Houston Havens – Phantom Desire

Phantom Desire by Houston Havens
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Series: Psychic Menage #2
Source: Review by Request
Copy Provided by the Author
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Mind traveler Chandra Lamar is on the run, not only from her post-catastrophic dystopian government but from a past she can’t remember. A psychic vision pushes her to recall her purpose for being, but it’s a ghost that awakens her desires for a life she fears she’ll never have. Both push her to remember the past because it threatens what she wants in the now; the Nodin men.

Andonis Nodin battles to accept his failures. The heavy burden nearly breaks him when he can’t save the one he loves from the grim reaper’s grip; he questions his desire for Chandra, the woman he blames for the death around him.
Nikias finds true love with Chandra in his arms, but is desperate to stop her from seeking revenge on a mission he knows is a one way trip.

Ortello knows for them to recapture the love they once felt for each other, he must be willing to let her go. But overcoming his obsession to make Chandra his and his alone isn’t easy.

Will Chandra go through with the vengeance in her heart or give it up for love? Who is the powerful woman in her haunting visions and will those revealing apparitions crumble her world with the Nodin clan? Does Chandra find true love in the arms of the Nodin men or does her Phantom Desire forever own her heart?

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Lisa Henry & Heidi Belleau – Bliss (Review & Excerpt)

Bliss by Lisa Henry & Heidi Belleau
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Source: Review by Request
Publisher Provided Copy
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

They’re always happy.

Rory James has worked hard all his life to become a citizen of the idyllic city-state of Beulah. Like every other kid born in the neighboring country of Tophet, he’s heard the stories: No crime or pollution. A house and food for everyone. It’s perfect, and Rory is finally getting a piece of it.

So is Tate Patterson. He’s from Tophet, too, but he’s not a legal immigrant; he snuck in as a thief. A city without crime seems like an easy score, until he crashes into Rory during a getaway and is arrested for assaulting a citizen. Instead of jail, Tate is enrolled in Beulah’s Rehabilitation through Restitution program. By living with and serving his victim for seven years, Tate will learn the human face of his crimes.

If it seems too good to be true, that’s because it is. Tate is fitted with a behavior-modifying chip that leaves him unable to disobey orders—any orders, no matter how dehumanizing. Worse, the chip prevents him from telling Rory, the one man in all of Beulah who might care about him, the truth: in a country without prisons, Tate is locked inside his own mind.

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Houston Havens – Sinful Surrender (Review, Excerpt, & Interview)

Sinful Surrender by Houston Havens
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Series: Psychic Menage #1
Source: Review by Request
Copy Provided by the Author
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

On the run, branded a traitor by her government, Fay Avalon has to depend on three brothers for shelter. Sinful Surrender is Book 1 of Houston Havens’ new romance series, Psychic Ménage. Why be tempted by one man’s seduction when you can be loved by three? Top psychic spy Fay Avalon saw too much on her latest mind traveling mission and is now on the run from her post-catastrophic dystopian government, searching for the truth and proof. She escapes but is shot down, landing in the arms of the enemy.

In Drakker and Arlo’s world, women are so rare the men have accepted a polyandrous lifestyle. When the brothers stumble upon Fay unconscious in the wreckage of an aircraft, they are immediately attracted to her. Arlo wants to keep her, but Drakker knows they can’t. They must take her to their brother Logan Abán, leader of their people.

Logan struggles with trusting anyone, even himself. When a beautiful, intelligent, and intriguing woman falls into their laps, his denied desires for intimacy challenge his need to trust the spy. He’s frustrated by romantic Arlo’s claims of her innocence. Even when pragmatic and dominating Drakker defends her as well, Logan refuses to trust his gut.

Can one woman satisfy the diverse desires of three men? Will Logan’s fears be realized by betrayal? Is Fay to be sentenced to death as a spy, suffer a fate worse than death by being returned to her government as a traitor, or will she find a new life and love as the wife of three sexy brothers?

Buy this eBook: Amazon | ARe | B&N | Kobo | LSB
Buy this Book in Print: Amazon | Createspace

Erica Stevens – Salvation

Salvation by Erica Stevens
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Series: The Captive #4
Source: Personal Library
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4th and last book in the Captive Series.

Imprisoned by Caleb and at the mercy of the king, Aria is determined not to let them break her. However, the more atrocities she witnesses, the more she realizes there are some horrors no one can withstand, and sometimes survival isn’t always the best option.
Tormented by the loss of Aria, Braith is forced to choose between his need to rescue her, and the impending rebel war he’s been chosen to lead. Fighting against the darkness which threatens to drag him into its tempting depths, Braith struggles not to become like the one thing he hates the most, his father.
Faced with their own separate challenges, Aria and Braith must come to terms with who they are, what they want, and the likelihood that they can never be together as the inevitable war looms on the horizon. A war that all of them will fight but not all of them will survive.

The final book of the series ends the story of Braith and Aria in an enchanting way, and makes up for the drag of Book Three

“Now they were here, back where it had all started, and where it would finally end one way or another.”

War is escalating.
Can Braith save Aria from the clutches of the King?
Will Aria and Braith get their happily ever after?
Will Humans and Vampires finally learn to live together?

“…If he comes back from a beheading I think we can just give him his crown, throw him a party, and admit defeat.”

Erica Stevens – Refugee

Refugee by Erica Stevens
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Series: The Captive #3
Source: Personal Library
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Whispers, rumors, and horror stories abound about The Barrens and the strange creatures that lurk within them. Determined to find the remaining vampires that stood against his father in the war, Braith knows that it’s dangerous to enter the inhospitable land, but that they must if they are to have a chance at gaining allies to help overthrow the king. Though he once knew the powerful vampires that are rumored to reside within The Barrens, he is unsure what to expect if they succeed in finding them. He will do whatever is necessary though to ensure a future for himself and Aria.

Aria is fearful of entering into the land she’s heard nothing but cautionary tales about, but she’s determined to help Braith locate the vampires that may help them with their cause. She is fascinated and amazed by the world they uncover within, one that is unlike anything she has ever seen before. However, the more immersed they become in a world that she doesn’t entirely understand, the more she realizes that it won’t be the war, or even the king that will eventually tear her and Braith apart.

It will be her.

A lead up to the final book, preparations are being made, and Aria’s life is in danger…

(BEWARE OF SPOILERS)

“He would come for her, she knew that, but would it be the vampire that came for her, or the monster that vampire could become.”

So Here’s my BIG ISSUE with this series…

If Aria thinks that she must die in order to save Braith…
If everyone believes Aria must be turned into a Vampire in order to stay with Braith as his Queen…
If Braith believes Aria will die if anyone attempts to turn her into a Vampire…

THEN JUST FUCKING TURN THE GIRL INTO A VAMPIRE ALREADY!!

If she dies, then nothing really changes…
She wants to die anyway…

Also, I have a prediction about book four:
I’m betting that Aria has Vampire DNA in her bloodline, and Xavier can sense it…

One more thing…
Let the poor girl have sex already!
Yes, that might just be my love for Erotica bleeding through to a genre which doesn’t deserve to be sexualized… But for the love of god, I cannot handle all this will-they-or-won’t-they UST!

This series is starting to spin out of control into an angsty YA nightmare… Which I kind of remember it doing the last time I read it… I certainly hope that the final book addresses this nonsense.

“You know, for an immortal vampire you’re a bit of a wimp,” Aria informed Ashby.
He flashed his dashing smile as he grinned. “I never said I wasn’t.”

Erica Stevens – Renegade

Renegade by Erica Stevens
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Series: The Captive #2
Source: Personal Library
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Though she is free of the palace, rescued from her position as a blood slave, Aria is haunted by the memories of her time spent within the fortress, tormented by memories of Braith, the prince that betrayed her and shattered her heart.

Every day is a struggle to get through, and the only solace she is able to find is with Max, her best friend, and fellow captive. Though Max does not understand her bond to Braith, he knows some of what she endured, and helps to ease some of the tattered pieces of her soul. Aria slowly begins to salvage the broken parts of her wounded spirit by throwing herself into the wonder of the woods she had so greatly missed, and the secure and reassuring love that Max freely gives her. Her world is thrown into a tailspin again though when a marauding group of vampires destroy the caves she had found temporary shelter in.

Scattered about the forest, seeking to stay hidden and find her family, Aria is stunned when Braith, the monster that savaged her heart, reappears. Stunned by his sudden arrival in her world, Arianna is uncertain if he has come to recapture her, or to kill her for daring to escape.

A wholly entertaining series which transcends the YA genre…
Most accurately described as Dystopian Vampire Romance…

It wasn’t until he tasted the saltiness of her tears upon his lips that he realized she was crying. It wasn’t until he pulled away to wipe her tears from her silken cheeks that he realized he cared for her far more than he had been willing to admit to himself. It wasn’t until she rested her forehead against his chest and began to sob heavily that he realized they were both doomed.

The second book in this series lays out a seemingly insurmountable obstacle standing between Braith & Aria’s Happily Ever After…

In the process Braith becomes a bit whiny and helpless (in my opinion) Which is strange to say about a powerful immortal on a killing spree…

Erica Stevens – Captured

Captured by Erica Stevens
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Series: The Captive #1
Source: Personal Library
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Blood Slave.

Captured, taken from her beloved family and woods, Aria’s biggest fear is not the imminent death facing her, but that she will be chosen as a blood slave for a member of the ruling vampire race. No matter what becomes of her though, Aria knows that she must keep her identity hidden from the monsters imprisoning her. She has already been branded a member of the rebellion, but the vampires do not know the true depth of her involvement with it, and they must never know.

Though hoping for death, Aria’s world is turned upside down when a vampire named Braith steps forward to claim her. He delays her execution, but Aria knows it’s only a matter of time before he drains her, and destroys her. Especially once she learns his true identity as a prince within the royal family; the same royal family that started the war that ultimately brought down humankind, reducing them to nothing more than servants and slaves.

Aria is determined to hate the prince, determined not to give into him in anyway, but his strange kindness, and surprising gentleness astonish her. Torn between her loyalties to the rebellion, and her growing love for her greatest enemy, Aria struggles to decide between everything she has ever known, and a love she never dreamed of finding.

A series which transcends the YA genre, and it’s wholly entertaining…
Dystopian Vampire Romance…

Aria was nearly gasping, nearly hyperventilating. She was trying hard to remain brave, but she could feel a shattering growing inside of her, a breaking of her soul that was far more painful than anything she had ever experienced before. And she had experienced some very painful things in her life. But this, this was the worst. This man was going to do many many things to her. None of them would be good, and all of them would be designed to savage her body, and her mind.

I’m re-reading this series in preparation for the fourth and final book, Salvation… As you may know through reading my reviews, I tend to stay away from YA Romance & Fiction. The Captive Series from Erica Stevens is the glowing exception to that rule.

I seem to remember that the quality of the narrative trails off over the course of this series, but the inventive and intriguing world that Stevens creates, as well as the interesting character who inhabit it, are the heart and soul of this series.

I hope I’m mis-remebering the next two books as we lead up to the end of the series, but one thing remains certain. This book is a damn’ fine piece of Fiction.

Seth Grahame-Smith – Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
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Series: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies #1
Source: Personal Library
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”

So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield. Can Elizabeth vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.

This is one of a handful of non-erotic books featured on this site, but it is so entertaining, I couldn’t help but post a review!

“IT IS A TRUTH universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. Never was this truth more plain than during the recent attacks at Netherfield Park, in which a household of eighteen was slaughtered and consumed by a horde of the living dead.”

You should know that my enjoyment of this book was GREATLY enhanced by the fact that I re-read Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice before I read this, and I fervently hope you’ll do the same. The reader get’s a much better appreciation of the humor when the original is fresh in their brain…
LOL
Brains… you see what I did there?

To be clear, I’m not much of a Jane Austen fan… I appreciate her iconic work for what it is, but I was in no danger of being offended by reading a parody of her work.

This is a line for line retelling of Pride and Prejudice with Elizabeth and her sisters appearing as highly trained zombie hunters. The whole of the plot remains the same, but it so much more enjoyable with the addition of hoards of flesh-eating undead.

I adored 3/4 Zombie Mrs. Collins. Her character was the best in the book by far.

“What remained of Charlotte would liked to have believed this change the effect of love, and the object of that love her friend Eliza. She watched him whenever they were at Rosings, and whenever he came to Hunsford; but without much success, for her thoughts often wandered to other subjects, such as the warm, succulent sensation of biting into a fresh brain. Mr. Darcy certainly looked at her friend a great deal, but the expression of that look was disputable. It was an earnest, steadfast gaze, but she often doubted whether there were much admiration in it, and sometimes it seemed nothing but absence of mind. And upon imagining Mr. Darcy’s mind, her thoughts would again turn to the subject of chewing on his salty, cauliflower-like brain.”
…
“In her kind schemes for Elizabeth, she sometimes planned her marrying Colonel Fitzwilliam. He was beyond comparison the most pleasant man; he certainly admired her, and his situation in life was most eligible; but, to counterbalance these advantages, Mr. Darcy had a considerably larger head, and thus, more brains to feast upon.”

I laughed and giggled my way through this book. Well done!