Thursday, November 27, 2014

Review Tour: Scent of Valor by Annie Nicholas


Scent of Valor by Annie Nicholas

Genre: paranormal romance
ISBN: C
Book Length: 300 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing

 

DESCRIPTION

Paste here your book description or Blurb

Courage blooms in the meekest of hearts.

Chronicles of Eorthe, Book 2

After spending twenty years trapped in her civil body, Kele can finally shift into feral form. By tooth and claw, she’s determined to climb the Payami pack hierarchy.

Her parents plan to mate her with a hunter from a rival pack, but her heart’s already been stolen by the most unsuitable wolf possible—Peder, an omega male. She’d gladly give him her body except he’s disappeared from her life. Maybe into the thieving arms of another female.

Peder has spent every moment of their forced separation training to be a hunter. When he hears of her arranged marriage, he fears he’s waited too long to trespass back onto Payami lands to fight for her hand—but he damned well isn’t giving up.

On his journey to confront Kele, Peder is attacked and wakes in a cage, helpless as a band of vampires attack Kele’s mating party. Separated by social standing, thrown together by tragedy, they must work together to survive. And find out if their attraction is merely puppy love, or a bond that’s stronger than time.

Warning: This book contains an omega male who’s done submitting and a hunter female who isn’t used to needing anyone to come to her rescue. Violence ensues, not for the faint of heart.


EXERPT

The cramps in Peder’s shoulders seized him awake. Groaning, all he managed was to roll onto his back, which made the pain much worse. He couldn’t move his arms. Metal cuffs clasped his wrist tight behind his back, almost stopping the circulation to his hands.

By the dark moon, where the fuck was he now? He blinked the fog from his vision. If the vampires kept striking him with their darts, he’d become an expert at waking dazed and confused. There were other skills he’d rather perfect.

 He tried to move his legs. His ankles seemed bound but not as snug as his arms. If the opportunity presented itself, he could shuffle at a snail’s pace, then the vampires would have a hard time catching him. He let his head fall back against what felt like grass.

The bloodsuckers had dumped them all on an open field. A fire roared close to some tents where Peder could see his captors preparing tools in the heat of red coals.
Kele!

He twisted around, ignoring the blinding pain in his arms until he squirmed into a seated position. Among the sleeping bodies, he spotted her white coat only two shifters away. Quiet as a mouse, he crept on his knees. Panting, he lay next to her until his cramped shoulders eased into a dull roar. He buried his nose into her soft fur and took a deep breath.

Under the sheen of fear still coating her body, he scented prickly evergreen mixed in with the bite of winter. Kele was his breath of fresh air. She cleared his head and sent his pulse racing. Goddess, how would he save her? He licked the underside of her muzzle.

The vampires had mentioned both of their pelts bringing a good price at the market. He lifted his head to watch as the bloodsuckers chatted by the fire, passing a bottle of wine. The biggest among them heated his tools in the bright red coal. Were they preparing to skin them? Peder swallowed around the lump in his throat.

The pack paraded toward the den’s living area. There were calls for wine and someone struck up a beat on the drums. Not a single person made eye contact or offered her a word of encouragement. They wouldn’t. It was rude to comfort the loser.

Loser. That stung more than she’d thought it could.

She faced the ring and discovered her parents had stayed behind—the alpha female and male of the Payami. She flinched. Their disappointment seared her to the soul. Was it really that shameful to hesitate before slaughtering a packmate? Tegrathe had been one of the few shifters who would play with her when they’d been pups. Was she supposed to ignore the fact that the female would leave behind a loving mate and their children?

The ache within her chest grew until it hurt to breathe. Kele pointed a bloody claw at her mother. “You set me up to fail. Why?” Her voice didn’t shake for once when faced with her alpha’s displeasure.

Her mother, Chaska, crossed the ring, her midnight hair a tangled storm around her head. She tossed Kele’s clothes at her feet. “Shift and get dressed. You should attend to Tegrathe’s injured leg, healer.” To add insult, Chaska turned her back on Kele, as if she wasn’t a threat, and she left.

“I don’t recall advising you to challenge Tegrathe.” Inali, her father, waited as she shifted to civil form and dressed. She was still learning not to blush when forced to be nude in front of others. Unlike other shifter children, she hadn’t learned her trigger emotion to shift to feral form until a few months ago. Others had grown up shifting and dressing in front of each other. She hadn’t.

“I don’t recall you advising me on anything,” she shouted. “Only mother seems interested in me, now that I can fight the challenges she can only dream about. How am I supposed to learn about becoming alpha if you won’t help teach me?”

“One doesn’t learn to become alpha, Kele. It’s not like healing. I have no books for you to read or lessons to give.”

Part of Kele’s feral side still had hold on her, and she snarled at him like an animal.
He approached her. Each step hinted at the commanding beast under his skin. Her father sent shock waves of alpha attitude without trying. It oozed from his pores like magic. “You’re lucky no one was around to witness that. I would have had to put you to the ground for being so aggressive.” He smoothed some of her pale hair from her face. “What did you learn today?”

She inhaled. He smelled of stone and dust and power. It soothed her frayed nerves. “That I’m a fool.”

“Besides that.”

Staring at the ring, she pictured Tegrathe on the ground, crawling toward her, gravely injured. She glanced down at the cuts across her shins—cuts that Tegrathe had given her even though the hunter hadn’t been able to stand. Tegrathe wouldn’t give in. She would have died first. “I didn’t want to kill her.”

“And?”

Blood rushed from her head and weakened her knees. “She would have killed me before accepting a loss.” She clutched her father’s hand. “Is that the difference? I should be ready to kill before ever losing? Is that what makes her better than me?”
He stroked her hair, the same pale shade of yellow as his. “Yes.”

Kele jerked from his touch. “She would have sacrificed her life and left behind a family just to be more dominant than me.”

His laugh was sharp. “You sound surprised. This challenge would have cost her the pack’s respect. If you truly want to lead shifters, Kele, you have to be willing to kill for them at any cost. The pack doesn’t value weakness.”

“And mercy is a weakness?” She wanted to pull out her hair.


~ My Review ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


This is my first book by the Author Annie Nicholas and it will not be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed her presentation of shifter and vampires from a new perspective that felt not only futuristic but old world.

Her characters were rich in character and description. The primary characters of Kele and Peder pull you into the story with their imperfections and strengths. The author takes us through both of their journeys with Kele wanting to be a better Alpha to Peder wanting to be worthy of her and making himself stronger in spite of his horrible childhood so he can claim her before it is too late. I consider the secondary characters to be Benic, Pemma, Ewald, and Ahote and I look forward to seeing them developed further in future books to this series.

The full story line covers a wide range of areas including lost love, unrequited love, slave trading, murder, fighting, vampires, shifters, etc that is woven into an engrossing story that has you wanting to read this book in one sitting. Close to the end there is a very, very small area that may be a little disturbing to some readers but I found it fitting to the story line and didn’t dwell on it.

I recommend this book to everyone who loves shifters and vampires and an amazing love.

A copy was gifted in exchange for an honest review via Paranormal Cravings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Annie Nicholas writes paranormal romance with a twist. She has courted vampires, hunted with shifters, and slain a dragon’s ego all with the might of her pen. Riding the wind of her imagination, she travels beyond the restraints of reality and shares them with anyone wanting to read her stories. Mother, daughter, and wife are some of the other hats she wears while hiking through the hills and dales of her adopted state of Vermont.
Annie writes for Samhain Publishing, Carina Press, and Lyrical Press.

Contact Links

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Newsletter | Amazon




Giveaway: $50 GC at either amazon or BN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~ Find Sportochick At ~

Review: Just in Time for a Highland Christmas by Dawn Marie Hamilton

Find This Book At ~ Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Publisher ~ dawn marie wolzein
Categories ~ historical romance, time travel, highlander



Can a determined brownie craft a perfect match in time for Christmas?

When the Chief of Clan MacLachlan travels to the stronghold of his feuding neighbors to fetch his betrothed, she is gone. A year later, she is still missing. Making life more vexing, a band of reivers are stealing clan cattle, leaving behind destruction. Archibald MacLachlan determines to capture them and administer harsh punishment.

Though once in love with the man, Isobell Lamont refuses to wed her clan's enemy. After running away, she joins the band of reivers set on revenge.

Can Archibald forgive the raven-haired beauty? Will a journey through time bring them together for a Highland Christmas?


I have to say that I love how Ms. Hamilton continues weaving her intriguing story lines in book 3 of the Highland Gardens time travel highland romance series. This book is a fast paced novella including some additional intrigue with the disappearance of Archibald’s betrothed Isobell.

One star-crossed lover, Isobell, is being very stubborn and unwilling to believe that something she learned about Archibald was possibly a lie. I love the hate love emotion these characters have throughout the book but I really wanted to shake Isobell for the stubborn close minded female she was portrayed as.

In counter balance to that Archibald continues to love Isobell though he is very confused by what is going on. In spite of everything he tries to love her and protect her. This is a man that one would want to keep close to their heart.

This story is about lies, love, forgiveness and creating a love to last a lifetime. Oh and don’t forget the time travel. Loved how the time travel was incorporated into the story and who got to do the time traveling this time. What a surprise! This is a great story for Christmas.

I am looking forward to her next book to this series “Just Wait for Me” Book 3, Highland Garden Series. I am very excited on this one. I am pretty sure I know who the two people involved but you will need to read this story and tell me who you think the next couple is.

A copy was gifted in exchange for an honest review.

  My Reviews Of The Series ~
Just Beyond the Garden Gate (Highland Gardens #1) my review
Just Once in a Very Blue Moon (Highland Gardens #2) my review
Just in Time for a Highland Christmas (novella) (Highland Gardens #2.5) my review
Just Wait for Me (Highland Gardens #3) my review



** Read my review of Dawn Marie Hamilton's Sea Panther at my blog
Dawn Marie Hamilton dares you to dream. She is a 2013 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist who pens Scottish-inspired fantasy and paranormal romance. Some of her tales are rife with mischief-making faeries, brownies, and other fae creatures. More tormented souls-shape shifters, vampires, and maybe a zombie or two-stalk across the pages of other stories. She is a member of The Golden Network, Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal, Celtic Hearts, and From the Heart chapters of RWA. When not writing, she's cooking, gardening, or paddling local creeks with her husband.

Enamored with everything Scottish, it's no surprise Scotland is the setting—along with the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina—for Highland Gardens, a Scottish historical time-travel fantasy romance series.

As a member of Clan Hamilton Society, Dawn Marie enjoys attending the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and Gathering of the Scottish Clans, which take place near Highland Gardens's fictitious town of Anderson Creek, North Carolina.

A Jersey girl at heart, Dawn Marie lives in Southern Maryland with her husband.

Find Dawn Marie Hamilton At ~
Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Google+ 



Find Sportochick At ~
Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Barnes & Noble 
Amazon | BloglovinNetworked Blogs Instagram  
Pinterest (Book Reviews and Interviews) 

Friday, November 21, 2014

Blog Tour Review - Body, Trinity Trilogy, Book 1 by Audrey Carlan


clip_image002 

Title:   Body (Trinity Trilogy, Book 1) 
Author:   Audrey Carlan 
Genre:   Erotic Romance 
Release Date:   November 17, 2014 
Hosted By:   DRC Promotions

clip_image004 

clip_image006

SYNOPSIS

Men ruin women.
Especially men like Chase Davis. Good looking, intelligent, rich and powerful. I never stood a chance.

I didn’t want to want him.
I didn’t want to need him.
I didn’t want to fall for him.

He wouldn’t take no for an answer, and I let him consume me. Arrogant, confident, controlling, demanding … intense.

When he entered my life, I was finally healing after having barely survived the men of my past. My soul sisters told me to take a chance. To let someone in. I let him in, and he surrounded me with a light so bright I was blinded by the truth...

Men don’t ruin women.  
They devour them in every way that counts.

Warning: This book is designed for audiences 18+ due to language, graphic sexual content, and themes that some may find disturbing. BODY is book 1 of a three-part trilogy. Book 1 has a “Happy for Now” type ending.


BUY THE BOOK


Amazon ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

REVIEW - 5 Stars

Once again Author Audrey Carlan enthralls the reader with an amazing erotica storyline dealing with some hard hitting real life issues, hot steamy love scenes as well as including some suspenseful intrigue.

 I have fallen in love with the character of very hot and sexy billionaire Chase. He character is shown as a billionaire philanthropist and hard driven businessman with just the right amount of dominate self possessed "I have to have you" attitude. The author continues his character further by showing a tender protective side to him while still keeping his hard businessmen image.

Gillian is a smart and gorgeous red head who just wants to forget and get over her past while moving forward into a brilliant career. I find the interaction between her and her three girlfriends and best friend Philip heart warming. I love how they all tease each other and protect each other.

Now this story has some suspenseful intrigue but I can't really mention it because well.....that would just ruin it for everyone. You really need to read this book to see for yourself what a great writer this is and discover what I am referring to.


Ten Fun Facts About Body(Trinity Trilogy - Book 1)
 by Audrey Carlan


1. Gillian (Gigi) is the name that my husband and I would have named a child had we ever had a little girl. Alas, I am surrounded by men but loving it!

2. The three soul sisters are loosely based on my very own three best friends. They enjoy seeing what I put their character through. For example, Maria’s character is very different from my best friend Dyani, but they do have core similarities. My girl is fiercely protective, was an incredible contemporary dancer, is Italian and does speak Spanish, even though it’s not her heritage. She however, does not have a potty mouth and was not a victim of domestic violence like her character.

3. The three men aside from main character Chase Davis are loosely based on my soul sisters husbands.

4. My mother was a victim of domestic violence and writing this novel was something very cathartic for me, and I hope it gave the issue a bit more light. Young women, just out of high school can easily fall victim to domestic violence and being so young and impressionable are, in my opinion, often easier to manipulate into believing it’s there fault or they deserved the treatment they received.

5. San Francisco is very near and dear to me as it is less than a two hour drive from my home. Plus, I’ve personally not read a trilogy set in San Francisco.

6. The trinity symbol is extremely prevalent in my life and always has been. My soul sisters and I plan to get a tattoo with it, however, one sister is dragging her feet. The compromise is, if this trilogy makes it onto the New York Times bestselling list one day, she’ll get the tattoo. <crossing fingers> Not sure what I want more, the tattoo or the list! Both would be incredible.

7. Fun fact about this novel is it’s actually the first book I ever wrote but the fourth being published. This novel in particular holds more of my life and heart than anything I’ve written to date. During the developmental edit process I just had a really hard time separating myself from the book and couldn’t be objective. I took the advice of my mentor author Jess Dee and set it aside…for a YEAR! Then after I wrote the Falling Series (3 full length novels) I then was capable of going back to it. I think it’s a better book because of it.

8. I’m a pantser. The extent of my plotting is a one liner for each chapter but not usually until I’m halfway through writing it. Body was entirely written with very little plotting. I just let the muse go crazy and this is what happened!

9. The main character Chase has family members that names all start with a “C.” Chase, Carson, Cooper, Craig, Colleen, Chloe, Charles.

10. Heat level in this book runs at about an 8 out of 10. I like to write erotic sex scenes that make you feel something. I think you’ll find them so hot you’ll need your mate at the ready. <wink>


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


clip_image008Audrey Carlan is a professional fundraiser for an international healthcare related charity by day, and a sensual and erotic contemporary romance writer by night. She lives in the sunny California Valley two hours away from the city, the beach, the mountains and the precious…the vineyards. She has been married to the love of her life for 10 years and has two young children that live up to their title of “Monster Madness” on daily basis. When she’s not raising money, sipping wine with her “soul sisters”, three incredibly different and unique voices in her life, she can be found with her nose stuck in book or her Kindle. A hot, smutty, romantic book to be exact!

In life she believes that all things have their purpose even if we are unable to determine the purpose immediately.



CONNECT WITH AUDREY


Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.com/e/B00JAVVG8U
Email address: carlan.audrey@gmail.com


GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 clip_image010