[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Eternal Blood

 

Laura Wright Born and raised in Minnesota, Laura didn’t start out as a reader or a writer until after high school.  She was heavily into theater, song, dance, commercials, and… boys.  She was smitten by romance, but had never read a romance novel until her late teens.  She can still remember the day she read her first Jude Deveraux novel.  She couldn’t put it down, and afterwards, went straight to the library to get another, and another, until she’d consumed everything that Jude had written.  After Deveraux it was McNaught, Howard, Schone, Kleypas, and the Silhouette line, Desire.  She instantly loved the emotional, sexy reads - so much so that she began to carve out ideas for her own stories – themes that were unique to her and that moved her personally. 

In 1997 she enrolled in UCLA extension writing classes, met her mentor and critique partners, and has never stopped writing since.  She was committed then, and still is; the need to tell her own romantic tales a full on obsession.  Her first manuscript was rejected, and though the second one was as well, the editor who rejected it wanted to see more.  She had more and sent them in right away.  The day she got the call telling her that Desire wanted to buy “Cinderella and the Playboy” was the best day of her life – UNTIL she married her husband and had her beautiful children. 

Eternal Blood, Book #2.5 of the Mark of the Vampire series

Author:  Laura Wright

Synopsis:  An Original Mark of the Vampire Novella

Gray Donahue is crippled by the guilt he feels for his father’s death. An Impure vampire cursed with the ability to hear the thoughts of others, he indulges in blood and sex to stave off the pain of his existence. He is then abducted by the Eternal Order of Vampires, who subject him to a nightmarish ritual. But when he is rescued by the icy pureblood vampire Dillon, he finds something that is worth living for, dying for, killing for….
Our Review [by Michelle L. Olson – LITERAL ADDICTION’s Pack Alpha]:
I adore Mark of the Vampire.  It’s no secret.  Having this eSpecial was just what I needed to tide me over until the release of Lucian’s book, Eternal Captive, in February.  What I didn’t expect was for this novella to be so explosive.
Eternal Blood throws the reader into the mind and life of Gray just as he’s starting his work with the Impures for the cause.  After an unusual twist of Events that literally had me gasping, Dillon comes to the rescue and we’re treated to the sarcastic banter that we’ve come to love from these 2 characters, only more intense because there is loads of sexual chemistry. 
Laura definitely knows her stuff!  It was hot, action packed, and dramatic and left you wanting so much more; in short, an amazing teaser and nibble to hold us over until Eternal Captive in February.

LITERAL ADDICTION gives Eternal Blood 5 skulls and recommends it for all Mark of the Vampire fans!  If you haven’t picked up Laura’s Mark of the Vampire series yet we highly suggest that you shuffle it to the top of your TBR list ASAP and get reading, because there is a doozy of a book coming next month!    

Eternal Blood:

 

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Third Grave Dead Ahead

Darynda Jones would pick up a pencil and paper and scribble nonsense on it even when she was a toddler, asking her mother to read her literary genius aloud.  Soon after, she started writing plays for the neighborhood kids, making up stories for her brother, and creating age inappropriate fantastical stories for Barbie and Ken to enact.  In high school she almost finished her first manuscript, and even then, was dabbling in romance and the paranormal. 

Darynda took a break from actively writing for several years, wherein she got married, had a couple children, graduated Summa cum Laude from UNM and got a job as a teacher and sign language translator.  She missed writing though, and started up again in 2002 with the goal of getting a publishing contract securely in her mind’s eye.  After 3 complete manuscripts, she finally landed an agent, a three book deal, and won the 2009 Golden Heart award for Best Paranormal Romance in 2009.

Third Grave Dead Ahead, Book #3 of the Charley Davidson series

Author:  Darynda Jones

Synopsis:  Charley Davidson—grim reaper extraordinaire, private investigator . . . meh—is practicing her profession under the influence, caffeine and copious amounts of it, due to an extreme desire to induce insomnia. Every time she closes her eyes, Reyes Farrow, the part-human, part-supermodel son of Satan, is there. Only thing is, he’s a tad peeved. She did bind for all eternity, so it’s hard blame him. But 13 days without a wink is bound to bring out the crazy in a girl. So, when a man hires her to find his wife, Charley accepts the job with one goal in mind: Put the man behind bars, and not the wet kind. She can sense the guilt waft off him and vows to find the woman’s body and prove he’s a murderer.

In the meantime, Reyes is back in prison and none too happy about it . . . so Charley thinks, until she is carjacked by the dark-haired rake, who swears the very man he went to prison for killing is not only alive, but close by. And he wants Charley to find him.

While a visit to her old friend Rocket sheds no light on Reyes’s situation, Charley finds out the man’s wife is still alive and time is running out. Finding her before she dies would be a miracle, but she has to try. Together with the help of a fashion-impaired receptionist named Cookie, Charley sets out to bring the bad guys to justice. She just hopes Reyes is not one of them. And that she’s not hallucinating from her self-induced bout with insomnia.
Our Review [by Michelle L. Olson – LITERAL ADDICTION’s Pack Alpha]:

I’m a Darynda Jones groupie.  A Charley Davidson fangirl.  I’m not afraid to admit it!  I loved the first two books in this series, and when I was lucky enough to get an ARC from Darynda’s publisher for Third Grave, I was giddy. 

Like the first two books of the series, the novel was a smart, sexy, sassy, sophisticated breath of fresh air and utterly fantastic from start to finish!  I was literally laughing out loud 2 pages into this book.

As usual, our heroine, Charley Davidson, grim reaper and private investigator extraordinaire gets herself into bind after bind without even trying.  Add in the fact that she’s been awake for over 2 weeks straight and she’s more of a hot mess than usual.    

Reyes starts out this book incredibly angry with Charley for what she did to him in Second Grave on the Left.  They can’t ignore their attraction though, and he can’t stop from being there when she needs him regardless. 

Also as usual, the supporting characters are fabulous.  I especially love Cookie in this book.  I’ve loved her all along, but she’s grown and I feel like we as readers have grown with her. 

Aside from the incredible dialogue, intense action, and remarkable characters, the mystery of the storyline was genius.  I’ve loved each plot along the series so far, but this one, with all of its different twists and turns may have been my favorite to date.

LITERAL ADDICTION gives Second Grave Dead Ahead  5 Skulls, and would recommend it to everyone!    

Another phenomenal read by Ms. Darynda Jones.  Please don’t stop… we need more!

Third Grave Dead Ahead:

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Not Your Ordinary Faerie Tale

 

Christine Warren Born and raised in coastal New England, Christine Warren lived in the South and the Mid-Atlantic before hopping to the other side of the country to take up the life of a transplant in the Pacific Northwest. She completely bypassed those states in the middle due to her landlocking phobia. Hmm, need to research a scientific term for that...

When not scrambling frantically to complete her latest writing project, Christine spends most of her time as a crazy animal lady, hanging out with her dog Levi (he’s the one with the hair) and pretending to train him to have some manners. She also hangs out with her horse, Cal—a thoroughbred with a craving for strawberry licorice twists—her goddog, Merlin; and her best friend, fellow author Hannah Murray. In addition to playing with her pets, Christine’s hobbies include identifying dog breeds from photos of their underbellies, appreciating fine and not-so-fine wines, shopping for the perfect pair of Christian Louboutin shoes, and most of all reading things someone else had to agonize over.

 Not your Ordinary Faerie Tale, Book #12 of the Others series

Author:  Christine Warren

Synopsis:   
After her two best friends marry a blood-sucking vampire and furry-faced werewolf, Corinne D’Alessandro is making a vow of her own: NO interspecies dating. But when her editor asks her to investigate “leprechaun” sightings, the sassy New York reporter finds herself on the trail of the hottest story of the year—and the sexiest man alive…
His  name is Luc, and he’s as gorgeous as any Prince Charming in any bedtime story. There’s just one problem: He’s not human, he’s fae. A captain of the Fae Queen’s Guard, Luc is on a dangerous mission—and he could use the help of a certain leprechaun-hunting reporter. But when their two worlds collide, the sparks begin to fly. If Corinne and Luc can’t control their lust—and focus on the villains in this story—their faerie-tale romance won’t end happily ever after…

Our Review [by Michelle L. Olson – LITERAL ADDICTION’s Pack Alpha]:
This book came up in my Amazon recommendations list.  I snatched it up because it looked good, only to read it and find that it was the best Fae book I had ever read. 
Christine Warren is an amazing story teller.  Her characters are witty, strong, independent, and identifiable and her story is well crafted and fluid.
I found out after starting this book that it is actually the 12^th of the Others series, but I wasn’t lost at all (though I did read somewhere that this was actually a rewrite of a story done with Ellora’s Cave and therefore was more standalone than the other of the series). 
Corinne is a reporter with multiple friends who have become involved with or married members of the supernatural community.  She has basically sworn that while she loves them, she will never be one to date outside of her species. 
Luc is the captain of the guard for Queen Mab of the Summer Court.  He is sent to the human realm to find and bring home the queen’s nephew, Seoc, before he can cause too much trouble and spill the secret of the Others. 
The minute Luc sees Corinne he feels something he has never felt before, and 1 touch is all it takes for him to know that it’s more than just idle attraction.  Once some things are brought to light, Luc can no longer deny that Corinne is his heartmate and he knows that he’ll do anything to keep her by his side.
Corinne plays coy and puts on a good poker face, but she can’t deny the feelings that Luc imparts.  After teaming up to find Seoc together, thus getting her story for her boss, keeping her friends safe and helping Luc with his mission, one things leads to another and she is helpless to do anything but feel.

LITERAL ADDICTION gives Not your Ordinary Faerie Tale 5 skulls and would recommend it to everyone – Paranormal Romance lovers, Urban Fantasy readers, and anyone who likes strong, witty female leads, sexy, alpha, sensitive male leads, and a story with just enough twists and turns to keep you engaged from the 1^st to the last page.

Not your Ordinary Faerie Tale:

 

[Archive] LITERAL ADDICTION's Review of Darker after Midnight

Lara Adrian As a child, Lara Adrian used to sleep with the covers up around her neck, afraid she might become the midnight prey of deadly vampires. Later on, under the influence of Bram Stoker and Anne Rice, she had to wonder if her fear wasn't actually something else: a secret desire to walk in a darker world, to live a dangerous and sensual dream with a man of seductive, preternatural power. It is that twining of fear and desire that fuels Lara's own fantasies today, and the idea that she explores in her New York Times bestselling Midnight Breed series of vampire romance novels from Bantam Dell Books.

With an ancestry stretching back to the Mayflower and the court of King Henry VIII, Lara Adrian lives with her husband in coastal New England, surrounded by centuries-old graveyards, hip urban comforts, and the endless inspiration of the broody Atlantic Ocean.

 Darker after Midnight, Book #10 of the Midnight Breed series

Author:  Lara Adrian

Synopsis:   
In the dark of night, a blood war escalates within the hidden world of the Breed. After existing in secret for many long centuries, maintaining a fragile peace with the humans who walk beside them unaware, a single act of retaliation has put the entire vampire nation at risk of discovery. It falls to the Order—a cadre of Breed warriors pledged to protect their own and humankind alike—to stop Dragos, the power-mad vampire at the center of the conflict, before his push for domination can explode into catastrophe.

At the center of the Order’s quest is Sterling Chase, once a morally rigid enforcer of Breed law, now a warrior fallen from grace, whose biggest battle is the one he wages against his own savage nature. With addiction beckoning him toward eternal darkness, Chase’s path to redemption has never seemed more out of reach. But when his eyes meet those of Tavia Fairchild, a beautiful witness who identifies him at the scene of a mission gone terribly wrong, Chase finds himself drawn to the woman—and convinced she is something much more than she seems.

Pulled into a vortex of intrigue and danger she can neither resist nor understand, Tavia is uncertain whom to trust. And while everything sane and logical warns her against getting close to Chase, she cannot deny that the handsome, deeply haunted male stirs something primal and ravenous within her. But even as she surrenders to her cravings, nothing can prepare her for the shattering truth of who—and what—she truly is.

As the Order’s enemy mobilizes for the battle of the ages, Dragos and his Minions unleashing a hell on Earth like nothing ever seen before, Chase and Tavia are thrust into the heart of the violence. With time running out and the streets running red with the blood of innocent lives, both Breed and human, together Chase and Tavia must find a way to defeat Dragos once and for all—or die trying.

Our Review [by Michelle L. Olson – LITERAL ADDICTION’s Pack Alpha]:
I’ve been following the Midnight Breed series from book one.  After each installment I  wait impatiently for each new release, sit down to read them, enjoy every word, and yet, book after book, wanted nothing more than for Chase to find his HEA.
Darker after Midnight is Sterling Chase’s book, and while I felt like I had been waiting for it forever and was afraid that I had put too high of expectations on it, I should never have worried… this book was fantastic – everything I was hoping for and SO much more.
After the climactic end of Hunter’s book, I couldn’t help but wonder how in the world Chase’s book would turn out.  How would he get himself out of that mess, how would he redeem himself to his brothers after everything he put himself and them through in the last few books, how in the world would Lara be able to resolve all of that in one book, etc.  All of those questions were answered, along with a multitude of other little holes from the series I didn’t even realize were there.  Lara packed so much into this book it was a non-stop thrill ride of epic proportions and I never wanted to get off.
Darker after Midnight brings to light so many things about the Ancients, about Dragos, about different members of the Breed and their mates that while it’s Chase’s story and he’s our hero, this book is the fireworks display of the Midnight Breed series and in my honest opinion, the very best book of the bunch.
Lara wrapped up the main series beautifully at the end of Darker after Midnight and supplied an amazing segue to the new books in the series – which sound a bit like spin offs with the younger generation as our heroines and heroes.  Mira’s book is due up next and I cannot wait for its release.

LITERAL ADDICTION gives Darker after Midnight 5 skulls and feels like that isn’t even adequate for the gift of this book.  We recommend it to everyone – Paranormal Romance lovers, Urban Fantasy readers, anyone who loves fast paced, action packed, intense reads with gripping characters and spectacular storylines woven into a phenomenally crafted world.  If you haven’t started the Midnight Breed series yet, we highly suggest that you bump it up to the top of your TBR list and get started today.

Darker after Midnight: