RtP Week in Review (09/07/14)

Reading the Paranormal's Week in Review

• Hotter Than Helltown by S.M. Reine [Review] - Good gravy, I adore the world S.M. Reine has created with this series.
• Top Off Tuesday - Yesssss!
• Vigilante of Shadows by Miranda Stork [Review] - Enjoyable but I could have done without the regional speech patterns of the main character. It made him tough to understand.
• Taken by the Megalodon by Shauna Michaels [Review] - Chum breath. That is all.
• Super Trouble by Vivi Andrews [Review] - Super heroes and super villains getting into super trouble!
• Peanut Goes to School by Thea Harrison [Review] -Oh, good gravy! I just ADORE Peanut.

Bookish Delights

• Books added to the pile - 7
• Bound by Night (MoonBound Clan Vampires #1) by Larissa Ione
• Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After #1) by Tessa Dare 
• Perfect Chemistry by Jodi Redford
• Caressed by Shadows (Rulers of Darkness #4) by Amanda J. Greene - For review!
• Through the Veil (Through the Veil #1) by Christi Snow - For review!
• As Long As You Love Me (2B Trilogy #2) by Ann Aguirre - For review!
• Freebies - Check the prices before you buy!
• The Wrong Girl (Freak House #1) by C.J. Archer (Historical paranormal)
• Books read - 9
• Currently reading 
• Dark Blossom by Vincent Stoia

Globetrotting...

• On Tuesday, I talked about my next few releases at KellyApple.com. Basically, I'm working feverishly on getting book 2 in the Demonkind series ready for public consumption!
• On Wednesday, I reviewed Blue Moon Over Bliss Lake by Cate Masters over at Amanda's blog. Meh.
• Free Books Need Love, Too! weekly reviews:
• Monday - Blind Wolf by Aubrey Rose
• Tuesday - GLA: The Ice F**k-It Challenge by Wendy Doer and Ronnie Kinski
• Wednesday - Like a Fox by Celia Kyle

Check it out!

• Seriously Series weekly update: This is the point where I start to eyeball all those book 3s in a trilogy I have hanging out on my bookshelves and think "I really need to pick those up and knock out a few more Before 2014 series." Every.time.
• Series started in 2014: 17/18 (+3 since last week)
• Series started before 2014: 13/18 (+1 since last week)
• Series rereads: 7/9 (+0 since last week)

Peanut Goes to School by Thea Harrison [Review]

Peanut Goes to School (Elder Races #6.7) by Thea Harrison
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Date read: July 1, 2014

Elder Races
1. Dragon Bound
2. Storm's Heart
3. Serpent's Kiss
3.5. True Colors
4. Oracle's Moon
4.5. Natural Evil
4.6. Devil's Gate
4.7. Hunter's Season
5. Lord's Fall
5.5. The Wicked
6. Kinked
6.5. Dragos Takes a Holiday
6.6. Pia Saves the Day
6.7. Peanut Goes to School - Paperback | Kindle
7. Night's Honor

Thea Harrison
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Dragos Cuelebre is no longer the only dragon.

Dragos’s son Liam Cuelebre (a.k.a. Peanut) is springing into existence, reminiscent of the first of the Elder Races who were born at the beginning of the world. At just six months of age, he has already grown to the size of a large five-year-old boy. He can read, write in complete sentences, and his math skills are off the chart.

A white dragon in his Wyr form, Liam also holds more Power than almost anyone else. In an effort to give him a taste of normality, no matter how fleeting, his parents Pia and Dragos enroll him in first grade.

They hope school will help teach Liam how to relate to others, a vital skill that will help him control his growing Power. But school has a surprising number of pitfalls, and relating to others can be a tricky business.

When a classmate is threatened, Liam must quickly learn self-control, how to rein in his instincts, and govern his temper, because there’s no doubt about it—he is fast becoming one of the most dangerous creatures in all of the Elder Races.

Thoughts on Peanut Goes to School: Good gravy, I love this family. From Dragos's fierce personality to Pia's more gentle approach to getting things done to Liam's inquisitive nature. They just work for me. I adore their interactions and the way they band together when needed.

While the Cuelebres fascinate me as a whole, this is Liam's story and I really do love the way he looks at life and all the various experiences he has. He's not like other children and Pia and Dragos don't have a guidebook on how to make his life "normal," but they do a stellar job showing him how much he's loved and how to interact with those around him.

Side note: Seeing Dragos through Liam's eyes slayed me. That crafty old dragon is a downright awesome dad.

An absolutely captivating peek into the mind of the Elder Races' only child dragon, Peanut's story gives us a glimpse at some of the trials he and his parents have to face and show us how strong the Cuelebres are as they feel their way through Liam's childhood.

I absolutely wouldn't mind seeing more of Liam in the future.

Super Trouble by Vivi Andrews [Review]

Super Trouble (Superlovin' #4) by Vivi Andrews
Format: ebook
Source: free Kindle download 04/29/14
Date read: April 29, 2014

Superlovin' by Vivi Andrews
1. Superlovin'
2. Super Bad
3. Super Hot
4. Super Trouble - Kindle

Vivi Andrews
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

To keep her out of trouble, he'll have to hold on tight.

Kim Carruthers is done being the damsel in distress, waiting for some superhero to save her. Now that she finally has super powers of her own, the bad guys had better watch out. It's payback time. Provided she can get past the sexy super determined to stop her quest for vengeance.

Unfortunately, the hero on her tail is none other than Frost Nightwing, the man even supers fear and the ex-lover whose icy touch always set her on fire. Tall, dark and deadly Frost is the one love she could never forget and the last person she wants to face… especially now that he's playing for keeps.

Thoughts on Super Trouble: I like this series. The books have sass and steam and the characters always have issues to work through. Those issues tend to revolve around super villains and unpredictable powers and attraction that hits at the most inopportune moments. WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?

So. Frost and Kim. As a regular person, Kim is the perpetual damsel in distress thanks to her endless kidnappings. Now that's she's all suped up, she's not willing to play the victim. As a reporter, she's dogged in following leads and getting answers, so it doesn't take much of a stretch for her to ferret out details of her kidnappings to try to figure out why she was made a target so many times.

Frost is the bogeyman amongst supers. An enforcer who hunts down good guys who cross the line, he's isolated himself from most of the superhero community. With good reason, as it turns out. Not going to lie, he steams up the sheets with Kim something fierce when he finally loses his cool and drops his walls.

I gotta say, I really love these supes!

Taken by the Megalodon by Shauna Michaels [Review]

Taken by the Megalodon (Monstertantra Erotica #2) by Shauna Michaels
Format: ebook
Source: provided by the author for an honest review
Date read: April 23, 2014

Monstertantra Erotica
1. Snowed in with the Yeti
2. Taken by the Megalodon - Kindle
3. Slaking the Giant Ground Sloth

Shauna Michaels
| Website | Twitter | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

On a mission to avenge the death of her lover and master Rafe, Bronwyn is pushing her boat to its limits and throwing out a chum trail for his murderer, the Megalodon. Her impossible and unlikely objective: to lead the beast into a scientist’s iron-barred trap. Her boat is shuddering, her slave and shipmate Peleus’s courage is flagging, and the Megalodon is closing on them fast. She’s finally seeing how helpless this all is, how foolish she was to agree to it in her rage.

Will she make it to the trap before the Megalodon reaches her boat, and if not, will he be gentle?

Thoughts on Taken by the Megalodon: Word of warning: This book deals with some dark, heavy-duty non-con BDSM. It's not for the faint of heart.

That said, I had no issues with the forced consent or that Bronwyn was made to humiliate herself for the pleasure of the Megalodon. My biggest cringe-worthy moment came when Mr. Megalodon blew his fish breath in her face. *gags* I can't even. I just... *gags again*

Apparently, I have issues when the creature in question consumes vast amounts of chum and then does the equivalent of when my son burps and blows it in his friends' faces. Blech. Gross. *tries to think of anything else* Other than that, we're given whips, binding, body alterations, blood play, and... umm, I'm sure there was more. The point is, it's dark. There's no romance. No safe word. No trust, except what the Megalodon forces from Bronwyn.

And somehow it works.

And the ending? Not going to lie, I kinda dug it. Very ambiguous. When you've been stripped down to nothing and had something monumental forced on you that will change you in a fundamental way, what do you do next? That's the question Bronwyn faces.

Vigilante of Shadows by Miranda Stork [Review]

Vigilante of Shadows (Scarlet Rain #1) by Miranda Stork
Format: ebook
Source: provided by the author for an honest review
Date read: May 31, 2014

Scarlet Rain
 1. Vigilante of Shadows - Paperback | Kindle
2. Keeper of Shadows
3. Creator of Shadows
4. Destroyer of Shadows

Miranda Stork
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Aodhan clutched uselessly at his head, groaning. He knew it was useless, because the voice was not inside his head. It followed him, skimming across buildings and land. It had followed him since he was sixteen, and it still followed him today, like a memory too horrific to be forgotten…

Aodhan is a shadow-demon, hardened and cold after years of being alone, after his love, his Entwined, was cruelly taken away from him. He has closed his heart to the world, and now spends his life ridding the world of men like those who took his beloved away, an immortal hit-man…

Arianwen Harris is a young DCI, working for York City Police. When a known criminal is found viciously killed, she finds herself trailing a hit-man who has seemed to escape clutches again and again…but she begins to find herself drawn to his dark charms and roguish good looks…

As their two worlds collide, Aodhan and Arianwen find themselves coming together to escape a far greater enemy, one that threatens to create a world far worse than the one they live in. As they battle to hold back the oncoming forces, fate has another plan; one to draw them together and heal their broken pasts together…

Thoughts on Vigilante of Shadows: I'm going to go on record as saying I liked this book even though I'm not the biggest fan of when a character's speech patterns get written directly into dialogue (didnae for didn't, etc). This is mostly because I have a hard time deciphering the speech at first and falling into the character's head. I'm cool by the end of the book, but those first few chapters can be brutal as I struggle to figure out what's being said.

That said, I like the overall feel of the world created. Aodhan and his ilk are struggling to survive in a world that's changed greatly since they were first born. Aodhan's vigilante justice against the bad people of the world puts him in the crosshairs of the police and things go downhill from there.

Or uphill, if you look at it from the point of view that things work out in the end.

I like the setup for future books and the idea of one perfect mate for the demons. It just took me a while to get into those speech patterns.

Top Off Tuesday - Yesssss!

I've decided to join Felicia, Christi and Amanda for their gratuitous shirtless covers on Tuesdays. Because nothing says Tuesday like flashing some skin! Hop over to Felicia's blog to see who else is participating!

Yessssss! More Sector Four GOODNESS for us to ogle. Good gravy, Kit Rocha gives us some purty covers!

Beyond Possesion (Beyond #5.5) by Kit Rocha

Tatiana Stone has worked hard to establish herself as one of Sector Four's most skilled crafters. All she wants is peace--but the sins of her father haunt her. He ruled the sector as a petty tyrant before the O'Kane takeover, and plenty of people harbor bitter memories of his cruelty. Especially now that Tatiana’s beloved baby sister has fallen in with a man who wants to start a revolution.

Zan failed his boss once, and it won't happen again. So when Dallas O'Kane asks him to defuse the rebellion brewing in the sector, he’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done--including seduce Tatiana.  It’s the perfect opportunity to get closer to the pretty crafter and complete his mission. But what he discovers is a fiery, passionate woman--and an affair that could destroy them both.

Hotter Than Helltown by S.M. Reine [Review]

Hotter Than Helltown (Preternatural Affairs #3) by S.M. Reine
Format: ebook
Source: provided by the author for an honest review
Date read: June 23, 2014

Preternatural Affairs
1. Witch Hunt
2. Silver Bullet
3. Hotter Than Helltown - Paperback | Kindle
4. Shadow Burns
5. Deadly Wrong
6. Ashes and Arsenic
7. Once Darkness Falls
8. Bitter Thirst
9. The Road to Helltown 

S.M. Reine
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

A killer is mutilating bodies in Los Angeles. Agent Cèsar Hawke is on the case, but the murderer is ahead of him--way ahead of him.

Wiping the memories of the dead so that the team's necrocognitive can't talk to them? Done. Preventing magical reconstruction of the crime scenes? Oh yeah. And the murders keep getting more brutal while Cèsar struggles to catch up.

The best way to heat up a cold case is to go to Helltown, where Los Angeles's most powerful evil hides out, but even those demons are afraid of the murderer. Their fear adds one more question to the growing pile of unknowns:

What kind of bad guy is too hot for Helltown?

Thoughts on Hotter Than Helltown: Good gravy, I adore the world S.M. Reine has created with this series. I love the way everything is interconnected and that the bad guys aren't always black and white. And that BIG THINGS happen that tie into the Descent and Ascension series. *swoon*

Cèsar. Oh, Cèsar. He might not be the best witch in the world, but he has buckets of luck on his side and he seems to know all the right people. Or the wrong people. You know, depending on what side of Helltown he's standing in.

As it turns out, Cèsar isn't quite as bad at that witchy thing as he thinks. He just does things a little more unconventionally than his fellow witches. That includes tromping into Helltown and trusting a woman who can get answers from the dead. Or maybe I mean lusting over. Heh. I like when Cèsar loses his higher brain functions around Isobel.

Bottom line: This here is one badass series that just keeps getting better. S.M. Reine never fails to entertain and I sort of love seeing the other side of OPA.