ARC - Aimee Carter - The Goddess Test

Title : The Goddess Test
Series : Goddess Test # 1
Release date : April 26, 2011
Publisher : Harlequin Teen
Genre : Young Adult

Katherine “Kate” Winters has been taking care of her dying mother since her freshman year in high school. Now her mother has one last wish before she dies, to return to her childhood home Eden. So Kate leaves New York and her school behind and moves with her mother to Eden, to give her these last few moments.

Kate’s arrival in this small town doesn’t go unnoticed and already on her first day at Eden High she meets some other unusual students. First there is James who becomes her new best friend, Dylan & Ava the football player and cheerleader couple, even Irene the office lady seems nice by asking about her mother.

Then one night Ava decides to play a trick on Kate and invites her to a party, only there isn’t a real party and she intends to leave Kate behind, but everything goes wrong. Ava dies and Kate finds herself in a roller coaster, when this mysterious good-looking Henry appears and brings Ava back to life, but he wants something in return from Kate.

Kate cannot believe her eyes and hopes that if she agrees to Henry’s wishes she might save her dying mother too. The only thing she has to do is live with Henry for six months of the year and pass seven tests.

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter is the first novel in her Goddess Test Series and an excellent debut novel. This book is a modern story mixed with the Greek Mythical story of Persephone. We all know that she was kidnapped by her uncle Hades and taken to live in the Underworld, then rescued after agreeing to spend six months of the year as Queen of the Underworld. In this modern version Henry (aka Hades) agreed to let Persephone go, after she fell in love with a mortal and died with the love of her life. Now he needs a willing and worthy replacement and Kate is his last chance, otherwise his nephew will take over and he will be lost forever.

Kate’s sadness about losing her dying mother is immense and you can feel her hurt from the pages, her determination to succeed the seven tests the Gods will throw at her. As her agreement to Henry she will live with him 6 months of the year and in return he will keep her mother alive during that time so she can say her goodbye when she is ready. In her dreams she will have time to spend with her mother and build more memories.

What I like about this book is the mystery about the seven tests; nobody seems to know what the tests are or when they will be taken. The people around Kate are a mystery too, because not everyone is who they say they are and Kate is about to find out what is really the deal. Lets just hope the outcome will be what Henry and the Gods are hoping for.

This debut novel is well written and I loved the modern twist of Green Mythology. I know the die-hard Green Mythology fans will have a hard time dealing with this twist, but for someone like me it’s great. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next novel, where I can find out more about Kate, Henry, James and all the others.

Julie Cohen - One Night Stand

Title : One Night Stand
Release date : January 10th, 2008
Publisher : Little Black Dress Publisher
Genre : Contemporary Romance

Eleanor Connor is an erotica novel writer and is also working at the local bar. Her relationship with her family isn’t too bright full and she will makes sure that she doesn’t turns up like her mother. Then one night she does the very thing she always avoids, getting drunk with a gorgeous customer and have a one-night stand. When she wakes up the next morning with a huge hangover and only a few memories from the night before, she realize that they haven’t use a condom.

When she finally discovers that she is pregnant, Eleanor confides her neighbour, playboy and best friend Hugh with her little problem. He promises her to help her find the father-to-be, but both of them couldn’t imagine the outcome of this whole situation.

One Night Stand by Julie Cohen is a novel full of crazy humour. It’s a book where you can relate with the main character and I had that with Eleanor…not being pregnant after a one night stand, that never happened to me, but I could feel her struggle about her feeling towards her best friend Hugh.

From the moment you read about Eleanor’s one-night stand and her newfound pregnancy, you’re by her side when she starts her journey to find the anonymous father. You really want her to find this guy, because he really was gorgeous, but during the book you see and feel how her best friend Hugh starts caring for her in a way you want the love of your life to feel for you. You really are hoping that Eleanor finds out his true meaning and choose him instead.

I have to say this novel had me smiling quite often and I like that in a book. It was entertaining and breathe taking with some fabulous characters.

Allyson James - Stormwalker

Title : Stormwalker
Series : Stormwalker # 1
Release date : may 04, 2010
Publisher : Berkley Publisher
Genre : Urban Fantasy

Janet Begay is a stormwalker; she can draw on energy from a storm and use that power as a weapon against any creatures that escapes the vortex. Now she’s heading towards Magellan, where believers and unbelievers of the paranormal live together. A local resident and a believer have hired her to search for his missing daughter Amy. Sheriff Nash is an unbeliever and isn’t too happy about Janet being there.

But Janet has another reason to be in Magellan because it’s also home to a vortex that Janet’s demonic mother wants to unlock. It appears Janet is the key to unlock this vortex and she will do anything to get her daughter under her command. But Janet knows that the time has come to deal with her mother once and for all.

Janet doesn’t know that help is already on its way in the appearance of her ex-lover Mick.

Stormwalker by Allyson James is the first novel in the Stormwalker Series and I loved it. She created a new series where the paranormal is mixed with the real world, secrets and lots of betrayal.

Janet Begay is a strong woman, who is determined to use her powers as a stormwalker to help the ones in need and fight against evil. Her relationship with her ex-lover Mick is complicated, he is hiding something from her and she doesn’t like it. It was exactly the reason she left him, but when she is in trouble Mick is there to help. He is still secretive about his background, but he has his reasons and she is about to find out what they are.

Even though Sheriff Nash is an unbeliever, he has some great powers of his own and during this investigation he will find out what they are, even if he doesn’t like it. Coyote is another character I love; he is mysterious, funny and does everything in his power to shock Janet. But just like Mick he has her back in battle and with the fight against her mother, she can use all the help she can get.

The love-hate relationship between Janet and Mick is fabulous, it is well written because you can feel the frustration Janet feels when Mick is secretive of when he takes off with no reason and then appear against a few days later. Nash’s denial about everything paranormal and his disbelieve about what Janet is, is another great asset in the story; it really makes the story interesting. Luckily Nash is man enough to offer his help en new discover powers when Janet needs him.

I know this series has some great potentials and I’m already looking forward to read the next novel.

Amber Benson - Cat's Claw

Title : Cat’s Claw
Series : Calliope Reaper-Jones # 2
Release date : February 23, 2010
Publisher : Ace Books
Genre : Urban Fantasy

Calliope “Calli” Reaper-Jones is happy with her normal life, especially when she has an unusual family. She happens to be the daughter of the president of Death Inc., also known as Death and she is next in line for the job and she is not looking forward to that.

Calli has a debt with the three-headed hellhound Cerebus and the time has come for him to collect that debt she owns him. Calli has to find the soul of this architect from the times of Ancient Egypt and return him to Cerebus in order for her to keep Runt, her hellhound pup. Of course there is a catch, she has 24 hours to find this lost soul or she’ll face a lot worse that losing her favourite pup.

Cat’s Claw by Amber Benson is the second novel in her Calliope Reader-Jones Series and another great novel. Just like the first novel I found myself being lured into the world and didn’t want to leave it until I turned the last page.

In the first novel Calli was a spoiled woman, who desperately wanted a normal life with a boring job and only thinking about clothes and other non-important things in her life. Being away from her weird family was a bonus for her. I think being the daughter of Death gives her the right to act that way, a spoiled woman, but I have to be honest I love the change in Calli in this book. She still has that unusual personality and attitude we saw in the first novel, but her priorities has changed. You could say she finally grew up after the first novel and was willing to embrace her supernatural side.

Beside her favour to Cerebus, which is to find that missing soul of this architect, she also helps Daniels whose shade has been stolen by a cat. Not to mention figure out where she stands in her relationship with Daniel, does she love him or not?

I have to say Cat’s Claw is well written and has some kind of humour in it, which I love. I can only say that I’m looking forward to the next novel and see in what kind of trouble Calli will be in then.

ARC - Colleen Gleason - The Vampire Voss

Title : The Vampire Voss
Series : The Regency Draculia #1
Release : March 2011
Publisher : Mira
Genre : Historical Paranormal Romance

Lucifer offered some men a curse/gift in a dream, what they didn’t realizing is what they were signing up for until they woke up the next morning with a mark on their back, the need for blood and a personal Asthenia “an Achilles heel or vulnerability”.

Viscount Drewhurst “Voss” informs Lord Covingdale “Dimitri” that his good friend Chas Woodmore has disappeared with Narcissa Moldavi. She is the sister of Dimitri’s sworn enemy Cezar Moldavi. Dimitri knows it won’t be long before the Woodmore’s sisters will be arriving, because he promised to act as their guardian if something should happen to Chas. Dimitri is not happy that Voss is the one who delivers this information, because they have a history and it’s not all good.

In the vampire community not everyone trusts Voss, he is known to gather information about them and use it for his own advantage. Voss wants to be around Dimitri in order to get close to the Woodmore sisters, because the rumour is that one of them has the Sight and he needs information for his power struggle.

But nothing goes according plan, the moment Voss meets Angelica Woodmore, the sister with the Sight, her scent tempts him more that he could imagine.

The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason is the first novel in her Regency Draculia Series and I love it. I’m already a huge fan of her Gardella Vampire Chronicles and I think this series will be another addiction.

Voss is a vampire you will love one moment and hate the next, he is definitely not the typical hero type. You cannot trust him, because when it fits him he will use any information against you and that is exactly what he wants to do with Angelica, spend some time with her and gather as much information about this other vampire colleagues and be on his way.

The more time he spent with Angelica’s the more her scent drives him crazy and at some point his bloodlust hits and he bites her. Luckily for Angelica he has the strength to stop in time and send her back to Dimitri.

I have to be honest that I didn’t like Voss very much in the beginning, but during the book he grew on me and in the end he was definitely the man/vampire I thought he would be. His relationship with Angelica starts off on all the wrong reasons, but you can feel his growing affection for her. She is strong, knows what she wants and is definitely a great heroine for Voss.

Colleen Gleason did it again, that is all I can say. The book is well written and definitely worth to check out, it will keep you turning page after page just to see what will happen next. I’m already looking forward to the next novel The Vampire Dimitri, which will be about Angelica’s older sister Maia and their guardian Dimitri.

Nicole MacDonald - The Arrival

Title : The Arrival
Series : The BirthRight Trilogy #1
Release : December 2010
Publisher : Smashwords
Genre : Contemporary / Fantasy Romance

When Catherine “Cat”, Sian, Laura “Loi” and Kassandra “Kassie” from New Zealand cast a love spell one night to find their soul mates, they couldn’t imagine that this will transport them to another world, where magic, other creatures and evil are normal.

Waking up outside in the woods, along with Lucky the cat and Audrey the dog, they discover that all they have are the clothes they are wearing, some food, weapons and strange money. They realize that they are not on Earth anymore and know that they have to adapt to the life there and hope to find this sorceress Elena, who will be powerful enough to hopefully transport them back home to Earth.

Then one night during a battle against evil, the four friends hold their grounds against them and are about to meet their other half, when they faces the Griffon Guards.

The arrival by Nicole MacDonald is the first novel in her BirthRight Trilogy and also her debut. When the author approach me through my Blog and ask if I was interested in reviewing her novel, I couldn’t refuse especially when I read the blurb she send me. Boy, what a surprise it was, the story is well build and kept my attention all the way through the book.

I love all the characters, especially the women. On Earth all four women are practicing a form of martial art and with the battles they having on this new planet, its definitely a bonus. Although the book is written from several points of views, it was clear to me that Cat has a bigger part in this whole thing; her attraction to the leader of the Griffon Guards has a purpose. The switching between characters bothered me in the beginning, but after reading a couple chapters I realize that it was needed to tell the whole story.

The interactions and the growing relationships between the four women and the Griffon Guards are fabulous. Even though the women just met them, you can see the growing affection and trusts towards them, telling us they might be their soul mates they were looking for.

The only downside of this book is the huge cliffhanger at the end, leaving the reader desperate to get his or her hands on the next book, including me. So lets hope that the wait for the second book won’t be long.

If you are looking for a fabulous book with some strong kick-ass heroines, mixed with their gorgeous soul mates, magic and other beings, then I truly recommend this novel.

I’m definitely going to keep my eyes on this author and sees what she has in store for us next.

ARC - Anthology - Carnal Machines

Title : Carnal Machines
Edited : Rachel D.L. King
Release : April, 2011
Publisher : Cleis Press, Inc.
Genre : Steampunk Erotica

This book was given to me by the publisher for an honest review:

Human Powered by Teresa Noelle Roberts
A female professor is one of the first women in America to become a professor of arcane engineering. She has developed a device that uses the energy of the human body to power itself. A little help from her dear friend Dr. Benedict Lowell will make this device work, but who would have thought sexual fulfilment and pleasure is the key.

The Servant Question by Janine Ashbless
The Tulliver’s Mechanical Servants provides households of mechanic staff, the owner and designer is trying to meet his client’s wishes. But the demands of Mrs. Petherton for a new housemaid seem to be a little strange.

Sleight of hand by Renee Michaels
Cassandra Devore is an excellent thief and is about to do another job, so she can keep her family fed and housed. But she never could imagine the deal involving her husband and his “toys”.

Mutiny on the Danika Blue by Poe von Page
Jael is the leader of the mutiny on the Danika Blue and took the captain spot at once. He also declared Ailbhe, the only female on the ship to be his and his alone. But who is really the captain in their relationship?

Deviant devices by Kannon Feng
Prostitute Victoria DeClemens will be experiencing some new mechanical devices for the first time with a little help of Mercer. It will be a sexual experience she never will forget.

The perfect girl by Jay Lawrence
A professor visits Mrs. James brothel with most likely one of his students, but the lady who has been chosen by the professor will experience one of her strangest session she ever has. It seems this female student isn’t really what she appears to be.

Dr. Mullaley’s cure by Delilah Devlin
A nurse has just started her job at Dr. Mullaley office when she accidentally discovers what he actually practices. It appears a lot of women cannot find release and when their husbands won’t be able to assist, this doctor will. And nurse Percy is about to find out for herself what kind of devices this doctor uses.

Her own devices by Lisabet Sarai
Miss Chung has been sent by her master Wu to spy on Chris Burton. To learn why his brothel has been growing tremendously and Wu’s not. She is shocked to learn who Mr. Burton really is, but cannot explain the attraction.

Lair of the Red Countess by Kathleen Bradean
Archibald Fraser accidentally burst into the Spiritualist’s Club; not knowing this is actually a club, where Countess runs the place. She has just the right punishment for him.

Infernal Machine by Elias A. St.James
Elijah Moyse Salomann is an artificer and is repairing one of the Carstairs Machines, not really knowing if it will work. But his lover Aleksandr Koslov has faith in him. Elijah accidentally discovers what the chair is for and decides that he and his lover will definitely enjoy exploring it.

Doctor Watson makes a house call by Essemoh Teepee
Dr. Watson has acquired some toys from the late Lady Annabel and is quite known to demonstrate them to the ladies of the ton.

The Treatment by D.L. King
Miss Li has moved to England and has set up a treatment for young men, it seems that they have a huge amount of untapped energy that she wants to harvest. When the two friends Harold and Rufus walk thru her front door, she couldn’t image hitting the jackpot.

Lucifer Einstein and the curious case of the carnal contraption by Tracey Shellito
Luci has been ordered by her mother to come back home and find out why her friend refuse to marry. She discovers that a stranger is leaving wonderful devices behind for men and women to explore.

The succubus by Elizabeth Schechter
The House of the Sable Locks is famous among a small circle, you can find the pleasure of men, women or for a small amount of daredevils, the succubus. Nigel is about to find out how far this succubus is able to go.

Carnal Machines Anthology has a theme...mechanical devices, some of them we might have heard of and some totally new. All the stories are set in the Victorian period, where women wore corsets, didn’t work and just took care of their men, or so it seems….

I have to say those authors done an amazing job with these very short stories, some of them had me right from the first paragraph, and there were only three stories that I really have mixed feelings about. Maybe it’s because of the weird mechanical devices they use.

This anthology is well-written and very entertainment. So if you are looking for some small hot sexual stories and don’t mind to read about the use of devices, then this is definitely the book for you.

Cherise Sinclair - Club Shadowlands

Title: Club Shadowlands by Cherise Sinclair
Series: Masters of the Shadowlands #1
Release: June 2009
Publisher: Loose Id, LLC
Genre: Erotica Romance

Jessica Russell just left another bad date and is on her way home when her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. She sought shelter at the closest residence, only to discover that it is a private BSDM Club. She has to sign an agreement before she can enter the club, just to secure the rules of the house and the members inside.

Master Z, is the club owner and one of the Dom in the club. He soon discover that his little visitor is being aroused by the activities in the club and the more he observe her, the more he came to know that deep inside that beautiful body, lays a submissive waiting to be explore…. a task he is willing to take on.

Club Shadowlands by Cherise Sinclair is the first novel in her Masters of the Shadowlands Series. The only word I can say after reading this book is…WOW…

I’m a vanilla girl all the way, but I have to say after reading this BDSM book, you wonder how it all goes or feel in real life. Not that I want to find out now, oh no, I don’t think this is something for me, but never say never. BDSM doesn’t have to be all about pain, whips and leather.

I really enjoy reading about Jessica and Zachary; to see how Jessica experiences the BDSM scene and slowly discovers that she is indeed a submissive. That she really wants Master Z to bring out the submissive and let him take control of everything. But who wouldn’t want to give up her control, to be touch and loved by this gorgeous master.

The club has some other handsome and wonderful masters and I really want to know more about them. So I cannot wait to start the next one, Dark Citadel, which is about Master Dan.

Deborah LeBlanc - The Wolven

Title: The Woven by Deborah LeBlanc
Series: The Keepers Trilogy #3
Release: November 16, 2010
Publisher: Harlequin (Nocturne)
Genre: Paranormal Romance

New Orleans is the home of many supernatural beings and in order to keep the peace, there are keepers. One for each species, it’s an elite group of warriors charged to keep the peace between human and the three largest supernatural species, vampires, shape-shifters and the werewolves.

Shauna MacDonald is the youngest of the three sisters and the keeper of the werewolves. Together with her sisters she runs the local magic shop, but when a serial killer is targeting werewolves Shauna is determined to catch the killer. So she teams up with Alpha Pack Leader Danyon Stone, who is also investigating some of the killing because members of his pack are turning up dead.

The strange thing is that the victims are always in their wolf form, missing their fangs and claws. They soon discover that it has something to do with turning those missing body part into a fine powder. This powder is like a drug and will gain physical power similar to a werewolf.

Shauna and Danyon have to work together with the other Keepers and their partners to catch this killer before it is too late.

The Wolven by Deborah LeBlanc is the last novel in The Keepers Trilogy and definitely a fabulous way to end the series.

Shauna has inherited the Keepers job when her parents died in the last species war, so she became the keeper of the werewolves. Danyon and Shauna have met before on meetings, but never really got together. You can feel the attraction between them, but Danyon doesn’t want to give in because Shauna is human. But that doesn’t stop the killer when he sets his eyes on Shauna. Danyon then realize that she is indeed his mate and he will do everything in his power to protect what is his.

I have to say that the three authors Heather Graham, Alexandra Sokoloff and Deborah LeBlanc did an excellent job writing this trilogy. They have created some fabulous characters and a fabulous setting in New Orleans. Too bad the series is done; I would have loved to read some more in this series.

Lisa Renee Jones - Hard and Fast

Title: Hard and Fast by Lisa Renee Jones
Release: August 1, 2007
Publisher: Harlequin (Harlequin Blaze Series)
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Amanda always wanted to become the best sports reporter and now she finally hast the chance. She now works for one of the largest newspapers in LA, her editor is pressuring her to blew the readers away with her first story or resign. So her interviews with the baseball team Los Angelas Rays has to be fabulous, but she knows she has to prove herself towards the team if they want to trust her. And discovering that the team star pitcher is hiding an injury to his pitching arm can be the point to make her career but lose the respect of the team. So she hides this secret from her editor and hopes for the best.

Brad knows he has to avoid the press, especially this new reporter Amanda, because they weren’t exactly good to him during his injury time. The huge attraction between him and the gorgeous reporter is huge, but when he discovers she knows about his new injury, he knows he has to stay away from her. But the news doesn’t hit the papers and slowly Brad begins to trust her.

Hard and Fast by Lisa Renee Jones is a fabulous novel contains a group of handsome baseball men and some steamy scenes between the main characters.

Brad and Amanda were made for each other from the start. Although she is a reporter and could destroy his career when she discovers his secret and share it with the rest of the world, he falls hard for Amanda. But he definitely falls in love with her when she keep his secret and even finds a solution to heal his injured arm without anyone noticing.

Brad is the man every woman dreams about, good looking, sport man, has a sense of humour and he goes after what he wants…and that is Amanda.
Amanda is determined to succeed in her career, but has compassion for others, especially when she discovers the star pitcher’s secret. She won’t make her career by destroying another ones.

Lisa Renee Jones has written another excellent novel. In the last couple of months I became a huge fan of her books, I definitely recommend them if you are looking for a great time.

Desiree Holt - Lust Unleashed

Title: Lust Unleashed by Desiree Holt
Series: Night Seekers # 1
Release: August 11, 2010
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing Inc.
Genre: Paranormal Erotica

After some cruel attacks by the legendary Chupacabra, a group of Law Enforcement Agents resign from their jobs and decides to work together to catch this devil beast. Some of them are shape shifters, some are human, but they all have one thing in common, they lost someone close to them to this beast. So they are determined to kill it for good.

Jonah Grey is the first of the group to investigate a killing site of the beast. He lost the woman who was to be his mate to this evil thing and he is determined to be the one who kills it. He left the FBI and joined the Night Seekers. He knows he has to act fast, because the beast only strikes three times in one area and then moves on. During his investigation he meets Dakota Furcal, a local woman and for some reason he cannot seem to stay away from her.

Lust Unleashed by Desiree Holt is the first novel in her Night Seekers Series. I have to say it’s one steamy novel.

When Jonah and Dakota meet each other, you can feel the sexual attraction between them. But Dakota is a local woman who’s been shunned for her half-breed heritage. So she wants nothing to do with this stranger Jonah, but he cannot seem to stay away from her. The members of the small town avoid her; they only seek her out when they need some of her herbs. When they finally gave into their sexual attraction, Jonah tells her everything about the Chupacabra, him being a shape shifter, his past, his discovery that she is his mate and the fact he wants her by his side forever.

Dakota is a strong woman and I like that. Because the way she’s been treated, she only trust a handful of people, but the moment Jonah walks into her life, she feels a connection like she never felt before. I love the fact that she doesn’t run for the hills, when he decides to tell her everything. No, she is one of those women who will fight beside her mate.

I enjoy reading this book; Jonah and the other Night Seekers are great characters. The combination of shifters and human law enforcement is fabulous; they all have law backgrounds and one thing in common, the lost of a loved one. That makes the group stronger and more determined to catch this beast or should I say beasts, because no way all those murders are committed by one evil beast. I’m looking forward to read the next one.