This was my first historical romance in Chinese culture. I'd read some fantasy based on old myths, but never anything set in "real life." The culture of the pleasure houses is very vibrant. If the woman is considered a great beauty, she can live a life of ease - hosting grand parties and holding discussions with intellectuals and poets. If the woman is flawed she becomes nothing more than a piece of flesh to buy and sell. Mingyu is a great beauty, but her maidservant Yue-ying is flawed. They are both shocked with the oldest son of a wealthy family, Bai Huang, begins to show an interest in Yue-ying. (I did have a problem with the names at first just because they were very unfamiliar.)

During this time there are two horrible murders in the city, one of which is another courtesan, and Huang finds himself drawn into the investigation for a wide variety of reasons, dragging Yue-ying along with him. This part of the story didn't flow as smoothly as the rest of the story for me. It dragged quite often and slowed down the progress of the book overall. I wish there had been either much more or less about it instead of it hovering uncertainly in the background for much of it. It seemed to just be the excuse to get the two characters to have a conversation instead of a major driving force (which I think it was meant to be).

There is a HEA, but it seemed to be a little forced - but I won't be saying much more on that. The romance was well written and I love how much of the culture was brought into the story. From the clothing and hair accessories, to the family formalities it really brought the story to life.

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

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/05/review-lotus-palace-pingkang-li.html#sthash.lKr9PVOF.dpuf

In book two of the Fallen Angels series Megan is trying to get her life back to some version of normal. After death of one friend and losing the other to jealousy, she finds that Maudrina and Guy are the only people she really has left to talk to, especially when it come to her supernatural adventures from book one. While Megan may believe that her adventures are over, things ramp up again pretty quickly when they discover a low-level demon has been tracking her.

We get to meet a lot of supernatural types in this one, more angels, a nephelim, and a few demons. And they all want something that she ended up with in the end of book one. But Megan isn't ready to just hand it over, until Guy gets kidnapped and taken to hell. That kind of changes her perspecitve on things a little. I love the way the author portrayed the other angels and demons. They were each unique with very different motivations for helping or huring Megan.

A lot of times things seemed to just sort of work out magically for the best. Information would just pop up at the right time or people would suddenly be more willing to help - this made parts of the storyline a little unbelievable. I still very much enjoyed it and while I won't be chomping at the bit for book three - I definitely want to know what happens next - the ending was a killer cliffhanger.

- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-earth-angel-fallen-angels-2-by-e.html#sthash.vqChNdeD.dpuf

I did not know this was book nine in a series until I went to write my review - and I still completely loved it. It worked perfectly as a stand alone, but now I have another series and eight books to catch up with!

Lady Kate d'Allenay is a rare woman in England - she was able to inherit her families title and estates without needing to have a husband. She has poured her life into making the estate a well-run prosperous place for her family and her people. Lord Edward Quartermaine is about to shake her simple life up quite a bit by falling on his head and forgetting who he is.

Edward is quite a handsome man, and there are a few dialogs about this topic that are quite humerous and very clever. The dialog in this book was one of the things I liked best. It flowed naturally and was a joy to read. Both Edward and Kate know that their attraction shouldn't go anywhere, but they can't seem to keep their hands off each other. In fact, once Edward's memory returns it seems to get even harder for them to stay apart.

Things become especially interesting during the house party Kate hosts for her mother (but god forbid you call her that). Her mother is one of the most amazing characters I have ever read and pushes several situations to a head in this story. With a horrid ex-fiance running around, Kate is a little overwhelmed and when things take a turn for an even worse side, well, I just couldn't put the book down.

To top it all off there are two side romances that are perfectly woven into the fabric of Kate and Edward's story. It wouldn't have been the same without them, but they never stole the spotlight from the main show, just made it even better.

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

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/05/review-in-love-with-wicked-man.html#sthash.5oKPEHbb.dpuf

Another great story for Nick and Tesla. In this adventure they are trying to find out who is spying on them. The authors provided us with a handful of very humorous possibilities. I loved watching Nick and Tesla try to figure out each and every one of them. The techniques they used and the gadgets they build have instructions that are very easy to follow once again. It was a perfect mix of fun and education. My 11 year old daughter is loving this series as well.

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

- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-nick-and-teslas-secret-agent.html#sthash.JXumToAD.dpuf

When a novella manages to make you cry in the first chapter you know there's a good chance you'll have a winner on your hands. This entire story had me on an emotional roller coaster - very hard to do in under 200 pages. All the characters involved in the story were amazingly well written. I cheered for them to find a way through everything with every word. This was more than a book about two people falling in love - it was about the power one person has to change the course of an entire family - and to do it without even realizing it.

Gwen's touch in the Anderson family it felt immediately and strongly. Some embrace it while others (notably Carter) think she's a gold digger willing to anything to get a piece of their fortune. She battles these opinions throughout the whole book. I loved how people's minds weren't instantly swayed. Her process of winning them over was gradual and it had many bumps along the way.

The ending was perfect for me. It had just the right touch of a fairy tale while still somehow remaining firmly grounded in reality. I can't remember being so excited for two fictional characters in a long time.

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

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/05/review-his-billion-dollar-baby-by-lea.html#sthash.kzYEMlQk.dpuf

This review took me a little while to figure out what to say. I really loved both characters, just not together at first. Liam is looking for a relationship for the very wrong reasons - basically just to see what it was like. Liam has trust and family issues and I can understand his reluctance to enter into a serious relationship, but I wish we had seen a little more of how deep his issues went a little earlier - it would have helped me like him better early on in the story.

Lorelei just comes off as a little desperate. Following her mother's dictates and dating even when she doesn't really want to. While she is somewhat open to the idea of dating (eventually) and she does want a family, I just didn't see what she saw in Liam at the first.

About half way through they start to get a little more honest with each other, but not honest enough - there is still a lot that they are hiding. There are a few side characters that helped to push things along and I really enjoyed them. They ended up being pivotal in some unexpected ways. Overall, I think the story was alright, I just wanted a little more from it.

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

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/05/review-played-by-billionaire-by-alexia.html#sthash.CfIhgy3w.dpuf

Poor Elena - the most powerful witch in existence and she can't have the one thing she really wants. Her best friends Karl has been in love with her since they were kids and she thinks she may be in love with him as well. Too bad she can't do anything about it. But that's nothing when a demon starts to visit your dreams and uses your body to do horrible things while you're sleeping.

Elena and Karl need to figure out what is going on - and fast - before Elena is forced to give herself to one of the creepiest bad guys I've read. He's determined to make Elena his, but not for any good reason. Elena and Karl begin to dig into Elena's past and find some pretty amazingly scary stuff. And it's no longer just Elena that's as risk - if the demon gets what it wants, the whole world could be in danger.

There are some witchy friends and some other demonic types that play a big role in the story - I really loved Pueblo and was happy to see his name mentioned on the blurb for book two. Lots and lots of stuff happens for such a short novel, and there were a few times it got a little too rushed for me - especially the part right after the explosion (you'll know it when you read it). The ending is one big massive cluster of awesome though. I had to read it a couple times just to let it all sink in.

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-witching-pen-witching-pen-1-by.html#sthash.jHEkXIZA.dpuf

This was a nice little addition to The Witching Pen. It covers a short, but very important, period of time in Elena and Karl's past. The events are referenced several times in book one and it was fun to see how and why they became so important to both of them.

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-witching-pen-witching-pen-1-by.html#sthash.jHEkXIZA.dpuf

A Ghostly Menage takes a fun twist on the traditional werewolf menage theme. These werewolves have a special problem - being cursed by a witch into limbo. They are stuck in spirit form inside their family house - until she decides to release them. Several years later - enter Jenna. I really really liked her. She didn't take shit from anyone and was determined to live her life the way she wanted to. She was fiest and had an amazing sense of humor. She needed it to deal with two horny werewolf spirits.

Our two boys were just as fun to watch. Their playful bickering back and forth easily showed me how much they cared for each other - they were brothers and willing to do anything for each other. They were even willing to share, but who got to do what first was an interesting conversation.

The story revolves around Derrick and Mark trying to find a way to let Jenna know they are there and to escape the curse. Their methods are humorous to the reader and maddening to Jenna who can't figure out what the heck is going on in her new house.

I wish I could have seen a little more of the witch. I like my bad guy to have a "face" and I didn't feel very connected to her on any level. She was just sort of there. I still very much enjoyed every page of this novella. It was easy to finish in one sitting - I couldn't put it down. - See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-ghostly-menage-by-eve-langlais.html#sthash.MilZOxRV.dpuf

This book was fantastic. Have you ever imagines what people will think 100 years from now as they dig up our "artifacts" and study them? What would they think of our culture and all the things we use - especially when technology no longer exists. This is a glimpse into one of those possible worlds.

The Aerie has become a refuge for those that survived the Cleansing - a great flood that destroyed the world. Their laws and traditions are very strict - no one wants to fall prey to the same flaws that destroyed the previous civilization. But when Eva leaves to go on The Testing - a search for artifacts and an understanding of them, her eyes open to new possibilies and she begins to question.

This wasn't an overly adventurous story - it had its moments of action and excitement, but it was a more thoughtful book than many young adults I've read. The story line was very intriguing and captivating. The characters were unique and stood out even amongst each other. The big reveal at the end of the book was very very big! It was something I didn't really see coming and has me anticipating what will happen in book two.

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

- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-relic-books-of-eva-1-by-heather.html#sthash.woGlIi3y.dpuf