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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

Format: E-booketernal
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Night Huntress World. Book 2
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Hero: Mencheres / Menkaure
Heroine: Kira Graceling
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: August 1, 2010
Started On: August 16, 2010
Finished On: August 17, 2010

Jeaniene Frost has penned another winner with the second book in the Night Huntress World Books series. Before starting out on reading this book, I did skim through reviews written to get a feel on what to expect in this book. But I should have known even then that when it comes to Jeaniene Frost and her tales, you never know what to expect and each page just keeps you riveted with the surprises that come along your way. Needless to say I completely fell in love with Mencheres, I mean who wouldn’t? So here is my take on this wonderful story, which had me glued to every single word, right from the very beginning.

Mencheres whose the grandsire of Bones from the Night Huntress series, is a very old vampire. So old in fact he was born in 2553 B.C. and was a pharaoh when he became a vampire. Mencheres is one of the most powerful or should I say the most powerful vampire we have yet come across in the Night Huntress series. His power is such that he can move a lot of things simultaneously, fly at speeds that amazed me and could foresee the future before he assisted Bones in killing his wife Patra.

Marriage to Patra and the knowledge that he shared with her about the ways of the dark magic has continued to be one of the biggest regrets of his life. Patra’s thirst for power and worldly riches had ultimately ended in her demise, and Mencheres had been shouldering the blame for all the havoc and disaster that she brought about, nearly destroying everything and everyone that Mencheres had held dear to him.

Radje or Radjedef is an uncle of Mencheres, and a Law Guardian of the vampire race. Being a Law Guardian meant that he was a member of the vampire ruling council, and being the power hungry and corrupt vampire he was, Radje had been after Mencheres for eons, claiming that the power Mencheres’s sire had shared with him upon turning him into a vampire, rightfully belonged to Radje.

With the cease of his visions, Mencheres feels adrift, and knowing that the centuries old feud between him and Radje would just eventually hurt those who belonged to him, and the fact that he kept seeing total darkness whenever he tried to look into the future made Mencheres come to the decision that death was all that awaited him now. Mencheres knows that as the co-ruler of his line, Bones would be able to handle whatever that could come their way, and Mencheres was determined that a personal feud between him and Radje wouldn’t harm those that belonged to him. So it is with this in mind that Mencheres decides not to wait for the sure death and eternal darkness that awaits him, but rather commit the vampire form of suicide and embrace death before its too late.

Kira works as a private investigator and has two half siblings Tina who was terminally ill of whom she was really protective of and Rick, who was a drug addict, always trying to leech off money from Kira on the pretext of turning over a new leaf and getting his act together. Kira is well versed in the art of self defense, having trained to become a cop. Kira’s ex-husband had definitely left his mark on Kira with the physical and emotional abuse that he had heaped on Kira during their marriage. Kira’s salvation had come in the form of an old cop friend of her ex-husband, Mack Davis whose motto in life had been to save one life, an advice that always runs through Kira’s mind.

So when during her walk home from work Kira hears a man in agony, she can’t turn her back on whoever it was that was in so much pain. Mencheres had walked in on the ghouls who were effectively butchering him up in order to put his plan of getting killed/committing suicide into action, when a beautiful human woman walks in, commanding his torturers to give it up. To say the least, someone who had presumed to have seen everything life has to offer is more than surprised when a woman who doesn’t even know him, walks into the danger that surrounded him willing to give up her life. And when the ghouls attack the woman, Mencheres knows that he has to save the woman and stall his plans for now.

Knowing that the one thing that all Law Guardians held in contempt was flaunting the fact that vampires existed to the human race, Mencheres knows that all he has to do is erase Kira’s memory and send her on her way. But her fatal injuries end in Mencheres feeding her his blood, and right from the get go, Mencheres is unable to read Kira’s mind or effectively manipulate her with his green-eyed gaze. Thus Kira becomes a captive, a captive that Mencheres treats well, earning Kira’s respect amidst the other feelings that Mencheres’s deep black eyes and his perfect bronze body evokes in her.

Mencheres yearns for the beautiful courageous woman Kira is. Emotions that he had controlled ruthlessly and tamped down on for more than 900 years suddenly burst into the surface, urging him to let go and succumb to the feelings that Kira roused in him. Mencheres, a vampire who has always been coveted by others for what he could provide for them, whether it be from his wealth or his undeniable powers as a vampire, has never been really wanted for the man he is. And it is this cynical viewpoint that prevents Mencheres from laying a hand on Kira no matter how much he comes to desire her within the week that she resides at his home.

But the time comes for Mencheres to let Kira go, when he knows that he would never be able to manipulate Kira’s mind like he can for most of the human race, and when Kira’s sister Tina is hospitalized, Mencheres knows that the time has come to let her go. Kira thinks that Mencheres would help save her sister’s life only in exchange for her captivity to him for life, and she is more than surprised and a little lost when Mencheres releases her and sets her free. Though she is freed, Kira’s undeniable feelings for Mencheres makes her seek him out and it is then that Radje puts his evil plan into effect to draw out Mencheres to finally get the power that he wants.

In the end, Radje’s harsh sentence ends Kira’s life as she knows it and Mencheres changes her into a vampire, refusing to let the one woman who stirred his senses after centuries die away. Someone reviewed that there wasn’t enough heat between Mencheres and Kira and it was all about control with Mencheres. Maybe that particular reviewer and I didn’t read the same book, cos I definitely felt the heat and seductive lure of the power Mencheres yields so effectively to make Kira his. And I wouldn’t say when you have ceiling banging encounters with the woman you love, you are in control. Definitely not!

With Kira in his life, Mencheres suddenly yearns to live and doesn’t want his vision of eternal darkness to come true. And Mencheres knows that he has to pull all the stops and use every bit of knowledge and power he has to beat Radje at his game and save Kira from his clutches before its too late for either of them.

Mencheres definitely made me sigh all over and Kira is definitely the woman for him. I absolutely fell in love with Mencheres’s sleek good looks, the way he tamps down his power and cares for those around him and who belong to him. Its not that Mencheres is a vampire who hasn’t made mistakes or is one without flaws. But the fact that with absolute power in his hands, Mencheres still manages to be the man he is definitely makes him a vampire to sigh over!

Needless to say, the longest review I have ever written so far is due to the fact that I loved this story so much and wanted to capture its essence in my review. This book is definitely very highly recommended for Frost fans as well as those who have never read anything from Frost before. Try it out. It might just be your cup of tea! And for fans of the Night Huntress series, its always a treat to see our favorite couple Cat and Bones from another hero or heroines’ viewpoint. Always good to revisit them.

My only peeve with the book was its cover art. Definitely doesn’t match the Mencheres that I envision in my mind.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard

Format: E-bookmr.perfect
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Hero: Sam Donovan
Heroine: Jaine Bright
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication:  July 25, 2000
Started On: August 15, 2010
Finished On: August 16, 2010

OMG! Sam Donovan has shot up right into the #1 position on my absolute hottie alpha male list. I have no clue as to why I don’t remember this story as being a remarkable one. Maybe it has got something to do with the fact that when I first discovered Linda Howard as an author I just “gobbled” up all the books of hers that I could get my hands on. And boy, am I glad now that I re-read this one!!

Jaine Bright works at a computer related company called Hammerstead Technology. And it was a Friday ritual for Jaine and her three friends Marci Dean, Luna Scissum and T.J Yother to meet up at a local bar and grill called Ernie’s after work for a girls-only unwinding session. Out of the four, Marci was living in with a boyfriend named Brick whom the rest didn’t seem to think much of. Jaine who had been engaged three times and all three times the engagements had gone awry, was wary of men at best and steered clear of them. That is until her drunken looking neighbor who had the gall to suggest she quiet down in the middle of the day so that he can catch up on his beauty sleep whilst he comes home every night at the most odd hours banging and clanging his way through the street, making Jaine regret her decision to buy a house in the nice quaint neighborhood she was living in. And she had just discovered that her neighbor who seemed to vibrate with fury whenever she was around was a cop. Whilst T.J was the only one of them who was married, and that to her high school sweetheart, Luna was in an on an off relationship with a football star, who didn’t seem to have a faithful bone in his body.

So it was no wonder that on that particular Friday, when all four of them were bummed out about the men in their lives, as a joke, the four of them came up with a list of qualities that they require their Mr. Perfect to have. Things like being faithful, nice and dependable makes their way to the top of the list whilst the bottom of the list tended to get a little raunchy. A little harmless fun between friends on a Friday night turns into a nightmare when Marci during a moment of weakness shares the list with the editor of the newsletter of their company bringing all four of them into the limelight.

Meanwhile, at the home front, Jaine’s sister Shelley was pissed off at Jaine because her mom had entrusted the care of Booboo, her parents pet cat to Jaine. And David, Jaine’s brother was pissed off at her because their dad had entrusted the care of his vintage car to Jaine rather than David. And when the list leaks out and becomes a national sensation, Shelley and David seem to be equally pissed off with Jaine. And to top everything off, Jaine sights her “detestable” neighbor Sam naked, and oh boy does she fall hard and fast in lust with every luscious inch on display! And it doesn’t help matters when Sam says stuff like if he starts kissing her, it wouldn’t end up being JUST a kiss, which has Jaine all hot and bothered.

The dialogues between Jaine and Sam cracked me up big time! The conversation they have right after Sam and Jaine kiss for the first time (and boy that was one of the HOTTEST kisses ever!) is one to be savored. Jaine has on her mind to torture the sexy cop who seems to occupy her thoughts throughout the day, but eventually the joke is on her when Jaine is as frustrated as Sam is to hit the sheets. And when they do get round to have wall banging sex for the first time, Sam’s reaction afterwards had me laughing so hard!

Things with the list create enough of a spectacle such that Marci’s boyfriend Brick leaves in a huff and T.J’s husband blames her for ruining his image in front of his work buddies. A rift that had been growing for the past two years suddenly become a gulf big enough that their marriage seems to hit the rocks for the first time with T.J unwilling to apologize for some harmless fun she had with her friends.

But the list brings out the worst of a psychotic killer and suddenly what started out as a bit of fun between friends ceases to be that. When Marci is murdered in her home, bludgeoned to death with a hammer and sexually assaulted, Sam’s protective instincts kick in and thus starts a race against time to find the killer who lurks so close by.

I loved every single minute of reading this book. A quick page-turner with witty banter between all characters, a spunky heroine who grabs life by its “balls” and a sexy hero who makes my toes curl just thinking about him with a villain who just managed to creep me out because I was all alone in my room was enough to make my day! Highly recommended for fans of romantic thrillers. You cannot go wrong with this one!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Rainwater by Sandra Brown

Format: E-bookrainwater
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Hero: David Rainwater
Heroine: Ella Barron
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: November 3, 2009
Started On: August 13, 2010
Finished On: August 14, 2010

Sandra Brown has taken a leap and written a story that is so different from her usual books and this story has touched me so deeply that I can’t help but think about it every few seconds. I found myself unable to sleep long after I finished the book, a bittersweet pain that clutched at my heart and refused to let go.

The year is 1934, the period of a great drought together with economic depression that has hit the Americans hard. Ella Barron runs her boardinghouse in Texas and makes sure that life runs smoothly, as smoothly as it can under the circumstances. With an autistic son in tow, life is hard for Ella, during a time period when autism and its symptoms weren’t widely known. With a husband who had run out on them long time back, Ella makes do with what she earns from renting her home to boarders.

When the town’s doctor comes calling one day with a distant cousin of his in tow, Ella can hardly refuse to accept him into her home. And when she finds out that David Rainwater is terminally ill from cancer and is just biding away his time until death comes calling, she can’t help but look out for him. From the very beginning David shows an uncanny interest in Solly, Ella’s son and makes quite a progress with him, something Ella hadn’t been able to do which makes her at first jealous and then later thankful.

Things are hardly idyllic during a period of drought and economic depression. With hooligans ruling the town and employing scaring tactics to keep a stronghold on its residents, it is Mr. Rainwater who steps up and stands up to the group who intimidates and at last resort to murder. Meanwhile, no matter how hard Ella tries to keep Mr. Rainwater at a distance, nothing can prevent the deep awareness that crops up between the two, and the connection that these two establish during a few chance encounters after the rest of the household has gone to bed.

Throughout the book I kept praying for a miracle that would take away David’s cancer, and kept hoping that Solly would come to be a remarkable man with his uncanny aptitude for numbers. But the bittersweet ending in which David gives up his life for Solly when Ella and David had just professed to love one another kept the tears coming.

Reading the epilogue requires a healthy amount of tissues I have to tell you. Life after the death of Mr. Rainwater who leaves all his property to Ella who makes a name for herself in the business world, and Solly who dies at the age of 32 having never reached his full potential but having had a life as best as he could. And to find out that the antique store owner is none other than Mr. Rainwater’s son sealed the deal for me.

I realize after reading this why I am not so much of a fan of bittersweet endings, one of the reasons why I tend to stay away from books written by Nicholas Sparks. But I wouldn’t change even one sentence of this wonderful book, because this is a story that makes you think, makes you fall irrevocably in love and in the end cry for all the things that could have been. Highly recommended for all types of fiction readers. This is not just a romance, but a story about life, its hardships and its bittersweet offerings.

Until next time! *Sniff*

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Night In Eden by Candice Proctor

Format: E-booknight in eden
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ivy Books
Hero: Captain Hayden St. John
Heroine: Bryony Wentworth
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: September 28, 1997
Started On: July 30, 2010
Finished On: July 31, 2010

I just love it when a book ends up being a real treasure worth savoring. This book was suggested on one of the discussion forums on Amazon and from the synopsis itself, it sounded like a book that I would love. And from the first page itself, this book captivated me by its wonderful charm and didn’t let go long after I finished the book.

Bryony Wentworth is unjustly  sentenced to spend her life in servitude in New South Wales for the murder of her husband Oliver Wentworth. With her daughter Madeline snatched right out of her arms screaming for her mama, the only thing that keeps Bryony going is the unborn babe inside of her. But life and its cruelty took Philip her son away in death and it nearly drives Bryony mad with grief and anger.

Captain Hayden St. John visits the Parramatta prison to find a nursemaid for his son Simon whose mother had died soon after prematurely delivering Simon. Hayden’s wife Laura was a beautiful delicate woman and her death had changed Hayden into a man colder and harder than he was before. The spirited woman who stands before him who undoubtedly was still grieving for her son stirs something deep within Hayden that he doesn’t want to recognize.

Bryony can’t believe it when she is sold to the tall bronze man who stands before her with a wicked looking knife strapped to his thigh. There is a wildness about him that called out to the woman inside of her, a call Bryony refuses to pay heed to because Bryony was a woman who vowed to uphold the values she had been taught as a child.

Hayden at first refuses to believe that his body is clamoring for the attention of the convict woman who now looks after his son. But when he sees the answering fire that smolders within Bryony’s eyes, Hayden requests Bryony to become his mistress. The attraction that simmers between Bryony and Hayden is so hot that I found myself captivated by the heady magic of it. The final showdown when it all comes to head is a scene not to be missed as it answers every craving the previous pages invoke in the reader.

Its when Hayden makes Bryony his lawfully wedded wife and brings back Madeline from England that stirs up the trouble. Madeline refuses to connect with Bryony accusing her of abandoning her and vehemently hates Hayden for the position he holds in her mother’s life. And the final twist in the story comes when Oliver returns from the dead, wanting to take his wife and child back to England with him.

This is a wonderful story set in the rough Australian terrain that is beautiful and wild at the same time like the love that is described so vividly between two characters that are definitely made for one another. Hayden is a hero that would stir any woman’s dreams and Bryony is a heroine who would win the affection and admiration of the reader. The side characters are well developed, the story a moving one which had me up all night to finish the book.

This book is very highly recommended for all romance lovers out there. If you haven’t already read this story, get a copy and indulge yourself in one of the finest love stories out there.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Real Deal by Lucy Monroe

Format: E-bookrealdeal
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Hero: Simon Brant
Heroine: Amanda
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication:  June 1, 2005
Started On: July 28, 2010
Finished On: July 29, 2010

Amanda is a woman who has been wronged on so many levels by her ex-husband Lance. Lance had taken away her confidence in her abilities as a woman, and that failure alone pained Amanda more than she lets on. With a family who blamed Amanda for the divorce, Jillian her best friend is the only person who has ever loved Amanda without any conditions. Amanda’s only intention now is to move ahead in her company Extant Corporation and her proposal for a friendly merger between her company and family driven Brant Computers, if it were to go through without a hitch would land her one step closer to her dream of acquiring a position on the Executive Management Team at Extant Corporation.

Negotiations with the company president Eric Brant had gone so well that Amanda didn’t think that there would be any further problems in going ahead with the deal. That is until she meets the dark, exotic Simon Brant who sets her heart racing and turns her body to mush, a body Amanda had no inkling knew how to behave in the wanton manner it was exhibiting in Simon’s presence.

Simon vehemently opposes merging Brant Computers with Extant Corporation though there is nothing more Simon would like to do than negotiate a different kind of deal with the woman who was so enthusiastically listing out all the benefits of the merger. Simon, a genius and a recluse doesn’t understand and conform to the usual standards of behavior. A man who spends hours lost in his creations, Simon lives on an island where he wouldn’t have to walk around on eggshells thinking he has offended someone with his behavior. Eccentric and with his crabby housekeeper Jacob as his only companion at the beautiful fortress of a house he has built for himself, Simon knows that he wouldn’t be swayed to saying yes to the deal no matter how much Amanda tempted his senses in all the ways imaginable.

Amanda is shocked when Simon walks out in the middle of her presentation without even looking back. But when Amanda realizes that Simon can’t help being the genius he is and gets invited to Simon’s home to complete the presentation, Amanda is determined that she would sway Simon’s mind one way or the other. But its tough negotiating with someone who continuously loses himself to his work and before long Amanda finds herself residing at Simon’s home for better access to Simon when he does surface from his laboratory.

Amanda doesn’t know what to do with the red hot desire that courses through her veins whenever Simon is around. Her marriage of two years with Lance had never really taught her the worth of her beautiful body and that the effect it has on Simon. Simon is determined not to give Amanda the opportunity to addle his brain with sex, sex he knows is going to be spectacular with the woman who tempts him beyond anything he has ever experienced.

But like an explosion waiting to happen, these two finally give in and Simon teaches Amanda  that her body is one worthy of worshiping and that her ex-husband has been the one who has been blind not to see what a treasure Amanda really is. Amanda’s boss Daniel has other plans in his mind and before long Amanda has to face her ex-husband Lance and find out the nefarious plans they have laid out to merge the two companies regardless of the cost personal or otherwise.

I loved this story from the very beginning. Its always interesting to read about men or women who are gifted geniuses and how they react when faced with the heady sensation of falling in love. Simon is a wonderful lead male character, totally alpha that made my insides melt every time. And Amanda is one of those heroines that you can relate to and root for every step of the way. With interesting side characters, red hot passion and a great storyline, this is a book that is not to be missed. Makes me wonder why I have never tried reading a novel by the author before, a fact which I will try and remedy asap.

Highly recommended!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Urban-Fantasy
Series: Night Huntress, Book 4
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Hero: Crispin Phillip Arthur Russel III (Bones)
Heroine: Catherine Kathleen Crawford (Cat)
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: July 28, 2009
Started On: July 9, 2010
Finished On: July 10, 2010

It’s been six years since Cat Crawford first laid eyes on her lover Crispin (Bones) and the years they have been apart and together have certainly never been boring for the reader. Having Bones by her side should have made life a bliss for Cat, but it hasn’t been one sweet ride into happily ever after for the two.

Struggling with being half human and half vampire has always been an issue for Cat. And her successful stint as the slayer of the rogue undead has certainly earned her her fair share of enemies in all the wrong places and strong allies who stand beside them as well. Life had certainly proved to be hectic enough for the two of them when Bones and Cat barely escaped with their lives intact and a time-out from everything else seems like heaven to Cat, that is until she starts having strange dreams from which she has a hard time waking up from.

Mancheres, Bone’s grandsire knows straightaway that something is wrong and when Bones finds out that Gregory, one of the super master vampires has set his eyes on Cat and wants her for himself, and is declaring Cat as his wife to the rest of the undead population has Bone’s livid with anger. And when Mencheres confesses that Gregory kidnapped Cat when she was 16 years old and took her as his wife before Mencheres was able to imprison Gregory and erase one month off from Cat’s memory has Cat torn apart in two as well.

Life becomes a constant battle between Bones and Cat as Bones tries to protect Cat and with Cat trying to help out in anyway she can by going against Bone’s wishes creates a rift between the two, until it all comes to head when Cat allows Gregory to steal her away from Bones in her dreams.

Cat has a few conditions of her own before being snatched away by Gregory and one was to find out what actually happened during the one month that she spent in Gregory’s company. However the trip down the memory lane though it shows Gregory as a manipulative bastard, some residue of emotion that Cat has for Gregory prevents her from killing him.

Her return to Bones is not the welcome that she at all envisioned. Though Cat knew that Bones wouldn’t welcome her with open arms, the cold controlled man that greets her and seethes with anger that he cannot control makes slivers of fear run up and down her spine. Bones is more than devastated when his wife shields all her emotions from him and runs off to Gregory rather than trust Bones to be able to keep her safe and be able to take care of both of them. Bones finally walks out on Cat and it is a devastated Cat that hears the news that Bones has been shagging up with women in New Orleans though she tries hard not to believe it.

Hurt and angered beyond belief, Cat goes into hiding with Vlad aka Dracula, one of their allies to lick away her wounded pride and heart in privacy and also to keep herself in an undisclosed location from Gregory. However, when Cat hears that Bones is in danger of getting killed by Gregory, Cat pulls all stops to prevent that, but doesn’t have the strength to face him when he comes back.

Though Cat knows that finishing off Gregory is the only way that Bones or herself would have any semblance of peace, Cat knows that she is far too weak with her human traits to be able to tackle with a vampire who is far stronger than even Bones. Thus it is with this in mind  that Cat decides to embrace her life as a full vampire, and even in this form Cat is unlike any other who embraces the life of a vampire.

The road to resolving their differences and getting back together is a tough one for Bones and Cat and with their enemy Gregory pulling all the dirty tricks up his sleeve to get Cat to be by his side doesn’t leave Cat and Bones with much room to rejoice in their getting back together, but its rather back to the battlefield with no holds barred for these two.

The fourth installment in the series is as good as the previous ones and I have got to admit that there is a certain allure in reading a well written series to just reading one story about a couple who holds your attention to the point of being riveted by them.

The witty dialogue, the smoking hot tension between Cat and Bones and the non-stop hair raising adventure makes the Night Huntress series a smash hit, and I can’t wait for the fifth book to come out next February.

Though I have heard that the Night Huntress World books are not as good as the Night Huntress series, I aim to take a look at them myself, the second book of which is to come out later this month.

Until my review of the First Drop of Crimson, the story that features Bone’s best buddy Spade and Cat’s best friend Denise comes up, happy reading my fellow bookworms! ;)

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Night Huntress, Book 2
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Hero: Crispin Phillip Arthur Russel III (Bones)
Heroine: Catherine Kathleen Crawford (Cat)
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: October 13, 2009
Started On: July 7, 2010
Finished On: July 9, 2010

I didn’t waste any time before starting on the second book of the series and boy am I glad! This series just gets better with this book where Cat and Bones meet again after a four year period during which Cat has been devoting her time and effort into becoming Special Agent Cat Crawfield who trains soldiers into becoming mean killing machines for the rogue undead.

The four years that Cat has spent apart from Bones has not been easy. Her mother ever still vengeful of the vampire species continues to hold an everlasting grudge against them whilst rooting for Cat for the undeniably good job that she does as an effective killing machine of the undead who have gone astray.

Though it pains Cat’s heart in ways she couldn’t explain because she misses Bones so much, she has no inkling of what Bones is going through until she is sent to kill Ian, the vampire who turned Bones and the small thrill of happiness that bursts through her when she hears that Bones has been as miserable as she has been for the past 4 years cannot be denied. For reasons that Cat only understands, she lets Ian escape and that’s how Bone’s endless search for Cat becomes fruitful.

The scene where Cat lays eyes on Bones after the four year hiatus is something to be savored. The raw jealousy and pain that swipes through Cat when she sees Bones kiss another woman at the wedding reception of her friend Denise undeniably lets Bones know that Cat has been missing him as much as he has been missing his kitten.

What has got Bones more worried than anything is the fact that Cat has become such an efficient killing machine of the rogue undead that she has become a target with a handsome bounty on her head. And Bones refuses to budge  once he has found Cat and accepts her terms when she says that the only way she can continue a relationship with Bones is if its a celibate one.

As Jeanine Frost promises on her website, the road to happiness for these two never comes easily. Before the second book is through, Bones effectively deals with Cat’s mother (whom I would like to bitch slap once or twice as well), comes to know the truth about her boss and team members and gets close enough to wreak vengeance on her vampire father before she finds the strength to choose a life with Bones by her side rather than an empty one without him.

The sex between Bones and Cat is sizzling hot in this book, much better I would say than the first book and the adventure that these two with a rich cast of characters go through is absolutely non-stop. I just for the world of me cannot put these books down once I start them.

I seriously, seriously want a Bones of my own! Could I have one pretty please?! I think I & the rest of the female population who have read this series love Bones because he is a true alpha without being a bastard about it. He can sizzle the socks right off of us with his sizzling sensuality & he could be real arrogant when the calling comes. But the way that he lets Cat be the woman she is, and loves her for all she is and just gives her everything in his power is his special quality  that drives us nuts over him!

My favorite line from the book would have to be when Bones molds Cat’s body to his to dance (this is almost right after they see each other for the first time after 4 long years), and the haze of desire that crops up between the two which Cat tries to deny but cannot has Bones saying, “Oh, Kitten…” His voice deepened. “Now you’re just daring me, aren’t you?”.. Sigh!!

I guess I could just go on and on about my favorite parts in the book and this blog post would be a never ending one if I continue.

So, till next time! And here’s hoping that the 3rd book is as good as this one!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle & Mobipocket Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Night Huntress, Book 1
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Hero: Crispin Phillip Arthur Russel III (Bones)
Heroine: Catherine Kathleen Crawford (Cat)
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: November 1, 2007
Started On: July 6, 2010
Finished On: July 7 2010

I am not much of a fan of reading books of a series, mostly because the happily ever after that I am looking for doesn’t come about until the very last book has been published. Nevertheless apart from Twilight which I attempted reading a couple of days back and stopped, this is the first series that I am ever attempting to read and am determined to complete reading.

The night huntress series is an urban fantasy romance featuring half-vampire Cat Crawfield  whose the heroine featured together with Bones, a two hundred year old vampire whose a bounty hunter of his kind. Cat never knew that she was half-vampire or the fact that her mother bore her after getting raped by a vampire until she turns sixteen. Though Cat has always known she is different from the rest of her peers, its only when her mother explains about the “evil” that resides within her that Cat comes to realize what she truly is.

Her mother’s hatred for the vampire species has Cat out hunting for those who prey on humans for feeding and killing them without any compunction because Cat feels that she owes her mother for what she went through. It is during one of these hunting sessions that Cat comes across Bones. The scene where Cat first meets Bones is one that would always be etched on my mind because of the hilarity of the moment.

Before Cat knows it, she is captured and being interrogated by the fearsome vampire who moves as fast as lightning. A deal is struck between the two though Cat doesn’t trust the magnificent vampire who stands in front of her and raises her hackles so effortlessly. Bones promises that he would help Cat find his father in return for her services in hunting down and killing rogue vampires.

Bones trains Cat to be more efficient and to make the best use of her skills and assets which makes her a deadly opponent. However the hunt for a deadly vampire who has powerful friends in high places within the government becomes a deadly race against time when Cat’s family is threatened.

The sexual tension between Bones and Cat is sizzling hot and I found myself craving for a Bones for myself. Although this story is told in the heroine’s perspective in the first person, it doesn’t hinder any part of the novel,  in fact it just made things more interesting if I may say so.

But the ending is not a happy one with Cat and Bones going their separate ways, and I am thankful for the fact I won’t have to wait eons for the next book in the series to come out. Four books of the series have been published with the fifth one to come out on the 22nd of February next year with a total of seven books in the series as denoted on the author’s website.

I just have got to say, I am loving Bones and I don’t think I will ever get enough of him. I hope that the other books in the series continue with the same sizzling heat and adventure that would keep the pages turning.

My favorite line from the book would have to be when Bones says to Cat “If you run from me, I’ll chase you, And I’ll find you”. Sigh!! And you just gotta love his British accent, the way he calls Cat “Kitten” and the way he calls Cat “luv”. Drools!!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: After the Night by Linda Howard

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Hero: Gray Rouillard
Heroine: Faith Devlin
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: December 1995
Started On: July 3, 2010
Finished On: July 5, 2010

Linda Howard takes us on one wicked sensual ride in this novel where the wealthy Gray Rouillard clashes with the poor town outcast Faith Devlin. Everyone in the small town of Prescott, Louisiana knew that Faith’s mother Renee the town whore, a sensational beauty who with a glance can leave men wanting is Guy Rouillard’s mistress. From a very young age, Faith had been addled with taking care of her mishap family with a drunken lout of a father and two elder brothers who were well on their way on continuing their father’s legacy and an elder sister who was quickly following in the wake of their mother. And then there was the youngest in the family, a child addled with Down’s syndrome who needed continuous care and attention.

The Devlins live on the outskirts of Rouillard’s property and regardless of the fact that they never paid their rent the Devlins were tolerated because of the relationship between Guy and Renee. Faith has always worshiped the town’s golden boy from afar. Faith’s childhood was a mix of spending endless hours just watching Guy and his friends while away their time and taking care of the endless chores that await her at home. Faith has never had illusions that a Devlin would ever be deemed good enough for a Rouillard but she yearns to shout out to the world that she is different from the rest of her family.

And one fateful night, life as the Devlins and Rouillards know it come to an end when Renee and Guy run away together leaving their families to pick up the pieces. Gray cannot fathom the reason why Guy had to abandon everything and run away with the town whore and overnight Gray grows up and is left to bear the emotional and financial upheaval that his father has left in his wake. Gray is furious with the trashy Devlins and orders them to evacuate the Rouillard’s property, an order  to which Faith’s family doesn’t pay a heed. However the full extent of the impact of Guy’s abandonment together with the fact that the Devlins were just continuing life as they know it drives Gray into a mass of seething rage which sees him ridding the town of the Devlins once and for all.

Faith would never forget the night that her mama never came home and how she and the rest of her family were driven out of their only home like a bunch of outlaws in the middle of the night. And twelve years later, Faith returns to Prescott, Louisiana to find the truth about what actually took place the night Renee and Guy left in the middle of the night forever changing the lives of both families. Faith’s return to town stirs up the gossip and the anger within the Rouillard’s family and Gray feels sucker punched by the intense need to get horizontal with Faith as soon as he lays eyes on her.

Faith knows that she would never be able to deny Gray but she would rather die than be labeled as the mistress of Gray Rouillard. Gray is torn between his family and the white hot desire that runs through his veins whenever he and Faith come across one another and of course it doesn’t help one bit when he realizes that Faith turns putty in his arms. The coming together of Faith and Gray is so explosive that you would feel the scorch of the heat generated as you read through. And whilst the relationship between Gray and Faith continues to unfold till its inevitable conclusion, someone in Prescott doesn’t like the questions that Faith keeps on asking in order to piece together what actually happened that fateful night.

Packed with explosive sexual tension between two strong characters that reminded me of Aqua Man with his long hair, wide shoulders and the oh so sexy diamond stud in his ear and Faith with her cat like green eyes and red hair with the effortless sensuality that drives Gray out of his mind that bore a strong resemblance with Aqua Man’s wife in the Justice League cartoon series, this book is one that each contemporary romance lover must read!

My favorite scene in the book would have to be the one where Gray corners Faith in the ladies room in the courthouse, and man do the pages sizzle then! I would love one wicked Gray Rouillard served on a plate please!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Bedroom Business by Sandra Marton

Format: E-book
Read with: Microsoft Word
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents, #2159
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Jake McBride
Heroine: Emily Taylor
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: February 1, 2001
Started On: July 4, 2010
Finished On: July 4, 2010

I have been hankering to re-read this novel lately because I kept remembering just how I much I enjoyed the sparring verbal matches that take place between Jake and Emily. Jack is a self-made millionaire who is enjoying life as he always wanted to. The one thing that hampers his lifestyle are the women who inhabit his bed fully knowing that he is not the forever kind of guy and still going ahead and demanding something more from him. Thank God he could always rely on his straight-laced assistant Emily who has smoothed over his life many a time since she started working for him.

Growing up with two beautiful sisters and feeling like the odd one out because she had always been shy and more interested in books and studying than the opposite sex, Emily thinks of herself as the average brown mousy type of woman. No wonder she has been feeling restless and lonely of late because it had been ages since she had tried going out on a date. But the one thing Emily knows with gut wrenching certainty is the disdain she feels for men like her boss Jake who thinks they are the next best thing since sliced bread for women.

However from the minute one of Jake’s acquaintances turn up to see him and declare that he found his secretary who always dressed in brown tweed suites alluring and sexy, Jake can’t help the protective and possessive instincts that rise up deep within him. For Emily hearing Jake confirm what she sees herself as is the last straw for her and she decides to accept the impromptu offer to have dinner with Jake’s friend.

Jake doesn’t understand how he has turned into this seething mass of green-eyed jealousy overnight and fights the caveman instincts that arise in him whenever other men except him notice Emily. And it doesn’t help matters when Emily practically melts whenever Jake takes her in his arms which in turn creates havoc with Jake’s emotions. The continuous arguments that crop up between the two as they fight not to succumb to the alluring attraction between them is one to be savored. I found myself laughing out loud several times and whilst Jake is the type of hero who can melt you on the insides, Emily is a heroine you can relate to and root for.

What starts out as lessons in seduction for Emily certainly backfires on Jake and it is one enjoyable ride that Ms. Marton takes us on till Jake and Emily ultimately find happiness with one another. I guarantee there is never a dull moment within the pages of this book. Highly recommended for those who love Harlequin romances.

My favorite scene of the book would have to be when Jake traps Emily inside the elevator and what takes place next is just steamy hot!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard | Kobo

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