Lucas by D.B. Reynolds

The Badlands of South Dakota ... haunting landscapes, legendary outlaws, and ... vampires?

Lucas Donlon is a Vampire Lord, one of the most powerful vampires in North America and beyond. Charming and irreverent to his friends and lovers, he enjoys everything about his life as a vampire. But when a neighbouring vampire lord declares war, he soon discovers that Lucas is as every bit as lethal as he is charming.

Kathryn Hunter doesn't care about powerful vampires or their wars. Her baby brother is missing and she will do anything to find him, even if it means going against both her FBI bosses and the local vampire lord. But Lucas Donlon has other plans for the lovely FBI agent who's landed on his doorstep.

Waging war against their enemies and each other, Lucas and Kathryn will risk everything to keep the most deadly vampire war in hundreds of years from engulfing every vampire, and human, in North America.

Lucas is the new Lord that was introduced in one of D.B. Reynolds shorts (Right now, I cannot remember which one, sorry!) as Raphael's child, and the story lit upon the fact that he was about to face some troubles with another Lord. Kathryn is looking for her brother, she finds a link between her brother and Lucas and so meets with him - sparks fly. Kathryn feels guilty about her growing feelings for Lucas while her brother is missing - so she denies them.

This is the 6th book in the Vampires in America series and it still grabs me with every page. Duncan will ALWAYS be my favourite Lord but I think I just found my 2nd ..... Lucas is all alpha male and I love it! Alpha males do it for me - I love them and D.B. writes some of the best alpha vampires that I've read.

She also writes some really likeable leading females who normally tend to balk at the alpha male thing and try to fight their attractions - and Kathryn is no different. Although she's got her reasons for fighting but she's also got problems with admitting her love for Lucas.

I adore D.B.s writing style and her Vampires in America books is definitely one of my favourites. Highly recommended to any vampire fan - these are no wimpy vamps, they're vamps to be scared off ..... and attracted to!


Book Depository: Lucas
Amazon UK: Lucas

The Goddess Inheritance by Aimée Carter

Love or life.
Henry or their child.
The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her - until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity.

Release Date 26th February 2013

After the cliffhanger ending of Calliope knocking Kate out at the end of Goddess Interrupted, we find that it's 9 months later and Kate has been held hostage the whole time because Calliope want her baby and wants her dead. Henry and the rest of the council don't know she's missing - or do they? - and they also don't know she's preggers. Ava tells Henry just as Kate has her baby and Henry comes to her rescue but ends up getting seriously injured and, since he's unaware of the baby's existence, the baby (Milo) gets left behind. Kate is determined to get Milo back but Cronos forces her to agree to be his Queen, which she then backs down on and Cronos starts destroying cities. Kate's only chance to save Henry and Milo and the rest of the council is to actually be with Cronos - but can she actually go ahead with it?

As I mentioned in my last review of Wilde's Meadow, so many of my favourite series are ending - this one included. Although I've still to read The Goddess Legacy (book 2.5) which is several shorts from several POVs, sadly it's not available in Kindle in the UK yet (I keep hitting that "tell the publishers" link!).

I have loved this series so much - as I said in my review for The Goddess Test, the whole Greek god/goddess thing is different from what else is out there (although more god/goddess series have emerged since I read The Goddess Test). I really like Henry and Kate as well as the rest of the council (I even like Calliope to an extent - and she's a bitch!).

If you like YA with a twist then I definitely recommend picking this series up, if you haven't already. It's very well written, with great characters and well paced so you don't lose interest or get bored of action.


Book Depository: The Goddess Inheritance
Amazon UK: The Goddess Inheritance

Wilde's Meadow by Krystal Wade

Happy endings are hard to find, and even though Katriona is in the middle of a war with someone who's already stolen more than she can replace, she aches for a positive future with her Draiochtans.

Armed with hope, confidence in her abilities, and a strange new gift from her mother, Kate ventures into the Darkness to defeat a fallen god.

Losses add up, and new obstacles rise to stand in the way.

Is the one determined to bring Encardia light strong enough to keep fighting, or will all the sacrifices to stop those who seek domination be for nothing?

The final fight is here. Katriona must face the god inhabiting her best friend, and she must kill him and believe that Griandor will keep his word and bring him back to life. She must trust her army and has to face the facts that she will lose some of her friends.

This is the last book in the series - I feel I keep getting surprised by finale books lately. So many series that I really enjoy are coming to an end without my prior knowledge, seriously it has happened so much recently.

I have really enjoyed this series, as much as I disliked Brit and (in this book) Katriona gets a bit whiny and woe-is-me about the whole saviour thing. Yeah sure, she has to save a world she knew nothing of and has only recently found out about but she accepted it all so readily at the beginning that I find her downtrodden attitude a bit annoying.

Other than that, this was an excellent ending to a fantastic series and I recommend reading it, if you haven't already.


Book Depository: Wilde's Meadow
Amazon UK: Wilde's Meadow

Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine

Now that the threat to the vampires of Morganville has been defeated, the gravest danger to the human residents is the enemy within.

For years, the human and vampire residents of Morganville have managed to coexist in peace. But thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have now been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging their every whim, the town's human population is determined to hold on to their lives by taking up arms. College student Claire Danvers, with ties to both humans and vampires, isn't about to take sides.

To make matters worse, a television show comes to Morganville searching for ghosts, just as vampire and human politics collide. Now, Claire and her friends have to figure out how to keep the peace without ending up on the nightly news ... or worse.

The residents of Morganville have been equipped with ID cards, the cards must be carried at all times - for humans they state name, blood type and protector, for vampires they mean they can have 1 free human hunt a year. After confronting Amelie about it, Claire and Michael kick off a whole mess of crap. Because of Eve and Michael's marriage has brought out bad feelings in both vampires and humans, this has made all members of the Glass House a target for both - it's a free-for-all for the residents of Morganville and our gang are the target.

As is typical with a Rachel Caine book, it's packed with enough action to keep you reading. I know when I get a new Caine book that I'm going to need time to read it 'cos I don't want to put it down - I normally read one of her books in one sitting 'cos she's BIG on cliff hanger/exciting chapter endings.

Separate paragraph for the spoilers 'cos I need to mention them ...... highlight to read** Myrnin decides to leave town but when he tells Claire he kisses her ....... did you see that??? He KISSES her! We all know Myrnin has had feelings for Claire but this is the first time he and Claire have really admitted it. Eve almost dies when a group of humans beat her up in the street and Michael ends up being put under Naomi's thrall and breaks up with Eve, to drive the point home he then kisses Claire and puts doubts in Shane's mind about the pair of them. This is a lot of stuff to happen ... and Claire gets kissed by a lot of people!

I ADORE this series, I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you're a YA vampire fan, this is definitely the series for you - Caine is an excellent storyteller and she is excellent at keeping you hooked. This is a series I will continue to be excited about when a new book comes out and I will be exceptionally disappointed when it comes to an end.


Book Depository: Bitter Blood
Amazon UK: Bitter Blood

Red Hot Holiday by K.A. Mitchell, Leah Braemel & Anne Calhoun

I'll be home for Christmas…to fulfill all your dreams.

This holiday, a Mountie is determined to get her man. A widow finds a fireman who ignites her passions again. And two men unsure of their commitment discover a happily ever after—and a blindfold—under their tree. No matter your desires, this collection of three shorts is bound to treat you to all the joys of the season.

Edited by Angela James, this anthology includes:

I Need You for Christmas by Leah Braemel
Breath on Embers by Anne Calhoun
Wish List by K.A. Mitchell

Release Date 3rd December 2012

I Need You For Christmas
Ryan and Megan are in a long distance relationship so Megan can follow her dream of being a mountie. Megan hands in her notice as a mountie and gets a job at Ryan's local PD & Ryan quits his job and arranges for all his belongings to be shipped to Alaska - but neither of them tell the other as they want it to be a christmas surprise
Breath on Embers
Thea's husband died and, in her grieving process, she didn't a new relationship she just wanted sex, so she chose sexy firefighter Ronan. Ronan tries to convince Thea she wants more but she doesn't want to hurt her husband's memory so she refuses until Ronan convinces her in quite an original way.
Wish List
Jonah thinks Evan is going to propose to him and freaks out, so he creates a wish list of things he thinks he'll miss out on is he marries Evan - most of that list being BDSM in nature. Little does he know, Evan is hiding a dom past so he's happy to fulfill Jonah's wishes but can he make sure it's definitely what Jonah wants without ruining their relationship?

I really enjoyed all three of these stories, the main characters were all likeable and the stories weren't just about sex - don't get me wrong, the sex was the main part but the stories were all well told as well. The main idea in all three stories was trust, which is a big part in any BDSM relationship - except from I Need you for Christmas, the other couples are new to the dom/sub thing.

If you want a nice relationship building story with some very hot sex thrown in there - read this anthology. If you want sex, sex, sex - read this anthology, 'cos there's definitely plenty of it and it's all awesome!


Amazon UK: Red Hot Holiday

You can also buy them individually on Kindle:
I Need You for Christmas
Breath on Embers
Wish List

Moonlight and Mechanicals by Cindy Spencer Pape

Engineer Winifred "Wink" Hadrian has been in love with Inspector Liam McCullough for years, but is beginning to lose hope when he swears to be a lifelong bachelor. Faced with a proposal from a Knight of the Round Table and one of her closest friends, Wink reluctantly agrees to consider him instead.

Because of his dark werewolf past, Liam tries to keep his distance, but can't say no when Wink asks him to help find her friend's missing son. They soon discover that London's poorest are disappearing at an alarming rate, after encounters with mysterious "mechanical" men. Even more alarming is the connection the missing people may have with a conspiracy against the Queen.

Fighting against time - and their escalating feelings for each other - Wink and Liam must work together to find the missing people and save the monarchy before it's too late ...

Wink is in love with Liam, Liam is in love with Wink but he proceeds to try and set her up with another man since he thinks his werewolf side makes him an unsuitable partner for her. While Wink is trying to let said man down gently while also trying to get Liam to really "see" her and accept that they belong together, she stumbles upon a case where lots of people and dogs are going missing. Liam is being kept busy with a case of anti-royalists - turns out both cases are related. And when Wink and Liam almost lose one another, Liam finally mans up and admits his feelings for her.

Wink was introduced in the 1st Gaslight Chronicles book, Steam and Sorcery, as one of the 5 children that Kerrick takes in. She had an affinity for working with electrics and she's now got a job with the Knights - this is a more likeable heroine for me than the previous ones. Liam is also my favourite hero of the bunch - possibly it's the werewolf makes him more manly or he's just not as much a wuss as the previous guys, who knows?

Whatever the reason for my liking these 2 more, it has made me want to read more of this series where Photographs and Phantoms kind of got me down. I do like the world that Pape has created and if she continues on with this type of character, I'll continue to like the series. I think I also caught some small hints about who the next book will be about .... only time will tell if I'm right on that.


Amazon UK: Moonlight & Mechanicals

The Librarian by Logan Belle

Regina Finch, brilliant and bookish, has worked her way up to her dream job as a librarian at the Main Branch of the New York Public Library. But her discovery of the sordid sexual adventures of a rakish, young scion among the hallowed halls and sacred stacks of the library unleashes a confusing blend of repulsion and desire that threatens to consume her.

It is only through her discovery of Bettie Page — the world’s most popular ingenue-turned-fetish-model—and Page's own sexual awakening that Regina can hope to discover her sexual prowess and seduce the man she loves.
Release Date 27th November 2012

Regina start at the New York Public Library and walks in on a dude having sex with a chick, she's appalled that someone would do this in a library. Turns out the dude is Sebastian Barnes, who just happens to be the head of a committee that Regina's just been roped onto. Sebastian introduces Regina to the world of Doms and Subs - Regina surprises herself by liking it. She learns about Bettie Page and gets empowered to let her sexuality come forward.

Hmmm, what to say about this book. The lead up to the story (virgin girl, meets rich guy that wants to Dominate her, rich guy gets angry that she's a virgin) reminded me VERY much of (the little I read of) the dreaded 50 shades book. Thankfully this book actually turns out to be well written and good (unlike the afore mentioned 50 shades!), since I never finished it, I have no idea if the similarity stops there or continues.

Sebastian sounds yummy, and I have to admit there's something about Dominant males that gets me excited! So, of course, I loved him. Regina was a wee bit less likeable but still connectible as a heroine, the little you see of her mother makes you feel sorry for her having to live with such a nuisance her whole life and you can completely understand why she left home and why she seems so sheltered - her mother seems a little like Carrie's mother (you know Carrie, right? Stephen King? Yes? Good) and that it may be her fault that Regina doesn't seem to even know the basics about sex or relationships. One thing about Regina is she seems to be the jealous type and also a little petty but I forgave her for the little shows of pettiness that we see.

If you're a fan of erotica and, particularly, Dom/sub based erotica then I think this is a book you may want to read. I loved it and didn't want to put it down - which is the first time I've felt that way about a book in a while.