When a story starts out with two people meeting eyes across a cupcake tasting that involve jalapenos - then I know I may have found me fictional soul mates. I really really loved both Claire and Aiden, My only problem was the whole sister thing - but that was addressed and resolved very well. In fact, resolving that issue was a good chunk of the book, and it was handled very well.

There's a good dose of suspense as Aiden begins his own investigation into what happened to his deceased wife. There's a lot of danger and a few close calls that will get your adrenaline pumping. But there wasn't quite enough to really call this a full on romantic suspense.

Aiden and Claire have ties that go way back, which was also nice since they didn't have a whole lot of time to forge a new one. However, her jumping in and standing up for him, while brave and honest, seemed a little out of character for the girl who seems more of the shy type. But it had to be done to get things moving.

I really enjoyed this one. There was just enough suspense to keep my adrenaline going, and plenty of romance to keep my heart happy.

69. Seducing the Vampire by Michelle Hauf
Genre: Paranormal Historical Romance
Pages: 384
Acquired: 09/30/11
Book of Your Shelf? No
Why I read it: NetGalley
Series: No

Think Snow White meets vampires, werewolves, and France. Three of my favorite things and one of my favorite fairy tales growing up (I went through 3 copies of the Disney movie). Our fair princess is played by the blood born vampiress, Viviane LaMourette. Now blood born vampires are rare, and females even more so. So enter the evil queen (errr king in this case), Constantine de Salignac, the local vampire tribe leader who will have Viviane or else no one will! Prince Charming is played by quite an unusual character, a half werewolf half vampire named Rhys Hawkes, who just happens to be half-brother to Constantine. Now remove the 7 dwarfs, unless I totally missed something, and we have our main characters.

The story itself takes us back and forth between present time and the time of Marie Antoinette's court in France. We first meet Viviane on her way to visit her patron in France where she meets Rhys for the first time and Constantine presses her to become his. Fearing for her independence should she choose to be with Constantine, Viviane tries to delay giving him a decision and ends up falling for Rhys. When Constantine finds out, saying he is mad would be the understatement of the century. He sets out for revenge.

In the present time, Rhys hears a myth of a "Vampire Snow White" in the sewers of France. The timing and description of the fair vampire maiden reminds him of Viviane, thought lost to him for all this time. He immediately takes off to France to try and find her (Prince Charming to the rescue).

The story's jump between time periods was well written. There was never any confusion when you started a section as to which time you were in now. There was a lot of action, but it never got too overwhelming or confusing with too much going on all at once. This was a great read.

4/5

Teagan's viewpoint that pain is the only thing that can make her forget isn't a new one. But Kyrstal Shannan did an amazing job of portraying the utter despair she feels when she doesn't get her dose of physical pain to drown out the emotional.

Having sworn off ever finding love or real pleasure again, she is terrified to realize that she may have found a mate - one that isn't interested in hurting her, but is much more interested in healing her. Their introduction is intense but fast (in the reading sense). But the chemistry is impossible to ignore.

I love that this can be a stand-alone. It is a great way for people to give Sanctuary, TX a try. A nice little sip that will get you addicted to the fast paced writing and great characters of Krystal Shannan.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

Ravin is a witch. Her sole purpose in life is the kill as many vampires as she can. Since witch's blood is poisonous to vampires, she has been rather successful. Her most recent hunt has eliminated several of the foul creatures, including their leader....or so she thinks. The vampire tribe leader, Nikolaus, was somehow able to survive and is now stronger than ever. Nikolaus is now out for revenge. He will stop at nothing to kill the witch that almost killed him.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately in the long run, the Devil himself has his hands in the mix. He has set Ravin the task of mixing a love potion for him, only when Nikolaus breaks in while she is brewing, he finds himself strangely and suddenly in love with the woman he has sworn to kill.

I'm very glad that I had started reading Seducing the Vampire by the same author when I started this book. I just couldn't get into much at all. I think the whole love potion thing was just a little too over the top for me. If this one piece hadn't played such a huge role, and mentioned and argued about so much, I think I would have really enjoyed the story.

2/5

I am so happy that I stuck with this series. After taking a small dip and changing directions, it seems we're back on track with the vamps I love. Coming back to the original group of vampires was something I really looked forward to doing. While we get a brief glimpse at Vixen and some of her crew (maybe more to come from them later?), we really get to see Rhiannon and her completely awesome panther, the twin half-breeds, and all the rest of my old favorites!!

As the world realizes that vampires might actually exist, things to to hell in quite a large hand basket very quickly. Senseless burning of both vampires and non-vampires, wide spread fear, and a lack of understanding. At the center of it all are James, his twin sister Brigit, and a strangely captivating human named Lucy. As they work together to save as many vampires as they can and translate an ancient prophecy Lucy and James become quite close.

There is a lot of distrust floating around in this one, and I loved it. I know I sure wouldn't trust some random vampire the first day I found out they actually existed. Their slow building of trust and friendship was amazing. At heart they are so much alike, but how they react to things is just so different. A great couple to see grow closer.

There is also plenty of action as DPI is back in full force and preparing their final blow. We also get to meet a new player in the game that really surprised me. He is fascinating and I wonder what is going to happen with him.

Lots of great things are starting up again, and I really need to get my hands on the next one soon!

Legal Wolf by Eve Langlais was fun and light-hearted in way that only Eve can be when we have a woman being framed for murder and someone trying to kill her. Gavin and Megan are quite an interesting couple. A lawyer and a secretary framed for murder aren't what I would normally expect in a werewolf romance. But together they are a riot and are quite a cute couple. The dialog between them is fun and humorous. But, there are quire a few surprises in store. Megan throws a doozy at you and it makes me love her even more! The cherry on top was Broderick - a mouthy cat that gives us a chance to see Gavin in all his alpha goodness.

Feral Passions is quite the exclusive resort. Will someone please buy me a week's stay there?!?! Cherry is a lucky woman - taken to Feral Passions by her sister and her sister's friend. Where they get to enjoy a week vacation being waiting on by super-hot guys (that may or may not be werewolves) in a remote forest preserve. Heaven! I really love how Cherry changed throughout the story. The wolves are there for her to help boost her confidence and give her a new outlook on her life. Warning - this is the highest sexual rating in the anthology including menage - but it was soooo much fun. I felt like I was part of Cherry's world and now I really want to go back and visit again. Bonus: there's a side romance that runs through the background that is really great, too!

The Alpha's Woman was almost non-stop action and excitement. There's a strong tie to Greek mythology in this one that I really enjoyed. Being able to learn the history of the race of Lycans was just an amazing touch that really brought the story to life. Kira is on the run from her past and to her destiny, but she just doesn't know it. Blaeze was so very interesting. I loved hearing him talk about the history of his family. Blaeze and Kira are both something very special and unique - but I'll let you find out what exactly. Both are alpha's and watching them square off against each other was really great and led to some fantastic dialog and scenes.

Growl is an amazing mix of stories - all featuring really fun werewolf men. Each book is a very different tale that was exciting and sexy and so much fun to read.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

Ashleigh once again finds herself in the middle of a horrible situation. Having already survived through a kidnapping/attack and one of her twins being kidnapped, now the other one is. This may sound like a bit much at first, but Darlene Quinn writes in such a way that all you feel is grief and suspense as this new chapter in her life unfolds. Once again all the players seem to overlap in strange and surprising ways. Ways that will be very important as things come together in the end and work themselves out. I really enjoy how the reader is allowed to see both sides of the story as it all unfolds.

Instead of "giving away" too much and ruining the suspense element, it only adds to it. Seeing things from everyone's perspective really adds a nice touch and quite a bit of atmosphere to the story as well.

Another great addition to this tale of the retail giants, I'm glad that Darlene Quinn moved into a more personal look into their lives instead of focusing on the business aspects. While the business is interesting, seeing into their lives at a more personal level really brings the characters to life and I become fully invested in their stories and lives.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

- See more at: http://www.hotofftheshelves.com/2015/12/unpredictable-webs-by-darlene-quinn.html#sthash.2dbRMy7q.dpuf

I don't know much about Rahab and the story of Jericho - other than the walls fell down and the Israelites were victorious. But Joan Wolf has a way with words. The city jumps off the pages, from the crowded and congested lower city, to the pristine temples of Baal and Ashera.

Rahab is a very fascinating character. She is a strong woman that seems to really look at what is going on around her, choosing her decisions based on what her heart tells her. She seems a great math for Sala, but there is one huge problem. She is a Canaanite and he is an Israelite. Neither of their families would ever agree to a marriage.

But as her life begins to fall apart, she begins to re-think her beliefs and her way of life. This was no sudden epiphany, but a good long soul-searching that was quite touching and a little scary. As an army approaches the city of Jericho, her decisions will mean the life or death of her entire family.

While this is an inspirational romance, you do not have to be religious to enjoy the romance and time period. It's a very well told story of two amazing people during a time that isn't visited very often.

Less Than a Lady was absolutely wonderful! We start out with an Earl trying on a dress by order of the king. Definitely an interesting way to get a book started. Darcy is wearing a dress so that he can go undercover to find traitors in the world of London theater. His mark is actress Amelia - famous in the theater and one of the most beautiful ladies in London.

Amelia also has quite a bit of attitude. I really loved this woman and her devotion to her own standards and way of life. She isn't about to fall for some Earl's suave ways and attempts to seduce her. She'll give as good as she gets and put him in his place. And that works for quite awhile, too.

Meanwhile, Darcy is falling head over heels in love with the woman he may have to arrest for treason. But there's so much more to her story that he realizes at first. There were a lot of fun twists to her history and reasons for doing things that kept throwing me (and Darcy) for a loop - but in a very good way. A good dose of mystery and suspense here to really round out the story.

In the end things get even more interesting. I had to laugh at a few of the scenes - they were just so clever and watching Darcy's friends react to the situation was amusing. One of the best endings I've seen in a book in a long time. It all worked out beautifully, but still a little unexpectedly.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

OMG!!! I love this series more and more with every book. Alice and the slayers are ready for war. This isn't just another battle - only one will come out on top and both side will suffer along the way. This is really a non-stop action packed story that never calms down until it's all over.

Zombies and Anima are back with a vengeance and some really imaginative tactics. Alice gets an unexpected blast from her past that really causes some problems - but may be the only way to solve the even bigger problems. Cole and Alice will have to face another landmine in their relationship that threatens to tear them apart.

The snarky comments and attitudes are still present and they may be even bigger than they were before as we introduce a whole new slayer crew to stir up the existing dynamics.

Warning: You just may cry - it's an emotional roller coaster that never stops. Also, this is a trilogy. Book three wraps up the story very well - but apparently others like myself just wanted more, so there is a fourth. But if you were looking forward to a good ending of the series - it does happen.

- See more at: http://www.hotofftheshelves.com/2015/12/the-queen-of-zombie-hearts-by-gena.html#sthash.1QnGdZxu.dpuf