Sigma (the Vanguards book 5) Annie Nicholas

To defend and protect, at any cost.

Sam’s self-confidence never recovered when he failed to protect his best friend Sugar from an attack months ago. The urge to guard the weak ran strong in his shifter blood. So much his pack gave him the position of Sigma, defender of the innocent and frail. Too bad he sucked at it. On his way home he becomes entangled in a vampire skirmish and is left with an injured female in his arms.

As a vampire accountant for Pal Robi inc., Clementine never imagined her master would ask her to commit corporate espionage. She’s discovered and shot but a shifter, made of her fantasies, comes to her rescue. In the few hours spent with him she’s lived more than the decades spent among her clan.

Hiding on the streets of Chicago, together they fight to stay alive but can a petite vampire female break through her hero’s jaded heart? Book description.

I was given this copy free for review, but as always on the basis that my opinion is honestly held, and whether paid for or free my views are not influenced by that. Integrity is important to me and gushing false reviews do neither author nor reader any favours. As always my views are what I honestly feel about this book.

 Sigma is fifth book in the Vanguards series. I haven't read any of the series previously but found it easy to read and understand story and characters although I think I would have felt more empathy with the characters if I’d read the previous series. It’s a paranormal romance book, with some quite erotic content so if you don't like sex scenes you may be offended. Personally I think they fit well within many of this genre – in most fantasy novels both werewolves and vampires are very sexual creatures and this book has them both.

 Sigma is written in 3^rd person point of view and focusses on Sam, the Sigma (defender of weak and innocent) for the pack. Sam’s feeling lonely and introspective, blames himself for Human Sugar's injuries as he was looking out for her when they were attacked by a rival pack, and then while collecting Sugar from hospital he encounters and rescues Vampire Clementine from a vampire gang shooting at her. There’s an instant attraction between them and some very hot sex scenes to follow. We meet and catch up with some of the other pack members and Sugar's vampire lover Daedalus, who it turns out is Clementine's Master. The book focuses on a plot to steal data and Clementine needs to hide out with Sam, Sugar, and her sister Spice.

 It’s quite a short read – Novella- at 25,000 words and is well written and edited. It’s what I would describe as Paranormal Chick-lit.... something not too heavy and taxing to read, just what you want for the beach or a hot summer afternoon in a hammock in the garden – that’s where I read it. In general I prefer books that are longer – I'm happy with this writing style but like to get really engrossed into a book and as a quick reader Novellas are over so quickly for me. For slower readers it’s perfect though – the old one man’s meat proverb comes into play here, as it does with those that do/don't like sex in their books. I'm firmly in the Do camp – I love to escape into another world and paranormal books like this allow me that fantasy. I really enjoyed reading this and would like to read the earlier ones in the series at some point to get the full view of who they all are and what’s happening. If I do I plan to read them all back to back, it would be like reading one good long novel for me and I'd get the most enjoyment that way. I didn't really get too attached to the characters and I think that’s because I hadn't read earlier books and got the full back story of how they all got together and how they integrated with each other. It’s not a reflection on the writing but more on the fact I’m coming into a series cold and not knowing about all the little incidents that build into relationships.

 As ever we end with stars – I'm giving this book 4 stars – it’s well written and edited but on a personal level I'd have liked it to be longer. There's enough in the storyline and characters to have expanded it without making it feel “padded” in my view and that would have upped my star rating. Again though that’s a personal prejudice and someone wanting a quick read may give it 5 stars.

                                         4 Stars!

You may find Annie Nicholas here :

Lyrical Press Inc.

http://annienicholas.blogspot.com/

Reviewed by Midnight Ruby

Hidden in Plain Sight by Amy Lee Burgess

As Stanzie discovers her wolf, she learns being herself is more dangerous than ever.

Where is Bethany Dillon? The seventeen-year-old girl is missing from the Maplefair pack and Constance Newcastle--Stanzie--and Liam Murphy must find her. Fast. A serial killer still has not been caught. Bethany could have run away, or killed herself. But no one in her pack seems to know the truth. Or, they’re just not telling.

Constance’s knack for uncovering secrets leads her into peril, and to save Bethany, she must break every rule. She risks losing everything, including Liam...and her life. Book Description

I was given this copy by author free for review, but as always on the basis that my opinion is honestly held, and whether paid for or free my views are not influenced by that. Integrity is important to me and gushing false reviews do neither author or reader any favours. As always my views are what I honestly feel about this book.

 This book is in the paranormal romance genre, and has some erotic content with ménage sex and sex with non-partners. Its not overly graphic and fits well within the storyline.

I didn't realize when I started this book that is was third in a series and had some trouble working out the back story and placing each person which meant I took time to really get “into” the story. I'm glad I stuck with it though as its one of the most enjoyable werewolf novels I’ve read for a while. I intend to get the first two and re read the series in order as this book is so well written I know its one I’ll want to keep for future reading and knowing the previous events will enjoy it even more.

Bond mates Constance Newcastle and Liam Murphy (Stanzie and Murphy) are still getting used to their new roles as advisers and as bond mates. They’re asked to investigate the disappearance of 17 year old pack member Bethany Dillon missing from the Maplefair pack. There's an urgency to find her as there is a serial killer in the area but Stanzie suspects pack members know more than they are telling. Stanzie has problems with her wolf as she doesn't behave as “normal” wolves do and she gets drawn into a life threatening situation.

 This book – once I'd worked out who was who – had me totally gripped to the end, to the point I stayed reading until far, far too late as I just had to know how it ended....to me that’s the hallmark of a really good story when you just can't leave the characters part way through. (of course Him Indoors was muttering about the trouble I’d have getting up in the morning....) The characters are well written and I had a clear image of them, both of their appearance and their nature from the text. I felt so sorry for Stanzie as she seems to have had tragedy upon tragedy heaped upon her, and Murphy – well he was trying so so hard to help her. Paddy the alpha pack leader was a fun character – and very understanding and supportive. I'd love to know more of him in any future books, and then there was lovely Kathy – baker of cakes extraordinaire. The storyline was clearly set out and easy to follow and I was totally drawn into it. It was long enough to really get hooked on the characters and events and I spend much of the latter half on the edge of tears, the emotion in the events was so strong and scenes so very realistic. Stanzie's emotional trauma was so clear and vivid, and I really felt so much for her that I wanted to reach in and give her a hug. Her wolf was wonderful too – so very innocent and yet protective, and so confused and scared – I understood exactly how she felt confronted by rejection and mental bullying from the others.

 As I said this book is simply riveting – if you like werewolves, spicy romance, a good emotional story and a plot line to keep you guessing this book is well worth reading. It’s got so much in it that if you re read books as I do it'll be one you want to read again and again.

 It’s available as a full length novel from July 9th 2012.

Stars – well, picky as I am about books I can't do anything but give this 5 stars. It’s a good length and price, well written and edited and a fantastic gripping and moving story. What’s not to love?

You may find more about "Hidden in Plain Sight" on the Lyrical Press Inc :
Lyrical Press, Inc.

Reviewed by Midnight Ruby  

Candlelight Sinner by Stella Deleuze

Being madly in love with Tom, a rather good looking immortal wish-consultant and working in her dream job, life seems to be perfect for 32-year-old Celia. If it wasn't for the dark side still being after her or Sam, a charismatic man asking for her help, causing dilemma. When Tom gets another demanding case, and Celia takes her friend on a trip to Lanzarote, everything's about to change.
If she decides to help her brother crossing over from the dark side, she might lose everything she loves: her boyfriend, her job, her friends and her life.

The books fits neatly into the category paranormal romantic comedy, but beware: no vampire or werewolf in sight, just the odd human being with supernatural powers. Book Description

I was given this copy by author free for review, but as always on the basis that my opinion is honestly held, and whether paid for or free my views are not influenced by that. Integrity is important to me and gushing false reviews do neither author nor reader any favours. As always my views are what I honestly feel about this book.

This is a follow up novel to No Wings Attached and continues the story of Human Celia and Supernatural wish consultant Tom. Like the first book its a paranormal romance but not heavy on vampires or werewolves, simple a flexing of some supernatural muscle at times so its suitable for all romance lovers.

Tom and Celia have been given permission from Above to be together but are on trial. Tom still has his powers limited and Celia is banned from using any of hers. They are in live but as ever the course of true love never runs smoothly – well if it did we'd be stuck for a good book wouldn't we :) Tom's new case involves a beautiful would be model who makes it clear she's interested on Tom and of course Celia's insecurities about how she's ended up with such a fantastic man and her history of being let down means there are sparks about to fly. Celia gets drawn in to a plan to rescue her brother from the dark side by a friend of his – the lovely, lovely Sam. Sam undertakes to train her in using her powers in secret and she can't let Tom know. Its secrets secrets all the way and of course a hot bed for jealousy and suspicion.

Like the first book this is well written and edited and a good length for the money, and a great way to while away a few hours. Its light-hearted and easy to read – I love an in-depth deep book but sometimes just want something light that doesn't need too much concentration but just something to enjoy without taxing the brain as to who is who and what has been happening. I compared Stella's writing to that of Sophie Kinsella in the first book and again this one has the same feel – Sophie’s books are ones I turn to when I want something gentle and easy to read and amuse me. Again chapters alternate from viewpoint of both Celia and Tom so we can not only see what the results of their actions are but understand why they did things and what the other person thinks about them. I really enjoyed that part – seeing an issue form different sides makes it so much clearer to understand why characters act in the way they do.

 Candlelight Sinner had times when it made me laugh, times when it made me cry and times when I could scream at Celia “ you stupid woman, what the hell are you doing!!” and that is good, as it shows how “into “ and involved in the characters I'd become. I don't like to feel an onlooker when reading but want to be totally immersed. Again it has some surprising turns I didn't foresee and that’s good – no one wants to read a book where the plots are obvious. However I didn't enjoy this quite as much as I did the first one, its close but somehow it didn't grip me in quite the same way. I'm not sure why though, maybe it’s that the first book had the charm of a new and forbidden romance perhaps, and stuff like that always gets to me? Anyway it’s still an excellent read, one teens and adults, paranormal and non-paranormal readers can enjoy and value for money at just £2.31 for a 533kb book. There's an opening for a third book too in the way the story ends, and as we've learned more about some of the characters and how they related it would be interesting to read further stories about them.

 Stars – Once again 4 stars – good story, well written and edited and value for money.

You may find Stella Deleuze on the web here :
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/StellaDeleuze

http://wordsbystelladeleuze.blogspot.com/

Reviewed by Midnight Ruby

Interview with Patti Roberts

I am so excited to bring to you this week an interview with Patti Roberts whose books I have had the pleasure to read and review.  This interview is timely for this week Patti has rereleased the first book “Paradox: The Angels are Here” on Smashwords and Amazon with the second book “Progeny of Innocence” soon to follow. The thrid book " Bound by Blood" is scheduled to be released in October, 2012.  So without further ado, let’s get to know this amazing author a bit better.

1)    When did you first realize you first wanted to be a writer?

 After I finished and published book 1. Paradox – The Angels Are Here.  What started of as therapy (the broken heart kind of therapy) has turned into a brand new career path.  And I have loved every minute of it.

2)    As the Author of the Paradox Trilogy, can you tell us what is difficult about writing a trilogy?

Time, nothing more. I wish there were more hours in the day! I wish I had a fulltime house cleaner, gardener and cook! The bathing and eating I am still happy to do myself J

3)    Where do you get information or ideas for your books?

 Imagination – definitely dreams. I have also been inspired by movies, TV series and other authors.  My current hero in the writing realm is George R. R.  Martin – The author of Game Of Thrones.  I love his world building and huge cast of awesome characters. It is impossible to pick just one favorite character.  I have four.

4)    Social media has taken the internet by storm, and you do a fantastic job at utilizing all the web has to offer, what advise can you offer new authors on how to use the internet as a tool for promoting their work?

Facebook, Goodreads and twitter is a must! Along with 20 hour days. There is as much time spent marketing – it not more – as there is writing. And a blog. Blogs are also very handy for communicating with the public that will hopefully become your readers.

5)    What do you like to do when you are not writing?

 What? Okay seriously… Research. And the best research – homework – a writer can do to get better is to read, read, read. And read some more. If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write… I think Stephen King said that somewhere - and he couldn’t be more right about that. And who am I to question one of the great writers of our time.

6)    There are so many fantastic characters in our Paradox Series, do you have a favorite one and if so why?

 Oh, that is like asking a mother who her favorite child is… But they are not my children so no ones feelings are going to get hurt. I REALLY love the evil characters. Abaddon, Pandora, Theria, Lyssa and Caleb from the first 2 books.  Book 3, Bound By Blood, introduces you to many more, like Weasel and Lord Grigori and his sons Grig and Orian. Book 3 also introduces you to the 3 Ancients – 3 wise men. I really like the part they will play… they are good guys though.

7)    Can you share a bit about what you are working on currently?

 Bound By Blood – book 3. I have to have this one ready by October. I am also doing some rewrites on book 1 [The Angels Are Here] after a wonderful friend – Ella Medler – edited it for me. I can’t wait to republish that one this week with its brand new cover!

8)    What do you think makes a good story?

 Different things appeal to different people. I personally like a story that holds back, makes you think. Makes you search for the answers and leaves you wanting more. I like it when I have read a book that leaves me hanging and thinking, noooo - crap, I have to have more right now…. Some people like to have all the answers tied up in a nice neat bundle when they finish a book – I’m not one of those people. I promise that none of my books will ever end like that! I enjoy leaving a reader hanging. Sorry.

9)    How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?

I’ve written two books in the Paradox Series and number 2 is my favorite… but not for much longer.  Book 3 is going to even better still. And then there is book 4…

10) What is one of the most surprising things you have learned in creating your books?

 Like the universe – there is no end in sight anytime soon.  Another would be how wonderful characters, even the ones you didn’t think would amount to much, just take over, to become GREAT characters. That really surprises me. It’s like watching a star being born. And you just thing wow, I never saw that coming.

Thank you Patti for taking the time to answer our questions! We wish you the best of luck with all your endeavors and I look forward to reading "Bound by Blood".

     

Paradox Parnormal Book Seires Trailer

Interviewed by Rayven

Child of the Night (Power of the Blood) by Nancy Kilpatrick

The first volume in a terrifying new erotic vampire series, POWER OF BLOOD, presenting the stories of three very contemporary and very deadly ghouls. Child of the Night -- Carol is in Paris recovering from the end of her marriage when she meets Andre, a mysterious man who tries to seduce her. The story takes a bizarre and chilling twist when Carol sees him murder a man and discovers he is in fact an ancient and powerful vampire.Andre begins to persuade her to hide his existence, and forces Carol to make a sexual arrangement with him in order to save her life - and the life of their unborn child!

This is first in a series of four books Nancy has written in the “power of the blood” world. Its an unusual take on the paranormal romance as its a vampire based romance but not the usual vulnerable female taken under dark and dangerous but gorgeous vampire. Carol is vulnerable and Andre is dark and dangerous but there are so many variances from the usual format that it makes this a refreshing story to read and I found it great that I really didn't know what was going to happen next. With so many books the storyline becomes obvious partway into the book and though this was listed as romance and I expected Carol and Andre to get together eventually there was always the uncertainty that perhaps the romance parts involved other characters that were included in the story. Its written in 3^rd person POV.

 After a divorce when Carol finds her husband has had an affair with another man and possible infected her with HIV she is holidaying in France when she meets Andre. She's unaware that he is vampire but realizes he's a dangerous man and fears for her life so she tries to make a bargain with him thinking she has nothing to lose. She becomes embroiled in the dark and dangerous world of vampires – Andre turns out to be very unpredictable and alternates between appearing to care for her and being very cruel. Its difficult to say more without spoiling the story but Carol is in for many harsh and unusual adventures before the story ends.

 The story itself starts just after her divorce and ends some ten years later with most of the years between examined briefly over a couple of chapters to keep the flow of the story going properly. I like that – I don't like those books where there's a cliffhanger chapter ending and the next begins “10 years later” - I want to know what the characters have been doing all that time even if its a brief explanation and in this story it also neatly brings in another character important to the ending. Cleverly done Nancy!


 I really enjoyed this story – it kept me guessing throughout on what would happen next which was great for holding readers interest. I really didn't anticipate so many of the story lines taking the form they did and appreciate that. I've not yet read book two and hope its a continuation of Andre and Carols story but from a quick look think it may be a different story about vampires and blood – I’m sure whatever will be interesting to read but would like to know more about Andre, Carol and the other supporting vampires form this story and what happens next to them all. Its a book that does have sex scenes but nothing too graphic and I'd be happy for teenagers to read it.


 What I didn't like: sadly there were far too many silly editing errors in the grammar of the book- things like speech marks that don't start at beginning of speech but part way through and end too soon or too late. That makes working out conversation from text difficult :( and there were times when in the middle of a block of text it moved to new paragraph for no reason, or there were part sentences which didn't make sense. I’d assume some of this was from a re-edit when the text ought to have been removed but had been left in by mistake – it’s really annoying and distracting for reader though. If the book hadn't been as good these simple errors would have meant I didn't bother to finish but Nancy has written such a good story that I had to see how it continued and persevered past the mistakes. Sadly it does mean I’m going to drop a star from my rating though because I’m quite critical of mistakes like that not being in books – they should have been picked up and corrected before release. As this is first book I'm hoping later ones have benefited and these errors won't be in them. I'm looking forward to continuing reading works from this author

It’s a good length at 488kb which I like – no novellas for me generally – usually I love to get immersed into a book. There seem to be a number of self-published books of just 10-20 pages and I’m not a reader of much that’s under 200 pages. That’s a personal choice as much as genre is so what I like won't necessarily be what you like but if you share my view then this book at just £1.92 is worth the money. It’s only available on kindle currently.

Stars – I'd give it 4 stars  for the story content which was excellent but I always include other things in my overall rating.

You may purchase Child of Night here : DarkissReads bookstore

Reviewed by Midnight Ruby

Any love but mine (The Erosians) by Debbie Davies

Look but don't touch has never been more true...

The gods forbade her to love, but love is a powerful force. Acacia has been created purely for Eros' pleasure but discovers within moments of being summoned into his presence that he has no interest in her whatsoever. Rejected, she is banished to Earth to serve as Eros' minion with the task of promoting the blissful state of love among all those around her, a state she must never indulge in with a human being herself on pain of immediate destruction.  And then comes Josh, someone whose power of attraction over Acacia is so intense she will find it utterly impossible to resist him. But is he human? Is he a god? Or is he a trick of the gods? And what would happen should they kiss? Book Description

This is in the paranormal/fantasy romance genre. It’s based around the Greek Gods mythology but doesn't follow the myth too closely; Debbie alters what she needs to fit her story. It’s a change from the myriad of vampires and shape shifters usually found in paranormal romance, though I'm a sucker for those too....It’s written in the first person point of view – I really like those as it enables me to feel I’m “in” the story more easily. It’s the début book for Debbie and I'm sure she'll have many more to follow. It’s available only one book currently.

In this book Acacia is a beautiful girl created for Eros to love, but he is still in love with Psyche although she is married to another – those pesky Gods like to interfere in each other’s lives far too much and create friction and ill feeling everywhere, sadly the impact is usually on others and Acacia and her sisters are the ones who take the fallout from this interference.

Acacia is the third girl created but Eros doesn't want any of them – he's so bitter and twisted though that he won't let them have anyone else. They live on earth doing the traditional Eros thing of searching souls to match up with that will live happily together and they try to fit in. Acacia is at school when she sees Josh and is instantly attracted. As ever, the path of true love doesn't go smoothly and Acacia has a number of run ins with the gods over her attraction. One of the big Rules is not to let humans know who they are and that the girls must not have boyfriends. Acacia can't resist Josh though however much her sisters tell her to. One sister because she loves her and is kind, the other sister who is bitter about their life and goes out of her way to hurt Acacia. They start to plan a life together when the Gods intervene.

Will true love prevail? Well, it’s a roller-coaster ride with adventures on earth and in the Underworld. This is fortunately a series and I really want to know how it continues. While in the underworld Acacia meets Luca – another love interest. I really like the sound of Luca as opposed to good boy Josh – my downfall is always the bad guys! I would have liked Acacia to have spent more time with Luca – falling for him so quickly when she had such strong feelings for Josh seemed just wrong. This part of the story was quite short and could have been expanded to make it more believable I feel. At times I wanted to shake Acacia and say “what are you thinking girl?” but that’s good in a way as it shows how into the characters I’d got.

The ending came as a surprise and I really want to read what happens next so I hope Debbie is writing furiously as I type!

It’s a book suitable for adults and teens as there are no heavy sex scenes and the storyline is easy to follow. It’s a good length too – as I’ve said before I’m not a short story/novella fan – I like to really get Into a book and it needs to be a decent length for that. I found very few spelling or grammar errors – good for you Debbie as far too many e books are badly edited and contain so many mistakes it makes the story difficult to follow.

Stars – well I think 4, that’s not bad as I’m a picky critic and rarely give 5 stars, a book has to really, really grip me for that. I loved the story, it was well written and easy to follow, different from the usual with the inclusion of the Greek Gods but..... that ending and interaction with Luca seemed rushed to me. I find it hard to believe a grieving Acacia could fall so quickly for someone who'd had a hand in parting her from Josh and bringing her to the underworld even if Luca was a gorgeous baddie who made a turnabout to help her. I did get the feeling there was more to Josh earlier in the book and to an extent wasn't very surprised at what happened to him. That could perhaps have been hidden better though as I'm a reader not a writer I don't know how....I’m just offering my opinion.

                                         4 Stars!

 

You may purchase Any Love but Mine here : DarkissReads Bookstore

Reviewed by Midnight Ruby



The Banned Underground ( The Amulet of Kings) by Will Macmillan-Jones

What could be worse? Having to take a holiday in the (rainy) Lake District in the North West of England with an aunt who turns people into frogs for a hobby? Or battling the local dark lord, whose attempt at world domination starts with the nearby underground dwarf mansion and its enormous collection of used pizza boxes? Or getting involved with a jazz-loving bog troll and his dwarfish R&B band? Or is it being miles from a McDonalds? Join the teenagers and find out in this comical adventure where jazz and magic make a tongue-in-cheek laugh riot! Book Description.

You start the journey into the world of the normal jargon of who printed it, who wrote it and who helped.. However even this has been written as if the author is speaking solely to you with a slight humorous twist. This in my world makes me hopeful as I start to expect a story to be written with the same wit and personal touch. Like all story books that have a plot involving many different characters Wil MacMillan Jones straight away breaks them down into a cast with brief descriptions of each character - which are also gave me cause to chuckle. Wil, the writer has managed to write in a way that tells the story whilst almost having a conversation with you! Little quips throughout the book added as footnotes, mini conversations between characters behind the main action. Similar to Terry Pratchett but has defiantly made his own mark on the writing world.

You join Banned Underground in the Lake District, United Kingdom (and it is raining) with one of the main characters, a witch called Grizelda. Who has an upset broomstick, and is also muttering to herself. It also doesn't help her mood that she finds it rather hard to land.

Wil then takes you on to meet our two typical teenagers Chris and Linda, whom are Grizeldas' Nephew and Niece. They are also majorly involved in the story as they have now been informed that they are being sent to stay with their "creepy" Aunt Dot and long suffered Uncle Ben.

So the scenes are set, and the story line splits into two. One with Aunt Grizelda, Uncle Ben and men randomly in dark hoods, whilst the others with Chris, Linda with Fungus and a few hundred dwarfs! As once at their aunts farmhouse they start their adventure with strange hooded men, spells, magic and a dangerous fridge! Shortly after arriving Linda and Chris flee down a trapdoor into the world of the Dwarfs "Helvyndelve" with Fungus (who loves his Sax) the Bog Troll and due to the fact that he always glows green they need never find themselves truly in the dark! 

As the story leads on, both teams encounter danger and political red tape as they tackle the various and different attacks from the Grey Mange and Ned!. Look out for the moment when the fridge gets upset, and you may wish to take notes on how to rid yourself of the Tax Man! You are taken on a journey deep into the world of the Dwarfs, Bodgandor and Edern ending in a fight between them all for all of mankind!

The story lines are detailed so you are always able to follow each characters story line. The jumps between them are smooth, easy to follow and not too long that you forget who was doing what in another part of the plot. With magic, sarcasm, dry wit and typical teenager moments Wil takes us into a believable fantasy world.

Whilst being easy to read and follow, Banned Underground is also suitable to a varied age range due to its ability to mimic the children's films and stories out there on a par with Shriek, where they may be aimed at children but has many little subtle moments and comments that adults of all ages will appreciate. Easy to get involved with, laugh with and relax with Banned Underground is well worth a read. Detailed enough to keep you reading, but written so you are able to put it down and comeback to it later.. and still understand what is going on! The ending is much better than I thought it might be with not stereotypical cliffhangers but something a little bit different.

Out of 5 stars I would rate it 4 stars.

 Published by Safkhet Publishing 


You may purchase "The Banned Underground" here : Darkiss Reads bookstore

You may find Will Macmillan-Jones here : https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Banned-Underground/222107091139685

Reviewed by Midnight Star

This Blood (The Grace Allen Series Paranormal Romance) by Alisha Basso

When Grace Allen discovers a valuable ring in a gutter, she thinks it’s her lucky day. But fate has other ideas. Now, Grace finds herself not only the keeper of tremendous power, but the only person in the world able to control it.

Change isn’t the only battle Grace must face in this new and frightening world. Seth McPhee, vampire and master in the art of seduction is hot on her heels. While Graces' power will ensure his leadership in the underworld, her beauty will make her captivity a pleasure. Rushing to her rescue is Lucian, a man who is more than he seems. Will he prove to be the white knight who he claims? Or is he just another beautiful monster? Book Description

This is a fantasy romance book, first in a series and an excellent read with a slightly new take on the way the main character is introduced. The heroine Grace finds a ring and after due time sells it as she needs the money. She doesn't realize it has personal significance to her and just how her life is going to change with vampires, warlocks, elves and other supernatural creatures all wanting a piece of her.

Both main characters, Seth the vampire and Lucian the warlock, are irresistibly sexy and she is drawn to both. As well as the gorgeous warlock, elves and vamps though ( we meet vampires and they are all stunningly attractive though some very sadistic and cruel) there are ugly monstrous Trolls. She has a lot to learn about her new powers and who she can trust- not everyone is as they seem on the surface so she has to be very careful. The plot lines take us on a race through various adventures as different supernatural creatures try to gain control of her through kidnapping and blackmail, and she tries to work out what she can do, who she can get help from and who is dangerous.

Grace is an independent strong willed person with a great line in snarky comebacks – she had me grinning several times. I like books that have humour in them and grace is the type of female protagonist I love – not a drooping, wilting wallflower but a get up and go, make things happen girl. It has a good ending and exciting intro to next book – get writing quick Alisha cos I want to know what happens. As always even though the good guy is gorgeous and handsome I'm drawn to the ostensible bad boy – somehow the baddies always seem more fun and I can't help hoping something happens to make him the one that she's with in the end and that he actually turns out to be hero in disguise. That’s me – contrary I guess :) there are some well written and hot sex scenes with that bad boy!

The book itself is well written, few spelling and grammar errors and a good length – I’ve said before I hate books posing as full length that turn out to be novellas or just extending padded out short stories. Its written in an easy to read style and in the first person narrated by Grace. I like dialogue based books and this has plenty. Each character is well written and believable and Alisha has used many different types each one well described so we feel we can not only recognize them from description but understand their motives.

Alisha keeps us entertained throughout and I think this book could have been even longer without suffering if the dramatic escapes and adventures and the sex scenes were extended. Clearly Alisha can write well so if the book was a bit longer I’d have enjoyed it even more and it may have made my 5 star rating.... Not often one can say that for a first book – so many books are just full of padding to make up word count and end up boring the reader but with this one every word counts.

Its the first in a series and available on kindle only at the moment, and a real bargain at just £1.94. I received this copy from the author free of charge for review but this does not influence my opinions – I always write genuine reviews whether from free books or ones I have bought myself. I rely on reviews when I’m buying so like to be honest so I can help others in their choices. If you like the fantasy romance adventure genre I think you'll enjoy this book as much as I have. I'm definitely up for buying any sequels.

The stars – I’m quite tough on these and five stars are a real top notch for me – if this book was a little more in-depth with the drama and sex scenes it would have got five but as it is its a four and half star – very, very good for a new author in my opinion.

You may purchase This Blood here : Darkiss Reads Bookstore

You may find Alisha Basson on the web here : https://www.facebook.com/alisha.basso

Reviewed by Midnight Ruby

Tales of Aradia the Last Witch Volume 1 (Tales of Aradia: The Last Witch #1) by L.A Jones

Unknown to the humans who hung innocent people at the Salem Witch Trials real witches of the hidden race were killed for fear of exposure or at least that's what all the vampires, werewolves, and other races thought. There was not one witch whom survived the genocide of the Salem Witch Trials. But one day a girl named Aradia moves to Salem, MA and all that changes. Book Description

 A brief outline of this novel; it follows the life of Aradia.

The novel begins with the Salem witch trials and the attempt to wipe out all witches by vampires but- a baby girl is saved and sent through the ages by the Seer of the coven to present time. She is raised by adoptive parents not knowing who or what she is, only that she is different- she is given the name Aradia. After a move back to the town of Salem she discovers other "Hiddens" -Vampires, Werewolves, and the Fae etc.-and she starts to find out who she is.

This novel is the beginning of our journey with Aradia, Dax, Roy and the Sovereign. Not knowing what age Aradia will be when we next meet her( she’s 15 now) there are so many directions these novels can take - I can’t wait to find out.

The story line does have a familiar feel, other than the main character being a witch, the others are reminiscent of the Twilight series and True Blood, but the Author does make reference to these in the novel. It’s a quick and exciting read and the Author sets the scenes very well. The atmosphere of the town Salem is well caught, with a touch of humor........but the mood building towards the revelation is good -but, not the" POW" effect I thought it would have -that may come in the next book.

I’ve really enjoyed this book; the main characters are well written and likeable and have space to grow and expand. I would recommend this as a good read for early teens onwards.  I give this book 4 stars!

You may purchase The Tales of Aradia here : DarkissReads Bookstore

Reviewed by Avalon