Book Binge

Mary's review of NIGHTSHADE by Michelle Rowe.

Jillian Conrad never believed in vampires. But she's just become a living, breathing weapon against them. Attacked by a desperate scientist, she is injected with a serum that was supposed to act as a deadly poison to vampires. And when the scientist is gunned down in front of her, his secrets die with him.

Declan Reyes is only half-vampire, but he hates them with all his heart. He knows that the poison in Jillian's veins could finally destroy the undead kingdom. The serum also makes her blood irresistible to all vampires—including Declan, whose bloodthirsty traits are driven into a frenzy by her.

Driven by duty to protect her and by instinct to crave her, Declan takes Jillian into his shadowy world of blood and battle. But he soon realizes his increasing need for her may be a different kind of hunger…

For a girl who just learned that vampires exist, is injected with a viscous black goo that will change her blood to vamp poison, and is puking her guts up like she's about to die (and actually might), Jillian handles her change of circumstances quite well. She was a great character—a little vulnerable, sure but she sticks up for herself, isn't willing to just sit back and let circumstances carry her down the river. I like how she's fighting to figure out what's going on, doesn't trust people just because they seem to be the "good guys", and looks beyond circumstances of birth and appearance to judge a person

Declan, on the other hand, wasn't my favorite. I think it's because he's drugged through most of the story. Sure, there's a reason for it—to keep Declan's base vampire instincts in check (according to his adoptive father and the scientists who work with him) but it makes him completely unemotional. So, I had a hard time liking him.

However, Jillian changes all that. The first time, she trades his serum for their lives and he feels lust for the first time. But he freaks out, thinking he's going vamp and losing control, and goes back on the juice as soon as he can, returning to an emotionless automaton state. While I can appreciate his long battle with the drugs, since he's been on them since he was little, it really slows down the connection between the two characters. I would have liked to see him drop the habit earlier in the story, just because I couldn't connect with him and wasn't really rooting for him and Jillian until the last quarter of the book.

NIGHTSHADE can be read as a stand-alone but I believe that it's the first of two books (possibly more?), which would explain Declan's slower evolution into a feeling character. I really liked the more scientific approach in this novel and the government's involvement in the vampire "problem". It's a bit different than many of the vampire books out there. Interesting worldbuilding, including that of the vampires. All in all, a well-written, action-packed story.

Rating: 3.75 out 5

This book is available from Berkley Sensation. You can buy it here and here in e-format.

There's only 2 days left in the Dragon Bound ARC Giveaway. Just in case you aren't convinced that the book is for you, I have a quote to tease convince you.

She nestled her nose deeper in the tall sweet smelling grass. The sun was high in the sky. It was warm on her back and shoulders. A quiet rustling in the grass grew closer. A shadow fell over her. Something very light tickled her forearms that covered the back of her head. It whuffled in her hair.

She scratched an arm. “Did you kill the Fae horses?”

The whuffling stopped. Dragos said in a cautious voice, “Was I not supposed to?”

She shrugged. “It just wasn’t their fault.”

“If it helps any, I was hungry and ate one.” Another whuffle.

She couldn’t help but chuckle. “I guess that does help some.”

She rolled over. He had stretched out alongside her, his great body between her and the remains of the Goblin/Fae army. His wings, a dramatic sweep of bronze darkening to black at the tips, were folded back. His hide glinted in the sun. She lifted her head and looked in the direction of a few plumes of smoke. His triangular head came down in front of her, golden eyes keen. “You don’t need to look over there,” he said in a gentle voice.

She sat up and leaned against his snout. She laid her cheek against him. Close up, she could see a faint pattern like scales in his hide. She stroked the wide curve of one nostril. It seemed somewhat softer than the rest of him. He held very still, breathing light and shallow.

“What does that feel like?” she asked him.

“It feels good.” He sighed, a great gust of wind, and he seemed to relax. “Thank you for saving my life again, Pia Alessandra Giovanni.” He made the syllables of her human name sound musical.

“Back atcha, big guy,” she whispered.

After a few more moments he withdrew, giving her plenty of time to straighten. She looked up, way up at his long triangular head silhouetted against the afternoon sun. “You have,” he said, “two choices.”

“Choices are good.” She pushed to her feet, all of a sudden feeling tired and achy again. “Choices are better than orders.”

“You can ride,” he told her. “Or I can carry you.”

“Ride? Hot damn.” She shaded her eyes and eyed his enormous bulk. “That might be more excitement than I can deal with right now. I’m not seeing any seat belts up there.”

“You got it.” Giving her plenty of time to adjust, he wrapped the long claws of one foot around her with such precision he didn’t cause so much as a scratch or pinch. When he tilted his foot, she found she had quite a comfortable hollow in which to sit. He lifted her up so that he could look at her. “All right?”

“I’m feeling a little Fay Wray here, but otherwise it’s great,” she told him. “You know if you weren’t a multibillionaire, you could make a good living as an elevator.”

He snorted a laugh. Then the world fell away as he leaped into the air. Anything else she might have said was lost in the beat of his huge wings, in her ear-splitting shriek.

I take it all back, she shouted at him telepathically. She had no breath left from shrieking to try to speak out loud. Forget about producing Valium, or elevator and hairdresser careers. You could be the world’s only living roller coaster. Hey, I bet Six Flags would pay you a fortune.

I see the lunatic inhabiting your body is alive and well, he replied.

He banked and shifted direction as he sensed a passageway back to the human realm. She managed to suck in more breath to shriek again. I’m being serious now—I don’t think I can deal with this!

Tough, he told her. I’m not taking the chance of anything else going wrong. This is a nonstop flight to New York. Thank you for flying Cuelebre Airlines.

“You’re not funny!” she screamed out loud. Dragon laughter filled her head.

I want to go for a ride on a dragon! *wink wink nudge nudge* I think this excerpt really does a bang up job of showcasing the humor of the book, which is one of my favorite things about it. Dragon Bound isn't going to be available until May, but all is not lost. We're giving away 5 ARCs. Want a chance to win? Check out this post for details on how you can enter.

A Cool Contest for Readers and Writers –A little fame & a little fortune!

Jaime Rush is celebrating the fourth book in her urban fantasy romance series, BURNING DARKNESS (Avon), with her Kick Butt First Line contest. Shocking, suspenseful, funny…make us want more! Cash prizes! Contest runs through March 1, 2011. For aspiring authors, it's a chance to get your name out there and add a "win" to your bio. For readers, it's a chance to play at being a writer. For details, and to check out the entries, go to www.JaimeRush.com and click on the Contest link.

Please note: This is not a Book Binge sponsored contest.

Holly's review of Moon Burning (Children of the Moon, Book 3) by Lucy Monroe

Barr never asked to be made laird over the struggling Donegal clan, or leader of its werewolf pack. But he'll do his duty and although he hasn’t yet found his mate, he hopes she will be among his people. He expects his new role to be difficult; he doesn't expect to discover a naked woman in the forest whose memory is as fragile as her human body—her delectable, all too appealing body. Could this woman be his true mate?

On a mission to save her people from extinction, Sabrine pretends she has no memory in order to gain access to her enemy: the Donegal clan. A raven shifter, she is determined to retrieve the sacred stone that rightfully belongs to her people. But soon she’ll be engulfed in her burning desire and growing love for Barr—and the dangerous and inescapable secrets destined to keep them apart...

I didn't love this book as much as I did the previous two in the series. It was good, just not as good as the others.

Sabrine is a raven shifter. For decades they've been in hiding, hunted by the other shifters of the world. As a warrior for her clan, she has sworn to protect them..and keep their existence a secret. When a magical stone they need to complete their coming-of-age ceremony is stolen, Sabrine vows to get it back. To do so, she'll have to infiltrate the Donegal clan..a clan full of wolf-shifters - her sworn enemy.

Barr is shocked to find a naked woman in the forest. Especially when he realizes she's the perfect mate for him. But not everything about Sabrine adds up. Who is this woman, really? She's obviously not the helpless thing she's pretending to be, but will she open up enough to trust him with her secrets? And can he live without her if she doesn't?

Barr was the best part about this novel. He's strong and capable, yet tender and loving. It doesn't take him long to realize Sabrine is his true mate. Once he does, he determines to let her come to him on her own. He doesn't try to force her to open up to him, or punish her when she doesn't. He's supportive of her and gives her the time she needs to realize she can trust him. He's also a fair leader. He knows how to motivate his men, gain their loyalty and still ruthlessly take control when needed.

If Barr was the best part of this novel, Sabrine was the worst. She spends the length of the novel deceiving Barr, distrusting him and saying and doing hurtful things. In the beginning, I appreciated her zeal in keeping her secrets and doing what was best for her clan. But as the novel progressed her actions became more and more unreasonable. In the face of nothing but overwhelming support and caring from Barr, she still treated him as nothing more than her enemy. I didn't understand how she could give her body to him, claim to care for him, yet still deny him all of herself.

That isn't to say she didn't have some redeeming qualities. The way she was with the other clanswomen showed she had a compassionate side. I also liked that she was a true warrior. She wasn't a woman pretending to be strong and capable - she really was strong and capable. She knew her limits and pushed herself to the full extend of them. But the way she deceived Barr and his clan, not to mention her self-righteous attitude about it really turned me off.

The secondary romance between Barr's second and the Donegal clan healer was well done. I enjoyed watching them circle each other. I also enjoyed the clan dynamics. As Barr trained them and showed them what a real leader should be, the entire clan blossomed.

The suspense plot was somewhat predictible. I feel like Monroe has kind of done the same thing over and over. It would be nice to see a new threat, rather than more of the same from previosu novels.

Although there I complained quite a bit, I did enjoy much of this novel. I just didn't particularly care for the heroine.

3.25 out of 5

The series:




This book is available from Berkley Sensation. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Rowena: This week I haven't read much of anything. I hope I'm not falling into a mini slump because that's the last thing I need right now. I just started What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long and I've been hearing nothing but good things around the blogs so I'm hopeful this will keep me out of falling too deeply into a slump.

Holly: I read Any Man of Mine by Rachel Gibson yesterday. It was pretty good. I didn't enjoy it as much as some of her others, but it wasn't a bad read. Now I'm reading What I Did for a Duke by Julie Ann Long. I'm only a few pages in, so it's too early to tell for sure, but I expect a good read. Long rarely disappoints. I think next up will be Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart. Despite my disappointment with Ten Ways, I'm very much looking forward to this one.

Casee is on her way home so she'll let us know what she's reading tomorrow.

What are you reading?

Tracy's review(ish) of Werewolf Me by Amarinda Jones

Truro Simpson is confused. What the hell is going on in the sleepy town of Ludlum? One moment her life is quiet and boring and the next she's having orgasmic sex with a hot, tattooed stranger and odd people are turning up talking about werewolves and soul mates. Do the wolves of Ludlum have something to do with that? And does any of it really matter when she is having the best sex of her life?

Every fifty years, a clan of wolves seeks new mates. Murphy Green is a werewolf. He is in Ludlum for Truro, his soul mate. The problem is the lady doesn't believe it. That's okay. His plan is to seduce her with sweet words and hard cock until she's as breathless with need and as hungry to touch and taste as he is.

This was a DNF for me.

Truro lives in a small town in Australia. One night she decides to pick up a hot man in a diner and they head to a motel for what she thinks is a one night stand. But as she is blowing him the man starts psychoanalyzing why she's doing it? What??? He gets really into her really quickly and that was, quite frankly, a little creepy. Then he tries to figure out why she's feeling inadequate - which she is, but still. Now?  Really? He was talking about "forever" and “mine” during the first scene - it was just bizarre . When he started with the pet name – Petal, no less – on the second page of the book my hackles started to rise. I wanted to give the book a fair shot though so I read on.

It looked like there was going to be some sort of a coup to try and take down the werewolf clan by a man who hated the alpha but this was only one scene in all of the pages I read. I kept waiting for more of that but it wasn't forthcoming.


The couple had sex twice before they exchanged names and when he said I Love You on page 63 after having just exchanged names I was done. DNF

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy's Place

This book is available from Ellora's Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

Tracy’s review of Pirate Lady Holiday by Kate Richards.

Aboard the Pirate Lady, Christmas is not looking too merry. Clara tries to lift her spirits with a little holiday baking, but until tattooed rocker Hot Jack Slick, traveling incognito, arrives on the scene, it looks like Clara's not going to find any spirit in her holidays.

Jack is about to find out that this is one lady pirate who isn't impressed by fame and fortune and never dates guys in bands. It's going to take Santa Claus and all his helpers to help Jack break the ice that surrounds this very lovely lady's heart. And even then, it will be a stretch to make it to her bedroom before Christmas morning dawns.

Clara is spending her Christmas Eve on board a yacht called the Pirate Lady in Los Angeles. She’s missing her mom who died of cancer and the snow from the east coast that would have made it feel more like Christmas. She decides she can keep one of her Christmas traditions alive and make a Gingerbread house. When she returns to the boat she finds a man there. He introduces himself as Jack Anderson and she’s a bit on edge that he might be there for nefarious reasons. He ends up being a friend of the owner of the yacht who was told he could use it whenever he needed. Clara decides to make the best of just the two of them using the boat and they end up making a gingerbread house together as well as motoring off and heading to a Christmas party on a yacht.

Jack and Clara feel a bond forming between them but Jack knows, after having been told by Clara in no uncertain terms, that she does not date any of the musicians that frequent the use of the yacht. How does Jack get closer to Clara like he wants – especially after he tells her that he’s the lead singer of his record labels best selling band?

While I thought this was overall a cute short holiday story I did have a couple if issues with it. First I thought that the book was too short for all of the issues that were mentioned. Clara dealing with not only the death of her mother but then there was an emotional issue centered around her biological father as well. On top of that Clara had decided that she would not date any of the musicians or clients that came on the boat and when she found out about Jack’s career she certainly wasn’t happy. There was almost too much going on for the story to be so short. Luckily the author didn’t decide to solve all of Clara’s problems in the span of 32 pages, which was nice.

The other niggle I had with the book the over-dramatized responses that the pair had during the one sex scene. It was pretty comical, at least for me, and I found myself laughing (and I don’t think I was supposed to be) when I read Clara’s shouts of ecstasy. Jack wasn't as bad but I think it's because he wasn't as verbal.

Overall a cute short story about two strangers meeting and sharing a nice holiday together.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place.

This book is available from Breathless Press. You can buy it here in e-format.

Holly's review of Have Baby, Need Billionaire by Maureen Child.

He'd certainly never set eyes on—much less gone to bed with—Tula Barrons. That he would have remembered. Yet businessman Simon Bradley agreed to let Tula and her infant cousin—a child she claimed was his—stay in his mansion until he had proof of the little boy's paternity.

But having Tula under his roof revealed something unexpected—her father had once nearly destroyed Simon's business. The billionaire now had the perfect opportunity for revenge. He could seduce Tula and take away the baby she loved…but if he succeeded, he could lose all he'd come to care for.

I've been reading Maureen Child for years. I buy based on her name alone. Unfortunately her more recent releases haven't been on par with what I've come to expect from her.

I started this novel and set it aside after 34 pages. I don't generally quit a book so early on, but the actions of the heroine convinced me not to continue.

Tula Barrons has been named guardian of her nephew upon the death of her cousin. In her will, the cousin said she wants her son to go to his father, billionaire Simon Bradley, whom she hasn't told about the baby. She left Tula in charge of approving him as caretaker.

The problem is that Tula has daddy issues. Her father is a very rich man who has always made his disappointment in Tula very clear. She's chosen to make her own way in the world. Which is commendable, except she carries a major prejudice for men who wear suits (ie, rich men). She goes to Simon's office to tell him about his son and to offer him a chance to discuss the terms of her cousin's will. The first meeting goes fairly well, all things considered. Tula babbles like a moron at first, but once she explains the situation and invites Simon over, she calms down. Simon, naturally, doesn't take the news well. He hasn't seen Tula's cousin in over a year and, in fact, barely remembers her. To hear he has a child..well, he's shocked. And somewhat disbelieving. He agrees to meet with Tula that evening and shoos her out of his office. I can't say I blamed him.

This is where the novel went downhill. Tula goes home and calls her best friend, to tell her how the meeting went. While on the phone she makes a few comments that bothered me, in regards to Simon, but it's once she gets off the phone that I became truly annoyed. She assures the baby that she won't let mean old Suit Simon suck all the joy and creativity from his world. This bothered me because she doesn't know Simon. She meets him once, under less than ideal circumstances, then jumps to conclusions about the type of person he is.

Then it goes from bad to worse. Simon shows up and Tula continues to insult and harangue him. When he's obviously shocked and angry over not knowing about his son, she tells him to suck it up. She gets angry with him for handling the baby gently and decides that's proof that he isn't fit to care for the baby. Then she jumps to the conclusion that he's insulting her work as a children's author because he made the mistake of asking what she did for a living. Since her father doesn't approve, she assumes Simon is being condescending about it also. WTF?

I decided at that point I couldn't read anymore. Maybe Tula is reformed in the end. Maybe Simon really is the jerk she assumes he is. But the automatic assumptions on her part made me angry enough that I don't care to find out.

DNF (though what I read gets a 1 out of 5)

This book is available from Silhouette Desire. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Are you part of a book club? TheBookReportNetwork.com is compiling a list of The 2010 Most Discussed Books of the Year. Check it out...

Holly's review of Here Comes the Groom by Karina Bliss

If Jocelyn Swann weren't so furious, she'd probably laugh. Her best friend, Dan Jansen, has launched a campaign worthy of his Special Forces training to arrange their wedding, from music and minister to flowers and food. What part of no does he not understand?

Their marriage "agreement" was a tipsy scrawl on the back of a coaster…three years ago! It's not a question of love. Of course she loves Dan. She's loved him all her life. If only she could get him to slow down a minute and listen—to be the friend she needs right now—she could convince him that marriage would ruin everything.

This was a sweet friends-to-lovers tale. Jocelyn and Dan have been best friends forever. They agreed, during a night of drunken revelry, that if they were still unmarried at 33 they'd marry each other. Both knew it was a joke, even if they did write it down on the back of a bar placemat and sign it like a contract. Now, on Jocelyn's 33rd birthday, Dan has changed the rules of the game..he's decided he really wants to marry Jocelyn. But neither of them are the kids they were when they made that deal..a lot has changed. Jocelyn no longer wants a husband and kids, and Dan is no longer the carefree, fearless soldier he once was.

There was a lot of depth here that I didn't expect. The way the story starts out it seems it's going to be a lighthearted romance, but Bliss tackled some heavy issues. I had some problems with both main characters at various times throughout the story, but for the most part I enjoyed watching them come together. I think Jo was a little too independent. I understand wanting to stand on your own two feet and take care of your own problems, but she took it too far.

Though I enjoyed the romance, I think it was overshadowed by the personal growth of both characters. The I Love You's seemed kind of forced at first, though in the end I did believe in them fully. The scenario Jo set up for Dan at the end seemed to come out of left field. I don't want to spoil it, but I had a series WTF moment when it was revealed what she'd done.

If you're looking for a good friends-to-lovers story, check this one out. I'll be picking up the rest of the series as it's released.

4 out of 5

This book is available from Harlequin SuperRomance. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

In my review of Archangel's Consort, I said I'd like to see Nalini Singh expand the series to include Raphael's seven. Apparently she's going to do just that. The 4th book, Archangel's Blade, due out in Sept. 2011, is going to be about Dmitri, Raphael's right hand vampire. Although he isn't my favorite of the seven, I'm still anxious to read his book.

Casee isn't happy that Singh is moving out of Elena's head, but I'm excited to see where the series goes.


What about you? Are you glad to know the series will be expanding? Or would you prefer to stay in Elena's head?

When Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison (website to come) arrived in the mail it came with a full page of author quotes, a letter from the editor and a hand-written note from the publicist telling me they were excited about this one. That never happens. Oh, of course I get emails about books the publishers are excited for, but it's rare that a book arrives with this much fanfare. Especially one that isn't going to be released for months and months.

Even so, I went into it with low expectations. I'm not much of a paranormal romance fan in general, and dragons in particular don't appeal to me. The first few chapters were good, but they weren't amazing. I was just beginning to question the good judgment of all those authors/publicists/editors/etc when BAM, I got sucked in. The turning point for me was when the hero and heroine meet. Though the world-building is interesting and unique, it isn't perfect. There were things that bothered me about the story and world-building. But the small annoyances were overshadowed by the amazing romance. The romance steals the show.  The romance is amazing. Love. Love. LOVE the romance.

In her letter, Harrison's editor said something to the effect of "The first thing I did after I read this book was tell someone about it" (I'm paraphrasing because I don't have the book with me). The first thing I did after I finished the book was email Casee. 
 That's an exact copy of the email I sent her. I still have that OMFG OMG OMFG warm-fuzzy feeling. I ended up reading it 5 times in 3 days. Tracy borrowed the book from me this past weekend and I've had anxiety about it ever since. I WANT MY BOOK BACK! I can't remember the last time I was this excited about a book. (well, ok, it might have been Meljean Brook's The Iron Duke,or Archangel's Consort by Nalini Singh, but that isn't the point)

Today I'm going to give you the opportunity to find out if it's as amazing as I say. Berkley has kindly offered two FIVE (5) ARCs of the book for us to giveaway. If you win, we ask that you tell someone about it. Post about it on Twitter or Facebook. Write a review for Goodreads (or heck, even for us..we'd love a guest review of the book). Call your best friend and tell her, or your mom, or sister, or the stranger behind you in the supermarket checkout line. Just tell someone. (if you could tell me, too, that would be great..I've been dying to talk about the book)

To enter, leave a comment on this post telling us the last book you finished and just had to tell someone about. Contest ends Feb 2, 2011 at 11:59pm. Disclaimer: You must include a valid email address with your comment to be eligible to win.

This book will be available from Berkley May 3, 2011. You can pre-order it here or here.

Holly's review of Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunters, Book 3) by Nalini Singh

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new evil…

A vampire has attacked a girls’ school—the assault one of sheer, vicious madness—and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders.

The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear.

An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed…

Another excellent entry in Singh's Guild Hunter series. I wonder if she plans to expand the series to include some of the other angels? I would love to read about Raphael's Seven.

Elena and Raphael are back in New York. Elena is stronger and starting to do some light work with the Guild again. She is also still tracking for Raphael. She isn't up to full strength and she's still doing quite a bit of training. When a vampire strikes at the school Elena's younger sisters attend, both Elena and Raphael realize someone is striking out at her. It soon becomes apparent that someone is Caliane, Raphael's mother. She's been "asleep" for centuries, but it seems she's finally awaking. And she wants her son.

When she disappeared, Caliane was completely mad. Based on the things that are happening as she wakes up, Raphael and Elena fear she's still a major threat - only this time there isn't a being strong enough to stop her.The threat becomes even more real when they realize she wants Elena dead...

I love the evolution of Raphael and Elena's relationship. I think Raphael becomes just a shade more human with each book, which makes him easier to relate to. He's still the same cold being he was in the first book, but he's softened where Elena is concerned. Elena is a strong woman. I love that she's the perfect match for Raphael in every way. She stands up to him, but also comforts him and supports him. The balance of the relationship is perfect.

With each release, the series becomes more emotionally satisfying. As the connection between Raphael and Elena grows, the stories become more intense. This is an action-packed novel full of suspense, intrigue and love. The perfect combination.

If only NS wrote these faster. I hate having to wait so long between books.

4.75 out of 5

The series:


This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.