TJ Shaw

Review — Into the Darkness by K.F. Breene

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I love it when I pick up a book not having any expectations and it totally blows me away. INTO THE DARKNESS was one of those books … it blew my socks off! Wow! What a surprise read this turned out to be.

As an orphan, Sasha has grown up on the outside. She’s not popular or a great student, and to top it off, sees people that others can’t—invisible people she calls shadow men. Fortunately, she has her boyfriend who keeps her on track until her life changes one night when these shadow people turn out to be real!

It took me a few pages to get hooked, but once Sasha met the shadow men and their leader, Stefan, I couldn’t put INTO the DARKNESS down. The chemistry between Sasha and Stefan is intense and hot. Although they try to deny their feelings, especially Stefan, the attraction they have for each other is undeniable and builds quickly.

While I loved the romance between Sasha and Stefan, I also thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Breene’s dialogue. Dialogue can be hard to write in a way that’s not stilted or awkward, yet Ms. Breene’s wit and humor had me laughing aloud in places. The banter between Sasha and Charles is just too funny!

I believe Ms. Breene keeps INTO the DARKNESS as a free read, so it was easy for me to give it a try, and I’m glad I did. Great chemistry between the main characters and strong supporting characters, along with excellent world-building and a strong magical premise will keep me reading this series.

Focused. Strong. True.

(Click on the image to visit K.F.)

Into the Darkness — K.F. Breene

Review — Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost

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I do believe Leila and Vlad are one of my favorite PNR couples. I just love them! And what’s not to love? Leila is a kickass newly turned vamp who loves to stick her hand in electrical outlets and Vlad is Dracula himself! While the story kept me engaged to the point I had a hard time putting it down, the final pages where Vlad tells Leila his “big” secret, I enjoyed the most. After everything Vlad the Impaler has done throughout his long life and he’s most ashamed of what he told her at the end. Sooo, damn funny!

To my immense relief, I’m super happy Ms. Frost decided not to end the series with BOUND by FLAMES and I’m looking forward to the next one.

What a great read!

Focused. Strong. True.

(Click on the image to visit Jeaniene)

Bound by Flames — Jeaniene Frost

Review — With Everything I Am by Kristen Ashley

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WITH EVERYTHING I AM is the second book in Ms. Ashley’s, The Three series. While I didn’t enjoy it as much as UNTIL the SUN FALLS from the SKY, I still couldn’t put it down. Callum is King of the Werewolves and Sonja is his destined human mate. Their journey to find each other as true mates was filled with a ton of angst for me. Oh my gosh, they put me through the wringer the entire way through their journey to find each other!

Again the deep POV and fantastic world-building will ensure I read WILD and FREE, the next and final in the series.

Focused. Strong. True.

(Click on the image to visit Kristen)

With Everything I Am — Kristen Ashley

Review — Animus by Ophelia Bell

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Can I just say, hot damn! So, I decided to give this series a try because I read a review of ASCEND, which is part six in this book, and I thought it sounded interesting. After reading ANIMUS, two things instantly popped into my mind. One, I didn’t realize ANIMUS is just the first part of the book, and two, I didn’t know Ms. Bell writes erotica. Holy smokes!

I’m not sure how I feel about reading only a partial of an entire book, but I will say Ms. Bell sure left her characters in, um … how should I say this … compromising positions?!

Overall, I enjoyed the read. The writing was crisp, dialog engaging, and the sex? Well, let’s just say the sex is nothing like I’ve read before, and for me, required an open mind. Want to know more? Read the book!

Focused. Strong. True.

(Click on the image to visit Ophelia)

Animus — Ophelia Bell

 

Review — Night Unbound by Dianne Duvall

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With every book in this series, I become more of a fan! My fangirling can be a good thing or a bad thing. Why? Because I expect more from the author. The dialogue has to be crisper, the romance hotter, the world-building that much stronger. Thank goodness NIGHT UNBOUND did not disappoint. Gosh, I love these characters. Each has their own flare and style, each their own flaws and desires. Zach, what can I say! He’s one hell of an awesome alpha male! And Lisette? Well, she’s in a class all her own, and together, they’re one hot couple.

Secondary characters were great, as always. Although I must admit that I missed Sheldon since he didn’t play as large a role. He’s just so dang funny that I always love what comes out of his mouth! Dialogue is one of Ms. Duvall’s strong points and it always shows with Sheldon. But even without Sheldon, there were some very funny, laugh out loud, scenes.

My parting comment, Seth needs a woman! It’s time, Seth. You need to let go and find someone!

Great work, Ms. Duvall. Now, hurry up and finish the next one!

Focused. Strong. True.

(Click on the Image to visit Dianne)

Night Unbound — Dianne Duvall

Review — Until the Sun Falls from the Sky by Kristen Ashley

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After reading this book, I can proudly say that I’m no longer a Kristen Ashley virgin! Yay! And I must ask myself why it took me so long to join the party? At least now I understand why KA fans are so loyal … Ms. Ashley writes one hell of a book. Her deep POV style kept me well engaged with the characters, and combined with fantastic world-building, I couldn’t stop reading.

I’m going to confess that I have a passion for vampires and Lucien is a great one! He’s strong, arrogant, and hopelessly devoted to his mate, Leah. Even with his faults, I fell in love with him. And any blunders he made along the way, he more than made up for at the end.

Leah also is a strong, hard-headed, and determined heroine who gives Lucien a run for his money and proves she’s not only a worthy mate, but his equal. Great, great read! Now off to read WITH EVERYTHING I AM, the second in the series.

Focused. Strong. True.

(Click on the image to visit Kristen)

Until the Sun Falls from the Sky — Kristen Ashley

Review — Hope(less) by Melissa Haag

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What a delightful book this turned out to be! I got it on a whim (it was free on Amazon and the blurb sounded interesting) and really didn’t know what to expect. I decided to read a few pages before going to bed and two hours later, I was still in my chair with Kindle in hand, reading!

HOPE(LESS) is written in first POV from Gabby’s perspective and I loved Gabby’s voice. She is a young woman coming into herself who has the ability to see people in different colors. Because of this second sight and the fact she’s different, she discovers that werewolves are real. This isn’t a typical were/human type of story. In fact, Ms. Haag’s take on the genre is not only unique, but really enjoyable.

Clay is the wolf who is destined to be Gabby’s mate and although she tries to get rid of him, he persists in courting her in a fun (and totally unexpected) way throughout most of the book. I won’t give up any details about their burgeoning relationship, but Ms. Haag did a fabulous job building it.

HOPE(LESS) is a young adult romance that packs a clean punch. I enjoyed it immensely.

Focused. Strong. True.

(Click on the image to visit Melissa)

Hope(less) — Melissa Haag

Review — Captured by Erica Stevens

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I bought CAPTURED on a whim because one, the blurb sounded interesting, and two, it was a freebie on Amazon. I decided to read a little bit before going to bed, and before I knew it, I’d read the last page! What a great surprise this book turned out to be! CAPTURED is targeted for a younger audience so it was a little sweeter than I’m used to, but that didn’t prevent me from really enjoying the characters. Aria has gone through a lot in her young seventeen years. She is captured and Braith, the eldest brother in the vampire ruling family, buys her as a blood slave. Braith is utterly fascinated by Aria. And when you discover why, you can’t blame him! He also happens to be a hot, alpha male who is totally devoted to keeping Aria for himself.

This doesn’t have the typical HEA ending for a romance and you’re left with a cliffhanger. But the writing is strong, the characters well developed, the world-building interesting, and there’s enough sexual tension to satisfy. Truly, a wonderful read that I enjoyed very much!

Focused. Strong. True.

(Click on the image to visit Erica)

Captured — Erica Stevens

Review — Chained by Night by Larissa Ione

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Wow! I really enjoyed the first book in the series, BOUND by NIGHT, but I loved this one! Hunter is one hot alpha male and Aylin is a remarkable, strong heroine with spunk and sass. I was rooting for them from the beginning. Ms. Ione’s take on the vampire genre is intriguing and unique, her world-building fantastic, and her characters have depth and … well, character! Great read!

Focused. Strong. True.

(Click on the image to visit Ione)

Chained by Night — Larissa Ione

Review — Darkest Before Dawn by Amelia Hutchins

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I must admit, this book took me by surprise. It was a friend recommendation so I kept reading when it started a bit slow for me. But Ms. Hutchins was just establishing her world and once she’d created the foundation, I had a very hard time putting DARKEST BEFORE DAWN down. I’m usually not a first person POV fan, but Ms. Hutchins did a fantastic job with Emma’s inner dialogue. Some of the things Emma thought and said were too funny! As for Jaeden, well, he’s pretty hard to resist. Strong, domineering, sexy — he has all the ingredients for a sizzling alpha male. The conclusion wasn’t a typical romance ending, but I wouldn’t say it was a cliffhanger either. While I was satisfied by how it ended, Ms. Hutchins definitely paved the way for the next book, which I’ll anxiously and happily wait for. Great start to a new series! Focused. Strong. True. (Click on the image to visit Amelia)

Darkest Before Dawn — Amelia Hutchins
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