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My Forbidden Desire starts with Harsh (from the first novel) and Alexandrine reconnecting. They are brother and sister. Alexandrine has been certain of Harsh’s death for years, she’s resentful for his sudden presence and insistence she needs protection from an evil mage… who just happens to be her real father.
Xia, a secondary character in My Wicked Enemy, is a newly freed fiend and the one charged with protecting Alexandrine. When Carolyn said she had refashioned bad boy Xia into a hero I knew I had to read his story! His intense hate, eagerness to kill, and desire to give out pain would be hard to overcome for any writer. Even more so when you planned to pair him up with someone who Xia considers his enemy, no matter how harmless. In my opinion, Carolyn has done a phenomenal job revealing the witch hater’s inner good qualities. Xia is very easily worth the price of the book.
Alexandrine Marit as a heroine is very likeable… despite being a witch. She possesses a great amount of unselfishness, though she has to work for it. The talisman she has found is putting a number on her similar to Golem’s reaction around the one ring in The Lord of the Rings. Her self-sacrifices pile up throughout the novel – if I were to list them it would seem ridiculous, but I assure it is not. Simply put it is quite the only way to prove her character to Xia.
It took me a while to get into this book. The first chapter or two was pretty rough. I started and stopped twice before finally overcoming the strangeness of the novel’s set up. As with Carolyn’s other novels, once you are involved in the story you simply can’t put it down!
Do you like paranormal romance? Did you at one point enjoy Anita Blake? Well, My Wicked Enemy just pwned Anita Blake, but don’t take my word for it see for yourself! I read this in a day, I couldn’t put it down!
Our heroine is a terrified (rightly so) woman who experiences intense migraines. She’s seen something she shouldn’t (a ritual sacrifice) and it on the run from her guardian (the bad guy). Carson took nothing with her, and that includes her medicine, in hopes to escape. Being in a hurry might seem like a disadvantage now, with a pulsing multi-colored migraine rearing its ugly head and a man who’s stalking her through the streets, but it will in fact be a blessing in disguise.
Nikodemus is a warlord, a fiend with natural leadership, and he is the one stalking the pretty and petite Carson Philips through the streets. Killing her is on his to-do list, just below mage Magellan. He can’t believe how easy it is to track the witch. Her magic is fluctuating all over the place. One minute it’s there and the next it’s almost as if she were a human. When he corners her, Nikodemus asks just one question, “Why shouldn’t I kill you?”
The answer leads them through a dangerous adventure that spins out of control as they face mageheld fiends, evil mages, skitterish warlords, blood twins and more! The book starts out like it ends, by taking your breath away.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Marked interracial because the heroine is a witch and the hero is a fiend.
This is a fabulous contemporary update of the Christmas Carol. Matthew McConaughey is Connor Mead. Connor is the new Mr. Scrooge, except he’s gorgeous, charming, and wealthy. So what’s wrong with the guy? Connor is a miser, just like Scrooge. How? Unlike Scrooge, Connor withholds love/feelings instead of money/possessions. Just like Scrooge, Connor gets visited by 3 ghosts and is forced to learn just what kind of man he really is.
The first ghost is the Ghost of Girlfriend Past. She is a 16 year old girl to whom Connor lost his virginity. Played by Emma Stone, she’s hardly recognizable in braces, frizzy red hair in pigtails and a crazy outfit. If it wasn’t for Stone’s distinctive voice I wouldn’t have been able to place her at all from her role in House Bunny.
Noureen DeWulf plays Melanie, the Ghost of Girlfriend Present. As Connor Mead’s overworked secretary she is the most consistent woman in his life. Melanie’s job includes scheduling everything from photo shoots to play dates. She draws the line at breaking up with his women (a firm believer in karma). DeWulf is fantastic and a sheer joy to watch on screen.
Nadja, Ghost of Girlfriend Future, is played by Emily Foxler. Beautiful and ethereal she leads Connor through the life he can expect if he doesn’t change his ways. Silent like the angel of death from Christmas Carol, she is nevertheless affective in communicating to the audience.
Daniel Sunjata is the wedding beefcake brought in to sex up Jenny Perotti’s love life. It bugged me the whole movie how gorgeous he was and how familiar his face and unable to place him. Ladies before you go to IMDB.com he’s James Holt from the Devil Wears Prada. He plays a sincere, sweet, and intelligent man, luckily for him when Jenny and Connor reunite he is not left out in the cold.
Jenny Perotti, played by Jennifer Garner, is the love of Connor Mead’s life. We watch them as youngsters, as teenagers, as just starting out in life adults and as established adults. Jenny is the girl next door, the one right under your nose. She’s been hurt by Connor in the past. If only being around him didn’t make her feel for him all over again she could move on with her life… will Connor learn his mistakes and if he does can he get her to believe in him again?
I predict Ghosts of Girlfriends past becoming a favorite among many. It certainly is one of mine!
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.
Vikings were warrior men from the Scandinavia region of the world including specifically Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Viking is linked to naval expeditions or naval raids. A member of such a trip is called a Viking. Typically it is thought that the Viking period began as early as 700 A.D. and ended somewhere in 1100 A.D. Women warriors were known as Valkyries. At the peak of their influence Vikings reached as far east as the Byzantine Empire and as far west as Iceland and Greenland.
Warring or to ‘Go a Viking:’
Viking expeditions were one of two things. Firstly, Viking could be referring to a mercantile seafarer dealing in commerce and trade. Secondly and most commonly referred to today when brought up, Viking relates to warriors seeking vengeance or urged into the act by need/greed to find slaves and other worldly goods. The term to ‘go a Viking’ specifically relates to warring or act of raiding and pillaging.
Ships:
Longships, or dragon ships, are the warring vessel. They had sails and room for oarsmen so they could battle and move without interference from the wind. Longships are shallow and narrow, and this design aids in Viking expeditions by making it easy to land and deploy troops.
A knarr vessel was roomier and could hold far more cargo than a longship. It did not have room for oarsmen. This ship was specifically used in trade and commerce.
Horned Helmets:
Horned helmets were never a part of Viking apparel. Sorry to say, the idea of a horned helmet being Viking is merely a myth. It was dreamt up as part of the romanticism revival to associate them with Classical antiquity. A horned helmet would be too unmanageable in battle because of the ungainly weight of the horns.
Cleanliness:
Steam-houses (saunas), dips into geothermic pools, and regular bathing occurred in Viking culture. It is thought they bathed every Saturday as it is referred to as the washing day still in Scandinavian countries. As part of their ablutions Vikings washed hands and faces every morning. They also had a wide diversity in grooming items including soap. The soap was used to clean their hair as well as strip it of color to make it blond. Vikings are not the unclean barbarians we imagine them to be, perhaps however they were blonder.
Classes:
There were three classes of men in Viking civilization.
The Thrall - an unfree servant whose status was marked by a collar around the neck and short hair
The Jarl - a member of the aristocracy or nobility, was a man of high birth and includes kings
The Bondi- included farmers, craftsmen, landowners, and other freeborn people
Women’s Rights:
A girl or woman had no right to choose her husband. However, if she was under her brother’s protection and rule she could declare rights to marry the third suitor to seek for her hand.
A free woman in Viking culture owned her children and could divorce without stigmatism associated with other cultures of the time a man who was a bad husband. All she had to do was declare herself so at the door to their home and at their martial bed.
The gravest insult for a woman is a slap to the face done in public. The insult goes beyond her and impugns on the family’s honor.
Viking Weddings and Romance:
Vikings would marry on Friday or Frigg Day. Frigg was the name of their goddess for marriage, thus explaining the tradition.
Courtship was frowned upon and poetry expressly forbidden as it was thought that the wording could enthrall a woman. Only the goddess Freyja could be given poetry.
Women were expected to be unsullied or virginal before marriage and after display fidelity within her marriage.
The ring a man gave to a woman was highly important as it was indicative of the respect and esteem he held for her.
Weddings were rarely conducted for lovers. Typically a marriage was arranged between the groom and her family or between both families. Occasionally a marriage was served as a ‘peace-pledge,’ which means the marriage is a sign of cease fire between feuding families.
The wedding ritual consisted of exchanging swords between man and wife. The groom gave his sword to his bride as a legacy to be passed down to their first born son. The bride then gave a sword that represented their union and future family to the groom. It was then his duty to take care of the sword as he would take care of her and their children. Vows were then said over the groom’s new sword to cement the union.
The Wedding Night and Morning:
The bride wore a bridal crown and it was in their bedroom chamber that this crown was removed by her husband as a symbol of their sexual union. After this symbolic removal the wedding witnesses would leave the couple alone to consummate the vows.
The morning after, once again before witnesses, the groom gave his wife a gift. This gift marked that the marriage was complete. He then would give her the keys to his home and all the buildings he owned. The keys represented her dominion over his holdings and declared her as his lady.
Vikings in Romance Novels:
Nearly always Viking romance novels contain references to the mythology and religion of the time period. They take place in the Scandinavian region, sometimes including the regions within the wide reach of the Vikings. Without fail Viking romance novels include a Viking warrior. He is strong, robust, and very masculine. You could say he is the epitome of alpha males. Standard themes of Viking romance include bride stealing, kidnapping, slavery to freedom archetypes, enemies to lovers, and strong women. Rape also comes up in Viking romances whether or not it actually occurs due to the nature and background of the culture. Viking romances are easily recognizable by their titles which usually include the word Viking.
Viking Love on Youtube:
Originally posted 2008-12-13 22:06:51. Republished by Old Post Promoter
Fire in His Eyes is the first book of the Dragon Elementals in Stella and Audra Price’s Eververse. A complicated web of Afterverse and the real world, Eververse will introduce you the paranormal.
Char is the last of the reigning fire dragons and he has found his mate. He can’t do anything about it because she is the enemy, a demon succubus, one of the race that destroyed the dragons. It is forbidden to interact with demons! The edict of Fuerety, the King of Fire Demons, put Char and his compatriots all on the run. Dragons were to be killed on sight, no matter their loyalty. They are forced to appear human in order to hide. A demon that could call a dragon had full power over the dragon and the dragon’s elements. His mate is just such a demon that could call him and he could not take a chance that she might betray him.
Char has a unique ability as a fire dragon compared to other dragons. He can use flame to see across the world. A single flame in front of him can illuminate other scenes, so long as they too are lit up by fire. Char can even slip through these tiny flames and emerge on the other end. This leads to some highly erotic moments.
Alcyone Sterling is a succubus, which means she thrives on sex. Her sexual preference is men, but this does not exclude women. She runs a strip club in Shadow Heights called Pinkys and feeds off the sexual atmosphere. The Queen Succubus is one of her friends and past paramours. She senses Char at a masquerade party where after some mind altering sex she’s hooked. Something about Char just calls to her.
When dragons mate, they mate for life, like naked mole rats and some penguins. In addition when they claim their mate fully, they create a lasting bond between themselves and their partner. When Char performs this (during sex!) Alcyone receives a red and yellow dragon around her waist like a vivid tattoo. This explains the cover!
The language is a little crude for me; lots of swearing and oh gods/goddess. It was a distraction while reading and pulled me out of the story more than once.
The classic story of Sleeping Beauty retold by Catherine Murdock in Princess Ben takes on a life of its own. When her father, mother, and uncle are brutally murdered under the orders of King Renaldo of Drachensbett, Benevolence is summoned by her aunt, the queen, to take her place as the heir to Montagne.
Ben is resentful of all the tortures Queen Sophie inflicts on her from classes in deportment and dancing to limiting her food in an effort to slim her figure. Ben has never been one of those silly princesses, who dined on air and compliments. She was plump and happy about it. She enjoyed her food and having it taken away is a terrible injustice!
After her latest punishment from Queen Sophie, Ben cried and raged and somehow stumbles upon a secret doorway. Behind the doorway is a stairwell, and the stairwell leads to a room. In the room there’s a book, a magic one, and in the dead of night Ben steals away and practices magic in secret. One spell creates a sleeping body double.
Prince Florian of Drachensbett, believes in destiny and true love… until he realizes that the sleeping girl who can not be woken from his prophecy is the sullen rotund Princess Ben. Despairing, Florian chooses to lead warriors against Montagne, but thoughts of war can’t block out Princess Ben. He dreams of her, as she dreams of him, much to his disgust because the girl in his dreams is nothing like the Princess Ben he met.
This book is weird to read as its first person omniscient. Queen Benevolence is recounting her tale to readers and at times it reads from young Ben’s point of view, but you get voiceovers from the present older Ben. I felt like I should believe the experiences were happening to a fifteen year old girl, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around it with the narrator voice being so much older.
Joanna Bourne takes the old plot of wartime enemy spies turned lovers and sticks it on its head. This novel is a seriously fantastic tale that you would be fool not to pick up and read. It contains a wonderful plot twist that should be as surprising as it is satisfyingly delicious. The male is a strong, powerful, but very plain lead. The female is cunning, resourceful, and beautiful. The cover depicts a young handsome man, the type of man that Robert Grey would eat twice a week for breakfast. It is pretty and attention grabbing however, which is what the publishers are after.
Annique Villiers is a French spy in the middle of the Napoleonic Wars (adjacent to the Georgian period in England.) She was captured and thrown into the bad guy’s household prison alongside two British spies, Grey and Adrian. Annique uses her cunning and limited resources to get the three of them out of trouble. Unfortunately for Annique, Grey (and Adrain) knows of her and captures her just when she thinks she’s free. Angry and determined to escape, Annique puts up one hell of a fight. She has kindness in her you would not expect of a spy. As a matter of fact, all of the agents except the bad guys, show a remarkable kindness.
The safety of two nation’s people rest in Annique’s hands. She must decide what to do and whether her choice will keep her loyal to her homeland or turn her traitor, she does not yet know. Annique will have to war between her head and her heart all the while danger, intrigue, and madness follow behind her nipping at her heels.
I would say for about ninety percent of this book I thought it was excellent. Perfect execution, I liked the characters, I was involved in the revenge trope, and things were good. The other ten percent sent me up in flames with an angry face because of the super secret reason behind the revenge trope. Spoilers ahead…
Apparently the hero’s sister was willingly involved with the heroine’s father at the age of fifteen. The hero has always thought it was rape but near the end after a conversation with his sister he learns that no it wasn’t rape and that the sister basically forced it to happen because she wanted to be with the older man… which makes it totally okay and now the hero’s sorry about his revenge plot towards the heroine.
Um… wtf? Pardon my cussing.
I don’t know Australian laws, but I’m pretty certain fifteen is underage (of legal consent) and therefore even if she slipped into the father’s bed and wiggled herself onto him, the fact that he continued or participated knowingly is grounds for statutory rape. So no, it’s not okay. Hero doesn’t have to be sorry for wanting to see father of heroine dead. Hero is wrong for almost doing the same thing to the heroine that her father did to his sister.
I know I have a lot of issues with the use of rape in a romance novel. Just look at the category and read all the reviews of books which contained the situation. I think my problem is that I feel the way it’s handled afterward is sub-par. I’m not convinced and I’m not sure many readers would be with how everything plays out. How do you feel reading about rape in a romance novel - whether it’s side characters or the main characters?
Back to the review… other than that whole fiasco I would have rated this novel much higher, because the rest of it was fun and engaging.
Rating: 4.5 stars before rape trope.
Rating: 3 stars after rape trope.
This week has been full of movie-going. I saw Bride Wars the other day and it was quite good. I really enjoyed it. I didn’t find Kate Hudson’s character, Liv, all that wonderful, but her relationship with her fiancé, Daniel, was delightful. Emma played by Anne Hathaway was a wonderful character, even if she started off like a shy dormouse and doormat. She learns to stick up for herself and her wants and needs.
Emma and Liv have been friends since a very young age. They met at the Plaza over tea with their mothers and saw a bride emerging like a fairy princess. That day on, they were the best of friends and played weddings taking turns as bride and groom. Now they are older and their boyfriends have proposed. Excited and overjoyed with the prospect of finally getting to create their own dream weddings, the two young women go to Marion St. Claire, Manhattan’s most sought after wedding planner, played by Candice Bergen.
Everything is going fine until an error on Marion’s assistant’s part. Now Liv and Emma must share the date of their wedding. Instead of a double wedding, they choose to have separate weddings. One of them must decide not to get married on that day so they can attend the other’s wedding ceremony and reception. When Emma finds out Liv has automatically assumed that Emma would back down, she gets mad and refuses to give up the location or day of her wedding. This decision however means they can’t be each other’s maid of honor and must fight each other to get the best of everything from DJ to cake. And it is war – a funny outrageous war, but enjoyable nonetheless.
You find out just how the couples work and support each other during this time. The men obviously are confused by the whole thing and remain friendly with one another. As Daniel supports Liv with kindness, love, and understanding; Fletcher belittles, argues, and upsets Emma. Good thing Nate, Liv’s brother, is around to watch over both women… and one in particular.
“So here it is -finally! I’m not even going to say how long this took.” - Paul
Paul, this was well worth the wait! I’m so glad you managed to get everything sorted out with your computer and software!
There’s no billowy shirt in this entry, but I think you’ll agree that we got a lot of yummy goodness anyway! Johnny Depp eat your heart out! The creativity goes even farther than the cover too - just read the story behind this cover! I think choosing the winner will be tough.
Edit: I have a full version of this - and everything has been rendered to look like the photo realistic painting style found on most romance covers.
Design and Model: Paul Synopsis Author: Dex Xu
Synopsis:
With each setting sun, Gareth Falconheart stands at the bow of his ship, the Black Talon, scanning the horizon with piercingly dark eyes. A pirate by title as well as in nature, he has taken many a life and even more innocent hearts throughout his journeys of the seas. Orphaned at the age of three, Gareth has finally found his place. With dangerously handsome features and the belief that he needs nothing and no one, Gareth’s life is complete. Or is it?
A few miles behind, Wolfmoon sails swiftly, captained by the headstrong yet breathtakingly stunning Sabra de Ivonlea. With the ship’s first mate Sculley by her side, Sabra operates on the promise she made at her father’s deathbed.
The mission: destroy their sworn enemy, the Black Talon. When the two ships clash in battle and their captains meet face to face for the first time, the sparks that flew far surpassed those of the booming cannons.
As the war rages on, the desperate couple must also fight against their forbidden love. Can their rapidly evolving feelings overcome a vendetta of a hundred years? Or will their souls be destroyed in the aftermath of a prophecy fulfilled? Whatever the outcome, no one would ever forget the day that Gareth Falconheart and Sabra de Ivonlea locked gazes in The Secret Weapon.
just pwned 
, but don’t take my word for it see for yourself! I read this in a day, I couldn’t put it down!
. Matthew McConaughey is Connor Mead. Connor is the new Mr. Scrooge, except he’s gorgeous, charming, and wealthy. So what’s wrong with the guy? Connor is a miser, just like Scrooge. How? Unlike Scrooge, Connor withholds love/feelings instead of money/possessions. Just like Scrooge, Connor gets visited by 3 ghosts and is forced to learn just what kind of man he really is.
. 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.
