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I was really excited to see the Pueblo would be one of the main characters in Sands of Time. I fell in love with him in The Witching Pen and couldn't wait to see what happened with him and Amy. Amy was kidnapped right at the end of book one, and now everyone is on the hunt to find her. Pueblo shouldn't have a problem tracking her down by their blood bond, but where ever she has been taken, hides her even from him.
Most of the story seems to be told by Elizabeth May - she is the piece of the puzzle that holds everything together in this story. She knows that something isn't right - she's knows that the life she is living isn't her own, but she's not sure how it happened or what to do about it. Her struggle was hard to watch at times as she tried to make her current feelings match what she had been told about her life.
There is a lot happening around Elena as well. She is still new to her new powers, and needs Karl to help keep her balanced. But when something happens to Mary as well, we find a new hero ready to save the day. While this was a great story, there is a time paradox involved and I always struggle with those a little bit.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-sands-of-time-witching-pen-2-by.html#sthash.mHo1xTpK.dpuf
Most of the story seems to be told by Elizabeth May - she is the piece of the puzzle that holds everything together in this story. She knows that something isn't right - she's knows that the life she is living isn't her own, but she's not sure how it happened or what to do about it. Her struggle was hard to watch at times as she tried to make her current feelings match what she had been told about her life.
There is a lot happening around Elena as well. She is still new to her new powers, and needs Karl to help keep her balanced. But when something happens to Mary as well, we find a new hero ready to save the day. While this was a great story, there is a time paradox involved and I always struggle with those a little bit.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-sands-of-time-witching-pen-2-by.html#sthash.mHo1xTpK.dpuf
I have found that it can be difficult to find a good mix of steampunk and romance. One of the halves always seems to come up a little short. Prudence and the Professor had a very nice balance of the two. The machines and contraption were a little lacking in the middle, but the Screaming Meemie and the devices at the end made up for it.
Prudence and Gerrit seem to be made for each other, but neither of them want to admit it. Their reasons aren't very sound, and it was really the only downside of the book( although the bath house scene near the beginning is pricelss). I would have liked to see a slightly different conflict between them. There was plenty of other conflict to go around though. With espionage and assassination on the agenda, both Prudence and Gerrit are attached for several different reasons.
There is a bit of paranormal twist as well, but since it was a surprise I don't want to say exactly what it was. It was very nicely done though and leads the way into an interesting set up for book two. I think it will be another very exciting one.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-prudence-and-professor-brides-of.html#sthash.CqXrLbOv.dpuf
Prudence and Gerrit seem to be made for each other, but neither of them want to admit it. Their reasons aren't very sound, and it was really the only downside of the book( although the bath house scene near the beginning is pricelss). I would have liked to see a slightly different conflict between them. There was plenty of other conflict to go around though. With espionage and assassination on the agenda, both Prudence and Gerrit are attached for several different reasons.
There is a bit of paranormal twist as well, but since it was a surprise I don't want to say exactly what it was. It was very nicely done though and leads the way into an interesting set up for book two. I think it will be another very exciting one.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-prudence-and-professor-brides-of.html#sthash.CqXrLbOv.dpuf
The Demon Bride was an amazing book. Mary has been sucked through a strange portal and Gwain took off after her without consulting with anyone. He senses that she is something more that what she seems and is shocked to discover who she really is.
We get to meet a lot of new big players in this one - Abbadon, Archangel Michael, and some of the mysterious fae themselves. As prophecies begin to unfold and new ones are brought to life, the entire world as we know it is in for quite the wake up call - and Mary and Gwain seem to be at the heart of it all. Their romance is an interesting one that has been unfolding for far longer than anyone realizes. Their history and future is one of the most romantic things I've ever seen. And at the end I wanted to scream, cry, and cheer for them.
We can't forget about Elena and Karl, and Amy and Pueblo though. They all have an important part in the story as well. Amy has been feeling out of sorts since she was returned, and the reasons why are exciting and a little disconcerting. Her part of the story plays almost as important a role as our main characters.
Karl and Elena are on a mission to save Elena's mother from the Shanka realm. This is a more minor part of the story, but triggers many of the other events. I loved how Dianna Hardy keeps all the players in active roles throughout each book. We never have to really say good-bye to them at the end. There is a spin-off that is more of an urban fantasy that I just started, and I'm hoping that it can live up to the standard this book just set.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-demon-bride-witching-pen-3-by.html#sthash.bxxrtApB.dpuf
We get to meet a lot of new big players in this one - Abbadon, Archangel Michael, and some of the mysterious fae themselves. As prophecies begin to unfold and new ones are brought to life, the entire world as we know it is in for quite the wake up call - and Mary and Gwain seem to be at the heart of it all. Their romance is an interesting one that has been unfolding for far longer than anyone realizes. Their history and future is one of the most romantic things I've ever seen. And at the end I wanted to scream, cry, and cheer for them.
We can't forget about Elena and Karl, and Amy and Pueblo though. They all have an important part in the story as well. Amy has been feeling out of sorts since she was returned, and the reasons why are exciting and a little disconcerting. Her part of the story plays almost as important a role as our main characters.
Karl and Elena are on a mission to save Elena's mother from the Shanka realm. This is a more minor part of the story, but triggers many of the other events. I loved how Dianna Hardy keeps all the players in active roles throughout each book. We never have to really say good-bye to them at the end. There is a spin-off that is more of an urban fantasy that I just started, and I'm hoping that it can live up to the standard this book just set.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-demon-bride-witching-pen-3-by.html#sthash.bxxrtApB.dpuf
At the end of cursed I felt like there was a little something missing. A bit of drama and excitement that hadn't happened. Well, Cate Masters just saved it up and put in into book two, Charmed. As Bruno goes through the transformation back to a man, Melina begins to do some research on his condition and look through his vast library of books. What she stumbles upon opens a door full of trouble.
You may have noticed that I labeled this as a Paranormal Romance and an Urban Fantasy. The story continues to explore Bruno and Melina as they try to figure out where their relationship is going, but this section of the story really concentrated on the magic and myth of the world. Ancient magics and warring factions appear and it seems like all hell is going to break loose. We learn more about DaVinci's secrets and Melina has a surprising discovery about herself.
Then it stops!!! Yes, a bit of a cliffhanger and now I must find out when book three is going to be released. I love where Cate is taking these characters and I really want to know where they end up.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/05/review-charmed-vitruvian-man-2-by-cate.html#sthash.4QuFsDKE.dpuf
You may have noticed that I labeled this as a Paranormal Romance and an Urban Fantasy. The story continues to explore Bruno and Melina as they try to figure out where their relationship is going, but this section of the story really concentrated on the magic and myth of the world. Ancient magics and warring factions appear and it seems like all hell is going to break loose. We learn more about DaVinci's secrets and Melina has a surprising discovery about herself.
Then it stops!!! Yes, a bit of a cliffhanger and now I must find out when book three is going to be released. I love where Cate is taking these characters and I really want to know where they end up.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/05/review-charmed-vitruvian-man-2-by-cate.html#sthash.4QuFsDKE.dpuf
Two strong men and one strong woman make for an interesting story - throw in a serial rapist and the mob and it gets even more interesting. Etain doesn't do relationships - she hasn't since her mysterious "gift" caused problems. She can see and feel things - things she doesn't always want to see and feel. But she does the best she can with it, uses it to help others as much as she can. Etain is so bad ass that she was a bit much. I wish she had been a little more real. She was a motor cycle riding, tattoo artist, magic wielding, tough girl that didn't seem to be afraid of much of anything.
Cathal and Eamon are both strong controlling men that don't really like to share. Somehow Etain manages to have her way with them without making the seem any less masculine. Their tenderness and care for her made them some amazing leading men. I liked that one of them struggled for a long time with the idea of sharing her with the other. But Etain needs them both, for different reasons.
The story unfolds around Etains budding and developing abilities, the search for the Harlequin Rapist, and Cathal's mission to find who is responsible for his counsin's attack. Three big storyline manage to converge very nicely and wrap around each other very well. Although at first I thought the Harlequin Rapist was the one Cathal was after as well, but I think that's because I midread something.
There are some fairly dark scenes in this book, especially when dealing with the victims of the rapes. While there are no very detailed scenes of the attack, the emotional impact and impression is very tangible. The author handled this very sensitive subject with taste, but with honesty as well. This book had a definite noir feeling to it. I pictured the scenes in dark tones with flashes of vibrant colors. Book two, Inked Destiny, in on the shelf waiting for me.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-inked-magic-inked-magic-1-by.html#sthash.jxW6wnEA.dpuf
Cathal and Eamon are both strong controlling men that don't really like to share. Somehow Etain manages to have her way with them without making the seem any less masculine. Their tenderness and care for her made them some amazing leading men. I liked that one of them struggled for a long time with the idea of sharing her with the other. But Etain needs them both, for different reasons.
The story unfolds around Etains budding and developing abilities, the search for the Harlequin Rapist, and Cathal's mission to find who is responsible for his counsin's attack. Three big storyline manage to converge very nicely and wrap around each other very well. Although at first I thought the Harlequin Rapist was the one Cathal was after as well, but I think that's because I midread something.
There are some fairly dark scenes in this book, especially when dealing with the victims of the rapes. While there are no very detailed scenes of the attack, the emotional impact and impression is very tangible. The author handled this very sensitive subject with taste, but with honesty as well. This book had a definite noir feeling to it. I pictured the scenes in dark tones with flashes of vibrant colors. Book two, Inked Destiny, in on the shelf waiting for me.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-inked-magic-inked-magic-1-by.html#sthash.jxW6wnEA.dpuf
I was sooo glad that there was another book after The Demon Bride. There still seemed to be more story to tell, and while The Last Dragon isn't a romance, it really completed the series and the romances from the first three books as well. The story tells us of the coming of the dragons, what it means to all the races, and the history of earth, hell and heaven. Quite a lot to fit into one book.
Since there is so much going on there was a lot of jumping around. There were a few times that it got confusing, but Dianna Hardy did a great job of merging the stories together in an easy to follow type of way. I was surprised at how everything was wrapped up and amazed at how inventive her story ended. It was not what anyone in the book (or the reader) expected.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-last-dragon-witching-pen-4-by.html#sthash.e6uIBhKe.dpuf
Since there is so much going on there was a lot of jumping around. There were a few times that it got confusing, but Dianna Hardy did a great job of merging the stories together in an easy to follow type of way. I was surprised at how everything was wrapped up and amazed at how inventive her story ended. It was not what anyone in the book (or the reader) expected.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-last-dragon-witching-pen-4-by.html#sthash.e6uIBhKe.dpuf
This book had quite a few really great elements. Gretchen was an amazin character. Her special connection with the world around her misunderstood and putting her in danger. She carries something priceless inside that many would kill to get their hands on. The paranormal world was incredibly detailed and their history was rich and exciting. Gretchen finds herself suddenly emerged in their world and she doesn't know what to do.
I had a hard time putting this down once I got into it. At first the author's lyrical way of writing was a little hard to read. Once you get used to it though, it's very fitting for the story and really adds to its telling. Towards the end it began to drag out a little bit as the build up for the ending seemed to go on a little too long in the tunnels. The end itself was incredibly satisfying and disappointing at the same time. It just seemed to stop abruptly without a really good sense of conclusion. I was left with the feeling of an incomplete series.
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-on-bridge-by-jason-t-graves.html#sthash.iAJy0rzv.dpuf
I had a hard time putting this down once I got into it. At first the author's lyrical way of writing was a little hard to read. Once you get used to it though, it's very fitting for the story and really adds to its telling. Towards the end it began to drag out a little bit as the build up for the ending seemed to go on a little too long in the tunnels. The end itself was incredibly satisfying and disappointing at the same time. It just seemed to stop abruptly without a really good sense of conclusion. I was left with the feeling of an incomplete series.
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-on-bridge-by-jason-t-graves.html#sthash.iAJy0rzv.dpuf
As you can see - we sort of like these hot cyborg romances here at Bitten by Romance. In book four, Aramus, Eve Langlais delivers once again with an amazing (and at times humorous) story of these special men. For the first time in the series, our female lead is not a cyborg but a human - so it was pretty amazing to see her paired with Aramus. Aramus is a self-proclaimed hater of anything non-Cyborg. While he may not indiscriminately kill any and all humans, he really doesn't care too much if they end up dead.
As a military fighting unit his emotions are buried very deep. I love his tough shell and watching him struggle to even admit that he might just possibly be feeling something - anything - was very fun to watch. He even goes to the doctor to try and "cure" his "malfunction" and gets some very excellent advice that had me chuckling.
Eve also delivers on the action in this one. We get to watch Aramus and his team as they storm the gates of a secret compound and engage in a few good old fashioned brawls (he prefers to use his hands you know). The people behind the original Cyborg project are also making plans and there are a lot of new little twists introduced in this book. It walks it's way right into the story of Seth (book 5) very nicely and it will definitely be on my reading block in the near future - it's already calling to me from the bookshelves.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-aramus-cyborgs-more-than.html#sthash.v9ygwxNE.dpuf
As a military fighting unit his emotions are buried very deep. I love his tough shell and watching him struggle to even admit that he might just possibly be feeling something - anything - was very fun to watch. He even goes to the doctor to try and "cure" his "malfunction" and gets some very excellent advice that had me chuckling.
Eve also delivers on the action in this one. We get to watch Aramus and his team as they storm the gates of a secret compound and engage in a few good old fashioned brawls (he prefers to use his hands you know). The people behind the original Cyborg project are also making plans and there are a lot of new little twists introduced in this book. It walks it's way right into the story of Seth (book 5) very nicely and it will definitely be on my reading block in the near future - it's already calling to me from the bookshelves.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-aramus-cyborgs-more-than.html#sthash.v9ygwxNE.dpuf
Prom Impossible was not what I had expected at all. I really thought that it was going to involve more of -well - prom. Instead it concentrates on all the bad decisions Cassidy makes over the course of her senior year, and the tail end of her junior year just to get things going. Now, don't get me wrong, her antics were very funny, if very unbelievable. At times it was quite difficult to wrap my head around one person screwing things up so badly. Even if she had done half of it, I think she would still have been a great character. It was just way too much for me.
The boys in her life are amazing characters. Even the one you are supposed to hate, you love to do it. The other two are sweet and perfect in their own way, but Cassidy will need to figure out which one she really wants at the end of it all.
This was a cute story, just a bit much for taste at times.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-prom-impossible-by-laura-pauling.html#sthash.MSp0JOqV.dpuf
The boys in her life are amazing characters. Even the one you are supposed to hate, you love to do it. The other two are sweet and perfect in their own way, but Cassidy will need to figure out which one she really wants at the end of it all.
This was a cute story, just a bit much for taste at times.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-prom-impossible-by-laura-pauling.html#sthash.MSp0JOqV.dpuf
This series does not need to be read in order to enjoy them. However, Jared and Bryna do play a fairly important role in The Patrician's Fortune and it was great to see their story.
Bryna is a slave. Her "barbarian tribe" was captured and sold in the slave markets of Rome. A beautiful woman doesn't usually last long there, but her brother had the fore sight to brag about her powerful visions - ones that would disappear if she were violated. So instead of entering a brothel as a prostitute, she enters one as an oracle with services for sale. I love how Joan Kayse set up the back story. It became a seamless part of the current story, revealed in small ways that led to a great understanding of the position Bryna found herself in.
Jared, on the other hand, was not a slave. At least not at first. He was a customer - and the lies Bryna tells him lead to his capture. Through a series of events and sales, they find themselves working for the same master on a secluded estate. This is where the story hit a little hiccup for me. I know the Roman empire was vast, but I would have thought someone, somewhere in one of the markets would have recognized one of Alexandria's most prominent merchants. This thought popped up several times in their journey. But putting that aside, the way they were brought together was brilliant.
Jared and Bryna both have the same basic goal - escape. Each with their own motives. I love how their relationship grew so gradually that neither one even realized it at first. They are torn apart several times, but somehow always managed to find themselves together again. The end of the story ends with several fantastically moving scenes between them and with the "bad guys". I just wish Jared's history had been a little bit easier for me to believe.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-patrician-by-joan-kayse.html#sthash.pOI3rNUi.dpuf
Bryna is a slave. Her "barbarian tribe" was captured and sold in the slave markets of Rome. A beautiful woman doesn't usually last long there, but her brother had the fore sight to brag about her powerful visions - ones that would disappear if she were violated. So instead of entering a brothel as a prostitute, she enters one as an oracle with services for sale. I love how Joan Kayse set up the back story. It became a seamless part of the current story, revealed in small ways that led to a great understanding of the position Bryna found herself in.
Jared, on the other hand, was not a slave. At least not at first. He was a customer - and the lies Bryna tells him lead to his capture. Through a series of events and sales, they find themselves working for the same master on a secluded estate. This is where the story hit a little hiccup for me. I know the Roman empire was vast, but I would have thought someone, somewhere in one of the markets would have recognized one of Alexandria's most prominent merchants. This thought popped up several times in their journey. But putting that aside, the way they were brought together was brilliant.
Jared and Bryna both have the same basic goal - escape. Each with their own motives. I love how their relationship grew so gradually that neither one even realized it at first. They are torn apart several times, but somehow always managed to find themselves together again. The end of the story ends with several fantastically moving scenes between them and with the "bad guys". I just wish Jared's history had been a little bit easier for me to believe.
- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/06/review-patrician-by-joan-kayse.html#sthash.pOI3rNUi.dpuf