I've been looking forward to this one - with it's unusual shifters and great setting. I mean, who has ever read about a moose shifter as the main character? Well, Boris was brilliant. I could totally picture him as a moose and he was the perfect match for the sly little foxy vixen, Jan. Jan was also the perfect personality for her animal. A cross between sophisticated woman and redneck ninja hunter, she was constantly surprising me (and Boris).

In Outfoxed by Love we get to learn a little bit more about the history of the town and its major inhabitants. Boris and his friends had been in the war - and their part of it wasn't pretty. Boris is plagued by PTSD, an issue that is very real and afflicts so many people when they come home. Eve wrote the situation very well and I felt for Boris every step of the way. His PTSD is his reason for avoiding Jan - even though his moose knows that she's the right one for both of them.

Jan would do anything to prove to Boris they were right for each other, and this attitude gets her into a heap of trouble. This is where the story gets beyone good as we get to see the bad guy again, and learn a whole lot about him and why he's set to hurt these people. I can't say too much, but I do know he's a main character in book three - so he's not just going to go away.

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/10/review-outfoxed-by-love-kodiak-point-2.html#sthash.3xUEEcGq.dpuf

Holy cow! I think this book managed to put just about everything I love about paranormal romance into one pretty package that I couldn't put down. Elena was perfectly written. I loved how she freaked out about everything at first - so believable. I hate when a human is introduced to the paranormal world and they are just like "ya, ok, that's cool." Come on - if you found out vampires and other crazy things existed you would freak out just like she did! It was perfect. It also takes her awhile to wrap her head around all the new things she's learning, and it sure doesn't help that Nikolai is supposed to rescuing her so that he can kill her. I'd be confused, too.

Nikolai is just as confused, but more because he has been misled. He knows in his gut that Elena isn't his enemy, but has heard for so long how horrible she is (yeah right) that he's very conflicted on what to do next. Thank goodness fate seems to get in the way and solve some of these problems while creating about a hundred more. There's a good reason this book is just over 400 pages long - because the author needed every word of it to create such a great romance story.

But that isn't where it ends! Yes, it gets better. All those hard core urban fantasy lovers out there get a kick butt world that is stuck in a war that the humans just don't realize is going on yet. In fact, the humans not knowing about the Underveil is the very point of the whole war. There are some really fun characters that I want to see more of. Aunt Uza was a riot - a hysterical crazy cat lady with a very fun twist. I wish my cats did what her's did.

There is lots of action, both sexy style and good old fashioned battle style. This is where Marissa Clarke's world building really shines. The way all the factions work together and against each other is quite beautifully written. With everything wrapping up into a great blow out of an ending. I am hooked.

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

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/10/arc-review-love-me-to-death-underveil-1.html#sthash.Fi9OtZGm.dpuf

I've been on a Christmas story binge. I love how sweet all the stories are and they all have such happy endings. But this one put a bit too much sugar in the mix for me and now I have a metaphorical toothache. Perhaps is was the fact that there are three stories about the same three angels and it was just a little too much. Or perhaps it was that the sweet endings were so contrived they seemed a bit forced? But not all is bad between this cover. There were some very nice high points (mostly the second story).

I chose this book because the name of the angels made me giggle inside. Who can resist a the trouble making trio names Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy. I'll hit the first and third story first as they had similar things I didn't like. Both were very quick and had a lot of things going on in them. Lots of characters, lots to fix, and lots seeming to go wrong. I kept losing track of who was doing what and even who belonged to which family. It was crazy! They were both novella length and really needed to be about 50 pages longer to make them work. The third book wasn't even one complete story, but three short stories that were told alternating through the chapters. It was very confusing.

Now the second book was to die for. I loved it, and would have loved to have read it on its own without it being sandwiched between the others. Now I may be a little biased since it was the true romance of the bunch, but it just had a lot more going for it than the other two. First, it was novel length. I got to know my characters, their family, and really see how the trio of angels interacted. I loved all of them. The story was just the right about of sugary sweetness that I would expect in a Christmas romance, but there were still a few surprises and at one point it even seemed to fall apart.

If you want a feel-good holiday spirit romance, I would recommend giving story two, Those Christmas Angels, a shot. It is sold by itself and was the best of the bunch.

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

This book had so much of what I look for in a holiday story. I love that the season was important, but it wasn't everything - it was there to be a part of the story, not the story itself. Carrie is a career driven reporter that has taken on one heck of a challenge. Finding the most sought after and reclusive author and getting an interview will be the article that finally gets her where she wants to be. Carrie is more than just a career-woman though. She wants it all, friends and family included.

Finn is not anything like what I expected at first. Yes, he's this crazy wilderness survival guy that lives by himself in Alaska. But, there is a huge amount of depth to him. His reasons for becoming an author and the way he has responded to fame were great and I totally fell in love with his personality. He was incredibly stand-offish and grumpy to begin with, but as the story progressed he slowly let all the walls down and we really get to see what an amazing guy he is.

This story happens around the holidays. There is just the right amount of Christmas cheer and holiday specialness. A wonderful mix with some great romance to tie it all together. I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow and develop from annoyance to not being able to live without each other.

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/11/review-starry-night-by-debbie-macomber.html#sthash.22gFyd3w.dpuf

This one didn't hit me quite as nicely as the previous books in the series. I think Eve tends to have such amazing books, that I have extremely high expectations of her. This book was still a great story, just fell a bit short of some of her others. Vicky was a great character at first. She was nerdy and a klutz and I could totally relate to her. Her first meeting with Gene had me laughing out loud. Vicky's penchant for fainting was something new and a bit different. It added a depth to her character that and gave her a bit of a humorous edge.

Gene was a little too hard and stubborn for me to really like though. He's repeated references to him reminded me a bit of "he who shall not be named" from Harry Potter. I know it is not an issue of fear of saying his name, but something else that is revealed in the story so I won't tell you what it is. His refusal to admit and act on his feelings took up a large part of the story. I really wanted to see the two of them together for a much longer time than I got to.

The assassins that we run into near the beginning of the story gave a good dose of excitement to the story that was able to carry through the story and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to pop up next. This was a great book - just not quite as great as the first two.

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

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/11/arc-review-polar-bared-kodiak-point-3.html#sthash.vl02M1P0.dpuf

I think the best part of this book was the deep bond that develops between Presley and Dmitri. They connect on very emotional level from the very beginning. They seem meant to be and find a way to help each other through past and present issues, especially for Presley. Watching their scenes together was very erotic and very touching.

Presley is new to the lifestyle, and she is a little nervous about the whole thing. She is what they call a natural submissive and this part of her personality has been taken advantage of in the past. Her most recent ex is quite a jerk as we find out very quickly. As Dmitri takes her under his wing, she blossoms. She comes into her own and realizes the power of her personality when gifted to the right people.

Dmitri is quite a dominant man, but he is not sure he would ever find a woman that matches what he is looking for in life. In Presley he finds quite a surprise. She intrigues him and he is drawn to her in a way that he has never felt before. Club Sin is his and it is run by his rules. The Club itself is a fascinating place. Very select in its membership and safe in its practices. I'm interested to see what other matches come from here.

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/11/review-claimed-club-sin-1-by-stacey.html#sthash.6HuG37Xb.dpuf

The Christmas Wedding Ring really didn't have quite a lot to do with Christmas - other than it happens to be that time of year, and there are some deadlines for the couple that are coming up at the end of the year. That doesn't mean it doesn't take advantage of the season and throws some Christmas cheer and holiday magic.

There are a lot of things that are not apparent at the beginning of the story. Molly has a lot of bad things going on - but she doesn't spill all of them right away. I really liked that. I liked how we found out about her problems as Dylan did - it allowed me to react with him instead of trying to anticipate what he was going to do. He does a great job of reacting, too. He is an interesting mixture of tough guy and sweetheart.

They are both looking to get away, and take advantage of the opportunity for no-strings-attached vacation. They are each trying to cope with their own problems and end up helping each other in ways that surprise everyone. I loved how they fell in love with each other - it was a very accepting love. A love that didn't expect anything in return - so when they both have it, it's a little magical.

I would have liked to see a little more outside influence - there is a nasty ex, but we really don't see a lot of him. I think seeing more about the people in their lives would have really made the whole things a bit more rounded. While a great romance, I like to have a little bit more running through the background as well.

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

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/11/review-christmas-wedding-ring-triple.html#sthash.tBaD7MYK.dpuf

I love Mia Ross's writing style. It just makes the whole story sound so very real. Her characters seem like someone I could walk down the street and run into on any given day. Chelsea and Paul were bitter rivals to see who could be number one in high school and now that they are thrown together again, their rivalry may be renewed. They have very different ways of approaching problems and finding solutions. Listening to them bicker was very amusing and you could tell the whole town expected it of them.

But once they move beyond the bickering stage and realize that they each have a skill set, that while very different from each other, works very well together. Soon they become closer than they ever have before, but parts of their past and their dreams may stand in the way of them having a future together.

The city of Barrett's Mill was almost a character unto itself - with each citizen playing a vital role in its overall personality. I love when a place takes on such a presence in a story. I loved all the people and how they seemed to be working together towards goals even if they didn't realize it.

Mia Ross has a great way of writing inspirational romance. It is very subtle and if you aren't paying attention you may miss it and consider them just a clean romance. I think that this is the best way to show the mysterious ways faith can impact a person's life.

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/11/review-blue-ridge-reunion-barretts-mill.html#sthash.nDD3jFOK.dpuf

Vlad returns in Prince of Twilight, but he's still not quite the star of the show. We got to really know Stormy Jones in previous stories in the series, and saw a lot of her in the book just previous (#11). In fact, book 11 seems to really set the stage for this book very nicely - even if this one happens several years later. Vlad is still looking for a way to reincarnate his dead wife - whose soul currently lives in Stormy. But doing so would kill Stormy, which he doesn't want to do either.

Elisabeta (the wife) has no such scruples and just wants to come back any way she can. She makes quite the bad guy, especially since Stormy can't ever get away from her. The time Elisabeta has spent inbetween living and dead has warped her into a vindictive demon like essence. Much of the story revolves around her and Stormy duking it out mentally and spiritually to see who will remain in control.

In the long run, Vlad will have to choose which woman he loves more. I had my doubts he would pick the right one for a long time! Maggie Shayne really knew how to draw the suspense out on this one in a good way. The closer I got to the end, the harder it was to set the book down and return to real life.

The only big draw back to this story was that it didn't seem like its own complete book. So much happened between Vlad and Stormy in book 11 and so much is revealed through flashbacks that I really felt like history was being summarized and fed to me instead of drawing me in and just telling me about it. I'm still loving this series and the characters, so you'll be seeing a review for book 13 soon.

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/11/review-prince-of-twilight-wings-in.html#sthash.lGdaW3Br.dpuf

We don't review too many clean romances here, but I really enjoy them once in a while. Home Matters is a fun, clean romance that really concentrates on the character development of our stars. Olivia has always dreamed of being a famous actress and dating the really hot host of a reality home improvement show. When all her dreams seem to be coming true she finds out it's not all it's cut out to be. People aren't who they seem when they're on screen, and in some cases completely different.

But all is not a total disappointment. She meets the ridiculously annoying, but still charming, Pete. He's everything she never wanted, but she keeps getting thrown together with him. I loved the comparison between him and our host. It made things very clear on who was the better man, and we just hope all along that Olivia can figure it out in time.

There is a little bit of celebrity intrigue and a lot of self-discovery. This was a really great book. My only complaint was that Pete was a little to good at times. He needed to have a little more of a bad boy side for me to totally fall for him.

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

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/03/blog-tour-review-and-giveaway-home.html#sthash.WothMIJW.dpuf