Review: Claimed by Evangeline Anderson

Claimed (Brides of the Kindred #1) by Evangeline Anderson
Format: ebook
Source: free Kindle download

Brides of the Kindred
1. Claimed - Kindle
2. Hunted
3. Sought
4. Found
5. Revealed
6. Pursued
7. Exiled
8. Shadowed
9. Chained
10. Divided
11. Devoured
12. Enhanced
13. Cursed
14. Enslaved
14.5. Mastering the Mistress
15. Targeted
16. Forgotten
17. Switched

Evangeline Anderson
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Synopsis (Goodreads):

Olivia Waterhouse has just graduated from nursing school and has her whole life ahead of her—until she gets drafted. Problem is, she isn’t being forced into the Army, she’s been chosen as a Kindred bride.

The Kindred are huge alien warriors—a race of genetic traders whose population is ninety-five percent male. After saving Earth from the threat of invasion they demand a reward—the right to find brides among the population. The chances of being chosen are about the same as those of winning the lottery—guess it’s just Liv’s lucky day.

Baird is a Beast Kindred who recently escaped imprisonment and torture at the hands of the malevolent Scourge. Through the torment and pain only one thing kept him sane—the thought of finding and claiming his bride—Olivia. His need to possess her is a burning intensity that threatens to consume them both.

Angry at having her future and her family taken away from her, Liv vows to fight back the only way she can—by resisting. She has one month on the Kindred Mothership with Baird—their claiming period. If she can keep from having bonding sex with him during that time, she can go home and get on with her life on Earth.

But Baird isn’t going to make it easy for her. Every week he is allowed to touch Liv more and more intimately and according to the contract she signed, she has to let him. She’s determined to resist him but his touch sets her on fire. And just as she thinks she knows what she wants, a twist of fate and an attack by the faceless Scourge AllFather changes everything…

My Thoughts: Holy Mother of Pearl! You'd think I'd reach a point where the "earth woman must become the unwilling mate to a big brawny alien" storyline would cease to titillate me. YOU'D BE WRONG! This one was goooood and I want more of the Kindred and their Brides now. *looks covetously in the general direction of Amazon*

For the most part, I liked Liv. Her entire life was disrupted when she was drafted and she didn't deal well with it. I'm totally on board with that. However her determination to deny Baird his mating rights got a little old after a while. I understand why she wasn't willing to give up her life on Earth and it worked for her as a character, but I wanted them to get down to the sexy times and Liv's emotional discord kept getting in the way of that.

Baird was totally yummy. After his months of imprisonment at the hands of the enemy, his need for Liv is huge. Not just for her body, but also for the connection they had mentally forged. Her mental touch had been all that kept him sane during his capture. He's incredibly patient with her under the circumstances and every time they were in a potentially sexual situation, it was HAWT.

I loved the world building and the entire idea behind the Kindred and their Brides. And, yes, I'm still looking covetously at the rest of the books in the series.

Review: Ral's Woman by Laurann Dohner

Ral's Woman (Zorn Warriors #1) by Laurann Dohner
Synopsis (Goodreads):

Ariel never knew aliens existed until she finds herself kidnapped and taken from Earth. When the Anzon declare humans useless, she learns her fate-prize for the winner of a brutal fight between large, muscled alien men.

Ral is a Zorn warrior. He has also been kidnapped by the Anzon, along with his crew. Forced into slavery, he's got one thing on his mind-freeing his people. That is, until he sees the small human woman he's willing to fight to win. He doesn't just want her body, he wants her heart forever.

In the hands of a hot alien, Ariel is about to discover how pleasurable captivity can be.

My Thoughts: I have to admit that my weakness for sexy sci-fi is something that I'll probably never outgrow. This book hit my sexy sci-fi spot (so to speak) and made me very happy. While there were a few things that made me cringe a little (Ral's syntax, upon occasion, is painfully atrocious), overall the book was fun and sexy and I'm already plotting ways to get my hands on the next installments.

Probably my biggest scrunchy face moment (next to the syntax issue which is really not an issue since there's the whole alien language thing and it made sense) came when Ariel explained the idea of love to Ral and he declared that they loved one another and that was that. Okay. Cool. I guess. I mean, it worked. I can't deny that. Ultimately, the length of this book didn't leave a lot of time for angsty soul searching so I can see why we jumped straight into the meat of their relationship, but at the same time Ariel accepted his declaration very easily whereas I would have expected someone who had been viciously ripped away from everything she'd known might have ... I don't know, fought against it. Maybe. Or maybe his bulging muscles and fabulous hair swayed her. I can't lie, those things would sway me. All the way. Rawr!

Although there were some minor editing flaws, the book was fun and it gave me the sexy sci-fi that I adore. Aliens with big muscles are all the rage in my head. And on my Kindle, apparently. *thumbs up*

Books in this series
1. Ral's Woman - Kindle
2. Kidnapping Casey
3. Tempting Rever
4. Berrr's Vow

Author Links
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

Reading challenges: Ebook Challenge, Why Buy the Cow? Challenge
Ral's Woman was a free Kindle download I picked up on 06/19/12.

Review: Enslave by Felicity Heaton

Enslave (Vampire Erotic Theatre #4) by Felicity Heaton
Synopsis (Goodreads):

His determination to succeed in business has left no room in his life for love. Now, a beautiful and deadly succubus has teleported into his dark, decadent world and is in danger of enslaving his heart.

Andreu’s future entails opening an erotic theatre like Vampirerotique, gaining wealth, women and power, not shackling himself to a single female, but he cannot deny the dangerously seductive succubus who stirs his anger and passion, and tempts him like no other—he will have her.

The moment their eyes meet, Varya knows she cannot have the exotic dark vampire who sets her pulse racing. His shadowed aura marks him as forbidden, but the hungers he awakens in her are too intense to resist—she must have a taste.

When an erotically-charged kiss ignites their soul-searing passion and reveals something dangerous about Andreu, will Varya leave forever or will she dare to risk all in pursuit of something she thought was beyond her reach?

My Thoughts: I like this series A LOT. I like that the vampires are sexy and arrogant. I like the werewolves that we've met. I have to admit, though, that I LOVE the introduction of the fae. It makes this world feel like it's expanded exponentially and that there's so much still that we haven't seen. I love it when an author takes me on a ride that I wasn't expecting. I feel like a kid at Christmas now. Surprises EVERYWHERE!

Andreu and Varya's story is a little different from the others. Andreu is only at Vampirerotique short term as a favor to his brother. He's learning the ins and outs of how he wants to run his own business and he's not interested in being bound to a woman. Then Varya drops into the theatre and he's a goner. For her part, Varya is entranced by Andreu from the first. She is drawn to him and she breaks all the rules of her kind to see him again. You have to respect a girl who is willing to defy tradition for a little man candy.

There were parts of this story that flayed me. I kept looking for a way that the two of them would be able to get out of their predicament whole and intact and I couldn't see it. Felicity Heaton's ability to weave a story that is equal parts wrenching, sweet, and sexy is outstanding. I'm very excited to see the rest of the cast get their happy sexin' time. Very.Excited.

Books in this series
1. Covet
2. Crave
3. Seduce
4. Enslave - Kindle

Author Links
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

Reading challenges: Ebook Challenge
Enslave was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole

Dreams of a Dark Warrior (Immortals After Dark #10) by Kresley Cole
Synopsis (Goodreads):

HE VOWED HE’D COME FOR HER . . .
Murdered before he could wed Regin the Radiant, warlord Aidan the Fierce seeks his beloved through eternity, reborn again and again into new identities, yet with no memory of his past lives.

SHE AWAITS HIS RETURN . . .
When Regin encounters Declan Chase, a brutal Celtic soldier, she recognizes her proud warlord reincarnated. But Declan takes her captive, intending retribution against all immortals—unaware that he belongs to their world.

TO SATE A DESIRE MORE POWERFUL THAN DEATH . . .
Yet every reincarnation comes with a price, for Aidan is doomed to die when he remembers his past. To save herself from Declan’s torments, will Regin rekindle memories of the passion they once shared—even if it means once again losing the only man she could ever love?

My Thoughts: So. This book is not my favorite in the series. I liked that we got to see another version of the events that went down on Immortal Island and I liked that we got to dive into Lothaire's world a bit. I liked Declan and Regin's story but... I didn't so much care for the glimpses of Declan's past lives as the aspects of Aidan. Honestly, I thought they slowed down the story and I kept grumping at Regin to hurry up with the past loves part and get back to Declan. Because Declan was awesomely tortured and damaged and all manner of crazy before he learned to get a handle on things. I *liked* Declan. Even when he was being a right awful bastard and doing really horrible things.

It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that I loved the end of the book and I sort of trudged through portions of the beginning and middle. I did love seeing the different factions of immortals. I loved that Natalya (Regin's cellmate) was obsessed with getting laid. I'm dying for Lothaire's story now. That guy is just... borderline crazy with a side of all powerful. Nix is always amusing in a completely cracked sense. There was so much fun going on and yet I didn't love it.

That said, I do think it's an integral part of the overall arc. We got to see aspects of Lothaire that were new (to me, at least). We got to meet the Order and see what lengths they'll go to "protect" mortals. There's all this stuff happening and the Accession keeps marching closer. Did I love all of this book? No, but I did love the resolution and all the tortured Declan bits. So... I'm confused.

Books in this series
.5. The Warlord Wants Forever
1. A Hunger Like No Other
2. No Rest for the Wicked
3. Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night
4. Dark Needs at Night's Edge
5. Dark Desires After Dusk
6. Kiss of a Demon King
7. Untouchable (Deep Kiss of Winter)
8. Pleasure of a Dark Prince
9. Demon from the Dark
10. Dreams of a Dark Warrior - Paperback | Kindle
11. Lothaire

Author Links
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

Review: Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole

Demon from the Dark (Immortals After Dark #9) by Kresley Cole
Synopsis (Goodreads):

A DANGEROUS DEMON SHE CAN’T RESIST . . .
Malkom Slaine: tormented by his sordid past and racked by vampiric hungers, he’s pushed to the brink by the green-eyed beauty under his guard.

A MADDENING WITCH HE ACHES TO CLAIM . . .
Carrow Graie: hiding her own sorrows, she lives only for the next party or prank. Until she meets a tortured warrior worth saving.

TRAPPED TOGETHER IN A SAVAGE PRISON . . .
In order for Malkom and Carrow to survive, he must unleash both the demon and vampire inside him. When Malkom becomes the nightmare his own people feared, will he lose the woman he craves body and soul?

My Thoughts: You guys know how I love my tormented heroes, right? Malkom ROCKED the tormented angle like nobody's business. I mean, whoa! Abused most of his life, living in the most craptastic demon dimension on record, and totally isolated... I just adored this guy. I'm not going to lie, the tats and piercings didn't hurt his cause IN THE LEAST.

Things that worked for me: The whole communication issue between Malkom and Carrow was well done. She doesn't speak Demonish, he doesn't speak English (for the most part) and yet they have to find a way to communicate. His very existence is so different from what she knows that they have a several amusing moments where they just aren't seeing things eye to eye - I'm thinking of the way Malkom attempts to woo Carrow with the severed heads. Hilarious!

Things that made me squirmy: The Order. Uggh. They're vile and awful and a whole bunch of other words that paint them in a bad light. It did take me a bit to get into the beginning of the book because of them. In some ways it felt like we were dropped in mid-story. Carrow's abduction was laid out at the end of book 8 (as were Regin's and Lothaire's) but it took a bit before I was comfortable (for lack of a better word) with the sudden change of venue. That said, I did like that so many hints were dropped as to where both Regin's and Lothaire's stories will take them. Also, loved La Dorada! She's gross and apocalyptic and she has her own personal minions. Yikes!

Big things are coming for the Lore allies and I'm ready for them. I think.

Books in this series
.5. The Warlord Wants Forever
1. A Hunger Like No Other
2. No Rest for the Wicked
3. Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night
4. Dark Needs at Night's Edge
5. Dark Desires After Dusk
6. Kiss of a Demon King
7. Untouchable (Deep Kiss of Winter)
8. Pleasure of a Dark Prince
9. Demon from the Dark - Paperback | Kindle
10. Dreams of a Dark Warrior
11. Lothaire

Author Links
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

Review: Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

Pleasure of a Dark Prince (Immortals After Dark #8) by Kresley Cole
Synopsis (Goodreads):

A DANGEROUS BEAUTY...
Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her -- and those she loves.

AN UNCONTROLLABLE NEED...
Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.

THAT LEAD TO A PLEASURE SO WICKED....
From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia's greatest weakness -- her wanton desire for him.

My Thoughts: I'm probably going to say this in every IAD review from here forward so brace yourselves... I love how we get to see events that happened in one book from an entirely different point of view in another. And now I have to back up and say that the beginning of this book runs parallel to some of the events in book 1 and it's been a while since I read book 1. Yes, it took me a bit to wrap my head around why Lachlain and Emma weren't blissed out in their honeymoon suite making mad monkey love. Eventually I caught on, though. I'm quick like that.

This time around we got to see Garreth's pursuit of the lovely Lucia. They did the sexy "I want you but I can't have you or I'll break my promise to a goddess and the world will fall into destruction" dance. It was fun to watch, I must admit. Seriously, watching Lucia fall victim to her body's wants whenever Garreth was around was fabulously fun. And Garreth... Oh, he didn't play nice. He teased her, he touched her, he got her all fired up. It was hot. Ridiculously so.

I liked the overall storyline and how we got to see a lot of setup for future books. I have the next 2 on tap. I'm ready for them! I really can't wait to see how Lucia and Garreth's misstep in the temple plays out for the rest of the gang.

Books in this series
.5. The Warlord Wants Forever
1. A Hunger Like No Other
2. No Rest for the Wicked
3. Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night
4. Dark Needs at Night's Edge
5. Dark Desires After Dusk
6. Kiss of a Demon King
7. Untouchable (Deep Kiss of Winter)
8. Pleasure of a Dark Prince - Paperback | Kindle
9. Demon from the Dark
10. Dreams of a Dark Warrior
11. Lothaire

Author Links
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

Review: Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Silver Borne (Mercy Thomson #5) by Patricia Briggs
Synopsis (Goodreads):

When mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy Thompson attempts to return a powerful Fae book she'd previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down.

It seems the book contains secret knowledge-and the Fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side-leaving Mercy to cover for him, lest his own father declare Sam's life forfeit.

All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn't careful, she might not have many more to live...

My Thoughts: It has been a long, long, loooooong time since I last picked up a Mercy Thompson book. For no reason other than I mainlined the first four books in the series and didn't have any of the others. The point here is that while I remembered all the characters and the major events in the last book(s), I didn't remember a lot of the details. This didn't get in the way of my enjoyment, exactly, but I did have a few moments of blank-eyed staring when some of the details were rehashed. I like to think that I remember the important things (Mercy's rape, that she and Adam were a couple, that Sam was a lone wolf) and the rest was just window dressing.

Sam's issue was the one that grabbed me the hardest this time around. I know that there was supposed to be some sort of love triangle in the earlier books between Mercy, Adam and Sam but I really never felt it, you know? Like, I always felt like Sam was the odd man out and Mercy and Adam were going to end up together in the long run. Sam's melancholy this time around was... heartbreaking. I kept thinking that there was no way that his problems were going to have a happy ending and it killed me a little inside.

I did like that the Pack dynamics were addressed. I liked that we got to see those dark, powerful Fae doing their nasty things. I like that we got to see Mercy still struggling with the aftermath of her rape because realistically that's not something that's going to go away quickly. I like that she and Adam aren't perfect but they make things work.  Honestly, I liked the book. It was dark and sometimes dirty, often bloody, and it worked for me.

Books in this series
1. Moon Called
2. Blood Bound
3. Iron Kissed
4. Bone Crossed
5. Silver Borne - Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle
6. River Marked
7. Frost Burned

Author Links
| Website | Amazon |