Burn Bright, by Patricia Briggs | Book Review #381

Burn Bright is the fifth (#5) book in the Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs.

Now mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham face a threat like no other–one that lurks too close to home…

They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok’s pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm.

With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf–but can’t stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills–his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker–to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn…

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I have been looking forward to reading Burn Bright for I don’t know… 6 months. I love the Mercy Thompson series, but the Alpha and Omega series is close to my heart as well. Since I had been excited to read Burn Bright for 6 months, I’ve got to say that my expectations were incredibly high prior to my reading. When I started reading Burn Bright though, I was trying my best to lower those expectations since I really wanted to enjoy and love this addition to Anna and Charles’ story.

The Spirit Chaser, by Kat Mayor | {ARC} Book Review #372

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of The Spirit Chaser by Kat Mayor from CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacted my review.

Trigger Warning:
Blood, Possession, Suicide,
Drug Paraphernalia, Drug Use Mention

Some places are too evil. Some places should be left alone.

Austin Cole has it made. Star of the hit television show Spirit Chaser Investigations, he has become the world’s most famous paranormal investigator. Although hard work, a talented investigation team, and favorable genetics have something to do with it, it’s his lack of fear and willingness to take risks no one else will that make Spirit Chaser Investigations cable’s number-one show. When a ghost-hunt-gone-wrong seriously injures his best friend and lead psychic, Austin is forced to find a replacement for a team member he considers irreplaceable.

Casey Lawson can’t catch a break. She’s been on her own since she turned eighteen and is scraping by as a part-time psychic and cashier at a New Age store. When a desperate Austin Cole calls her up and offers her a position on his team, has her fortune finally changed?

He’s a control freak; she’s stubborn and opinionated. It takes time, but when they finally realize they’re working on the same side, everything clicks, both on and off screen.

Over the years Austin has angered plenty of demons, and one of them has set her sights on him. Now he’s the one in danger, and it’s up to the team to rescue him from the riskiest investigation of their lives.

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Publication Date: November 03, 2015.

It’s been quite a while since I last read a Horror/ Romance novel and I was so excited. What piqued my interest about The Spirit Chaser was actually the fact that the characters in this story actually make up a TV show that they themselves star in. Think “Ghost Hunters,” or “Ghost Adventures” (my personal favourite).

In the first chapter there were multiple points of view that bled into one another, making the story seem all the more confusing, I had to really concentrate on what was being said. Quickly I acclimated to the way the story was being told. Which helped a lot because we’re never given a way to decipher whose point of view we’re reading from. You really have to concentrate on the way the story is being told to not only understand what was happening, but to be able to understand whose point of view you’re reading from. 

(DNF) The Witch of Painted Sorrows, by M.J. Rose | {ARC} Book Review #370

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M.J. Rose, from Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacted my review.

Possession. Power. Passion. New York Times bestselling novelist M. J. Rose creates her most provocative and magical spellbinder yet in this gothic novel set against the lavish spectacle of 1890s Belle Époque Paris.

Sandrine Salome flees New York for her grandmother’s Paris mansion to escape her dangerous husband, but what she finds there is even more menacing. The house, famous for its lavish art collection and elegant salons, is mysteriously closed up. Although her grandmother insists it’s dangerous for Sandrine to visit, she defies her and meets Julien Duplessi, a mesmerizing young architect. Together they explore the hidden night world of Paris, the forbidden occult underground and Sandrine’s deepest desires.

Among the bohemians and the demi-monde, Sandrine discovers her erotic nature as a lover and painter. Then darker influences threaten—her cold and cruel husband is tracking her down and something sinister is taking hold, changing Sandrine, altering her. She’s become possessed by La Lune: A witch, a legend, and a sixteenth-century courtesan, who opens up her life to a darkness that may become a gift or a curse.

This is Sandrine’s “wild night of the soul,” her odyssey in the magnificent city of Paris, of art, love, and witchery.

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Publication Date: March 17, 2015.

What I was looking forward to most in The Witch of Painted Sorrows, was the Gothic, Witches, Fantasy and Romance aspects of this novel. What I wasn’t looking forward to was the Historical Fiction. I don’t normally read Historical Fiction unless there’s quite a bit of fantasy to overlap it, and I was sincerely hoping that in The Witch of Painted Sorrows, the Fantasy aspects of this novel would overtake the fact that this book takes place in the year 1894.

The writing feels is akin to something that comes out of an age-old fairy tale.

Drawn in by the alluring synopsis, i pictured that The Witch of Painted Sorrows would be a quick read. While the story was entertaining, it is not one that I could have enjoyed to the fullest.

I didn’t like that The Witch of Painted Sorrows was slow on the uptake.

What I liked about The Witch of Painted Sorrows is that I could very easily be drawn into the story. With the slow build up of the story however, I knew that I was *reading* a story, rather than living the story alongside the character.

I marked The Witch of Painted Sorrows as Did Not Finish (DNF) at 23%.

I give (what I read of) The Witch of Painted Sorrows, 2 stars.

Happy Reading!
— Adele

My Husband’s Wife, by Jane Corry | Book Review #364

Trigger Warning:
Rape mention,
Stalking,
Murder,
Murder Mention

When young lawyer Lily marries Ed, she’s determined to make a fresh start. To leave the secrets of the past behind. But then she takes on her first murder case and meets Joe. A convicted murderer whom Lily is strangely drawn to. For whom she will soon be willing to risk almost anything.

But Lily is not the only one with secrets. Her next-door neighbor Carla may be only nine, but she has already learned that secrets are powerful things. That they can get her whatever she wants.

When Lily finds Carla on her doorstep sixteen years later, a chain of events is set in motion that can end only one way.

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This review contains spoilers.

Let me just start this review by saying that I did not enjoy My Husband’s Wife. At all. And the more I focus on My Husband’s Wife, the more I find myself hating it. I found that the synopsis was interesting enough to try and read this book, but that’s about it. 

GHOST (Lords of Carnage MC, #1), by Daphne Loveling | Quick Book Review #363

Trigger Warning:
Foul Langauge,
Murder (Self Defence),
Guns

CAS
They call me Ghost for a reason. Silent and in the shadows, I don’t make my move until I am absolutely sure of everything.
Four years ago I was sure about Jenna. My best friend’s kid sister had grown up into a spitfire I couldn’t resist.
One night we stopped resisting…
We promised we’d keep it a secret. It was a one-time mistake, but we’d put it behind us. Jenna left but I kept my word.
Jenna tried to get out of our corrupt town, but it pulled her back in again. Now she needs help. She needs protection. I’ll do all of that for her, if she’ll just shut the hell up and let me. She can even keep all of her secrets, except for one…

JENNA
The Lords of Carnage MC has haunted me from the moment I was born. No matter how much I try to get away, they are there — waiting to pull me back into the life that stole my father, my mother and then my brother from me. The ghosts of my past keep rising from the dead.
Now the past is stirring again and all I want to do is run away. I’m back in the world I fled, and the secrets and lies of my whole family are about to be laid bare. But it’s not just me anymore. I’ve got my little boy to look out for, too. I’m his only family. And his father has no idea he exists.
I swore I would never go back to the MC. I swore I would never make the same mistakes again. But making mistakes with Casper Watkins is too hard to resist…

GHOST is a scorching-hot stand-alone romance, and the first book in the new Lords of Carnage MC series. Ghost has NO cheating, no cliffhanger, and a guaranteed HEA!

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GHOST (Lords of Carnage, #1) by Daphne Loveling, is NOT a YA novel. Ghost is strictly an 18+ or older book. There are detailed sex scenes, and this book is marketed as a Romance novel.

GHOST was a book that I happened to come across in a quick email blurb. Once I read that the Lords of Carnage series is a series that has a motorcycle club as it’s main focus, I immediately became interested. And thus downloaded GHOST without much thought.

There are two points of view within GHOST, as you could probably tell from the synopsis.  Both Cas and Jenna have their own unique thought process and ways of living their lives. Though I’m quite happy that these two had a fairly good ending.

Jenna and Cas have a bound-to-be romance. Their romance is not exactly slow burning, as they have history that takes place prior to when GHOST actually starts. However, Jenna and Cas’s relationship is something else. Their sex life is, simply put, explosive.

Over all I found that GHOST was a cute story and frankly, I’m genuinely looking forward to reading the other books in the Lords of Carnage MC series.

If you want a book that is a fast read, has smut, romance, and more then I definitely recommend GHOST (Lords of Carnage MC, #1) to you!

I give GHOST (Lord of Carnage, #1), 3 stars.

Happy Reading!
— Adele

The Traitor God, by Cameron Johnston | {ARC} Book Review #360

Thank you Angry Robot Books, via Netgalley for allowing me to read The Traitor God by Cameron Johnston in exchange for an honest review.

A city threatened by unimaginable horrors must trust their most hated outcast, or lose everything, in this crushing epic fantasy debut.

After ten years on the run, dodging daemons and debt, reviled magician Edrin Walker returns home to avenge the brutal murder of his friend. Lynas had uncovered a terrible secret, something that threatened to devour the entire city. He tried to warn the Arcanum, the sorcerers who rule the city. He failed. Lynas was skinned alive and Walker felt every cut. Now nothing will stop him from finding the murderer. Magi, mortals, daemons, and even the gods – Walker will burn them all if he has to. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s killed a god…

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Publication Date: June 05, 2018.

What drew me towards The Traitor Gods was initially the cover; I mean, it’s beautifully illustrated, and it’s so interesting. There’s so much to look at! The second thing that drew me towards this novel was the title: The Traitor God.  The title alone sparks my imagination.

Till Death, by Jennifer L. Armentrout | Book Review #356

Triggers in Till Death include:
Paranoia, 
Kidnapping, Kidnapping Mention,
Rape Mention, Stalking, 
Murder, Murder Mention

It’s been ten years since Sasha Keaton left her West Virginia hometown . . . since she escaped the twisted serial killer known as the Groom. Returning to help run her family inn means being whole again, except for one missing piece. The piece that falls into place when Sasha’s threatened—and FBI agent Cole Landis vows to protect her the way he couldn’t a decade ago.

First one woman disappears; then another, and all the while, disturbing calling cards are left for the sole survivor of the Groom’s reign of terror. Cole’s never forgiven himself for not being there when Sasha was taken, but he intends to make up for it now . . . because under the quirky sexiness Cole first fell for is a steely strength that only makes him love Sasha more.

But someone is watching. Waiting. And Sasha’s first mistake could be her last.

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Before actually reading Till Death I was pretty excited for this read. I’ve enjoyed Jennifer L. Armentrout’s work in the past so I had high hopes for Till Death. However, I thought that Till Death was a Young Adult novel —- it isn’t.

Chaser, by Kylie Scott | [Short] Book Review #352

Given his well-earned bad boy reputation, Eric is having a tough time scoring. When single Jean moves to town, she seems heaven sent by the sex gods. Only problem is, she not only wants nothing to do with him, but it turns out that she’s pregnant.

Starting over in a small town, Jean is determined to turn her wild lifestyle around and be the kind of mother she always wished she’d had. Since local bar owner and all round hottie, Eric Collins, is now determined to steer clear of her pregnant self, it should be easy. When she goes into labour during a snow storm and her car slides on some ice, it’s Eric who comes to the rescue.

There seems to be a bond between them now, but is it enough? And can Eric give up his manwhore ways to be the man Jean needs?

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I’m not going to lie, I expected a lot from Chaser. And while what I read was satisfactory, it was just that: satisfactory. I’m a little let down, but not completely. There are a couple of things that I enjoyed about Chaser. Like how the slow burn romance draws you in. And the character development was staggering. Seeing Eric do a complete 180 character turn (for the better), was a sigh to behold. I like that we saw how Eric acted around Jean and Ada. I liked seeing him be soft, and not have his friends and family expect the lowest of lows of Eric 24/7.

Of course, seeing the band again was great. Seeing how their stories are progressing was incredibly heartwarming. And as per usual, their antics made me laugh out loud.

Overall, while Chaser wasn’t what I had expected it to be, I still liked reading Eric’s story.

I give Chaser, 3 stars.

Have you read any of Kylie Scott’s work?
If so, let me know!

Happy Reading!
— Adele