Stacey Kennedy is an urban fantasy lover at heart, but she also enjoys losing herself in dark and sensual worlds. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, who gave her a happily-ever-after. Together, they have two small children who can always make her smile, and who will never be allowed to read Mommy’s books. If she’s not plugging away at a new story, you’ll find her camping, curling up with the latest flick, or obsessing over Sons of Anarchy and Game of Thrones.
Werewolves Be Damned (Magic & Mayhem #1)
by Stacey Kennedy
Synopsis:
Nexi Jones—part witch, part guardian, and wannabe kick-ass warrior—can’t throw a punch or conjure the simplest magic. But that doesn’t stop her from hunting the werewolves who slaughtered her human family. She’ll have her revenge, but only if Kyden, the elite guardian, would get the hell out of her way.
Kyden can’t decide if Nexi wants to get herself killed or if she just has no clue what she’s doing. But her father made it clear: keep Nexi safe…or else. Of course, the more Nexi runs toward revenge, the more she needs Kyden’s aid, and as she grows into her power and confidence, so does his desire to protect her. The only problem? She’d rather he dropped dead.
But when a vampire paints a bull’s-eye on Nexi’s back, she’s hard-pressed to deny Kyden and the help he’s offering. Even if it means getting her revenge will be a little bit harder. At least it will still be as sweet.
This story was previously published elsewhere under the title The Willow in 2010, and has been revised and expanded for Entangled Publishing.
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
*eARC received from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review
Werewolves be Damned is another 5 Skull reason why I adore Stacey Kennedy, it was simply fantastic! Truth, Justice, and the Preternatural way...just the way I like it! :)
Kyden is perfect; just the right amount of snark, compassion, alpha-maleness, and naughtiness.
Nexi is a heroine that you can't help but root for. She's strong, independent, talented, and confident, and comes to life on the page.
Together they make an uber sexy power couple and I simply adore them.
Add this amazing leading duo to a world that flows like the best champagne, and a mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat with every action packed moment, and you have this brand new Stacey Kennedy masterpiece.
LITERAL ADDICTION gives Werewolves be Damned 5 Skulls and highly recommends it!!
Werewolves Be Damned
Zoe Archer is an award-winning romance author who thinks there's nothing sexier than a man in tall boots and a waistcoat. As a child, she never dreamed about being the rescued princess, but wanted to kick butt right beside the hero. She now applies her master's degrees in Literature and Fiction to creating butt-kicking heroines and heroes in tall boots. She is the author of the acclaimed BLADES OF THE ROSE series and the paranormal historical romance series, THE HELLRAISERS. She and her husband, fellow romance author Nico Rosso, trade off writing the books in the steampunk romance series THE ETHER CHRONICLES. June 2013 will see the launch of her new gritty Victorian romance series, NEMESIS, UNLIMITED for St. Martin's Press. Zoe and Nico live in Los Angeles.
Sinner's Heart (The Hellraisers #3)
by Zoe Archer
Synopsis:
DEMONS OF THE PAST
Abraham Stirling, Lord Rothwell, was a fighter once, a soldier in the Colonies. But Bram returned to London with more nightmares than tales of glory. Now he drowns his senses in the arms of countless women, while his friends, the Hellraisers, ensure he needn't sin alone.
Until, that is, the Devil himself grants them each a wish, undoing their camaraderie as they explore their wicked powers. Bram finds himself magically bound to Valeria Livia Corva, the sensuous priestess who raised the Devil the first time—and died to send the demon back.
She may be a ghost, but Livia is no angel. The raw passion she witnesses in Bram's memories isn't much different from her behavior when she had a body to enjoy. But it doesn't make it any easier to convince Bram to become a warrior again, lest all London burn. And the fierce desires reawakening within her might just start the blaze...
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson
*ARC Received from the Author in exchange for an honest Review
Sinner's Heart is the 3rd installment of Zoe Archer's HELLRAISERS series, but can easily be read as a stand-alone thanks to the author's subtle way of catching the reader up when needed throughout the story.
After the events in Devil's Kiss and Demon's Bride, we are down to our last 2 Hellraisers and world full of chaos. The evil is being felt far and wide and John - our studious hellraiser - is hell bent (pun intended) on carrying out the Dark One's wishes, taking over, and literally making hell on earth. Bram - the warrior hellraiser - has decided that life isn't all it's cracked up to be even with the 'gifts' fron the Dark One. With the help of the beautiful, and sometimes aggravating, ghost, Livia, Bram decides to make a stand.
Throughout the tale we get some heart racing action, wonderful historical moments, thrilling horror, and breath-quickening romance - seriously, one of the scenes is quite possibly one of the sexiest scenes I have read in a good long while, and I read A LOT!
LITERAL ADDICTION gives Sinner's Heart 5 Skulls and highly recommends it. I would suggest that you read the entire trilogy thus far in order, but if you're absolutely dying to read Sinner's Heartand just don't have the time to read the 2 previous installments of the series, it can be read as a stand-alone novel, though you will be missing out on some wonderful reading... :)
Sinner's Heart
New York Times Bestselling author Stephanie Tyler writes what she loves to read - romantic suspense novels starring military heroes and paranormal romance novels novels starring warrior heroes, all complete with happy endings. She also co-writes as Sydney Croft. She lives in New York with her husband, her kids and her crazy Weimaraner, Gus.
Surrender (Section 8 #1)
by Stephanie Tyler
Synopsis:
DESPERATE, FEARLESS, AND HUNTED
For former Navy SEAL Dare O’Rourke, Section 8 was legendary. The son of one of its missing members, he grew up in the shadow of its secrets. All he knew was that it was a cabal of operatives discharged from branches of the military and reassigned to extremely dangerous, off- the-books international missions. And that their handler was as shrouded in mystery as the missions themselves.
NOTHING CAN STOP THEM. NOTHING CAN BREAK THEM.
Now the handler of Section 8 has given orders to kill any remaining members, along with their families. Dare must save his long-lost half sister, Avery, whom he was never meant to meet. Determined to fight for their lives and find their missing father, Dare and Avery bring together for one last mission those who are in danger because of their relationship to Section 8—to avenge their families and to survive.
**ADDED BY AUTHOR: Dare's love interest in this book is NOT his half sister - I promise!***
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
Well, I'm no longer a Romantic Suspense virgin, and I am so, SO happy that I chose Surrender to be my first - the book was amazing!! ;-)
SECTION 8 is a spin-off of Stephanie's other Romantic Suspense series, but Surrender can easily be read as a stand-alone. There is plenty of back-story provided when needed to make the book flow smoothly, but a word of warning... when you finish Surrender you're going to want to go back and read everything Stephanie has ever written. :)
The book is chock full of suspense, mystery, intrigue, action and romance, and is written so superbly you will be turning pages frantically and swearing under your breath when you're forced to take a break.
Our team of characters - Dare, Grace, Jem, Key, Gunner and Avery are brought together to solve the mystery behind the deaths and disappearances of their loved ones and just make it out the other side alive. Their alliance isn't an easy one, however. Each has their secrets, and there is a lot of mistrust given the covert nature of Section 8 and what's been happening. The uneasy alliance makes for some wicked tension (both romantic and otherwise) and creates an amazing romantic suspense!
The plot twists were wonderful; Stephanie had me shaking my head on several occasions and kept my heart rate up through the majority of the book, and while I'd love to tell you more, I don't do spoilers so you're just going to have to go and check it out for yourself!
There was plenty of set up for the upcoming books in the series as well and I can't wait to see what will happen.
LITERAL ADDICTION gives Surrender 4 1/2 Skulls and HIGHLY recommends it!
Surrender
Cynthia Eden is a national best-selling author of paranormal romance and romantic suspense novels. Her books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, and her novel, DEADLY FEAR, was named a RITA® finalist for best romantic suspense.
Cynthia is a southern girl who loves horror movies, chocolate, and happy endings.
Die for Me: A Novel of the Valentine Killer
by Cynthia Eden
Synopsis:
She thought her fiancé was the perfect man—until he turned out to be the perfect killer…
Katherine Cole is running for her life, desperate to escape the Valentine Killer—so-called because he stabs his victims through the heart and leaves them holding a telltale single red rose. Still he tracks her to New Orleans and begins carving a bloody path to her door. But this time, Katherine refuses to run any farther. This time, she’ll do anything to stop the madman she once loved, even trust the sexy cop promising to keep her safe…
Detective Dane Black never lets his emotions interfere with his job, even as the Valentine Killer surfaces in New Orleans to stalk his prey. But when Dane agrees to protect the killer’s ex-fiancée, Katherine Cole, he can’t ignore the passion kindling between them. After a single unforgettable night binds them body and soul, Dane knows he won’t rest until Katherine is safe in his arms—and the Valentine Killer is dead.
Dark and intensely sexy, this romantic suspense novel from USA Today bestselling author Cynthia Eden is sure to leave readers breathless.
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
A good murder-mystery thriller is like chocolate for me, and I devour Patterson, Deaver, Johansen and more whenever I can.... Die for Me was like the best chocolate found in the far corners of Europe, and I LOVED very single page! It's an action packed, gripping psychological thriller that had me yearning for more. Having only read Cynthia's Paranormals prior to this, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it, and will definitely be checking out some of her other RS titles ASAP.
Our villain is a super creepy serial killer. He's damaged, scarred, and obsessive beyond comprehension and has his sights set on the only woman he's ever been able to truly love (or so his warped mind believes).
Our hero is a no-nonsense detective, but he has a weakness for his initial suspect, the villain's ex-fiance, and victim, Katherine. The internal struggles he deals with when torn between duty and his heart are incredibly emotional and definitely believable.
Katherine is a very strong heroine, even though she has her obvious weaknesses. She survived the nightmare of finding out that her fiance was a killer and is determined to bring him to justice no matter the cost.
The mystery is full of twists & turns, and even though some of the outcomes were predictable, it made the story no less intense and compelling.
LITERAL ADDICTION gives Die for Me 4 Skulls and believes it will make both romance and suspense lovers happy. I can't wait to check out more romantic suspense from Cynthia Eden!
Die for Me
MaryJanice Davidson is an American author who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult and non-fiction. She is the creator of the popular Undead series. She is both a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. She won a 2004 Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award and was nominated for the same award in 2005.
Undead and Underwater
by MaryJanice Davidson
Synopsis:
Betsy Taylor and the Wyndham werewolves are back in three all-new outrageous novellas from New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson.
MaryJanice Davidson “continues to put her own unique spin on paranormal romance” (Fallen Angel Reviews) in these hilarious and sexy new novellas featuring Undead Queen Betsy Taylor as she meets Fred the mermaid, an all-new female superhero, and Lara Wyndham, the daughter of the Pack leader of the Wyndham werewolves.
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Guest Reviewer - Kathy M:
MaryJanice Davidson's latest, Undead and Underwater is a hoot. Three all new novellas, MaryJanice once again tickles the funny bone with her light hearted take on paranormal romance.
Super, Girl! is the first story out of the gate. Hailey Derry is a reluctant superhero as well as a human resource representative. While this story wasn't quite the caliber of Ms. Davidson's normal work, I liked it well enough.
Next up, Undead and Underwater, more than delivered. Bringing Betsy from the Undead series and Fred from the Mermaid series together was a stroke of genius. Loved it.
And finally, Incomer revisits the Wyndham Werewolves in the year 2025 with Lara now an adult and new pack alpha. It was a howling good time. (forgive the bad pun).
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and happily give it 4 skulls. It's a must read for any MaryJanice Davidson fan.
Undead and Underwater
Sylvia Day (aka S. J. Day and Livia Dare) is the #1 New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of more than a dozen award-winning novels translated into over three dozen languages. She has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Author and her work has been honored as Amazon's Best of the Year in Romance. She has won the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award and been nominated for Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA® award twice.
Eve of Choas
by Sylvia Day
Synopsis:
Eve of Chaos
How do you tell Satan that you ran over his hellhound?
Evangeline Hollis has no idea and she doesn't want to find out. Living with the Mark of Cain—and the two sexy brothers who come with it—is trouble enough. She doesn't need to borrow more. Too bad Satan is too pissed to oblige her.
Incensed at the loss of his pet, Satan has put a bounty on Eve's head, and Hell's denizens are converging en masse. The proliferation of Infernals is complicating Eve's hunts and creating chaos in her once orderly life. They've also brought her to the attention of an overzealous reverend who is certain she's Jezebel reincarnate.
How can a Mark drafted by God strike a bargain with the Devil? Eve's about to find out...
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
I loved this book!
The book picks up where the 2nd book, Eve of Destruction, leaves off, with Evangeline trying to figure out how to deal with all of the crap on her plate, her boss missing and presumed dead, and Alec (a.k.a Cain) not at all himself.
When Raguel went missing, only a handful of people thought he was still alive given the fact that Cain was promoted to archangel (presumably to fill his void). Eve feels that she would KNOW if he was dead though, and is bound and determined to find and rescue him. Unfortunately, that's only 1 of her MANY problems. She is on the run from Satan (what's new, right!?) after recently running over his dog, her relationship with Alec (Cain) is getting worse and worse following his promotion and the strangeness he's exhibiting because of it, and she's not sure what to do with her growing feelings for Reed (Abel).
The entire book from beginning to end is chock full of action. There are some super sexy moments (something you don't always get in an Urban Fantasy), characters that you can't help but love and hate, and a tantalizing plot with hints and sub-stories that are utterly compelling.
Even though I generally don't like love triangles, the tension filled relationship between Cain (Alec), Eve and Reed (Abel) is essential to the plot of these books and thoroughly enjoyable in its own right (as surprising as I found that to be, personally). :)
As you may have noticed online, MARKED is listed in most places as a "Trilogy". Given the ending of this book it's just not possible... it would be utterly unfair to leave the reader with so many questions and jaw dropping awe. After a little research, I discovered that because of SJ's dual writing personality, there was more need for her time on her other series and therefore, these books didn't get picked up again. They have been re-released now with new covers and things, and thankfully, the follow-up novella Eve of Warfare that supposedly wraps things up a bit is still available in eBook format (yes I will be reading this ASAP!). There is actually another short story following that, Eve of Sin City, so us MARKED fans have a tiny bit more before we have to say adieu.
LITERAL ADDICTION gives Eve of Chaos 5 Skulls and would recommend the entire series to Urban Fantasy fans far and wide. I think Paranormal Romance readers who enjoy plots rooted in religion would enjoy these books as well. There isn't a lot of romance, but when it's there, it's fabulous.
Eve of Chaos
Karina Cooper
After writing happily ever afters for all of her friends in school, Karina Cooper eventually grew up (sort of), went to work in the real world (kind of), where she decided that making stuff up was way more fun (true!). She is the author of dark and sexy paranormal romance, steampunk urban fantasy, and writes across multiple genres with mad glee.
One part glamour, one part dork and all imagination, Karina is also a gamer, an airship captain’s wife, and a steampunk fashionista. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with a husband, a menagerie, a severe coffee habit, and a passel of adopted gamer geeks. Visit her at www.karinacooper.com, because she says so.
Wicked Lies
by Karina Cooper
Synopsis:
In this Dark Mission novella, Jonas Stone emerges from the shadows into his own story, and finally allows himself to have the same shot at love he's given his friends.
Jonas Stone has been given his first independent operation: rescue the insurrection leader's imprisoned grandson from the Mission. Getting the job done means more than getting Danny Granger out--it means staying with him while he heals. Staying too close, for way too long.
Danny is everything Jonas isn't: confident, optimistic, honest--a man to be reckoned with. If only it didn't mean going against everything Jonas has planned. He's kept his secrets for years, hid behind a mask no one could see through...until now. Danny isn't the kind of man Jonas deserves. But he might be exactly the man he needs...
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
*eARC received from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review
Wicked Lies was an incredibly moving novella by the fabulous Karina Cooper & to make it even better, all proceeds are going to support a great Charity - the It Gets Better Project!
I love me some nerd, so when Karina had mentioned that Jonas's story would be coming up in a previous chat, I was very excited. In this crazy world of Supernaturals vs. the Church (where things are NEVER black and white), Jonas is the heir apparent for the tech genius spot of the rebel force, even though he used to be employed by the Church...
When the Rebellion leader's grandson is kidnapped and tortured, Jonas is called upon to help Danny escape. While on the brink of death, yet still holding out, Danny hears this voice on the other end of a comm and gains some hope. He instantly feels a connection and dubs Jonas his "angel". The interaction between Danny and Jonas during the escape was amazing; abstract and yet incredibly touching and emotional.
In true dark and gritty Karina Cooper fashion, however, there are no easy 'happily-ever-afters'. While Danny knows that he's gay and isn't shy about the fact that he is very interested in Jonas, he's got a long way to go both emotionally and physically to get over the trauma of his ordeal. Jonas on the other hand struggles with his sexuality because of the time he spent with the church, and has his own personal demons outside of that which he battles. This creates quite the wall between the two, and makes reading their struggles and surrender even more heart-felt.
This relationship pairing is stellar! Jonas and Danny are both similarly (yet opposing) tortured men, thrown into an action packed and intense situation and required to rely on only each other despite their hangups. It was awesome to see the give and take between the two, and the growth of character in just a short novella was nothing short of incredible.
LITERAL ADDICTION gives Wicked Lies 4 skulls and would definitely recommend it. It can be read as a stand-alone story, but the rest of Karina's DARK MISSION series is certainly worth checking out!
Wicked Lies
