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Cover Revealed: The Spider by Jennifer Estep

The Spider

Jennifer Estep

Elemental Assassin # 10

Urban Fantasy

December 31st, 2013

"For the first time, the origins of Gin Blanco’s career as the deadly assassin “the Spider” are revealed in full. In a story that pre-dates the other nine books in the series, Gin Blanco goes through her paces to become the most feared assassin in the Ashland."

The Jessica McClain Ultimate Swag Giveaway

Amanda Carlson is hosting an Ultimate Swag Giveaway to celebrate the release of Hot Blooded, second book in her highly successful Jessica McClain Series.

This giveaway is open internationally, to participate you only need to fill up the Rafflecopter form below. 

Full Blooded 
Jessica McClain #1 

"Born the only female in an all male race, Jessica McClain isn’t just different—she’s feared. 

After living under the radar for the last twenty-six years, Jessica is thrust unexpectedly into her first change, a full ten years late. She wakes up and finds she’s in the middle of a storm. Now that she’s become the only female full-blooded werewolf in town, the supernatural world is already clamoring to take a bite out of her and her new Pack must rise up and protect her. 

But not everyone is on board. The werewolf Rights of Laws is missing text and the superstitious werewolves think that Jessica means an end to their race. It doesn’t help when Jessica begins to realize she’s more. She can change partway and hold her form, and speak directly to her wolf. But the biggest complication by far is that her alpha father can't control her like he can the rest of his wolves. 

When a mercenary who’s been hired by the vampires shows up to extract information about the newly turned werewolf only days after her change, they find themselves smack in the middle of a war and there's no choice but to run together. When it’s up to Jessica to negotiate her release against her father’s direct orders, she chooses to take an offer for help instead. In exchange, Jessica must now swear an oath she may end up repaying with her life."

Hot Blooded 
Jessica McClain #2

"It hasn't been the best week for Jessica McClain. 

Her mate has been kidnapped by a Goddess hell-bent on revenge --- but Jessica is playing for keeps. 

Because she's the only female werewolf in town...it comes with its own set of rules...and powers.  

Aided by two vamps, two loyal Pack members, and one very reluctant human, Jessica must rescue her man while coming to terms with what being a wolf really means.  

All in a day's work for a girl. 

The second novel in the Jessica McClain series is a full on action adventure featuring one angry Goddess and plenty of monsters, demons, and a few newly risen beasties..."

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: All He Ever Dreamed by Shannon Stacey

Title: All He Ever Dreamed

Author: Shannon Stacey

Series: Kowalski Family, book 6

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Harkequin

Source: Review copy from publisher

Format: E-book

“Josh Kowalski is tired of holding down the fort—better known as the Northern Star Lodge—while his siblings are off living their dreams. Now that his oldest brother has returned to Whitford, Maine for good, Josh is free to chase some dreams of his own. 

As the daughter of the lodge's longtime housekeeper, Katie Davis grew up alongside the Kowalski kids. Though she's always been "one of the guys", her feelings for Josh are anything but sisterly. And after a hot late-night encounter in the kitchen, it's clear Josh finally sees her as the woman she is. 

Katie's been waiting years for Josh to notice her, but now that he has, she's afraid it's too late. Giving her heart to a man who can't wait to leave town is one sure way to have it broken. But Josh keeps coming up with excuses not to leave—could it be that everything he's ever wanted is closer than he could have imagined?” 

All He Ever Dreamed is the sixth book in the Kowalski Family series by Shannon Stacey.

Before All He Ever Dreamed I had only read first two books in this series; despite noticing there was a backstory regarding some of the characters I can say All He Ever Dreamed can be easily read as a stand-alone.

Since the death of his father Josh Kowalski has been stuck managing the family business. Years have passed and Josh is tired of his life, the last thing he wants is continuing managing the Northern Star Lodge. All his siblings went away and live their lives while he was left behind with all the responsibility. After being honest for the first time to his brothers and sister about his feelings towards the lodge and his dissatisfying life, Josh is just waiting for an opportunity to leave the lodge and the town behind.

Katie Davis has been Josh best friend since she can remember, she has also being in love with him for much of her life, but sadly Josh only sees her as his buddy. All this changes suddenly one night when Josh realizes Katie is not only his friend but also a very beautiful woman. Katie takes advantage of these new awaken feelings in Josh and despite knowing that Josh’s ultimate plan is to leave the lodge and the town behind they start a relationship.

Things are going well between them but the ghost of Josh’s leaving is always on the horizon, until one day when the opportunity arises. Now Josh will need to decide if his dream is out of town or if it has been by his side all his life.

I have mixed feelings about All He Ever Dreamed. There were things I like and some others not so much.

I liked Josh siblings and the interest they show in helping Josh in this book; but still I couldn’t believe that they all had been so selfish and no one of them ever thought about asking Josh if managing the Lodge was what he wanted to do, or if he wanted to go to college or do something else with his life like they all have done. It was easy to see they felt guilty and they should because what they did it was not fair with Josh.

I liked Josh and understood his desire to do something else, what I didn’t understand was that if he wanted to leave town so much and do something else with his life why he didn’t have a plan. What he said he wanted to do was something he could have easily done if he only would have taken couple of weeks of vacation a year. His lack of planning in his life made him feel immature for his age.

Another thing I didn’t quiet believe is that he never saw Katie as a woman and only as a “buddy”, he never noticed she had a nice body or that she was beautiful. He’s a man and he could be the best friend/buddy or anything, guys always notice those things.

I felt bad for Katie; I can’t imagine being in love with somebody very close to you and that person being oblivious to your feelings for so many years. I also felt that she settle for anything with him. For example, on the beginning of their relationship she didn’t know what kind of relationship they were having, she was ok with only being friends with benefits just to be with him. Also at the end, after what happened between them (I’m trying not too give spoilers away), when Josh’s professes his love for her she was to quick to accept, if I would have been her I would have liked to have more guarantees to make sure that I was what he really wanted and not the best option because he couldn’t find anything better. 

Talking about their relationship there was something lacking here. I believe they were friends and had a good friendship, but when their relationship changed I didn’t feel the romance. It was very physical but I didn’t feel a real romantic connection between them.

Notwithstanding the little problems I had with the story and the characters All He Ever Dreamed was a well-written, fun and sweet read. All He Ever Dreamed is perfect for those days when you want something light and easy to read or if you like small town romance stories.

My Verdict: 3 ½ Stars

Other books in the series

Exclusively Yours

Undeniable Yours

Yours to Keep

All He Ever Needed

All He Ever Desired

All He Ever Dreamed

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Movie Trailer: Ender's Game

"In the near future, a hostile alien race (called the Formics) have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander, Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and the International Military are training only the best young children to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a shy, but strategically brilliant boy is pulled out of his school to join the elite. 

Arriving at Battle School, Ender quickly and easily masters increasingly difficult war games, distinguishing himself and winning respect amongst his peers. Ender is soon ordained by Graff as the military’s next great hope, resulting in his promotion to Command School. Once there, he’s trained by Mazer Rackham, himself, to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race."

Trailer 

Release Dates

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Short Reviews: The Sweetest Torture, The Sweetest Temptation & The Sweetest Mercy by Amanda Bonilla

Title: The Sweetest Torture

Author: Amanda Bonilla

Series: Sexy Shifter Shorts, book 1

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: NYLA

Source: Review copy from author

Format: E-book

“Thirty years ago, when the sultry and headstrong Cait left Logan Paige, the Alpha cougar shapeshifter of his Montana pride, his entire world came crashing down. He couldn’t explain where he’d been the previous night or why there was a strange woman in his bed…because he had no memory of the night before. Wounded and betrayed, Cait refused to listen to Logan’s excuses and walked straight out of his life…determined to exact her revenge on the sexy cougar who had crushed her heart. With a little help from her influential father, she made sure that Logan’s business, as well as his life, crumbled into ruins. Hell hath no fury, indeed. 

But now it’s thirty years later and two of Montana’s most powerful cougar prides are on the brink of war. A tenuous peace is reached, but it’s dependent on Cait and Logan marrying on All Hallow’s Eve. Spitfire Cait has her own plans of revenge…using her feminine wiles to turn Logan into a purring kitty lapping cream at her feet. And Logan has his schemes to regain control and dominate like the Alpha he is… 

When they realize that the erotic passion between them is still so intense, Logan and Cait will have to decide if dwelling in the past is worth sacrificing the future…”

The Sweetest Torture is the first book in the Sexy Shifter Shorts stories by Amanda Bonilla.

The blurb is more than explanatory, so I won’t add to it. Also I’m going to try to keep these reviews as short and concise as possible.  

The Sweetest Torture has everything I want in a book; it has action, romance, conflict and great characters.

Mrs. Bonilla smartly uses a past between Cait and Logan to make their attraction and conflicts more believable.

Both Cait and Logan have strong personalities. Logan is an alpha through and through and Cait could easily give him a run for his money in that department, that made their encounters explosive and their chemistry of the charts.

Not everything is fun and play for Cait and Logan; there is also drama and very unexpected enemies, which only added to my enjoyment of the book.

In The Sweetest Torture Mrs. Bonilla accomplished something no many authors can’t, she gave us a tight story in just a few pages. The Sweetest Torture left me wanting to learn more about this new world Mrs. Bonilla has created; luckily for me (us) there are two more short stories following this one, Logan’s brother, Andrew, is next.

My Verdict: 4 Paws

 

Title: The Sweetest Temptation

Author: Amanda Bonilla

Series: Sexy Shifter Shorts, book 2

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: NYLA

Source: Review copy from author

Format: E-book

 “Andrew Paige wakes up in a motel room with no memory of what happened to him the night before. He has no idea how he got here…or why the state police believe he’s responsible for kidnapping a woman he’s never met! 

Erica Ware is bound and determined to find her sister’s kidnapper and bring him to justice. As a wood nymph, she has special powers over men…and a unique way of extracting the truth. 

But when the sparks start to fly and her wood nymph nature compels her to seek something other than revenge from the unbearably hot Andrew Paige, Erica can’t help but wonder if she’ll succumb to the sweet temptation of this sexy shifter before she can unravel the mystery of her sister’s disappearance…”

The Sweetest Temptation is the second story in the Sexy Shifter Shorts stories by Amanda Bonilla.

We met Andrew in The Sweetest Torture; he is fun, sexy, and calmer than Logan. In The Sweetest Temptation Andrew is the victim of setup that leaves him in a very compromising situation. This leads him to meet Erica Ware, a wood nymph that is more like a nympho during certain days. The sexual tension between them sizzle the pages and leaves you in need of a cold shower. Their relationship develops a little bit fast and they suffer from insta-love but in their case because of their natures it’s acceptable and believable.

The Sweetest Temptation is a fun, fast and steamy read. A short story so complete that reading it feels almost like reading a full-length book.

The Sweetest Temptation could be read as a stand-alone, but it’s almost like a continuation of The Sweetest Torture, so I recommend you to read them together and in order.

As with The Sweetest Torture, The Sweetest Temptation will also leave you wanting for more (in a good way); to help us with that we have the third and last of these shorts, The Sweetest Mercy.

My Verdict: 4 Paws

Title: The Sweetest Mercy

Author: Amanda Bonilla

Series: Sexy Shifter Shorts, book 3

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: NYLA

Source: Review copy from author

Format: E-book

“Kidnapped and locked in a dark cave, Kiera Ware has resigned herself to madness. A wood nymph in the grip of a full-moon is guaranteed to lose her mind, literally, without sexual release. And since she’s been held captive and alone for three days, she knows that she could break at any moment… 

Carter Hayes has been tracking the rouge shifter who kidnapped an innocent woman for no other reason than to hurt his alpha, Logan. After the loss of his mate nearly a century ago, Carter has stuck to what he knows best – excelling at his job and serving his pride – lonely, but honorable work. 

When Carter shows up, Kiera thinks the too-sexy-to-be-true man must be a figment of her imagination…while Carter can’t deny the stirrings of his heart around this strange magical woman.
Running for their lives, Carter and Kiera might just find that sweet mercy they both so desperately need…if they can manage to stay alive!”

The Sweetest Mercy is the third and last story in the Sexy Shifter Shorts stories by Amanda Bonilla.

The Sweetest Mercy picks us right after the events in The Sweetest Temptation. Carter is the tracker of Logan and Andrew’s pack and is sent out to find and rescue Erica’s sister, Kiera, who is been held by “the villain” (his name is a spoiler).

As Erica, Kiera is also a wood nymph. Kiera is losing her mind because it’s that time of the month and she needs sex and is not getting any while in captivity. Luckily for her (and for Carter) Carter finds her just in time to bring her from the edge of madness. What follows is steamier than a hot bath in summer.

I really liked Carter, I also liked than from all the characters of this series he is the one we learned about the most; this made it easier for me to like him and root for him.

I liked that Kiera started as a victim but didn’t stay there; she was strong and kicked some ass when needed. She also was there for Carter when he needed support.

Their relationship was also insta-love but as with previous ones it worked fine thanks to their natures.

The Sweetest Mercy is not only smexy times, there is also some drama and action. In here we also get the conclusion of the series and see the villain getting what he deserves.

The Sweetest Mercy is a hot, fun, and engaging read; one that will leave you feeling as if you had read a full-length novel. I recommend you to read it after The Sweetest Temptation.

My Verdict: 4 ½ Paws.

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