Paranormal Romance

Review: Crux by Moira Rogers


Crux – Southern Arcana, Book 1
Moira Rogers
Release: March 3, 2009
Buy Kindle version: here
Rating: 4 Stars

Jackson Holt makes a decent living as a private investigator in New Orleans, home of one of the largest underground supernatural populations in the United States. He and his partners have never met a case they couldn’t crack…until a local bar owner asks him to do a little digging on her newest hire.

New Orleans is the fourth destination in as many months for Mackenzie Brooks, a woman on the run from a deranged stalker. After all, any man who shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her destined lover has more than a few screws loose. But crazy doesn’t explain why he always finds her no matter how far she runs.

When her well-meaning boss puts a PI on her case, Mackenzie comes face to face with the incredible truth: magic is real, and whatever spell has kept her hidden and separate from the paranormal world is rapidly deteriorating.

With time running out, she has no choice but to trust Jackson as he struggles to uncover the truth of her past-and her destiny.

Moira Rogers is a new author for me, or rather a new duo of authors. For some reason I went into reading this one expecting a plot heavy on the romance and was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is just as heavy on the action, plot, and character building. I love it when an author surprises me.

The story is about Mackenzie who is on the run from some crazy shifters looking to use her for her body. While on the run she falls into a web of really cool people who convince her the supernatural is real and give her an unexpected support system. Jackson Holt takes a liking to her immediately and will do whatever he needs to keep her safe.

The story arc is reminiscent of a paranormal romance…. girl is in trouble, our hero must use his super powers and super friends to save her. But, in this story our heroine isn’t weak or waiting around to be saved and our hero doesn’t expect her to sit back in a safe corner and wait it out. I found the characters to be honest. The dialogue between them was easy and free flowing. The relationship was realistic, a nice mix of playful flirting with sincerity. Jackson is funny and sexy, protective without being overbearing.

The plot of Crux builds quickly. The book is action packed and I had a hard time finding stopping points so I could get some much needed sleep! There is an atypical twist in the plot three quarters of the way through. After it I thought for sure we were getting an ending and the “Big Bad” would continue to haunt us in the next book, but instead the story keeps going! Because of this small twist in plot sequence, the story loses a bit of momentum and I felt the true ending was smidge anti-climatic. Not overly so, and definitely not enough for me to dislike it.

In Crux Moira Rogers has built a strong supernatural world with an exciting plot and realistic characters. With as much as I enjoyed the interactions between Mackenzie and Jackson, I am looking forward to the next books in the series! There were so many intriguing side characters introduced in this group of friends… only more good stories can come after this!

Crux is available for purchase now from a variety of ebook stores, find the links as well as full chapter excerpts here. Crux will be released in print format on January 5th.

Book 2 of the Southern Arcane Series, Crossroads, will be released in ebook format in February 2010 and print format in December 2010.

FTC Disclaimer: This book was given to me for review from the author

Review: Lords of the Underworld Series


Lords of the Underworld Series
Gena Showalter
Buy Kindle Versions: here
Rating: 3 to 4 Stars

The Darkest Night – 4 stars

All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she’ll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member — a man trapped in a hell of his own. Neither can resist the instant hunger than calms their torments . . . and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction — and a soul-shattering test of love . .

The Darkest Kiss – 4 stars

She was tempted many men…but never found her equal. Until now.
Though she has lived for centuries, Anya, goddess of anarchy, has never known pleasure. Until Lucien, the incarnation of death–a warrior eternally doomed to take souls to the hereafter. He draws her like no other. And Anya will risk anything to have him.

But when the merciless Lord of the Underworld is ordered by the gods to claim Anya herself, their uncontrollable attraction becomes an anguished pursuit. Now they must defeat the unconquerable forces that control them, before their thirst for one another demands a sacrifice of love beyond imagining…

The Darkest Pleasure – 3 stars

Reyes is a man possessed. Bound by the demon of pain, he is forbidden to know pleasure. Yet he craves a mortal woman, Danika Ford, more than breath and will do anything to claim her—even defy the gods.
Danika is on the run. For months she’s eluded the Lords of the Underworld, immortal warriors who won’t rest until she and her family have been destroyed. But her dreams are haunted by Reyes, the warrior whose searing touch she can’t forget. Yet a future together could mean death to all they both hold dear.…

The Darkest Whisper – 3 stars

He is the keeper of Doubt and his entire world’s about to be rocked.

Bound by the demon of doubt, Sabin unintentionally destroys even the most confident of lovers. So the immortal warrior spends his time on the battlefield instead of the bedroom, victory his only concern…until he meets Gwendolyn the Timid. One taste of the beautiful redhead, and he craves more.

Gwen, an immortal herself, always thought she’d fall for a kind human who wouldn’t rouse her darker side. But when Sabin frees her from prison, battling their enemies for the claim to Pandora’s box turns out to be nothing compared to the battle Sabin and Gwen will wage against love…

I was going to review these individually, but I thought I would go through all four in the series pretty quickly and do one big glowing review. That seemed to be true upon reading the first two books, but things slowed down for me reading book 3 (The Darkest Pleasure).

The series starts off well …. your typical tortured warrior who finds a women he seemingly can’t have. All the books are based around a group of Lords, warriors who were once in good with the Gods. They did something they shouldn’t have and were expelled from the Gods’ good graces and punished by being forced to harbor evil demons. Each warrior hosts an evil demon such as Violence, Disease, Distrust, Death, Wrath, etc. These demons provide the stumbling blocks in the warriors relationships with their fated women.

On top of the romance there is suspenseful plot built around the premise of a group of “Hunters” who think the world would be a better place without the existence of these demons, therefore without the existence of the Lords. Hunters will do anything necessary to get their hands on the Lords of the Underworld and the series develops into a war between the two.

I really enjoyed book 1 and book 2. The warriors were strong and sexy, yet vulnerable. The women were relatable and likable. I rooted for Ashlyn in The Darkest Night to find her own feet and stand on them. I cheered as Anya from The Darkest Kiss kicked Lucien’s ass and took names while doing it. Their stories grabbed me and pulled me in so that I had to finish them.

I wish I could say the same positive things for book 3 and 4. Something about the last two books fell flat for me. I found myself more interested in the subplot of the war than I was in the state of the relationships. The characters seemed to be too typical and predictable. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t go into detail but I found the ending to The Darkest Pleasure unrealistic. It didn’t work within the previous context given to the Gods and their actions. Book 4, The Darkest Whisper, was a disappointment to me. I was slightly more interested in the relationships, but the subplot of the war was almost entirely missing from this story. There was almost no development or progress in the fight and again I found the ending unrealistic for the characters.

I will keep reading the series because I find the series idea and subplots interesting, but I hope the next book is an improvement.

FTC Disclaimer: These books were purchased by me

Review: Covet

Covet CoverCovet
J.R. Ward
Release: Sept. 29, 2009
Buy Kindle Version: here
Rating: 3 Stars

Redemption isn’t a word Jim Heron knows much about—his specialty, both personally and professionally, is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. His weapon: the power of love. His enemy: the darkest of evil. And failure is not an option.

Vincent Di Pietro has surrendered himself to his business—until fate intervenes in the form of a tough-talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior, and a woman who will make him question his destiny. With an ancient evil ready to claim him, Vin has to work with a fallen angel not only to win his beloved over…but to redeem his very soul.
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Review: On the Edge

On the Edge CoverOn the Edge
Ilona Andrews
Release: Sept. 29, 2009
Buy Kindle Version: here
Rating: 5 Stars

Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.

Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).

But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them, or the beasts will devour the Edge and everyone in it . . .
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