Spear’s latest novel is bursting with romance, suspense, and heart-pounding excitement!
Legend of the White Wolf is the fourth book in Terry Spear’s werewolf series.
Does it stand alone? Yes.
Recommendations: This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy both paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.
The heroine (Faith O’Malley) is a forensic scientist working with the police dept. in Portland, Oregon. She’s also a woman on a mission. Faith is traveling from Oregon to Maine, in search of her soon-to-be, ex-boyfriend Hilson. Apparently, he just stole her father’s research.
Meet Cameron MacPherson, a sandy haired, blue-eyed gorgeous hero. He’s a physically fit private investigator, and former police officer. Cameron has a mission of his own, to find his missing partners, Owen and David.
But, when Faith and Cameron stumble onto a murder scene, their plans are not only sidetracked, but they are now persons of interest in a murder-mystery.
Will they find the person(s) responsible, or will they become the next targets?
More importantly, can two jilted people learn to love and trust their hearts again? Read Legend of the White Wolf to find out.
Here are some things I enjoyed: There’s a scene, where Cameron runs a towel over Faith’s wet hair. I thought it was both simple and utterly romantic. The author’s description of an Aurora Borealis was also beautifully written.
What will you enjoy? Hunky- wolfish men shedding their clothes, wolf bites, hotel clerk’s key mix-ups, and the reference to the Sleeping Beauty trio.
Legend of the White Wolf will leave you howling for more! Don’t worry, Terry Spear promises to feed our wolf addiction with books five and six, set to release by fall of 2010. Both novels will be published by Sourcebooks, Inc., Casablanca-titled Seduced by the Wolf and Wolf Fever.
The genre Romantic Suspense Shattered has plenty of suspense.
The sex
Hot, hot, hot, but not crude.
There is one scene of angry sex, but they are both equally angry, it is not one-sided.
Lots of twists and turns
This includes intertwined relationships which might seem contrived (and they are) but they don't read as contrived. In the context of marital separation, there is a hint of another romance, but it is never consummated.
Violence
Yes. Torture (off page but strongly hinted at.) Murders. Kidnapping. Children witnessing murder.
Heads up Negatives to me
One of the children in the book is diagnosed with Leukemia. I'd rather have had this left out of the book. Is it a romance book or reality book?
There are a number of treatments discussed in the book.
The child survives and likely goes into remission in a relatively short time, which might not happen in RL.
All's well that ends well.
The ending is satisfying. Everything is settled in 423 pages and a pretty fast read, one you won't want to put down. If only life would follow suit!
Part of the Bitter Creek novel series
This book is part of the Bitter Creek series, one of seven other books. There is enough information given within the book that someone who has never read any of the other books, can get a sense of who is who and have a pretty good guess at what the other books contain.
My take
I liked this book a lot, but then romantic suspense is a genre I particularly like to read.
Rating: I'd rate it a 5 Stars for romantic suspense, and a 2 Stars because of the Leukemia thread.
I wanted to read another Western story when I selected Rogue Stallion. It’s set in Montana and is part of the Montana Mavericks series in the Silhouette line. I like the yellow and brown cover it reads and feels very Western.
The book itself is kind of average. I finished reading it because it was there, not because it was all that entertaining. It’s not bad, it’s just not that good.
The hero, Sterling McCallum, is a brooding plain clothes cop and ex-military. He grew up in foster care after sending his mother to jail for abuse. He has no family and no real close attachments. He knows he has issues and more specifically one of them is that nobody (especially a woman) lies to him.
The heroine is Jessica Larson. She grew up very sheltered, two parents, no real problems or hardships. She began a career as a social worker in her early twenties. Very early in her career, she went out alone based on a call about spousal abuse and was very badly beaten and nearly raped by the husband who blamed her for his wife leaving him. It’s not something she talks about and she took the hit publicly to protect the wife. Now she is in charge of the local unit and makes sure to send social workers out in twos or more. She too has no real family left.
Both are loners.
Jessica wants a baby, but can’t have babies herself. She couldn’t have them before the attack (supposed improbable at best) but now she definitely can’t have one of her own. Much of the book is focused on Jessica’s deep desire for children. In an effort to find Baby Jennifer’s mother Sterling and Jessica get close.
This contemporary romance is about Molly Jennings is erotica romance writer Holly Summers. Tumble Creek, Colorado is just the place for her to get away from her creepy ex-boyfriend Cameron Kasten. It was also just the place for her to indulge in a longtime fantasy Ben Lawson the local police chief and her brother's best friend. Getting arrested never looked so good. Yummy.
Victoria Dahl is great at ramping up tension - sexual, physical, emotional... I had a niggling feeling about the stalker in Molly's backyard. Sergeant Kasten, one of Denver's top negotiators is the easiest choice of bad guy. So is he?
I loved how the verbal tools of a negotiator were used in the novel and how one of them became the title. Very cool. I learn something new with every novel I pick up!
As I am not a huge fan of suspense/thriller romances that are super scary I greatly appreciated Dahl's restraint on the creepy factor. It's creepy, but not the "I have to leave a nightlight on and keep my cell phone close" type of creepy. It's also fun and humorous and quirky. I wouldn't mind reading The Wicked West by Holly Summers for instance!
To sum up: I liked Dahl's ability to combine humor, lust, and suspense. I picked up Talk Me Down and read it in a day (keep away from scary romance reader she bites when disturbed) that's how hooked I was. I wish a few things went down differently, but overall it's quite excellent!
Ningaloo Nights is a smooth, well-executed, hot steamy read. So hot in fact, I’d attach the following warning. Tracy’s novella may cause:
Glasses to fog, an increase in blindfold sales, addictions to chocolate biscuits, a greater demand for hot Aussie men, increased sales of Ute trucks by single men, and stores will have to work diligently day and night to keep up with the demands of pink panties.
Changes in behavior to watch out for: clothes ripping behavior. If the Earth shakes again; its Tracy’s sex scenes causing an 8.0 on the Richter scale.
Sherry Abandonato is a guarded, tough, foul-mouthed New York Cop who travels to Ningaloo, Australia with a heavy heart; hoping to find her missing sister. She's referred to the only man who can help her, a former guide named Mason Hayward. He’s a blue eyed, delicious looking Aussie; who also happens to be well tanned, and well endowed.
Sherry doesn’t have enough money for the trip to Derremawan; where her sister (Pepper) and boyfriend (Ryan) are thought to have been. In lieu of the rest of the money; Mason devises other ways she can make up the difference. Their journey is filled with hot sexual encounters, and a sex scene against a Ute truck that puts the ecstasy in erotica.
Tracy’s novella is comparable to the movie 9 1/2 Weeks. There are new explorations at every turn, with blindfolds, melting chocolate, and sex toys.
I recommend Ningaloo Nights for erotica lovers, those who enjoyed 9 ½ weeks, and romantic suspense readers.
Mason’s character is every woman’s fantasy. He’s compassionate, caring, concerned, strong, endowed, and sexually dominating.
There are no distractions from secondary characters, only brief appearances by (Bruce) Mason’s employee & police officials. Tracy focuses solely on the developing relationship between Mason and Sherry.
Ningaloo Nights contains loads of sex, some heartbreak, and a beautifully written happily ever after.
A hot read, indeed!
5 Star Rating.
Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc., Breathless, Contemporary Erotic Romantic Suspense, E-book, Novella, 81 pages. Copyright October, 2009. ISBN# 978 141 992 395 1
Link to Book at EC.
Today's interview is with romance author Donna Marie Rogers. She lives in a renovated old schoolhouse with her husband and children. Can you imagine? Sounds idyllic! Her passion to read is only exceeded by her passion to write. Please join me in welcoming Donna to Love Romance Passion.
Keira: What is your idea of the perfect hero and how does Garrett Jamison from Meant To Be compare?
Donna: I love an alpha hero. Strong, yet gentle with his lady, a tad arrogant, but completely honorable. He’s not afraid to take charge, whether it’s fighting off the bad guys or lending a hand with the dishes. Okay, so maybe not the dishes...LOL I think Joe Winston from Say No to Joe? by Lori Foster is the perfect alpha hero. And I’d like to think my Garrett is a lot like Joe.
Keira: In three to five adjectives how would you describe Jessica McGovern, the heroine of Meant to Be?
Donna: Feisty, strong, vulnerable, gentle...and she’s not exactly a morning person, but I can’t think of a good word for that. LOL
Keira: Speaking of Garrett and Jessica, how did you decide on their names? This is something I and a lot of readers like to know because it’s so essential to the coupling of the characters in our minds.
Donna: I’ve loved the name Garrett since I first heard it. I worked with a guy named Wade, and he had a brother, Garrett, who was such a sweetie—and a hottie. LOL So Garrett is my hero, and Wade is Jessica’s ex-husband. *grin* Jessica, again, is just a name I like. I write the two names together, say them together, and if it feels right, I’m a happy camper.
Keira: How did The Wild Rose Press first hear of Meant to Be?
Donna: I submitted both There's Only Been You and the sequel Meant To Be to the Wild Rose Press at the same time, so they knew right away this was a series.
Keira: Can you talk about and describe your experience with epublishing?
Donna: For the most part, it’s been invaluable. I’m a proud e-published author, but I do hope to sell to a big house one day and learn what it feels like to be mass produced. Promotion is hard work, but if your books are in the chain stores, that’s half the battle right there. At least, I’d like to think so. *grin*
I’ve been blessed to work with some amazing editors, so I have no complaints. And I write clean, so hopefully that's helped keep the editing process enjoyable (mostly...LOL).
Keira: In your opinion what makes a great (written) bedroom scene?
Donna: Emotion. I think a love scene is so much more sexy and engaging if it’s full of raw emotion.
Keira: How do you define love?
Donna: Gosh, I don’t know...LOL Love is rather indefinable, I think. When you feel it, you just know. It’s the most incredible feeling there is, to be in love.
Keira: What were some challenges you faced on the road to becoming a published author and how did you handle them?
Donna: I faced the usual challenges most authors face, like rejections, revising my manuscripts ad nauseam. I developed quite the thick skin those first couple of years, and I had finaled in a lot of contests, which helped keep me focused. I love to write, so while I faced the usual rejections, most agents and editors were incredibly positive and encouraged me to keep at it. :)
Keira: Fill in the blank: If you’re not writing, you are _____.
Donna: Watching television, usually...LOL Spending time with my kids, yelling at my kids (*grin*), chatting with my husband, house cleaning, gardening, cooking...the basic stuff. :)
Keira: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Donna: Thank you, Keira! I would love to share a blurb and excerpt from my latest release, Meant To Be, sequel to There’s Only Been You.
**And for a chance to win a download of Meant To Be, all you have to do is leave me a comment! :)
She's running from her past, he's unsure about his future. Maybe together they can figure out what was Meant To Be.
Officer Garrett Jamison is at the lowest point in his life. He's lost faith in his ability as a police officer after unwittingly setting his sister up with a dirty cop. Garrett ended up getting shot, and his sister's son kidnapped right out of his own bed. He takes a leave from the force, in need of some time to make a decision about his future. Too bad he can't get a decent night's sleep thanks to his sexy new neighbor and her howling cat.
Jessica McGovern moves halfway across the country to start a new life in Green Bay, Wisconsin after her ex-husband is convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of their young son. Her new neighbor is as infuriating as he is handsome, but when her ex is released from prison early and shows up in town, Jessica discovers she's never needed anyone more.
EXCERPT:
"Come here, Miss Crabbypants."
Jessica resisted, but it was no use. The big oaf outweighed her by a ton. "Look, I just want to finish my tea and relax. Today's my last day off for almost two weeks."
He leaned back and frowned down at her. "Why are you working so many hours?"
She rolled her eyes. "Um, I have bills to pay...?"
His gaze became pensive as he massaged the back of her neck. Slowly, she relaxed until she was leaning into his broad chest, eyes closed, inhaling his spicy masculine scent. He always smelled so good...Damn, the man was a magician; she'd already forgotten why she was mad at him...Wait, oh yeah. "So what's with all that hammering?"
"We're building a doghouse."
His busy fingers moved to her shoulders wringing a groan of ecstasy from her. Oh, God, was she drooling on his shirt? Then his words registered. Jessica leaned back and swiped her mouth with the back of her wrist. "A doghouse? But you don't have a dog...do you?"
"No, but Ethan's been begging for a puppy for a couple years now. I guess he finally wore Sara down. And Mike's still in the ‘buy-Ethan-anything-he-wants' phase." Garrett glanced down at his T-shirt and chuckled. He reached out and recaptured the back of her neck. "Liked that, did you? You do seem a little tense—"
"Oh, no you don't." She ducked out of his reach and took a few steps back. He started to follow but she held up both hands. "You stay right where you are."
He propped his hands on his hips. "So do I have a date tonight or what?"
"Or what."
He grinned. "Wear something sexy," he said with a wink before strolling out the back door. The jackass even had the nerve to whistle.
Jessica walked over and slammed the door with a muttered, "Nutjob." Then she headed into the bedroom to search through her closet.
Victoria (Tori) reminds me of Anita Blake. Here's why:
She's known for always wearing a gun.
Not to mention she's a police officer with connections to the vampire scene (not widely know to humans to exist).
She visits vampire clubs.
Tori brings her gun into the bathroom with her when she showers.
Tori even resists Michael like Anita resisted Jean-Claude at first.
Michael reminds me of Twilight vampires, because interestingly enough Tori smells to him as Bella does to Edward. He labels the smell of her to something akin to mimosas. Michael can also feel her feelings, like Jasper of Twilight, and project feelings onto her.
Vampire lore:
All have mind reading capabilities.
All are involved to some extent in the D/S scene.
All possess a type of thrall called: affascinare.
All have theability to project feelings/sensations called: trucchi.
All obey or follow the vampire code/law of Alleanza.
Humans can bond with vampires as equals and as slaves.
They can be warm/hot and have heartbeats.
They breathe.
They sleep?
The bad guys are particularly scary. They make the book very dark indeed. Think vampire Mafia with terribly nasty taste in sexual preferences (torture/slave).
Sex: D/S, voyeurism, good kinky fun
Overall it was a pretty enjoyable read but there were some problems in the story telling. For instance terms are not defined. As the first in the series they should have been. That's not to say that quite a few can be derived from connotation but the nuances are lost. Additionally, while some of the Italian terminology is similar in format to the English translation, not all of them are.
A few inconsistencies and redundancies scattered the pages, ones that should have been picked up by an editor. They stuck out like a sore thumb in an otherwise seamless story. There is some great dialogue scattered throughout the book. One of my favorites was:
"I wish I believed you."
"So do I."
If you can get past the small annoyances it wasn't half a bad read. The bad guy gets caught, the good guys triumph, the couple gets together, and you close the book happy.
The review for today is not one, but three novels.
The Raintree Trilogy is an weak, anemic effort by three different authors. The premise is that two hundred years ago there was a war between the Raintree clan, a family with paranormal abilities, and the Ansara wizards. The Ansara clan was nearly wiped out, but the Raintree clan stopped short of annihilating them entirely, a mistake that they are about to regret. The Ansara clan has been rebuilt and a rogue group is out for revenge.
Book One: Raintree: Inferno by Linda Howard
Dante Raintree is Dranir or king of the Raintree family and owns a hotel-casino in Reno. Like the other members of his family, he keeps a low profile and does not advertise his paranormal abilities, which in his case is the ability to control fire and enter the minds of others. He has no intention of ever getting married or having a family. His brother Gideon, who is heir apparent for the position of Dranir, sends him fertility charms on a regular basis. Gideon does not want to be Dranir.
Lorna Clay finds herself in Dante's office because she is suspected of cheating. Lorna is empathic and can therefore ‘read' the other players. She denies, even to herself, that she has this ability. Suddenly there is a fire in the casino and Dante must enter her mind to augment his own powers in an effort to control the fire. Controlling Lorna's mind is something Dante does often in the story, albeit with good intentions. It is a wonder that Lorna can forgive him enough to fall in love with him.
Those familiar with Linda Howard's work, may be disappointed with this book. She does not appear comfortable with this genre and has difficulty explaining the particulars of Dante's paranormal abilities and the Raintree family. As a result, the plot seems disjointed and characters' motivations are not easy to understand.
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Book Two: Raintree: Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones
Gideon's gift is controlling electricity and the ability to see and talk to ghosts. Talking to ghosts comes in handy with his job; Gideon is a homicide detective in Wilmington, NC. Lately, he has been dreaming of a tricky little girl ghost named Emma who insists on calling Gideon ‘Daddy'. He has carefully explained to her that he has no intention of marrying and having children, but she laughs and says that she will come to him in a moonbeam.
Hope Malory is a police detective who has asked to be transferred to Wilmington from Raleigh in an effort to be closer to her mother. In Raleigh, she worked in vice and has always wanted to work in homicide. She is Gideon's new partner. She is immediately suspicious of him. He is too well dressed for a cop and he lives in a lovely, beachfront home. His success rate in closing cases is nearly perfect. Thinking that he is a dirty cop, Hope decides to check into him further.
Raintree: Haunted is a pleasant surprise after reading Inferno. Linda Winstead Jones is very comfortable with this genre. The plot is tightly woven with very likable characters and a good amount of humor. There were a couple of things that did not seem realistic: people have a kind of amnesia that keeps them from remembering what doesn't make sense to them; and a heterosexual man who knows that it is not comfortable to sleep in a bra. All in all it is a satisfying book, the best of the three.
Rating: 3 Stars
Raintree: Sanctuary by Bevery Barton
Mercy Raintree is a single mother, empathic healer and keeper of the Raintree Sanctuary; the sacred, ancestral home of the Raintree Clan, located on a large area of land in the Smokey Mountains. It is here that all the previous characters meet up to defend it against a rogue group of Ansara warriors.
Judah Ansara is Dranir of the Ansara Clan. Cael, his illegitimate half brother and leader of the rogue group of warriors are challenging Judah's position as Dranir. Judah is also the father of Eve, although he is at first unaware of her existence.
Eve is a bright, talented child with knowledge beyond her years. Since Eve is a ‘half-breed' she should have been killed at birth and only her mother and nanny are aware of her parentage. Mercy and Judah are bitter enemies, despite the powerful lust they have for one another but they must learn to work together to save Eve and the Sanctuary.
As a finale, Sanctuary falls flat. The plot is thin and lacks cohesiveness, the characters are superficial and the ending is contrived. There is very little detail and plot elements are underdeveloped being briefly explained on the side. Most of the action during the big battle scene is focused on Dante and does not really involve the other characters. This is a disappointing book.
Rating: 2 Stars
If you would like to submit a review to LRP, we would love to have you. You can find submission guidelines here.
Thanks again Marcia! You're a wonderful reviewer and RRN is lucky to have you!
Originally posted 2008-11-30 13:15:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Sarah from Smart Bitches and Jane from Dear Author are co-hosting another contest. The prizes are pretty sweet and well worth the time to get involved.
First things first, what contemporary romance started this contest?
The answer to that is Victoria Dahl’s debut novel Talk Me Down. The heroine in this novel, Molly Jenkins, is an erotica romance author. She publishes under a pen name, not because she's ashamed of writing erotica, but because she knows how awkward it would be for family and friends. Molly Jenkins leaves city life to return to her small home town after some unpleasant activity with her law enforcer ex-honey/stalker. A small inheritance makes moving back home easy, but Molly is stuck. She's not inspired to write again until running into an old high school hunk, Ben Lawson, now chief of police.
Sarah says this about the sexual interactions within this book: "This, folks, is realistic sex. Gritty sex. Passionate pent-up sex. And most of all? FUN sex." While the Romantic Times reviewer labeled the heroine "as a dog in heat." In response to the RT comment Jane says, "I’m not going to even try to rebut it because that’s one of the things I liked best about this story." Based on these different reviews, the conclusion to be drawn from this is that the sex is frank, up front, and enjoyable if you like your sex in romance novels to be frank and up front.
Ningaloo Nights is a smooth, well-executed, hot steamy read. So hot in fact, I’d attach the following warning. Tracy’s novella may cause:
. There are new explorations at every turn, with blindfolds, melting chocolate, and sex toys.
compare?
by Lori Foster is the perfect alpha hero. And I’d like to think my Garrett is a lot like Joe. 
Keira: Speaking of Garrett and Jessica, how did you decide on their names? This is something I and a lot of readers like to know because it’s so essential to the coupling of the characters in our minds.
and the sequel Meant To Be to the Wild Rose Press at the same time, so they knew right away this was a series. 
Keira: What were some challenges you faced on the road to becoming a published author and how did you handle them?
. Here's why:
vampires, because interestingly enough Tori smells to him as Bella does to Edward. He labels the smell of her to something akin to mimosas. Michael can also feel her feelings, like Jasper of Twilight, and project feelings onto her.
