[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Fangs for Nothing

Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love

Kathy Love has been labeled “a character-driven author, who prefers complex subjects that add an emotional, humorous edge" by Romantic Times. Originally from Maine, she now resides in Maryland with her husband, chatterbox three-year-old daughter, Emily, and Squiggy Piggy, a very sweet guinea pig. She writes the awesome NEW ORLEANS VAMPIRES,YOUNG BROTHERS and STEPP SISTERS series.

Erin McCarthy sold her first book to Kensington Brava through author Lori Foster’s website contest in 2002, much to her continued amazement. Twenty-four books later, Erin is entertaining both Brava and Berkley readers with her sassy, sexy tales of contemporary and paranormal romance. Her LAS VEGAS VAMPIRES series debuted in August 2006, with “High Stakes” hitting #1 on the B&N trade romance list. Erin also writes paranormal young adult novels under the name Erin Lynn, and is the proud creator of the FAST TRACK, NY GIRLFRIENDS, BOWLING FRIENDS and, SEVEN DEADLY SINS and CUTTERSVILLE series.

You can find the ladies online at the following places:
Kathy’s Website, Erin’s Website, Kathy on Facebook, Erin on Facebook, Kathy on Twitter, Erin on Twitter, Kathy on GoodReads and Erin on GoodReads.

Erin and Kathy have been friends for over ten years and have taken many trips to New Orleans together - they’ve made friends on Bourbon Street, listened to lots of Journey, seen many a weird thing, and shared a lot of laughs. So, when they talked about collaborating on a book, it made sense to combine three things that they both love: New Orleans, vampires, and a sense of the absurd, which led to the creation of THE FANGOVER series – which incidentally has been doing so well, they’re making it ongoing and changed the name to THE IMPALERS (the name of the vampire band the characters are part of). 

Fangs for Nothing, THE IMPALERS Book #2

by Erin McCarthy and Kathy Love

Synopsis:

When one of their own ties the knot with a dominatrix (no pun intended), The Impalers—a vampire rock band—are ready to party down. But trouble awaits them once again when they wake up…

Attending their bandmate Saxon’s wedding seemed simple enough for Johnny Malone and Drake Hanover. But after waking up in a dominatrix’s dungeon, they realize their cash and cell phones have been stolen—along with the bride’s wedding dress and the groom. And then there’s the matter of the two women in the room…

Loose cannon Johnny is handcuffed to Lizette, an uptight paper pusher. She wants to help save Johnny from the horrible fate in store for him at the hands of the Vampire Alliance, but he won’t sign the paperwork. Then there’s Josie, the waifish caterer from the reception, who rescues Drake from a sex swing. Josie may be cute and make a great cupcake, but Drake knows she might also be the thief. Or it could have been that gang of drag queens all dressed as Cher…

Regardless, Johnny and Lizette need to get out of these handcuffs. Drake and Josie need to find their missing belongings. And Saxon needs to be located before the Vampire Alliance comes down on them hard.

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
Another super fun read from Erin & Kathy!! I simply adore these books.

We met our crazy cast in The Fangover, book #1. That book had me shaking my head every step of the way and laughing insanely. In Fangs For Nothing, a part of our IMPALER cast is back with some new friends and enemies, and once again a big black hole where memories of what happened should be...

The Fangover gave us sex, blood, & rock-n-roll, with an alcoholic parrot singing Barry White, a priest in a bathtub, a curiously missing fang, a couple of wedding rings, a newly made vampire, & an Elvis cookie jar topper. Fangs For Nothing tries to trump that with a Fetish Dungeon complete with sex swing & handcuffs, a missing groom, 5 drag queen Cher impersonators,a gator wrestling Cajun caterer, an uptight, French death investigator, and a whole lot of 'whodunit'.

Fangs for Nothing is Johnny (the Impalers' drummer) and Drake's (the Impalers' guitarist) tale. After apparently being drugged at their buddy's wedding reception, they wake up irrevocably tied to two very unlikely women with a whole lot of WTH in-between. In order to get some answers, Johnny pairs up with Lizette - a representative from the Vampire Alliance, and Drake takes off with Josie - a feisty entrepreneur. Each couple tries to gather clues to figure out exactly what happened, but each piece of evidence just leads to more questions, and every moment they spend together builds upon the attraction that none of them can ignore - no matter how much they might want to.

I simply love the premise of these books; they're ingenious in their creativity. Just like the Hangover movies, while it's very unlikely for something like this to happen to the same group of people more than once in a lifetime, the fact that it has makes for an even funnier story and greater depth of character.

Bottom line: If you're looking for a great light-hearted Paranormal Romance with some sexy rockstar vampires set in one of the most intriguing cities of the world, then you simply must read THE IMPALERS books!

Fangs For Nothing could be read as a stand-alone, but I personally wouldn't recommend it. You will miss out on a lot of history that makes the set up and incidents in Fangs for Nothing much more meaningful, and besides... The Fangover is laugh-out-loud, stay-awake-all-night-reading awesome and deserves to be enjoyed! :)

A solid 4 Skull read. I can't wait for the next IMPALERS book!

Fangs for Nothing

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Joshua

F.M. Hopkins is a Renaissance woman, having worn many hats in varying artistic fields. She was a stand-up comedienne for five years, professional photographer for nine, actress for seventeen and a writer since she was a little girl - when she would write books, bind them with yarn, illustrate and sell them to her parents for candy money. She's backpacked through Europe by herself, and has been married... twice. The first - she only knew the man two weeks and three days before they ran off to Vegas, hopelessly in love. A true romantic, she understands taking chances, making mistakes, crushing heartbreak, redemption, and falling head over heels in love - and weaves all of that into her three-dimensional, compelling character portrayals.

FIRE NECTAR is a gripping new series where the vampires tell their stories, confide in us who they are as we bound seamlessly between past and present, in our exploration of an immortal way of life.

To know more about her, follow her
Blog: http://firenectarseries.blogspot.com/
Twitter and Instagram @ F_M_Hopkins
Tumblr: f-m-hopkins
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/FMHopkins

Joshua - a FIRE NECTAR tale

by F.M Hopkins

Synopsis:

Two hundred years ago, Joshua was one of the few who passed the test - people who were vetted and chosen to be made immortal because of their exceptional qualities.

He was kind, an artist, a composer of great skill, with restraint that was necessary to hold up their creed:
Do not kill good people.
Keep our numbers low.
Keep our secret... to keep us safe.
Those were the rules.

How could he know that Marion saw in him, her ticket out? How could he know that she lied when she said she loved him? How could he know? He was, in vampire years, just a child.

How could he know that he would never forgive himself for meeting her in secret.

When William - the oldest of their kind - calls, two hundred years later to tell him that the worst has happened - again - Joshua knows he must go at once.

Daniella needs him. She is what Marion pretended to be. For this - she will always have his heart. And his help.

JOSHUA is the first in Joshua's story - a novelette of approx. 14,000 words. It is also the continuation of FIRE NECTAR, but can be read on its own.

All books in the FIRE NECTAR saga are intertwined with characters overlapping as they are all - a family.
And like a family, they all have their own story to tell.

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
*eARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Joshua was a wonderful novella, reminiscent of Interview With a Vampire and beautifully written. The flowing prose, vivid descriptions, and solid character development led to a fantastical world that was easy to get lost in.

It was only a tease though...when I flipped the page, thoroughly engaged, only to find that there was no more, I was whole heartedly disappointed!

I can't wait to read more from F.M Hopkins and will be checking out Fire Nectar as soon as I can.

I would definitely recommend this novella to all Vampire fiction fans who like their stories romantic with just a bit of an edge. :)

Joshua

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Fifth Grave Past the Light

Darynda Jones is a NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones won the 2009 Golden Heart® in the paranormal category for her manuscript FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT. As a born storyteller, she grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike. After the Golden Heart final, she pimped herself as best she could, landed an amazing agent and has sold 8 books to St. Martin's Press. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of more than 25 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.

Fifth Grave Past the Light, Book #5 of the CHARLEY DAVIDSON series
by Darynda Jones

Synopsis: Charley Davidson may not look like your everyday, run-of-the-mill grim reaper, but she has vowed to reap grimness wherever she goes despite this unfortunate fact. Sadly, she gets sidetracked when the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, moves in next door. As he is the main suspect in her arson case, she is determined to stay away from him until she can find out the truth. According to her therapist, however, she lacks conviction.

When dead women start appearing in her apartment - lost, confused and terrified beyond reason - Charley has no choice but to ask for Reyes's help, especially when it becomes apparent that her own sister Gemma is the serial killer's next target. With his ability to observe incorporeally, surely he can find out who's responsible. And even if he can't, he is the one man alive who could protect Gemma no matter who or what came at her. But he wants something in return: Charley. All of her - body and soul. And to keep her sister safe, it is a price she is willing to pay…

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
In a nutshell, and in my most humble of opinions, the best book of the series so far! There are a lot of series where around the 5 book mark the installments start to feel a bit like filler. Not so at all with Fifth Grave!

This book did feel a bit different for me though. More... human, maybe? There was still an amazing amount of mystery and action, and plenty of the spectacular dialogue and intrigue that we've all come to know, love and expect from the uber talented Ms. Darynda Jones, but what we got MORE of in this installment was the further revelation of the character growth and development (across pretty much EVERYONE). The way each piece fell into place as you started to see the whole picture and the links that bind them all was absolutely brilliant. I was left kind of wowed at times. I was also left laughing or shouting out loud to a point where I scared my poor dog and interrupted her sweet dreams of chasing cats and eating steaks or chasing cats that look like steaks... I dunno. ;-)

And yes, for anyone wondering, there's LOTS of Reyes in this one. Hot, sexy, yummy, sinfully delicious Reyes, and let me tell you... some big and fabulous times were had by all (and will soon be had - did I mention that I am insanely wanting book #6 now!?).

So yes... wonderful, highly recommended, beautifully written...a masterpiece of a series. Need I say more?

Fifth Grave Past the Light

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Hunted

D.B Reynolds lives with her husband of many years in a flammable canyon near Los Angeles. When she’s not writing her own books, she can usually be found reading someone else’s.

D.B is the proud creator of the VAMPIRES IN AMERICA series. VAMPIRES IN AMERICA currently consists of 7.5 books – “Raphael”, “Jabril”, “Rajmund”, “Sophia”, “Duncan”, Vignettes Vol. 1, a collection of short stories from the VAMPIRES IN AMERICA world "Betrayed", a Cyn & Rafael novella, "Lucas", and "Hunted", another Cyn and Rafael novella.

Hunted, VAMPIRES IN AMERICA Book #6.5

by D.B Reynolds

Synopsis:

Power, it comes down to this... those who have it, those who want it.
Revenge, the need for it is a fire in the soul, a goad for the unwise.
Hunted, the fate of the foolish when they think to become the hunter.

The Lord of the Midwest is dead, and the powerful vampires of North America are gathering to choose his successor. The Vampire Council will be there to oversee the competition and to keep the violence to a bloody minimum, including Raphael, who will do whatever it takes to ensure the victor is a vampire he can trust. But someone is determined to stop Raphael and his mate, Cyn, from ever reaching Chicago, a hunter who may soon become... the hunted.

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
*eARC received from the Author via NetGalley

I'm a VAMPIRES IN AMERICA fan and I'm not afraid to admit that there has been many a time where I was a squeeing fangirl. Loving to get lost in this world like I do, it seriously feels like forever between stories and I long for another foray into the crazy wonderfulness that is ViA. This novella was WELL worth the wait!

A super sexy read with plenty of action & intrigue, the meeting between Cyn & Kathryn that I've been clamoring for (which incidentally has amazing promise for more fun from our Mates Club! Woot), and a reveal of the reason behind the vampire lord alliances that have been building book after book (yeah, big secrets revealed).

Bottom line, it was so, so good, and highly recommended!

While Hunted technically could be read without having read the rest of the series, I wouldn't recommend it. There is just so much to be enjoyed in the previous installments, and the character evolution between the books up to this point in Hunted is quite remarkable. Take the time, lose yourself. You won't be disappointed!

Hunted

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Magic Rises

“Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)

Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.

Magic Rises, Book #6 of the KATE DANIELS series
by Ilona Andrews

Synopsis:Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.

Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.

Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
*eARC received from the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I am ashamed to say that this was my first foray into the Kate Daniels universe. I have had this series on my TBR forever, but just hadn't gotten to it yet. When I set up an Author Event for the Magic Rises release, I really wanted to include a review so I jumped in with two feet.

Magic Rises follows Kate, Curran, and 10 of their hand picked best on a quest across the Black Sea into what they know is a trap, but what they hope may be a coup. It was an action-packed read full of emotion, suspense, drama, and surprise and I was thoroughly engaged!

Ilona and Gordon wrote Magic Rises in such a way that I, as a first time reader, had no issues following the tale. I know that there are probably plenty of subtleties that I missed (believe me, I've engaged in enough "OMG you need to read that series now!" debates to know that much), but overall in read wonderfully as a stand-alone. The only thing that I feel may have been over my head was the very last sentence, but it just makes me want to go back and read the first 5 books of the series now immediately.

This book is a must read for all Kate Daniels fans - you will laugh, gasp, rail in frustration, mutter in shock, smile contentedly, and hope for more - and if you're a new reader, you'll do the same.

A solid 4 Skull read, and I'm looking forward to much more in the KD-Verse!

Magic Rises

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Gwynneth Ever After

Linda Poitevin lives just outside Canada’s capital, Ottawa, with her husband, the youngest of three daughters, one very large husky/shepherd/Great Dane-cross dog, two cats, a rabbit, and a bearded dragon lizard. Turned down in her pursuit of a police career after a faulty height measurement, Linda vicariously lives out her dream of being a cop through her characters. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found in her garden in the summer, hugging the fireplace in the winter, or walking her dog along the river in any season.

Find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/LindaPoitevin

Gwynneth Ever After

by Linda Poitevin

Synopsis:

Gwyn Jacobs doesn’t believe in fairy tales. Ever since her ex-husband walked out, leaving her alone with three small children, Gwyn has been mother, father, and bread-winner all rolled into one. Her own scarred heart aside, she refuses to open up her children’s lives to the possibility of another heartbreak, and so she has an unbending policy of no dating and no unattached men in their lives.

Until her very own fairy tale falls into her lap...and the hero won’t take no for an answer.

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
*eARC received from the Author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Let me start out by saying that I don't read contemporary romances, but knowing I enjoyed Linda's writing style, I decided to give Gwynneth Ever After a shot and not hand it off to one of my guest reviewers like I would normally do. I am so happy that I did. The book was fantastic! I couldn't put it down, the characters became instant favorites, and the story was simply beautiful.

Gwynneth Jacobs was working hard to put her life back in order after her husband walked out on her and their 3 children. After a simple night out throws her in the path of her dream man, her ordinary life becomes anything but ordinary... To Gwynn's astonishment, Gareth pursues her and almost instantly creates this fairy tale life for not only her, but her kids as well. The problem: it all seems too good to be true, and Gwynn being the very practical woman she is and knowing her family comes first, Gareth has a fight on his hands to convince her to take a chance on him.

Gwynn is like any hard working single mother, and it was very easy to relate to her throughout all of the ups and downs of the tale. Gareth is impossible not to fall in love with; he has it all and then some! Gwynneth Ever After was a super sweet contemporary romance that was able to win over a reader who said she just couldn't read Contemp, and left me with nothing but a smile.

Gwynneth Ever After

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Vampire Elite

Irina Argo is the pen name of a writing team composed of two close friends; Irina Kardos and Jo-An Torres.

Irina lives in a pretty dark world: by day she's a clinical psychologist at a juvenile correctional facility, where she deals with the extremes of human behavior on a daily basis; at night, she cares for her husband, who was paralyzed several years ago. Writing has always been her passion, and now it's what brings light into her life. She is originally from Russia, where she worked as a TV journalist.

Jo-An is a Leo, a lioness emerging to follow her dream: to write a book of her own. As the owner of a costume shop for many years, she was able to satisfy her creative nature and allow it to flourish. She believes that anything is possible if you believe in yourself. She currently resides in California with her five cats and one husband.

Vampire Elite, Volume I of the VAMPIRE ELITE Series

by Irina Argo

Synopsis:

A millennia-long war between two immortal races is about to come to an end. Long ago, the Vampire Elite began capturing the immortals called the Amiti, attracted by their unique blood properties. Now most Amiti live in underground cells, forced to serve as vampires' bloodstock. The few surviving free Amiti, preparing a final strike, have declared their Queen a traitor. Her execution makes possible the rise of a new Queen, her young daughter Arianna, who will inherit her mother's mystical powers. Working with the Keepers of the Key, Arianna may be able to eliminate the vampires, once and for all, from the face of the earth.

The new Queen is the last hope to save her dying race--and she's ready to fight to the last drop of her blood.

But the King of the Vampires has other plans.

Based on an ancient Egyptian legend, Vampire Elite is the epic story of a bitter conflict between two immortal races--and the effect of that conflict on everyone living in its grip. The characters are driven to love and betrayal, vengeance and sacrifice in a world without easy black-and-white answers.

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:

Vampire Elite, the debut novel of the VAMPIRE ELITE series, was a good read; an interesting mix of vampire lore and Egyptian Mythology. While a lot of the generalities were what we've come to know and love in Paranormal Romance, it had several refreshing spins, the characters were great, and the story was captivating.

The basis of the tale centers around 2 races created by the Gods - the Sekhmet (vampires), and Amiti (gifted humans originally created to be soul mates and a food source for the vampires). Unfortunately there was some scorn involved with the creation of the Amiti. This led to loopholes in the cohesion of the 2 races, allowing the Amiti power over the vampires which ultimately ended up making the vampires paranoid and thereby forcing the Amiti into slavery over the centuries.

Our main characters are Simone (the half-blood daughter of the vampire king Tor and the former Amiti Queen Istara), and Istara's other daughter Arianna (the new and future Queen of the Amiti). The 2 parts of the book cover their twisted & overlapping tale which is full of danger, drama, betrayal, romance & surprise. Along with these two, there are countless other supporting cast members, including some sexy winged demons that I found fascinating and can't wait to learn more about. :) I highly suggest reading through the Glossary in the book, and/or the Guide To The Book part of the authors' website before diving in, because there are many terms and multiple associations that can become confusing throughout the book without a little help.

Constructive criticism note: While the book was very good, I personally felt like it might have been better to split it into a debut novel and a sequel. I understand now that the final outcome is more of a saga, split into 10 Volumes rather than a standard 'Series', but there was a lot happening in the 530+ pages, and while it definitely keeps your interest as a reader, it did get a bit confusing at times as things started to compound and characters started to overlap.

My other note, more for readers than the authors... the ending is a major cliff hanger so be prepared. After the investment in the length of the novel and the tale itself, the ending was not the most reader friendly; in short, I read the last couple sentences and wanted to throw my Kindle across the room. It DID make want the next book immediately though!! ;-)

Bottom line: If you're a vampire fan, enjoy tales with a mythological undertone, and are looking for a sexy fantasy story with a bit of a dark edge, then Vampire Elite is a good bet for you. It's not a book that you want to read when your mind is on 10 different things, but it's a good one for when you totally want to get lost in a story. And... It's an amazing bargain!

LITERAL ADDICTION gives Vampire Elite 4 Skulls.

Vampire Elite