Review: Fragile

Review: Fragile by Shiloh Walker

Six years after trading in his combat gear for hospital scrubs, Luke Rafferty is faced with things just as heartbreaking as those on the battlefield. The abused children being brought in by the pretty redheaded social worker tug at his soul like nothing he’s ever known.

For Devon Manning, being a social worker is a rewarding job, but also a constant reminder of her own troubled youth. Devon takes everything one day at a time—unable to form a relationship with anyone except the children she rescues.

When Luke meets Devon, he thinks he might have found what he’s been looking for, but in order to get the life he wants, Luke has to break through Devon’s emotional barriers and make her realize that his healing touch might be just the complication her life needs…

Luke Rafferty is searching for something. He's not exactly sure what that 'something' is but he definitely knows that something is missing in his life. Discharged from the Army Rangers after nearly shattering his leg, it was either a desk or teach. Luke chose life instead. Now, six years later, Luke works as ER doctor in Lexington, Kentucky, but he still hasn't found what he's been searching for until one night, while on his shift, he meets a social worker and her young charge that has suffered abuse. It doesn't take but a moment to realize that she's it; that the little red headed social worker is what he's been searching for all this time and now he can't seem to stop his heart from pounding.

Devon Manning knows that Luke is a complication that she doesn't need in her life. Each day is already a fight to continue, to keep her head steady and her heart beating. Her job as a social worker isn't ever easy but in a way it provides cathartic therapy for a past that still haunts her. Molested and raped as a child by her uncle, Devon was thrown out by her infuriated aunt after her husband went to jail for the crimes he committed. A young teen, Devon found herself on the streets, cold, hungry and alone with the only thought of how she was going to get her next fix until a kind social worker helped her. Eden, her guardian angel, secured her a home with two wonderful people who later adopted her and whom now Devon lovingly calls, Mom and Dad. Yet even with all the love she enjoys with her adopted family, Devon still has sexual hang ups when it comes to men and Luke is no exception. But the sexy doctor is mighty persistent and soon she finds herself in the whirlwind of a fledgling romance.

Luke knows that something really bad has happened in Devon's life but he gives her the time and space to know him before pushing her for the relationship he craves. Six weeks with a painful hard-on makes him edgy but he valiantly hangs onto his control. Luke's gentleness and understanding of Devon's past is beyond endearing and his slow and easy seduction of Devon is as sweet as it is thrilling. When Devon does finally reveal the sordid details of her youth, Luke can feel nothing but rage. Rage at the man that stole the innocence of the woman he loves and if that man wasn't already six feet under, he'd make sure that the moment happened none too soon. But it seems that despite the fact that her abuser is dead and gone, someone out there is stalking her and leaving dead animals gutted in her home. Luke's protectiveness toward Devon doubles tenfold leaving her feeling a little smothered. She understands the need to be careful but the thought of one of Luke's friends tailing her every day leaves her cold. Nerves rattled already, Devon doesn't think she could handle having a babysitter.

One couldn't really blame Luke with his frustration over Devon's flat refusal to have someone keeping watch over her while he's working his shifts at the hospital. Luke also has to deal with the fact that Devon has a very strong suspicion of who her stalker is but with her need to protect her kids, she'll not divulge the information to Luke. It was during this portion of the novel that Devon really bordered on being the "Too Stupid To Live" heroine that finds readers bashing their books against their heads. Yet despite Luke's frustration with Devon's stubbornness, he somehow finds the ability to respect her wishes, well to a certain extent anyway.

But all the protection in the world couldn't prevent Devon's stalker from finally having his way. Strangled and beaten within an inch of her death, Devon's attacker dies at the scene of the crime. While the cops assume that Devon must have bashed his head in with a large bookend, Devon can't remember having done that and she in fact has a vague memory of another person striking the fatal blow against her attacker, but her convictions aren't positive. Shaken to the core, Devon begins to once again withdrawal into her safe but lonely cocoon that shielded her before Luke came into her life. Meanwhile, Luke is consumed with guilt. After he swore he would protect Devon from any threat, she still lived once again through another predator's ugly assault. With Devon pulling away from him, Luke can only assume that she also blames him for his inability to protect her.

Devon and Luke manage to work through the awkwardness that's settled between them but their security is once again threatened, this time by the inner workings of Devon's own mind. Terrible dreams haunt her featuring Luke as the man that hurts her. While her dream Luke looks for all appearances to be the Luke she loves in her waking moments, there is just something off about the one in her dreams. The dream Luke radiates cruelty and rage while the real Luke makes her feel so miraculously safe. Devon's paranoia begins to escalate as well for she swears that she's once again being watched. Spooking at every shadow and believing herself to be insane, Devon ends things unofficially with Luke claiming that she needs time to work through her fear. When finally her dreams become a terrifying reality, it's not Luke standing before her with murder in his eyes, but someone she's never even met.

Luke was an amazing hero, sinfully sexy but also a wonderful gentleman with a kind heart. He's so careful with Devon while she laughingly tells him time and again that she won't break. She's true to her word too. Despite her tragic past, that would surely make a weaker person break, she finds solace in helping children that share the same tragedy and she pours every drop of her strength in being a guardian angel to them as Eden was to her.

There were some aspects of 'Fragile' that left me scratching my head. While Luke knows a lot about Devon's life, there seems to never really be a time where Devon inquires upon his own past or his family. There are several instances where Luke can divulge this information to Devon, yet there is always something that happens to distract them at that very moment. I also had my issues with Devon and her ridiculous stubbornness that very well could have gotten her killed. If I had a stalker who was leaving mutilated animals in my house, I surely would want someone guarding my life twenty-four/seven. I didn't understand her blatant refusal to allow Luke that peace of mind.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading 'Fragile' and I'm hoping very much that a certain secondary character will receive his much needed HEA. I don't want to say who for spoiler reasons but any reader will know exactly to whom I'm referring to once they read the novel.

B+

Interested in 'Fragile'? Click here for more info.

You can also visit Erotic Horizon and the wonderful review posted HERE of 'Fragile'.

Interested in Shiloh Walker? Check out my review for 'Through the Veil'.

Review: Scandalous Love

Review: Scanalous Love by Brenda Joyce

Rebelliously independent Lady Nicole Bragg Shelton refuses to be constrained by the stifling rules of Victorian England. Desire impels the beautiful heiress toward a shocking liaison with Hadrian Braxton-Lowell, Duke of Clayborough.

Obsessed by Nicole's daring conduct and sensuality but bound by the dictates of duty and honor to another woman, Hadrian resolves to have the raven haired beauty as his mistress...though never as his bride. But Nicole will be no man's plaything. She will risk pain and heartbreak to satisfy her wild, uncompromising passion-determined to win the handsome Duke's unwavering devotion...and his undying love.

Yowzaa! Check out Fabio ladies. Yeah, so I admit, he's partially the reason why I bought the book. :)The other is that I'm slowly making my way through Brenda Joyce's De Warenne Dynasty series. I keep the novels in my car so hence the many moons it takes me to complete one. This series transcends the ages from medieval times all the way to modern day. Joyce romances the high seas with devilish pirates to the mighty powers of British dukes. Her heroes are always on the extreme side of alpha that are paired with feisty and intelligent heroines that ignite their hero's blood and passion. Many are riddled with tons of historical fact and a reader truly feels she's within the time and place that Joyce pens. She is one of my absolute favorite historical romance authors and I'm so happy that I've barely even surpassed the foothills of her giant mountain of a backlist.

Hadrian Braxton-Lowell, the ninth Duke of Clayborough, is a man bound by duty and honor. After he and his mother suffered greatly at the hands of his abusive father, Hadrian swore that he would never allow himself to be similar to his sire in any way. Yet with his driving need to be proper, Hadrian has become somewhat tight fisted. He even acknowledges to himself that no one would like him if he wasn't the Duke of Clayborough for with that title comes great and exceptional power. Hadrian also feels duty bound to his fiancé, Elizabeth, with whom he's been engaged to since nearly her birth. While he adores her as a brother might of a younger sister, Hadrian feels no desire for his bride. But he is a duke and he will follow through with his commitments. Although fate, it seems, has another plan for him.

Nicole Bragg Shelton is no stranger to scandal and while her birth proclaims her a lady, no one else would believe it. After escaping the noose of a potentially dull marriage, society has shunned her to the country. Yet this couldn't bother Nicole in the slightest. Living like a wild ruffian, Nicole shamelessly rides her feisty stallion astride with men's breeches, no less. She'd much rather be galloping around with her father and brothers then being trussed up in a ball gown and having insipid conversation.

After Nicole's pride is pricked by some unsavory acquaintances, Nicole decides to attend the masque ball being held in honor of the Duke of Clayborough's arrival to his neighboring country estate. Nicole dresses as a gypsy, staying true to the nature of the costume she arrives with her long dark hair unbound and her feet left bare. Her scandalous ensemble garners the attention of the duke in quite the wrong way. He jumps to the conclusion that she's a widow looking for passion. With raging desire that cannot be denied, Hadrian invites Nicole to his home with the simple intentions of bedding her and then sending her on her way.

But things do not go as planned with Nicole's true unwed position being discovered by Hadrian while Nicole discovers that the man she's fallen in love with is actually engaged to be married. A physical altercation ensues with Nicole flaying Hadrian with a riding crop. The whole debacle then moves to London where once again it appears that Nicole is fodder for gossip and that her past scandal has not lost its appeal to society.

Both Nicole and Hadrian feel guilty for their flaming desire for one another because Elizabeth, Hadrian's fiancé and saint that she is, wants to see Nicole accepted by society and implores Hadrian to help put a stop to the gossip. Nicole truly begins to care for Elizabeth and sees her as a wonderful friend while Hadrian is pulling his hair out in wanting to stay clear of the temptation of Nicole but he also wants to please his bride.

When Elizabeth's strange and elusive illness claims her life both Nicole and Hadrian are bereft at the loss. Nicole, wanting to ease Hadrian's grief visits him unescorted. Hadrian, wishing to numb both his feelings for Nicole and his grief for Elizabeth, drinks himself into a haze and when comforted by Nicole, he takes her in a fit unbridled passion. When he comes to, he's need to be dutiful has him offering Nicole marriage. Nicole refuses. It's her belief that while she loves Hadrian; he's still in love with Elizabeth.

Hadrian, baffled by Nicole's refusal, decides to tell her father what transpired between him and Nicole. Somehow his feelings for Nicole have grown into something that prevents him from even trying to walk away from her. It's not just about duty, but the fact that he desires her as his wife. He's a little unprepared though for Nicole's wrath when she discovers that he's informed her father of their scandalous passion and she is now being forced by her parents to marry him. Dragging her feet every step of the way insights numerous battles and heated discussion yet neither can deny the passion and desire they still harbor for one another. When the vows are finally spoken and the duke whisks her back to his country estate the culmination of that transpired is fought out in the bedroom eliciting a night of ravaging desire. But these two are not out of the wood yet.

Nicole, glimpsing the love that may be had between them embarks on being a duchess but of course nothing is to go smoothly for the woman who instigates scandal just by breathing. The battle of wills once again erupts with Hadrian trying to force Nicole to bend to his iron will but she comes back fighting. Eventually Hadrian realizes that who Nicole is, scandal and all, is what has ignited his deep seeded love for her. But will his realization be too late?

Nicole was a very feisty and entertaining heroine. Some reviewers disliked her thinking her to be a whiner who chased after Hadrian incessantly. I loved Nicole though for her blatant tenacity. She's fiery and bold and while there were times that she acted immature, I believe it was more to do with the newness of her emotions. I loved when she went after Hadrian with her crop. She's not afraid to show her emotions to him especially when she's angry. I think she struck him about four times in the book but I thought they were all deserved. Nicole really had my inner feminist cheering for her time and again.

There was only one instance that had me frustrated with Nicole's stubbornness and that was at her wedding. Hadrian spent two weeks trying to quiet any vicious gossip over the truth of their marriage. She almost became ostracized over the fact that the duke was marrying her within weeks of Elizabeth's death. Hadrian plays the role of a love sick groom, stating that he just couldn't wait to marry his true love. Yet Nicole ruins his work when she blatantly shows her disapproval over having to marry him. Society then laughs at Hadrian for loving a woman who obviously doesn't love him which couldn't be further from the truth. Nicole soon sees the error to her ways but she almost took her stubbornness too far.

Hadrian was a perfect foil to Nicole's untamed spirit. He really needed some scandal to liven up his life. Nicole becomes the key to his freedom from the choke-hold of duty. And while of course being a man, Hadrian has trouble reconciling his intense feelings for Nicole; he soon accepts that she's the love he's unknowingly always wanted in his life.

Despite the vastness of the De Warenne Dynasty series, every book can easily be read as a standalone and 'Scandalous Love' is no exception. Brenda Joyce has a very extensive website featuring long excerpts and historical facts. I think I've already spent a few hours on her site; the woman seriously has that much material. You can visit Brenda Joyce here.

B+

Review: Maverick

Review: Maverick by Lora Leigh

Micah Sloane knows almost everything there is to know about Risa Clay, including the vicious betrayal she endured years ago and the distrust she's harbored ever since. The only way for the Elite Ops agent to uncover an assassin - and banish the ghosts of his dark past - is to use Risa as bait. But nothing has prepared him for her disarming blend of innocence and sensuality, or for his overwhelming need to protect her...

Risa has spent eight years rebuilding her life. And now, to save it, she must pose as Micah's lover and draw a killer into the open. It's a risky plan - especially with a man as powerfully seductive as Micah. But, as their charade becomes reality, Risa realizes the greatest danger may lie in losing her heart forever...

Lora Leigh is my guiltiest pleasure. She's an author who consistently turns out wonderfully romantic novels filled to the brim with possessive heroes, oozing sexual tension, and of course, the requisite bad guy intent on killing the heroine. Doesn't matter if the heroes are Breed or human, they are each sinfully cunning when attempting to get the heroine into his bed, making for great angst and numerous bouts of humor.

Leigh's heroines are strong females who've lived through some tragedy or another, but it's always the hero that helps her overcome any nightmares of the past and embrace the strength of her femininity. It all makes for excellent escape reading because truly it is fantasy. As much as I enjoy super alphas in my novels, it's a big "No Thanks!" in real life. I prefer more of an equal footing with the males of my life but damn if those romance novel alphas turn me on every time!


Risa Clay has survived hell. Abused terribly at the hands of a man that should have protected her life with his own, instead Risa's father, Jansen Clay, allows her young virginal body to be used as a facilitator for an experimental drug and weapon. Not only did he hold his own daughter down while another man raped her, but he also made sure Risa stayed quiet after her rescue by admitting her to a private psychiatric ward with strict instructions that she remain heavily sedated, all the while, injecting her with drug after drug.

Jansen Clay and his doctor associate have been perfecting the drug used on Risa known as Whore's Dust - a powerful aphrodisiac that virtually blinds the user to anything but debilitating lust. The drug attaches itself to pleasure receptors in the brain causing any type of arousal to border on pain until release is achieved. When climax is finally attained, the effects are so explosive and overwhelming that the user can become terrified of the uncontrollable sensations.

It's been eight years since Risa was rescued from her captives, and six years since the death of her father allowed her subsequent rescue from the psychiatric ward. Now, determined to move past her isolating fear that has virtually made her a prisoner in her own home, Risa is ready to take a lover. The aching lust writhing within her has moved beyond nuisance and straight into agony. Yet fear of a man's touch isn't the only thing that she's afraid of. Risa knows that she isn't beautiful. She's been told since as far back as she can remember by her father that she was ugly. Never has a man been interested in her. Even the man who raped couldn't stand the sight of her. But with the encouragement of her friends and some new found strength, Risa agrees to meet their friend Micah Sloane.

Micah Sloane is a man whose original identity of David Abijah, died. Now, a covert agent working with a group of "dead" men known as Elite Ops, Micah is determined to catch an assassin called Orion that not only murdered his parents, but nearly succeeded in murdering David as well. Now that very same killer is after Risa Clay, a woman stronger than anyone he's ever known to have laid eyes on.

A rare occurrence has happened with Risa. Whore's Dust is supposed to block any memory of the user while the drug is in effect, but Risa is starting to remember things about not only the night she was raped, but of the visitations her father made while in the hospital. Someone is worried that his identity is about to be revealed and he intends to put a stop to Risa's life before she can remember more.

With the hopes of capturing Orion and ascertaining the identity of his employer, Elite Ops and more specifically, Micah Sloane, will dangle Risa as bait while he poses as her new live-in lover. Risa agrees to the charade. She hasn't worked for the past six years to get her life back just to have it taken away again.

Despite the strong physical evidence where Micah's arousal is concerned, Risa's low self esteem with her image causes her to second guess and excuse Micah's behavior as nothing but the need to complete an op. In her mind he couldn't find her anywhere near attractive. But Micah has a plan, for Risa's excuses couldn't be farther from the truth. For the last six years Micah has caught glimpses of Risa coming and going from her friends' houses and every time he was struck but an inner glow of strength that radiated off her despite her baggy clothes and face obscuring hair. Micah has been fascinated with Risa since day one and he's developed an intricate plan of seduction with hopes of banishing Risa's self-loathing and revealing her true beauty.

Each day finds Risa falling more and more in love Micah but nothing can ever come of it. Micah is expected to walk away from Risa once the threat to her life has been removed. Yet it certainly isn't a crime to hope. With their lives put in danger time and again, Risa and Micah both are having trouble dealing with the fact that there can't be a future relationship for them. Micah is a "dead" man who has signed his life away to Elite Ops. The only way that Risa can truly be his is if he claims her now and forever and damn the consequences.

'Maverick' while a good read, wasn't my favorite by Lora Leigh. To be honest, I can't really pin point what was lacking or if the novel even lacked anything at all. I suppose it was just mundane in essence. Everything was there: Alpha hero, sexual tension, all the hot love scenes to melt a romance reader's heart. I think I just missed the emotional angst that I've come to love so much in a Leigh novel. This may have something to do with the fact that most of her novels portray the reunited love theme where the hero and heroine share a past which is generally tragic in some way or another. That vital angst was missing. I think it'll be a while yet for Leigh top 'Wild Card' which is the absolute best of her military novels, IMO.

B-

Interested in 'Maverick'? Click here for more info.

Review: The Vampire Queen's Servant

Review: The Vampire Queen's Servant by Joey W. Hill

Lady Elyssa Amaterasu Yamato Wentworth is a thousand-year-old vampire in need of a new servant - now more than ever as she's suffering the signs of a mysterious ailment that threatens to consume her. As a gift she's been given Jacob, an extraordinary physical specimen, but all wrong when it comes to being...used. A total alpha male, he's not accustomed to submitting to any woman's wishes.

Lyssa soon learns that that really binds Jacob to her are not her sensual midnight hungers, but something far more provocative. It stirs her blood, renews her life, and awakens her soul like only true love can. And the passion between Lyssa and Jacob is about to yield something else unexpected - a shared history that reaches back through the centuries and is fated to challenge their destiny like nothing ever will again...

Joey W. Hill is a very unique author. She can turn the simple evolution of a couple's relationship into an epic romance, baffling the reader with the scope of this ability within the confines of three to four hundred pages. Hill is an author to be savored and dedication of time is necessary in order to appreciate her artistry.

Lady Elyssa Amaterasu Yamato Wentworth is a vampire queen not only by birth but also by the shear force of her personality. A thousand years has given Lyssa plenty of time to loose countless human servants, beloved each for their uniqueness and collectively for their submission, and also the loss of one controlling and perhaps crazed vampire husband. These years have also wrought a strange affliction upon Lyssa that forces moments of intense weakness. It's during one of these bouts that Lyssa decides to take home a potential new servant, Jacob.

Jacob, former vampire hunter and circus performer extraordinaire, has spent one man's dying months at perfecting his ability to serve and protect Lady Lyssa. Thomas, a monk and Lyssa's former servant, gifts Jacob to Lyssa by letter, provoking the queen's loneliness after a year of self enforced celibacy. She can no more resist the Renaissance man standing before her in nothing but skin tight hose, any more than she can fight the irrational need to bind him to her for centuries to come.

Combined with a supreme predatory nature and her status as Queen, Lyssa finds extraordinary sexual satisfaction by the willing submission of her servants. But, unlike those who've served before, Jacob is not a practitioner of sexual submission nor does he fully grasp the extent of submission required by a vampire. Having dabbled only in soft bondage, Jacob's inner alpha has always directed him where he needed to go in terms of a woman's pleasure. The cries and physical reactions of a woman in his arms determined where his hands and other appendages needed to go to ensure her pleasure. Being commanded what to do and punished for disobedience is a concept unknown to him. Yet, despite Jacob's need to control the situation, Lyssa's demands provokes a powerful response from him that he's never experienced before. But with his explosive desire for Lyssa also comes panic. Not that he doesn't trust his lady, but he's never been invaded so thoroughly nor so immediately by a woman before.

The rules governing the relationship between vampire and servant are ancient in their existence. It's a completely one sided affair giving the power exclusively to the vampire. At the whim of the vampire, a servant is given a total of three marks. One that is basically a tracker, resembling a mental GPS. The second allows the vampire to invade the very mind of it's servant. Again this is one sided. While the vampire can view the thoughts, emotions, fears, the past, and present of their servant's mind, the vampire may choose at it's leisure to invite the servant within the confines of it's own mind. The third and final mark links the servant to a vampire's immortality and thereby prolonging the humans life by three to four times what is normal.

Lyssa can't help but be intrigued by Jacob. While a willing submissive is her preference, Jacob's arrogance and subsequent disobedience, springs forth a tidal wave of lust and yearning for him. Although he's a man who claims to be unable to woo a woman by words, Lyssa can't deny the emotions he ignites within her with his cunning wit, dry humor, and above all his words of devotion to her and his need to not only be her protector, but her beloved companion as well. Impulsively and much to Lyssa's early chagrin, she gifts Jacob with the first two marks, yet she promises him that third will never be given for purely unselfish reasons.

I've come to see that unlike most romance authors, Hill enjoys writing about tortured heroines verses tortured heroes. Unlike Hill's 'Ice Queen' - Marguerite, who was horrifically tortured, Lyssa's vulnerability and thus my connection to her plight, was difficult to uncover. As a reader, my preferences crave a dominant hero verses a dominant heroine, so that alone counts against Lyssa. I'm also attributing it towards her being a vampire and with that is the supreme ability to crush Jacob on a whim. Plus, Lyssa has lived for a thousand years thereby having plenty of time to cultivate and perfect her controlled facade. Even Jacob states that anyone else would be hard pressed to observe the subtle nuances in her expressions, signaling her displeasure or approval. Honestly, it's not until Jacob plunges into Lyssa's mind that I could finally understand her motivations and what a revelation did they ultimately prove to be. I finally saw Lyssa as human. She's a woman who is capable of remorse which was definitely something I needed to see in order to move past some of her bad treatment of Jacob. And when Lyssa begins to acknowledge the blurred lines between vampire and servant, she realizes that she craves spending time with Jacob. The sexual desire is still there but she's surprised at even her mundane cravings of him like sitting on the couch and watching television. It's at this time, when she finally reaches out for Jacob, that her vulnerability steps out from behind her shields and I simply could no longer resist her.

Jacob, on the other hand, was very easy to connect with. He truly cares for his lady but he was also very human. I bonded with his thought processes and how even he at times questioned Lyssa's behavior and on more than one occasion, thinks he's taken the wrong path. But true to his Irish heritage, he's equally stubborn as he is motivated to belong to Lyssa, heart and soul. Simply put, Jacob is genuinely a good guy with a big heart. His compulsion to be chivalrous to all woman was very enduring.

'The Vampire Queen's Servant' is very reminiscent of Hill's Ellora's Cave contemporaries despite it's paranormal attributes. This novel puts Jacob and Lyssa's relationship center stage which is unique, IMO, in today's paranormal genre which features a lot of action and fight sequences with the romance taking a backseat. However, I don't think that the novel is for everyone. Because Lyssa's vulnerability and humanity doesn't really come out until more than halfway through the novel combined with her brutal treatment of Jacob, some people might give up on Lyssa early on and may decide to not continue reading.

The BDSM in 'The Vampire Queen's Servant' is not extreme yet the novel definitely deserves it's "erotic" label. You can expect some sharing of sexual partners and some interesting devices to enhance sexual pleasure, but I in no way found the novel to be 'uncomfortable'. Just the opposite in fact. There is a scene where Lyssa hosts a dinner for three vampires and their human servants. The scene is intensely erotic with Jacob performing sexual acts with two other woman, all at the command of Mistress Lyssa. To me it's like Joey W. Hill orchestrates this elaborate masterpiece with numerous people engaging in sexual acts on a stage. Each performs a solo with the others supporting in the background. Then they all come together in a resounding climax that leaves you breathless.

The close of 'The Vampire Queen's Servant' in no way signals the end for Jacob and Lyssa. Their story could not be contained within the confines of one book alone and is followed by it's sequel - 'The Mark of The Vampire Queen'. I think this was Lyssa's doing. You can't say no to a queen.

Again, Hill's novels are not fast reads by any means. She forces you to slow down and savor her words rather than speed through. Jacob and Lyssa's relationship is very complex and it takes time to uncover the inner workings of their hearts especially when one person is guarding their heart so well. I admit that I struggled with the novel in the beginning but about midway through, it really started to flow and the characters washed through my mind like so much silk.

B-

WARNING: Read At Your Own Risk!

So, there is one particular scene that had me wondering "Is that thing really real!". Lyssa places upon Jacob's penis a piece of jewelry that I've fondly dubbed 'The BDSM Pleasure Contraption'. Basically it's a ring that slides down the stalk of the penis by a couple of inches. Extending toward the tip are chains that attached to a cap. Attached to the cap is a two and half inch rod that is inserted into the urethra. It pushes into the urethra like a tack with the cap resembling the head of the pin. Of course, in 'The Vampire Queen's Servant' the basic chains are interlaced with uncut stones.

The validity of this contraption has been been put to the test and verified by Joey W. Hill with accompanying proof. Click the following link to get an eye full. If your expecting a male model, sorry to disappoint you. This link only shows the jewelry. Enjoy!

Interested in 'The Vampire Queen's Servant? Visit Joey W. Hill for more details.

Curious about Joey W. Hill's novels? Check out my reviews of 'Ice Queen', 'Mirror of My Soul', and 'A Mermaid's Kiss'.

Jacob and Lyssa's story continues with 'The Mark of The Vampire Queen'

Available Now!









'A Vampire's Claim' Third Installation in the Vampire Queen Series

Features Lady Daniela and Dev

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Review: Addicted

Review: Addicted by Charlotte Featherstone

He Is Ruled By Twin Cravings:
Oblivion and Passion…

Friends since childhood, Anais Darnby and Lindsay Markham have long harbored a secret passion for one another. When they finally confess their love, their future together seems assured, sealed with their searing embrace.

But when a debauched Lindsay is seduced by scheming socialite, a devastated Anais seeks refuge in another man’s bed while Lindsay retreats to the exotic East. There, he is seduced again—this time by the alluring red smoke and sinister beauty of opium.

Back home, Lindsay’s addiction is fed by the vogue for all things Oriental—especially its sensual pleasures—in fashionable London society. In his lucid moments, Lindsay still lusts after Anais, who can neither allow him near nor forget his smoldering touch. Tortured by two obsessions—opium and Anais—Lindsay must ultimately decide which is the one he truly cannot live without.

With the intention of garnering more reader awareness for her beloved author, Barbara of Happily Forever After petitioned my reader heart and thoughts for 'Addicted' by Charlotte Featherstone. Confident that 'Addicted' would satisfy my romance preferences, Barbara mailed me my very own beautiful copy. Of course, already halfway in love based on Barbara's review I squealed my excitement. After an agonizing postal delay and several worried emails, we both rejoiced when over a week later I received that little peach card saying my book was awaiting me at the post office. Yay!

With the book finally in my hands I prepared myself for two things: One, that the book was going to be about drug addiction and two, that I was in for an emotional roller coaster ride that was sure to twist my soul.

Lindsay Markham is one of the most complex heroes I've read in quite a long time. He's a progressive thinker, believing that even the low born men of society deserve their chance at fortune. Lindsay even helps his valet make a respectable return in his investments administered through Lindsay's own name, showcasing his generosity. Yet despite his intelligence and kind heart, Lindsay is plagued by his own self condemned weaknesses.

Since childhood, Lindsay has longed for his friend, Anais Darnby. As he watched her childish body blossom into womanly splendor, so did his desire and ultimately his love for her. In his mind she's an angel, the epitome of sublime perfection. Quick to stand her ground and protect others, her image inspires his lustful cravings and loving heart. Yet in an attempt to be a gentleman, Lindsay refrains from pursuing Anais sexually and pursues something far more sinful in her stead.

Lindsay's addiction to opium began while away at university. Searching for any means necessary to dilute his lust for Anais, Lindsay turned to opium as a way to dream about her flesh in a way that he couldn't exercise in real life.

Yet now, with aspirations of making Anais his wife and confident that his dabbling with opium can be easily stopped, Lindsay pursues her with single minded determination. Anais is more than an easy target having loved Lindsay for as long as she can remember. With their love proclaimed and marriage a surety, the two make passionate love upon the eve of a dawning future. Unfortunately a case of mistaken identity with a social climber sets off a domino effect of disastrous events whereby dreams are crushed and hearts are broken.

Barbara describes this early relationship between Lindsay and Anais as being "young love" which I think fits their emotions perfectly. It's whimsical and delicate in it's newness and does not yet have the strength to withstand early betrayal.

Ten months pass and Lindsay returns to England to a changed Anais. Suffering from a blood affliction that won't be explained and while her desperation to stay away from Lindsay is understandable, her quick forgiveness is not. Lindsay, expecting anger from Anais, is a bit confounded by her easy forgiveness of his crimes and is further confused by her conflicting declaration that they can never be together. Yet despite this declaration Anais is no more capable than Lindsay to keep her body from desiring his and as the two come together passionately time and again, the guilt Anais feels peaks at its breaking point.

Eventually the secret is out on Anais and the particulars regarding her affliction is revealed. My heart positively shattered at her revelation sparking tears of frustration and I must confess that for those pages my hatred for her knew no bounds. I was so worried that I would be unable to forgive Anais for her betrayal but to my wonder, the author made me see the light. I realized that I along with Lindsay were being selfish with our forgiveness and that none of this horror would have ever happened if he hadn't committed the first of many crimes between the two. And truly, there was no other recourse left to Anais and women of that time. To do any different would've found her shunned from society and even potentially cast out by her very own family.

What really pushed home my understanding and forgiveness of Anais was a statement made to Lindsay by his friend, Wallingford:

"Who is it you love with such passion and fervor?" Wallingford asked. "Anais the paragon or Anais the woman she is now? Who is it your body cries out for, Anais the woman who stands upon a pedestal in her mantle of idyllic womanhood or the woman who has sinned?"
...
"Yes, Wallingford hissed. "She can no longer be the Anais we knew as boys - the girl who was never tempted to be anything but good. She has been tempted - tempted by you, and she is no longer pure and untainted. You have given her the taste of pleasure and sin. You have made her mortal and now you wish to punish her for what you yourself have done to her."

I believe this outlined Lindsay's dilemma perfectly. He needed to let go of the Anais of the past. The previous events shaped them both into new people - people who broke under betrayal and hopefully would embody the strength to move on and finally accept who each other is at their very core.

The suffering Anais endured finally struck my heart as well when she monologues this:

She wanted to be rescued from this pain , from this heartbreak that made her unable to sleep or eat or to think of anything other than the man she loved so desperately and had betrayed so abominably. She wanted to be saved from the hell she had been living in these past weeks, knowing that Lindsay hated her and knowing that she deserved nothing less from him. She wanted to be absolved from this unbearable state of loving and never having, of dreaming and praying that a miracle - however small - might happen and bring Lindsay back into her life.

This passage, amongst many others, brought tears of not only sadness but forgiveness as well. Again, my apologies to Ms. Featherstone for my initial and judgmental hatred of her beautiful heroine.

The ending of 'Addicted' surpassed even more than I could've dared hope for and I closed the book with thoughts of the novel's complete perfection. 'Addicted' is a testament to the beauty of the human soul and our wondrous capabilities to love and be loved. Thank you again to Barbara for awakening my reader heart to this wonderful author and the gifts she has bestowed with her gorgeous novel. Thank you.

A

To read Charlotte Featherstone's reasons and thoughts regarding 'Addicted' visit Barbara's blog, Happily Forever After, for a joint discussion between me, Barbara, and Charlotte Featherstone.

Interested in 'Addicted'? Visit Charlotte Featherstone's website for more details on her historical romances.

Do your preferences run more along the lines of hot contemporaries or paranormals? Check out Charlotte's alter ego, Sophie Renwick.

Coming June 2009

Excerpt









Coming November 2009

Introduction to the Paranormal Series - Annwyn Chronicles

Review: Angels' Blood

Review: Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she's the best—but she doesn't know if she's good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, only one thing is clear—failure is not an option...even if the task is impossible.

Because this time, it's not a wayward vamp she has to track. It's an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other…and pull her to the razor's edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn't destroy her, succumbing to Raphael's seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break…

Wow. That's all I could say for about thirty minutes after completing 'Angels' Blood'. Just wow...

I seriously never would have imagined that Nalini Singh could get any better than she already was but WOW! Ms. Singh rests firmly now in my top five authors of paranormal romance and she's currently battling it out for the number one spot with J.R. Ward and Meljean Brook.

To put it simply, 'Angels' Blood' sang to my reader heart, touching upon every one of my favorite themes with bold and confident words that leaped off the pages. It grabbed me from page one and I must say that it's an example of perfect pacing. At the close of every chapter, I was jumping straight on to the next with nary a pause for breath. I had to know what was going to happen next no matter that my eyes were burning cause my dog chewed my up reading glasses the night before. Dinner was a nuisance and I would gladly starve to appease my desire to read more of 'Angel's Blood'. Then there is the horrible knowledge that only thirty pages remain and no matter how long I wanted to drag out my exquisite reading pleasure, I had to know how it all would end. And the ending, WOW!

'Angles' Blood' takes place in what I've come to think of as a parallel modern world. No dates are given but I get the distinct feeling that the New York City represented in the novel is not futuristic. Given that the technology seems to mirror today's like cell phones and modern day vehicles, there are some new contraptions that are certainly unfamiliar but essential to this parallel world which is teaming not only with humans but angles and vampires as well.

Elena Deveraux is hunterborn, meaning that while human she possesses strength and extra-sensory gifts that supersede the norm. With scent capabilities ten times that of normal human, Elena becomes one of the best trackers of the Hunters Guild - An organization that tracks and bags rogue vampires and returns them to their makers, angles. It's this very notoriety that garners her the attention of the Archangel of Manhattan, New York.

The angles of Singh's world are not biblical. In fact, there is no claim to God or heaven and hell. They are simply an immortal species that rule the world with a circle of power known as the Cadre of Ten(very similar to the Psy Council in Singh's Psy/Changeling series except for the angel ruling body extends over all species.).

Raphael, Archangel of Manhattan and member of the Cadre of Ten, has hired Elena to track not a rogue vampire but to her surprise, he demands that she track a rogue archangel and once member of the Cadre of Ten, Uram, who has fallen off the grid. Elena's reward if she accomplishes her mission are riches beyond her imaginings, but if she fails she will be punished which translates to slow torture followed by death.

Elena is not unlike another favorite heroine of mine - Mercedes Thompson. Both are not reluctant heroines, but rather they simply know that for the job to be done their skills are needed and for this reason, there is no backing down or turning away for them. Plus, they both are natural protectors of innocents and embody a unyielding desire to bring down that which is trying so desperately to destroy that innocence. They also both have smart mouths that even despite their terror of the moment, they still can not resist putting a man in his place. Which, come on ladies, who can't love that trait in a heroine?

On the other hand, Raphael is more anti-hero than hero but it's this very trait that not only ignites Elena's desire for one the most powerful archangels in the world, but it plays havoc on my hormones as well. The man is simply sex incarnate with his gold tipped wings that shed glittering dust that tastes like ambrosia, food for the gods. He possesses eyes so blue that there is nothing comparable or even represented anywhere else on earth. In addition, Raphael is not human and is a being of little to no remorse. Being an archangel alone demands more of his soul than being a mere angel. His archangel gifts strip him of his humanity each year of his existence which has already been long. This lack of humanity reminds not only me but Elena as well that Raphael will most likely kill her at the end of her hired mission based mostly on the fact that she simply knows too much. More than any other mortal. For if an angel reveals their secrets to humans it's punishable by the taking away of his/her wings leaving said angel earthbound for eternity. A steep price to say the least.

There are many traits embodied by Elena that spark Raphael's interest. For an immortal, it takes a lot for a human to be more than mundane. Perhaps it's her fearlessness in the face of death for she pushes him time and again right up to the killing edge. Or is it her shear will to never be cowed, to never fall to her knees before another.? Maybe it's the fact that immortality is the last thing that Elena would ever ask for much less desire. She covets immortality like an angel would covet being human. Suffice it to say that even Raphael doesn't understand his desire for her but what he does know is that he loathes ever having to one day break her warrior spirit.

The sexual tension is absolutely fierce between Raphael and Elena. Couple that with the constant threat of death for Elena by the hand of Raphael and you're on shaky but sexually charged ground. It was in these instances that Raphael's humanity within his soul began to shine. Never, in his ancient existence, has he ever taken a woman by force. His seductive power alone would make taking a woman so easy but he it's his own personal vow that she come to him and when Elena does, whew! Their coupling is beyond explosive for by that time the tension had reached it's ultimate peak.

The death and blood portrayed in 'Angels' Blood' is not for the faint of heart. Ms. Singh leaves little to the imagination and what Uram does to his victims is beyond insanity. His macabre art forces Elena to loose the contents of her stomach many times over. Although, this blood red gore is important for it reinforces the readers awareness that these angels, while sublimely beautiful, are far from being human. Raphael himself is subject to and fully capable of becoming like Uram for with each passing year, his archangel abilities strip pieces of his soul. But what I believe causes the reader to fall in love with him, although there are many things, but rather what humanizes him is his fear of becoming Uram. Perhaps Elena and his steady fascination of her will help him retain what little humanity he does possess.

'Angels' Blood' is an absolute must read for anyone who loves paranormal romance. I know many fans have reservations with Nalini Singh publishing this new series but she is an author to trust. The only aspect of 'Angels' Blood' that left me twitching is that Ms. Singh ends the novel with a sizable cliff hanger, not only with Elena's fate but the fate of possibly the world with the emergence of another rogue archangel. Aw man, I can't wait to get my hands on the next series installment, 'Angel's Kiss' releasing 2010, which thankfully returns to the adventures of Raphael and Elena. Their relationship is on precarious ground to say the least.

A

Interested in 'Angels' Blood'? Visit Nalini Singh for more details.

Coming July 2009

Book Six of the Psy/Changeling Series

Visit Nalini Singh for an excerpt