh. When the heck Seth was going to seduce Raine into raunchy hot sex? SO IMPORTANT. I've been reading Byrd for a while - her online stuff is still my favorite - and I have to say she's near the top of my list of great sex scene writers. Byrd always takes the time to write realistically hot scenes that you're almost flipping through the book just to find - they're seriously that good in my opinion.

Ultimately if you haven't read the rest of the series you're more than likely going to get lost with the continued plot path laid out here, but Byrd does a decent job of bringing the reader back into the battle between the Watchmen and the Casus + Death-Walkers.

Overall Feeling  - eh.

Series - ...5) Touch of Surrender 6) Touch of Temptation 7) Rush of Darkness 8) Rush of Pleasure (8/11)

Dreamlight Trilogy by Jayne Ann Krentz

More than three centuries ago, Nicholas Winters irrevocably altered his genetic makeup in an obsession fueled competition with alchemist and Arcane Society founder Sylvester Jones. Driven to control their psychic abilities, each man's decision has reverberated throughout the family line, rewarding some with powers beyond their wildest dreams, and cursing others to a life filled with madness and hallucinations.

~~

I'm going to try not to gush too much, as I think it shows I'm probably a little too emotionally evolved to review these books, but I do think Jayne Ann Krentz did a wonderful job with this series. Readers are treated to 3 really interesting stories that intertwine with themselves and the particular environments of the 3 types of worlds Krentz has created.

As Krentz she wrote a contemporary romance, as Quick a historical, and as Castle a futuristic; each one worked well within her established environments. Thus nothing felt forced and instead flowed with the personalities of the characters. I would say though that for people trying to save their pennies the romances are a little similar (especially when read back to back) and it might be worth trying a novel or 2 from the library before buying the whole set. Since I like the way Krentz frames her narratives and like the back and forth she sets up between her heroes and heroines before the HEA I'm still a happy camper - but keep it in mind, this stories are in the same vein as what she usually writes.

Now on to a small little con (that is only really a con because I read all the installments so close together and am actually following the whole series) - the family history in each novel is almost overwhelming. In each novel we get another explanation/retelling of the tale of the original Winters and Jones. It's great from a publisher's stand point because then each novel works well as a stand alone story but it get's old pretty quickly from my viewpoint as the reader. That's kind of why I say it's a small con, because as annoying as it is to reread I understand the purpose of it and truthfully it's not that much of a hardship to flip a couple pages.

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up for all!

Series - 1) Fired Up 2) Burning Lamp 3) Midnight Crystal

Hugo Award Nominees + A Personal Fail. Yay!

I am a bad Geek. In fact someone should probably take my Geek/Nerd card away and shred it. Why you may ask? Because the Hugo Award Nominees were announced yesterday and I only recognize 2 of them. And I've only SEEN 1!

**crickets**

I mean I'm not ashamed to say that I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - in fact I loved that movie. And I guess it's ok if I only recognize Feed by Mira Grant because of the many positive reviews I've read about it.

But I'm still pretty sure this is a big personal fail. Sigh.

Take a look at the whole list of nominees here, on one my favorite new sites in life, The Mary Sue. 

The Adventures of Dana: Book I (pic heavy)

(click to enlarge)

**and now with a bit of spell check**

It's hard to stay on track

You know what I've been thinking about a lot these past couple weeks? I just don't enjoy reading new books when I'm in a bad mood. They're not something I look forward to; in fact they're the exact opposite - they become weight, excess baggage, that I feel I have to shove somewhere.

Even when they're GOOD books coming out I still seem to feel the same way. Which makes it slightly hard to be as up to date as I'd like to on RAtChaos cause you know what I'm reading right now?

&

Well maybe not those titles specifically but the authors. The authors are what's important here. Especially cause Janet Chapman did not used to be one of my comfort read go-tos. But you know what? They have good heroes and feisty heroines and mostly uncomplicated HEA's.

Nice.

So please excuse me as I wallow a bit in my unhappy mood and pick a few comfort reads from my shelf. And try to figure out what the hell I'm doing with myself. Luckily this mood combined with a comfy couch and bad tv is not too bad a scene at all ;)

P.S. - Things start to look up even more when you add in this little joy from Whole Foods:

Russian Roulette - Review Style

I know, I know - I've been really lax on the review front lately right? Well it's mostly because I'm having trouble finding some of the new books I want (though I've also been too lazy to order them) and because I'm in a rereading mood apparently. 

Doesn't make for the most exciting-fantastically-amazing review space let me tell you.

At least I have one thing to offer here, a little Russian roulette of the read-o-sphere that's been going on in my life. A quick look at the anthology Real Men Last All Night.

~~

Luring Lucy by Lori Foster

All Lucy was looking for when she went to her vacation home was in innocent fling to quell the yearning she had felt since her husband died four years ago. She never expected her longtime friend Bram to lure her into a love affair so hot.

Cooper’s Fall by Lora Leigh

Former ranger turned bar owner Ethan Cooper never expected to get an eyeful of prim Miss Sarah Fox from his attic window one hot summer afternoon. But now his blood is on fire for the delicious little minx.

The Edge of Sin by Cheyenne McCray

Zane Steele lives a life of extraordinary danger as a government agent and has never let anyone get too close. Then he sees the one woman who changes his life forever.

Wanted: A Real Man by Heidi Betts

Claire left her high school sweetheart Linc, in search of a better life. Ten years later she needs his help as a U.S. Marshal to find her missing daughter…Linc's daughter. Reeling with the knowledge of a daughter he’s never known, Linc sets out to claim what’s his.

~~

This is an old time re-read for me, though I only went back over Foster's and Leigh's stories. Why? Because they're the spiciest and most fun. They're completely unrealistic and kind of focus on non-flattering depictions of male/female interactions, but they're the most fun. Great beach reads or reads for when you're wanting something that's quick and hot - which who doesn't want that from time to time?

It is a little expensive as a trade paper, but it might have been released in mass market at this point or if not there's always your local library  :)

Mini Me: Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole

HE VOWED HE’D COME FOR HER . . .

Murdered before he could wed Regin the Radiant, warlord Aidan the Fierce seeks his beloved through eternity, reborn again and again into new identities, yet with no memory of his past lives.

SHE AWAITS HIS RETURN . . .

When Regin encounters Declan Chase, a brutal Celtic soldier, she recognizes her proud warlord reincarnated. But Declan takes her captive, intending retribution against all immortals—unaware that he belongs to their world.

TO SATE A DESIRE MORE POWERFUL THAN DEATH . . .

Yet every reincarnation comes with a price, for Aidan is doomed to die when he remembers his past. To save herself from Declan’s torments, will Regin rekindle memories of the passion they once shared—even if it means once again losing the only man she could ever love?

~~

Yep this is gonna be a mini review. Why? Cause this book was a hit and a miss for me. I like the character building the change we see in Declan as he becomes less the Magistrar and more himself. But you know what? Torture is hard for me to read. Vivisection is hard to read about it.

So....yeah. 

I liked Regin as usual, and even learned to appreciate Declan as her mate - after the whole 'I'm gonna torture and break you' thing - but it did take away a bit of my enjoyment of the whole thing. It's all well written though and I do consider it a good addition to the series.

Just not my favorite.

Confessions @ Fiction Vixen

If you're not already a subscriber of Fiction Vixen PLEASE go over there right now because Sophia has a hilarious post asking readers what they would NEVER do to get in some much needed read time. You know - because we're all honest with our selves, our friends, our coworkers, and family right? Right?

Navarro's Promise by Lora Leigh

The Breeds guaranteed that no harm would come to Micah Toler but they never allowed for her sensual fascination with Navarro Blaine. Aloof, cool, and mysterious, he draws her in as no man ever has. But Micah never wanted this. She had her own dreams, her own desires, and being stalked and seduced by a wolf breed wasn’t part of that plan.

Now she knows her life is in danger. What Navarro knows is that she’s his mate and that the breeding and training that created him is being peeled away in his desperation to claim a woman that refuses to be claimed.

He has her body. She craves his touch. And as the breeds converge the past will rise up to haunt Navarro in ways he never expected.

~~

Can I just say thank goodness we're beyond Styx's Storm at this point? I don't know if I was the only one but I just could not get into that book. When I wasn't annoyed with the heroine for being basically a bigot, I was annoyed that since everyone around her was ignorant of what she'd been trying to do to help they gave her HUGE amounts of grief. 

It was annoying to say the least.

But I love Lora Leigh and I'm excited to say that with Navarro's Promise she brings back the good stuff and it's a wonderful series addition. As a few other reviewers have mentioned this book has the most to do with 'will they, or won't they'. Mica and Navarro both have the ability to suppress their emotions- so much so that the mating that should be natural and immediate between them is slowed almost to a halt. Us readers are treated to reading about both of their journeys because the heat isn't as immediate and both of them have to make very personal decisions about what is going to make them happy.

While that was all well and good I do have to say that I'm getting a little unhappy with the sad sack of trickling information that we're getting in regards to the whole Bradenmore. Yes, he injected himself with some serum or something that's jacking him up. Yes, everyone has to be all concerned with keeping him alive so that Jonas can figure out what Bradenmore injected Amber with. But seriously? This feels like it's been drawn out FOREVER and I would like some more information to make me feel like my attention is being appreciated. Just saying.

All in all it's a great book though and whether you're reading it as a stand alone or as the latest in the Breed series, I think you'll be really happy you picked it up.

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up.

Series - .....21) Lion's Heat 22)Styx's Storm 23) Primal (anthology) 24) Navarro's Promise

Alien in the Family by Gini Koch

Super-Being Exterminator Kitty Katt and the Alpha Centaurian she loves, Jeff Martini, should be finalizing their wedding plans. But that was before she discovers Jeff is in line to become Emperor back on his home world. Kitty knows she is everything a royal family wouldn't approve of, and is bracing herself for the worst. As it turns out, the royal family is just the beginning. Especially when extraterrestrial Amazonian terrorists are determined to start and end Kitty and Jeff's nuptial festivities with a bang.

~~

 Unsurprisingly at this point really, I loved this book. Readers are treated to more of the smart mouth dialogue and action that made the first two such fun to read. I've got to hand it to Gini Koch though for creating a character in Kitty that is fun and lovable, even as she rides that line as the all-knowing yet somehow oblivious to her own charms, heroine. 

I've read many a series where a heroine can be fun and funny a couple books in but when later there's a complete lack of growth they get stale. Here we have a great cast of supporting characters that are growing as people right along with Kitty, the type of hilariously convoluted story line that Koch somehow always manages to make seem normal, and hot sex with romance.

What are you waiting for? Science fiction or not, don't miss out on this great book!

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up!

Series - 1) Touched by an Alien 2) Alien Tango 3) Alien in the Family

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

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. . . .

~~

Ok I'm just gonna say it - how has no one compared this to MaryJanice Davidson's Alaskan royalty series? The similarities for me were pretty striking; everything from the cover design, feisty heroine, to small town/family charm were little light bulbs to 'Oh this make me think of this other series'. Maybe no one else sees it but combine her Wyndham wolves series and Alaskan royalty and you totally have this book - not that that's a bad thing. Those two series of hers are my favorite. I'm just putting it out there.

But to move on, this first book was a quick fun little read. Yes I think the mystery was a little tacked on - who couldn't see that one a mile away? - but the romance was sweet. I definitely felt bad for Alan, the cute nice guy almost never ever wins (another reason to love Gini Koch), and would have like him and his HEA to be featured in another story than tacked on the end here. Oh well though, I mean it wasn't very surprising that that's the way Harper played it.

Well this review has ended up not being very exciting huh? Sorry folks the book was good, thumbs up material definitely, but I'm not sure if Harper has distinguished herself as an author to compete for real room on my shelves yet. Since this first book is available in mass market I'd say it's worth the $8 to get a feel for things yourself, and of course there's always your neighborhood library.

Happy Reading!

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up. 

Series - 1) How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf 2) The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf

March in Review

Ahh March. March, you've been such a challenge to me. I had a craptastic time at a Borders trying to hear one of my favorite authors, Patricia Briggs, speak in person. That was the low point. On the upside though I got to attend a discussion led by Patrick Rothfuss and learn even more about why he is so great and why his books are so moving. This was a high point. In between? Reading.

Not a great amount of reading, especially if you're measuring in terms of new books, but it wasn't that bad either. I think I've just go to accept that how I'm reading is changing even if it's not so much affecting what I'm reading.

And of course there was St. Patrick's Day this month - and that holiday almost never sucks. But I'm still not doing well on my reading challenges! UGH! Maybe this is a sign that I should just not do them? I guess we'll see.

Ghost of a Chance by Simon R. Green

Pack Challenge by Shelly Laurenston

Royal Mess by MaryJanice Davidson

Orchid by Jayne Castle

Zinnia by Jayne Castle

Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard (x2)

The Mane Attraction by Shelly Laurenston

Giving Chase by Lauren Dane

Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens

Falke's Peak by Madison Layle and Anna Leigh Keaton

His Ideal Bride by Stephanie Laurens

Live Wire by Lora Leigh

Silver Borne byPatricia Briggs

River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

To Distraction by Stephanie Laurens

Here Kitty, Kitty by Shelly Laurenston

Read/Reviewed:

18/4

 

Happy Friday!!

I am SO thankful that it's Friday. It's been almost 2 weeks of absolutely no fun at the office - which is just part of the reason this video's so fun! Enjoy!