Category / Tortured Hero

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Naked Edge by Pamela Clare

Format: E-booknakededge
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: I-Team, Book 4
Publisher: Berkley
Hero: Gabriel Rossiter (Gabe)
Heroine: Katherine James (Kat)
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: March 2, 2010
Started On: October 28, 2010
Finished On: October 30, 2010

The moment that I have been dreading since I started on the explosive I-Team series has arrived. Yes, I have reached the end of the backlist of the series and now have to wait patiently for the release of the next title in the series, Breaking Point which is to be released on July 2011. There are so many good books that are coming out next year that I am looking forward to, but this would top everything else on my must-have list when it comes out. Naked Edge introduces us to the people of Navajo who also call themselves Diné, meaning “the people”, of the Southwestern United States who are the second largest Native American tribe of North America to which our heroine Katherine James belongs to.

The Hero: Gabriel Rossiter or Gabe as he is known as is a man who thrives on adrenaline rush. Well versed in rock climbing, skiing and what not, Gabe has always been a man of the outdoors ever since he can remember. Described as being rugged and tall with thick dark hair and deep blue eyes with a body to die for, toned by the years of extreme rock climbing sessions Gabe forces his body to endure, Gabe is a man who is running away from his past even though he doesn’t want to admit it. Gabe had pursued a degree in Biology thinking that he wanted to become a wildlife vet, but in the end when the time had come for him to choose a career, all Gabe had wanted to do was be outdoors. So Gabe had gone through the police academy and trained as a paramedic before landing his well earned position as one of the best mountain rangers in the area. A man who doesn’t do long-term relationships nor thinks of himself capable of being any woman’s knight in shining armor, Gabe is a man who likes his sex straight up, with no complications and with women who knows the score.

The Heroine: Katherine James (Kat) or Kimimila meaning Butterfly as her Grandpa Red Crow calls her had grown up in a two room hogan with 7 half brothers and 3 half sisters who jokingly called her as half-ajo because Kat had been the result of her mother’s indiscretion with a white man who had left her once he had known that she was pregnant with his child. Kat’s mother had always deeply resented Kat’s presence and had never felt happier unless she wasn’t around. Described as having dark brown hair, hazel green eyes and caramel skin, Kat is a woman who has sworn that she wouldn’t put herself in a position vulnerable enough to end up like her mother. Shying away from promiscuous behavior, Kat is a woman who is saving herself for her other half and believes in the happily ever afters that her friends on the I-Team had found with their respective partners. Armed with her degree in journalism from the University of New Mexico, Kat had returned home to work at the Navajo Times. But as always, her mother had refused to see the good that Kat was doing and finally her mother’s resentment with her siblings’ indifference had led her to take the best and toughest decision of her life 3 years back when she had decided to leave her home and pursue her dreams elsewhere. Now working as the I-Team’s environmental reporter, Kat has grown to love her fellow team members and the life she has made for herself. Though she may live and work in the city, at heart she is a Navajo whose heart and spirit belongs to the land on which she was born and raised.

Storyline: Kat is participating in an inipi, a sacred Indian ceremony that was being held by her Grandpa Red Crow as a healing ritual for one of their sisters who was suffering from cancer when the police come out of nowhere and breaks up the ceremony, brutal and deadly in the force that they use. And when a few days later, Grandpa Red Crow ends up dead, his death looking suspiciously like a homicide, Kat knows deep in her heart that there is much more at stake than just stopping a religious ceremony held by the Navajo when countless other such ceremonies had been held with the knowledge of the Mountain Parks Rangers. As Kat continues to dig deeper amidst threats on her life which escalates as she draws nearer to the truth, Kat finds that at the heart of all the havoc wreaked on her family lies greed which even drives the best of people to acts of mayhem &  murder.

First Encounter: Though Kat believes she has found her place within the I-Team doing work that means something and loving the life that she has made for herself, at times she feels the hectic life of the city closing in on her which drives her to go on hiking sessions to the surrounding mountains. It is when a rock slide hits and Kat falls down breaking a leg in the process that  Gabe comes to her rescue, Gabe who is surprised and a little taken aback by the admiration that courses through him at Kat’s bravery.

Time period: This story has a contemporary setting and takes place in the state of Colorado.

Awareness between the hero and heroine: Kat and Gabe cannot be more different from one another even if they tried. Kat, an innocent in every way that matters who believes in waiting for the right man who would love her forever and who wants a family and babies of her own is the opposite of Gabe who lives in the moment, who likes his sex without any complications with women who know what they are getting into. When Gabe finds himself asking Kat out on their second encounter, no one is more surprised than Gabe himself because he hasn’t felt the inclination to woo a woman in 3 long years ever since his fiance Jill Chandler had died leaving a man broken by betrayal in her wake. Even when Gabe knows in his heart that Kat is not the type of woman he can love and then leave behind, his body has other ideas with its fascination for Kat. With each tentative kiss between them that burns hotter and fiercer, Kat is as much a slave to her body’s needs, a first for her in her 26 years of life.

The turning point: With Gabe being the Ranger on call on the night that the praying ceremony was so brutally brought to a halt by the police, Gabe is also a witness to the extreme and unnecessary force used by the authorities in question. When Gabe’s helpless fascination with Kat makes him a witness to Grandpa Red Crow’s dead body which from the first glance itself Gabe deduces to be a homicide, needless to say Gabe is as much drawn to the web of danger that surrounds Kat in her quest for the truth and justice for her people. And when Gabe takes up the task of being a full time bodyguard for Kat, a task which his body relishes in at the mere thought of being in constant proximity to the lure that Kat’s body is for Gabe proves to be the ultimate turning point in their relationship. With Gabe constantly trying to push Kat away, danger and threats on both their lives which they barely escape from forces both Kat and Gabe to search deeper into their feelings and face the ultimate truth that they are definitely two halves that make a complete one.

Ending: The events that take place prior to the ending is one of the hardest parts to get through in the story – not because it was boring or anything but because of the ultimate sacrifice that Gabe makes to spare the life of the woman he loves proving that he is a knight in shining armor – for the right woman. The villain at the end was a total surprise for me, and yes I love being surprised and going into a little bit of shock when I read a novel of the RS genre. And of course, the epilogue as always left me sighing away into the night, satisfied in the knowledge that Gabe and Kat had truly found their happily every after together.

Likes: There are several points that made this story a winner for me. I liked the fact that I got to learn about a tribe of people that otherwise I would have never even heard of if it weren’t for this wonderful story. I was fascinated with their customs, beliefs and superstitious nature which serves them well in their lives and Ms. Clare’s efforts to balance out Kat’s character was well received on my end. As always I loved reading about the hero’s reluctant fascination when it comes to the heroine, something that Ms. Clare delivers in spades in this story. Gabe who is reluctant to put his heart and emotions on the line once again nevertheless finds himself doing just that when it comes to sweet and beautiful Kat who works her underlying charm like a soothing balm to heal Gabe’s wounded warrior heart. As always beautifully done which made the fact that I wanted to savor this last novel a bit longer fly out the window every time I picked up my Kindle to read. And oh yes, the elevator smexing, definitely one of the highlights! *wink*

Dislikes: None.

Recommended for: Those who love reading romances and novels of the romantic suspense genre. You are definitely in for a treat with the I-Team series, the best Romantic Suspense series that I have had the fortune of reading to date.

So off I go to find a book that can lift my spirits from the slums it has decided to visit after the very much dreaded conclusion of a most wonderful series – for now.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Short & Sweet Review: Shaken by Dee Tenorio

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novella
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Samhain Publishing Ltd
Hero: Dr. Grant Sullivan
Heroine: Julia Sullivan
Sensuality: 4
Date of Publication: October 19, 2010
Started On: October 20, 2010
Finished On: October 20, 2010

Reading Shaken by Dee Tenorio literally shook me to the core as waves of emotions crossed over me throughout the quarter of an hour it took me to read the story. Shaken is heartbreaking to read, yet shows beautifully how a deep abiding love between two people can overcome even the greatest tragedies in life. Since this is a pretty short story I will be doing the short version of my review as well.

Storyline: Dr. Grant Sullivan, a cardio thoracic surgeon has been married to his beautiful wife Julia (Jules as he calls her in moments of passion and tenderness) for the past eight years. The story kicks off in the midst of the divorce proceedings which was taking place after Julia had walked out on him 2 months back. Tragedy had driven them apart and Grant would give anything to get back his wife to rightfully where she  belongs. When Julia walks out upon reaching a stalemate in the proceedings, Grant follows her onto the elevator which stops as an earthquake strikes leaving the two stranded alone for hours, giving them the perfect opportunity to air their grievances and move on.

The first meet: Grant and Julia first meet one another when Julia comes in for a consultation for her mother. From the moment Grant who is ten years older than Julia lays his eyes on her, he is a goner.

Time period: Present day.

Awareness between the two characters: Considering this is a pretty short story, Ms. Tenorio has done a splendid job in creating both characters in the story. Grant being ten years older doesn’t detract from the fact that he is handsome and as appealing as they come. From the first page itself, even with an 8 year old marriage between them, Grant and Julia are as aware of one another as two people can ever be. Every touch, each searing kiss is so tastefully done that it lent the story the jolt that kept me turning the pages until the very end.

How the relationship grows: Grant and Julia’s relationship had been pretty much perfect until tragedy had marked them both and driven them apart day after day until Julia had finally walked out. Julia who had cried and mourned during the past couple of months had felt that Grant really had not grieved for their loss, and that had been the ultimate betrayal in her eyes which had made her doubt the very foundation on which their marriage is based – the true love they have for each other. Before the story is through their relationship alters for the better and goes through the healing it deserves so that two people who deserve one another as much as these two have a second chance at being together.

The turning point: For me there were two turning points in the story. Even though Julia thinks she possibly cannot let Grant turn every opportunity they have together into a mind numbing orgasmic fest, she lets go because she sees the need in her husband’s eyes, a need so strong that he literally shakes with it. The second turning point comes when Grant finally lets go and grieves for their ultimate loss, a loss that had wrecked him in guilt for the past year which had left him unable to really mourn or cope with his feelings.

Likes: Even though this story literally screams tragedy with a capital “T”, I loved every bit of it. The tragic parts weren’t overdrawn, nor were the emotions held back either. The red hot sensuality that these two so effortlessly wield just makes it the icing on the cake. Grant is the epitome of a tortured hero, the scars going through so deep that he doesn’t know whether he deserves to grieve for his loss. Julia, who complements Grant in all the ways is a strong heroine who doesn’t step down from facing the harsher moments of life, and that makes her that much more appealing as a heroine. Loved the story, loved the characters and absolutely loved the epilogue! (Always a sucker for a good epilogue – yes, I am)

Dislikes: None.

Recommended for: All romance lovers who doesn’t shy away from a good dose of sensuality in the novel. Those who love a tortured hero would cry buckets over this one.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Short & Sweet Review: Home for a Soldier by Tatiana March

Format: E-bookhomeforasoldier
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Resplendence Publishing LLC
Hero: Rory Sullivan
Heroine: Grace Celements
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: March 18, 2010
Started On: October 17, 2010
Finished On: October 18, 2010

Yesterday was a good day. I say this because I got to stay at home suffering from stomach cramps (which was so not a good thing) and got to finish 3 titles by the time I was ready to sleep. The best part was all the 3 books that I chose to read yesterday were awesome and entertained me to no end.

Home for a Soldier is a title that I stumbled upon quite accidentally I think on one of the discussion forums on Amazon. From the first chapter itself, I was hooked line and sinker and couldn’t make myself put the book down to go to sleep knowing I would pay for it when I had to wake up early next morning for work. Nevertheless the story of how a marriage of convenience between straitlaced Grace Clements and ex-soldier Rory Sullivan develop into something more was totally worth it. So here is my short and sweet review of a romance that took my breathe away from the moment Rory Sullivan stepped into the picture.

Storyline: Grace Clements, a woman as straitlaced as they come is someone who is totally clueless when it comes to what is regarded as normal behavior of the female species. She is lonely and broke after having lost her job as a statistician for an insurance company. Someone who solves simultaneous equations for entertainment, Grace finds herself once again stepping into solve her sister Debbie’s problems when she agrees to a marriage of convenience with Rory Sullivan who is to ship off to Iraq the next week. All Rory wants from the marriage is someone  to live in the apartment which belonged to his beloved grandparents so that he wouldn’t lose the apartment prior to his return. What they both didn’t bargain for is for love to enter into the equation and muddle things up so wonderfully.

The first meet: Grace and Rory first meet one another when Grace flies to Vegas for their marriage. Grace is horrified upon landing to find a drunk Rory with a signboard announcing he was waiting for Grace whilst his army buddies surrounded him creating enough of a ruckus for Grace to wish that she could just disappear.

Time period: Present day.

Awareness between the two characters: From the first moment that Grace is plastered to the hard masculinity of Rory, both can’t help but feel the first stirrings of desire and longing for the other. With Rory at first distrustful of Grace thinking that she would walk out on him and leave him in the lurch, Rory tries to keep Grace plastered to him at all times especially with him suffering from the mother of all hangovers. A dare that Rory can turn every No that comes out of Grace into a Yes ends with both of them reeling from the impact of the heady attraction between them. Ms. March does a wonderful job in maintaining the sizzle between Grace and Rory at a simmer throughout the book which explodes out of control now and then, no matter how much Rory tries to distance himself from his delectable wife.

How the relationship grows: Grace never thought that she would fall in love with her husband and nor does Rory think that Grace would bring down the thick armored wall that he has built around his heart 10 years ago when tragedy had struck his family, the result of which had been Rory joining the army. Their wedding night becomes the stuff that dreams are made of before Rory slinks off into the night without even saying goodbye. A heartbroken Grace who knows that there is no turning back for her when she has so irrefutably fallen in love with the one man who doesn’t want emotional commitment gets the chance seduce Rory into falling in love with her when Rory’s departure date is delayed by 3 days. Though Rory tries to push Grace away, he can’t help but be drawn towards the warmth and goodness that radiates from her and it is during this brief period of time that the first cracks in Rory’s special armor appear. E-mails exchanged between the two go a long way into letting both of learn about each other, something that wouldn’t have happened so easily if both of them had been living together. And when Rory is injured while on tour and comes back home, it is a delighted Grace who meets a gruff Rory who wants to keep Grace at arms length making Grace work hard for whatever she can get from Rory. The relationship, though a difficult one, grows over time throughout the story making this book the wonderful story it is.

The turning point: There were several turning points within this story. Grace and Rory’s unforgettable wedding night meant that both of them couldn’t forget the magic that they had shared which makes Grace determined that she would win the love of her husband until she finds out that the woman Rory calls out for in his nightmares and in time of need is not Grace. The final turn for the better comes when Grace walks out on Rory when he refuses to open up his heart for the possibility of something long and lasting between them.

Likes: I loved Rory, his flaws and all. The tender loving care that he bestows upon Grace even when his heart is reluctant to embrace loving anyone made me fall in love just a little bit more with him. Of course his war torn soldier body is totally drool worthy and makes loving him just a teeny tiny bit easier regardless of the way he kept pushing Grace away. And I totally loved Grace as well for her understanding and unwavering love for a man who continually refused to see what was standing right in front of him. And I applaud Grace wholeheartedly for leaving Rory which went a long way into making him realize just what he had put Grace through during the short  period that they had been together. And I very much enjoyed reading the correspondences between Rory and Grace after Rory goes off to Iraq. Gave something a little extra to this beautiful story. And oh yes, loved the love scenes. Very tastefully done! And before I forget, the way Rory wins Grace back – the guy totally knows how to grovel and win the love of his life back! Sigh!

Dislikes: None.

Recommended for: Anyone who loves romances.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Resplendence Publishing

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas

Format: Paperbackworthanyprice
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Bow Street Runners, Book 3
Publisher: HarperCollins
Hero: Nick Gentry / Lord John Sydney
Heroine: Charlotte Howard (Lottie)
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: April 1, 2003
Started On: October 14, 2010
Finished On: October 16, 2010

I remember starting on this book a long time back, when I first discovered Lisa Kleypas’s talent for weaving a great historical romance. However at that time for some reason or the other I left this book half way through the second chapter or so and forgot about it. After my sister read this book and seemed to be quite taken with Nick Gentry at the point of being unable to stop talking about the guy *winks*, I decided to see what all the fuss is about and finally read the third book in the Bow Street Runners series, not that I have read the other two books in the series before.

Nick Gentry who is reputed to be the most skillful lover in all of England acquires the knowledge that goes along with his inherent skill from Mrs. Gemma Bradshaw, the owner of the most well trained house of prostitutes in London. Nick who has always been sensual by nature had refused to seek out just any woman to satisfy his hungers until holding back becomes too much for him and he finally seeks out Mrs. Bradshaw’s brothel after he turns 24 of age. Nick who is disreputable at best is described as a man who is popular with the public, feared in the underworld and detested by the Bow Street Runners who continuously try to hunt him down until Sir Ross Cannon who has now retired from the Bow Street Runners finally catches up with him and convinces Nick to work for them.

Charlotte Howard (Lottie) is a woman who is on the run. Having being betrothed to Lord Radnor since childhood by her parents who had practically made a deal with the devil himself to keep themselves ensconced in the lap of luxury, Charlotte had found every aspect of her life being controlled by Radnor himself. Knowing that marriage to the controlling mad man that Charlotte’s parents refused to see that he was would be a fate worse than death itself, Charlotte flees from home and seeks employment at Lord Westcliff’s residence as a companion to his mother.

Lord Radnor who is besides himself for the fact that Charlotte dared run away from him hires Nick to bring back his bride to be whether she is willing to come back or not. When Nick encounters the woman whom he had been hunting after for the past 2 months, Nick is surprised to find himself enchanted with the woman who for the first time in his life seems to be calling to something deep inside of himself that Nick refuses to recognize.

When Lord Westcliffe finds out that Nick is not who he is pretending to be, all hell breaks loose when Charlotte finds out that  the man whose warm sensual kisses had drugged her to no end was actually the man who her detested groom to be had hired to hunt her down. With Nick determined to make Charlotte his regardless of the consequences, these two make a deal to get married, Charlotte refusing to let love enter the equation knowing that being that vulnerable to any man was not for her and Nick who only thinks that he wants the sensual delights that Charlotte’s body promises and nothing more.

These two are certainly in for a delightful surprise when each of them finds more than they have bargained for in the other. Charlotte for the first time in her life begins to feel safe in the heady warmth of Nick’s arms, whose lightest touch sets her senses afire. Nick who refuses to be bewitched by any woman finds himself relentlessly in need of his wife’s gentle touch and the warmth and understanding that she so effortlessly wields that creates havoc on his heart and emotions which he keeps under tight rein.

Before the story is through, Nick who has always continued to run from his viscountcy finds himself forced to face his future as a viscount with Charlotte by his side whose unwavering faith in him leaves him completely astounded at times. Before these two can finally achieve their happily ever after, Lord Radnor and his evil plans as well as Nick’s restlessness with the inactivity brought about by claiming his title threatens to tear them apart, a lesson well learnt by Nick who is brought to his knees at the thought of losing his Lottie forever.

Basically this was an enjoyable read though I always find myself a tiny bit irritated at the fact that the hero who is described as so tortured by his past becomes a wuss at the first scent of the heroine. I think I am one of those readers who likes a bit of angst in my romances, someone who doesn’t like the path to true love be a walk through the park – if you know what I mean. Out of all the Kleypas books that I have read, my favorite still would have to be Suddenly You though there are still a couple of more titles that I have yet to read from her. I think Lady Sophia’s Lover which I have somewhere on my bookshelves would pretty soon end up in my TBR pile as my interest has been very much piqued by glimpses of Nick’s sister Sophia and her husband Sir Ross Cannon who apparently sentenced Nick to 10 years in a prison hulk when he was 14 years old.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O’Connell

Format: E-bookeyes
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Self-Published
Hero: Cord Bennet
Heroine: Anne Wells
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: April 9, 2010
Started On: September 13, 2010
Finished On: September 14, 2o10

Rarely do we come across books on Amazon that have received an average rating of 5 stars. This is one such book that has achieved this status, which caught my eye once again whilst browsing through a discussion thread. Reading the synopsis, I immediately knew that this would be my kind of story and I immediately fell in love as soon as I started on page 1.

Anne Wells, has always shamed her family in one way or the other. Having never really bided by the conventional rules of the society and not being a real beauty to make men swoon at her feet, Anne had always stood apart from the rest of them. Elroy Turrell had been the first man who had taken an interest in her and Anne had been whisked off to Chicago to live with her aunt since her father Edward thought that a farmer’s boy was really beneath them. Then had come Richard Tyler, a banker’s son whom she had met in Chicago. Engaged to the  man for 4 years, Anne had broken things off with Richard because she had finally seen the light and knew things would never work between a woman who wanted her independence and freedom from the restrictive rules of the society whilst Richard was of the opposite mindset. The broken engagement had enraged her father much more and eventually he had brought her back home. And then trouble had started when George Detrick, a widower, older than Anne’s father started pursuing her, a man who was fat and greasy with beady eyes and smelled worse.

Edward Wells was delighted by the fact that his daughter could be married off even though Anne made her refusal to wed him pretty clear. Driven into a rage beyond anything Anne had witnessed from her father before, Anne was locked up in a boarded room, given little food than what was necessary, her father’s plan to get her to agree to marriage with Detrick or starve to death. Anne finally manages to escape before she is driven to do just that, and hitches a ride unbeknown to the owners of the carriage. When the storm that had been raging had driven her to seek shelter in a farmstead, little does Anne know that she would sleep through the night to wake up and find herself at the home of Cord Bennet, a man despised and feared throughout her hometown.

Cord Bennet, a man with an unusual shade of light brown eyes, jet black hair with a bronze face that was all angles and plains who emanated a fierceness with his stillness has a soft spot for Anne though he doesn’t admit it. Cord had been the first child of Jamie Bennet’s shocking second marriage to an Indian woman named Song. Though Cord and his sister Marie had been protected from the vicious tongues of the townspeople who didn’t take too kindly to the mixed blooded children, they had been tolerated because the Bennet family had been richer than anyone else in town. But it hadn’t taken long for Cord and his sister to wise up and face the fact that they would always be treated differently than their step siblings.

When Cord hears of the circumstances that had landed Anne at his home and needing his help to get to Chicago to see whether her aunt Clara would once again put up with her, Cord knows that he would help her regardless of the outcome. But when Edward comes looking for Anne with a mob crowd rather than a search party and slaps Anne around to make her admit that the savage and brute that Cord was rumored to be had taken advantage of her and raped her and Anne refuses, all hell breaks loose. Cord who is rumored to have special skills in fighting, acquired during his days living with the Indians is unable to do anything to protect Anne or himself. Beaten to the point of death until he agrees to marry Anne since Detrick refused to wed a “soiled” woman, Anne and Cord make their vows amidst violence that had me reeling. Even afterwards, Cord has to helplessly watch on whilst Anne’s father watches on with the judge whilst the group of bullies Anne’s father had rounded up try and rape her.

It is by a miracle that these two survive the unjust violence that was unleashed on them. Thinking that Cord would die during the days that follow, Anne still stubbornly nurse him through, a man who is black and blue all over and bleeding in his urine. The doctor’s prognosis isn’t good either and its by sheer force of will of Anne that Cord comes through. Thus starts a fragile relationship based on an acquaintance that had been made when the both of them had only been 10 years old, when Anne had come to the rescue of Marie who was been bullied by other girls in class with whom Cord had not known what to do with.

This story is so beautiful on so many levels. Cord, a man who is hated even by his own family and of whom everyone expects and always believes the worst of finds himself with a woman who puts her undying trust in him and his character. Whilst Cord had always expected to live in a quiet corner of town until the end of his days, the unexpectedness of having Anne in his life shakes him to the very core. Sweet yearning and desire unfurls in a man who would sell his soul to keep Anne by his side through eternity, though he knows a woman like Anne is too good for a man like him.

Anne blossoms under the strong and patient man that her husband is. The awareness which Anne has of her husband which she doesn’t even know, slowly kindles and burns into something beautiful that made every scene with Cord and Anne one worth a lot of sighing over. Anne and her zealous for life paints Cord’s otherwise bleak life in colors. A future that had seemed endless with no joy insight is suddenly filled with laughter and joy and togetherness as these two tackle life, its everyday challenges, and taming Cord’s family and the townspeople all in one go.

But Edward Wells, who is seething at the mere thought of her daughter being “forced” to live with that “savage” is livid when Anne refuses to come home and annul the marriage to which Edward had forced her into. His cunning plans rips Anne apart from Cord, just when Cord had come to accept the fact that things between Anne and him were meant to be and was not a temporary arrangement. I so fell in love with Cord, for his gentleness which was his innermost strength that everyone else refused to see, but was so clear to his wife and partner for life. Beautiful ending for a beautifully done story, which makes me yearn and wish for another book by the author sometime very, very soon!

Very highly recommended for lovers of historical and American Western romances. This is a book that is a definite winner, one not to be missed!

Favorite Quotes

(Anne)”Do you know that every time you look at me like that you erase the hurt of at least a hundred times someone said I wasn’t ladylike enough? You make me feel so – female. I think to myself that must be the way a hungry wolf looks at a lamb.”
He moved then, walked to her. She found herself thinking maybe topaz, maybe his eyes are like smoked topaz. This kiss was not tentative, but sure and certain. For months she had dreamed of kisses, but the sensual magic of the firm lips was sweeter than anything she had known to dream about.

Cord fought sleep, wanting to savor this moment and the memories of the day. Anne’s breath fanned across his throat sweetly. I wanted you so much it hurt. She made him feel like the king he was sure she had been born for. He thought of her face as she ran into his arms after the race, the feel of her in his arms dancing in the summer night. Perhaps there would never again be such a day, but he had this one. And he had her – now.
As he finally stopped fighting sleep, he wondered if maybe just occasionally the gods designed a woman fit for a king or a prince and then gave her to an ordinary man. Maybe they did such a thing once in a while, knowing an ordinary man would treasure her more, love her better. Maybe they even let him keep her – for a while.

Whirling in Cord’s arms, Anne was aware of nothing but the floating sensation and the eyes of gold so close to her own and so somber.
“You know, Annie, a long time ago an old man told me beauty doesn’t mean much in a woman. It disappears with age. But he said some women have something better. They have a special glow that lasts all their life and just gets richer. You’re like that. You really shine.”
She could feel her eyes growing moist.
“Don’t cry.”
“I’m not.”
Her hand slipped from his shoulder to his face without conscious thought. He rubbed his cheek lightly against her fingers and kissed her palm. The scandal would last a hundred years, she thought, and willed her hand back to his shoulder. The smile started then, a real smile, teeth flashing oh so white in his bronze face. Her heart soared, and in truth, that night Anne Wells Bennett was not the only one who saw beauty in her fierce, dark man.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Smashwords

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks

Format: E-bookthe darkest hour
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: The Kelly Group International, Book 1
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Hero: Ethan Kelly
Heroine: Rachel
Sensuality: 3.5
Date of Publication: September 7, 2010
Started On: September 10, 2010
Finished On: September 11, 2010

First of all, let me just say WOW! This novel grabbed me and turned me inside out from page 1. I was kind of wary at first to pick up this book because the only time I had read a book by Maya Banks which was Seducing Simon, it kind of fell flat for me. But I am so very glad that I put my reservations aside and went ahead and read the book, because this story is so very very good!

This story promises the start of a great new series by the author. This series centers around the Kelly family, 6 sons of local hardware store owner Frank Kelly and his wife of more than 30 years Marlene Kelly who was now a retired teacher. Sam, Garret, Donovan, Ethan and Nathan and Joe who are twins makes up the Kelly family. One would have thought that with 6 rambunctious sons to raise, Marlene would have enough on her hands. But with her kindhearted nature, Marlene tended to take in strays as her sons affectionately liked to tease her, and mothered them as well, showering them with as much love as if she had born them.

The Kelly Group International is a covert super-elite family run business that takes on missions such as hostage/kidnap victim recovery, intelligence gathering and sometimes gets hired by the US government to handle tough jobs that they cannot handle. Since all 6 of the Kelly men had served in different branches of the military at some point, Nathan and Joe still serving in Afghanistan, Sam, Donovan and Garret were the ones who owned and handled the KGI business.

Ethan Kelly, is ex-Navy SEAL, and drinks himself to oblivion every day and night to escape his memories and pain. Since that fateful day on June 16 a year ago, when he had received word that Rachel had been killed in a crash that had taken the lives of a small group of relief workers flying in from South America, Ethan and his family had been devastated. Rachel had not been just Ethan’s wife. Rather, Rachel had been taken under Marlene’s love and care when her own parents had been killed in a car crash. Rachel who had always been a favorite student of Marlene’s had been like the daughter she never had and her death had affected the Kelly family in more ways than one.

On the 1 year anniversary of his wife’s death, Ethan receives a package that contains evidence that Rachel is very much alive being held captive in a drug cartel camp deep in the jungles of South America. Ethan who had been praying for a second chance and can’t believe it when it does happen, convinces his brothers to help him rescue the woman who bears a remarkable resemblance to his dead wife.

The Kelly’s storm the camp to find Rachel hooked high on drugs and scared out of her mind. The only thing that Rachel does remember and dream about is a man whom she craves to be her knight in shining armor and who she knows will keep her undoubtedly safe. When Ethan rushes into the small hut in which Rachel is kept captive, she knows that the man who she keeps dreaming about has finally come for her.

With all her memories of her past life gone, Rachel is more than scared out of her wits when she is rescued. The only men she seems to remember are Garret and Ethan. On top of that the craving she has for a fix by the needle exhausts her more than anything. Recovery is a slow agonizing process and her return back home is made as stress free as possible by the family that awaits her eagerly.

But as Rachel’s memories slowly return, so does a dream that frightens her beyond anything she had endured. An angry Ethan who looks as if he loathes her and hates her keeps Rachel in constant agitation. Ethan knows that he is living on borrowed time with his wife until her memory fully returns. Ethan had done Rachel wrong in so many ways in their marriage and unless he can get his wife to give him a second chance so that he could prove to her just how much she is worth to him, Ethan knows that life would have no meaning for him if otherwise.

Meanwhile, the threat on Rachel’s life is not completely obliterated. Attempts on her life more than once leave all of the Kelly’s reeling. And the story of greed, corruption and murder of a power hungry politician emerges as the story unfolds which kept the pages turning.

This story has so many facets to it that made it so interesting. I know that all 6 Kelly’s would make delicious heroes if the way Ethan treats Rachel is any standard to uphold. Rusty, the newest stray that Marlene takes in also promises to be an interesting addition to the Kelly brood.

The Darkest Hour has all the essential ingredients in the right amounts that make up a great romantic suspense novel. Mouth watering hot men in combat gear is enough to shoot up any girls temperature right up. Added to the mix more emotion than my heart could handle at times with enough danger to keep the edge on the story made this book an instant winner.

Two more books of this series have already been announced on the author’s website. No Place to Run which would feature Sam’s story to be released this December and Hidden Away which is Garret’s story to be released in 2011 has me on tenterhooks already!

If you want to read romantic suspense that grabs your emotions right from the very start and delivers on all counts, this is a must-read!

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Hot Island Nights by Sarah Mayberry

Format: E-bookMSRCover
Read with: Amazon Kindle & Mobipocket Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Blaze, #566
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Nathan Jones
Heroine: Elizabeth Jane Mason
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: September 1, 2010
Started On: September 7, 2010
Finished On: September 7, 2010

What I adore most about novels by Sarah Mayberry is the fact that her books offer more than just a fabulous roll in the bed which the Blaze line of books are famous for. Her books open up a world of possibilities with in depth character development and there is always a story begging to be told from start to finish. This book is no exception to that fact. When one reads the back cover of the book, he or she might be lulled into thinking that this is just your average good girl gone bad story. But it offers so much more and I loved every bit of reading Nathan and Elizabeth’s story maybe as much as or more than Ms. Mayberry must have loved writing their story.

Elizabeth Jane Mason was on the verge of tying the knot with her fiance’ Martin St. Clair within 8 weeks, whom she had been with for the past 6 years. Amidst bouts of panic and  questioning herself on whether she was doing the right thing, Elizabeth was a mess which she attributed towards prewedding jitters. She had always felt that there was something missing in her relationship with Martin who worked for her grandfather at his prestigious law firm. Elizabeth had been brought up by her grandparents when her parents had been killed in a light plane accident 23 years back. Elizabeth had always been the good girl, never giving a reason for her grandparents to worry over, always giving up what she had wanted in life in favor of what her grandparents thought was what she wanted and needed.

All the tension and unease Elizabeth is feeling comes to head when she receives the shocking revelation that John Alexander Mason whom she had always known to be her father was in reality her stepfather. Her actual father was a man named Sam Blackwell of whom she had known nothing about, until she had requested for a copy of her birth certificate to be mailed over so that Martin could apply for their marriage license. The final straw is realizing that even Martin had known about it when her grandfather had taken him into his confidence right after Martin had proposed to Elizabeth. Feeling immensely betrayed by the fact that her family and her fiance had made choices for her that they had no right making, Elizabeth calls off the wedding and heads off to find her real father and to find herself whilst she is at it.

Four days later, Elizabeth arrives in Phillip Island in Victoria Australia, Sam Blackwell’s last known place of residence. When she knocks on the door, the man who opens up the door wearing nothing but a threadbare towel and looking like he had just got out of bed with bloodshot eyes, he literally takes Elizabeth’s breath away with his superb body on display.

Nathan Jones (Nate), is a man who is haunted by memories too painful even to contemplate. Drinking from noon to night till he achieves the perfect balance to embrace the oblivion offered by sleep until the next day, surfing and walking the beach around the island and hooking up with an available woman a night or two is how Nathan prefers to live at the moment. A horrible accident that had taken the life of Olivia his sister whom he had loved more than anything in his life had left him with scars on the inside rather than the outside. Giving up all management rights of Smartsell, the business he and his lifelong friend Jarvie Roberts had built from the ground up so that he could take each day as it arrives, Nathan doesn’t envision his life changing the pattern it had taken since the night that irrevocably changed his life 6 months ago.

When Nathan opens up his door to eye the beautiful woman who stands on his doorstep and finds out that she is looking for his buddy Sam, all Nathan offers Elizabeth (Lizzy as he calls her), is that he would let Sam know that she had come looking for him. Elizabeth is more than infuriated at the gall of the man and his disinclination to help her even when she professed to being the daughter that Sam had never even met. Resigned to the fact that she would have to wait around since Nathan had informed her that Sam was gone for the moment to participate in the Sydney to Hobart yatch race and would only return during new year which was nearly a month away, Elizabeth returns to her hotel and tries to make the best of her stay and loose her inhibitions a bit.

When the sleep that Elizabeth had been craving for after the long journey eludes her, with thoughts of Nathan and his beautiful body crowding into her mind unwittingly which annoys her to no end, Elizabeth decides to go downstairs and check out the beer bar which was full of people as night was settling in. It is there Elizabeth encounters Nate again, whom she can’t help but follow around with her eyes. The red hot attraction that blazes to surface seems to be mutual on both ends, and Elizabeth who has never done an improper thing in her life has wild mind blowing sex with Nathan on the beach before the night is through.

What starts out as an island fling with the only man who had the ability to rock her world slowly turns into something more as the days pass. Elizabeth’s first impression of Nate as a carefree beach bum slowly changes as she realizes the depth of intelligence that he keeps well hidden behind the facade that Nate puts up. Nate in turn faces the fact that Elizabeth and the time he spends in her company is more effective in keeping  those dark memories and dreams at bay than any alcoholic beverage. And though Nathan has nothing more to offer a woman than a fabulous time in bed, he finds himself seeking out Elizabeth and what her delectable body offers him. In true Blaze style Ms. Mayberry knocked my socks off with the sizzling steam these two generate.

When finally Sam makes contact with Nathan and Elizabeth gets to talk with her father, she knows from the unenthusiastic response that she receives that she is a complication that Sam wants to do without at  the moment. The hurt and dejection that settles on Elizabeth’s shoulders somehow reaches out to Nathan who doesn’t want to rescue any damsels in distress. Nathan offers to take Elizabeth sailing and in the end comforts her by conveying to her that Sam was a rather reclusive man who loved nothing more than sailing the vast oceans.

When Nathan starts to feel things are getting too serious betwee him and Elizabeth he decides to call things off, but in the end the powerful effect of the trauma that Nathan faces every day since the accident propels him to seek Elizabeth’s company. Elizabeth knows that even though they had spent just 5 days with one another give or take a few hours, she had found something she had craved all her life with Nathan and refuses to give up on him no matter how hard Nathan tries to push her away.

Slowly Nathan starts to heal though the guilt he stores deep inside him for surviving the accident and being unable to help his sister fills him with self loathing and anger. Ms. Mayberry doesn’t offer any quick solutions to Nathan’s problems which made this book a winner for me. When tragedy nearly rips the woman he loves from his arms, Nathan once again tries to close himself off of the possibility of being happy and loved and it is Elizabeth’s stubbornness that saves them in the end.

I definitely loved the epilogue which portrays their lives six months after, with Nathan slowly healing and mending with an unwavering Elizabeth by his side. The story ends off with the tale of Martin and Violet, Elizabeth’s best friend who had loathed each other and have got together begging to be told. But I guess it’s too much to hope for their own story even though I would love it if it were to be told. Kudos to Ms. Mayberry for weaving the magic she so effortlessly creates with her characters whom you can’t help but fall in love with before the story is through.

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

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Into The Fire by Anne Stuart

Format: E-bookintothefire
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Mira
Hero: Dillon Gaynor
Heroine: Jamie Kincaid
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: August 1, 2003
Started On: August 31, 2010
Finished On: August 31, 2010

My first Anne Stuart certainly didn’t disappoint. I have always wanted to try out one of her books since all her fans rave about the fact that she writes about the most cold heroes ever. Since I am a big fan of cold, aloof and tortured heroes I have been meaning to give her Ice series a try. I did start reading Anne Stuart’s To Love a Dark Lord, a book that seemed to be getting rave reviews but turned out I was bored after the first couple of pages. But this book managed to hook me from the very beginning and I just had to finish it or most probably I would have stayed up all night to do so.

Jamie Kincaid, the adopted daughter of Isobel and Victor Kincaid has always known that when it comes to the affections of her mother whom she loves dearly, she has always come at a weak second place to Nate Kincaid, Isobel’s nephew whom she had taken under her care when Nate’s parents had died a tragic death in a fire when Nate was 10 years old. Everyone had loved the charming feckless Nate with his glorious good looks and easy charm. For Jamie, the arrival of Nate had been a godsend. She had adored Nate and believed that he could do no wrong and had looked up to him like the older brother she would never have.

When Nate befriends Dillon Gaynor, the bad boy from the wrong side of town, no one approves of their wild ways and their relationship. Dillon who had been abandoned by his mother when he was 8 years old to a drunken father had dropped out of high school right before graduation had always had a wild streak in him a mile wide. Getting into fights, getting drunk and high on weed and the women that flocked around him who craved getting into bed with the dangerous looking bad boy he is, Dillon was every innocent girls wildest fantasy. Jamie wasn’t immune to Dillon’s dangerous charm and though she tried to stay away from Dillon, somehow she always ended up craving his attention.

And then one fateful night, on Jamie’s prom night, she gets a taste of what Dillon can offer in his arms right after which she is raped brutally by Paul Jameson, quarterback of the football team and president of the student council. Jamie doesn’t know that Dillon served 18 months of his life in jail for beating Paul up within an inch of his life. Now twelve years later, Nate has been murdered and the police had really done nothing to find out what had happened. With Isobel going deeper into depression everyday, Jamie was finally forced to seek out Dillon, the man she wants to avoid at all costs to get some answers and to get closure for all their sakes.

Dillon lives in a run down part of Wisconsin and Jamie’s first impression that although Dillon had become more handsome and rugged the past couple of years, nothing had really changed. Though Jamie helplessly responds to Dillon on a level that she has found impossible to connect with another man, Jamie doesn’t trust Dillon within an inch of her life. But when she is stranded with her car requiring repairs, her purse containing her identification lost, Jamie has no choice but to reside at the dismal lodgings that Dillon calls home.

Right from the beginning, Jamie feels an evil presence watching and waiting in the derelict building that served to be the deathbed of Nate. Though Dillon wants nothing to do with Jamie with whom he had been obsessed with since forever, and though he believes that he would never be good enough for Jamie, the invisible connection that seems to grow stronger with every minute they spend together finally culminates in Dillon having the best sex of his life. Dillon wanted nothing more than to bed Jamie and send her packing, but the best laid plans always have a way of getting screwed up.

Things start going awry right from the very beginning and though neither Dillon nor Jamie believes in ghosts, it feels as if they are being haunted and hunted by a ghostly presence who nearly manages to kill the one woman who means the world to Dillon. Like all reviewers have mentioned, this book certainly has a dark edge to it that I just loved. I loved the fact that Dillon though reformed somewhat, essentially remained the bad boy he was which made him real appealing as the hero. And Jamie though she does start out as a scared and witless woman, the way she fights for the man she loves won her my wholehearted approval in the end.

Needless to say I loved the book and will definitely be going back for more of Anne Stuart’s fabulous books.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

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by mvbookreviewer

Review: Foxfire Bride by Maggie Osborne

Format: E-bookfoxfire
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Ivy Books
Hero: Matthew Tanner Jennings
Heroine: Eugenia Foxworth
Sensuality: 3
Date of Publication: November 23, 2004
Started On: August 25, 2010
Finished On: August 27, 2010

If you want to read about heroines who are feisty, independent and live on the fringes of the society having to make do with what they have and are all the more strong for it, Maggie Osborne is always the author to look for. Fox is a heroine as feisty and independent as they come. Born into the rich affluent society in San Francisco, her mother who has a substantial inheritance re-marries when her father dies while Fox is quite young. Her new husband Hobbs Jennings steals the inheritance that is due Fox when her mother dies, leaving Jennings as Fox’s guardian. Since Fox was quite young, around 6 years old, she has no inkling of what is going on when she is bundled up and lands at the home of an aunt who has several kids of her own to look after. Fox ends up being more of a servant at their home and it is at her aunts place that she meets Peaches, a black man who changes her life.

Peaches and Fox strike up an unusual friendship during a time period where black people were merely tolerated. Peaches helps her get educated to the extent he is able to and teaches her everything that she knows. When Fox grows up, she and Peaches run away from their aunt’s place together and make do with whatever work they can get on their way. When Fox reads about Jennings and how he came into an inheritance when his wife and daughter died, it is then Fox realizes just how immensely Fox had been cheated and betrayed. Swearing vengeance on the man who was the reason for the hardships that Fox had had to endure, Fox promises that she would kill Jennings even if it is the last thing she does.

Fox does manage to make her way to San Fransisco and Jennings. But the world Jennings resides in makes Fox wary and she flees back to Peaches and makes a life for her and him in the West. It is there that Fox builds up a reputation as one of the most sought after scout west of the Rockies where she has led numerous folks through wild unexplored terrain until a gunshot wound ends her guiding career. Resigned to living a more sedate life, it is years later that a handsome stranger comes riding through, looking for the notorious guide Fox and encounters the woman who would change his life forever.

When Matthew Tanner, who works as an engineer in the mines of Hobbs Jennings, receives word that his father has been kidnapped and the kidnappers wanted ransom delivered to Denver in less than 3 months, he has no choice but to seek out the services of the best guide in the area. When he comes across Fox, thinking Fox to be a man, he is surprised to find the willful and defiant woman who seems more than capable of leading the cargo that would hold the ransom gold. Though Fox drives a mean bargain, Tanner knows that she is the best available and hires two men who would guard the money throughout the journey.

Fox feels her stomach tighten and hot all over every time she meets Tanner’s eyes. Suddenly Fox longs to be beautiful, demure and all those things she never had a chance to be just so Tanner would want her. Fox knows that the divide between her and Tanner is far too wide. Whereas education and ingrained culture seethes from every pore of Tanner’s body, Fox knows that as Peaches points out, her manners are uncouth at the best.

Tanner cannot understand for the world why he is drawn to the woman who leads him on the dangerous journey towards Denver. What Tanner does know is that he has never wanted a woman like he wants Fox, and though he knows that he has nothing to give to Fox, except a casual affair until they reach Denver, when Fox states that she wants the affair, Tanner knows he has no choice but to give in.

As usual in Osborne novels, the tension between the hero and heroine is what makes the book so delicious. The constant awareness between Tanner and Fox kept at a simmering high makes you sigh and wish for a tall, hard man like Tanner for your own.

Fox knows that life for her would end upon reaching Denver, because she aims to finish the job which she couldn’t complete before. Fox wants to enjoy whatever life can throw her way before submitting herself to the hangman noose, which she knows would swiftly follow when she kills Jennings. Peaches, who accompany them on the journey, who is so sick that he can barely make it through, tries to sway Fox’s mind from killing Jennings.

The journey is one filled with danger, betrayals and the death of Peaches which was heartbreaking to read about. But the biggest shock of all comes when the reader finds out who Tanner’s father actually is, and when the time comes for Fox to decide whether she is going to let her hatred for a man triumph over the love she feels for another.

I felt a teeny tiny bit cheated that Jennings in the end was portrayed not as the villain that I would have wanted, but I guess forgiveness is always better than seeking revenge, since it is that much harder always to forgive someone than to go on hating them forever.

I guess I have only one or two Maggie Osborne novels left. I am going to miss reading these wonderful novels penned by a brilliant author who makes reading romance that much more enjoyable.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | BooksOnBoard

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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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