DUNE DRIVE by Mariah Stewart

The Chesapeake Diaries, Book 12

Pocket Books

July 31^st, 2018

978-1-5011-5441-6

Contemporary Romance

Mass Market Paperback

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Publisher

4 Hearts

Chrissie Jenkins always thought she was ugly and not worth anything in life. So when a handsome guy sweeps her off her feet, she figures she found her very own prince charming. Except he wasn’t a prince nor charming. With more courage than she thought, she runs away and hides back on Cannonball Island and into the arms of her Great Aunt Ruby. Being back home soothes Chrissie’s soul and battered heart in many ways. But when she meets Jared Chandler, she finds an honest and sincere man who she becomes friends with. With her newly rebuilt life moving forward., Chrissie is determined to not fall for another man if she can help it. But what happens when she helps Jared out at his family wedding, they see things in one another that they never imagined. The question is will they embrace what they see in each other or will they ignore it and have their hearts break?

Mariah Stewart’s Chesapeake Diaries is a fun filled romp filled with captivating characters, intriguing bits of information about the locals and the history of Cannonball Island and St. Dennis filling the pages of DUNE DRIVE. I love this series since the first book, Coming Home, and was thrilled to see the author move onto the residents of Cannonball Island that is across the bridge from St. Dennis. The author does an amazing job in capturing the slow-paced life that makes up Cannonball Island and the few residents who live there are a treat. I loved seeing Ruby, the island’s oldest resident and one who cracks me up whenever she is on the page. Chrissie is hurting and trying to reclaim the person she was before her life became shattered. What I love the most are the characters in this series. We meet some new ones and a few old friends from past books. I love seeing how everyone is doing, what they are up to and all the gossip. The author does a marvelous job in capturing every character’s individual personality just perfectly. I like the diverse cast of characters and we got to see some older folk take center stage at times in the book.

Chrissie still can’t believe she is back on Cannonball Island. She couldn’t get enough dust behind her when she left. Coming back to the island to heal her battered heart and soul is just one aspect of Chrissie’s life now. The other is find out where the girl she was is again. I love Chrissie. She was hurting and ran to something familiar in this case her Aunt Ruby and family she has in and around St. Dennis & Cannonball Island. She is  quite relatable and is the perfect foil to Jared Chandler, a salvager who is determined to never fall in love. Except when these two meets, its pure combustion. The sparks fly between Jared and Chrissie as they get to know one another as well explore the tiny town of St. Dennis and Cannonball Island. I love Chrissie and Jared together. They complement one another, and I found myself rooting for them to have their own happy ever after. The author captures their attraction perfectly amid the pages of DUNE DRIVE and ramps up the sexual tension between them just right.

DUNE DRIVE is a sweet tale of a woman who feels she list herself and her life and has no idea how strong she really is. With the right amount of tension, sweet romance and a small town that fairly brims with life, I long to see for myself what Bling has for the casual shopper, what the flavors of ice cream are at Scoops and more. If you haven’t read The Chesapeake Diaries series, I highly recommend you start from the beginning with Coming Home and just run with it. I love each book and hope the author returns to this quaint town and island.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

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Checking out Shoshanna Evers

How would you describe yourself using only five words?

Happy, busy erotic romance author!

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

Probably shouldn’t be admitting this, but yes...nicotine. I like vaping e-cigarettes. I know it’s bad, which is why it’s a guilty pleasure. My non-guilty pleasures include sex and chocolate. In that order. ;)

Name one thing readers would be surprised to know about you.

Before I quit my day job to write full time, I was a registered nurse. I have a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. It was a very fulfilling, very stressful job. Whenever I get stressed out about publishing, I remember that unlike nursing, books are not life or death! LOL

How do you get yourself in the mood to write?

I don’t! I just have to sit down and write. It’s the only way I get so many books written—by writing every day, whether I’m in the mood or not. I find that later when I look back at a book, I can’t differentiate between the times when the muse was with me and when I had to handcuff her to my computer desk. Um...figuratively, of course. :)

If someone hasn't read any of your work, what book would you recommend that they start with and why?

Start with Enslaved. It’s just released from Simon & Schuster’s Pocket Star imprint, and it’s a full-length BDSM erotic romance novel for less than the price of most of my novellas. Also, Enslaved is the start of the Enslaved Trilogy. Enamored and Enraptured are coming out only a month apart after, so it’s a good trilogy for readers who love hot BDSM billionaire stories, and don’t want to wait forever to read the next book in the series! xoxo Sexily *Evers* After... ShoshannaEvers.com 

 

THE HOUR OF DUST AND ASHES by Kelly Gay

A Charlie Madigan Novel, Book 3
Publisher: Pocket Books
Date published: August 30th, 2011
ISBN 9781451625479
Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Self-Purchase


For Detective Charlie Madigan, saving the world just took a back seat when she finds out that Ash addicts are committing suicide. She is desperate to keep her Ash addicted sister from being one of the casualties. Now time is racing as Charlie, her Siren partner, Hank and friends try to figure out how to stop it all from happening. But when they leave Atlanta and go to Charboydon, only one of them will find that their past has a way of coming to slap you up in the face. Can Charlie find a way to save Bryn, get back to Atlanta and deal with an ancient race of Slyphs before time runs out…for her and everyone she loves as well?

I have got to admit; I never anticipated finding a series where I was so eager to see what happens next for a set of characters that I raced to the internet to find out about the next book. Ms. Gay delivers a high octane ride from start to finish with her latest addition in the Charlie Madigan series. The writing is tight, story moves quickly and there is enough plot twists that I almost fell off my chair trying to keep myself from yelling “OH MY GOD!!” a half a dozen times. What really keeps me invested in this series is how the characters grow with each book, showing layers of them as they deal with different issues-be it from their past or the latest case they are working. The world building here is actually quite intriguing. I loved the premise when I picked up the first book, THE BETTER PART OF DARKNESS, and it just got better with book two and three. Ms. Gay delivers a spine tingling story that had me flipping pages in eager abandon as I raced alongside Charlie while she tried to save the people she swore to protect.

Meet Charlie Madigan. She is now a federal officer and is trying to keep Atlanta safe from otherworld creatures/people. It’s been a week after the Sons of Dawn cult was taken down yet all is not well there. The Ash addicts are turning up dead, committing suicide and Charlie is determined her sister won’t be the one who is next. The dynamics between Charlie, Rex, Hank and other characters is quite enjoyable. All the main characters have their time in the sun yet it doesn’t take away from Charlie’s storyline at all. I love how this author is able to give my favorite characters screen time even as they fight for their lives. They are so intriguing, even the bad guys, you can’t but help but be intrigued by them all.

THE HOUR OF DUST AND ASHES is by far the best book in the series so far but the ending gave me shivers and yes a few tears as events played out that I sure wasn’t anticipating. It literally had my jaw dropping in shock and I wonder what this author has in store in the next installment of Charlie’s adventures. If you are looking for a heroine who really enjoys kicking ass then you will really enjoy this series. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a series filled with ancient beings, djinns and more to explore. I do have to say that it is better to read the books in order so you get the full nature of the Charlie Madigan experience. Now I am eager for more Charlie stories and hope we don’t have to wait long for the next installment.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

VOICES CARRY by Mariah Stewart

Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication Date: February 2001
ISBN: 978-0-671-78591-8
Thriller
Mass Market Paperpack
Reviewed by Gina
Obtained by publisher


After a childhood incident that left her without her family’s support, Genna Snow has made a sort of peace with that dark time in her life by becoming an FBI agent. She accepts the tough cases ready to dig in and right the wrongs committed on those less able to defend themselves. Early on at the Academy she fell for fellow agent and instructor John Mancini. Dark hair, dark eyed with his own brand of charm, Genna found herself in love with John, only to have that world torn apart after a particularly disturbing case. Genna and John began the long road back to each other in BROWN EYED GIRL, but this latest suspect could tear them apart in more ways than even the top agents can imagine when a piece of Genna’s past returns for her.

Questing for a congregation of his own, Genna’s father preached fire and brimstone with such ferocity he and his family were invited to take up residence miles from their Kentucky home. There, the staid and oppressive life she led with her father and mother turned into a worse nightmare when she and her sister, Crystal, are taken to camp one summer. When one of the counselors tries to rape the young Genna she does what none did before and fights back. In the dark of the night she manages to escape and find her way to Patsy’s house. There, under the watchful eye and loving heart of Patsy, Genna learns to trust and make a life for herself. Just as John begins to make inroads with his own dark demons and find his way back to Genna, the couple are assigned to their most horrific case yet. There is no crime scene, there is no suspect. All there is, is a growing number of missing women. Not runaways from bad situations—a new mother, a loving couple, an adored wife, one by one they are being taken, but no one knows where and there are no bodies to uncover. Slowly but surely Genna realizes she may be the psychopath’s next victim. But that’s not what scares her the most. No, it’s when she realizes who the kidnapper is that takes her breath away.

Mariah Stewart truly hit her stride in BROWN EYED GIRL which due to no longer being available except secondhand, is given a brief critic in our retrospective of Ms. Stewart. While her earlier works hinted at the depth this author can write, it wasn’t until BROWN EYED GIRL and the introduction of Genna Snow she really came into her own. VOICES CARRY is an even greater stretch and the story even more dark and gripping.

In VOICES CARRY Genna and John are more fully fleshed out. While many of Ms. Stewart’s earlier characters lack some depth, these two are fully drawn. Her secondary characters are equally appealing and as much as I liked Patsy, I fell in love with John’s family. John’s family reminded me of my very much alive Italian god-family. I knew exactly what they sounded like in their total joy for family and life.

There were some anomalies in the story, such as an FBI agent wouldn’t be involved in solving their own crime. They would just be too close to the situation to handle it as objectively as they should. At one point Crystal (who is about 30 at the time of the story) talks about someone using a cell phone to save her when she was twelve years old. Since VOICES CARRY came out in 2001, the likelihood that someone in a boat had a cell phone in 1983 or thereabouts, is a bit of a stretch. There are a few other areas a good editor should have caught the pieces that aren’t possible. That said, the pace and pulse of this story will keep you on edge and you won’t want to put it down until you get to the very jaw dropping end. And what an ending it was!

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

SCARLET NIGHTS by Jude Deveraux

Publisher: Pocket Star
Date published: May 2011
ISBN: 978-1439107997
Women’s Fiction, Romantic Suspense
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina
Obtained by Library


Mike Newland is and always has been, a man on a mission. From his difficult and often abusive childhood right on up through adulthood he’d been the one to rescue the damsel in distress. Be it his younger sister, Tess or a crime lord’s unsuspecting wife or the girl next door, Mike is there in a pinch. What Mike has never been is a man who stayed in one place or anyone’s life for very long. Oh he keeps in constant touch with Tess and is loyal to his police department. It’s the other people out there that he doesn’t get close to.

Sara Shaw is days away from her wedding to Greg Anders. To Sara, Greg is everything a woman should want in a man—handsome, successful, a total lady killer in terms of charm. What’s not to like? That’s something she wonders about everyone in her home town of Edilean, Virginia. Why can’t her family and friends see what a terrific guy he is?

A mother/son team of criminals have their sights set on Edilean and Sara is at the center of what they are after. The problem is, no one knows exactly what Sara has they want. To find out, Mike is sent by his department to Edilean, to find and protect Sara from what is sure to be murder. In an elaborate scheme to keep her safe while keeping the dangerousness of her situation from her Mike is on his way. What neither Mike nor Sara expect is their growing attraction for each other.

Where is Jude Deveraux and what have you done with her? Obviously SCARLET NIGHTS was a disappointment to me. The prose was nothing like the Jude Deveraux I have loved and read for almost as long as I’ve been reading romance. This is an entirely different voice; a flat voice. After LAVENDAR MORNING and DAYS OF GOLD, the first two books in her Edilean series I was so excited to see SCARLET NIGHTS. I was walking down an aisle at my local library, saw it and picked it up right away, asking my friend “how did I not know this book was out?”

I know Ms. Deveraux knows how to write a fabulous story. From THE DUCHESS to KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR to the first two books of this series she has penned mesmerizing and believable stories. So what happened? In SCARLET NIGHTS it is almost as if a beginner writer sat down with a list of the elements a romance is supposed to have and one by one ticked off those elements as she met them. If a character needs to go from point A to point C, they just bypass B with only a bit of narration about how they got there. The situations are implausible and despite a glowing thank you to the gentleman who helped with her research, the book does not seem well researched at all.

If you read the first two in this series you will want to take a look at SCARLET NIGHTS if only to catch up on well liked characters from the first two books as well as meet a few other, quite interesting new ones.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

BLACK MAGIC by Cherry Adair

Publisher: Pocket Star Books
Date published: July 2010
ISBN: 978-1439153819
Paranormal/Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Tammy
Obtained via personal purchase


In BLACK MAGIC, romantic adventure writer Cherry Adair takes readers into a world of magic and wizards, trickery and suspense. Once upon a time, there were two kinds of wizards, the good or Aequitas wizards and the evil Omnivatics, who often lived as snakes. The Omnivatics were thought to have been wiped out long ago.

Jackson Slater, geologist and Aequitas wizard, is researching ley lines in the jungles of Venezuela when he hears the psychic call of his ex-fiance Sara Temple, also an Aequitas wizard who chooses to use her powers as little as possible. Against his better judgment, Jackson teleports to her and ends up saving her from a wizard gone crazy. Together they discover an evil force targeting the Aequitas, making them go crazy and then eventually killing them. The evidence points to their long extinct enemies, the Omnivatics.

Because their breakup was a bad one, Jackson and Sara are more than reluctant to team up, but since they are given little choice, they find themselves on the hunt to unearth the evil snake wizard and destroy him before he can destroy the world.

Cherry Adair is one of those authors that makes writing look easy. Whether her characters are fighting terrorists or using magic to save the day, her stories are fun, sexy and filled with adventure. BLACK MAGIC is paranormal fantasy at its most entertaining.

The main characters are terrific. Jackson is a wizard and comfortable with his powers. He is down to earth and enjoys spending his time with his ley line research. Sara is just about the perfect foil for Jackson. She doesn’t trust her magic and rarely uses it. She has trust issues and is somewhat tightly wound. When these two are thrust together to save the world from the snake wizards, the resulting fireworks are spectacular. The mystery of just who the mysterious snake wizard is continues throughout the story and keeps the excitement level high. The pace of the story is frantic and the danger level high.

For fans of fantasy, paranormal, romance and adventure, Cherry Adair’s BLACK MAGIC is spot on and definitely worth the read. This reader is, as always, really looking forward to seeing where Ms. Adair’s imagination will take her next.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

DEADLY PROMISES by Sherrilyn Kenyon with Diana Love, Cindy Gerard and Laura Griffin

Publisher: Pocket
Date published: September 2010
ISBN: 978-1439191118
Romantic Suspense
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina
Obtained by Library


JUST BAD ENOUGH by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Diana Love (3 Hearts)

Up until this point in time, Jeremy Sunn hasn’t really had much of a problem having a criminal past and ending up in jail now and again. He gets paid pretty well to be the bad guy…bad as in B.A.D. a crime fighting agency that is so secret even the FBI and higher echelons of the government don’t know about them. Women were there for convenience and an occasional physical release. That is, until, he meets CeCe Capice. Just a few weeks after meeting CeCe and he’s hooked but what does he do about explaining his past, which is also his future if he wants to keep his job?

CeCe has her own secret past. While not directly involved in the family business, she shares the taint of the Canadian crime family. To escape her past and to try and stand on her own she moves south. She’s attracted to Jeremy, but big brother Vince is doing his best to stand in the way. When a major hit is about to go down, Jeremy puts his life on the line for CeCe, but by doing so he may lose the only woman he could ever love.

I had a hard time getting through BAD ENOUGH by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Diana Love. B.A.D. didn’t come across as a solid federal agency, but created as more of a vehicle for Jeremy to have a secret from CeCe. I didn’t feel a connection to either character and had a hard time getting a feel for the secondary characters. Vince came across more like a Neanderthal rather than a truly protective big brother.

The story came across as almost cartoonish. I picked it up as a regular romantic suspense rather than a spoof on the genre. If I look at it as a parody the story has merit; however even from that perspective the characters came across as flat and two dimensional.

UNSTOPPABLE by Laura Griffin. (3 Hearts)

Kelsey Griffin is more than a superb archeologist. She is a forensic scientist for one of the top labs. While out on a dig she comes across a body that isn’t one of her ancient people. When she calls her friend, Mia, at the lab, Mia clues her in that the body may be tied to a missing person’s case she’s working on.

At the same time, a woman is car jacked not far from the dig site and a few other events happen that leave Kelsey’s uncle thinking his niece may need some serious protection. To that end he sends Gabe, one of his SEALs to the site. What he and Kelsey uncover are more than bodies. But the bad guys have a few steps up on them starting with there are more of them than Kelsey and Gabe. But how much help does a Navy SEAL really need?

I had high hopes for UNSTOPPABLE. What’s not to like with a Navy SEAL as your hero? And being interested in archeology, the idea of the story intrigued me. Sadly it fell short of my expectations. If Kelsey noted once Gabe was a SEAL, she noted it second third and beyond times. I got it the first 2 or 3 times and didn’t need to be reminded every few pages. I felt the story was rushed and far to “cut to the chase.” I suspect that comes from a word limit assigned to the stories in this anthology than any lack on the author’s part. As with JUST BAD ENOUGH, I felt no connection to the characters. They were flat and lacked in dimension. I had no feel for the dig site, no sense of sand blowing into the character’s eyes, and aside from one scene where they smell gasoline odors are omitted—I suspect a dead body even a few months old, would smell pretty pungent.

LEAVE NO TRACE by Cindy Gerard. (5 Hearts)

On the heels of the love of her life marrying another woman, Carrie Granger heads off to work in a hospital in Myanmar. Hoping to get over Wyatt and at the same time see something of the world. She arrives only to find herself arrested and sentenced to ten years of hard labor. When Wyatt hears what has happened to Carrie he calls long time friend, David “Cav” Cavanaugh to rescue her. When Cav arrives at the mining site where Carrie has been sentenced to, he immediately spots her and begins to plan her rescue. What he doesn’t plan on is his instantaneous reaction to her, both physically and emotionally. Up until this point Cav has had full control of himself, but something about Carrie zings through him and he knows he’ll do anything for her, including walk away.

Cindy Gerard writes some of the most vibrant stories. Compelling, high energy, thrilling rides that keep you turning page after page, telling yourself “one more chapter, one more chapter” until you suddenly find you have finished the book and it’s time to wake up and go to work. She draws you into her stories and you become a part of the action. Ms. Gerard weaves a story rich in language and emotion. Despite the shortened length of the story due to being in an anthology, her characters and story are fully developed. This story is a do not miss.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

WHISPERED LIES by Sherrilyn Kenyon & Dianna Love

B.A.D. Series Book 3
Publisher: Pocket Books
Date Published: May 2009
ISBN: 978-1439169940
Mass Market Paperback
Suspense/Thriller
Reviewed by Tammy
Obtained via: publisher


Sherrilyn Kenyon and fellow author Dianna Love have joined forces to pen the third book in their B.A.D. series, WHISPERED LIES, a gripping international suspense/thriller that begs to be read in one sitting.

French heiress Gabrielle Tynte Saxe (aka Mirage) is living the life of a recluse in Atlanta, hiding from her ex-husband and the people that killed her mother along with a bus of innocents. When she learns of the whereabouts of a kidnapped diplomat’s daughter, she tips off the Bureau of American Defense (BAD). BAD operative Carlos Delgado is sent as part of the rescue team. Following the rescue, Carlos decides to ferret out the evasive tipster’s identity and arrives just in time to see her about to walk off with someone he is certain no French heiress has any business knowing.

Authors Kenyon and Love have known each other for some time, but it wasn’t until Kenyon asked for help with her new suspense series, that they decided to collaborate and the result is an international thriller, WHISPERED LIES. This series has a Robert Ludlum meets Suzanne Brockman feel to it that really works. A secretive and dangerous group of international madmen, the Fratelli de il Sovrano, have united in an effort to rule the world and our heroine, Gabrielle Saxe under her alias Mirage, has fallen onto their radar for elimination.

WHISPERED LIES has everything you hope to find in a great thriller―suspense, tension and excitement. The elevated levels of anticipation, arousal and heightened expectations are perfectly paired with a sense of menace and mystery. Combining these elements with those of romantic suspense makes for one gripping storyline. The creativity involved with keeping the growing romantic relationship between the lead characters building while at the same time taking readers on a complex and multifaceted tale of espionage and intrigue prove that these two authors really know how to highlight each others writing skills to best advantage.

This reader is very pleased to add the writing combo of Kenyon & Love to her list of “must read” books along with Brockman, Melton and Girard and is eagerly looking forward to whatever comes next for the macho men of BAD.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

MASTER OF NONE by Sonya Bateman

Book 1 in Series
Published by: Pocket Books
Date Published: March 30th, 2010
ISBN: 9781439160848
Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Self-Purchase


Gavin Donatti is a thief and one that finds his luck disappear one night while on a job…a job that he thought would be a simple snatch and grab. Well unfortunately, Gavin’s employer isn’t too keen on excuses and he finds himself in hot water, on the run from the thugs bent on retrieving the item Gavin lost for Trevor. When a mysterious man named Ian drops in to save him from the thugs, Gavin finds out his life is about to get even more interesting for Ian is no ordinary man but a genie or djnn and he doesn’t give wishes. But Ian has secrets that Gavin never knew about and in the wrong hands, could get them killed. Can they survive long enough to stop the mad man, Trevor and live to see another day?

MASTER OF NONE is one wild ride from start to finish. I loved every minute of it and found it to be full of wit, mystery, adventure, magic and relationships. It had me giggling one minute and the next rooting for Ian and Gavin to win the day. Ms. Bateman is a new to me author and her debut book, MASTER OF NONE, delivers a spine tingling ride from start to finish. Who could resist a genie/djnn that is more hellboy than a traditional wish kind? I loved Ian, the djnn. He was surly, annoying and downright prickly at times but you get a sense of how conflicted he is and shoulders a really big job in stopping the bad guy Trevor. His dynamics with Gavin range from downright hilarious to friendship loving moments that have you smiling through most of the book. The action is non-stop and Gavin’s ex-flame, Jazz, shows up adding a nice twist in the storyline.

Meet Gavin Donatti, a good thief who just finds out his luck deserts him. A fairly easy job for his boss, Trevor, has gone completely off the wayside. The item he procured for Trevor disappears and now Trevor, who isn’t into excuses sics his goons on Gavin to retrieve it back. Needless to say Gavin is having one really, really bad evening. When a mysterious man saves him, Gavin finds out the world he knows is one with hidden magic and worlds beyond it. For Ian is a genie and not a card carrying, “I am giving you three wishes” kind either. Can these two be able to team up without killing one another to save not just themselves, their friends but also the world? I absolutely loved these two characters. They are complex, interesting and delivered some wonderful one liners that had me cracking up. The characters are multidimensional and come to life on the pages. There were some great secondary characters that I hope to see in future books.

MASTER OF NONE is a great introduction to a new urban fantasy series that will blow you away. The storyline flows fast, there are a few twists in the book that had me gasping in disbelief and the characters are multi-dimensional. Take an unlucky thief, add a dash of djnn and shake……you get MASTER OF NONE in the end. Ms. Bateman is a talented storyteller and one I hope to read more of in the future.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of the book.

ENEMY LOVER by Karin Harlow

L.O.S.T. Series, Book 1
Publisher: Pocket Star Books
Date Published: June 2010
ISBN: 9781439109823
Paranormal Romance, Vampire
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Lil
Obtained via Publisher


Angela Giacomelli had been a great cop but a sting gone wrong left her raped and mutilated. When her attacker was allowed to walk free, she stepped off the path of the legal system and took her revenge. Unfortunately, the same system which had failed her so badly was then used against her with great efficiency.

She has come to the notice of a secret and elite group called the Last Option Special Team, or L.O.S.T. From the ashes of her old life, she is to all extents and purposes reborn as Jax Cassidy, the only female member. Her assignment now is to infiltrate a questionable and deadly shadow group called The Solution so that she and her team can eliminate the formidable assassin/right-hand-man, Marcus Cross, and then the leader, Joseph Lazarus. For this plan to work, Jax will have to come to the notice of Marcus, keep his attention and get very close.

However, Jax isn’t the only one who has been reborn. She will soon discover that Marcus has also been given a second chance at life, though not as she knows it.

ENEMY LOVER is the gripping first book to what promises to be an edgy new series. We are introduced to L.O.S.T. very early on and get a taste of this tough-as-nails team. They are also each and every one of them a once wounded soul.

Our heroine is no exception as evidenced by her roiling anger, outrage and fears after her experience of being raped first by the bad guy and then by the law. The set up made the transformation to efficient killer/super-secret-agent something that we wanted to believe.

With so much to set up, the story felt a little slow to start. The main characters don’t meet until a fairly substantial way into the book. That said, the action and suspense just didn’t stop. The arrogance of Lazarus and his Machiavellian ways make it easy for the reader to be repelled by him and The Solution.

Unfortunately, there were some shades of that in L.O.S.T. as well. That was a bit of the difficulty that I had with this story. The good guys resembled the bad in some of the liberties that they were willing to take in order to accomplish their goals. The main difference appeared to be degree of coldness in their acts.

Marcus Cross is fascinating for being such a dark, tortured hero. He is strong, sexy, and dangerous. Experience has not removed a persistent sense of justice from him. Even his allegiance to Lazarus displays a quality, that of loyalty. After all, Lazarus is his maker and though he did not wish for the life of a vampire, he did wish for a life.

As a whole, this was a good beginning to the series. It was definitely difficult for me to put down and attend to other responsibilities. The greatest weakness for the tale was that the vampire world was not explained as well as one would have liked. Because of this, the ending seemed somewhat abrupt and not as credible as expected from the calibre of writing in the rest of the book.

ENEMY LOVER is as dark and gritty of a paranormal romance as I have come across. Ms Harlow has created a dangerous and addictive series to get L.O.S.T. in, if you dare.

This is an objective review and not an endosement of the book.

SPIDER’S BITE by Jennifer Estep

An Elemental Assassin Book
Publisher: Pocket Books
Date published: January 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4391-4797-9
Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Self-Purchase


Gin Blanco is the most feared assassin in the south. Known as the Spider, she is also an elemental, a person who can wield the elements, in this case Stone and Ice are her magic. When a ruthless Air Elemental double crosses her, Gin is ready to deliver her brand of revenge-one body at a time. By her side is friend and pseudo-brother Finn and Detective Donovan Caine, the most upright, moral man alive in Ashland and also one Gin wants with every fiber of her body. It’s kill or be killed and Gin is determined to figure out what the heck is going on because if she doesn’t it is lights out for her and her allies.

SPIDER’S BITE is the introduction to assassin Gin Blanco and the town of Ashford. Jennifer Estep delivers an action packed story that will blow you away from the get-go. I couldn’t put this book down and was drawn to the adventures of Gin, Finn and her allies/enemies until the wee hours of the morning. Tight writing, excellent characters and world building that had me breathless are all wrapped up within the pages of SPIDER’S BITE.

Meet Gin Blanco, orphaned after her family was murdered and left for dead, Gin managed to survive and was taken in by Fletcher, she grew up to become the most feared assassin in the south. Gin takes a job that looks, on paper, very simple but as in such cases, turns extremely difficult, if not downright deadly, when she is double crossed by her client. Danger, near death misses and mystery surround whoever is after Gin and why is the million dollar question. Revenge is in her eyes and she is determined to end this game before any more of her loved ones die. I loved Gin. She was sassy, patient and vulnerable as well as independent. Besides she can make a mean sandwich as well. She is a character I fell in love with from the moment she stepped onto the pages of SPIDER’S BITE. She didn’t do her job because she liked it, was for any cause or ideal but because she was good at it. It was a job-period and one that made her some good money. She was tough, cold and determined but she had a softer side with those she was close to-her family and few close friends. Add in some amazing secondary characters-good and bad- that kept the story flowing smoothly.

SPIDER’S BITE is one awesome kick-off to a new and exciting series that will keep you glued to the edge of your seat, eager to see what would happen next. If you haven’t picked up SPIDER’S BITE, I highly recommend you run to grab it. Jennifer Estep hit a home run with this new book and I am eager to see what is next for Gin in future books.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

WEB OF LIES by Jennifer Estep

An Elemental Assassin Book #2
Publisher: Pocket Books
Date published: June 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4391-4799-3
Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by: Self-purchase


Gin Blanco is retired from being the assassin Spider and is happy to run the Pork Pit BBQ restaurant and take an occasional college course when her former life hits her smack in the face. First some two-bit morons try to rob her business, then shots were fired at the place this time not at her but at a customer named Violet Fox, who just happened to know of Fletcher’s Assassin name. Gin is drawn into the Fox’s case and in the process finds out more than she ever imagined about her past and her future.

WEB OF LIES picks up after SPIDER'S BITE left off. Gin is retired from being an assassin or trying to be anyways, found out her handler and surrogate father, Fletcher, knew all about her and her past and now she is drawn to a family who knew Fletcher’s assassin name. Who said retirement was boring? Ms. Estep delivers another wonderful adventure for assassin Gin Blanco and this time her past comes into contact with her present. Action packed from the beginning, Ms. Estep delivers one thrill after another as the reader furiously flips the pages to see what happens next for Gin and her friends. Tight writing, multi-dimensional characters, action and a few twists you definitely don’t see coming will leave you racing to see what happens next.

Meet retired assassin, Gin Blanco, or somewhat retired in this case, after she is drawn into a case that has her fighting not just the bad guys but also her past as well. Past and present collide as she finds herself trying to figure out what Fletcher wanted her to know about the night her family was murdered and in the process, Gin finds out things about herself that shock her to the core as well. Secrets, desires and more abound as she races to stop the bad guys and lives to see another day.

I love, love, love Gin. She is feisty, independent and patient-a perfect trait in the assassin business. What I really enjoyed in this second book, was seeing her past become clearer and some clues to the riddle Fletcher left her be solved as new ones crop up. We also have some familiar faces from book one back-Finn, Gin’s Surrogate brother and now her handler, Donovan Caine, the hot detective who melts Gin’s heart and a few others who made me smile with delight. The sparks fly between Gin and Donovan that had me sighing in pleasure at times while other times I wanted to smack Donovan on his butt for being so pig-headed. The secondary characters moved the story moving smoothly and I enjoyed knowing more about all of them in this latest installment.

WEB OF LIES is one wonderful story that will keep you entertained till the very end. I found myself laughing, sighing and at times, rooting for Gin to survive to see another day. If you haven’t picked of this or SPIDER'S BITE, I highly recommend you run to grab them. I know I am now very eager to read the next Gin adventure hopefully coming soon. Ms. Estep is a talented author who continues to grow with each of her books. I now have Ms. Estep on my permanent buying list and can’t wait to see what she has up her sleeve next.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

DARK ORACLE by Alayna Williams

Publisher: Pocket Books/Juno
Date published: May 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4391-8279-6
Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Author


An attack left Tara walking away from a promising job as a criminal profiler, the legacy of her mother, a Delphi Daughter and retreating to a place where no one and nothing can ever harm her again. When the Delphi Daughters ask her to come investigate into the disappearance of a missing scientist, Tara finds secrets and danger at every turn. This time Tara will have to face her demons and the unknown enemies because if she doesn’t, her life is forfeit.

DARK ORACLE is a fast moving story that combines magic, science and action within its pages. This is a unique story that is not your typical urban fantasy. There are no shifters or vampires around and tarot cards are center stage. Ms. Williams is a talented storyteller who delivers complex characters, mysteries and action that will keep you on the edge of your seat till the very end. I really enjoyed finding out more about Tara and the reasons why she left the Delphi Daughters.

Meet Tara, a woman who survived a serial killer and has the scars-physical and mental- to prove it. Turning her back on a career, her legacy as a Delphi Daughter and the powers inside her, Tara retreats into herself and tries to ignore the pain she still feels from all that has happened. When one of the Delphi Daughters shows up at her door, Tara is hesitant to get back into the fold or to the land of the living again. Paired with Agent Henry Li, a man who draws Tara like no other has before; they race against the clock to find out what has happened and to save the one woman who may be the key to the mystery of the missing scientist. Tara is a complex and interesting character. Damaged not just in the physical sense but also in spirit as well; Tara is someone who you can sympathize with even as she takes steps into the world again-one that is very dangerous to her with each step she takes. Unknown enemies, mysteries and the power that lays deep inside Tara come full circle as the climatic ending explodes in a shower of bullets. Will Tara be able to survive in order to see what her destiny is this time?

I really was intrigued by Tara and her unique power in reading tarot cards. I never really saw something like this before in urban fantasy and it made it a fascinating read. There was just one thing that had me frowning and that was the multitude of enemies to choose from. It made it a little chaotic at times since I couldn’t see where one bad guy ended and a new one started but overall in the end it worked out nicely. Some of the secondary characters were intriguing and I am hoping Ms. Williams comes back to them in the future.

DARK ORACLE is a unique book to read and one that will leave you breathless as you try to see what happens next amid all the twists and turns within the pages. Ms. Williams delivers a stunning debut and one that will haunt you after the last page is read. If you enjoy a new sort of urban fantasy to enjoy, then grab DARK ORACLE. I am looking forward to more from this “new to me” author in the future.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

EMBERS by Laura Bickle

Book 1 in series
Publisher: Pocket/Juno Books
Date Published: April 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4391-6765-6
Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Library


Detroit has high unemployment, no jobs. Anger and despair course through its streets. Arson investigator Anya Kalinczyk spends her days figuring out what caused fires and her nights fighting the malevolent spirits that haunt Detroit, accompanied by a strange group of ghost hunters. Evil is awakening and it is up to Anya, her salamander familiar and her ghost hunter friends to figure out what this supernatural firebug is up to. The countdown to Devil’s Night is on. Can Anya be able to stop the firebug before all hell breaks loose?

Meet Anya, an arson investigator by day and a ghost buster at night. Anya is a rare psychic-a Lantern- and she is tired of it all. The stress of the suspicious fires plus her night job bleeding into her day job is taking a toll on her. Add in demon spirits, a doomed love interest and a salamander familiar that watch her like a hawk; it is all Anya can do to keep sane. When events start to spiral out of her control, she finds herself in a race that will pit her against the supernatural arsonist bent on awakening a century’s old evil that will wipe out Detroit and the world. I really enjoyed Anya. Ms. Bickle delivers a different sort of paranormal/urban fantasy heroine to fall in love with and breathe some fresh air on the genre. Independent, lonely and determined to keep both parts of her life (day job and night job) separate has given her nothing but trouble lately. I really enjoyed how Anya had to work with her brains as well as her supernatural ability to solve the crimes and get the bad guy. Add in some wonderfully fun secondary characters with a dash of mystery and you got the makings of a good story to tell.

EMBERS is the debut novel from author Laura Bickle. I have to admit I was unsure what to make of this book. The premise was intriguing and frankly, I never read an urban fantasy book set in a paranormal Detroit. That was quite a twist that had me opening it up and seeing if it held my interest. I have to say it did that and more. The characters were intriguing, the storyline felt fresh and fast paced and there were some twists in the story even I was shocked to read & had me flipping the pages to see what would happen next. This is a “new to me” author who I am looking forward to reading more of in the future.

EMBERS is a wonderfully fast paced story that draws you in and keeps you enthralled till the very end. I read this book within a matter of hours and wanted to know more when the last page was read. Ms. Bickle is one author I am going to have to check out in the future. I can not wait for more Anya stories in the future. I just hope Ms. Bickle doesn’t keep us waiting too long for her next installment. EMBERS is a sheer joyride from start to finish. Run-don’t walk-to grab this newest debut from an author that will leave you breathless.

THIS IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF THIS BOOK. THIS IS AN OBJECTIVE UNBIASED REVIEW.