Review: To win a Mate by Krystal Shannon

Jared VonBrandt wasn't looking for a mate, but when the amber-eyed New Orleans beauty, Elise Blanchard is staring at him from a charity auction block, he can't deny his wolf's desire.

He'll win her at any cost.

Elise Blanchard has never met another werewolf. She spends her full-moon nights locked in her apartment, hoping the neighbors don't see her shift.

A twist of fate gives her an opportunity she'll risk everything to claim.




To Win a Mate is the 3rd story in Krystal Shannan's Somewhere, Texas series. It is about Shifters and this story is Jared VonBrandt's and he's not looking for a mate but he finds her nonetheless and at a charity auction even. The attraction is immediate for both him and Elise. Which in this case is a good thing since her slimy boss has eyes for her and is a complete perv. I was glad she got away from him.
This story is a typical werewolf mate story but it was a fun and enjoyable short read. My only issue was that I would have liked some more back story about Elise. I was intrigued about her story. She was an orphan and didn't know anything about being a werewolf until she shifted. I thought that would have been a story to tell. But alas it was skimmed over.
Still all in all this quick read was a good way to pass a few hours. I was given this book by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review and I give it 3 1/2 stars.

Review: Led Astray by Kelley Armstrong

Welcome to the many worlds of #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong (Otherworld, Cainsville). As her SyFy channel series, Bitten, enters its second season, Armstrong continues to breathe new life into city-dwelling vampires, werewolves, and zombies. Now travel even further with her, to a post-apocalyptic fortress, a superstitious village, a supernatural brothel, and even feudal Japan.

In Led Astray, you’ll discover the stories of new characters from within and outside Armstrong’s popular novels. Here you will find two original tales from Cainsville, plus journeys to and beyond the worlds of Darkest Powers, Age of Legends, Otherworld, and more.

Bold and humorous, passionate and heart-stopping, here is Kelley Armstrong at her versatile best



I love Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series. I've been reading it since it first come out. I've read the majority of the stories in that world including the YA ones. And I got my son and several of his friends that were girls reading those too. So when I received this book for review I was looking forward to reading some of the stories set in her other worlds. And I must say I am going to have to go find the rest of the Cainsville stories. She hooked me with the stories in this one. And the Otherworld series stories was fantastic as I expected.
I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't lost reading these stories since I've not read the books in that series or two of her other series. I could tell that there was more to these stories but they stood alone. I give this anthology a 4 stars and I received it from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Review: Small Magics by Ilona Andrews

***The stories in this anthology have been previously published*** 

Now collected for the first time, an irresistible compilation of five previously published stories by the bestselling author of the Kate Daniels series; including Kate’s very first meeting with Saiman, some related adventures, and two unforgettable ‘outside’ excursions.

A QUESTIONABLE CLIENT –
In this ‘intro’ to the Kate Daniels world, we meet the extremely ‘shifty’ Saiman for the very first time, when Kate takes on the task of serving as his bodyguard to protect him from some very determined—and dangerous—Russian wizards.

RETRIBUTION CLAUSE –
Saiman’s cousin, Adam—a frost giant and also an insurance adjuster—and his enigmatic partner, Siroun, set out on an impossible mission to enforce a client’s Retribution Clause; that is, to kill the person who killed her. But is their target even guilty? Magic and mayhem and a little personal chemistry will reveal the truth!

OF SWINE AND ROSES –
A young adult story about a girl, a pig, some magic, and the worst date ever.

Chad Thurman is a thug, who carries brass knuckles in both pockets and lays magic traps for intruders into "his" neighborhood. The last thing Alena Kornov wants to do is to go on the date with him. But when her family pressures her, she can't say no. Now the ice-cream is absent, the pig is running for its life, and we won't even mention the dead guy...

GRACE OF SMALL MAGICS –
Grace has always known she wasn’t like everyone else and that her family has magic abilities. After flying to meet the head of Clan Dreoch in order to fulfill her families’ “duties” as servants, Grace finds herself in the middle of a mage clan war…

MAGIC TESTS –
A short story in the Kate Daniels universe. Kate recruits her teenage ward, Julie, to search out a missing student whose location spell has her hidden somewhere on campus…Now collected for the first time, an irresistible compilation of five previously published stories by the bestselling author of the Kate Daniels series; including Kate’s very first meeting with Saiman, some related adventures, and two unforgettable ‘outside’ excursions.

This is bunch of small stories set in Ilona Andrew's world and most of these have been published in one form or the other. I've read a couple of them but I missed most of these so this was fun read for me.. I especially liked the first one. Saiman's and Kate's relationship entertains me to no end.
I also really liked Of Swine and Roses mainly because of Alena because she was a great heroine. and of course last but not least the last story Magic Test was fabulous. I really love everything about that world and Julie is one of my favorite characters.
I bought this book with my own money and I give it 4 1/2 stars. And am impatiently waiting for more stories from them.

Book Promo and Giveaway: In Time for You by Chris Karlsen

Welcome to the release event for In Time for You by Chris Karlsen. This is a historical romance with time travel and is available for sale now! Check out the book trailer, the excerpt and the giveaway at the end!

About the Book:

While horseback riding in the English countryside, sisters, Electra and Emily Crippen find themselves trapped in a tear in time. Thrown back to 1357 England and caught by a local noble, they are in a place that is home but as frightening and unfamiliar as an alien world would be. With no idea how the tear in time came about, the one thing they do know is: they must stay together and stay near to where the event took place in hopes of discovering the way back to their modern life. That certain need to stay together is the first certainty taken from them when one sister is forced to remain in England and one is sent miles away to Wales by royal order.

There is one other hope for help the sisters don’t know exists. It’s Electra’s lover, Roger Marchand. A time traveler himself, he never told her of his past. When he realizes what has happened to the sisters, he enlists the help of a scientist friend to help him open the suspected passageway through time. Any effort to save Electra and Emily will likely cost him his life. This was the time Roger came from, a time when his country, France, was at war with England. If he is discovered on English soil while searching for the sisters, he will either be killed or taken prisoner of war. Any risk is worth saving the life of the woman he loves. 

Goodreads | Amazon

Trailer

Excerpt:

While she ate, the button on Electra's sleeve fell out of the frog loop. She didn't hook the button again, reaching for her wine instead. The sleeve pulled back from her wrist to expose her watch, which she hadn't thought to remove. 

"What is that?" Simon asked and pointed to her Seiko.

"A watch." What a bizarre question. There wasn't a corner of the planet that people didn't recognize a wristwatch. 

A frown slowly formed and he stretched across Emily and took hold of Electra's hand to tug it toward him for a better look. He turned her hand over and in a matter of seconds had the clasp undone. 

He brought the candle in front of his trencher closer and held the watch under it. "What do the numbers mean?"

"It's a clock, a miniature timepiece you wear on your wrist."

From his expression, the explanation puzzled him. "Do they not have candle clocks in this Greenland you claim you're from?"

How to explain the abundance of various clocks to a man who apparently has no context for the anything beyond a candle clock or similar ancient means of telling time?

"Are you saying you've never seen a clock?" Emily asked.

"One like this? No, I have not."

Emily bent her head nearer Electra and whispered, "Are you thinking what I am?"

"Sadly, yes."

Simon ran his finger over the watch face. "These small digits, what is their meaning?" 

"It's the date and year: 5.14.15." 

He shook his head. "What year is 15?"

"2015, of course."

"You are mad. It's the year of our Lord, 1357."

About the Author:

I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books. My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.

I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream. I write three different series. My paranormal romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is Dangerous Waters. The newest is The Bloodstone Series. Each series has a different setting and some cross time periods, which I find fun to write.

I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and four wild and crazy rescue dogs.

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GIVEAWAY:

$15 Amazon Gift Card (INT)

Ends Jan. 28th, 2016

Prizing is provided by the author, hosts are not responsible. Must be 13 or older to enter and have parental permission if under 17. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.

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This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

Review: At Blade's Edge by Lauren Dane

Rowan Summerwaite is no ordinary woman. Raised at the knee of The First and honed into a weapon by the Hunter Corporation, she wields ancient knowledge from the Goddess Brigid…and is newly married to a powerful Vampire scion.

Though she’d hoped the deadly events in Venice would end the threat to The Treaty she is sworn to protect, Rowan found evidence of a grander conspiracy to destroy the fragile peace that holds humans, Vampires and those with magic back from war. A war that would only hurt the weakest and destabilize the world as we know it.

It’s not so much that someone ordered her assassination that makes her angry—people try to kill her all the time—as it is the risks those she cares for, especially her new husband, now face. Clive Stewart has never tried to pen Rowan in or control her choices. He has his own fires to put out now that he’s married to the most powerful non-Vampire in their world, and Rowan knows it’s a challenge to support her the way she needs while not being too much or not enough.

The organization that gave her a purpose, a home, roots and a path when she’d run from The Keep at seventeen has betrayed her. Now, instead of on a much-anticipated honeymoon, Rowan is in London gathering her allies and the evidence necessary to drive out the rot within Hunter Corp. and expose whoever is at the top.

Rowan is a predator and this threat is prey. She’ll burn it down and salt the earth afterward. On her terms.

Its been a while since I've read the first few stories in this series and I think I've actually missed one. But this didn't effect me in reading this story. I was able to read this story and wasn't confused at all.  Rowan is fantastic heroine. She smart, ballsy, and honorable. And while we didn't get as much of Clive in this one I quite liked him. Especially the way he treated Rowan. His parents were great too especially his mama. Even if his uncles were butt heads. I am going to go back and do a reread on these as soon as the next one comes out which I hope is real soon. I wasn't very happy with the ending of this one because it ended sort of abruptly. Granted she did clean house but it left you with a lot of questions. And IMO it was a something of a cliffhanger. So if you have issues with that you might want to wait until the next one comes out which I am hoping fixes that. I understand that there was happy with Clive and a house cleaning but dang it the situation at the end was awful and unresolved. When I read the last page I thumbed to the next one and there was not more. I went WTH. Really? And it was really true. It completely left me hanging. So with that all being said I give this a book 4 stars. Loved the story and these characters and world but dog gone it I didn't think the story was finished. Looking forward to the next one in this series and hoping that it resolves the unresolved. 

I was given this book via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Review: Driven by Kelley Armstrong

Cains are known for being big, brutish and not-too-bright. The mutt clan embodies all the supernatural world’s worst stereotypes about werewolves. But not even the Cains deserve to be hunted down and skinned like animals.

When young Davis Cain comes to the Pack for help, Alpha Elena Michaels can’t refuse him. It isn’t about morality or justice. It’s about not letting anyone think they can do this to werewolves and get away with it.

But Elena is also dealing with the Pack’s homegrown monster—Malcolm Danvers, onetime enforcer, full-time psycho. Malcolm is now under Elena’s control, as part of the most difficult decision she’s had to make as leader. But if she has to let Malcolm in, she’s going to make full use of him…and the best person to catch monsters is one who knows exactly how they think.

It's been awhile since I read a story about Elena and the werewolves and I was especially tickled with this one. We got to catch up with what every one was up to. I really liked that Malcolm Danvers asked to brought back into the fold. He's a jerk but by the end I came of the conclusion that Karma is a bitch and he got what was coming to him. He makes a perfect tool. and Elena is right to use him. It was good to see that not all the Cain's are TSTL. some of them are worth helping. i liked Davis. He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but he was alright. And OMG Elena's and Clay's children. I loved them and I can't wait till they get grown and we can get their story.  Of course this was a great story with plenty of action. I was given this book via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review and I give it 5 stars.

Review: Mine to Protect by Cynthia Eden

He agreed to protect her…not love her. 

Victor Monroe left behind a brutal past when he decided to become an FBI Agent. He knows that other agents think he’s too cold, that he has ice in his veins, but he doesn’t care what folks say about him. He gets the job done—always. No matter the cost. 

Then he’s blackmailed into guarding…her. 

Zoe Peters, ex-showgirl, daughter of a mob boss and drug dealer, a witness who wants to vanish. Zoe is wild, beautiful, and on far too many hit lists. It’s now Victor’s job to keep her safe—a job that Zoe makes damn difficult. But keeping her alive is his mission. It's supposed to be strictly professional between them. Just another case. Only… 

He never counted on falling for her. 

Zoe is not the woman he expected. She isn’t cold or hard. She lights up the room when she walks into it, and despite the hell surrounding her, Zoe is good. Probably too good for Victor because Zoe doesn't know about the secret deal that Victor worked out with her father. Zoe doesn't know that Victor intended to use her for information and then turn her over to waiting operatives. 

Desire wasn't supposed to enter the equation. The white-hot lust he feels for Zoe should have never threatened Victor's legendary self-control. But she's under his skin...melting his ice...getting to him... Soon Victor doesn’t care about the law or about the lines he has to cross for Zoe. She is his priority. No one will hurt her, not on his watch. Victor will not rest until every threat to her has been eliminated. And then… 

Zoe will be his.

Zoe is a woman caught between a rock and a hard place. And it her father's fault. He a mafia boss from hell and since he was caught all of the bad guys are trying to get back at him by hurting her. Also the government wants her too but they want her to rat out her father. And it's Victor's job to keep her in protective custody and she keeps trying to get away and disappear.  Unfortunately someone has put a high bounty on her head and Victor's caught up with her again which put them both in the cross hairs of sneaky killer. I loved that though Victor is an FBI agent he's not goody goody. He is definitely falling for Zoe and is determined to do whatever he needs to protect her but Zoe is no slouch in the brains department herself and she is determined to fight for her future. i am not going to give away the ending but needless to say its a HEA. I was given this book by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I give this one a 4 star review. If you wish you can purchase it here.