Heart Thief by Claire Thompson

 

Title: Heart Thief

Author: Claire Thompson

Series: Serving His Master (#5 in the series)

Genre: Contemporary Wester M/M Romance

Publisher:  Romance Unbound Publishing (July 8, 2011)

Source: Kindle Unlimited

Rating: ☕☕

Synopsis: Caught in the snare of a cruel Dom… Only a cowboy’s love can set him free… 

Sawyer Croft has been through hell and back, and come out the stronger for it. A cowboy to his core, he’s determined to help his father save their horse ranch. At the same time, he dreams of one day finding a man who understands the passion of sensual domination and the transcendence of erotic pain.

After a stint in the Army, Luke Malone meets a powerful billionaire who offers him a job…with benefits. He’s intrigued by Glenn’s dominance and experience with BDSM, but Glenn’s penchant for rough sex and extreme control, as well as his reputation for the catch and release of sub boys, takes a toll.  When Glenn sends Luke to an East Texas ranch to scope out a business deal, Luke knows he has been dismissed and replaced. 

While his connection with Sawyer sparks blazing need between them, deep emotional scars make Luke slow to trust again. Sawyer knows Luke won’t get past his anger and pain unless he can move through the feelings and then let them go. Together, they embark on a D/s journey that opens both their worlds in ways neither had ever imagined. 

That is, until Glenn decides he wants his boy back. And what Glenn wants, Glenn gets.

My Thoughts: I really wanted to like this book, but it was seriously a bad example of the BDSM lifestyle. 

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: We have Luke, who realized he was a sub when he was approached by Glenn. Glenn is a really wealthy jackhole who pretty much uses the BDSM lifestyle to abuse his Subs. We weren't supposed to like Glenn but we were supposed to like Sawyer. The author was heavy handed with the way she "guided" us readers to those conclusions. Glenn = Bad. Sawyer = Good. I'd rather draw my own conclusions thank you very much. Also, not once did either Doms discuss limits, safe words, or after care (even though Sawyer did provide after care he didn't discuss this with Luke before any scenes started.) As Luke was new to the entire lifestyle all of this should have been number one with Sawyer after realizing Luke was pretty much a newbie even after spending a few months with Glenn. All Sawyer wanted to talk about was some weird pain equals a spiritual experience that could transcend the sub while deep into a scene. It reminded me of some sort of weird stuff a hippie would spout while high on 'shrooms.

Besides all that there was an issue with the romance itself. we spent 1/3 of the book reading about Glenn's abusive tendencies (3 months in Luke's time) and only one week with Sawyer, where they jumped right into Luke being hog tied and hanging from a support beam on the day they met. Somehow, in that week, they fell in love. Of course, when their eyes met that first day birds sang their song of love, butterflies danced, and fireworks burst only for them. Just kidding but almost not. The author did add some poetic flowery words for the Sa-luke couple. Or is that Luyer? I don't know but I probably won't go back and read any more of this series knowing Thompson regularly writes BDSM stories.

In a Nutshell: I'm glad I read this book using my Kindle Unlimited subscription and even though the rest of the series is available to me with KU I probably won't go back and read any more knowing Thompson regularly writes BDSM stories and they are probably similar to this one. 

Nighttime Wishes by M.A. Church

Title: Nighttime Wishes

Author: M.A. Church

Series: #1 in the Make a Wish series

Genre: M/M Sci-Fi Romance

Publisher: M.A. Church, THIRD Edition pub. 2017 (first published May 10, 2012)

Source: Kindle Unlimited

Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Synopsis: *Previously published in 2012 and 2015. This edition's cover has been changed but the story has not been changed*

Ziang, a tentacled warrior from the planet Maz'Rar, has come to Earth to claim his most precious prize and start a new life. When an unforeseen accident results in a crash landing, his plan for a quick removal of the human Shawn lays in a twisted ruin at his feet, much like his shuttlecraft. If that isn't enough, the FBI is sniffing around.

Confronted by the very same alien who observed him since he wished on a shooting star as a child, Shawn finds his initial inability to communicate with Ziang leads to misunderstanding and fear. Forced to hise until rescue arrives, tensions mount. Shawn learns of Ziang's intentions of taking him as a mate. Ziang, on the other hand, is completely befuddled at Shawn's less than stellar response to said taking.

As they wait, a spark ignites. Turns out humans and Maz'Rarians are very compatible--tentacles and all. Shawn falls for the big alien he jokingly call E.T. Now he must decide if he's willing to throw away all he knows to travel the stars with Ziang.

(Synopsis courtesy of GoodReads)

My Thoughts: A good introduction to MA Church's writing and, although, not an award-winning book, she completely hooked me on her Aliens and left me wanting more.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: 3 days. That's as long as this storyline really lasted to create a believable romance. It didn't work as well for me, mostly because I don't like insta-love and in my eyes that is what this was. Never mind Ziang had been watching him practically his whole life. So that sounds creepier than it really was. Honestly. I wouldn't lie to you. Ziang was intrigued by the boy Shawn was as he didn't seem afraid of the "lights" he saw in the sky. Ziang then came back every 6 years or so to check up on Shawn and waited until Shawn was in his 20's before coming to claim him. Ok it still sounds a bit sketch but this romance really did work for me, and I don't consider myself to be skeezy so there it is.

I really liked the Aliens Church created although with some tentacle action (tentacles on the males where their hair would be) I really pictured more of a Predator/humanoid hybrid rather than E.T. and it kind of annoyed me with Shawn continually called Ziang this. I know it was supposed to lend a lighthearted humor to the book, but I think it missed the mark. 

The sex was spicy enough and not overly done although I would have liked to know more about the Maz'Rarian's mating season. Ziang mentioned it was his time and it was a bit precarious for Shawn as the Maz'Rarian males could go into a Rut situation (like some animals here on Earth...I'm think like a Bull or Stallion type rutting.) Anyway, this wasn't explained enough for me. Like how long their mating season is and how often it happens etc. I like details and there wasn't enough for me. I think some additional details would have enhanced the storyline and I would have enjoyed it even more.

On a positive note, I really did like the Prologue. Although I have to be honest it did confuse me at first as to the time frame because there was an alien ship crash that happened in the Prologue and then the present-day chapter one opened up with a crash. It took me a while to realize it was 2 different crashes. Back to the prologue and the importance of the crash. I'll not go into details just in case you want to read for yourself, but I appreciated it and found it to be a positive to the storyline.

In a Nutshell: I'm hooked and will definitely read book 2. As of this review there are only 2 books in the series, and I'm really interested in reading the next as it is set up really well towards the end of this first book.

An Omega Bear for Kit by Lorelei M. Hart and Colbie Dunbar

Title: An Omega Bear for Kit

Author: Lorelei M. Hart and Colbie Dunbar

Series: #2 in the Bruin Ridge Bear-Ginnings series

Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Surrendered Press (May 22, 2022)

Source: Kindle Unlimited

Rating: ☕☕☕

Synopsis: Grant didn't know an omega could become Beta of his Bear Den, but that's exactly what just happened.

Omega bear shifter Grant loves all of the positive changes that his den has seen since their new Alpha arrived. Now that he has food in his bellym, a comfortable place to live, and a taste of the human world, he yearns to take another step and do what no one from his den has attempted--get a college education. If only he was brave enough to ask.

Alpha mountain lion shifter Kit enjoys his life in the city. Great food, fun nightlife, andf best of all... no pack politics. That's until his pack's Alpha sends word he's needed at home. Kit has no choice but to agree and decides to take a detour to the Bruin Ridge shifters to visit his old roommate, their new Alpha. Anything to delay the inevitable.

Kit's short trip is complicated when he scents his true mate and doubly complicated when Grant, his fated, is name den Beta.

An Omega Bear of Kit is the seond book in the Bruin Ridge Bear-ginning series, a sweet with knotty heat M/M Mpreg Shifter Romance by the popular writing team of Colbie Dunbar and Lorelei M. Hart. It features an alpha mountin lion thrown into a role he is woefully unprepared for, an omega bear trying to find his place, a den beginning to thrive, an unexpected position, true lovem, fatedf mates, and of course, an adorable baby. If you love your shifters hawt, your omegas strong, and your mpreg with heart, download your copy of An Omega Bear for Kit today.

My Thoughts: While I didn't like this book nearly as much as the first it held my interest from the first page to the last.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: So, I honestly don't know why I didn't connect to Grant and Kit as much as I did Aspen and Lucian other than Lucian's plight caught me in my feels and both Grant and Kit were just, well, there. Not saying their tumultuous relationship wasn't worth reading about because it certainly was. I just found it to be more angsty than anything else. They are not necessarily star-crossed lovers but each of the separate lives dictated they were on different paths. It was Kit's situation that made for them not being able to be together and I while I did feel for them, I just didn't like the situation. We had a healthy dose of tyrannical Alphas from the former Bruin Ride Bear Alpha in the first book, so, having yet another one in Kit's pride was a bit too much for me. 

I thought Grant was an exceptional character though and his battle with his bear was captivating. Although Grant was an Omega, I'd venture to say his bear was a little bit alpha with how strong he was. 

The love story between Kit and Grant was lovely and although this was a short novel (as they all are) I felt it was well balanced between the spicy sex, the angsty plot, the fated mate trope, the character development (even though Grant was more fleshed out than Kit), and the insta-love I love you's.

In a Nutshell: I'm still hooked on this series and I'm looking forward to the 3rd book a lot.

The Heart of Devin MacKade by Nora Roberts

Title: The Heart of Devin MacKade

Author: Nora Roberts

Series: #3 in The MacKade Brothers series

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Silhouette Special Edition (first published March 1, 1996)

Source: Purchased

Rating: ☕☕☕☕1/2

Synopsis: Sheriff Devin MacKade has always known his destiny was to serve and protect the small town of Antietam, Maryland--and for a long while he thought that future would include Cassie Conner. She's the only woman he has ever loved, but he'd never worked up the nerve to tell her. When Cassie married the wrong man, Devin did the honorable thing and kept his feelings to himself. Now that Cassie's divorced, Devin can finally follow his heart. Question is, can Cassie?

My Thoughts: I loved Devin and Cassie enough to make this 90's romance a favorite and a keeper.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: OK so this is a 90's romance through and through. It is a bit dated in places with the terminology and pop culture references in addition to the Alpha-beat-on-your-chest man and the poor abused needed-to-be-taken-care-of heroine. Even though I loved Devin I was a bit irritated at him a few times in the book. He pinned away for Cassie for so long and told her he would be just fine waiting until she was ready but then a few days later he flipped the script and said he was tired of waiting for her to make her mind up. Also, Cassie, poor abused Cassie. She felt authentic to me up until I felt she was a little bullied by Devin to have sex. Technically she initiated it but as Devin was asking her the right questions but continued to go through with them having intercourse despite her thoughts on sex in general (something a woman needs to do to make her man happy and not something to be enjoyed by a woman) I was disappointed in him. She changed her mind, of course, after one night with a sex god (yes, I said it.... sorry...not sorry.)

I think this book would have held up into the 21st century if Cassie would have been less of a victim once breaking away from her abuser becoming a lioness instead of the timid mouse, she was through most of the book.

What did I like about this book to make it darn near a 5-star rating you may ask? Well, as with any book that makes my feelers feel a range of emotions, I tend to rate it higher than average. This book did make me tear up, laugh, say awwww (because let's face it those kids were adorable), and make me curious about the ghost in the Inn. Also, I tend to give Nora a half star extra just because she's Nora. It's my rating system I can do what I want!

In a Nutshell: A great conclusion to this series. I know it's not the end of the series but book 3. I read them out of order. I read this one last and the second book first. Needless to say, I read them all and I enjoyed them a lot. I will re-read them at some point...maybe even in order. Who knows?

An Alpha Bear for Lucian by Lorelei M. Hart and Colbie Dunbar

Title: An Alpha Bear for Lucian

Author: Lorelei M. Hart and Colbie Dunbar

Series: #1 in The Bruin Ridge Bear-Ginnings

Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Surrendered Press (February 27, 2022)

Source: Kindle Unlimited

Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Synopsis: Aspen didn't know you could accidentally become Alpha of Den, but that's exactly what he just did.

Apha bear shifter Aspen was ready to begin his new life in the big city. He has a job lined up, a lease signed, and his truck packed. All he has left is to get there. Too bad that's easier said than done because his truck picked the middle of nowhere to break down--alongside a bear den's land of all places. When Aspen seeks permission to spend the night, he plans to keep his head down and just mind his own business and he does, until he hears the scream that changes everything.

Omega bear shifter Lucian hated his den. No, that wasn't fair. It wasn't the den he hated as much as it was the leadership. Wehen the Alpha he had most of his life died, he crossed his fingers the new one would bring their den into this century. He didn't--the alpha was not only old-school, but also cruel. When rumors of an alpha bear seeking refuge until his truck is repaired reach him, Lucian forms a plan. If he can convince the shifter to take him when he leaves, he can escape this horrible life. 

Sneaking out to find the new bear sounded like a great idea, until Lucian gets caught. His den Alpha is a strike first kind of guy, and strike he does. Lucien knows better than to scream, it only makes the punishment worse, but scream he does, the pain too much to hold inside. A flurry of furm, teeth, a dead Alpha, and the scenting of his fated mate leaves the visiting shifter a their new Alpha.

So much for best laid plans.

An Alpha Bear for Lucian is the first book in the anticipated Bruin Ridge Bear-Ginning series, a sweet with knotty hear M/M Mpreg Shifter Romance by the popular writing team of Colbie Dunbar and Lorelei M. Hart. It features an alpha bear thrown into a role he is woefully unprepared for, an omega whose plans for the future very much did not include being his den's Alpha Omega, a pack on the verge of collapse, the challenge that changes everything, true love, fated mates, and of course an adorable baby. If you love your shifters hawt, your omegas strong, and your mpreg with heart, download your copy of An Alpha Bear for Lucian today.

(synopsis courtesy of GoodReads)

My Thoughts: This was a darn good book with a great balance of love and conflict.

The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: It's been a while since I finished this book (3 weeks ago) so I don't necessarily remember every little detail, but I do remember how I adored these characters. I'm so character driven that if I can connect with the characters, I'm sure to love the book even if the plot is weak. In this instance I don't think the plot was weak either, but I was so wrapped up in Aspen and Lucian I might not have noticed. Grant also gets special consideration from me as well. He's a great friend to Lucian. 

The whole dynamics of the Den was very interesting when Aspen took over after the death of the previous alpha. There was some set-in tradition and refused to accept the new path Aspen was taking the Den and the ones who were happy about the changes were mostly Omegas who were considered less than in the hierarchy of the Den. Aspen never planned on being the leader of a Den, ever, but he ends up being great at it. 

In a Nutshell: I'm certainly invested in the future of the Bruin Ridge Bear Den and the shifters living there. I am really looking forward to reading more about them.

It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas

Title: It Happened One Autumn
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Series: #2 in the Wallflower series
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Harper Collins  (October 13, 2009)
Source: Purchased
Rating: ☕☕☕☕☕

Synopsis: Four young ladies enter London society with one necessary goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So they band together, and a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.

It happened at the ball...

Where beautiful but bold Lillian Bowman quickly learned that her independent American ways weren't entirely "the thing." And the most disapproving of all was insufferable, snobbish, and impossible Marcus, Lord Westcliff, London's most eligible aristocrat.

It happened in the garden...

When Marcus shockingly—and dangerously—swept her into his arms. Lillian was overcome with a consuming passion for a man she didn't even like. Time stood still; it was as if no one else existed... thank goodness they weren't caught very nearly in the act!

It happened one autumn...

Marcus was a man in charge of his own emotions, a bedrock of stability. But with Lillian, every touch was exquisite torture, every kiss an enticement for more. Yet how could he consider taking a woman so blatantly unsuitable... as his bride?

My Thoughts: Everything I could ask for in a Historical Romance and more!

The Good: Being so character driven of course I have to list Lillian and Marcus as being the "Good" in this book. Their banter is delightful. Lisa Kleypas certainly knows how to do entertaining dialogue. I love that both Lillian and Marcus profess their complete dislike of each other throughout the book yet find their amazing chemistry at odds with their brains. There is a scene at towards the beginning where 3 of the Wallflowers go to the wishing well to wish Marcus a wife. Well, in 2 of their cases they wished for a wife/love of his life but in Lillian's case, after decided that he is infuriating, wishes a woman for him that'll bring him to his knees. I love her. I love him. I love them.

The ended was pretty amazeballs and after our hero rescued our heroine from the dastardly villain one can't help but wonder how Kleypas could possibly turn that villain into a hero. Not the first time she's done that but it amazes me each and every time. I guess I'll have to read the next book to find out how she does it.

The Bad: I got nothing. Nada. Zilch. I loved this book and everything about it.

In a Nutshell: Another wonderful book by Lisa Kleypas. Another great installment of the Wallflower series. Another book to put on my Keeper shelf. I'll keep this book and read it again some day when I'm in a funk and can't find my way out. It's that good.

A Lot Like Love by Julie James

Title: A Lot Like Love
Author: Julie James
Series: #2 in the FBI/US Attorney series
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Berkley  (March 1, 2011)
Source: Purchased
Rating: ☕☕☕☕

Synopsis: The FBI wants her cooperation. As the daughter of a billionaire and the owner of the city's top wine store, Jordan Rhodes is invited to the most exclusive parties in Chicago. But there's only one party the FBI wants to crash: the charity fundraiser of a famous restaurateur, who also happens to launder money for the mob. In exchange for her brother's release from prison, Jordan is going to be there—with a date supplied by the Bureau.

Agent McCall just wants her. As the top undercover agent in Chicago, Nick McCall has one rule: never get personal. This "date" with Jordan Rhodes is merely an assignment— one they're both determined to pull off even if they can't be together for five minutes before the sarcasm and sparks begin to fly. But when Nick's investigation is compromised, he and Jordan have no choice but to pretend they're a couple, and what starts out as a simple assignment begins to feel a lot like something more.

My Thoughts: A solid romance filled with fun and sarcastic banter and hint of suspense.

The Good: The interactions between the characters made this book fun to read. Jordan and Nick (Mr Tall-Dark-and-Smoldering) work well together as a couple. The banter between them was well done and humorous and whoooweeeee did their chemistry sizzle! The secondary characters were just as fun to read about even if there was limited interaction and not a whole lot of character development for them. Jack and Cameron make appearances in this book although they had very limited page time which was a bit unfortunate since I really like them as a couple too(their book, Something About You, was the first in the series by the way.) Jordan's brother Kyle, the cyber-terrorist ("It was only Twitter!!!!) is really intriguing and as a newly released ex-con, not exactly boyfriend material so it will be interesting to see what Ms. James does with him.

The Bad: These are the things that I found to be slight negatives about this book. They are rather minor but when adding them all up together it is the reason I didn't give this book a higher rating than a 4. The plot was a bit simplistic in it's execution and not quite original, way too much wine talk (I'm not a fan of wine...someone who enjoys wine might feel otherwise), I wish there had been more suspense, and I'd have preferred if the FBI really worked the investigation rather than make the case more of a situation so the characters could be in closer proximity.

In a Nutshell: Despite some minor negatives the building of the relationship between Jordan and Nick really shines and the climactic ending pushed this book into a winner of a read. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series a lot.

Saving Grace by Norah Wilson

Title: Saving Grace
Author: Norah Wilson
Series: #2 in the Serve and Protect series
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Norah Wilson(August 17, 2010)
Source: Library ebook
Rating: ☕☕☕

Synopsis: After wrecking her car and waking in hospital with amnesia, fledgling reporter Grace Morgan has no idea why she’d been in the process of leaving the husband she loves so dearly. Her husband, Police Detective Ray (Razor) Morgan tells her she was leaving him for another man, but that just can’t be so. Can it? She’s determined to remember, even if it kills her. And it just might. When bullets start to fly, Ray is forced to take the wife he believes faithless on the lam until they can figure out who is trying to kill them.

My Thoughts: This book started out really good and lost momentum and my attention in the last 1/3.

The Good: I love a good amnesia themed book. I don't know why. They all tend to be pretty similar to tell the truth. I just like the way we readers discover who the character is and what makes them tick along with said character. Or, in Grace's case, find out why she was really leaving her husband who she loves with her whole heart (according to Grace, herself). This book really fit the bill when it comes to that amnesia theme. She can't remember her accident or the few days before it happened so we discover her motives as she remembers them.

Also, the addition of some unaccounted for money in Grace's possession, a sniper shooting at Ray, the couple running from the cops and the bad guys, someone sabotaging Ray's vehicle, and Ray's animosity,  while trying to take care of Grace despite her leaving him for another man made this book pretty darned good....until it wasn't.

The Bad: Grace's character seemed to be all over the place. She's described one way and acts completely different making her feel bipolar rather than a woman growing into a character of strength. The book keeps telling the reader that both couples were so in love and their relationship was pretty darned good but finding out that it wasn't all rainbows and lollipops made me feel lied to rather than in awe of their relationship development. And the sexual aspect of the book felt off also. One sex scene even made the characters wince and when they finally came together in reconciled sexual bliss the timing couldn't have been more off. When one purposely creates mayhem for very bad people perhaps having all night monkey sex isn't the best idea nor, come to think about it, is running out for donuts the next morning a great move either. But Gracie wanted a honey cruller! Whatever!

With the plot, frankly, I was a little confused as to how the heck Ray was able to put Grace's puzzle together when she left him for the second time, or as I like to say, when Grace became TSTL. Why yes, a fledgling reporter/trophy wife can totally take out a mob boss/human trafficker/all-around bad guy because she found her husband's gun and believes in herself. Once again....WHATEVER! Oh and the surprise reveal about Grace's condition....not a surprise. Which could lead to another rant if I'm not careful. Nope not gonna say it...yes I will! What woman in her right mind would willingly try to get killed knowing it would be a death sentence for her unborn child? There, I totally spoiled the big reveal for you. Speaking of reveals....what in the world was the author thinking adding a secret backstory for Ray in the last couple of pages? Completely unnecessary at that point in the book and only proved how much this couple shouldn't be together since their relationship was built on lies and disappointment anyway. Oh and Ray's police nickname....Razor? Not super cool if Dodgeball is your favorite movie. Instead of seeing Ray as an ass kicking super cop I kept seeing him as part of Team Douche along with Blazer, Laser and Me'Shell.

In a Nutshell: While the last 1/3 of the book fell apart for me not everyone will see it that way and I would never try to sway someone away from Saving Grace because of my personal peeves. The first part of the book was actually pretty good and I'll continue reading the rest of the series because of it.

Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel's Blade
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: #4 in the Guild Hunter series
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Berkley Sensation  (May 8, 2011)
Source: Library ebook
Rating: ☕☕☕☕1/2

Synopsis:The severed head marked by a distinctive tattoo on its cheek should have been a Guild case, but dark instincts honed over hundreds of years of life compel the vampire Dmitri to take control. There is something twisted about this death, something that whispers of centuries long past...but Dmitri's need to discover the truth is nothing to the vicious strength of his response to the hunter assigned to decipher the tattoo.

Savaged in a brutal attack that almost killed her, Honor is nowhere near ready to come face to face with the seductive vampire who is an archangel's right hand, and who wears his cruelty as boldly as his lethal sensuality...the same vampire who has been her secret obsession since the day she was old enough to understand the inexplicable, violent emotions he aroused in her.

As desire turns into a dangerous compulsion that might destroy them both, it becomes clear the past will not stay buried. Something is hunting...and it will not stop until it brings a blood-soaked nightmare to life once more...

My Thoughts: I was a tad disappointed that the 4th book in this series would not continue with Elena and Raphael's story but that disappointment was short lived. Dmitri's story was pretty amazing.

The Good: I never really warmed up to Dmitri in the first 3 Guild Hunter books. He was cocky and came across as cruel and just a bully especially when he went toe to toe with Elena. Yet in this book Singh does an amazing job at keeping Dmitri true to who he was but rounding him out by creating such a tragic back story the reader can't help but fall in love with him. Honor is the perfect person to balance out Dmitri. With her backbone of steel and her refusal to wither away after experiencing an event that would make Superman himself check out of life, she turned into one of my very favorite female characters of all time. Together they make a near perfect couple. I loved every minute of them and their sizzling chemistry.

During the course of the book we experience 2 different plot lines inner-twinning. The mystery of the one who killed the young vampire and the mystery of the one who attacked Honor months earlier had equal time throughout the book where one didn't feel overshadowed by the other. Once again I have to sing Singh's praises on her ability as a writer. Not just anyone could accomplish two full story lines in one book while giving just as much attention to the building of a believable relationship between two broken people.

The Bad: The only thing I found to really be a negative in the book was the number of characters introduced. There are a whole slew of baddies we got to see while Honor and Dmitri investigated and I got a bit lost a couple times trying to figure out if I was supposed to already know who they were talking about. Plus there are characters mentioned who didn't make appearances at all to muddy it all up a bit in my mind. Other than that I got nothing but praise to say about this book!

In a Nutshell: This is a book I'll totally recommend to my friends. Oh, I'm sorry, you haven't read the first book (Archangel's Blood) yet? Why not!?!? Put this series on you're "I need to read this series STAT" list. Do it. Do it NOW!

Red Fox by Karina Halle

Synopsis: With Book Two of the Experiment in Terror Series, Perry Palomino and Dex Foray trade in the stormy Oregon coast for the unforgiving deserts of New Mexico. In the for­got­ten town of Red Fox, a Navajo cou­ple is tor­tured by things unseen and by motives unknown. Wild ani­mals slink through their house in the dark, a bar­rage of stones pound their roof nightly, and muti­lated sheep car­casses are turn­ing up on their prop­erty. Armed with a cam­era and just enough to go on, Perry and Dex travel to the des­o­late locale, hop­ing to film the super­nat­ural occur­rences and add cred­i­bil­ity to their flail­ing web­cast. Only their show has a lot more work­ing against them than just grow­ing pains. Tested by dubi­ous ranch hands, a ghost from Dex’s past, and shapeshift­ing decep­tion, the ama­teur ghost hunters must learn to trust each other in order to fight the most ancient of myths…or die trying.

My Thoughts: With this second installment of this series I am finding myself more intrigued by Perry's 'abilities'. Although her ghost seeing was not factored into this book she is becoming more of a complex person as we determine what it is about her that is making her so susceptible to the influence of the other world.

Dex, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be growing as a person but does seem to be evening out despite the fact that he admits in this book to not having an even keel on his emotions (read this as saying he is probably bi-polar). His attraction continues to miss me completely but I did find him less condescending towards Perry with his smarmy attitude and sleazy smiles being kept to a minimum in this book.

Perry and Dex continue to grow closer during the course of Red Fox but Perry's surprising admission (to herself) of love seems premature as they have only been together for a few days since they met a paltry month earlier.

The build up of suspense is quite good throughout the entire book but the ending had very little closure with the bad guys running for the hills and Dex and Perry running for home.

This ebook is offered as a great deal by Karina Halle, who self published this series. (Purchase at Amazon.com here) Don't let the term 'self published' keep you away from this series though. Unlike many self published books I've read (or attempted to read) I was never pulled out of this particular story by glaringly obvious spelling and grammar mistakes. This says to me that Halle is someone to be taken seriously in a booming industry and that she wants to make sure we are reading her best efforts.

With that said, even though I found this book to be average it was well worth the money I spent purchasing it.