Doe Eyes by Staci Hart [Review]

Doe Eyes (Good Gods #3) by Staci Hart
Format: ebook
Source: provided by the author for an honest review
Date read: August 24, 2014

Good Gods
1. Deer in Headlights
2. Snake in the Grass
2.5. What the Heart Wants
3. Doe Eyes - Paperback | Kindle

Staci Hart
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Aphrodite knows better than anyone how the heart works. Just don’t ask her to figure out her own.

She’s been away from Olympus for weeks, which wasn’t near long enough for her move on from everything that had happened to her, to get past the betrayal and loss. When she returns, she has no idea what she’s walking into other than a new competition, this time against Artemis. The goddesses have never been friends, but now they have more in common than ever, though they’d rather face eat ambrosia straight than admit it.

Artemis can’t help but be smug. Her player, Josie, is a private investigator who’s lost more than she’s won. Every waking moment has been consumed by her fire to catch the man who killed her partner, and when Jon comes back into town after leaving her without a word, it’s more than she can handle. She’ll never let him in. Not again.

But Jon only did what he thought was right, and he’ll do anything he can, give her everything he has to give to prove that he can be trusted with her heart again.

With Adonis gone and the threat of Ares around every corner, Aphrodite’s past presses on her, leaving her more alone than she’s ever been. She can’t help wondering if she’ll ever escape, and how much pain she’ll endure before the whole ordeal is behind her.

Thoughts on Doe Eyes: I'm still wickedly in love with the idea of the gods playing with human lives to liven up their own. We've seen Dita triumph in past contests while paying a heavy price in her own love life. For all that she can come across as shallow and flighty at times, she makes some hard decisions that cost her dearly. I respect that.

Fresh off her own heartbreak, Aphrodite has to put her player on the road to love while trying to outmaneuver Artemis. Honestly, Dita's a mess. She makes some bad choices of her own this time around and her distraction puts her players on shaky ground.

I LOVE the relationship between Dita and Perry. Perry is SO there for Dita. She's Dita's rock and her sounding board. And when Dita stumbles, Perry's the one who has to give her the slap to the face she needs to get back on track. Not going to lie, the creative names they call Ares gave me a serious case of the giggles.

You have to respect a friend who has your back to completely. *thumbs up*

And Heff. The poor guy breaks my heart. I want him to find his happiness. I just... *weeps* Oh, Heff. The guy slays me.

Fun and fast-paced with a nice mystery and a couple who have A LOT of baggage to get past, Doe Eyes is another stellar installment in the Good Gods series. Staci Hart doesn't disappoint and I can't wait to see what's in store for Dita and her crew next.

RtP Week in Review (10/05/14)

Reading the Paranormal's Week in Review

• Love is a Battlefield by Vivian Arend and Elle Kennedy [Review] - Vivian Arend and Elle Kennedy write some seriously sexy couples.
• Top Off Tuesday - I'm waiting for a towel malfunction...
• 2014 Seriously Series 'Sessment - Kelly Tackles Round 3 - Come see what I read!
• Seriously Series 'Sessment - July-September - Q3 link-up!
• About Last Night by T. Paulin [Review] - Ha! This book. I liked it.
• Slaking the Giant Ground Sloth by Shauna Michaels [Review] - This book had me at "Giant Ground Sloth."
• In from the Cold by Taryn Kincaid [Review] - A Fire-Sex demon? YES, PLEASE!
• Dark Blossom by Vincent Stoia [Review] - A dark look at Chinese mythology.
  

Bookish Delights

• Books added to the pile - 4
• Freebies - Check the prices before you buy!
• Once by Staci Hart
• Sleepless (Bird of Stone #1) by Tracey Ward
• Storm (Elemental #1) by Brigid Kemmerer
• Beautiful Demons Box Set 1-3 by Sarra Cannon
• Books read - 16
• Currently reading 
• Through the Veil by Christi Snow

Globetrotting...

• On Tuesday, I announced that Haven is available for pre-order through Amazon at KellyApple.com. My first pre-order! I'm a big girl now!
• On Wednesday, I reviewed Evernight (Darkest London #5) by Kristen Callihan over at Amanda's blog. My love for this series is unending.
• Free Books Need Love, Too! weekly reviews:
• Monday - The Mating Chase by Bonnie Vanak
• Tuesday - GLA: Gender Swapped by the Demon Lord by Natalia Dire
• Wednesday - Agent I1: Tristan by Joni Hahn

Check it out!

• Seriously Series weekly update: New quarter, all my old numbers have been wiped out. Let's do this!
• Series started in 2014: 2/18 (+2 since last week)
• Series started before 2014: 0/18 (+x since last week)
• Series rereads: 7/9 (+0 since last week)

Dark Blossom by Vincent Stoia [Review]

Dark Blossom by Vincent Stoia
Format: ebook
Source: provided by the author for an honest review
Date read: September 13, 2014

Vincent Stoia
| Amazon | Kindle |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

A mortal woman in the realm of the gods!

China, 907 A.D. The Middle Kingdom is in turmoil. Droughts and rebellions plague the country. The last days of the Tang Dynasty are rapidly approaching.

Avagul Radir cares nothing about China. She is a foreigner. Only two people matter to Avagul—her son and daughter. But now the chaos is threatening them.

In her darkest hour, Avagul is visited by a strange old man who claims to be Jigong, the beggar god. Jigong offers Avagul a deal. If she saves China, he will save her children. Avagul must travel through a mysterious and frightening world of gods and magic. If she survives, she will face her ultimate challenge, the most terrifying deity of all—Zhong Kui, the hunter god.

Thoughts on Dark Blossom: I'm more a Greek and Celtic mythology type of girl, so I found it fascinating to delve into the gods and deities of ancient China. Learning about the minor gods and what they would and would not do to save their people was intriguing. That said, this book is chiefly about the crumbling of an empire and the lengths a mother will go to to save her children.

Ava's life is nothing short of awful. A pleasure slave, she exists at the whims of the house madam. She has little to no freedom and she's learned to fade into the background and let the world happen around her. Taken from her homeland as a child, Ava doesn't believe in the Chinese gods, so when she suddenly comes face to face with one her world is upended.

But a mother's got to do what a mother's got to do. Despite her disbelief, she hikes up her big girl panties and tried to save China from an emperor who is little more than a petulant child.

As intriguing as Ava's story is, I really enjoyed seeing through the eyes of some of the other gods. The tragedy that drove Zhong Kui to become the hunter god was both fascinating and repellant. What was done to him was heartbreaking. That he chose to defend his country and people against demons despite that made him a tragic hero.

Once again, Vincent Stoia offers us a dark look at ancient China and it was one I couldn't look away from.

In From the Cold by Taryn Kincaid [Review]

In From the Cold (Sleepy Hollow #5) by Taryn Kincaid
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Date read: June 14, 2014

Sleepy Hollow
1. Lightning
2. Thunder
3. Frost
4. Heat Wave
5. In From the Cold - Kindle
Blizzard (non-paranormal but makes mention of Sleepy Hollow)

Taryn Kincaid
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Spook Raines is a burnt-out spy who doesn’t know he’s a fire demon with a hot-as-sin twin in Sleepy Hollow.

Geneviève Mortimer is a will o' the wisp who hunts demons to ease the pain of her troubled past.

When Madame Eve brings them together for a torrid 1Night Stand, will they be able to come in from the cold at last?

Thoughts on In From the Cold: Another sexy read set in the world of Sleepy Hollow where the fire-sex demons are smokin' and their lady friends like the heat. Literally, in some cases.

Spook and Genny have some issues to work around before they can do the relationship thing. Spook doesn't know who he is and Genny is denying she's the very thing she hunts. Of the two, Spook's story got to me hard. He's completely cut off from his demon side and has no idea he's not alone in the world. I'd imagine that going through breedspawn when you don't know what that is or what to expect would be awful.

No worries, folks! Madame Eve steps in and hooks these two lost souls up. Yep, they steam up the sheets something fierce. We get answers to the Raines boys past and... did I mention the sex? Because fire-sex demons can BRING IT. Often. And with lots of dedication.

Who doesn't like demons dedicated to hardcore pleasure? NO ONE, THAT'S WHO!

Slaking the Giant Ground Sloth by Shauna Michaels [Review]

Slaking the Giant Ground Sloth (Monstertantra Erotica #3) by Shauna Michaels
Format: ebook
Source: provided by the author for an honest review
Date read: April 22, 2014

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

Shauna Michaels
| Website | Twitter | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Q: How does one slake a giant ground sloth?
A: Very slowly.

With his childhood friend and mentor Marquez as his guide, Gaspar must traipse through the rainforest and up the foot of the mountain to reach the Cave of Santiago, giant ground sloth and patron saint of the village, said to guard them against mammoths and saber-tooth cats. Along the way, he learns the truth of his task from Marquez, who is very eager to provide tutorage.

Will Gaspar pass his trial and become a man? Will he be brave enough to slake the beast?

Caution: this erotic M/M/Monster tale contains graphic depictions of Megatherium-on-man love and the explicit sexual education of a new adult. This erotic fiction is only for those 18 and older and giant-ground-sloth-curious. It’s Taken by the T-Rex after a big nap, Winnie the Pooh if Winnie were an extinct megafauna and Christopher Robin were a strapping gay grownup. All the sex depicted herein is visceral, hirsute, and well-endowed. Not for the close-minded.

Thoughts on Slaking the Giant Ground Sloth: Not going to lie, guys, this book had me at "Giant Ground Sloth." And "Slaking." But mostly the sloth part. Because the sloth is one of the great overlooked creatures who just wants some love. Or they need some love. Or something. I mean, either way, the sloth needs to get some. And Gaspar is just the one to give it to him.

In case you're wondering, the sloth isn't the only one to get a piece of Gaspar. Marquez gets all up in his business and shows him the wonders of man-love.

I think what I'm trying to say is there's a whole lot of lovin' going on here. Dude on dude, sloth on dude. Take your pick.

If you're looking for a little giant sloth action, this is the book for you. In fact, that whole caution in the blurb is pretty darn accurate. GRAB THE SLOTH BY THE BALLS AND SHOW HIM WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF.

Or just read the book. Your call.

About Last Night by T. Paulin [Review]

About Last Night (Ghost Hackers #1) by T. Paulin
Format: ebook
Source: provided by the author for an honest review
Date read: June 19, 2014

Ghost Hackers
1. About Last Night - Kindle
2. Bring on the Poltergeists
3. Call of the Wild

T. Paulin
| Website |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

In a city with a minority zombie population, anything can happen. Maybe a guy with a microchip in his brain can become a hero.

Eli Carter is a delivery driver in a dead-end career and a crowded apartment. He also has a chip in his head that prevents him from lying.

When he meets Khan Hart, a self-proclaimed necromancer/exorcist, Eli's very ordinary life begins to unravel. First, he is visited by something that goes bump in the night, then it tries to kill him a few times.

Now Eli must team up with Khan, face down his fears, and kick the butt of one very strange ghost.

Welcome to Ghost Hackers, the series. Readers will be given entertainment and/or space rabies.

WARNING: This book is suitable for older teens and adult humans with a sense of humor. There's no mushy sex or swearing, but there is some violence, gross situations, and general mayhem.

Thoughts on About Last Night: Overall, I liked the funky, offbeat feel of this book. However, I really kinda hated Eli's girlfriend. I disliked her so much I've blocked her name from my memory. I'm, like, 18% sure it's Brenda, but... don't quote me on that.

Seriously, though, the way I feel for her is the way people feel about dictators. Or clowns. Or dictator clowns. Which is a terrifying thought. Imagine being given a picture of your dictator clown and being told you have to display it at all times or you're going to be given a virulent case of space rabies. *shudder* I'd actually rather take the space rabies.

What was I talking about again? Oh, right. The dictator girlfriend. I didn't like her.

I did like Eli. And Khan. And possibly Valentine. Although, I kinda feel like we need to get to know her better before I commit to that. The point is other than the dictator girlfriend (who totally doesn't believe Eli has a chip in his head. Pfft. See what I mean? She's a shrew.), I liked the characters. They're weird. They're offbeat. They threaten to give people space rabies.

Oh, they also do that little exorcism thing. Kinda.

I'm curious about the zombies (by the by, the story Eli remembered about the time he visited the zombies and what his one friend was put through on that excursion gave me a case of the crazy eyes. o.O O.O O.o) and how Eli fits into all of that. I feel like we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg with this guy and we're going to find out plenty more about him down the road.

Here's to hoping he loses the dictator girlfriend first!

2014 Seriously Series 'Sessment - July-September

Welcome to the third official check-in for the 2014 Seriously Series Reading Challenge!

As a reminder, this check-in is a chance for you to report your progress during the previous 3 months (July - September) and reassess your goals, if needed. If you need a refresher on the categories and/or levels that you can shoot for, visit our sign-up page.

Check-in schedule:

• April 1st: January--March
• July 1st: April--June
• October 1st: July--September
• January 1st, 2015: October--December

Ready to share your progress? Excellent! Please link to either your initial sign-up post or a progress post -- not your blog's homepage.
Please note: The linky will remain open through the month of October for this check-in.