Too Wicked to Kiss by Erica Ridley

HIS TOUCH HOLDS HER CAPTIVE...

From the ravens circling its spires to the gargoyles adorning its roof, Blackberry Manor looms ominously over its rambling grounds. And behind its doors, amid the flickering shadows and secret passageways, danger lies in wait.

TOO WICKED TO KISS by Romance Author Erica Ridley TO HIS EVERY DARK DESIRE...

Evangeline Pemberton has been invited to a party at the sprawling estate of reclusive Gavin Lioncroft, who is rumored to have murdered his parents. Initially, Gavin's towering presence and brusque manner instill fear in Evangeline...until his rakish features and seductive attentions profoundly arouse her. But when a guest is murdered, Evangeline is torn. Could the man to whom she is so powerfully drawn, also be a ruthless killer?

This book was part of my Sears haul and boy am I glad I didn't actually end up paying for this. I had really expected to like Ridley's debut more than I did. For most of the book I was so turned off by most of the characters it was a real effort to finish it. Evangeline is young woman who can see the past (or future) when she touches people. She's on the run from her abusive step father, but when she asks for sanctuary from one of her deceased mother's friends she instead finds herself stuck in a plot of trap Lioncroft into marriage. Add in a way sketchy 'house party' and a murder and you've got one mixed up gothic romance.

My ambivalence could be attributed to the fact that I don't read a lot of gothic historical romance, but I still feel like these characters could be better. I don't really love the way Evangeline is so much at the mercy of the people around her, Lady Stanton is a complete b*tch and I feel doesn't get enough of her own commuepance in the end, and finally Lioncroft blows hot and cold throught the whole book, depending of course on how much he misunderstands what's actually going on at any given time.

I know that sounds really bad, but the book does pull it out in the end. The murder mystery comes to a satisfactory ending, with enough intrigue to make you understand just how much complexity each of these characters actually has. Lioncroft finally realizea that he's kind of being a douche and reveals his feelings for Evangeline (I really like the picnic scene where both of them try to avoid looking at each other and he begrudgingly confesses how he feels), plus he gets to be a hero - though not too much of one. Even though Evangeline is scarred by the abuse from her stepfather she's able to pull herself out of her hysteria enough to start the process of escaping on her own. Then when Lioncroft does get there, she's the one who finally takes matters into her own hands to protect him and their future together.

I'd have to say from all that positives and negatives the book comes out okay, and I would like to read Ridley's next book to see where she goes as an author, but I'd definitely categorize this book as a library read.

Overall Feeling - Eh. It pulls itself out of a rut in the end, but for most of the book I was kind of confused why everyone loved it so much.

Series - 1) Too Wicked to Kiss 2) Too Sinful to Deny (Spring 2011)

Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh

Dev Santos discovers her unconscious and battered, with no memory of who she is. All she knows is that she's dangerous. Charged with protecting his people's most vulnerable secrets, Devi is duty-bound to eliminate all threats. It's a task he's never hesitated to complete...until he finds himself drawn to a woman who might prove to be the enemy's most insidious weapon yet.

Stripped of her memories by a shadowy oppressor and programmed to carry out cold-blooded murder, Katya Haas is fighting desperately for her sanity. Her only hope is Dev. But how can she expect to gain the trust of a man who could very well be her next target? For in this game, one must die...

I've talked before about how I love Nalini Singh. Her Psy-Changeling series is just incredible, with the perfect combination of love, sex, and heart pounding suspense. Some of her other books have really touch my heart, most especially Mine to Possess, but this was the first one to bring tears to my eyes. A romance! One I knew somehow had to have a happy ending still brought tears to my eyes, because as frustrating as it was to be along Dev and Katya's journey to each other, once they were a unit it was unbreakable and amazing.

......sorry about that. Sometimes I feel like I gush too much when I talk about her. But it's just so rare to have that an author who you know is going to write a great book. If I really thought about it, there are only about enough authors to fill up one hand that have that same distinction. Either way, it's another fantastic book and Nalini Singh even has a spot here on Blogspot where you can find her! You can take a look at her books and posts about everything, here.

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up. A great book that really touches the heart, it continues upon the high standards that Singh has set for herself with this series.

Series - 1) Slave to Sensation 2) Visions of Heat 3) Caressed by Ice 4) Mine to Possess 5) Hostage to Pleasure 6) Branded by Fire 7) Blaze of Memory

Out of the Light, Into the Shadows by Lori Foster and Erin McCarthy

The darkest hour is before the dawn... headlines a sinful new anthology where the dark and light sides of desire collide...

Embrace the darkness and experience the light in this all-new anthology filled with touching stories of happily ever after alongside smoldering tales of irresistibly dangerous, otherworldly passion. From bewitching emotions and untamed desire to dazzling romance and tantalizing sensuality, these novellas explore the complex facets of the human heart—both the light side and the dark.

I personally find that back cover explanation the most useless piece of information ever so I'm going to do a quick recap before we do the review. This anthology has four stories written by two authors (L.L. Foster is Lori Foster's paranormal genre pseudonym) and each authors' set of stories are connected to each other. Meaning the characters are all know each other and in the second story you see men and women from the first. Here are the stories in this particular anthology:

1) Lori Foster - "Have Mercy" - Mercedes didn't need another 6 months to know that she was in love with Wyatt and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. But how was he going to handle an over protective brother and the possibility of a baby on the way?

2) Erin McCarthy - "Deal or No Deal" - Katie is a vampire. One that's over a hundred years old and managed to survive the end of Tsar era in Russia. Michael is another vampire - one that will do anything to get back the love of both his life and undeath even if it means fighting against a 90 year old misunderstanding?

3) L.L. Foster- "Total Control" - Brax will no longer deny his desire. Cameo is his and it is fine time that she realizes that her only future will be with him! (Mercedes' Brother)

4) Erin McCarthy - "Undead Man's Hand" - With Katie all settled in with Michael, it's finally time for Nick to get his chance at a little eternal love. Jordan might be determined to do the best job she can, but being a murder cop in Vegas has it's ups and downs - and it's definitely a down moment when a new serial case is dumped in her lap. But maybe things can't be too bad if there are hot Russian body guards like Nick around to help take your mind off it all?

All in all I thought this was a good anthology. Unsurprisingly to me Lori Foster's stories outshone both of Erin McCarthy's by a big margin, but that's just kind of the way things are with Foster - she usually writes a damn good short story and it's hard to compete with that. Both as 'Lori' and 'L.L.' the stories were sizzling yet emotionally satisfiying, though in her 'L.L.' story you can definitely feel the hint of darkness that permeates more in her paranormal works. I just felt like McCarthy's stories were pretty average, with the endings in both (though Nick and Jordan's was a bit better) very predictable and without any of the challenge or connection that makes such a short story worth while.

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up. While McCarthy's stories aren't the greatest, Foster makes this an anthology I'm happy to have on my shelf.

Series - None.

Skin Trade by Laurell K Hamilton

When a vampire serial killer sends Anita Blake a grisly souvenir from Las Vegas, she has to warn Sin City's local authorities what they're dealing with. Only it's worse than she thought. Ten officers and one executioner have been slain - paranormal style. Anita heads to Vegas, where's she's joined by three other federal marshals, including the ruthless Edward. It's a good thing he always has her back, because when she gets close to the bodies, Anita senses 'tiger' too strongly to ignore it. The weretigers are very powerful in Las Vegas, which means the odds of her rubbing someone important the wrong way just got a lot higher.

Oh thank you writing gods- Anita Blake is back! I was really afraid after that last book, I mean, I was terrified. The story was just off and with Jason and his family at the center of it, it seemed less like a stand alone story and more (as a friend of mine put it) like a place holding novella like Micah. I almost wanted Hamilton to take a sabbatical or something, whatever she needed to get her mojo back with her Anita Blake books. This one hit it's stride though, helped along by Hamilton going back to her roots, with the story centering around murders committed by the vampire Vittorio. That, along with having Edward back (and the whole crew from Obsidian Butterfly), just made for a fantastic book and the new characters that Hamilton brings in just add to the whole picture created here. My personal preference has me wishing for a bit more of Jean Claude and a bit more of the relationship aspect that she's done in some of her other books, but I'm not complaining. Hamilton has brought Anita back into her own and given her a whole new set of problems and insecurities that we're be able to explore later in new books.

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up! I'm so happy I can say that!
Series - 1) Guilty Pleasure 2) The Laughing Corpse 3) The Circus of the Damned 4) The Lunatic Cafe 5) Bloody Bones 6) The Killing Dance 7) Burnt Offerings 8) Blue Moon 9) Obsidian Butterfly 10) Narcissus in Chains 11) Cerulean Sins 12) Incubus Dreams 13) Micah 14) Danse Macabre 15) The Harlequin 16) Blood Noir 17) Skin Trade

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, know little about vamps—and nothing about weres.

Until now. The weres and shifters have finally decided to reveal their existence to the ordinary world. At first all goes well. Then the mutilated body of a were-panther is found near the bar where Sookie works—and she feels compelled to discover who, human or otherwise, did it.

But there’s a far greater danger threatening Bon Temps. A race of unhuman beings—older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves—is preparing for war. And Sookie finds herself an all-too human pawn in their battle.

I think it is a testament to Harris' writing ability that while I can't quite figure out all of the feelings this book left me with, I know it was a great book. This latest addition to the Sookie Stackhouse books is just so intricate. There have always been an assorted amount of events and interations going on throughout Harris' books, they've never been simple, but this one just kind of blew my mind a bit with the places it went. Harris puts Sookie in a dark place in this book, and while violence has never been missing in this series, it's never quite been as prominently placed as it is here. There is still romance, there is still the hint that a happy ending (as it's usually defined) is going to appear somewhere, but Sookie's journey is far from over and I'm excited to see where Harris is going to go next.

Overall Feeling - Thumbs up. Darker, but still entertaining, this series is definitely going places.
Series - 1) Dead Until Dark 2) Living Dead in Dallas 3) Club Dead 4) Dead to the World 5) Dead as a Doornail 6) Definitely Dead 7) All Together Dead 8) From Dead to Worse 9) Dead and Gone

Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance

Cassandra Palmer may be the all-powerful Pythia now, but that doesn’t mean people have stopped trying to kill her. Most of the supernatural power players don’t want the independent minded Cassie as chief clairvoyant—and they’ll stop at nothing to see her six feet under.

The Vampire Senate does support Cassie in her position, but their protection comes with a price: an alliance with the sexy master vampire Mircea, who has claimed Cassie as his own.

But even the vampires will have trouble keeping Cassie alive now that the self-styled god Apollo, the source of the Pythia’s power, has it in for her in a big way. To save her life—and the world—Cassie’s going to have to face down her creator once and for all.

I always enjoy these books. Cassie is just a fun character - her relationships with Mircea and Pritkin are complex and filled with all kinds of sizzle. But more than that, the adventure in this story is just great to tag along with. Chance just has her plot filled with the ups and downs and crazy adventures of a fantastic series. When we get new characters, they're always colorful and add to the journey that Cassie and the rest are experiencing. Every new books shows the growth and progression of Cassie as Pythia and I can't wait to see where it all goes next!

Overall Feeling - Thumbs (definitely) up. It's another one of those you can't get without reading the previous books first, but who cares! They're all fun!
Series - 1) Touch the Dark 2) Claimed by Shadow 3) Embrace the Night 4) Curse the Dawn

The Scarletti Curse by Christine Feehan

THE BEAST
Strange, twisted carvings and hideous gargoyles adorned the palazzo of the great Scarletti family. But a still more fearful secret lurked within its storm-tossed turrets. For every bride who entered its forbidding walls was doomed to leave in a casket.

THE BRIDE
Mystical and unfettered, Nicoletta had no terror of ancient curses and no fear of marriage…until she looked into the dark mesmerizing eyes of Don Scarletti. She had sworn no man would command her, had thought her gift of healing set her apart, but his was the right to choose a bride from among his people. And he had chosen her.

THE BARGAIN
Compelled by duty, drawn by desire, she gave her body into his keeping, and prayed the powerful, tormented don would be her heart's destiny, and not her soul's demise.

Christine Feehan is one of my favorite authors. She always brings so much life to her characters (haha, little joke, because a lot her books are about pseudo-vampire guys called Carpathians). In this particular novel I think she does a wonderful job of making her book a very much Gothic style romance without making it too dramatic or unrelateable. I mean, you do have to be open to reading a book where the two main characters are 'paranormal' - both Nicoletta and Don Scarletti have telepathic powers, and Nicoletta in particular has the power to heal people. But together, their happy ending is always something the reader roots for. There are hidden enemies and memories which may or may not be true, and through it all you never lose touch with the romance at the heart of this tale. Nicoletta may be the innocent maiden but she does understand desire, and Don Scarletti shows the best of himself when he is with her and allowed to express his feelings and desire for her freely. I highly recommend this book, no matter what kind of romance, or non-romance, book you might think you tend to, because Feehan does a great job of making every reader feel welcome.

Touch the Dark by Karen Chance

Cassandra Parker can see the future and communicate with spirits - talents that make her attractive to the dead and the undead. When the bloodsucking fiend mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with vengeance on his mind, she's forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection. The undead senators won't help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire- and the price that he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay...

This book was really good. I mean, it surprised me with it's ability to hold my attention and keep me engaged. Karen Chance has created a likable character in Cassie, and her exploits definitely left me yearning for more. I appreciate a female character that can kick butt without being annoying, and Cassie will be one that I'll remember for awhile. But beyond the well thought out and organized world Chance has created, the characters around Cassie are also great ones. Tomas and an old friend (a male one that is oh, so fine) named Mircea are enough to keep all the girls interested. Yet beyond nice bodies, the male characters in this book are intelligent and just strong enough to give our heroine a run for her money. Wonderful! I was also really impressed with the way that Chance wrote erotic scenes that were just that - erotic. She wasn't overly explicit and didn't use stereotypical language about bulges and panting. Instead she wrote believable and arousing passages that deginitely left me excited about what would happen between her characters next. As a big Laurell K Hamilton and Charlaine Harris fan, I have come to expect a lot from newcomers to the paranormal romance field, and Chance pulls it off nicely and has me looking forward to the next book in this great series.