Wicked Intentions got off to a bit of a rocky start. Elizabeth Hoyt has a unique (to me, at least) writing voice and it really threw me off at first. It has an old-fashioned feel that actually really fit the story quite well once I got used to the flow.

Temperance was a little confusing at first. I was surprised that a woman of her social class - not nobility, but far from slums - would be willing to take Lord Caire up on his offer. While I greatly admire the reasons she does, it was so out of place for compared to the rest of her personality. I was also quite confused as to her huge (and I mean huge) repulsion when it came to matters of sex. Thankfully, this was explained very nicely late in the book, but I wish I had known sooner so I had liked her better all along the way.

Lord Caire was quite a dynamic character, and he was what really kept the story going for me. He has some very interesting characteristics that made him stand out and I really wanted to see what he would do next and why. His relationship with Temperance was a great one. His search to find something to "feel" really seemed to shine through and I loved it.

Temperance's family has a lot going on in the background - I imagine we'll be seeing more of them in future parts of the series. I enjoyed how their part of the story really filled out Temperance's character for me. I hope we do get to see them all again.

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

Eve is an interesting character. She's far from looking for a guy when one seems to find her. Their meeting was a little awkward - but what isn't about some of the college years? The drama of their meeting is stolen a little bit by her roommate and best friend - and this continues throughout the story. Her best friends seems to steal the show when they are in a room together.

Theo is old - like really, really old. While he tries to keep up with the times, Eve can tell he's a little off. But she still want to know more. Their romance seems to follow the typical vampire/human theme with one notable exception - Agatha.

Agatha was a hoot. She's the bad guy - but I loved her. She had tons of character and was just crazy enough without going too overboard for the story. The suspense takes you for quite the ride - and I really wish the sister was a little more of a sympathetic character throughout the whole story.

An intriguing start to the series. I'll have to keep catching up and see what happens next.

This is a sort of romance - the romance with a HEA all happens in the background. The players are all very important to both Faith and Matt, but they are definitely not the main attraction. Faith and Matt are center stage with another angelic/demonic "incident", and it's tearing them apart. When Matt's ex-girlfriend shows up at their door wanting to get him back - Faith tries to handle it well, but it all backfires horribly.

To top it all off Faith's ex-boyfriend is also in town and her brother was demon-napped just days before his wedding to her best friend. Sounds like a lot to handle, but it's just the tip of the iceberg. Matt and Faith's love for each other will really be put to the test - time and time again.

This has a much more urban fantasy feel to it, but there are two HEA's involved, so it could be called a romance as well. I loved continuing the story of these two hilarious families who seem to be constantly wrapped up in some sort of disaster. Lots of very humorous situations again that had be grinning through the pages. Still loving this series.

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/07/review-devil-may-care-speak-of-devil-2.html#sthash.oXsI3u12.dpuf

The third book in the Speak of the Devil series is epic - as in end of the world apocalypse epic. Faith just can't seem to keep her life normal - or a least normal for the youngest daughter of Lucifer. Things just keep spiraling out of control and getting even more crazy.

I love Faith more and more with every page. She is such a riot - her entire family is, but she really stands out as such a unique person. A lover of children and a nurse, finding herself the Angel of Death is quite the life changing bummer, but she tries to deal with it. Her way of dealing with it leads to a series of "accidents" and "incidents" that lead to the beginnings of the legendary apocalypse.

Through it all Matt remains loyal - willing to do anything to make their relationship work. He's a great guy, but we really didn't see much of him in this one. We do get to see more of her roommate Lisa and a lot of Howard the ghost. All of these side characters are fantastic in their own way, but when put together the way Patricia Eimer does, they really take off and become very memorable.

This series should be a must read for lovers of snarky, smart-ass, sarcastic demons with a very, very non-traditional family tree. I loved every minute of it.

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/07/review-before-devil-knows-youre-dead.html#sthash.7j9Dfqsb.dpuf

The Imperial Wife follows two stories - one of modern Russian immigrant Tanya, and the other of Catherine the Great famous empress of Russia. I feel like these two stories were supposed to be more related than they I found them to be. Instead they came across as two stories that just happen to be told at the same time.

Of the two stories, I found Catherine's to be much more interesting. In all fairness, her life has always fascinated me and I may be a little more biased in that direction to start with. Catherine's story was not complete, but ends as she takes control of Russia. It skips over some her of life, but hits on some very interesting point of time as she adapted to her new life in the Russian court. I loved every page of it.

Tanya's story on the other hand just wasn't is interesting to me. I found myself wanting to rush through it to get to Catherine's. There are some very interesting pieces to her story, and her Russian clients were one of them. However, the relationship with her husband just didn't seem to justify her response in the end. In fact, the whole ending of her story just seemed off to me. I did enjoy the stories of her as a child, growing up and learning about America for the first time, trying to adapt to a new culture - much like Catherine did, and maybe this is why I enjoyed this aspect so much.

Well written, and well researched. I had a hard time connecting to Tanya's story, but with the level of writing done by the author, I'm sure other's will be able to connect very well.

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

This has to be one of the best Pride and Prejudice re-tellings I've read. The Bennet family is perfect, set in their ways and determined to go about as usual. Mr. Bennet is priceless. His dry wit and off-hand humor was amazing and spot on. In fact, all the characters were portrayed in a way that kept true to the original, but still updated them to our contemporary time.

Liz and Mr. Darcy - the classic romance - can definitely hold its own in a contemporary settings. The tension, the fights, the misunderstandings, all laid out perfectly for the modern times. I loved their interactions and banter. The "hate sex" was a great addition that really portrayed their relationship well.

I think I desperately need to go and read the rest of The Austen Project series. If they are as good as this one, I know I'll be in for a good time.

This was a really fun and quick read. Madeline was a great character that I could easily relate to. She's career driven and love is the furthest thing from her mind. She's in town for one reason only, to make the deal that will send her back to the big city and cement her promotion into her dream job. But this little town seems to like having her around.

Before she knows it, she's in a reading group, making friends, and has caught the eye of the town's most eligible bachelor, Tanner Callen. Tanner isn't looking for love either, and when he runs into Madeline the first time he's just looking for a good time. His reaction to finding out she was going to be in town for more than a vacation was priceless.

I think one of the things I enjoyed most was the depth of emotion that both characters felt. It was all so genuine and real that it really made both of them pop off the pages and come to life. It showed in every page and their interactions were incredible. And their interactions weren't all sexual in nature, but each one highlighted the sexual tension between them.

This was actually a pretty tame romance in terms of sexual context, but it didn't skimp on the chemistry. A great quick read that lived up to its expectations.

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

Lots of really great fantasy elements weave their way through The Wizard's Heir. We have magic users, fighters, a beautiful lady that caught the eye of the evil king, and a hero ready to rescue everyone. There's a lot going on the world and sometimes it got a little rushed. There are rivalries and enemies that I don't quite understand how they began. Perhaps I'm too much of a series girl and just like to always know more.

The middle was my favorite part. As Tybolt realizes his past and what that means for his future, there are some really great scenes that are incredibly well written. But then we move into chase scenes that seemed to be filler, that just didn't seem to actually move the story forward.

Overall this was a fun read. I enjoyed it, but I think it needed a little more at some points and a little less at others.

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

This was my first audio book this year, and my second audio book ever. The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a huge series and I figured it was about time to get started on it. I wasn't disappointed. The story was exciting and really held my interest from start to finish. There's an interesting mix of traditional lore and the author's own little twist. I loved the concept of the Lesser society. It was a new look at vampire slayers and demons that added a nice layer to the world Ward has created.

The Brotherhood was a little over the top - and I know they are supposed to be - but they were just too "big" for me. The saving grace was that they each seem to have some serious flaw in their physical-self, personality, or haunted past to help balance out their amazing power and size. Their leader, Wrath, is quite a hard person that is very driven in his task of taking out Lessers, even more so after the one of the Brotherhood is killed. There's quite a bit of suspense and excitement in the story that revolves around this death and the rise of power in the Lessers that takes the Brotherhood by surprise.

But this is a romance, and quite a good one. Beth is a unique woman, She's not a vampire, but she's not a human, and Wrath can't seem to stay away from her. I loved her fire and her spunk. She wasn't one to let a big vampire walk all over her and tell her what to do. Her introduction to the vampire world was great. I'm a big fan of the freak-out moment. The moment where someone realizes all those scary stories are real and they just walked into one. Beth's realization was great and it only made me like her more.

The narrator of the audiobook took a little getting used to. Partly because it was a male, and the voice in my reading head has always been female. But he told the story well and drew me in quickly. He was quite a nice companion on my daily walks.

This isn't quite as stand-alone as it sounds. There is a good chunk of plot from book one that you would find very helpful to read first, since a character makes a surprising reappearance that just won't have the same impact if you hadn't read the first book. In fact, in might just confuse you a little since some information isn't carried over into book two.

That being said, it was a pretty good story. The strain between Elysa and Kynan begins in book one, and it's only grown in the time before bofore book two. Elysa is all ready for a deep and meaningful relationship with the panther-shifter, but he's set against it - even though he really wants to. She's not a panther, and that's all that matters in his mind, but not his heart. Instead of seeming overdone, it comes off as a true conflict. He's terrified of hurting her physically and thinks he's just protecting her.

But when two wishes go terribly wrong, they find themselves rushing to find a way to reverse them and avoid their deadly consequences. So far, so good. I loved this concept that has a basis in genie lore and it was a great way to throw the two of them together in a quest to save the day.

But, there's a wizard in the background that I just didn't seem to like. His part of the story seemed to be only to cause more problems than they couple already had (and they had plenty). It drew the story out in a way that seemed to distract from the task and romance at hand. I'm still loving the series though. The world Grove has built for her characters is rich and lively with room for plenty of interesting things to happen.