Feeling Fictional: May 2016

Tuesday, 31 May 2016

Review: Burned - Karen Marie Moning

MacKayla Lane would do anything to save the home she loves. A gifted sidhe-seer, she's already fought and defeated the deadly Sinsar Dubh - an ancient book of terrible evil - yet its hold on her has never been stronger.

When the wall that protected humans from the seductive, insatiable Fae was destroyed, long-imprisoned immortals ravaged the planet. Now Dublin is a war zone, with factions battling for control and passions running red-hot. Seelie and Unseelie vie for power; a rival band of sidhe-seers invades the city; Mac's former protégé and best friend, Dani "Mega" O'Malley, is now her fierce enemy; and, even more urgent, Highland druid Christian MacKeltar has been captured and is being driven deeper into Unseelie madness. The only one Mac can depend on is the powerful, dangerous Jericho Barrons, but even their fiery bond is tested by betrayal. In an epic battle against dark forces, Mac must decide who she can trust, and what her survival is ultimately worth.

Fever Series:
Darkfever
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever
Fever Moon: The Fear Dorcha (Graphic Novel)
Iced
Burned
Feverborn

Visit Karen Marie Moning's website for more information

Review:
Warning, this review will contain spoilers for Burned. I've tried and tried to write a review without any but it's just impossible to talk about it properly without at least touching on some major events in the book. I'll try to keep it to a minimum but read on at your own risk.

I have such mixed feelings about this book and that's one of the main reasons it's taken me such a ridiculously long time to write this review. Going into Iced I had incredibly low expectations because so many people hated it but after surprising myself and enjoying it I was then expecting even bigger and better things from Burned. And in some ways it delivered them: I got answers to a lot of questions I had, Ryodan went a long way towards redeeming himself, I got to spend more time with Mac and Barrons and the issue of Dani's age was resolved.

All those things should instantly make it a favourite book but unfortunately the way these things happened also came with negatives. Ryodan went a little too far towards redemption and lost a lot of his roguish charm, I'm glad he was able to justify some of his actions in Iced but I don't want to suddenly see him as a perfect guy. The best thing about him was the fact that he was an unapologetic arse! Yes, we spent more time with Mac and Barrons but they're far from the couple we fell in love with in the first book - Mac is a shadow of herself (even worse than Mac 1.0!) and the closeness they'd built up to is pretty much gone. Barrons seems to have lost all respect for Mac and since Mac is acting like a child all of the other characters start to treat her like one. There is an interesting twist with Mac and the Sinsar Dubh though and she did start acting a little more like herself by the end of the book so I'm hoping she'll work out eventually.

Then you have Dani, I've always loved her character, as irritating as she could be she always felt like a realistic teenager. I wanted to see her grow up and become a woman but that's exactly the problem here. I wanted to see it. I wanted to watch the changes with my own two eyes not have her disappear into the Silvers and have her magically come back 6 years older and a completely different person! In some ways that plot device is genius and I actually kind of like the disconnect between Dani and Jada, it even explains a few things about her past and it added a whole new layer of complexity to her character, I just don't like the fact that the Dani I know and love has vanished. I guess all I can hope for now is that KMM will find a way to merge the two sides of her character into someone who is recognisable as Dani but an older, more experienced Dani who is more in charge of her own life.

This book is a perfect example of the phrase "Be careful what you wish for", it totally feels like KMM took on board what a lot of fans complained about after the release of Iced and wrote the Burned to appease them. That's all well and good in some ways but in others it feels like a bit of a cop out, like she gave up on her own plans for the series because fans complained too loudly about the way she had handled certain things. For those of us who actually enjoyed Iced it was an extra kick in the teeth because she took away all the things that made it great. I'm actually disappointed that the additional trilogy that was supposed to be Dani's story was taken away from her and given back to Mac and Barrons, especially since I feel like their story has already been told and they don't have a lot to add.

It's not all bad though and there were some things I really enjoyed about the story. I actually liked Jada as a character (I just wanted to see how Dani went from being the girl we knew to being a warrior like Jada) and I think she's going to have an interesting impact on the Sidhe Seers. I loved the scenes from Lor's point of view, he outshone both Ryodan and Barrons in this book I think so I hope we see a lot more of him in the next book. I already mentioned an interesting twist with the Sinsar Dubh but we also get to see more of the Unseelie King and the Concubine which was brilliant and I loved the addition of the Unseelie Princess.

So I didn't hate Burned but I didn't love it either and I just have this nagging feeling that it could have been so much better. Will KMM get things back on track in Feverborn? I honestly don't know. I kind of hope she does but I no longer have that desperate urge to read it and find out. Will I get to it at some point? I'm sure I will, in fact, finally sitting down and writing this review (nearly 5 months after I read the book!) is kind of making me want to pick it up now, but there's another wary part of me that thinks it's probably best to wait until the entire series is finished before going back there. Then I can read all the remaining books together and be done with it once and for all.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Beyond Ecstasy - Kit Rocha

The O’Kanes have a reputation for working hard and playing harder—except for Hawk. He joined the gang with one goal: to ensure his family’s survival through the impending war with Eden. It’s been years since he had the luxury of wanting anything for himself. Now, he wants Jeni. From the first moment he saw her, he’s been obsessed with making her his. Not for a night—forever.

Jeni’s been lusting after the former smuggler for months, but he keeps shutting her down. She’s almost given up on getting him in her bed when he offers her the last thing she ever expected—a collar. Accepting it means belonging to him, body and soul. It’s a reckless gamble, but Jeni can’t resist the chance to slip under Hawk’s armor.

The only thing more shocking than the dark, dangerous pleasure they discover is how right it feels. But falling in love is even more reckless when forever is far from guaranteed. Because they aren’t just at war, they’re out of time—and every breath could be their last.

Beyond Series:
Beyond Shame
Beyond Control
Beyond Denial (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Pain
Flash (Free short story)
Beyond Temptation (Novella in the Marked Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Jealousy
Beyond Solitude (Novella in the Alpha's After Dark Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Addiction
Beyond Possession (Novella)
Beyond Innocence
Closed Doors (A Beyond Happily Ever After short story)
Blank Canvas (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Ruin
Beyond Ecstasy
Beyond Surrender
Creative Incentives (Free short story)
Beyond Doubt (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Cravings (Free short story)
Beyond Forever (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Dessert (Free short story)
Ravished (Free short story)
Efficient (Free short story)
Memorial (Free short story)
Fierce Protector (Free short story)
A Little Bit Bad (Free short story)
Diplomacy (Free short story)

Gideon's Riders Series:
(Spin off series)
Ashwin
Makhai (Free short story)
Deacon
6th Sense (Free short story)
Ivan
High Priestess (Free short story)
Girls' Night Out (Free short story)

Visit Kit Rocha's website for more information.

Review:
Beyond Ecstasy is the eighth (and second to last!) book in the Beyond series so this review may contain spoilers for the series arc of the previous seven stories. This is definitely a series you want to read in order because as much as each book features a different main couple there is an ongoing storyline about the animosity between the people in the sectors and the rulers of Eden. Things have been getting gradually worse and now we're coming to the end of the series the stakes are higher than ever. War isn't just looming on the horizon, it's now arrived and that puts everyone we love at risk.

It's been obvious for a while now that Hawk and Jeni both have a thing for each other but no matter how many hints Jeni has dropped Hawk has avoided taking her up on her advances. He's been studying her from a distance and he knows everything about her, enough to know that he wants to claim her as his own, he just forgot one tiny detail - letting Jeni get to know him in return! With war looming Hawk knows if he doesn't make his move now he'll regret it but when he offers her a collar Jeni is completely shocked, it's come completely out of nowhere for her and she's not sure if she's ready to take such a huge step with a man she barely knows.

I have to admit that I felt things were initially a little rushed between the two of them, they go from zero to sixty in no time at all and although we've seen them admiring each other from afar for several books now I didn't think they were ready to jump into such a serious relationship as fast as they did. Don't let that put you off though because I really enjoyed seeing them work out how to be a couple, they both made a lot of mistakes due to the fact that they jumped in so quickly and I was happy that they then had to take a step backwards and figure out where they went wrong. It made their relationship so much more realistic because they had to keep working at it even after they'd decided they wanted to be together. They came out the other side a much stronger couple because of the problems they had and I think they're pretty perfect for each other.

If you've ever read any of this series before then you'll know that the O'Kanes like to get down and dirty so Jeni and Hawk are no different, they touch on a little S&M (nothing too major - just spanking really) but more than anything they both get off on dominance and submission. In a lot of ways this was probably tamer than some of the other books in the series but there was still plenty of heat to it and I thought Jeni and Hawk had brilliant chemistry. Hawk was a very considerate lover and he took great care of Jeni so her safety was always a priority for him.

I enjoyed getting to meet more of Hawk's family, he's from sector six so his father had something like 10 wives and he has a huge number of siblings which was quite a scary thought. They seemed like a really close bunch though and we saw a completely different side of Hawk when he was around them. As always we got to spend plenty of time catching up with other O'Kane characters too, Jeni has quite a deep connection to several of the others and I loved the way they looked out for her and all wanted to help Hawk to understand what she needed.

War has been brewing between the sectors and Eden for a long time now but the danger has definitely ramped up in this book, the sense of fear in Sector Four is palpable but so is the sense of hope for the future. These are characters who know exactly what they want to achieve and they are prepared to do whatever it takes to meet that goal. They know they will be putting their lives at risk and that's something that weighs heavily, particularly on sector leaders Dallas and Lex, but they've been stockpiling medicines, food and weapons and they're as ready for what's coming as possible. The stakes have never been higher but they have no other option but to fight.

This series has just been so much fun to read and I can't wait to get my hands on the final book. I'm also incredibly relieved that Kit Rocha has announced the spin off series because I'm really not ready to say goodbye to this world yet!

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Kindle:

Sunday, 29 May 2016

Underrated Contemporary Romance Books

The Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge is hosted by Gone with the Words and Love at First Page. As part of the challenge they are setting a different topic every month that participants can choose to join in with which I think is a brilliant idea so you can expect a post like this to appear at random most months throughout the year.

The May Prompt is:

Underrated Contemporary Romance Books

(Links below will take you to my reviews)

There are lots of books I want to shout to the world about and get everyone reading but in the end to try and narrow down my list a bit I decided to only include books with less than 5000 ratings on Goodreads (most of these books fall in around the 2-3K mark). I love all of these authors and would happily recommend any of their books, where stories are part of a series the book I've mentioned is the first one but more often than not I've read and loved them all. The Lara Adrian book is possibly a bit of a cheat as it was only released this week but it's still got less than 5K ratings, it's her first self published contemporary romance and I loved it so much that I really want to rave about it!

Have you read any of my choices? What books would be on your most underrated list?

Saturday, 28 May 2016

Cover Reveal: Barefoot on the Wind - Zoe Marriott

Shadows on the Moon is one of my favourite books, it's an absolutely beautiful Cinderella reimagining and I just love everything about it. So you can imagine my excitement when Zoe Marriott announced she was writing another book in the same world! It feels like I've been waiting forever to read Barefoot on the Wind, a feminist reimagining of Beauty and the Beast (which happens to be my favourite fairytale to boot!), but the wait is nearly over and even better, we have a beautiful cover to drool over!!

Just look at that gorgeous work of art! Isn't it stunning. I CAN'T WAIT to have that beauty on my shelves!

Zoe's thoughts on the cover (taken from her blog post HERE):

Is that gorgeous, or is it gorgeous? I love it. Everything on this cover - the white, red and green colours, the frosty white thorns, the moths, the red butterflies and the falling snow - is symbolic (Google 'butterflies in Japanese mythology' for a hint) and comes directly from stuff that's in the story. I want to burble on endlessly about how much they nailed making the cover represent the book, but it's basically all spoilers so I'll just be over here quietly squeeing while you absorb this

Blurb (taken from goodreads):

A companion title to Zoë Marriott's critically acclaimed Shadows on the Moon, BAREFOOT ON THE WIND is a darkly magical retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" set in fairytale Japan.

There is a monster in the forest...

Everyone in Hana's remote village on the mountain knows that straying too far into the woods is a death sentence. When Hana's father goes missing, she is the only one who dares try to save him. Taking up her hunting gear, she goes in search of the beast, determined to kill it - or be killed herself.

But the forest contains more secrets, more magic and more darkness than Hana could ever have imagined. And the beast is not at all what she expects...

As if that wasn't exciting enough Zoe had even more news to share with us. Because it's been five years since the original release of Shadows on the Moon Walker Books have decided to give it a revamp, with a brand new cover to match Barefoot in the Wind and EXTRA CONTENT! OMG I can barely contain my excitement today! Zoe will be sharing the new cover for Shadows on the Moon sometime next week so I'll be sure to post about it as soon as I spot it but in the meantime I strongly suggest you get your pre-orders in now.

Barefoot on the Wind will be available from the 1st of September and the new version of Shadows on the Moon will follow not long afterwards. These books are both set in the same fairytale realm but there is no overlap of characters so you can read them in any order but I can't recommend Shadows on the Moon highly enough and I'm desperately looking forward to reading Barefoot on the Wind for the first time.

What do you think of Barefoot in the Wind's cover? Do you love it as much as I did? Have you read Shadows on the Moon? I think it's one of the most underrated YA fantasy stories out there, Zoe was ahead of the trend and this was published before the genre really took off so I'm hoping that the re release is going to come at just the right time for it to have the success that it so rightfully deserves!

Friday, 27 May 2016

Review: For 100 Days - Lara Adrian (+ Giveaway)

Pleasure has a price . . .

Just when everything in my life is falling apart, I find a chance to turn it around--to step into someone else's glittering world, if only for a little while. I become someone new, no longer the woman defined by an ugly past, but a woman freer and bolder than myself. A woman who isn't afraid to explore every passion, even at its darkest, with a mysterious and seductive man who believes my mask is real.

Handsome and commanding, enigmatic and irresistible, billionaire Dominic Baine is an obsession I cannot afford and should not risk. He ushers me into consuming new pleasures and addicting new desires, until the line between my real life and the fantasy one I've stolen with him begins to blur.

I know I cannot keep my truth from him. I know my past will not stay buried forever. But before I can make it right, everything comes crashing down. I have deceived this powerful, dangerous man . . . and now there is a price to be paid.

100 Series:
For 100 Days
For 100 Nights
For 100 Reasons

100 Series Standalone Romances:
(These stories are set in the same world as the 100 Series but can be read completely separately with each book featuring a HEA for a different couple)
Run To You

Play My Game

Visit Lara Adrian's website for more information

Review:
I'm a massive fan of Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series (I love it so much that I even have a Breedmate tattoo!) and she's one of my favourite authors so of course I'm going to want to read anything new she comes out with. For 100 Days is the start of a brand new trilogy and it's a big departure from her paranormal or historical romances but don't let that put you off because it's still a wonderful story. The heat levels have been ramped all the way up and I think this might just be Lara's sexiest book yet!

Avery is a struggling artist who works six days a week as a bartender to make ends meet. Her life is going from bad to worse though - she's about to be evicted from her apartment because she can't afford a rent increase and her paintings have just been pulled from a prestigious gallery after the owner decided they weren't good enough. Things start to look up when she is offered the chance of housesitting for one of her customers and she suddenly finds herself living in an upscale apartment and crossing paths with gorgeous billionaire Nick. Avery knows that she can never risk a serious relationship, she has far too many secrets for that, but she can't resist the pull Nick has on her and they end up embarking on a passionate affair.

I really loved Avery's character, she's just a normal girl who is struggling to make her way in life and she's the kind of woman you can imagine being friends with. She obviously has major secrets but we're kept in the dark about a lot of the details until towards the end of the book, there are enough hints for us to make some informed guesses though and we can definitely see the affect her past has had on her. She finds it very hard to trust people and let them in and apart from one close friend from work she pretty much keeps to herself. She also has such a tight hold on her emotions that it's affecting her artwork and I think we're going to get the chance to see her really learn to open up in all kinds of ways as the series continues.

Nick is still quite a mystery, Avery isn't the only one who has secrets but because the story is told from her point of view we have very little insight into what's going on in Nick's head. In a lot of ways he's a typical billionaire, he enjoys the high life and has all the best things that money can buy, but at the same time he's not quite as work obsessed as some of the fictional billionaires I've come across. He seems to have a pretty good work/life balance and he's happy to put Avery's needs first which is something I liked about him. I loved the way he seems to see through Avery's tough outer shell and sense that she's quite vulnerable inside and I especially liked the way he handled things at the end when some of her secrets start to come out into the open.

If I have one complaint it was that I didn't like the way Avery told Nick so many lies about herself, I can completely understand her keeping her big secrets but she was less than honest about a lot of little things too. I could get why she didn't correct his assumptions when she just thought it was going to be a one night stand but didn't think she needed to carry on lying about things like her job when it started to get more serious between them. She did come clean in the end but I'm hoping she'll have learned her lesson there and be more honest with him in the future, especially after the way things ended!

For 100 Days is an incredibly hot read, Avery and Nick have off the charts chemistry and I loved that Nick was so alpha and in control without being overly possessive and jealous. They're a fantastic couple and there is actually surprisingly little drama between them which made a refreshing change. The conflict so far has come from outside sources and it looks like things are about to step up a gear so I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of For 100 Nights and see what happens next.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

In case you missed it earlier this week I posted an extract from For 100 Days that you can read HERE.

You can also still enter the blog tour giveaway below:

Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of For 100 Days Lara Adrian is giving fans a chance to win a signed copy as well as a stainless steel Midnight Breed tumbler. You can enter the giveaway using the rafflecopter form below, the winner will be announced via the widget and contacted directly by Lara or her assitant to arrange sending out the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, 26 May 2016

Review: Winnie-the-Pooh and the Royal Birthday - Inspired by A.A. Milne & E.H. Shepard (A brand new & free Winnie-the-Pooh story to celebrate 2 very special 90th birthdays!)

As Her Majesty The Queen celebrates her official 90th birthday, a very special bear is also celebrating 90 years.

This October we’re celebrating Winnie-the-Pooh’s 90th anniversary, which marks 90 years since his first arrival in the Hundred Acre Wood. With Her Majesty The Queen and Winnie-the-Pooh both celebrating 90 years, it only seems fitting that these two much-loved British icons should finally meet.

Step into the unforgettable journey of Pooh and his friends as they travel from the Hundred Acre Wood to London, to deliver their thoughtful 90th birthday presents to The Queen.

From riding on an open-top red bus, to taking in the sights including Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace, your family can enjoy Pooh’s latest adventure by downloading Winnie-the-Pooh and the Royal Birthday HERE

Winnie-the-Pooh Series:
Winnie-the-Pooh
The House at Pooh Corner
When We Were Very Young
Now We Are Six
Winnie-the-Pooh and the Royal Birthday

Visit the Disney website for more information

Review:
2016 is the year when 2 British icons share a very special birthday. Yes thats right, both the Queen and Winnie-the-Pooh are 90 this year and to celebrate Egmont have teamed up with Disney to give fans a very special story where two well loved characters finally get a chance to meet face to face for the first time.

Pooh meets the Queen

You can download the free illustrated ebook Winnie-the-Pooh and the Royal Birthday from the Disney website HERE. Or if you prefer you can watch the video version of the story being read by Jim Broadbent on YouTube (I've also embedded the video below to make it easier for you).

This is such a fun little story and the illustrations by Mark Burgess are absolutely gorgeous (just check out the examples I've included!). Join Pooh and some of his friends as they travel to London to celebrate the Queen's birthday and bring her a very special present.

It doesn't get much more British than viewing

Big Ben from the top of a double decker bus!

Or watching the Changing of the Guard at

Buckingham Palace

Piglet even gets to meet Prince George!

What a wonderful way to celebrate both Pooh and the Queen's 90th birthdays.

Source: Read for free online HERE

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Wednesday, 25 May 2016

Review: Saga Volume 1 - Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples

From award-winning writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN (Y: The Last Man, television's Lost) and critically acclaimed artist FIONA STAPLES (Mystery Society, North 40), SAGA is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the universe. When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old world. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in the first volume of this sexy, subversive ongoing epic.

Saga Series:
Saga Volume 1
Saga Volume 2
Saga Volume 3
Saga Volume 4
Saga Volume 5
Saga Volume 6
Saga Volume 7
Saga Volume 8
Saga Volume 9

Visit Brian K Vaughan's website or Fiona Staples' website for more information

Review:
I don't normally read graphic novels but I was in the mood for something different and the Saga series came highly recommended by several friends so I took a chance on it. Let me just say it was so amazingly good that by the time I was 3 chapters in I had purchased the rest of the series!

So what can you look forward to in this book? A forbidden love story between aliens from two warring races, a hybrid baby that everyone wants to kill, assassins, alien brothels, cats that can tell if you're lying, people with TVs for heads, a tree shaped spaceship, ghost children, a freaky woman/spider hybrid and so much more.

The artwork is stunning, the dialogue is witty, the world is dark and the humour is even darker. This is definitely an adult series - it opens with a birth scene and goes on to include sex scenes and plenty of graphic violence - but it's brilliant and totally addictive. There is just so much creativity in this graphic novel and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

I'll leave you with a few images of some of my favourite characters just to give you an example of the artwork you'll find inside:

Marco, Alana & Hazel

Lying Cat and The Will

Isabel

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Tuesday, 24 May 2016

Review: Struck - Amanda Carlson

When Phoebe Meadows gets struck by a strange light in the stockroom of Macy’s, life as she knows it flies out the window. As if being hit by lightning isn’t bad enough, she’s accosted in the subway by a man with a missing hand, arrives home to find a raven on her kitchen counter, and her neighbor, Ingrid, shows up dressed like a gladiator hell-bent on protecting her.

Before Ingrid can shuttle her to safety, Phoebe is kidnapped and tossed into one of the Nine Worlds where she’s quickly forced to come to terms with what she is: A valkyrie. The only problem is, she has no idea what that means.

After a narrow escape, she finds an unlikely ally in Loki’s son, Fenrir. Together the valkyrie and the wolf must battle their way back to New York City and reach the valkyrie stronghold where Ingrid is waiting for her. But with danger and obstacles at every turn, she might not live long enough to learn the full truth about who and what she really is . . .

Phoebe Meadows Series:
Struck
Freed
Exiled

Visit Amanda Carlson's website for more information

Review:
Phoebe thought she was just a normal girl trying to make ends meet in the big city until the day she gets struck by lightning in the stockroom of the Macy's store she works at. The next thing she knows her neighbour Ingrid is announcing that she's Phoebe's aunt and that Phoebe is the long lost child of a valkyrie and a god. Apparently her parents kept her a secret for a very good reason and now that Phoebe is starting to come into her powers she's become a beacon for the enemies that hunt her. After a botched kidnapping attempt leaves Phoebe trapped in one of the Nine Worlds she has no choice but to ally herself with the demigod Fenrir to try and find her way back to New York so that Ingrid can explain what the hell is happening to her.

I had so much fun reading this novel! Amanda Carlson has created a likeable and very normal heroine who is thrown into a world where creatures from Norse mythology are in fact very, very real. Poor Phoebe is completely out of her depth and she barely has a moment to catch her breath from the beginning to the end of this novel, she really is thrown in at the deep end and has to fight with every last scrap of strength she has just to survive. I loved that she wasn't perfect, she didn't always know how to react or what her best option was and she just had to do the best she could to muddle through but no matter what she went through she didn't give up and she did whatever she had to to hold her own in any fight. She was also fiercely loyal to the people she trusted, if you prove yourself to be her ally then she'll have your back no matter how bad the odds of survival.

Fen was another brilliant character, he's survived things that would have turned a lesser man insane but it's left him strong and with a highly evolved protective streak. He's not sure what to make of Phoebe at first but he admires her will to survive and I think he found her naivety endearing too. The pair have to work closely together if they're going to have any chance of escaping and I enjoyed seeing their relationship start to blossom as they got to know each other. I did find that the declarations of love came a little too quickly, up until that point their relationship had been progressing at a believable rate so it felt that things stepped up a gear just a bit too fast at the end, but I'd rather have things move fast than be stuck with another dreaded love triangle so I'm not going to complain too much. I think they fit really well together so I'm happy to see them as a couple and I think we're going to see things really develop further between them as the series continues.

There are a couple of great side characters in the god of war Tyr and Phoebe's human friend Sam and I'm also looking forward to getting to know more about the valkyries in future books. I don't know a huge amount about Norse mythology but I'm really enjoying what we've seen so far of the Nine Worlds and the various different creatures and gods that inhabit them. I'm sure there is a lot more to explore and I'm excited to find out what Phoebe will encounter next. Struck was a fabulous start to this series, it's very action packed and will suck you in from the first page giving you a wonderful new world to explore. I can't wait to revisit these characters again in the future and I have a feeling it's going to turn into a favourite series before too long.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Release Day Launch: For 100 Days - Lara Adrian (Excerpt & Giveaway)

Today is the release day of For 100 Day by Lara Adrian! I am so excited to share this fantastic new contemporary romance with you! Check out the excerpt Lara is sharing and be sure to enter her giveaway!

For 100 Days Synopsis:

* * * * * * * *

FOR 100 DAYS is the first novel in a passionate new contemporary romance trilogy from New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Lara Adrian. Coming soon: FOR 100 NIGHTS and FOR 100 REASONS.

Grab your copy of For 100 Days:

Kindle US: http://amzn.to/21ey0XS

B&N Nook: http://bit.ly/1WRkicZ

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1107826564?at=1010l7mk

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/for-100-days

Exclusive Excerpt:

Tasha and I head for the elevators. Neither of the two cars are parked on the ground level, so, as we wait for one to come down, I can’t resist pivoting for another look at the opulence of the lobby.

A moment later, a soft chime sounds behind me as the elevator comes to a rest. I wheel back around and step toward the doors as soon as they slide open.

I don’t even register that the wall I’m facing is human until I’ve almost crashed right into him.

I stop short and lift my head with a half-formed apology on my lips. The sound evaporates on my tongue as I glance up and my gaze collides with a pair of cerulean blue eyes. They skewer me from under the slash of inky black brows.

Brows that are furrowed into a deep scowl at the uncouth clod who nearly body-slammed her way onto the elevator.

“Um, sorry.”

No reply from him. Not even a flicker of polite response in his handsome, sharply cut features. Under a crown of dark hair that’s neatly trimmed, fit for a boardroom, but thick with rebellious waves that catch the light in a glossy, raven’s wing sheen, his face is a blending of hard, chiseled angles. With his high cheekbones and square jaw, I’d be tempted to call his face brutal if not for the supple line of his mouth.

And he’s tall and muscular too, dressed in a dark gray track jacket and pants that do little to disguise the physically fit body within. Despite his athletic appearance, I can tell immediately that he’s not some meat-head gym rat who’s more brawn than brain.

No, this man’s eyes blast me with the kind of intelligence and seriousness—a powerful confidence—that I can’t ignore.

A shocking and inexplicable heat pours through me as he holds my gaze. His stare is bold, unflinching, as if he’s accustomed to taking his fill of anything in his sights. That air of assumption should offend me for many reasons, but as his brilliant blue eyes travel the length of me, all I feel is the rapid igniting of every cell in my body.

Tasha clears her throat when my muteness appears to be permanent. “Pardon us, please.”

He barely acknowledges her comment, nor her huff of indignation that follows. No, those piercing eyes staying rooted on me alone. I feel stripped bare under that hard gaze, as if he can see right through me with a single glance and knows I don’t belong here. Even worse, the barely imperceptible twist of his lips seems to say that he’s very much aware of the effect he has on me.

He doesn’t move, then I am mortified to realize it’s because I’m standing in his way.

I wince inwardly and step aside, wishing I would just melt into the crack between the marble floor and the elevator shaft before I embarrass myself any more.

His path cleared, he steps into the lobby without a word.

I follow Tasha into the elevator, but all of my attention is on the dark-haired stranger now prowling across the marble with fluid, almost urgent strides.

I hear Manny greet him as the elevator doors slide shut, blocking my view.

“Evening, Mr. Baine. Enjoy your run, sir.”

Once we’re sealed inside the car, my breath leaks out of me on a groan.

Tasha arches a brow. “Hot as sin, but obviously a superior prick. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of that one, honey.”

As if I need the warning.

Whoever he is, I doubt I’ll be seeing much of Mr. Baine. In fact, I’m already promising myself I’ll head in the opposite direction if I ever see him in the building again while I’m here. God knows, I don’t need to relive tonight’s awkward semi-introduction with the man anytime soon.

I push the button for the fifth floor, wishing it was as easy to push the memory of those searing blue eyes from my mind.

Lara Adrian Bio:

LARA ADRIAN is a New York Times and #1 internationally best-selling author, with nearly 4 million books in print worldwide and translations licensed to more than 20 countries. Her books regularly appear in the top spots of all the major bestseller lists including the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Indiebound, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc. Reviewers have called Lara’s books “addictively readable” (Chicago Tribune), “extraordinary” (Fresh Fiction), and “one of the best on the market” (Romantic Times).

Writing as TINA ST. JOHN, her historical romances have won numerous awards including the National Readers Choice; Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice; Booksellers Best; and many others. She was twice named a Finalist in Romance Writers of America’s RITA Awards, for Best Historical Romance (White Lion’s Lady) and Best Paranormal Romance (Heart of the Hunter). More recently, the German translation of Heart of the Hunter debuted on Der Spiegel bestseller list.

With an ancestry stretching back to the Mayflower and the court of King Henry VIII, the author lives with her husband in New England.

Visit the author’s website and sign up for new release announcements at http://bit.ly/LaraAdrianNews

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Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of For 100 Days Lara Adrian is giving fans a chance to win a signed copy as well as a stainless steel Midnight Breed tumbler. You can enter the giveaway using the rafflecopter form below, the winner will be announced via the widget and contacted directly by Lara or her assitant to arrange sending out the prize.

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Monday, 23 May 2016

Review: Shaken - Joss Stirling

In Manhattan, New York, there is a girl with a secret.

That girl is Rose Knight. She needs to raise millions of dollars to save her father's life by any means necessary.

The arrogant and suave Damien Castle is good at uncovering secrets. He's even better at catching criminals.

When Damien meets Rose he knows she's trouble. It isn't her terrible dress sense that drives him to distraction, or even her obsession with Egyptology. It's the fact that he has never felt this way about a girl before.

But when duty and love are both on the line, which one will Damien choose?

Young Detective Agency Series:
Storm and Stone (now re-released as Struck)
Stung
Shaken

Check out Joss Stirling's website for more information

Review:
Life isn't easy for Rose, she's only 16 but she's also the only person in her family that is even slightly responsible when it comes to money and she's definitely the only one who doesn't dabble in illegal activities. For months her father has been held hostage by criminals he owes money too and Rose is being blackmailed into paying a ransom fee for his safety. It's a good job she's extremely intelligent and has a knack for playing the stock market but that is only going to get her so far and things are about to get a whole lot worse. Damien is visiting fellow member of the YDA Joe and his family in New York when he meets their kooky next door neighbour Rose. Rose intrigues him but he can tell she's keeping secrets and it's not long before the boys start meddling in Rose's business trying to find out exactly what is going on. When things quickly go downhill Damien is determined to help Rose solve her problems but will she be willing to trust him when he already betrayed her once by sticking his nose in where it wasn't wanted?

I love Joss Stirling's books, they're always such fun and quick reads and a brilliant way to keep myself entertained for a few hours. You do have to suspend believe a little (what 16 year old would really be capable of raising millions of dollars in just a couple of weeks by buying and selling shares on the stock market?) but as long as you can just go with the flow and have fun with it I'm sure you'll enjoy these books. I love the idea of the Young Detective Agency, it's a school for teens that aims to teach them everything they need to know to go into a future career with law enforcement so it's at least somewhat believable that the students would be good at problem solving and investigations.

Damien is a character we've seen in the previous books and he's always been fun but definitely not a boy who is looking for a serious girlfriend. He's actually quite horrified that two of his best friends are now in a relationship and he makes a big point of telling Joe that he's planning on playing the field for a while longer. Of course everything changes when he meets Rose, she's nothing like the girls he normally goes for and he finds her all the more fascinating because of it. Rose is incredibly smart but not so good with people, she spends so much of her time looking after her father and brother and holding the home together that she doesn't have much left for anything other than studying so her social life is nonexistent. She would love to fit in but she just doesn't have the same interests as most of the people in her class and she's so focused on passing her exams and heading off to uni that she lets everything else pass her by. Damien pulls her out of her comfort zone a little which is really good for her, he finds her social awkwardness endearing but he won't let her hide away from the world. They actually fit together surprisingly well and I enjoyed seeing the friendship build between them.

There is plenty of action in the story, Rose is determined to do things her own way and although she does make a couple of really silly decisions they were forgivable because of her age. She wants to solve her family's problems and she has a dangerous plan but I had to admire the way she was so determined to do the right thing even when it meant putting herself in harm's way. Damien makes a couple of mistakes too but he steps up when she really needs him and that's the most important thing. I also enjoyed getting to know Joe a bit better so I'm really hoping he's going to be getting his own book too.

Source: Received from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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Sunday, 22 May 2016

Review: Awakened by a Demoness - Felicity Heaton

Asteria of the Second Legion of demons has messed up. Royally. With a capital everything. Certain that her dark lord is about to end her in the most painful way imaginable, she’s stunned when the fallen angel offers her an uncharacteristic shot at redemption—and determined not to fail him again. With her life on the line, she sets out on a mission that sounds easy but proves to be far from it when a hot slice of angelic eye candy comes storming into her life, stirring dangerous desires and tempting her more than any male before him.

Fifth Commander of the Echelon, the highest order of angels in Heaven and those responsible for hunting demons, he will allow nothing to stand in the way of fulfilling the mission he began close to a century ago so he can finally return to his home. On the verge of securing the half-breed he has been hunting, he can almost taste victory—until a sassy demoness struts into his life, awakening wicked needs and forbidden hungers that will test him to his limit.

When their mission brings them on a collision course, can they fight the fierce heat of the passion that blazes between them to claim a victory for their side or will it burn their resistance to ashes and set their hearts on fire with a love both forbidden and eternal?

Eternal Mates Series:
(This series is set in the same world as the Vampire Erotic Theatre series but can be read completely separately)
Kissed by a Dark Prince
Claimed by a Demon King
Tempted by a Rogue Prince
Hunted by a Jaguar
Craved by an Alpha
Bitten by a Hellcat
Taken by a Dragon
Marked by an Assassin
Possessed by a Dark Warrior
Awakened by a Demoness
Haunted by the King of Death
Tuned by a Tiger
Tamed by a Tiger
Treasured by a Tiger
Unchained by a Forbidden Love
Avenged by an Angel
Seduced by a Demon King

Vampire Erotic Theatre Series:
Covet
Crave
Seduce
Enslave
Bewitch
Unleash

Cougar Creek Mates Series:
(Set in the same world as Vampire Erotic Theatre & Eternal Mates series but can be read completely separately)
Claimed by her Cougar
Captured by her Cougar
Courted by her Cougar
Craved by her Cougar

Black Ridge Bears Series:

(Set in the same world as Vampire Erotic Theatre, Eternal Mates & Cougar Creek Mates series but can be read completely separately)

Stolen by Her Bear

Visit Felicity Heaton's website for more information

Review:
I've been a fan of the Eternal Mates series since the very beginning but I have to admit I was a little nervous when I realised that the couple in Awakened by a Demoness were both characters we haven't met before. From previous experience I tend to enjoy the books more when they're about characters that I'm already invested in and when they are part of the larger ongoing story arc but I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised and I actually think this is one of my favourite books in the series.

One of the things I love so much about these books is the huge variety of supernatural creatures that Felicity Heaton has added to the mix. We've seen elves, shapeshifters, dragons, witches and more but now it's the turn of a feisty demon and an angel who is rather stuck in his ways. This really is a case of opposites attracting and boy do they attract in the best possible way.

Asteria messed up her last job and is fully expecting to be tortured by the devil as punishment so it comes as quite a shock when he gives her one last chance to redeem herself. All she has to do is track down a single half-breed woman and bring her to hell. Sounds simple but she isn't the only one who has the half-breed in her sights and heaven want to capture the woman just as badly. In fact, they've sent a member of the Echelon, an elite demon hunting angelic task force, to give them the best chance of winning. The two natural enemies cross paths in their rush to find the prize and neither is willing to back down from their goal. Everything changes when the half-breed shares a shocking secret though and now Asteria and Rey are forced to question everything they've ever been told.

On the surface Asteria and Rey couldn't be more different, not just in their choice of home but in their attitudes to life and the way they look at things. Asteria is fun loving and playful, she doesn't take life too seriously but she goes after the things she wants with a single minded focus. Rey on the other hand is much more composed, he is very aloof and holds himself at a distance from everyone around him. In spite of their differences they do actually have more in common than you'd first think but I'll let you discover those similarities for yourself.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, it was a fast paced and fun story with great characters and fantastic chemistry. Although this book is set in the Eternal Mates world it actually works really well as a stand alone story but I do wonder if we could be seeing the beginning of a new story arc introduced. It'll definitely be interesting to see who the next couple are and whether there is any continuation on from this one.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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Blog Barrage: Awakened by a Demoness - Felicity Heaton (Excerpt & Giveaway)

Awakened by a Demoness, the tenth book in New York Times best-seller Felicity Heaton’s hot paranormal romance series, Eternal Mates, is now available in ebook and paperback. To celebrate the release of this awesome milestone in the series, she’s holding a FANTASTIC GIVEAWAY and sharing sneak peeks of the book.

Enter the Awakened by a Demoness international giveaway (ends June 5th) and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate by using the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post or at her website, where you can also download a 4 chapter sample of the novel: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/awakened-by-a-demoness-paranormal-romance-book.php

Here’s more about this forbidden romance between a powerful angel warrior and one very sassy wicked demoness, including an excerpt for you to sink those teeth into!

Awakened by a Demoness (Eternal Mates Romance Series Book 10)

Felicity Heaton

Asteria of the Second Legion of demons has messed up. Royally. With a capital everything. Certain that her dark lord is about to end her in the most painful way imaginable, she’s stunned when the fallen angel offers her an uncharacteristic shot at redemption—and determined not to fail him again. With her life on the line, she sets out on a mission that sounds easy but proves to be far from it when a hot slice of angelic eye candy comes storming into her life, stirring dangerous desires and tempting her more than any male before him.

Fifth Commander of the Echelon, the highest order of angels in Heaven and those responsible for hunting demons, he will allow nothing to stand in the way of fulfilling the mission he began close to a century ago so he can finally return to his home. On the verge of securing the half-breed he has been hunting, he can almost taste victory—until a sassy demoness struts into his life, awakening wicked needs and forbidden hungers that will test him to his limit.

When their mission brings them on a collision course, can they fight the fierce heat of the passion that blazes between them to claim a victory for their side or will it burn their resistance to ashes and set their hearts on fire with a love both forbidden and eternal?

Awakened by a Demoness is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback. Find the links to your preferred retailer at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/awakened-by-a-demoness-paranormal-romance-book.php

Awakened by a Demoness – Excerpt

Asteria held her shit together as she approached the monolithic black citadel, her boots loud on the polished obsidian flagstones of its central circular courtyard. She tipped her chin up, clenched her fists at her sides to stop them from shaking, and strode towards her doom with the same resolve as she had managed to cling to during her trek through the previous six circular courtyards that surrounded the citadel like concentric rings.

She was fairly certain that these were the last few moments of her life and it was about to come to a grisly close.

It had taken her days of grovelling to her superiors, issuing profuse apologies unbecoming of a demon and having to bite her tongue when her temper had flared, but she had secured a meeting with her dark lord. She had been elated when the leader of her legion had informed her that their master was willing to speak with her, but as the hours had trickled past, that elation had turned to full blown fear.

She had failed in a very important mission, the sort no amount of grovelling could actually correct, so she wasn’t sure why she had thought this was going to end well.

The meeting a ridiculous part of her had believed was going to somehow redeem her was probably in fact a meeting in which she was going to discover her punishment.

Would it be a swim in the lava pit while the Devil watched her burn, or something far worse?

She wouldn’t be the first demoness, or demon, to be sentenced to spend time in his bed.

It wasn’t an honour.

It was a death sentence.

She hadn’t heard of anyone surviving the torture of being his bedfellow, mostly because those he didn’t eventually kill during the act were tossed into the lava pit when he was done with them.

Several low-ranking young demons scurried past her, dressed in black jackets and trousers, their feet bare and bloodied. The black sacks they carried over their shoulders dripped crimson, smelling of entrails.

Asteria swallowed hard and it was damned difficult to hold her nerve as she watched the clean up team carting away whatever poor bastard had just finished meeting with the Prince of Darkness.

An unfortunate lover?

She had heard the stories from those who served in his dark citadel, the young souls assigned to mopping up the mess after a lover had done or said something to flip his switch. Rumour had it that he went through at least two mattresses a week, and demanded a fresh, brand new set of sheets every few hours. His appetite for fucking was as insatiable as his appetite for destruction and death, and unfortunately that meant the two often coincided.

She sucked down a deep breath as she reached the grand arched entrance of the towering castle and looked up its height, taking in the jagged towers that rose into the dark grey sky of Hell. Light from the bubbling pits of lava beyond the walls of the central courtyard and the braziers that formed a circle, lining those walls, tried to lend warmth to the matt black stone of the fortress but only managed to make it look more sinister by casting shadows in the recesses.

The four huge demon males guarding the entrance eyed her, their elliptical pupils stretched thin in the centre of their black irises and burning gold. Elite. They were kept in a permanent state of rage in order to maintain their appearance, keeping them looking as dangerous and deadly as her kind could be.

She had such a dark side herself, but unleashing it right now would be a big mistake. Huge. Her dark lord didn’t appreciate those below him showing up on his doorstep looking ready for war.

It was the reason she had chosen her lighter black armour, the red-edged metal plates fitting more closely to her legs and hips, and across her chest, and had forgone wearing the gauntlets that normally encased her forearms and hands. She had also brushed her long black hair, tamed the gold-to-red streak that ran down the front right side, and had taken her time in front of the mirror in her hut, applying black around her blue eyes and painting her lips crimson.

She had even taken the time to preen her black leathery wings, buffing the membranes with wax until they shone, and had done the same with the small obsidian horns that curled from behind the pointed tips of her ears, following the curve down to end in a point near the lobes.

She eyed the four ripped bare-chested demon males guarding the entrance again, envied the bastards a little as she gazed at their horns. Males had bigger ones, the sort that twisted around to form deadly daggers beside their temples when they were enraged.

Asteria sighed, wishing she had such horns.

One of her friends had told her once that she had horn envy. She had denied it at the time, but it was true. Whenever she found herself banging a demon, she couldn’t keep her hands off their horns. She had even tried to rip one out of a male once. He had thought she was merely being rough and had enjoyed it. The damn thing had been rooted too deeply though and she had sort of forgotten about trying to break it off when he had begun thrusting harder between her legs, turning her brain to mush.

One of the male’s gazes slid her way and he raked an approving look over her. His black horns flared a little further, revealing his desire and interest to her.

She flicked her onyx hair over her shoulder, shot him a wink, and kept walking, a little swing to her hips with each step now as she silently flirted with the brute. She looked him up and down just as she passed him, bit her lip at the sight of so much hard muscle, and swore that if she survived the next few minutes she would be back to take him up on his offer.

Which would be a miracle, and those didn’t happen in Hell.

Still, he was a nice distraction as she ogled his arse over her shoulder, one that kept her thoughts away from her imminent death until someone approached her.

“Asteria of the Second Legion?” a demoness said, a wobble in her throaty voice.

She nodded and looked at her, and quickly masked the fear that bolted through her when she found herself face to face with a young female dressed in little more than a scrap of crimson around her hips and breasts, a thick black metal collar that was tight against her throat, and a lot of bruises.

By the Devil, was this the future she was doomed to endure staring right back at her with bleak bloodshot eyes and a startling lack of horns.

Someone had cut them off. Asteria tried not to gawp at them but she couldn’t stop herself, and her stomach plummeted when she realised they hadn’t been shorn.

They had been broken.

The black stumps that remained were brutally fractured.

The female’s hands twitched at her sides, as if with an urge to touch the horns Asteria stared at, so she dragged her eyes away, feeling bad that she had upset the young demoness.

Demons tried their best to be the toughest, most badass creatures in Hell, but when it boiled down to it, they had feelings too, and this female had been through the mill.

Probably at the hands of the one creature in Hell who didn’t possess a single jot of emotion.

The fallen angel she was about to meet.

The young demoness bowed her head and led the way, and Asteria tried to busy herself with taking in all the details of the palace her dark master called home in an attempt to stop herself from preening her horns, reassuring herself they were still perfect. Still there. On the outside, it matched his image perfectly, but on the inside… it was quite the opposite.

Oh, it was sumptuous and decadent, but it wasn’t exactly goth-chic as she had expected.

The black of the outside world gave way to white marble floors that were so highly polished she could see herself in them. They reflected the light from the crystal chandeliers, and that same light shone off the gold filigree that decorated the dark wooden ceiling. The walls were smooth and, of all things, papered. The vestibule and hallway that led off it had crimson wallpaper with black almost fleur-de-lys patterns on it. She had been in some expensive homes in the mortal world and the Devil had decorated his in that same style, but with a more sinister edge that she would have attributed more to a vampire than a fallen angel.

Her escort stopped at a set of arched wooden double doors and bowed.

Asteria guessed this was it. The bloody end to her somewhat not glorious career as a demon. She was a damned idiot for failing to capture the people who had slaughtered Barafnir but how the hell was she meant to have known the demon arsehole had been one of the Devil’s favourites?

She reached for the solid gold knob on one door, pulled down another breath to steel herself, and took hold of it. It was warm to the touch. Nothing like the cold bastard waiting on the other side. She could feel him there, his power vibrating through her, calling to her.

She closed her eyes, twisted the knob and pushed the door open just as she lifted her chin and fixed her gaze straight ahead.

It landed on a male lounging in a huge black throne in the centre of an enormous blue-walled room, wearing only gold-edged obsidian armour on his lower half.

Heaven be damned, because it had made him breathtaking.

She knew he was a brute, seven feet tall and dark and deadly, but he was a beautiful bastard, and he knew it as he sat there on his throne, black hair falling around his broad shoulders and chiselled torso on show.

The air in the expansive open room vibrated with his power, making her blood hum and skin tingle.

His red eyes held hers, a bored edge to his handsome face, and he lazily lifted his right hand from the arm of his throne and crooked a clawed finger, beckoning her.

Asteria’s palms sweated. She should have dressed a little sexier, taken more time about her appearance. It ran through her gaining volume on each pass as she sauntered towards him, feeling his heat rolling over her, power curling around her, drowning out the part of her that had feared him and replacing it with something altogether more terrifying.

Desire.

The corner of his profane mouth twitched into a smirk.

He knew he was affecting her, and while his mouth said that pleased him, the way his eyes darkened said it didn’t.

She straightened her spine, crushed her unruly feelings and boxed them away, and held her head high as she marched towards him, all business. Not weak. Not affected by just his damned gorgeous presence.

Her step faltered when she noticed a smouldering bloody stain on the white marble floor.

His last appointment?

By the Devil, she was going to die in the next few seconds, or worse, at a later date after he was done with her.

When she was within a few metres, he lowered his right leg from his left knee and set his foot on the floor. His hands came down over the edges of the arms of his black throne, curling around to press sharp black claws into the stone and causing his biceps to bulge.

Behind him, a sheer black curtain did a poor job of concealing the other half of the room and she tried not to look there but her eyes were drawn to the hazy glow of candles on the other side, her focus snagged by the low moans coming from that direction.

That heat curled around her again, pushed at her will but she pushed back, refusing to fall prey to it and the Devil’s dark allure. She wasn’t about to become like those females on the other side of the curtain who were probably writhing around on his bed, waiting impatiently for the male who was staring at her.

“Asteria of the Second Legion.” His deep voice rumbled around the room like thunder, charging the air and sending tremors of pleasure through her, and she had to squeeze her thighs to stop herself from collapsing into a puddle of goo at his feet. Heaven be doubly damned, it had built this male for sin. Thoughts of dirty hard sex popped into her head, illicit images that she did her best to shove away as soon as they burst into existence. “You disappointed me.”

Just like that, the spell over her shattered and cold fear replaced the wicked heat of desire.

This was it.

Her death knell.

Awakened by a Demoness is available from Amazon Kindle, Kobo Books, Barnes and Noble Nook, Apple iBooks stores and other retailers. Also available in paperback.

Find all the links, a fantastic 4 chapter downloadable sample of the book, and also enter the giveaway and be in with a shot of winning a $75, $50 or $25 gift certificate at her website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/awakened-by-a-demoness-paranormal-romance-book.php

Books in the Eternal Mates paranormal romance series:

Book 1: Kissed by a Dark Prince
Book 2: Claimed by a Demon King
Book 3: Tempted by a Rogue Prince
Book 4: Hunted by a Jaguar
Book 5: Craved by an Alpha
Book 6: Bitten by a Hellcat
Book 7: Taken by a Dragon
Book 8: Marked by an Assassin
Book 9: Possessed by a Dark Warrior
Book 10: Awakened by a Demoness
Book 11: Haunted by the King of Death – Coming Summer 2016

About Felicity Heaton

Felicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! If you're a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.

If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Eternal Mates series.

If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places: