Review on Ain't No Sunshine

So, I must say that I was surprised when I heard that there would be a novel about men sharing their feelings. I know what your thinking (She's already crazy, how much worse can it get), but I assure you it is true. I was gifted with the opportunity to review it. Though it took me FOREVER to do it, it's finally done. (I'm sorry, my mind sometimes escapes me). Anywho, let's get started.


Ain't No Sunshine is the unofficial memoir of men suffering from heartbreak. Of course us women can understand the pain of heartbreak, we suffer from it continuously, but to finally get the input from a man (an insight into their emotions) is truly a gift. it changed my opinion about the male mind and how they feel about their relationships. Honestly, men and women aren't that different when it comes to relationships. They hurt just we hurt. Cry as we cry. Love as we love.

Each story had its own heartache and I couldn't believe how awful the women treated them. The book almost makes us look bad, but some of the guys did find true love despite the horrific pain that they suffered. (Shame on those women) For all the women (like myself) who believe that all men are the same, I want you to read this and I know for sure that it will change your opinion.

There are some good guys out there. Perhaps if we stopped leaving the good guys for the bad ones, we'd have happiness. (Not saying that all women do that however).

Anywho, I'd like to thank the men that participated and gave their stories for the world to see. Without them, I might just've stayed home and got nine cats to look after for the rest of my life. (also, not a bad thing. I prefer dogs however).

Cheers to the men and Happy Fourth of July!
     Lea

Review on Rush of Darkness by Rhyannon Byrd

  Author: Rhyannon Byrd

Novel: Rush of Darkness

So, it took me forever to find this novel. It's hard to find any of Rhyannon Byrd's novels actually. She's a great author so of course I knocked down a couple of doors to find this one. (Mainly the doors of Amazon, I gotta love kindle for Mac) I've read every other novel by her, well at least in this series, and it was a great read. Let's give it a go.

Synopsis: Raine Spenser is on the brink. Held prisoner because of her abilities, Raine--a powerful psychic as well as a vampire--desperately needs a savior. But the last one she expected was the green eyed who'd once hunted her kind. Since her rescue, she's tried to forget Seth McConnell, unable to cope with the strange, simmering attraction that draws her to the compelling human.

But their goals--find the Kraven who held Raine and destroy him--are the same. The ever-growing web of danger surrounding them draws these two unlikely allies close together, and anger slowly turns into an explosive passion they're finding harder and harder to deny.

My Take: Raine is damaged goods. She accepts it, but doesn't expect anyone else too. Slowly losing herself to the unquenchable desire for revenge, she almost crosses to the dark side, until the hard edged soldier, Seth, steps into the picture to save her. She can either fall for the desire that holds them both captive, or separate from him and lose a piece of herself.

The Review: Once again, Rhyannon Byrd has amazed me. I love the world she has created and am pleased with the way she writes.

Raine is strong. After all she's been trough (and still going through), she chooses to keep going. Perhaps she's suffering from a bit of blood lust in the beginning, there's nothing wrong with that. We all suffer sometimes (Like when you see a woman grab the last box of chunky triple chocolate ice cream. I vote on bloody, murder!!) Now, I think it could've been a bit better if I knew some more about Raine. Even after completing the novel, I don't feel as though I know HER. Maybe I know the way her personality functions, but not much else.

Seth McConnell, boy is he sexy. Hard. Demanding. Angry(in a good way). And has the sex appeal of Bradley Cooper. (I have to say that I think everybody's going to remind me of Bradley Cooper for a while. I just saw the Hangover 2). I enjoyed Seth as a character. I understood his motivations for hunting vampires and I understood his pain. When he opened himself up to Raine, I actually believed him, like he was trying to tell me why he'd done it.

If you've read any of her former work, you're probably familiar with the language and lingo. The Kraven, the Collective, the Watchmen, etc. If not, you should definitely read her series. A very awesome Paranormal romance series.

My rate would be a...7.5/10

Cheers!

   Lea

Review on Blood Reaction by D.L. Atha

Author: D.L. Atha

Novel: Blood Reaction

So I'm reviewing another vampire novel, but this is a bit darker than my normal vampire novels. Let's tell why.

Synopsis: Annalice, a single mother and physician, is ready to immerse herself in the mundane chores of her farm as a diversion from her hectic professional life. But she becomes the victim of a home invasion, the supernatural kind. Vindictive and cruel, Asa, a century old vampire, takes brutal control of her life and home.  Forcing her to strike a bargain in exchange for her daughter's life, Annalice must not only accept his presence but also bow to his depravity. Facing threats to her own child, she relies on her skills as a physician to unravel the clues to the vampire's existence, attempting to beat him at his own game.

Caught in a race against a genetic timeline, Annalice struggles to survive the Blood Reaction.

My Take: Annalice is a hard working mom who's going on vacation for two weeks alone in her nice farm home when a sadistic vampire holds her captive using the love she has for her daughter as a ploy.

The Review: This novel hurt me. The vampire, Asa, disgusted me so much that I couldn't actually enjoy him as a vampire. I know legend has it that vampires are all evil, but I didn't get this feeling from Bram Stoker's Dracula and wasn't he the original? I couldn't find anything in Asa to make me want to ever be around him or even trust him...period. I felt no sexual attraction what-so-ever. As I continued to read on and on about him he became repulsive.

I enjoyed Annalice, especially the love she had for her daughter. The honesty and abandon she felt for her to give her life away for her daughter's was the best part (in my opinion) of the novel. 

I also liked how science was intertwined throughout the novel, I thought that was a new concept that no one has picked up on yet. I'm not sure whether or not this was a romance or if it was a horror. If it was a romance, I don't think (my opinion) that it was a good romance. In a romance, I'd expect to enjoy my love interest at least a little bit. Now, if this was a horror, spot on. Asa was repulsive (I think I said this once). He was a villain with a capital V.

Overall the book was well written and constructed and the scientific facts were correct, but I personally didn't enjoy it. Asa was just tooooooo demented for me. Of course others might think differently, but these are just my thoughts.

Chers!

Lea

Review on Down-low Dead by Giovanni Gelati and Vincent Zandri

Author: Giovanni Gelati
Novel: Down Low Dead (A Short Story)

     So I was given the opportunity to review the wonderful Giovanni Gelati's novel and I must say I was shocked the entire time I was reading. Not shocked like this-is-awful-kill-me-now, it was more of he's-a-literary-genius-and-i'm-close-to-crying. I was absolutely rolling with laughter. For the past few weeks, I've only been reviewing Romance novels and that's what I was expecting from Mr. Gelati, but no, he surprised me and gave me something different. I'm curious to know if he'd done it on purpose???

My Take: This short story features Gelati himself as well as Vincent Zandri also known as Harold Ballipshitz (also known as Harry Ballz). It tells the story how Zandri takes Gelati and his wife captive for revenge because of an embarassing childhood at the hands of Gelati.

The Review: If you're up for some comedy mixed with a little bloodshed, this is right up your alley. I positively enjoyed everything going on and it was worth the read. In the beginning, Gelati is so rude and obnoxious, yet once he explains himself I was like, well, he does have a point there. I wish it could have been longer so I could enjoy Gelati some more, but it was sufficient, but I felt bad for Mrs. Gelati, especially when (no spoilers) and Mr. Gelati got a punch to the nose for it.

But I understand sir. You love your kindle, I love my Mac.

Cheers!
    Lea

Review on Euphoria by Jourdan Alexandra

 Author: Jourdan Alexandra

Novel: Euphoria Part 1 of Book 1

Though I have grown wary of vampire novels, Euphoria has given me a breath of fresh air (when it comes to vampires of course). The novel didn't seem to focus so much on the vampire concept, but had a deeper, more meaningful air about it. Let's give it a go, shall we.

Synopsis: Disruption. Initiation. The Unknowable. So say the runes, the ancient Viking oracle of marked stones ominously laid out before college freshman Riley Dawson a few days before her departure for Lyndon State College. Leaving the sun of her California childhood for the crisp northern air of Lyndonville, Vermont, Riley soon dismisses and forgets the runes' prediction of the choices she would make, choices borne of her own unseen nature, a nature invisible to even herself.

Dismisses and forgets that is until she meets Remaunt: enigmatic, sensual, arrogant, and vulnerable. Describing him as the dark shadow of Adonis, his veneer of cool poise captivates Riley from the moment she meets him. Yet, even as Riley tries to deny her growing intrigue and fascination with her magnetically mysterious classmate, she ultimately finds that she cannot evade the truth of what he is. Remaunt is an immortal. Remaunt is a vampire.

And immortals have immortal enemies. As Riley soon finds out, Remaunt is not the only vampire residing in Lydonville--and after a few near death encounters, she is forced to conclude that there are other vampires significantly more dangerous than Remaunt, and that they are not to be trifled with. Posing a formidable threat to not only Remaunt, they endanger her friends, the community, and, most importantly, Riley's life itself.

With the crisis of disruption activated, the mystic power of initiation summoned, and the fire and chaos of the unknowable at hand, Riley finds herself as bait between several supernatural beings, locked in a war of wills fueled by revenge and anguish destined to a fate not even immortals could envision.

My Take: Riley is a college freshman, recently moved to Vermont from her sunny home in California. After a chilling look at the Runes her mother showed her before her departure, Riley is a bit frightened to say the least, until she meets the stunning and brooding Remaunt. As they become closer, Riley is let in on a secret that turns her world upside down, maybe for the good or the bad.

The Review: First and foremost, I enjoyed Remaunt as a character. The brooding, sexy thing he has going on...I dig it. He is absolutely swoon worthy. Besides the fact that he can quote Shakespeare (which gives him major points in my book considering I'm an english major), he was just an over all cool person. Despite his condition, I didn't feel any malice on him as I did his "sister" and her minions.

I could immediately see myself in Riley's shoes, the initial shock of first seeing Amelia might have made me speechless too. (maybe if she was a hag I'd feel better).

Riley is strong. I think that's the best way I can describe her. Unlike the annoying heroines of vampire stories these days (not calling any names), she has a mind of her own and even if she's attracted to a vampire, that hasn't changed her and I don't see that it ever will.

Together Riley and Remaunt are great love interests. (Oh, let's call them RiRe for short). RiRe both aggravate each other, in a flirty friendly way which made me laugh the entire time. I thought they were pretty funny especially in the beginning when...(whoops, no spoilers).

*clears throat* now for what I disliked. I have to dislike something right? I can't keep gushing on and on about the positives of this book right? Well what I disliked was the fact that I couldn't get a bit more backstory on Remaunt. I would have liked to know more, but then again, he might be revealed in part two of the novel. (another author tricked me like that grrr.) I have the sudden impulse to go to google and type in his name hoping to find something about him.

I guess this is the end because I need to research my new favorite character (no sarcasm). If I had to rate this book I'd give it a 9/10. 1 point missing ONLY because the wonderful Jourdan Alexandra gave the best cliff hanger in history and I'm dying to read the next novel!

Until next time.

Cheers!

   Lea.

Review on Demon Kissed by H.M Ward

 Author: H.M. Ward

Novel: Demon Kissed

I love demons. As strange as that sounds, I do love demons. Not the smelly I want to eat your brains type of demons. Those are just  plain disgusting. I like demons that don't want to be demons. Like Kresley Cole's demons. Gena Showalter's demons. Sherrilyn Kenyon's demons.

The demons in this novel are interesting and well worth the read, let me tell you why.

Synopsis: The Valefar boy tricked Ivy Taylor into kissing him, but he took much more than a kiss- he stole her soul and left her within inches of death. By surviving, Ivy is drawn into the conflict between the Martis and the Valefar. The war between these two immortals has rage for millennia without distraction. Until now. Ivy is an anomaly- she is the only person who has ever walked away from a demon kiss alive. Her survival gives her unique and deadly abilities. Too powerful to ignore, Ivy is a threat to both armies. These two ancient enemies will stop at nothing to kill the seventeen-year-old. Surviving is nothing new for headstrong Ivy, but her survival has never depended on another person before. This time it does. And if she misplaces her trust, she's dead. To her horror, she starts falling in love at the worst possible time-with the enemy. He appears to be protecting her. But she can't be certain if he is trying to help her, or help himself to power. For Ivy, trusting the right person is the difference between love and survival, or a deadly demon kiss.

My Take: Ivy is an emotionally drained girl who is suffering from a terrible loss and is trying to lose herself in mindless indulgences. After a terrible night with her boyfriend, she is left near death on the ground of the forest and she wakes as a different person. Ivy is thrust into a war between angels and demons, and she is the only one caught in between. Now as her emotions are forced into the impending battle, she must figure out who to trust and how to survive after the demon kiss.

My Review: Ivy is absolutely amusing. No matter what she's forced to deal with, she finds a way to endure that doesn't give you the impression that it's forced or fake. The relationships around her are intriguing, especially the friends w/ benefits Collin. I enjoy those two together. She's his good to his bad(wink wink).

I found myself sucked into the novel from the beginning and it was even better that I finished this book in four hours (a record even for me). The characters came to life for me which considering how many books I've read, it seemed like I'd lost that connection. I was screaming at the screen of my Mac at moments or crying towards the end. I remember saying, "no, that's my guy. Not my guy. Come on."

I find myself at a loss for words on this one. I back this novel and would love for anyone to read it  because to me, it was just that good. If I had to rate it, I'd give it an 8.9/10.

Cheers!

  Lea.

Review on Branded by Keary Taylor

 Author: Keary Taylor

Novel: Branded (Book 1 of the Fall of Angels Series)

I stumbled across Branded while looking over blogs. I wish I could remember whose blog I was looking at so I can thank them profusely for having the novel on their website. The cover art for the novel was sitting in a lovely corner of the blog and the first thing I saw was the scars, then the title. I was so drawn to it that I clicked on the picture to figure out what it was about. After I read the synopsis, I went on to Amazon to look into it. Turns out, it was only a dollar for kindle. (What an amazing deal!!)..I downloaded the kindle for Mac app and paid the dollar for it and I am pleased to say that I am completely satisfied. Now, on to the next part.

Synopsis: Jessica's had the nightmares for as long as she can remember. Nightmares of being judged for people who have died, of being branded by angels. Her friends and family thinks she's a crazy because of it all. Yet she carries the mark of the condemned, seared into the back of her neck, and hides it and herself away from the world.

But when two men she can't ignore enter her life everything changes, and the scar on the back of her neck. But one of the two has set events into motion that will pull her toward her own judgment and turn her into the object of her greatest fear.

My Take: After being exiled in her own home, Jessica escapes to another state entirely and tries to live her existence in peace, well as much peace as she can considering she is plagued each night with nightmares of beautiful angels doing cruel judgments on humans. She meets two men, Alex and Cole, and while one promises to bring her the love and understanding she's always wanted, the other promises to rip her life apart at the seams and bring her down to the terrible pits of hell.

The Review: Wow. I guess that's the best word to describe how I felt after finishing this novel. I was on edge the entire time I read it. (well on the edge of my bed holding my laptop with both hands, staring fiercely at the screen.) The plot of the novel was very strong and I was able to understand why each individual character acted the way they did. The dark twist Keary Taylor put on the angels was refreshing to say the least. Instead of the typical angels vs. demons, she changed to where the demons are angels, (which actually is correct in the biblical sense) but dark angels.

As I read the novel, I understood the pain Jessica suffered daily. She had a valid reason for not wanting to speak her pain to anyone because most people wouldn't understand and would judge her harshly. I found it commendable that all throughout her struggles she didn't think once to end her own life to stop the awful nightmares, but quietly endured it. I was happy to see that she opened herself up to Alex who genuinely cared for her.

Let's skip down to Alex. My only regret was that I wished I knew a bit more about Alex. Sure, his pop in was justified and explained, but I did want a little more detail in his background, but I was shocked that he wasn't who I thought he'd be. (no spoilers here)..If you read the novel, you'll know exactly what I mean. He was a character I easily fell in love with. He was kind and wasn't judgmental in the least. Maybe a bit too nice (BUT THAT'S JUST MY OPINION).

Colt scared me. Maybe it's just me, but I do think that extremely beautiful people are strange. Of course they're appealing to look at, but I don't want to look at someone and think that I'm not worthy. And for him to be the leader of the....(absolutely no spoilers), what had he done during his life?

Overall I truly enjoyed the novel and can't wait to start the next one in the series. Though the price for this novel is 13. 24 (rough estimate) I think it'd be well worth it. My rating: 8.4

Cheers!

    Lea

Review on True of Blood by Bonnie Lamer

  Author: Bonnie Lamer

                 Novel: True of Blood

Being a true fan of anything paranormal has allowed me to open my eyes to every type of genre out there. By reading True of Blood, I truly believe the hype of the vampire will fall and the rise of fairies and witches is just around the corner.

Synopsis: Xandra Illuminata Smith has lived for the last three years with ghosts as parents but her life gets even stranger after her seventeenth birthday when she finds out that her mother is actually a Witch in hiding and her biological father, whom she knew nothing about, is a Fairy and King of the Fae realm. 

Xandra is the first Witch Fairy to be born in thousands of years for very good reason. No one should be able to control that much magic and Xandra was never meant to be born at all but her mother has manged to keep her hidden away until now.

The Witches want her dead and the Fairies want her blood, for only her blood will reopen the gateway to the Fae realm and allow them back into this realm to take revenge on humans and Witches alike for having banished them hundreds of years ago.

Xandra has very little time to learn how to use her powerful Witch and Fairy magic that has been bound since her birth while running from the Fairies who managed to jump realms and want to take her blood to set the others free. She needs someone to teach her and her parents enlist the help of one powerful Fairy who claims to want to keep the realms closed to each other. He will help keep her safe and alive as she learns, at least that's what he says...

My take: Xandra parents are ghosts, yet they still hang around. Until her seventeenth birthday, Xandra has lived a peaceful existence, possibly a boring one, but it was peaceful. Then, she learns her mother is a witch and her father, not the father she's grown up with, is a diabolical mastermind who is a fairy. He's out for her blood because with her blood, the gateway between realms can be opened, allowing the fairies reign over the humans, not necessarily a good thing.

The review: I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The characters had some...what's a good word...pizzazz that I found charming. Xandra was exactly what I look for in a heroine, her refusal to just lay down and die was commending and she has my respect. Xandra was willing to accept that her parents were ghosts, but for the life of her, she just couldn't believe that her mom was a witch. I don't want to spoil the book here, so I'm just going to say that her thoughts after her mother reveals the truth to her are laugh out loud funny.

Let's skip down to the love interest, Kallen. I wouldn't consider him necessarily a bad boy, but he definitely has an attitude, yet he doesn't realize it. The way he speaks reflects his upbringing and I was shocked at what I'd found out about him (again, no spoilers). As I was reading the book, I constantly was talking out loud or to my Yorkie Riley and said, "Geez, he's such a jerk." Then he'd do something endearing and I'd forgive him right away. Or sometimes I'd just start laughing for no reason, yes this book is that funny, and my puppy would  turn his head and walk to the other room to escape me. Kallen's character was very well written and I understood completely what he needed to do concerning Xandra. He could either destroy her because she was too much of a threat (considering her blood would open the realm's gateway), or he could teach her and watch over her. Yep, I vote for option B.

Xandra and Kallen were an interesting love pair. They complimented each other very well. I loved the banter between those two because she didn't tuck tail and go cry because he aid something she didn't like. She was strong and she had the power--definitely had the power considering she knocked him down on his arse plenty. People make mistakes, even mythical fairies, and I was pleased that Xandra chose to forgive Kallen though he was in the fairy house for a while.

The overall book was well written, constructed, and thought out. I'd be more than happy to pay the full price for this book and wouldn't feel guilty about it in the least. This book has my full backing and I can't wait for the next novel to come out and then the next one and the next one and the next one...well, you get the drift. Much obliged to Bonnie Lamer for writing an amazing book.

Cheers!!

     Lea

Review on Blood Haze by Tara Shuler

So I have just completed the novel Blood Haze by Tara Shuler, book 1 of an upcoming series featuring a love triangle between a vampire girl, Alice, a vampire guy, Kai, and a vampire hunter, Max.

As I began the novel, I was immediately sucked by all the facts I didn't know about vampires (well about these vampires at least). Though it seemed to go on a bit long, I was happy to have this out of my way for the remainder of the novel so I could focus on the main character, Alice.

I could fully understand how Alice could be uncomfortable around humans since she'd been around vampires her entire life then her mother thrusts her down the rabbit hole to a world she didn't know existed.

I found the high school that Alice was going to such a stereotype (just as she'd said in the beginning). The bullying, the gossip, and of course the irresistibility of some of the guys.

When Alice meets Kai, he immediately draws me in and I couldn't stop reading it because I craved to know who he was. A painter? How absolutely romantic. Then his character changes, he doesn't seem as mysterious as he once was but became more sensitive. Almost to the point where he became a bit annoying. (Hey, Alice thought it too.)

Then we're introduced to Max. Combat boots? Very attractive in my world. For some reason as I began to learn about him, I knew he would play an important role. Not that I'm complaining, he seems interesting and I wonder how he's going to contribute to the next book.

Now, my only problem with this novel was how short it was. I think I (my personal opinion) would have liked the book if it was longer, giving the characters a chance to fully develop the relationships they shared. It seemed quite soon for Alice to fall so deeply in love with Kai when she'd only just met him. I would have also liked if we'd gotten a bit more background on all the characters. It all just seemed a bit rushed.

Overall the book was interesting and I'm waiting for the next one to be released.

Review of Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione

I stumbled across Larissa Ione's novels one day while I was in Wal-Mart, my go to place when new novels are released. I was actually searching for another novel when I noticed Lore's book sitting prettily on the shelf. It drew me in because of the beautiful, shiny purple of his body. Anywho, after purchasing it, I will admit that I was wary considering I'm quite particular about the authors I read. To my surprise, the novel was absolutely amazing. I absolutely adored it. That was about a year and a half ago and I've been a fan of hers ever since.

Now to the fun stuff.

After the long and grueling wait for Eternal Rider to be released, I finally picked it up and devoured it in a couple of hours.

Synopsis on book: His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.

                              Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can't-or won't- understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this horseman's safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara's life.

My Take: Ares is the second horseman whose good-turned-evil brother is after him, wanting to break his seal so the horsemen can once again ride. He's a warrior at heart and everything he does is meticulous and perfectly strategized until he meets the one human who turns his world upside down, Cara. She's kind, considerate, and is tough. After she scurries under Ares' armor, she finds a place in his heart and he'll do anything to save her.

My thoughts:

As their relationship evolved, I was pleasantly surprised that Mrs. Ione did not immediately make everything better like some novelists do. In a particular section of the novel, Cara is faced with the choice to either give the agimortus to an unwilling fallen angel or keep it. Cara chose to keep it. Sure it infuriated Ares, but if she had given it up, then our story wouldn't have been as good. 

Cara is one of my favorite heroines thus far and words can't describe how happy I was that she didn't cry every other few minutes and complain. She had the guts to stand up to a horseman of the apocalypse! For that, she has my respect ten-fold. She had her own backstory that was worth reading about how I wish I could have a couple hellhounds for pets. No more annoying neighbors.

Ares, oh how hot is he. Angry. Moody (Please don't ever tell him I called him moody). and every other sexy adjective I can think of. Even his brothers and sister are amusing, not so much Reseph, but maybe they can save him and won't have to kill him like the Seminus brothers did their brother.

I found it intriguing how Mrs. Ione infused Greek Mythology into the story. Thanatos being the god of death to the Greeks and he's the horseman of Death in the novel. (Hopefully he won't say a virgin forever). Then there was also the appearance of Hades. One of my favorite quotes of the novel was when Hades was talking to Cara towards the end of the novel. I'm not going to post it here so I don't spoil it for anyone who wants to read it here.

My final thoughts:

I enjoyed how it ended. It didn't end the way most romance novels end. You know, everybody is happy and there are no more worries. I am eager for Mrs. Ione's  newest novel, Immortal Rider, I believe the name is that tells the story of Limos, third horse(woman) of the apocalypse and Arik who we find out is dragged to hell with only the foreboding warning, "Don't say my name. No matter what they do to you, Don't say my name."

Doesn't that just you goose bumps?? Sigh, I'm excited. If I had to rate this book with stars, 0 to 10, this book wold have a 9.5..

Thanks for reading.

       Cheers!

            Lea