Review: How Beauty Met The Beast by Jax Garren

Book 1

Tales of the Underlight

The Beast

Scarred. Damaged. Living with a terrible secret. Agent of the Underlight Wesley "Hauk" Haukon has nothing left but the fight for liberty against the oppressive Order of Ananke. He's starting to lose hope...and then he sees her.

The Beauty

Despite her night job as a burlesque dancer, grad student Jolie Benoit has always played the mostly good girl. That all changes following a scorching sexual encounter with a stranger whose face she doesn't see. After she's kidnapped by thugs and rescued by a man with a very familiar voice, Jolie becomes a pawn in a struggle she never knew existed.

Hauk knows he cannot have her, and resolves to protect his heart and his secrets. But as they work together and grow closer, he finds new reason to keep fighting. Dare he risk hope in a new life, one where Jolie can see past his ravaged face and where their friendship can grow into something more?

I gave this book a 

  

How Beauty Met The Beast by Jax Garren is a favorite fairy tale kicked up a notch!  This story takes and adds gritty, in your face, elements to a fairy tale we have all come to love. Steamy chemistry between Jolie and Hauk make this story a keeper.  Our scarred hero makes us believers in this interesting story, filled with intrigue.  I wanted more!

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Publisher:Carina Press

Pub Date: November 19, 2011

Source Code: R

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A Cinfully Wonderful Reviews~ The Scent of Shadows by Vicki Petersson

Book 1

Sign of the Zodiac 

When she was sixteen, Joanna Archer was brutally assaulted and left to die in the Nevada desert.
By rights, she should be dead.

Now a photographer by day, she prowls a different Las Vegas after sunset—a grim, secret Sin City where Light battles Shadow—seeking answers to whom or what she really is . . . and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure.

But the nightmare is just beginning—for the demons are hunting Joanna, and the powerful shadows want her for their own . . .

Cindy's Review.......

       I had the whole set of Vicki Pettersson's Zodiac series sitting on my to be read shelf. For some reason I kept passing over them. I don't know why...I just did. Now I'm mentally kicking myself for doing that...these books, at least book one, are wonderful! Book 2...NEXT! Joanna Archer has had a troubled time all her life, when she was a young teen she left her boyfriends house, and when she cut through the desert, returning home, she was raped, beaten and left for dead. As she lay in the hospital the boy she loved could not stand that he let her go alone and felt guilty and so they parted. 10 years later, on her 25th birthday, a very weird and smelly man tries to kill her. The detective who arrests him is the boy who left her 10 years prior. The spark is still there, so she reunites with him. Joanna then heads to her sisters 9th story condo to celebrate and open her special gift from her beautiful baby sister. And then things get worse, and still worse and then....things get worse. I was so heartsick for Joanna...She finds that she is a Zodiac warrior, charged with keeping the balance of light and dark between the shadow warriors who delight in causeing death and chaos through out Joanna's beloved town of Las Vegas. Training begins in ernest for Joanna....And she MUST leave all the friends and lover's in her life. Joanna must cease to exit. To the world Joanna Archer must be dead. Look out shadow warriors...this pissed off gal is out for vengance.

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Review: Moons Dreaming by Susan Sizemore and Maguerite Krause

New York Times bestselling author Susan Sizemore and co-writer Marguerite Krause weave a tale of intrigue and magic, love and sacrifice in the Children of the Rock fantasy duology.

In a world under three moons, in the courts and villages of three kingdoms, the fate of the Dreamers is at stake. Only Dreamers can bend the power of the gods and perform the magic that holds chaos at bay. But a recent plague has ravaged the population and damaged, perhaps irreparably, the very fabric of society. Most Shapers no longer believe in magic, and many Keepers no longer see any need for it.

Dreamers are always few in number, born of rare unions between ruling Shapers and peasant Keepers. Unfortunately, love between the rulers and the ruled has grown harder and harder to come by. Only King Sene of Sitrine grasps the importance of saving the Dreamers from extinction. Meanwhile, the death of one princess sends another princes, Vray of Rhenlan, into exile. The queen of Dherrica is murdered, and a few Keepers, among them Jordy the carter and Dael, captain of the royal guard of Rhenlan, begin to contemplate revolution. After all, if the world no longer needs Dreamers, does it really need Shapers, either? Prince Damon of Rhenlan also relishes the idea of a world where Dreamers and the gods they supposedly serve are relegated to their proper place: relics of ancient myth and superstition. Damon sees no use for tradition, or the laws and vows that hinder a man from obtaining all the wealth and power he desires.



The rare and tender love essential for the birth of Dreamers stirs between a few couples amid the conflict…but how can these small sparks be enough to overcome the dark threat of madness and war?

I gave this book a 

  

Moon's Dreaming was a great read. The characters and world are wonderful, they capture you.
The plot and fantasy are wonderful, but the story is very slow paced.

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Publisher:

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ARC: Silent Warrior by Lindsey Piper

Prequel

Dragon Kings 

An exciting, emotionally charged prequel to the Dragon Kings trilogy featuring warriors fighting for their lives in violent cage matches to guarantee their clans’ survival—available exclusively as an eBook!

A silent woman ashamed of her criminal background becomes a Cage warrior to seek redemption. An unrepentant fortune hunter will do anything to escape his mounting debts. Although rivals on the streets of Hong Kong, they find common ground when seeking their clan’s stolen idol, but for vastly different reasons. Neither one suspects that love will begin when he becomes the first man in five years to hear her speak.

I gave this book a 

  

I'm super excited with this new find! Silent Warrior by Lindsey Piper lets reader have a savory taste of what is to develop in the upcoming Dragon Kings series. Fighting scenes, smoldering passion, and vibrant worlds are just some of what Piper has in store for you! Scenes are poignant and seething in detail. Piper has opened a door into a riveting new world that will have readers pleading for more. Silent Warrior has snagged me and I want more of the Dragon Kings, June can not come soon enough!

Visit Lindsey Piper

www.lindseypiper.com

Publisher: Pocket Star

Pub Date: April 22, 2013

This Title was Accepted via

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ARC: If You Give a Rake a Ruby (#2- Jewels of the Ton) by Shana Galen

Her Mysterious Past Is The Best Revenge . . .

Fallon, the Marchioness of Mystery, is a celebrated courtesan with her finger on the pulse of high society. She’s adored by men, hated by their wives. No one knows anything about her past, and she plans to keep it that way.

Only He Can Offer Her A Dazzling Future . . .

Warrick Fitzhugh will do anything to protect his compatriots in the Foreign Office, including seduce Fallon, who he thinks can lead him to the deadliest crime lord in London. He knows he’s putting his life on the line . . .
To Warrick’s shock, Fallon is not who he thinks she is, and the secrets she’s keeping are exactly what make her his heart’s desire . . .

I gave this book a 

    

Applause for If You Give a Rake a Ruby by Shana Galen!  Galen proceeds to delight readers in the second installment of the Jewels of the Ton! This spine-tingling romance will thrill readers as they are swept into another race to find the identity of a killer.   Galen presents us with Warrick, an enticing and divine male that will have you hanging on his every action and word. Fallon will charm you with her abilities and confidence especially set in this time period.  She is one of a kind and the chemistry between Warrick and herself turn this historical into a conflagrant and consuming read.  I was thrilled with the Warrick's ability to speak his heart and stand apart from other male heroes.  To say I am "excited" to read the next book in the series would be a very mild term.  Thank you, Galen,  for such a wonderful read!

Read more from this author visit 

www.shanagalen.com

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Publisher: Sourcebooks
                 Sourcebooks Casablanca

Pub Date: Mar. 5, 2013

This Title was Accepted via

 

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Review: When You Give a Duke a Diamond (Jewels of the Ton #1) by Shana Galen

Book 1

Jewels of the Ton

He had a perfectly orderly life...

William, the sixth Duke of Pelham, enjoys his punctual, securely structured life. Orderly and predictable—that's the way he likes it. But he's in the public eye, and the scandal sheets will make up anything to sell papers. When the gossip papers link him to Juliette, one of the most beautiful and celebrated courtesans in London, chaos doesn't begin to describe what happens next...

Until she came along...

Juliette is nicknamed the Duchess of Dalliance and has the cream of the nobility at her beck and call. It's disruptive to have the duke who is the biggest catch on the Marriage Mart scaring her other suitors away. Then she discovers William's darkest secret and decides what he needs in his life is the kind of excitement only she can provide...

I gave this book a 

  

When You Give A Duke a Diamond by Shana Galen is historical romance at its wittiest! Galen brings us audacious and animated characters that will keep you in stitches.  Juliette's use of amusing sarcasm and expressions allow readers to experience this story in a unique way, being fodder for gossip mongers never looked so fun.  The Dangerous Duke, Will, gets tastier on each page as readers watch his transformation.  Mystery and intrigue grip this story from the very beginning, not to mention a ghastly murder. I enjoyed this  book and look forward to the next, If You Give a Rake a Ruby by Shana Galen. In fact, I will be reviewing the ARC as soon as I'm done writing this review!  Thank you Shana Galen for making this journey so memorable. 

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Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Pub Date: September 4th 2012

Source Code: R

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Review Rush by Maya Banks

Book 1

Breathless Series

Gabe, Jace, and Ash: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Gabe, it’s making one particular fantasy come true with a woman who was forbidden fruit. Now she’s ripe for the picking...

When Gabe Hamilton saw Mia Crestwell walk into the ballroom for his hotel’s grand opening, he knew he was going to hell for what he had planned. After all, Mia is his best friend’s little sister. Except she’s not so little anymore. And Gabe has waited a long time to act on his desires.

Gabe has starred in Mia’s fantasies more than once, ever since she was a teenager with a huge crush on her brother’s best friend. So what if Gabe’s fourteen years older? Mia knows he’s way out of her league, but her attraction has only grown stronger with time. She’s an adult now, and there’s no reason not to act on her most secret desires.

As Gabe pulls her into his provocative world, she realizes there’s a lot she doesn’t know about him or how exacting his demands can be. Their relationship is intense and obsessive, but as they cross the line from secret sexual odyssey to something deeper, their affair runs the risk of being exposed—and vulnerable to a betrayal far more intimate than either expected.

I gave this book a 

  

Rush by Maya Banks was not what I wanted.  I was so frustrated with this read.  I wanted a different kind of spicy not a copy of one I've already enjoyed.  I enjoyed the characters, but sadly they were not the main  characters, they were the secondary characters that will be showcased in future books. Gabe and Mia fell short for me, they lacked luster.  I love Maya Banks, but was not happy with this book.  That being said, I do plan to read the next book in the series, Fever, because I want to learn more about Jace and catch a glimpse of Ash, my favorite of all the characters.

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Publisher: Berkley

Pub Date: February 5, 2013

Source Code: R

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Review: Collide by Juliana Stone

Book 2
The Barker Triplets Trilogy

A second chance never looked so good…

Bobbi-Jo Barker has been in love with the wrong man for years. A man who doesn't fit into the perfect, controlled life she's created.A man who not only broke her heart but nearly destroyed her. So the fact that he's back in town shouldn't matter because he's all wrong for her, or so she thinks...

Shane Gallagher, prodigal son, ex-con, and all around hellion, has returned to the small town of New Waterford to mend fences and get his life back. What he doesn’t count on are the feelings he still has for the one woman who can break him—the one woman who is totally wrong for him.

And yet, as Bobbi and Shane are thrown together and begin to navigate a life with each other in it, neither can deny the attraction they feel, or the emotions that come with it—the good and the bad. And so the question becomes… can these two damaged souls survive a second chance at love?

I gave this book a 

  

Collide by Juliana Stone gives readers another breathless read!  We finally learn the details of Shane and Bobbi's horrid past.  Shane will win fans as he sets to win the lovely Bobbi back, even if he has to use unseemly means to do it.   Shane and Bobbi are amazing and their story, their pain and passion palpable. I enjoyed this book so much, especially as the plot thickens with questions about the next Barker triplet! I recommend this series and I can't wait for the next book in the series Conceal!

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Publisher: 

Pub Date: 

Source Code: R

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Review: Offside by Juliana Stone

Book 1

The Barker Triplets

When hockey phenom Billie-Jo Barker returns home and decides to play in the local Friday night hockey league, all hell breaks loose. Not because Billie's talent is in question, but because Billie is a woman. And though these are modern times, some of the local guys still have a problem letting a girl into their 'men's club.'

Soon, Billie is at the center of a small town battle of the sexes, with everyone choosing sides. Her sisters. The townsfolk. Her friends. And yet, the only person whose opinion she cares about doesn't seem to care much at all. Logan Forest, the man who broke her heart when she was eighteen and the man she now shares the bench with every Friday night.

She's got a lot to prove and though Billie Jo Barker scores on the ice, will this girl ever score with the man of her dreams?

I gave this book a 

   

I'm currently on this contemporary romance kick, and who better to feed my addiction than Juliana Stone.  Stone packs real drama in the first book in the Barker trilogy with three spicy sisters that happen to be triplets.  Their lives are far from pretty, these women have spunk and grab the reader's attention as their lives unravel.  Offside was a wonderful introduction to the Barker triplets.  Steamy scenes are sure to titillate readers as they are swept up into the life and love story of Bille and Logan.  A must read! I look forward to the next book in the trilogy. 

Thank you Juliana, you make us all yearn for a bad boy.

 Now, off to read Collide (The Barker Triplets)

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Publisher: Juliana Stone

Pub Date: September 30, 2012

Source Code:  R

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Fools for Luv Blog Hop Winner!

The Winner of Readaholics Anonymous'

 Fools for Luv Blog Hop 

is....

kaladata2@gmail.com

You Won the 

Kindle Edition 

of 

Edge of Dawn by Lara Adrian 

Your prize will be pre-ordered and delivered

 to your device on February 26, 2013

Please confirm your win  via email in order to process your prize!

Thank you to all that participated!

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ARC: Keeper of the Moon (The Keepers: L.A., #2) by Harley Jane Kozak

Book 2

The Keepers: LA

In their new Keeper roles, these extraordinary women must balance the fate of the world with their desires... Lust. Elven Keeper Sailor Gryffald's body quivers with it, but is it a symptom of the deadly Scarlet Pathogen coursing through her bloodstream or the proximity of shifter Keeper Declan Wainwright?

Sailor and Declan have had an uneasy relationship ever since they met, and now things are about to get a lot more complicated. A killer is stalking Los Angeles, intentionally infecting Elven with the deadly virus, and now Sailor and Declan must work to keep the supernatural peace while bringing the murderer to justice. But, in doing so, these powerful denizens of the Otherworld find themselves straddling a fine line between lust...and love.

I gave this book a 

  

Keeper of the Moon by Harley Jane Kozak brings an interesting new twist to shifters, elven, and other otherworld creatures, we have come to know. Kozak weaves a mystery for readers, we follow the Keepers as they search for a killer.  I loved Declan and Sailor, but wished they had spent more time together.  I have not read the first book in the series, but I feel as if I should have in order to have a better understanding of this unique world set in L.A. The story was a bit bland for me and at times confusing, characters spent more time on the phone than face to face.  Until the very end, where this tale takes off and I actually enjoyed the drama that unfolded, I wasn't sure if I was going to read more in the Keeper series! The ending in fact saved the story for me, made me want to see where else the Keeper story will go.  

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Publisher:  Harlequin

Pub Date: Mar 5 2013

This Title was Accepted via

 

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