REVIEW Nightmare in Steam by Lexi Ostrow

*La sigh* Steampunk. Released in October, Nightmare in Steam is book one of Lexi Ostrow's new series Alliance of Silver and Steam. While it is the first book in the series there is a prequel Demon In Steam that I haven't read but I wish I had. It's not necessary to read their story is not pivotal to the storyline but has elements that leave blanks and seem like you are missing something. I love steampunk and I love romance and I love this merger between the two.

Eliza is a great character, strong and intelligent; a woman at the top of her field but yet still a disappointment to her family. Lucias Willan is a nightmare demon who feeds of peoples fear, he also gambles too much and sleeps around which got him into a bit of trouble. Eliza invents weapons and machines to help kill demons, he parents loved that she was intelligent but her choice to join the Alliance after Cambridge upset them she is the last of the family at without the proper marriage their family line will not carry on. Lucius messed up and found himself tied to the Queen of Hell (because she overthrew Lucifer ages ago) tied to her to kill at her will. She has now tasked him with killing someone in the Alliance so she has an in. Lucius never expected to find his mate and know is torn between his own race and the love of his life. Eliza falls for the man she thinks Lucius is and when she finds out he is a demon who has to kill to survive she is hurt and felt betrayed. Lucius needs to show her he would do anything for her even go against the Queen B*tch herself and risk his life.

REVIEW Shadow's Embrace by Cara Carnes

I love sci-fi adventure. Cara Carnes' Shadow's Embrace is a psychic goodness. From the On the Run line by Fated Desires a group of psychics on the run from a sadistic general bent on using them for evil means. After escaping from the torture Conver had them going through in the name of training a bunch escaped, the Shadow Elite, a bunch of high ranking psychics tired of Conver and his sadistic doctor escaped and set a bunch of other lower ranking psychics free. Now they fight Conver and his army of psychics. Indigo is a group of children and young adults that have been overlooked, gangs of hoodlums avoiding capture by Conver. Indigo provides education, food and protection. Devyn started up Indigo after her escape from Conver to prevent what happened to her to happen to them. Unbeknownst to the rest of her group she has been providing information it Shadow Elite, as a high ranking technopath she inadvertently ran across some sensitive information that now has Conver on her tale, and know she must rely on the Elite for help and protection.

I really enjoyed this story and the characters I can't wait for more.  

REVIEW Tattered Loyalties by Carrie Ann Ryan

Ok when I say that everytime Carrie Ann Ryan releases a new book I have a new favorite, I'm not kidding. Tattered Loyalties is a fantastic start to the Talon Pack series and this particular story arc. Brie and Gideon are a perfect match even if they don't see how they are.

The Redwood Pack has known three decades of peace and the Talon Pack has had three decades of picking up the pieces from their last sadistic leader. Together with the Redwood pack they try and make an escape route and alternative plans for the eventuality of humans finding out about the existence of their kind. Gideon has done a wonderful job of bringing the pack up to modern times and mending the wounds that were left. Not everyone agrees with him. The Elders, one in particular Shannon, are stuck in the past and want things to go back to the way they were and will set Gideon up for failure. Shannon has convinced the rest of the Elders that Gideon must take a mate in order to run his pack successfully and if he won't they will force a mating on him with a power hungry female she can easily control. Little did they know Gideon already found his mate.

Brie has known for fifteen years who her potential mate is and has resisted it by avoiding him at all costs but when her uncle requests her presence for a meeting with the Talons she know he time has come. Brie is a submissive wolf, submissive wolves like much like the Omega can help calm down strong wolves but they are calm personalities and avoid conflict; Brie won't fight unless she has too. Brie knows as a submissive wolf she isn't strong enough for Gideon she isn't the alpha he needs to help run his pack but fate has decreed otherwise. Gideon knows immediately what Brie is and what she is to him, but as an alpha he was going to just ignore the connection until the elders gave him their ultimatum. Brie knows the politics of the pack and makes the decision that for the health and safety of the Talon Pack she will mate with Gideon. Together they are very sexually compatible (rwar) but it takes a while for Gideon to and Brie to learn about each other especially when it comes to Brie's strength. Them working together to find out just how perfect they are together is emotional and enjoyable, everything I love about Carrie Ann Ryan's writing is in this book. Everything starts to fall apart when a villain from the past shows up again and threatens all the hard work the two packs have worked for.

I loved, loved, loved this book. It was a great introduction to the characters in the new pack and even if you missed Redwood Pack as a whole (you really are missing something great) it doesn't impact much this is a new story arc and everything you need to know about the past is summed up in a nutshell. I really am looking forward to Finn's book next.    

VALENTINES DAY PICKS Collar Me in Paris and Pretty Poison

Happy Valentines Day all!

 Well if you are anything like me you will spend the day reading. But what to read? I have some picks that aren't your usual romantic mushy reads. First we have Sidney Bristol's Collar Me in Paris

 Collar Me in Paris is part of Sidney's Atlanta BDSM series. As one of the few BDSM authors I love, this is a great book. It is a FemDom (which if you don't know and can't figure it out it is a Female Dominant/ Male Submissive) but it's not your usual it is The Amazing Race meets BDSM. It's funny, sweet, emotional and has some pretty steamy scenes.

What can be more romantic than Paris? Bianca's annual family vacation in Paris this year together with her new husband and long time submissive, Clay, they had planned a nice relaxing vacation. But then her family's annual race threatens to ruin it. Clay was raised in the foster system and has never felt like part of the family and he sees his chance to get closer to Bianca's family by joining the race. Bianca hates the family race her brothers take competitive to a new level, and when Clay says they will join she gets upset. The line between Bianca and Clay's BDSM relationship and marriage get blurred as they try and work it out. Finally figuring out what went wrong they work together to complete the race and have fun doing it.

I love Sidney Bristol's BDSM books they cover a wide variety of kink and while FemDom isn't my thing it was a really fun read.

Next up Pretty Poison by Lynne Barron.

Pretty Poison isn't your typical romance. I loved it, I have never read another story like this. Lynne Barron has a talent for taking her Heroines and lowering them as far as they could go and then having them claw their way back up and a Hero thats stands by them no matter what. 

Emily Cavert is an American heiress who has burned her all her bridges with her tomboyish and scandalous ways her only hope of finding a suitable marriage is to go to England and make the match her aunt thinks is perfect for her. Emily was spoilt and she wasn't looking forward to what her father was forcing her to do on the way she got sick and was given laudium. Unaware Emily slowly became addicted to the "pretty poison". The sallow, drugged version of herself is just a hollow version of her true self and doesn't make a good impression on Nicholas Avery. Nicholas has made no secret that he is need of an heiress, his father is set on making him a match with Emily but after a few meetings decides to look elsewhere. Six months later Nicholas and his family are invited to a hunting party and he comes across a beautiful woman he mistakes as the stable masters daughter, so different from the girl he met in London he doesn't recognize Emily. Nicholas' love for Emily grows and grows in the passing days, even with the other heiress flaunting themselves at him he only has eyes for Emily. Emily is scared that he will be like every other man she has known and not loyal for this she tries to keep him at arms distance even more she is afraid of what he will think of her when he finds out about her addiction to opium. I enjoyed this book so much, Lynne Barron really is a great story teller.

     

 I loved both of these books and I hope that if you choose to read them also you will enjoy them as I have and also leave a review yourself, Author's love reviews.      

REVIEW Falling for His Best Friend by Sidney Bristol

Music to my ears... it the magic words... Sidney Bristol. 

This is a re-release with a new name and cover of Sidney's book originally titled Personal Adventures; it is still the same lovely friends to lovers romance as it was when it was originally released. I loved this book it was a quick, erotic, and wonderful story about a guy trying to convince his female best friend they were meant to be more than just friends.

Carey and Elise have been friends and coworkers for the last two years and after all that time Carey is ready to finally ask out Elise as they are both single and unattached to anyone else. Carey has been falling in love with Elise from the beginning and he can't hold back any longer. Elise has a plan she has been saving up her money to buy Adventures from her boss and falling in love with Carey does not fit into her plan. Her parents haven't set a great example of a healthy marriage and Elise feels like "love" would just distract her from her goal. But some wise words from some friends has Elise thinking it wouldn't hurt to at least be with Carey. Elise keeping her plan to herself could backfire on her and blow her well laid plans to shit.

Elise and Carey are well written characters, you feel for them you sympathize with Carey and you get aggravated with Elise and you root for them both. A nice and easy storyline and some scenes to get you all hot and bothered (hot tub sex!).

REVIEW Finding Lost and Ember's Secret

Fated Desires New Releases

Finding Lost by Deena Remiel
Fated Desires On the Run line now brings us an exciting story of two people trying to escape their past. A very good, enjoyable and exciting story. I definitely need to look into more Deena Remiel books.

Carrie Samuels is trying to escape a stalker the police can not find. She did the only thing she could do until the stalker played his hand and exposes himself, she changes her name her appearance and moves away distancing herself away from family and friends. Three years of living on the caribbean paradise island and she feels like she's in a self imposed prison. Dillon McMahon is burned out, after being a detective and a private eye in his own private firm he has his fair share of enemies and moving to a small island is his early retirement. The instant attraction between Carrie and Dillon scares Carrie on edge afraid because her stalker and Dillon knows something is wrong. When their pasts collide it is an exciting and page-turning adventure.



Ember's Secret by Catherine Peace

Fated Desires Give Me a Taste line now brings us an interesting story with deep roots in Maori recipes and mythology. Out earlier this month Ember's Secret is interesting love story between a Ember a woman who is a Whakamanu—a descendant of the Maori bird-god Tane and a T.V. Celebrity Chef Austin Garten. I enjoyed it it was unique and I'm interested in the other books to come in the Solstice Quartet but overall it was just ok.

Ember's family is the last descendants of their line, Ember's father is paranoid and over protective ever since they escaped from their home after hunters killed her mother and her oldest sister disappeared trying to lead the hunters away. Doing what she loves most in the middle of nowhere running a Maori themed restaurant and just barely getting by until one day a traveling T.V. show's R.V. breaks down. Austin is in a rut and Ember is a breath of fresh air and her food is remarkable. He convinces her doing a show on her and her restaurant is just the thing she needs. Falling in love wasn't in the design but it couldn't help but happening, only Ember's secret just may scare Dillon off.    

REVIEW Want Me by Cynthia Eden

Book Two of Cynthia Eden's Dark Obsessions series. Want Me is another dark suspense that will have you guessing and rethinking your guess over again. (red herring anybody??) This book could possible be read as a stand alone but I wouldn't recommend it. The events in the last book do play a small but kinda important part. I loved this book it was suspenseful and exciting and really hot.  

Sophie came off as a tough cookie in book one Watch Me, but you get to see her softer side the more vulnerable side the side that Lex knew was there even if Dev and Chance didn't. After Sophie was attacked in book one she is coping well enough but when someone sneaks into her house and threatens. to kill her attacker for her. Scared for her life she just barely manages to escape. Desperate for help she goes to the only person she can trust. Lex fell in lust with Sophie from the moment he saw her and now he will do anything to protect her. Sophie's mysterious past with Ethan comes into play and their secrets are revealed and it just makes Lex want her and protect her all the more.

Loved this book and it gives you a taste of Dev's story to come.