Swept Away Again

AMAZING!!!!

Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful - and passionate - of the Elder races.
As the most feared and respected of the Wyrkind, Dragos Cuelebre cannot believe someone had the audacity to steal from him, much less succeed. And when he catches the thief, Dragos spares her life, claiming her as his own to further explore the desire they've ignited in each other.
Pia knows she must repay Dragos for her trespass, but refuses to become his slave - although she cannot deny wanting him, body and soul.

I think every reader (and they’re mum) has heard about Dragon Bound by now even if they haven’t read it yet. After reading Smexy books review of Dragon Bound I was unsure if I wanted to read Dragon Bound but then I saw Katie from Babbling About Books and More tweeting about it and she seemed to like it and thought ah, why not give it ago. And I’m so glad I did!

I loved, loved, loved Dragon Bound. Gushing aside I haven’t read anything like this before and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series and hope it’s just as good. I understand why some people have been saying that Dragos is similar or reminds them of Raphael from Nalini Singh’s Archangels series and in some ways I can see it but in other ways Dragos is a million times more interesting character with a more interesting history, in my opinion. Dragos is as old as time if not possibly older, in today’s world he is extremely powerful, wealthy and everyone is scared of him. He’s ruthless, aggressive but also charming and extremely possessive of what he thinks of as his. In other words totally yum! I liked Dragos from the get–go and really enjoyed the way he was portrayed throughout the book. I immensely enjoyed his interaction with the secondary characters, who were his first and second in command, Rune and Graydon. Other characters such as Tricks and Tiago also helped add to the series and make it even more enjoyable. I can’t wait to read more about them in the future.
Pia, where do I start with Pia?! I seriously loved her right from the first opening sentence, which doesn’t happen often, normally it takes me a while before I like the heroine in most books, but not with Pia, right from the get-go like with Dragos I adored Pia. She was brilliant, funny, smart and resourceful. I really liked her take no crap attitude, even from herself and how she handled Dragos from the start of their relationship, even before they met face to face Pia made a lasting impression on him and even me.
Dragon Bound was an interesting paranormal adventure romance that really gripped me throughout the story. I was intrigued with the villain but not overly concerned because the story between Pia and Dragos had me thoroughly transfixed. I really liked how you don’t find out what Pia’s wyr half is until near the end and how special and unique it makes her. I liked how Dragos knows what she is but can’t remember what it was from the smell of her.

Favourite Quotes:
“Pia was blackmailed into committing a crime more suicidal than she could possibly have imagined, and she had no one to blame but herself.”
“It sucked so bad she might as well put a gun to her head and pull the trigger. Except she didn’t own a gun because she didn’t like them.”

“If she were in a race for her life, that roar was the starter pistol. If God were the referee, He had just shouted Go.”

“...smelled like wild sunshine and it was familiar in a way that pulled at all of Dragos’s deepest instincts.”

“He strained harder for that elusive time with a younger sun, a deep green forest and a celestial scent that drove him crashing through the underbrush-”

“I’m sorry I had to take your penny. Here’s another to replace it.”

“How could she be so damn charmed by such a primitive thug?”

“You might have noticed I’m a primitive kind of guy.” He showed his teeth and got into her face. “All those centuries of civilization? Just a veneer.”

Overall, Dragon Bound is a totally brilliant and wonderful story that had me totally enthralled from start to finish. It’s a must read for any paranormal romance fan and I really can’t wait to read the next book in the series Storm’s Heart out 2nd August 2011.

Amazing!

Amazing! Must read! Full review to come soon!

2.5 Stars!
Didn't love it but didn't hate it either. I sometimes struggled with the main characters & why they acted the way they did & why the heroine went along with everything the hero wanted!

Posted on Swept Away Again

Her first thought: "Who are you?"It's the morning after her cousin's bachelorette party in Vegas and Megan Scott wakes up with the mother of all hangovers. Even worse, she's in a stranger's penthouse having woken up with something else as well - a funny, arrogant, sexy...husband!Up until now, finding even a boyfriend had seemed impossible - been there, got the broken heart, sworn off men for good. Then a few martinis with Carter...no, Connor Reed and she's gone from first meet to marriage in one night!Megan wants a lawyer. But Connor's shocking bombshell?"I don't want a divorce."

I really enjoyed the first three quarters of Waking Up Married, Megan and Connor are both really interesting characters and you really feel for Megan throughout the storyline. Yet there are a few points where you have to extend your realm of disbelief because you know a real life woman isn't going to stand up for the kind of crap the fictional character does.

Which was my main problem with Waking Up Married, having to extend my realm of disbelief isn't usually something I have to do with a contemporary romance yet I had to at times. Also Connor is a character who runs hot and cold more often than you change your socks, which I found really hard to keep up with and to see a reason for Megan to stay with Connor and ultimately to forgive him for his attitude and behaviour.

Overall, Waking Up Married starts out really well and is very well written, I just couldn't justify the characterisation of Connor and why he acts the way he does, even though his attitude is explained.

Started really well, it's an FBI internet related crime team suspense story but it had a lot of back story and even though I hadn't read the previous books it covered enough ground for me to start here but it took ages for the story to get going. There was too much background and back and forth between who each character was and what the story was about and what happened in the previous book that I just gave up. It's well written but I just got frustrated with it. I keep thinking I might come back to it but I'm just not sure if I will.

Review to come soon!

This one was much better then the second book and pulled the storyline back up. Sadly for Allie things are just waaaay more complicated, but least there aren't as many secrets as before and she's learning who her friends are and who she needs to watch. Looking forward to the next book!

Originally Posted at: http://www.sweptawayagain.co.uk/2013/02/review-edge-of-dawn-by-lara-adrian.html

Twenty years after the terror of First Dawn—when mankind learned that vampires lived secretly among them—the threat of violence reigns as the two species struggle to coexist. The only group preserving the fragile harmony is the Order, an elite cadre of Breed warriors dedicated to protecting humans and vampires alike. And in this precarious world of torn loyalties and shattered trust, Mira, a fiery squad captain, finds that every fight bears an intensely personal cost.
Raised among the Order, Mira has always believed in the warrior’s code of swift—and even lethal—justice. But the one thing she desires more than the Order’s hard-won acceptance is Kellan Archer, a sexy but troubled Breed fighter. In love with him since childhood, Mira once broke through his tough exterior during an unexpected night of rapture, but the next day he mysteriously disappeared, never to return.
Kellan didn’t think he would ever see Mira again—or have to confront the truth of why he left. After abandoning the Order years ago, he now leads a band of human rebels intent on carrying out their own vigilante rule of law. Yet a high-profile kidnapping assignment brings him face-to-face with the past he sought to avoid, and the striking woman he has tried desperately to forget. And as tensions mount and the risk of bloodshed grows, Kellan and Mira must take sides—between the competing missions that dominate their lives, and the electrifying passion that claims their hearts.

Wow, where do I start with this much anticipated release? There really is so much in this book it's hard for me to really know where to start and with what. I'm going to do this chronically I think and start at the beginning.
Edge of Dawn is the 11th book in the much loved (by others not jut myself!) Midnight Breeds series. I have read every book in the series and have to say that Edge of Dawn would be the perfect book to jump into the series if you have not read any of the other previous books. However, I would highly recommend reading this series in order right from the very first book because it is a great series with lots of action and each book contains a brilliantly written romance between the hero and heroine.

Now that's out of the way lets get too the heart of Edge of Dawn. I have such mixed feelings about this book because there's a massive jump of twenty years from the last book Darker After Midnight and as a loyal follower and avid fan of this series I feel a little cheated, we missed so much in that time and it irks me! Lots of the main characters have had children, who are now all grown and everybody is in such a different position that I was annoyed that I'd missed so much of their storylines.
Yet as a reader I know that it will make the series so much more, because we have lots of new characters to explore and get to know. We get to see how they all interact with their families and how they meet their breedmates and grow with them.

However, I not sure I'll be able to overcome my 'I feel cheated' rant until the next book. The primary reasons for this are that Mira and Kellan were both in the previous books so you saw them, loved them, rooted for them, then they grew up out of the books and we missed it all including the something dramatic that happens and we're slowly, oh so painfully slowly, given the details of what happened in Edge of Dawn.
Kellan isn't the boy you once cared for in the previous books, in Edge of Dawn he is a man a man that is a total asshole, primarily to Mira. Even though he doesn't want to be, even though he regrets it. He is an asshole. It's way too angst for me or from what I've come to expect from the Midnight Breed series.

At some points I was able to distance my opinions that I had from the first ten books and look at this as a new series and when I was able to do that, I was able to enjoy the storyline a lot more than I had first been able to. Although it was still a little too angst ridden for me.

Despite all of this, it was lovely to revisit older characters that we 'met twenty years ago' and see how the events from Darker After Midnight has changed them and made them follow a different path than the one they were first on when we were originally introduced to them.

Overall, I did enjoy Edge of Dawn and I will be sticking with this series for at least the next two books to see how this newer part of the series turns out.

Thanatos, the most deadly Horseman of the Apocalypse, has endured thousands of years of celibacy to prevent the end of days. But just one night with the wickedly sexy Aegis Guardian, Regan Cooper, shatters centuries of resolve. Yet their passion comes with a price. And Thanatos must face a truth more terrifying than an apocalypse-he's about to become a father.
Demon-slayer Regan Cooper never imagined herself the maternal type, but with the fate of the world hanging in the balance she had no choice but to seduce Thanatos and bear his child. Now, as the final battle draws closer and his rage at being betrayed is overshadowed by an undeniable passion for the mother of his child, Thanatos has a life-shattering realization: To save the world, he must sacrifice the only thing he's ever wanted-a family.


Lethal Rider was a really brilliant read. I was hooked from the first chapter. Even though Thanatos is a total badass, I really enjoyed his and Regan's story. It's not steady and there are lots of up's and down's between Regan and Than but it makes for an interesting read because Than isn't the type that sticks to his characteristics. He knows who he is and what he is. He's a gentle giant at times with Regan yet he won't hesitate to kill his enemies. He may use some methods Regan doesn't agree with but in the end they work it out. With Regan, Than becomes a better character and understands how he can be a better person for Regan and his unborn child. He realises some things about himself that he's missed because he's been too consumed by his actions.
Which I think is also what I like about Regan. Once she's kidnapped by Than and as there relationship grows and changes and the storyline evolves you not only see more of Than but the growth of Regan and how she starts to believe in herself as a human being instead of just of her gifts and what use she can be.
Lethal Rider like the previous two books still includes the other characters and more of the overall storyline. You see how Limos and Arik are adjusting to being together and of their future plans. You see more of Ares, Cara and her beloved hell hounds.
The family support with each couple is just as vital and important as each couple and following their relationship. Which is what lies at the core of each book, even with Pestilence in the background reeking havoc they all stay connected, help each other in anyway they can and they root for each other.
Lethal Rider is a brilliant book, I have since also bought the paperback version of this series because I enjoy it so much. A definite must read but would recommend reading within the series to have a better understanding.

I didn't love Magic in the Blood as much as I loved Magic in the Bone. Allie lost her memory at the end of the first book and therefore all the ground Allie gained with... everything, she lost at the start of book two so it felt a little like we we're starting all over again because Allie didn't know anything but we did and I just didn't like it.
Magic in in the Blood is an interesting second story but if it wasn't for how much I loved the first book I wouldn't be reading the next book Magic in the Shadows.

Took longer than expected to get into Angel in Chains, but once I did it was really good. Not as great as the first two in The Fallen series but still a good read!

Really great read! Loved this book so much the hero and heroine were such great characters and the storyline was written really well considering what the heroine had to go through.

The Highlander Most Wanted is the second book in Maya Banks new series, The Montgomerys and Armstrongs. I reviewed the first book Never Seduce a Scot and really loved it. The Highlander Most Wanted isn't as good as the first book in my opinion, as I sometimes struggled with connecting to the characters and their actions. The Highlander Most Wanted is just as well written as the first book with great family connections but at times I couldn't understand how Bowen (and sometimes Genevieve) would jump from one emotion or thought to the next without any real provocation. Bowen gets mad at Genevieve because of the consequences of her actions, then everything is fine again. Huh?
With that exception it was a good read, Genevieve is an interesting character that's been through so much and is unsure how her life should now be now she has choices. Bowen, sometimes he needed a bit of a kick, in the head. Otherwise he was a good character but I didn't love them like I loved Eveline and Graeme.
Overall, it was a good installment to the series but not my favourite. I'm looking forward to the next book Highland Ever After due out 24th September.

Originally posted at Swept Away Again

Shay Morgan has stayed hidden for a long time. Living a reclusive life in Earth’s End, Alaska, she’s as far away as she can get from the trauma of her childhood and the man who hurt her long ago. But terror takes over Shay’s life yet again when an unknown stalker steals away the fragile peace she’s built for herself—targeting not only her but the one man who’s ever managed to get past the walls she’s built around herself.
Elliot Winter has lived through being falsely accused before—it ruined his military career. Now it’s happening all over again. And this time, his accuser is a twisted impostor who’s targeting his ex-girlfriend, Shay. Despite a fierce mutual attraction, Shay and Elliot broke up because Shay couldn’t let her guard down, couldn’t let Elliot in. But now they both need to trust each other to confront a psycho who seems to know all their secrets.

I really enjoy Shiloh Walker's Romantic Suspense stories and I loved the first three quarters of Stolen. The set-up with Shay and her relationship with Elliot began before the start of the book so you go into the story with a started storyline but their situation is quite nicely explained at the beginning of the book, so you don't feel left behind. Yet is quickly gets complicated between Shay and Elliot when Shay's unknown and quite creepy stalker starts causing problems for Elliot.

Although Shay enjoys the quiet life I really enjoyed how she did what she could to help save Elliot's reputation and to make a stand for her own life, even though at times she didn't always feel like she was living. I enjoyed seeing Shay come out of her shell and start to not just open up but to start to live a little more in the present. Elliot was really great for Shay and they are both such tough characters that really appealed to me.

However much I enjoyed Stolen I have to say the ending made me rather... sad. The ending split me in two and either side I looked at didn't leave me with a positive outlook for Shay and Elliot's happier ever after.

Shay and Elliot overcame so much and really bonded or so Elliot and I thought but then Shay goes and ruins it. Part of me wanted Elliot to wait and for Shay to realise her mistake and come crawling back. Which sadly didn't happen, so yet again Elliot has to go looking for Shay and talk some sense into her. Which I'm sure is meant to make some reader's think that now Shay is secure in her feelings for Elliot and everything has been set to rights they will have their HEA. But I didn't get that feeling with the ending. I felt that yet again Elliot had to convince Shay that everything would be ok and because this hadn't changed throughout the book that it most likely wouldn't change in their HEA. Which I think is mostly closer to the truth because of everything Shay suffered she's never, or for a really long time going to be just ok, she's always going to need reassurance, she's always going to have these flight feelings and I get that but Shay grew so much throughout the book I felt that she should have been strong enough to stay with Elliot of her own accord and not have Elliot hunt her down and ease her fears.
Or maybe I'm looking at it too deeply.

The villain in Stolen was in a weird and twisted way brilliant! Ms Walker did a wonderful job writing the villain and getting the villain to twist things for Shay. The villain at times was creepy and twisted yet later you could, I was going to say sympathise with the villain but that's not true for me, but I could see what had happened and how it had in a sense made the villain a villain.

Overall, Stolen was another interesting romantic suspense from Ms Walker and I will continue to read them just for the interesting characters and brilliantly written villains.