Master of Smoke by Angela Knight

Master of Smoke
by Angela Knight
Berkely Books
Price $5.99
Urban Fantasy
Released January 4, 2011

Eva Roman co-owns a comic book store with her father, but she’s not your typical retailer – she’s a werewolf who had survived a brutal attack. So when she finds a man being tormented by another werewolf, she steps in to save the handsome Sidhe warrior. Unfortunately, the warrior has no memory of who he is or how to use his incredible powers. And he doesn’t know why teams of werewolf assassins are hot on his trail, but he and Eva must figure it out – or die.

Review:

Master of Smoke was well planned and executed by a Master Story teller. All I can say here is go team Fluffy! The attraction between the characters is cataclysmic and the characters seem to just come alive with the deep point of view. The universe Angela Knight created is filled with magic, poignant emotion and characters that feel real enough to leap off the page.

Although this story has a romance at it's heart, I wouldn't recommend it to just women. There is enough action and combat scenes to keep every man happy right alongside the chicks. Angela Knight knows what the market wants to read and I hope to read many more of her books in the near future.

5 Stars

Buy your copy here:

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Smoke-Mageverse-Angela-Knight/dp/0425239160/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1286124925&sr=8-19

Lions and Lace by Meggan McKinney

Lions and Lace
by Meggan McKinney
Island Books
Historical Romance
Price $4.99
First Published 1992

Alana Van Alen has a good name in society and used to have money before Trevor Sheridan an Irish outsider vowed to take revenge on society and bankrupted them all. He couldn't bear to see the sadness in his sister's heart when no one attended her coming out party, because she was both Irish and an outsider.

Sheridan had learned early how to get the wealth and the women he wanted. An expert at games of power he played one that would destroy every famous family that snubbed him. Tricking the beautiful Alana into marrying him was his trump card

Review:

I felt the need to explore some of the old classic historical romances since I haven't seen too many lately. During the nineties readers coldn't get enough of them and publishers were begging for them so I found this one in a used bookstore and decided to take my chances. This book was good for it's time but my expectations are higher now. Constant point of view changes are distracting and it's hard to get into the story when it's written in a passive tense. I also think most of the conflict felt contrived, and forced. Miscommunication that could have been cleared up with a blunt conversation. I didn't enjoy the book as much as I could have. The basic storyline was okay but I didn't feel it was carried out well by the writer. So I just have to give a lowr rating this time.

2 Stars

Lynne's Love Triangle by Cherie Denis and Missy Lyons

Lynne's Love Triangle
by Cherie Denis and Missy Lyons
Siren Publishing
Price $5.50
Genre: menage, cougar, erotic romance


Lynne had to videotape the supernova hot sex the night she landed two men in her bed because she knew it would never happen again. Kurt is sweet and sexy. Troy is dominating and masterful. Both of her new lovers fulfill her better than her deepest fantasy man. How could she pick just one? Will it make a difference that they are both over twenty years younger than her? Will the flames of their desire burn out after this single night of passion is over?

And more importantly, can her new lovers pull together when it really counts and protect her from a crazy stalker trying to kill her? Only time will tell.

My Review: This book Lynne's Love Triangle was the first book in the Twisted Sex Games series. I found it to be totally enjoyable and full of adventure, love, and enough suspense to keep us on the edge of our seat to see Lynne get her happily ever after with the two loves of her life. The plot centered around some fun sexual exploration and the sex tape going viral on the internet. After falling in love with the characters in this book, I can't wait to see what Cherie and Missy have in store for us in the rest of this series.


If you enjoy sensual and explicit M/M/F romance, Elvis, and the steadfast love of good friends, you are sure to love this book.


5 Stars

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Buy your copy here:

http://www.bookstrand.com/lynnes-love-triangle

Black Male by Evelynne Fox

Black Male
by Evelynne Fox
Price $2.99
Hot Tropica Publishing
Genre:

Blackmailed by a human.

And it had to be a human, because no one else would be so stupid. It seemed impossible and yet the three pictures that came with the letter clearly came from someone truly ignorant to what Alexander Kohler was or what he was capable of. Evidently his years with a blood source and his Cajun lover had made him soft as a mercenary vampire.

But after 30 days without blood and losing his lover, he was feeling just a little cranky.

Jack is working as a freelance photographer and barely scraping by, when he stumbles on a murder scene. He doesn’t know the black male dumping gasoline on the body or why he would want to hide the evidence of a murder, but he does know this man will pay a lot of money to get the pictures back. This could be the opportunity of a lifetime—or the chance to get himself killed.

My review: If you are a fan of m/m romance you must read this book. From what I understand it's the beginning of a series starring a dynamic black male. Ex-football pro Alex Kohler lives his life as a vampire that seduces his prey before pouncing on it, turning the tables on the man that would have blackmailed him. I found this short sexy read very enjoyable and think you will too.


5 Stars

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Buy it here:

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-blackmale-455195-139.html

Heart of a Cowboy by Missy Lyons

Heart of a Cowboy
Missy Lyons
by Siren Publishing
Price $4.50
Genre: m/m/m

Derek is only working for a month to pay off his debt to Jessie, but not everyone likes his openly homosexual lifestyle. He knows what it feels like to be beaten to within an inch of his life so he doesn't give a rat's ass what people think.

The attraction between him and the hunky Indian Ishwar is instantly satisfying. He finds himself begging for more every second he is near him, but when he falls into the arms of a stranger, things only begin to heat up, until an unforeseen peril puts him in danger.

Derek must prove he has the heart of a cowboy, and it will take every ounce of love and strength in his heart to make it through this ordeal alive.

My Review: The threesomes characters were interesting and HOT! The Heart of a Cowboy is a must read for m/m fans. You can't help but fall for the main character Derek as you learn the hardships he had to go through in life. I enjoyed the way the author, Missy Lyons built up to the happily ever after for the three men. I am looking forward to meeting the rest of the werewolf pack and more about the characters introduced in the first book of the Riding Western style series, Cowboys Don't Dance.


5 Stars

>>>>

Buy your copy here:

http://www.bookstrand.com/heart-of-a-cowboy

Heart of Darkness by Susan Krinard, Maggie Shayne, and Gena Showalter

Heart of Darkness
Gena Showalter, Susan Krinard, Maggie Shayne
Publisher: Harlequin Spice
ISBN: 9780373774319
Length: 328 Pages
Published 12/29/09
Price $7.99

Most the time when I read a collection of stories it's because one of the authors has a big enough name to draw me in. Sometimes you get lucky to find a gem, but most of the time the new authors don't have a refined voice yet and their story isn't quite as captivating as the others.

But even with that said, short is better at times such as now. When the kids are home from school and the babies are under foot. There is a lot less time to kick back with a good book, and having a good story in so few pages can still emotionally satisfying. So sit back, take your shoes off and read. The Christmas decorations will still be there next week. They can wait to be put away.

Here's some tidbits about each of the stories. I'll try not to share too many spoilers.

The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter
Lysander is an archangel on a search and destroy mission. He is baffled when for the first time in his life he feels desire, and the overwhelming magnetic attraction is coming from his target, a harpy named Bianka that descended from Lucifer. I loved this fun twist on the never ending battle between good and evil. Gena Showalter wrote a pageturner. I could not put this book down until I finished this story and it left me with a lasting memory long after I shut the book.

Love Me To Death by Margaret Benson
David grew up with a guilty conscience. A runaway girl named Sierra, that he happened to have a crush on was staying at an abandoned house that he set on fire with a maltov cocktail. Twenty two years later he worked as a firefighter, trying to forget his pain through heroic actions. The romance in this story has a long build up, much like watching a horror movie, I kept waiting for something to break the tension, expecting that something to be supernatural. A bloodsucking vampire didn't jump out through the pages and it wasn't the ghost I had been expecting, more like love reincarnated. Huh, while interesting I found the flashbacks to be distracting and take me out of the 'now' of the story, but overall it was a good romance.

Lady of the Nile by Susan Krinard
Leo Erskine and The Dowager Duchess believes she is an Egyptian Princess reincarnated and normally aloof Leo Erskine thinks she is delusional even if she is beautiful. This romance is written more in the classic tradition of Regency romances, with all the rules of high society a very enjoyable read and my second favorite in the volume.

This anthology was like eating at a buffet, giving you a small taste of each author's style. You may not like all the stories, but you're sure to find at least one new author to enjoy. I know I did.

Happy reading,
Your friendly neighborhood dirtygirl!

Wild Wyoming Nights by Sandy Sullivan

Wild Wyoming Nights
Sandy Sullivan
by Siren Publishing
Length 202 Pages
Price $5.50

I've been on a western reading kick lately, so I've been culling through my endless to be read pile and picked out a relatively new Siren author to try. It always surprises me when the main romance characters start out in a relationship, but it's not for long.

Abigail is married to a firefighter, and today's date is September 11th. Get the picture? *Sigh. Not surprisingly, newly widowed Abbigail wants to start over and leave some of the heartache in the past along with her memories of her late husband Josh. His ghost visits her and tells her to love again. She needs to heal, she needs to be happy and that's not much to ask, but she still clings to his ghost.

Abby totals her jeep in a wild snowstorm and is injured. Chase is the volunteer firefighter who is the first to respond. When she first sees him, she mistakes hi for her dead huisband. She isn't the only one with mental baggage. He lost his wife to an accident much like the one Abigail was in.


For me the devil is in the details. Even in a contemporary romance, I want all the characters fully fleshed out and researched and Sandy did her job without info dumping. I felt like I was there because of her vivid attention to detail especially with the technical and medical terminology.

At times WILD WYOMING NIGHTS was heart wrenching, and at other times it was sweet and sexy going down like a smooth hot chocolate--perfect for warming up a cold winter's night. The end delivered where it promised a deeply satisfying happily ever after. Overall, Ms. Sullivan penned a very enjoyable read.

5 Stars

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**Disclaimer: I did recieve a copy of the book for review purposes. Being free does not sway my opinion, and I offer this review honestly to my readers.