Kade's Dark Embrace (Immortals in New Orleans #1) by Kym Grosso

Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance Series
Publisher: Kindle Direct Publishing
Publication Date: March 5, 2012
Links:  Goodreads   Amazon
Star Rating: 
 

After a series of girls are ritualistically murdered on the cold streets of Philadelphia, seasoned detective, Sydney Willows, is forced to work with sexy, alpha vampire, Kade Issacson. While working the case, Sydney finds herself inexplicably drawn to Kade, fighting the passion she feels towards him.

Kade, determined to solve the case and mete out justice, is captivated by the independent, fiery detective. As he attempts to protect her from a very real murderer, Kade grows concerned that the beautiful, but very human detective, could easily end up dead should she tangle with supernatural forces that are beyond her control.

The investigation leads them into a dark and dangerous world, deep in the heart of New Orleans, where together, they search for the perpetrators of the Voodoo killings. Sydney soon becomes the target of the killer and ends up fighting for her life and love in the Big Easy. Will she eventually give into the intoxicating desire she feels for Kade if she makes it out alive?

Kade's Dark Embrace is the first installment in the Immortals of New Orleans Series.  The book centers on tough as nails Detective Sydney Willows and New Orleans Vampire Leader Kade Issacom.  These two are like oil and vinegar from the very beginning.  I give this book three stars. This book was a pleasant surprise, it showed up in a suggested read email from Amazon.  I can’t pass up a free book about vampires and werewolves…lol.  Although I loved the plot, the writing was horrible and almost ruined the book for me. 

Overall Impression of the Book

This book is True Blood with a sprinkled of Twilight (but way more fierce).  Yes I said True blood because I have not read the Sookie Stackhouse Novels.   Although this book puts me in the mindset of True Blood, it was a unique story.  This was a decent book, and I do not feel like I wasted my Saturday afternoon reading it. I may have felt differently if I paid for this book. I think it was smart of the author to offer this book for free, it was just not good enough to pay for. In this book the Supernatural Beings (Vampires, Werewolves, and Witches) are known to the public, but not treated like second class citizens like they are in True Blood, which is a plus. I like the fact the different supernatural factions are not at war with one another, but are allies. Kade's best friends is a werewolf, how often do you see that!! Not to mention Kade’s BFF Tristen, the Alpha Wolf, is HOT HOT HOT. The story starts with a string of murders happening in Philadelphia. Sydney and Kade must work together to solve the case. Kade is happy to spend more time with the human detective, but Sydney wants to get always from the vampire as soon as she can. There is sexual tension between the two from the very beginning, but it was a nice build up to the action :-). This book was only about 250 pages, but there was a lot of story within those pages.

Characters

Sydney - I liked Sydney but I did not love her. I respected the fact she was not some whinny damsel in distress and she kicked ass and took name. The fact that she made so many mindless mistakes putting herself in harms way numerous times irritated me. 

Kade - Was an okay hero. I didn't like the fact he let Sydney boss him around in the beginning. Not what I expect from a 200yr old vampire. Where the hell his backbone was for first 50% of the book, I could not tell you. He became a little more dominate toward the end of the book, which is how I like my vampires…dominate and in control.

Plot - The plot saved the book, it was interesting and kept my attention. It ended on a cliffhanger and I purchased the next book…yes I spent money this time. I have my fingers crossed that the sequel to this series is worth the $3.99 I paid for it. There a lot going on in the story, the mysterious murders of young girls, an unknown enemy, and a brooding romance. The author did some decent, but not great world building that gave me a good sense of the main and sub-characters. 

Writing - The writing was a hot mess, and nearly ruined the book. It was amateurish, cheesy, and I felt myself cringe on more than one occasion. At times it felt as though I was reading a cheesy drugstore novel, not a kick ass paranormal romance. All in all, this book was not a waste of my time and energy.

This Man (This Man Trilogy #1) by Jodi Ellen Malpas

 
Genre: Steamy Romance
Publisher:  Forever
Publication Date:  June 18, 2013
Links:  Goodreads  Amazon
Star Rating:  

Young interior designer Ava O’Shea has an appointment for a first consultation at The Manor with the owner, Mr Jesse Ward. She is expecting nothing more than an overweight, cravat wearing, well-to-do countryman, and on arrival, nothing would suggest otherwise. How wrong could she be? This Man is devastatingly handsome, charming and confident. He is also a conceited, hedonistic playboy, who knows no boundaries. Ava desperately does not want to be attracted to him, but she can’t control the overwhelming affect he has on her. Every instinct is telling her to run, so she does, but Jesse Ward is not so willing to let her go. He wants her and is determined to have her. She knows she is heading for heartbreak, but how can she run when he won’t let her?

This book is the first in the “This Man” trilogy centering on Jesse Ward a business and Ava O’Shea a talented interior designer. Ava is hired by Jesse to fix up his hotel, and the chemistry between to two is instantaneous. Ava is very apprehensive of Jesse, and with good reason. Jesse is like an 18 wheeler that plows into her life and runs over any obstacle that stands in his way, including her. I am not a fan of Mr. Jesse Ward.

Overall Impression of the Book

I can't quite put my finger on how I feel about this book. I read this books because of the positive reviews and I’m a sucker for an Alpha male. The reviews put Jesse on par with Christian Grey, and since I am such a Christian Grey fan, I had to read it. Well... Mr. Jesse Ward makes Christian look like a regular everyday guy. I love the chase between the hero and heroine, but Jesse took it to another level. Usually I laugh at reviewers that say the hero went too far, or the heroine was bullied into submission. Well count me among those reviewers because that is exactly what happened in this book. I did not connect with Jesse for most of the book and disliked his character greatly.

He was extremely unreasonable when it came to Ava’s personal life, but kept Ava in the dark about his personal life, which irritated the hell out of me. These characters where a train wreck, I just watched the disaster unfold while shaking my head. I can't say that I loved this book, but I can’t say I hate it either. Maybe it’s both. This book and I have a love/hate relationship. Lastly, this book had way too may sex scenes. I was looking for some character development and real dialogue, but all I got was tons of sex. That created very little depth of the characters. I would have liked less sex and more character development.

Characters

Ava - I'm not impressed with Ava as a heroine, but she was not completely annoying. I actually started to like her more about 75% into the book. I did like how she challenged Jesse at times, but those challenges did not really yield a change in his absurd behavior or information he was keeping from her. So her challenges seemed futile. She couldn’t even get the man to tell her his age, REALLY!! Jesses is not the sharing type and she did not have any control over their situation. I did love her in the last night club scene, now that was funny, and her friendship with Kate is adorable. I appreciate she is desperately trying to hold on the independence while Jesse is trying to forcibly snatch it from her.

Jesse - Is an insecure psychopath, and very unattractive. I did not like his pursuit of Ava in the beginning. It was over the top and demeaning. I am in no way a prude, and I love my Alpha males, but 20 missed phone calls, harassing her at work, stalking her, and making scenes at her house on numerous occasions is not endearing or romantic. I disliked Jesse until about 50% into the book. From 50%-75% of the book I liked Jesse a little more, and then it happened. The real Jesse showed up the last 25% of the book and he was an absolute mess, and I loved him for it. He was out of control and jacked up, but it was a realness in his character that was not present for most of the book. Now that is the Jesses I can get behind.

Needless to say, this train-wreck of a book was intriguing enough for me to read the sequel. I am not sure if I will finish the trilogy, it depends on the sequel and if the author decides to give me more than awesome sex scenes and a psychopathic hero.

Book Review: Claimed (Dark Protectors #2) by Rebecca Zanetti - A Must Read

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance Series
Publisher: Entangled: Teen (August 27, 2013)
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
Links:  Amazon Goodreads
Star Rating:

A Daring Rescue Emma Paulsen is a geneticist driven by science. But she's also a psychic, so when a dark, good-hearted vampire frees her from the clutches of the evil Kurjans, she realizes he must be the man who's been haunting her dreams. But with a virus threatening vampires' mates, Emma may discover a whole new meaning of "lovesick".

A Deadly Decision As King of the Realm, Dage Kayrs has learned to practice diplomacy. Still, it's taken three hundred years to find his mate, so he'll stop at nothing to protect her—even if it means turning his back on his own kind...

Overall Impression of the Book

Claimed is the second book in the Dark Protector series. Claimed focuses on Emma Paulsen and Dage Kayrs. I LOVE ME SOME DAGE!! Emma was an okay heroine but she worked my nerves at time. This group of males are primitive alpha males and you get a sense of the era they are from. They protect their mates, or potential mates at all costs. Again I love the world that Zanetti has created. Again I am more interested about the world building then the characters at times. I firmly believe this series should be read in order so the reader can get a better since of the world and the characters. The love connections are pretty fast but hey…it is a romance novel. If you love Immortals After Dark or the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, these book are for you. One thing that is different about this series is that there are significant time jumps between the books. I am sure the purpose of the time jumps are to have the final

Characters

Emma – is a very headstrong heroine. I like how she made Dage work for her affection, but she was a little over the top and unreasonable at times and that really irritated me. She is a feminist, and the whole mating and marking thing drives Emma crazy. I have to disagree; I would love to be marked by Dage Kayrs…lol. Emma and her sister Cara are like night and day but so are Dage and Talen for that matter.

Dage – Is the King of the Realm. He has the weight of th world on his sholder. Unlike his brother Talen, Dage has known who his mate would be for over a 100 years. Both Dage and Emma dramt about on another, but had know idea they either one actually existed. Dage is a little more refined

Plot & Writing: Love the plot of these books. So the Kayrs brother are basically the royal family, but they act more like soldiers then royalty. They have a enemy called the Kurjans. These two factions have been at peace for hundreds of years until both factions find out about Janie, who is a little girl with special abilities. Cara also has special abilities and these qualities are needed in the mate of both the vampires and the Kurjans. So the war is between these two factions is back on, and all the other factions in the realm (witches, shifters, deamons, werewolves) will have to pick a side. The world that Zanetti has built is both fresh (for a paranormal romance) and interesting.

This series is a must read!!

Book Review: Mi Carino - Risky Love (Mi Carino # 1) by Sienna Mynx

Genre: Adult Romance Series
Publisher: Divas Pen LLC
Publication Date: Febuary 12, 2012
Links: Amazon Goodreads
Star Rating:
 

There is no end.
There is no beginning.
There is only passion and all those sinful naughty feelings caught in between.

He's not the man she thinks he is. However, Marcella Garcia is willing to take a chance. Why? Her new lover desires take her on a passionate and sexual awakening beyond her dreams. Marcella initially convinces herself that sex with no strings is enough. It's a gamble. When her desires bloom to love the risk becomes a costly mistake. 

Warning: Explicit Sex, Language, and Graphic Violence

My Overall Impression of the Book:

I bought this book on a whim. I was interested in reading an interracial romance and this book had good reviews so I decided to give it chance. The book had a decent plot, interesting characters, and a different type of love story, but it was unremarkable. I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. Of course the story ended on a cliffhanger, but I am in no hurry to read the second book in the series. I rarely get a Saturday afternoon that I can dedicate to reading a book and I regret choosing making this book. I feel cheated in a sense. Diego has an interesting back story and he and Marissa had some from steamy love scenes that would make you blush, this book was average at best. The story centers on Marcella, a beautiful and talented antique seller who is getting over a broken heart from her former boyfriend. She meets arrogant, powerful, bad boy Diego Andres and sparks fly.

Characters:

Marcella – I actually liked Marcella but I did not love her. I did love how she stood up to Diego especially during their first real encounter. A man like Diego is use to getting his way and Marcella put him in his place quite a few times, I love that in a heroine. I actually sympathized with her character. When it came to love, she always seemed to get the short end of the stick, but I just could not connect with her. I understood her emotions but I did not feel them, the writing was too surface. I don’t understand how she did not see that the relationship she had with Diego was completely unhealthy.

Diego – The jury is still out on Diego. I am sure most women who read this book will dislike him, he was a complete jerk, but he could also be sweet and attentive. This couple did not know how to handle the amount of passion they ignited in one another. Diego had some serious emotional issues and did not know how to process emotion in a healthy way. He gave Marcella so much pain and despair the story and did not show any redeeming qualities until the very end, which was not nearly enough.

I am not sure if this story is capable of a HEA, it’s a little disturbing. These two finding their way back to each may be the death of both of them.

Game of Thrones Season 4 Trailer: Season Premiers April 6, 2014

The wait is almost over.  Games of Thrones returns for its 4th Season Sunday April 6, 2014.  Here is a lengthy trailer of the upcoming season that HBO has graciously bestowed upon us.  Be sure to log-in to Ms. Undercover Geek for weekly reviews of the episodes. 

Vikings Season 2: It's Back...

Book Review: A Beautiful Mess By T.K. Leigh

Genre: Steamy Romance
Publisher:  Tracy Kellam

Publication Date: August 27, 2013

Links:  Amazon   Goodreads
Star Rating:

What happens when you lose everyone that promised they would always be there for you? How can you protect the few pieces of your shattered heart that remain?

Olivia Adler is a woman with a troubled past. After losing her parents at the young age of six and being raised by an uncle who she lost years later, she refuses to get attached to anyone, including friends. For the past decade, she has been able to remain unattached to any man, too worried about losing someone to get too close. Until Alexander Burnham walks into her life one night and changes everything. But he has issues of his own. And he’s keeping a secret that could turn Olivia's world upside-down. Will Olivia let Alexander in enough for him to get close and protect her from a force threatening her very existence, or will she push him away, scared of letting Alexander in, in order to protect her heart?

A Beautiful Mess is the first installment of a three part series sure to captivate the heart with a story of secrets, courage, and love.

My Overall Impression of the Book

I was gifted this book for an honest review. I give A Beautiful Mess 3 ½ stars. This book had the potential to be a 4-4 ½ star book if the plot was better. The book centered around Olivia Adler a woman with a trouble past. She losses her parents at the age of six and has major attachments issues, not just with men, but her friend as well. I actually liked Olivia’s character most of the time but she was a coward at times which really irritated me. The hero in this book is Alexander Burnham or Mr. Burnham in the bedroom :-). I loved Alex to pieces. The book was well written and it flowed. I liked how the book showed both Alex’s and Olivia POV. The love scenes in this book were incredible. So I liked the characters and the writing so what happened? The plot it what happened.

The book started out strong I was intrigued. But the plot went on and on and on. I mean the plot did not need to drag out to the end of book with NO RESOLUTION. Don’t get me wrong…I love a good cliffhanger. But this was not a good way to end the book. 

Characters 

Olivia – I get it…her parents died when she was six years old and she has some issues, but nothing else happened in her life for her to be this messed up? I mean she is a little over the top. Her parents died like 20yrs ago. I’m not saying she should not still be hurt, but I can’t believe she has not made any progress with her issues since she was six?

Alex – His secrets were silly and unnecessary. The secrets he kept from Olivia were unrealistic because of the field he works in. He could not possibly think that keeping the truth from her would keep her safe. How is she supposed to protect herself? And the letter!! I’m not going to go into the letter because I am writing a spoiler free review, but he really has the wrong priorities when it comes to Olivia.

Lastly, I do not think that it is realistic for Alex to be put in the compromising position he was put in as a child. No way.

With that being said I will be reading the next book. I just hope the plot is stronger in the next book.