ARC Review: Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed by Anna Campbell

Author: Anna Campbell

Title: Seven Nights in a Rogue's Bed

Series: Sons of Sin #1

Source: Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley

About the Book: Will a week of seduction...

Desperate to save her sister's life, Sidonie Forsythe has agreed to submit herself to a terrible fate: Beyond the foreboding walls of Castle Craven, a notorious, hideously scarred scoundrel will take her virtue over the course of seven sinful nights. Yet instead of a monster, she encounters a man like no other. And during this week, she comes to care for Jonas Merrick in ways that defy all logic—even as a dark secret she carries threatens them both.

...Spark a lifetime of passionate surrender?

Ruthless loner Jonas knows exactly who he is. Should he forget, even for a moment, the curse he bears, a mere glance in the mirror serves as an agonizing reminder. So when the lovely Sidonie turns up on his doorstep, her seduction is an even more delicious prospect than he originally planned. But the hardened outcast is soon moved by her innocent beauty, sharp wit, and surprising courage. Now as dangerous enemies gather at the gate to destroy them, can their new, fragile love survive?

 

My Thoughts:

When I saw that Anna Campbell had a new historical romance out I absolutely knew I had to request it. I was not wrong, not in the least. The book is written very much in the Tradition of Claiming the Courtesan and Untouched. In fact, as soon as I figured that out, I could pretty much tell where the story was going and just about how it was going to unfold. I was also right about all that. Even so, what kept me tethered to the story were the same things that kept me very invested in those two other stories: the writing. Ms. Campbell does some beautiful writing. How can the following passage not draw a smile:

"You're just playing with me."
"Most definitely, tesoro. But your dilemma is your own fault. You're so irresistible."
"Command your willpower, Mr. Merrick. Defeat this weakness."
"I try, dear lady, I try."
"I'll bite you," she said savagely
"I'll bite you too before I am done."

From beautiful descriptions to heartbreaking tenderness, Ms. Campbell does it very well, and this book has it in spades. I loved the dialogue, when I was not smiling at some funny exchange - or the occasionally cheesy Romancelandia line - I was all caught up in the descriptions, or catching my throat at the haunting tenderness of it all - and mind you, I knew exactly what was going to happen. But I am not complaining about her formula, bot just because it works for me, but also because each set of characters to creates to play out the drama are wonderful.

I loved Sidonie and Jonas. Loved them. I loved that as much as possible, Sidonie tried to remain true to herself - and she never once tried to lie to herself. She wouldn't give herself to him when she did not want to or feel like she could afford to; but the moment she decided she wanted him, that was it. No prevaricating, no waiting for him to make another move, etc.

Another thing I loved about her was her perceptiveness. She could see through Jonas to the quick. Smart and beautiful and true. I started a bit when she referred to Jonas as a wanton in her private thoughts, and then decided I loved it very much! I never hear guys described as wanton in HRs, although the girls are always the virgins and they are the ones with oodles and oodles of debauching experience.

I also enjoyed Jonas' character very much. The vulnerability about him, and the fact that like Sidonie, he did not try to lie to himself. I'd wax more poetic, but my hands are getting tired of typing. :/

Finally, I also very much liked how true love did not make everything run smooth. Even after the admission of love, there were Sidonie's hopes and dreams and plans to consider, and Jonas' hang-ups to stand obstacle. I loved that they did not just vanish, and that the couple had to attempt to work through them.

I wasn't sure what rating to go with after I was done, but in the end, I settled on five, I had a roaring good time reading it, and will definitely revisit it. What more can you want? This makes me 3 for 3 with Ms. Campbell!

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

 

Review: Unlawful Contact by Pamela Clare

Author: Pamela Clare

Title: Unlawful Contact

Series: I-Team #3

About the Book: When a young woman disappears, journalist Sophie Alton investigates and is led to the woman's brother, a convicted killer who is running from the law. Together, they follow a dangerous path toward the truth-and unforgettable passion.

My Thoughts:

Definitely the best of the I-Team series so far. I really don't know why I put off reading it for so long, despite all the assurances from my friends that I would love it. Go figure.

Shy, bookish, orphaned Sophie Alton lost her virginity to her high school secret crush one starry night at a school party(?) the first time he deigned to speak to her. The next day he was off to military school. They lost touch until twelve years later. By this time, Sophie is an investigative journalist who's covering/interested in the story of a drug addicted young mother who suddenly vanished with her baby during a supervision. she gets an anonymous to that leads her to question a prison inmate, who happens to be Hunt, the high school secret crush/cherry picker and also the brother of the young lady who pulled the vanishing act. He uses her to orchestrate his jailbreak, and what follows is a race against time to find the sister before the bad guys can get to her, and also avoid the cops, to keep Hunt from being sent back to jail.

I loved Sophie!! I didn't like Tessa from book 2, but really liked Kara from book 1. Well Sophie has none of the annoying traits of Tessa and had all the good bits of Kara magnified. She was a good balance of all girly (hot pink vibrators), slightly silly (not wearing boots in winter because they didn't look good), sensible, and smart. Marc Hunter was....awesome. Move over Reece, I think I just found a new favorite I-Team guy! I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed myself with this one.

As stories go, this one was a teensy bit syrupy, with none of the over-the-top cheese from the previous books. Ms. Clare erred on the side of cute with this one. Me likey.

Hmm... I wonder if we're ever going to have an I-Team Peep's Children Grew Up and Are Having the Hots for Each Other series, what with all the kids these people are popping about. I for one am gunning for Kara's son with Julian's daughter and Kara's daughter playing older woman to Hunt's son, LOL!!!

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

1. Extreme Exposure - 4/5
2. Hard Evidence - 3/5

 

Review: Dragon on Top by G.A. Aiken

**Only the novella by G.A. Aiken is being reviewed.  Couldn't find a separate cover.**

Author: G.A. Aiken

Title: Dragon on Top

Series: Dragon Kin #4.5

About the Book: Escorting the highborn Bram through deadly Sand Dragon territory will try Ghleanna’s patience… and her resolve. For Bram is determined to enhance the journey with a seduction no female could resist…

My Thoughts:

Throughout the Dragon Kin series, a recurring thread has been how much Ghleanna hated her father's past as 'Ailean the Whore.' His reputation fared well for their sons, she always said. People ascribed prowess to them, while expecting that his daughters must be whores.

Well, in Dragon on Top, Ghleanna, who had always thought she'd be alone as a result of these assumptions, gets to find her soul mate. And surprise, surprise, he's been staring her in the face all this while. Bram the Peacemaker, as he's known, is the truce maker for Rhiannon's court. He's nothing like the fierce warrior Ghleanna is. He's quite beta, actually, and has been in love with her for ages. I think everyone knew but her.

I loved it! Loved the contrast of these two! So far, this is the only pairing I've read in this series where the two partners weren't both 'dominant,' 'alpha' characters. I love the sense of calm and purpose that surrounded Bram; I loved the calm and rationality he brought into the mix of this crazy family.

I loved seeing Ghleanna realize her chance for love stood right in front of her, albeit in a different package than she expected. I loved seeing Ghleanna herself in action, maneuvering her way around Helena's court with a stratagem worthy of any politician.

And best of all, I loved the tenderness that underpinned the whole novella. From the obvious love Ghleanna's family have for her and each other, Bram's gentle love, the younger brothers' appearances, and Ghleanna's realization that her father was so much more than his past.

Perfect little novella!

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

1. Dragon Actually 
2. About a Dragon
3. What a Dragon Should Know - 4/5
4. Last Dragon Standing

 

Review: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman

Author: Neil Gaiman

Title: Preludes and Nocturnes

Series: Sandman Vol. 1

About the Book: In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his seventy-year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman. This book also includes the story "The Sound of Her Wings," which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl Death.

Collecting issues #1-8, this new edition of PRELUDES & NOCTURNES features the improved production values and coloring from the Absolute Edition

My Thoughts:

I don't think I've read a comic (graphic novel?) quite like this one before. It was dark and twisted as only Neil Gaiman can do. It was also brilliant.

As I understand it, The Sandman is a series of novels chronicling the morbid adventures of Morpheus, the god of dreams, which all began after he was mistakenly imprisoned by a bunch of fanatics who were gunning for his sister Death instead. Preludes and Nocturnes is the first volume, detailing Morpheus' capture, imprisonment, escape, and quest to return himself to full strength.

I didn't understand a couple of episodes, but could still appreciate their brilliance. The ones I did understand I thought were perfect. The illustrator also did a very good job with the volume. The pictures were more crude than refined, but communicated he darkness and rawness in the tone very well. The final episode, where we get to see Morpheus' sister - originally intended captive - Death in action posed a lot of interesting existential questions.

As soon as I can get my hands on Volume II, you can be sure I will be reading it.

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

 

New Look!

Isn't it absolutely Beautiful????????!!!

I decided a while ago that I wanted to have a design all of my own, but since I suck at anything remotely design-y, I asked around, and looked around some, and was finally pointed to Lori at Imagination Designs.

I can't tell you how happy I am with what she has done! And she was super patient with my choosiness and fickle-osity too! I am soooooo happy with this I could just cry!

It's super awesome and super affordable, too!
Thank you so much, Lori, for making my space a place I can enjoy hanging out on the web!

A thousand times thank you and a thousand times recommendations if anyone is looking for a blog design.

Oh I love this!!!

Sirantha Jax by Ann Aguirre

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
My rating: ★★★★½

I am sure this is the start of a new and beautiful friendship with Ann Aguirre.

Sirantha Jax is a rare carrier of the J-gene, meaning she can jump through space, a talent which makes her a valuable asset - she can lead the charge in charting space, discovering territories - you know the kind of thing that space ships do. She also suffers from major survivors' guilt over her last jump, which went terribly wrong and killed quite a number of people. She is in prison, waiting for it to all end, when March and his crew appear to break her out. They plan to use her and her ability to help break the monopoly the corrupt Conglomerate holds over space travel.

It was a bit confusing for someone who hasn't read any science fiction in a while, but once I found my feet, everything started rolling and didn't stop until the very end. I could see clearly in my mind's eye Sirantha's interactions with the crew, and her thoughts (obviously, since it was written in first person), and it was fascinating. I think Ms. Aguirre painted the portrait of a badly broken person trying to find her way very excellently, and I felt for and with her throughout the novel.

March - well, does anything need to be said about him? I think I found myself a new dangerous hero to love!

And oh yes, one more thing - the book is written in first person present tense. It is a little thing, but you never realize how used you are to reading 1st person past POV' until you get confronted with something else. I noticed it right away, and it took some adjusting to, but also made the narration a little more unique.

And oh yes - the book also gets extra points for NOT taking the Lord's name in vain. I know many people don't care, blah blah blah, but for once it was so refreshing to not see that! So it gets extra points for awesomeness.

Definitely very highly recommended.

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Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
My rating: ★★★★★

I read this for Samuel and only for him.

I also gave this one five stars for Samuel. The rest of the story is good too, but for me, everything took a back seat to my favorite werewolf.

Samuel broke my heart. I spent a good deal of the story with a lump in my throat for him. The conversation he has with Mercy in the X-ray room was so poignant, so sad. :'( And it was interesting too, seeing into the mind of a wolf who was losing control. I am glad Samuel found someone to live for. But I'll miss Sam. I liked the wolf being in control. I raised my eyebrows a bit when Mercy was thinking it was good that Ari had a sense of humor, because she'd only allow someone with a sense of humor to have Samuel. Smh. she complains about how protective he is, but she is also so very protective of him. She really does love him - you know, love that has everything to do with friendship and nothing to do with being in love. That was sweet to see.

And Bran....you gotta love Bran.

Um yes. The rest of the story was good, as stories in this series have always been. Truth be told, I wasn't paying it too much mind: I had eyes only for my Samuel.



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Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
My rating: ★★★★★

Wow.

Avry is a healer, a member of a profession that once once respected and revered across the 15 realms. You see, healers work their magic by absorbing other people's sicknesses into themselves, and then fighting the illness off - healers can do this because they heal ten times faster than normal people. Nowadays, healers are hunted criminals because they are thought to be responsible for the plague that spread throughout the kingdoms and killed about two-thirds of the population. So for the past three years, Avry is on the run. A decision to heal a little girl proves her undoing. She is captured and sentenced to death. But then Kerrick and his men step in and rescue her in return for her journeying with them to heal a friend of theirs. Avry later find out that this friend is Prince Ryne, the man she holds personally responsible for the hatred of healers. Touch of Power is about the journey to Prince Ryne.

This is a fantabulous story. I can't say enough good things about it - the prose, the characters..everything about this book was fantastic. I was engaged from beginning to end, from the very first word to the last. The plot twists were simple and very effective, and the prose is gold.

Avry is a wonderful character. She didn't so much as grow as blossom as the novel progresses. She is a wonderful: very self-assured and quick to remind others of her own agency. She owns her decisions and never lets others force her to do things she doesn't want to do. Even under duress, she manages to do things on her own terms. I never once felt her to be helpless, even though she found herself in helpless situations. She is smart, mature, assertive, resourceful, and able to reason, and learn to get past her prejudices; she is a stickler for doing the right thing. She is one of the best YA heroines I've ever read.

Kerrick. He didn't grow wither; or blossom. Rather, he unfolded. Watching his development was like watching a tightly coiled flower open up to the sun. And as he opens up, you see a different sort of man: not the man who backhands Avry, or is willing to forfeit his best friend's life, but the one who is strong, loyal, and wants so desperately to save the world from the horror of Tohon. I loved him too.

Belen, Quain, Vinn, and Flea were wonderful, and it was a treat to spend time with them.

Ms. Snyder also writes some great villains. I could see Tohon and Daneen and Jael in my mind's eye so clearly, essentially very spoiled brats. Well, Daneen has very extenuating circumstances to excuse her, but that doesn't change the fact that some sense ought to be severely beaten into her. Tohon sends chills down my spine. I can't wait to see how all of this will resolve and for them to get their comeuppance.

I hear tell this is the ninth novel by Ms. Snyder. If the others are anything like this one (and I have it on Sans' authority that they are), then it means eight absolute gems of books are somewhere in the world waiting for me to get my hands on them!

*I received this ebook free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs

Alpha and Omega #2
Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
My rating: ★★★★★

Anna Latham Cornick mate of Charles Cornick, Omega of the Aspen Creek Pack. Wolf. Sister. Daughter. Lover. Beloved

Anna: You are a remarkable man Charles Cornick.
Charles: I know. And often underappreciated by those who don't know any better.

You know, on an aside, if Bran, Charles, and Samuel were real, I'd be so jealous of their mates.

I loved this one even more than Cry Wolf. Patricia Briggs' storytelling works wonderfully well for me. I love the gentle strength that characterizes Anna. and Charles. and Bran. and Samuel, come to think of it (Samuel has nothing to do with this book, but I can't talk of Charles and Bran without mentioning him, lol!) You don't see it often enough in any genre.

The whodunit worked very well for me. Sure, it was predictable, but the execution of it was rather unexpected, quite flawless, and done for maximum effect.

Loved it! Now I have to go pre-order Fair Game

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Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Mercedes Thompson #2
Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
My rating: ★★★★★

Patricia Briggs writes like Sharon Shinn: with a very quiet, understated elegance that engulfs you and immerses you in the story without you realizing it. Very subtly she manages to make you care about all her characters (well, all of the ones that matter, anyway) and make you invested in both the story and their HEA.

I will admit to being underwhelmed by MOON CALLED, but boy am I glad I continued. This was such a good book! The suspense and intrigue built up soooooo slowly, and ended in a roaring crescendo.

And her characters are some of the best in urban fantasy. Mercy is fantabulous; and so is Adam; and Samuel; and Bran; and Stefan: and Zee; and even Ben, yes even that annoying werewolf.

Besides, who doesn't love a good werewolf story? Exactly.

So if you are looking for well-fleshed out, interesting, and awesome characters, a great plot, and four especially hot werewolves (Bran, Charles, Samuel, and Adam) then this is your book. And of course, a fantabulous female lead.

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Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews

The Edge #3
Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews
My rating: ★★★★½

★★★★½


Hot Damn.

This was some pretty excellent reading, and made my day very well-spent.

Audrey and Kaldar are beyond awesome as characters - two skilled thieves trying to score one for the good guys. And as I've said elsewhere, if I wasn't too old, and if I lived in the world of The Edge, and if bigamy wasn't against the law, I'd marry them when they grew up. And if Gaston was human, him too. Yep, I want them all.

But I will say this. I defintely think FATE'S EDGE is the best of the Edge books, but ON THE EDGE REMAINS my favorite. (If you care to know, I didn't like Cerise and William's story). Fate's Edge felt a bit like theirs for me (Cerise and William, that is, not Rose and Declan's). The writing was perfect, and Kaldar and Audrey were perfect for each other. But they...didn't bring it. I don't know how to explain it, because I would be the first to say the story is excellent, the tension nearly gave me a heart attack, and I was giggling like an idiot during the moments of levity. It worked for me; it worked very well for me. But still.

The love. That was one of the factors that didn't "bring it." I mean, I felt the love, and I saw the love, but it just passed the screen. It didn't come out of the blue, but then it wasn't developed fully. Argh! This is too hard to put in words.

It's a great book. I loved it. I loved all the characters; I can't WAIT for the villains to get their comeuppance; Kaldar and Audrey are great; George and Jack and Gaston are excellent; Rose and Declan light up my life.

Highly recommended. What else can I do? It's an Ilona Andrews book. Of course it is excellent. It goes without saying.

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Curran #3 by Gordon Andrews

Curran #3 by Gordon Andrews
My rating: ★★★★

NB: This is a freebie snippet of Curran's POV in the Kate Daniels series. It is a quick read; you can find it on their website here. This one takes place after Kate Daniels book #3, Magic Strikes.
 

I love my - well, Kate's - Curran!!!

Although - how would Jim/Dali/Mahon or whoever get all this info? That just doesn't make any sense to me. If this information is so dangerous that Kate has fought all of her life to keep it hidden (and Greg, and Voron, and Anna), but Jim/Dali/Mahon can figure it out, then how in the heck can't Roland - who is supposed to be a master builder, ruler of cities for centuries, and rather smart? Yeah. My point exactly.

But still! I love my Curran. Thank you, Gordon Andrews, for making my day!

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Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
My rating: ★★★★★

I love Neil Gaiman.

I love the animated version of Coraline
(I watched it long before I had any idea that the book existed), and let me tell you, that movie doesn't do this book any justice at all.

Well anyway, I just got around to reading it and it was fantastic, as expected.

Neil Gaiman's descriptions are gold. As I was reading it, I had the distinct feeling that this was Coraline's book, ie. that a small girl was telling her story, not an adult telling a young girl's story. It's wonderful, just like I knew it would be.

In (Gaiman's) own words, his book tells the story of Coraline, who was small for her age and who would find herself in the darkest danger. By the time it was over, she would find what lay behind mirrors, have a close call with a bad hand, and come face-to-face wither her other mother; she'd rescue her true parents from a fate worse than death and triumph against overwhelming odds.

He also says it's the weirdest book he's written and the book he's most proud of.
I say he's right.

Gaiman said he wrote a book that children would experience as an adventure and that that gave adults nightmares. He is right. It does give me the creeps (both the book and the movie). I loved it and highly recommend it!

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Magic Graves (anthology) by Ilona Andrews and Jeaniene Frost

Magic Graves: One for the Money / A Questionable Client by Jeaniene Frost
My rating: ★★★★★

Magic Graves is an anthology that features an already-published work each from Ilona Andrews and Jeaniene Frost. Both stories are excellent.

A Questionable Client - 5 stars

This features a prequel to the Kate Daniels series; it is the story of how Kate met Saiman. I liked the younger Kate, and I liked the mythology in the novel. Saiman is still Saiman, as amoral as ever. It was a fun treat to look inside their first meeting.


One for the Money - 5 stars

This novella features Cat and Bones on bodyguard/whodunit detail, and it was a good read. Be warned though, this novella is like #3.5 in the Night Huntress series, so for someone like me, who'd read only the first book, there are MAJOR spoilers in there. I was quite sad to be so spoiled. Oh well, serves me right, I guess. But it's also great.



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Angels of Darkness (anthology)

Angels of Darkness by Ilona Andrews
My rating: ★★★★

This is one of my favorite anthologies till date, as it contains 3 of my very favorite authors.


Alphas: Origins, by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars
I loved this one. Skill and versatiity from two authors I adore. The writing is so different from the typical Ilona Andrews voice and I am excited. I am excited for a new series (fingers crossed), hopefully starring Lucas and Karina.


Nocturne, by Sharon Shinn - 5 stars
My favorite. Sharon Shinn writes with elegance and an understated beauty that drags you unawares into her stories. My favorite parts of the story was the legacy Rachel and Gabriel left Samaria, and any mentions of them made me smile.

Angel's Wolf, by Nalini Singh - 4 stars
Enjoyable story.

Ascension, by Meljean Brook - 2 stars
Now I am not familiar with Meljean's Guardians series, so it could be why I had such a problem getting into it. It was my least favorite story, and the one I thought was least well-written. I didn't enjoy either the hero or heroine, and while I felt their lust, i felt nothing else for them.

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When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

My rating: ★★★★★

All the people whose reviews I trust raved about this book. Well, i just finished it and...

Wow. I have nothing useful to add to the other glowing reviews except that this book is A-MAZING! It was so much fun to read and I am in awe of Ms. James' talent. It's a simple enough tale - a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Only this time, instead of a literal beast Ms. James gives us a hero "Beast" who's fashioned after Dr. House: a brilliant doctor who behaves like a beast. Cue in the awesome snark. To me the heroine perfectly mirrored Belle in the original fairy tale - beautiful and wickedly smart. Put the Beauty and the Beast together and you have an awesome story that is rollicking fun.

FUNFUFUNFUNFUN!I can't tell you how much fun I had reading this book. It was almost like watching a particularly brilliant episode of House on TV, lol. Amid all the fun, Ms. James also manages to tell a very touching love story. Several scenes tugged at my heartstrings and tear ducts (but I firmly resisted the urge to cry, lol).

I can find absolutely nothing wrong with this book and everything right with it. Pure awesomeness.



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Soulless, by Gail Carriger

Soulless by Gail Carriger

My rating: ★★★★½


The entire time I was reading it, I couldn't stop thinking about limericks. That's what this book is - a limerick: something absurd and fanciful, which is created masterfully and results in a work that is utterly delightful. Right from the get-go, I thoroughly enjoyed wading through the story.

The book is essentially about Alexia, a soulless person in a London filled with soul-full beings. Normal humans have the requisite amount of soul, while supernaturals (vampires, werewolves, etc) have an overabundance of soul. Of course, since this is a romantic fantasy, it is also about Alexia finding love with the local werewolf Alpha, Lord Maccon.

Lord Maccon, Professor Lyall and Alexia were a joy to read about, and consistently kept me laughing. Some of the side characters are also interesting, namely the flamboyant Lord Akeldama and Alexia's friend Ivy.

By far the best thing about this book is the writing. Absurd fun!
It is definitely well worth a read.



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A Mistress for the Taking (Mistress to a Millionaire), by Annie West

A Mistress for the Taking (Mistress to a Millionaire) by Annie West

My rating: ★★★★★


This book is not without its problems, but it is AWESOME!
The hero and heroine are probably one of the top five in HP H/h I've had the pleasure of reading.
For one thing, they are THINKING, SENSIBLE people.
Loved it.
Then again, I am not surprised. Ms. West writes great heroes and heroines.
Keeper.



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Kiss of Snow, by Nalini Singh

Psy-Changeling, #10
Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

My rating: ★★★★★

I'm not going to go into plot details because other reviewers have done that better than I could have.

I think this might just be my favorite of the whole series, right up there with play of passion. It is not just because Hawke is my absolute favorite character (how can you NOT love the hotness that is Hawke?).

See, Kiss of Snow isn't perfect. At all. In fact it has a lot wrong with it. for example the story (Sienna and Hawke's) was fast. I felt like i didn't have time to savor it. And there were a lot of things going on in the story at the same time, making it feel choppy and episodic.

But the things that were wrong with the book were also what made it special. In many ways this book isabout precious moments, cherished moments, moments stolen from busy, chaotic, choppy days.

It was about the little moments that made up Sienna and Hawke's courtship; it was about finding precious moments to nurture love in the midst of upheaval.

It was about moments with friends, and about family bonds, friendship bonds, loyalty, love... all in busy times, moments stolen from the day.

It was about the ties that bind.

At the beginning I wasn't sure this was going to be my favorite book. but it's definitely in my top 3 of this series. I LOVE it! the many moments Hawke and Sienna had and the last 25% of the story made up for everything else.

And Hawke is a man after my own heart. he is simply awesome (anyone that says different is a huge liar, lol) and one of my favorite heroes in fiction. One of the things I love most about his character is how flawed he is. Unlike many of the heroes in this series, he is hugely flawed, with real flaws too (none of the "noble, admirable" flaws crap).He is not at all perfect, and in many ways Sienna is more 'perfect' than he is. I immensely enjoyed learning what made him tick, his history and his imperfections too.

Sienna is awesome. Many times i forgot she was only 19. She is much more mature than any 19 yo (she is more like Indigo than Evie) and more than a match for Hawke. She could hold her own against him. She's a force to be reckoned with in her own right. And I LOVED their love story, if that's not obvious by now. I also really enjoyed seeing how much-loved Hawke is, how much his pack loves and admires him, and just how much of himself he gives to his pack, how much he loves them, how hard he works to deserve their love and admiration. I only wish there has been more time to spend with Hawke and Sienna and the SnowDancer pack.

The interactions of the Lauren family were also great to see (Toby and Marlee need their own book, hehe). Kiss of Snow is not your most perfect story out there, but it is an amazing love story and well worth the wait (I see you amazon.com, making me wait till past three am to get my hands on this book).

Now all that is left is to make Hawke a daddy!!!!

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Dragon Bound, by Thea Harrison

Elder Races #1
Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

My rating: ★★★★★

THIS BOOK!

LOVED IT!

Well, not so much the first half - that was just meh. The writing was good, but I just could not get into it. Pia was annoying, but Dragos (insert besotted smile here) was cute from the very beginning.

The second half however, is gold, pure gold. I could not stop giggling while i was reading it. it was funny and sweet and cute.

Pia was actually a very worthy heroine. She was kick-ass, smart, funny, and snarky while still managing to be gentle, and sweet and cute (those three words again). You don't get a winning combination like that often. I thought she was annoying in the beginning, but she's truly charming. I take back everything bad i said about Pia, lol. My one pet peeve is that I HATED it when she called Dragos "Big Guy". The heck? All this great writing and Thea Harrison couldn't come up with a better pet name for Dragos? smh.

Dragos is one of the best heroes I've had the pleasure of reading in a while. He is your typical "alpha-male",take-charge, gruff, dangerous, primal, untamed, wild... alla that good stuff, and he is at the same time endearing and sweet. I mean, how many 'uber-male, he-man-type' heroes do you know of who have no trouble saying "sorry" and meaning it? (I can't tell you how much I loved it when he offered sincere apologies to Rune and Pia). Right from when I read about him, I loved him.

The plot:
Like I said before, it dragged in the first half, but man, oh man was I sucked in during the second half. Many times I found myself going back to read the pages I'd complained were dragging, lol.

when i remembered getting to the end that Pia and Dragos had only known each other a week or two, I was actually surprised. I felt like we had been with them ages, watching them grow with each other, so I must say that their love story worked very, very well for me.

The supporting cast was great: Tricks was cute, but Rune and Graydon were my favorites. I liked Rune immediately I read about him, but Graydon took a while. I fell head over heals for him the moment he said "that was goddamn balletic, Pia" on the excercise mat, after she'd thrown Rune down. I mean, how cool is that? Who says "balletic" - I HAD to love Graydon after that. I hope he gets a book (I know Rune and Tricks get theirs).

In a way, I wish the next books were not going to focus on other characters, I'd have loved to see more of Dragos and Pia. They're that cool.

I will be waiting to read the other books. But this book is gold. It is lovely, funny, witty, charming...all the superlatives you can think of. Well the last 50% anyway. Skip the first half if you can :D

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