Review: The Impetuous Amazon by Sandy James + Giveaway

Posted on January 23, 2013December 1, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | 3 1/2 Stars> book reviews> Giveaways> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.> The Rocket Lover

Format Read: ebook provided by NetGalley
Number of Pages: 261 pages
Release Date: January 14, 2013
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Alliance of the Amazons #2
Genre: Fantasy Romance, Paranormal Romance
Formats Available: ebook, audiobook
Purchasing Info: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Author’s Website | Publisher’s Website | Goodreads

Book Blurb:

Megan Feurer is strong and impetuous, like the Fire element she represents. She is an Amazon, sworn to protect humanity from demons, demigods and all manner of supernatural beings who wish ill upon the world. But her fire burns hot and fast, and her unpredictable control of the element brings into question her fitness as an Amazon.

Johann Herrmann chose the life of a Sentinel—a trainer of the four Amazons—to save his sister’s life. Now bound to the patron goddess Rhiannon, he knows his duty demands a solitary existence. But when he’s assigned to evaluate the Fire Amazon, his sacrifice becomes much more difficult.

Megan’s passions ignite a flame that neither she nor Johann can control, and the goddess Freya has reason to fan those flames. A mysterious force is gaining power, and Megan and Johann must join together to fight. And once a passionate fire has started, it’s nearly impossible to stop…

My Thoughts:
First of all, the patron goddesses seem to run through their sentinels awfully fast. So far two sentinels down, and still two amazons left to go. I’ll bet that we find out what the recruitment process is for sentinels in the next book.

Megan Feurer’s Fire Amazon is the opposite of Rebecca Massee’s Earth Amazon from Sandy James’ first book in this series, The Reluctant Amazon (see BLI review). And it’s totally appropriate. Earth is supposed to be, well, grounded. And fire is so, not.

The problem the story has to solve is that Megan seems to have zero control over her fire. Normals aren’t supposed to know that there is supernatural evil out there. Megan took out a demon in a mall. With a sword. Seriously. The number of memories that had to be wiped was astronomical.

Torchwood wouldn’t have enough ret-con to deal with this girl. No matter how many righteous hits she laid down. She’s just too public about it.

The patron goddesses send the second sentinel to teach her some control. And to keep an eye on her. Because the alternative is to send her back to the mundane world minus two years’ worth of memories. Talk about sucky alternatives!

Sending the sentinel to train an Amazon is normally the best way to go about this sort of thing. Not that it happens often. But then again, this situation is so far from normal it’s not even in the same universe as Amazon normal, and that’s saying quite a lot.

The goddesses send Johann Herrmann to teach Megan some control, while the two of them investigate the case of a missing young woman with ties to the Megan’s patron goddess Freya. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

Johann is one of the causes of Megan’s loss of control. Amazons are not supposed to fall for their sentinels. And very definitely vice-versa. But since Earth Goddess Rhiannon let the last sentinel have his own happily ever after with the new Earth Amazon Rebecca, no one is quite sure where that stands anymore. Except that Rhiannon is a jealous witch and probably won’t let anyone else have any fun. She’s still a bit mad about Artair.

Not to mention she and Freya are not exactly best buds. Goddesses have eternity to score off against one another, and do they ever!

The missing girl that Megan is supposed to find? It’s not one missing girl, it’s lots. And lots. There’s a new badass in town. Except he’s a very, very old badass, with hypnotic powers. And he’s aiming for Megan.

He’ll get her, too. If Megan and Johann don’t break all the goddesses’ rules. With a little help from Freya.

Verdict: Where The Reluctant Amazon was the worldbuilding story, The Impetuous Amazon is fortunate that the scaffolding is already in place, and is able to just tell its story without having to create its world. We already know how things work here. That helps things get rolling, because Impetuous starts pretty darn impetuously, directly after the events in Reluctant. And I think you need to have read the first book for the second one to make sense. YMMV.

Megan’s problems with control relate to her lack of training, because the previous Fire was killed in the first book. Freya’s is honked off at Rhiannon because Rhiannon seriously bent the rules in book one. She feels like she can bend them too. And the villainy of the villain is definitely related to book 1.

I was so, so glad to NOT see the insta-love come out to play again. This story takes place two years after the beginning of book 1, so Megan and Johann have known each other that long. They both say that they’ve been interested in each other that long, in spite of rules against any relationship. They both talk about acting extra cold and extra-snippy to each other because that was the only way to deal with the attraction. Then Freya threw a monkey wrench into the works.

On the other hand, if all four of this generation of Amazons turn out to be goddess-daughters, that’s going to constitute serious buzz-kill. Once could be written in, twice started to stretch the old willing suspension of disbelief. Four is going to be well past over the top. That’s my personal opinion.

On my third and final hand, the scene where Johann asks Artair how he manages to let Rebecca fight, and Artair’s response, was absolutely beautiful. It reminded me of that fantastic saying that “men of quality are not threatened by women of equality”, but it was much, much better than that. Awesome stuff.

Freyr, Freya’s brother, lends a helping hand in this one, and makes everyone nervous when he does. He reminds me of Morden on Babylon 5. As Vir said, “Some gifts come at just too high a price.” In Freyr’s case, we haven’t seen the price yet. But I don’t think the good guys, including Freya, are going to like it when the bill is presented.

Can somebody please give me a chorus of “hunka hunka burnin’ love”? You’ll get it when you read the book.

I give The Impetuous Amazon by Sandy James 3 and 1/2 fiery stars.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**~~Giveaway~~**

Sandy James has generously offered an ebook copy of The Impetuous Amazon to one lucky commenter!

All you have to do is answer her question:

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

(You can read our full giveaway policy here)

Please be sure to include a valid email address in the comment form (need not be in the actual body of the comment).

This giveaway is open to all!

Giveaway ends on Saturday February 2, 2013 and we will announce the winner on Sunday.
Good Luck!

Review: A Galactic Holiday by Anna Hackett, Stacy Gail and Sasha Summers

Posted on December 19, 2012December 1, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | 3 1/2 Stars> 4 Stars> 5 Stars> book reviews> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.> The Rocket Lover

Format Read:ebook provided by the authors
Number of Pages: 247 pages
Release Date: December 3, 2012
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Science Fiction Romance, Holiday Romance
Formats Available: ebook, audiobook
Purchasing Info: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Anna Hackett’s Website | Stacy Gail’s Website | Sasha Summers’ Website | Publisher’s Website | Goodreads

Book Blurb:

Do androids dream of electric sugar plums?

A detective who refuses to modify her body teams up with her cyborg rival to track down a burglar who is putting toys into homes. A solitary ice miner finds love and friendship while stranded on the surface of Galileo. And two hardheaded negotiators put their differences aside to evade an assassin and save their planets. Enjoy these visions of Christmases yet to come with three science-fiction novellas from Carina Press.

Edited by Angela James, this anthology includes:

How the Glitch Saved Christmas, by Stacy Gail
Galileo’s Holiday, by Sasha Summers
Winter Fusion, by Anna Hackett

My Thoughts:

A Galactic Holiday is one of Carina Press’ annual holiday trifecta collections, along with Red Hot Holiday (reviewed at Reading Reality) and Romancing the Holiday (reviewed here at BLI). Maybe I should have called them holiday confections, because they’re usually pretty yummy overall.

But the annual sci-fi collection (last year’s was the all-steampunk A Clockwork Christmas and yeah, I reviewed it too.) always has a slightly more heavy lifting to take care of than the contemporary anthologies. Because each story has to build its sci-fi world, justify its winter solstice holiday and tell its romance in the length of a novella. That’s a LOT of scaffolding to build and sometimes one element or another doesn’t quite hold up.

Let’s take a look at what we have for this year’s out of this world holiday collection!

How the Glitch Saved Christmas by Stacy Gail was my favorite story in the collection. It not only embodied the spirit of Christmas in a hearwarming way, it also made the most sense as a science fiction story that extended the world we know. And the romance was both hot and sweet.

First of all, I dare anyone not to be reminded of Steven Spielberg’s movie A.I. by the end of this story. And, I double-dare you not to get a little misty-eyed. But that’s at the end. Returning to the beginning.

Chicago, although it is an utterly marvelous city, gets damnably cold in the winter. And it is entirely possible that it was named the Windy City, at least in part, for the windbags in city government, and not just the wind off Lake Michigan. Which, by the way, is brutal in the winter. The weather prediction of “cooler by the Lake” also applies in the winter, and it isn’t near as nice as it is is August.

In the background to the story, it’s pretty clear that the inventor of body modification should have made them work better in sub-zero temperatures. He also should have figured out that just because it was illegal to force someone to accept body-mods, that didn’t mean that someone couldn’t be pressured beyond all reason to accept them. And yes, I could easily see it happening.

Reina Vallette was a damn good cop. A fine detective. She just refused to accept body modification. She’d been dependent on machines once, when she was hospitalized under life-threatening conditions, and she couldn’t bear it psychologically. Also, her thought processes were too quirky to work any way except from her “gut”. (Gibbs on NCIS comes to mind). So the CPD made her the poster girl for insubordination.

Edison Wicke, on the other hand, is the golden boy. He’s a walking toaster, in Reina’s eyes. But still a damn fine detective. (Also a damn fine looking man!) So when someone breaks into an apartment in the Projects and delivers presents, Edison requests Reina as his partner.

He had his eye on her when his eyes were just human, and now, he wants her even more. She’s unique.

Better still, their styles complement each other. He’s data driven, and she’s pure instinct. New school plus old school.

But it takes a glitch in the system to show them that underneath their differences, they are both the same people they were before he got body mods, and before the system started busting her down the ladder.

They’re the best detectives that CPD has. And they’re the best for each other. But can they save the little glitch that brought them together?

I give How the Glitch Saved Christmas 5 frozen stars with the sun glinting off them for sparkle.

Winter Fusion by Anna Hackett comes in a close second for me in this collection. The thing about science fiction short stories, at least for me, is that there is so little time for the world-building, the author needs to have something familiar to use as a short cut.

Ms. Hackett tells a Prime Directive-type story, with a merchant empire Federation instead of the slightly more militaristic one we’re used to. And the traders Savan Bardan and Brinn Fjord are part of the very recent dropping of the embargo on high-tech goods between Bardan’s Trade Guild and Fjord’s more primitive ice planet of Perma. Her father died of a disease that was eradicated on Guild worlds, but membership came one year too late to save his life.

Bardan’s decision was the one that kept Perma out of the Guild. Because high-tech too soon leads to very bad decisions. Sort of like lottery winners on spending sprees, only with planetary-wide ecological disaster-type consequences. All Bjorn knows is that her father is dead and that it’s Bardan’s fault.

Now he’s back on Perma, because the ice miners have found an unsynthesizable high-yielding energy resource that his planet needs. And Brinn is the Perman trader he has to negotiate with to get it.

However, someone is willing to kill both of them to make sure that Rendar doesn’t get the energy crystals.

While they are running and fighting together for their lives, Savan Bardan and Brinn Fjord are forced to strip off the masks they wear in public. They have to rely on each other to survive.

Bardan learns the personal cost of his decision to keep Perma out of the guild. The reason behind Brinn’s bitter rivalry. And Brinn learns the reason behind Savan’s judgment–the last time he gave a planet early admission, they ruined their world.

And the reason there’s always been such heat in their negotiations? Just another way to conceal how they’ve really felt about each other all along.

But first they have to survive whoever is stalking them. In the middle of a Perman winter. Without gear or shelter.

Winter Fusion is a very good take on the “enemies into lovers” trope. Very, very good. With a slice of “poor little rich boy” thrown into the mix.

I give Winter Fusion 4 dark stars.

Galileo’s Holiday by Sasha Summers was a cute story, but it was also the shortest story in the collection and I kept wishing there were more of it! I just didn’t have enough of the world-building to quite get the reasoning behind the hero’s actions, but the love story and the settlement definitely worked.

Riley is a tugger. A lone ice miner with a tiny, one-woman ship, like her mother and her grandmother before her. Raiders destroy her ship, lucky for her while she’s planetside mining ice. Even luckier for her, a mysterious man leads her to a settlement.

That mysterious man, Leo, introduces her into the life of Galileo, just before their winter Holiday, and what a life it is! Riley has lost both her home and her livelihood in one fell swoop, but the settlers take her in and make her welcome.

Her ability to fix every bit of electronics tech they have doesn’t hurt her cause one little bit. Especially since their security grid is about to go down. That grid keeps the cryptids out. (Yes, I did say cryptids.) Big ugly carnivorous bug-eyed monsters.

The settlers can use her skills, but it’s Leo who fascinates her. In a jumble of new experiences (eating real food, wearing cloth instead of space gear) Riley’s never felt anything like what she feels for Leo. And it seems to be mutual. But she knows it can’t be permanent. He’ll go back to his ship as soon as the snow clears, and she’ll have to find a new place for herself.

Until the Raiders come to take Leo, and steal the cargo of medicines he’s been hiding. Leo sacrifices himself to save her. Then the Raiders want to take her. And Riley has to decide what sacrifice she’s willing to make.

As I said, the story of Riley’s discovery of a life outside her tugger, and the life of the settlement, worked. The parts that drove me a bit nutty were the lack of background about the raiders and the outside galaxy. There were hints of a bigger picture that I wanted, that would have made Leo’s reason for being with the settlers make more sense, that I just didn’t have. I want the rest of this story!

I give Galileo’s Holiday 3 1/2 icy stars.

Review: Red Hot Holiday by Anne Calhoun, K.A. Mitchell and Leah Braemel

Posted on December 17, 2012December 16, 2012 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | A Reviews> B Reviews> book reviews

Format read: ebook provided by NetGalley
Formats available: ebook, audiobook
Genre: Erotic Romance, Holiday Romance
Length: 262 pages
Publisher: Carina Press
Date Released: December 3, 2012
Purchasing Info:Anne Calhoun’s Website, K.A. Mitchell’s Website, Leah Braemel’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance

I’ll be home for Christmas…to fulfill all your dreams.

This holiday, a Mountie is determined to get her man. A widow finds a fireman who ignites her passions again. And two men unsure of their commitment discover a happily ever after—and a blindfold—under their tree. No matter your desires, this collection of three shorts is bound to treat you to all the joys of the season.

Edited by Angela James, this anthology includes:

I Need You for Christmas by Leah Braemel
Breath on Embers by Annie Calhoun
Wish List by K.A. Mitchell

All the stories in this holiday collection contain extra-spicy sex, but that wasn’t necessarily the point. Or at least it wasn’t for this reader.

I found it interesting that all three stories were about established relationships. There was no porn-without-plot here. Yes, there was a little kink, but it was really about love, and what worked for these relationships, these people.

Breath on Embers wasn’t merely my favorite story in this collection, it nearly broke my heart. This is a story about someone using noise, any kind of noise; music, work, sex, exercise, to distance herself from terrible, gnawing grief. Tess lost her husband two years ago this Christmas. For the past nine months, she’s been using FDNY Lieutenant Ronan O’Rourke as the sex part of that noise. He knows where she’s been. He lost a beloved uncle in one of the towers on 9/11. He’s lost comrades on the job. Tess makes him feel alive. He’s tired of her using him to help her deaden the pain. He knows they have more. This Christmas he’s going to prove to her that there is life on the other side of grief, if she’ll only take the first step across the yawning chasm.

This story is awesomely painful. And awesomely beautiful.

Escape Rating for Breath on Embers: A+

I Need You for Christmas is an updated version of O. Henry’s classic Christmas story, The Gift of the Magi, with a slightly kinky twist. In today’s society, what’s the biggest thing you can sacrifice for your lover? Your career? Your dreams. Ryan’s dreams were for his art. He’s a sculptor, and he’s finally starting to sell. Art is always a hit or miss proposition at best, and this is finally his “time”. Megan is a Mountie, and that’s her dream. The problem is that her dream meant 5 years being posted in Nunavut, while the death of Ryan’s parents meant that he had to stay in Toronto as guardian to his young step-siblings. They’re going to college now. So he can leave Toronto, even if being out of civilization may cause difficulties for his career.

But Megan has had about enough of being away from Ryan. She’s been a Mountie, and she loves it, but she misses him. While she needs to serve and protect, outside of her job, she also needs the freedom of submitting to Ryan in the privacy of their bedroom.

And after the sudden death of Ryan’s parents, Ryan knows that no one’s tomorrows are guaranteed. Mounties get shot at in the Territories.

So they each plan a surprise for the other for Christmas, a surprise that should guarantee they can be together all the time. But there’s this little problem with surprises…

This story was sweet, and hot, and drives the reader crazy with wanting them to just TELL EACH OTHER already! But it’s oh so believable, that they want to be together and would do this. Terrific story.

Escape Rating for I Need You for Christmas: B+

Ryan and Megan in I Need You for Christmas were definitely into the D/s part of BDSM, but only to a certain extent, and they didn’t explicitly refer to it that way.

Jonah and Evan in Wish List by K.A. Mitchell don’t start out the story being part of the BDSM scene either, but when Jonah discovers a pair of wedding rings hidden in his boyfriend Evan’s desk drawer, he starts thinking of all the things he might like to try before he finally takes himself permanantly off the market, and in the “wish list” he makes of things he’d really, really like to experiment with, his imagination conjures up a whole LOT of BDSM ideas, with himself starring in the submissive role.

The only problem is that he can’t imagine his relatively buttoned-down, neat-and-tidy lover Evan presiding over those fantasies as the Dom. No matter how much that concept turns him on. And how much he loves Evan and wants him to be the man in his life forever.

Little does Jonah know that Evan is a dominant who has been suppressing that side of his nature, because the sex no longer interests him without an emotional component. When he finds one of Jonah’s “wish lists” after it falls out of Jonah’s pocket, Evan’s need to dominate Jonah comes roaring back to life. Jonah can have everything he wants, and Evan too, if he can just figure out how to ASK for it.

This story drove me just a little crazy, because of the communication misunderstandammits that were required to keep it going. But it was still fun.

Escape Rating for Wish List: B

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Review: Running in the Dark by Regan Summers

Posted on November 9, 2012December 1, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | 4 Stars> book reviews> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.> The Rocket Lover

Format Read: ebook provided by NetGalley
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: October 29, 2012
Number of Pages: 146 pages
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Night Runner #1
Formats Available: ebook, audiobook
Purchasing Info: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Author’s Website | Publisher’s Website

Book Blurb:

Santiago, Chile

After surviving a vampire turf war in Alaska, vampire courier Sydney Kildare is back behind the wheel and working under an assumed name in Chile. She doesn’t speak the language, doesn’t know the city and—worst of all—has to drive a crappy car.

What she does have is Malcolm Kelly, her sort-of boyfriend and manager of the city’s vampire population. But with Malcolm preoccupied by bloodsucker business—and a gorgeous vampiress from his past—Sydney feels more alone than ever.

But Sydney has more than her love life to worry about. She’s got vamps on her tail, mysterious deliveries that leave death in their wake, and old enemies targeting her to get to Malcolm. Turns out he’s got a history more deadly than she ever imagined, and she’ll have to use every skill in her arsenal to stay alive…

My Thoughts:

This was originally posted at Book Lovers Inc.

If Sookie Stackhouse has a kick-butt older sister in thermals and hiking boots, it’s Sydney Kildare. They are both humans who have just a bit extra, who are making their way, not just in a world where the vamps have come out of the coffin, but specifically in spheres that are vampire-dominated.

Oh yeah, and they both have boyfriends who are vampires, although Sookie seems to have ditched both of hers for the moment.

The big difference is that Sookie started out as an innocent in her vamp-infested world, and also seems to spend a lot of time either waiting for the next supernatural male to waltz into her life, or angsting about the one currently messing it up.

Sidney Kildare may have a vamp in her life, but that’s not what her story is about. Malcolm is extra, except where he causes more trouble.

Sidney is a courier for the vampires. It’s a dangerous job, but it pays well. And somebody’s got to do it. Sidney likes the danger, and she is very, very good at her work. That’s why she’s still alive. She has skills. Mostly survival skills. And paranoia. Lots and lots of paranoia.

In Don’t Bite the Messenger, the prequel novella to the Night Runner series, Sydney helped get a good chunk of Anchorage Alaska blown up as rival vampire gangs went after the Master Vampire she did courier service for. His rivals tried to mess with his business by targeting his pet courier. It didn’t work, but Anchorage is now too hot for her (as hard as that is to believe.)

Since the vampires go to the South Pole, and no one knows her there, in Running in the Dark, Sidney tries to spend the southern winter in Santiago Chile with Malcolm, while he takes care of business. Trouble follows, but in this case it’s Malcolm’s trouble. One of his old enemies finds him in Chile, and targets the courier service Sidney is working for as collateral damage.

Santiago will never be the same.

Verdict: I will say that it is more fun reading about a place you’ve lived blowing up than someplace unfamiliar (I spent three years in Anchorage). But except for the extra added vicarious thrill, Running in the Dark is every bit as much fun an urban fantasy as Don’t Bite the Messenger. There is some romance between Malcolm and Sidney, but they are already together by this point. I liked Don’t Bite the Messenger, and not just because it’s set in Anchorage. It’s definitely worth a read (see review) before Running in the Dark. The emphasis in Running is on the suspense. Malcolm’s old enemy is causing trouble and Sidney (and Malcolm) have to figure out what’s causing it.

The mystery was nasty, gross and disgusting, but then, this is an urban fantasy. The ending was satisfying all around. I am wondering where Sidney, and by extension Malcolm, can possibly go next, because they are running out of dark to hide in.

I give Running in the Dark 4 darkly dripping stars.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we trihave purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Ebook Review Central, Carina Press, September 2012

Posted on November 5, 2012November 4, 2012 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Ebook Review Central> ebooks

Welcome to the First Anniversary Edition of Ebook Review Central!

The first issue of Ebook Review Central was published a little more than one year ago. But what it covered, well, that’s the anniversary part. Roughly this time last year, ERC started with the Carina Press titles from September 2011.

And here we are, back again, with the Carina Press titles from September 2012.

Carina Press publishes slightly fewer titles per month than they did a year ago; 15-ish now instead of 20. However, everything they publish gets reviewed. Every single title. Usually in more than one blog, and often by RT Book Reviews, or Library Journal Xpress Reviews, or both. It must help a lot to have Harlequin’s deep pockets, but that wouldn’t matter if their books weren’t consistently good. And they are.

Talking about good books, which titles did reviewers say were good this month?

Number one has to be the re-release of Christine d’Abo’s Long Shots Books 1-3. Not just because it garnered another bunch of extremely positive reviews for the very nicely priced set, but because it got people to go back and re-review the three titles that make up the series: Double Shot, A Shot in the Dark, and Pulled Long. This series of erotic novellas is the story of the Long siblings, the coffee shop they own, and a local sex club named Mavericks. There’s one friends-into-lovers story, one BDSM story, and one male/male story to round out this set that is guaranteed to warm up a winter night.

Sometimes, the number of reviews makes a book a clear choice, just because so many people are talking about the book. The Reluctant Amazon by Sandy James is that kind of story. Readers loved the idea of a normal woman discovering that she is a superhero with the power to save the world, and then they (well, we) all debated the merits of the details. The story has an absolutely fantastic opening scene, and the worldbuilding shows promise. Read Tracy’s review at Tracy’s Place for the positive spin and Mandi at Smexy Books for the so-so reaction.

The third featured book this week didn’t get quite as many reviews as a couple of other titles. But, every single reviewer who reviewed this book liked it. In many cases, they liked it a LOT. No mehs. no 2/5 or DNFs. Just a lot of good feelings about a fun book.

This week’s final featured title is How to Date a Henchman by Mari Fee. It’s a fantasy romance about a girl who works for a mysterious agency. One where she doesn’t know what’s going on in the basement. She starts finding out when she goes on a date, not with the guy who comes to visit the company, but, you guessed it, his henchman. Mayhem ensues. The biggest complaint about this story was that it was just too damn short. Everyone wanted more of the fun!

So in September 2012 for Carina we have erotic romance and superheroes. Back in September 2011 we had urban fantasy, shapeshifters and romantic suspense. Still sounds like lots of things going bump in the night to me!

We’ll be back next time with the Dreamspinner Press titles from September 2012!

The Sunday Post AKA What’s on My (Mostly Virtual) Nightstand 11-4-12

Posted on November 4, 2012November 4, 2012 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | The Sunday Post> Virtual Nightstand

We cleaned out the closet yesterday. The walk-in closet in the master bedroom. There was crap in there that we’ve moved 6, count ’em, 6 times. Possibly 15,000 miles. From Chicago to Anchorage to Tallahassee to Chicago to Gainesville to Atlanta. And no, it wasn’t all my junk, either. But whew, what a job.

Movers will pack for you. We’ve learned this. What they won’t do is throw out for you. They pack everything. Oh do they ever.

We had a totally brilliant, or insane, flash when we decided what to concentrate on tossing out this time. We’ll deal with the books at the other end. Why? Because Seattle is only 3 hours from Portland, Oregon. Home of one of the truly great bookstores. That’s right. Powell’s City of Books. Anything we’re not keeping, we’ll see if they’ll take. For store credit. Which, of course, we’ll use to buy more books. The ultimate in recycling.

And we’ll listen to an audiobook on the trip.

But it’s a long time between here and there. We still have to find a place to live. Still, it’s fun to anticipate the good stuff waiting on the other side.

Speaking of the good stuff, let’s announce some winners! Donna Simmonds won the Jessica Scott giveaway, so Donna will receive ebook copies of Jessica Scott’s military-themed romances, Because of You and Until There Was You, just in time for Veterans’ Day. Jo Jones won the Wild Encounter giveaway, so she will get an ebook copy of Nikki Logan’s Wild Encounter from Entangled Publishing. Enjoy!

Plenty happened this week, too. There’s even a giveaway that still has time left!

Ebook Review Central, Multi-publisher, August 2012: #1 Love, Hypothetically by Anne Tenino (Riptide), #2 Skybound by Aleksandr Voinov (Riptide), #3 Stars & Stripes by Abigail Roux (Riptide)
Cover Reveal: Mystically Bound by Stacey Kennedy
B+ Review: Night Thief by Lisa Kessler
Guest Post: Halloween and Paranormal Romance by Lisa Kessler + Giveaway
A- Review: The Gravedigger’s Brawl by Abigail Roux
A- Review: Kilts & Kraken by Cindy Spencer Pape
A Review: Moonlight & Mechanicals by Cindy Spencer Pape
Interview with Cindy Spencer Pape
A- Review: First Lord’s Fury by Jim Butcher
Stacking the Shelves (22)

Last week at this time we were looking at the Frankenstorm coming our way. For those affected by Hurricane Sandy, I hope that your problems were few and are now solved, or will be soon.

It’s going to be another busy week at Reading Reality. Is it ever!

Monday’s Ebook Review Central will feature the Carina Press titles from September 2012. ERC started, all the way back in 2011, with Carina, and with their September 2011 titles. It’s been a whole year! Wow!

Tuesday we’ll have a guest, a giveaway and a review. Samantha Kane will be here to talk about her new historical romance, The Devil’s Thief. Romance at Random has graciously agreed to give away 2 NetGalley ebook ARCs of the book. And just to top things off, I’m going to have a review.

Wednesday my guest will be Aubrie Dionne, the author of the science fiction romance series, A New Dawn. I reviewed the first book in the series, Paradise 18, a few weeks agao here at Reading Reality, and Has and I dual reviewed the rest of the series (Tundra 37, A Hero Rising and Haven 6) over at Book Lovers Inc. Since SFR is one of my favorite genres, it was terrific to interview a fellow SFR Brigade member about her series.

Courtesy of the BlogHer Book Club, Thursday I’ll have a review of one of the hottest books around, Sylvia Day’s Reflected in You.

This Friday will really be a TGIF Friday, because this Friday is the first day of the Autumn’s Harvest Blog Hop. Make sure to check in for details on all the bookish treats at all the hop stops.

There is more coming the following week, I promise. But I’m exhausted just looking at this week. You’ll just have to come back next Sunday to find out what happens next!

What are you up to this week?

Review: The Reluctant Amazon by Sandy James

Posted on October 24, 2012December 1, 2013 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | 3 Stars> book reviews> Originally published at Book Lovers, Inc.> The Rocket Lover

Format Read:ebook provided by NetGalley
Number of Pages:258 pages
Release Date: September 3, 2012
Publisher: Carina Press
Series: Alliance of the Amazons #1
Genre: Contemporary fantasy romance, paranormal romance
Formats Available: ebook, audiobook
Purchasing Info: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Book Depository US | Book Depository (UK) | Author’s Website | Publisher’s Website | Goodreads

Book Blurb:

The last thing Rebecca Massee expects on her wedding day is to go from jilted kindergarten teacher to Amazonian Earth warrior. But when she causes an earthquake after her groom says I don’t, she discovers that not only does she possess incredible powers, she is one of four lost chosen sisters who must fight to keep humanity safe from rogue gods and demons. Luckily she has help: ruggedly handsome Scottish warrior Artair MacKay, her protector and teacher.

An immortal, Artair has trained countless warriors for more than four hundred years. He understands Rebecca’s confusion at the new world she’s been thrust into and worries she is too emotionally vulnerable, but that doesn’t stop his growing feelings for the beautiful and fearless woman.

When an evil force threatens to destroy the Amazons, Rebecca must claim her full powers–but they come at a cost. Can she sacrifice the man she loves if it means saving the world?

My Thoughts:

This was originally posted at Book Lovers Inc.

If my groom said “I can’t do this” at the altar, in front of the officiant, I wouldn’t just punch him in the nose, I hope I’d take another shot at him…and aim considerably lower and with more force. Assuming the jerk has anything down there to hit, considering that he called off the wedding to go back to mommy. His actual mommy. No joke. (Except possibly on Rebecca for thinking she might want to marry him in the first place!)

Calling up the earthquake was definitely a bonus. Artair showing up, looking utterly delicious and wearing a kilt, offering Rebecca a way to walk out of her own called-off wedding with her head held very high, seemed like manna from heaven.

Until she saw the beaten up van he was driving, and the gorgeous redhead he was traveling with. Then her inner wise-woman told her that Artair was too much bad boy for her. Not to mention, threesomes were definitely out of her league. Then the zombies showed up, and all hell really broke loose.

As kick-ass beginnings go, this was a doozy. It’s too bad the rest of the story doesn’t live up to it.

After that wild and crazy beginning (the closest thing to it I’ve seen is the beginning of the movie Monsters vs. Aliens, and that was a blast!) The Reluctant Amazon settles down to a fairly traditional contemporary fantasy romance story.

It turns out that Rebecca is one of four Amazons, each of whom is the avatar for a particular element, Earth, Air, Fire or Water. Those are the traditional elements, too. Rebecca is Earth. When the world faces a particularly terrible evil, the Amazons are called. Think World War II.

Rebecca is called because the previous Earth Amazon is missing, and the Amazons need to be at full-strength. Someone is now targeting them. That other woman in Artair’s rust-bucket van is the previous generation’s Fire Amazon. Her task is to teach the new generation what only Amazons know. Artair is the immortal (of course he’s immortal, it’s part of the trope) Sentinel. He’s their weapons trainer. Think of him as their drill sergeant, only much better looking.

When he dropped out of mortal life 400 years ago, he was entitled to wear that kilt. It figures, doesn’t it? But he’s seen generation after generation of Amazons train, fight, and die on his watch. He may not look old, but he’s seen too many deaths. He wants his humanity back. He wants to live a normal life, find a woman, have a family. And grow old and die when that time comes. He’s had enough.

Of course, Rebecca is the woman that he wants. And he can’t have it both ways. If he gives up being the Sentinel, he’ll be made to forget the Amazons. The regular world can’t know about the otherworldly evils. There would be widespread panic.

And the Amazons are not immortal. They are longer lived than normals, but they do die. Even if they aren’t killed in the line of duty, as all too often happens. And Amazons can’t bear children. Not just because it would be a distraction, but because the process of gaining their powers makes it impossible.

Rebecca is a normal woman who does not believe she is, effectively, a superhero. She fights the belief that she can, literally, move mountains. She always believes that she is less than the women who are now her sisters, because her powers are less flashy. It’s only when they are threatened that she begins to see that she has great, and sometimes terrible power of her own.

Verdict: The Reluctant Amazon has an absolutely fantastic beginning. The sound of her ex-fiance’s nose crunching has a wonderful echo. In an earthquake. How cool is that? But then we head straight for the insta-love romance between Rebecca and Artair, with a side-plot of jealous patron goddess, which is very not-cool.

Likewise, the concept that all the different manifestations of the cultural pantheons are all simultaneously valid and still active, was actually both cool and worked, especially when Rebecca’s head almost exploded as she tried to wrap her mind around it. Mine would too. I love mythology, but suddenly finding it had any basis in even supernatural reality would leave me shaking in my boots, too.

Other hand again, the Amazons as a force for good, fantastic. Having female superheroes, double-fantastic. Making part of the plot hinge on your heroine being a literal unknown goddess-daughter, that went too far into the trip to cliché-city.

Did I have fun reading this? Oh yes! The mish-mash of myth, tech, love and sisterhood is incredibly appealing. I want to see what happens in the rest of the series. There are three more Amazons whose stories have yet to be told, and the big evil got away. I just want the rest of the series to live up to the promise of that first chapter.

I give The Reluctant Amazon 3 stars, one for each remaining Amazon. This universe has serious potential.

Review: Blue Nebula by Diane Dooley

Posted on October 10, 2012October 9, 2012 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | B Reviews> blog tours> book reviews

Format read: ebook received from NetGalley
Formats available: ebook, audiobook
Genre: science fiction romance
Series: Blue Universe #2
Length: 129 pages
Publisher: Carina Press
Date Released: September 24, 2012
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher’s Website, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance

Sola de la Vega is on a mission to save the galaxy, and nothing will sway her. Not even the pleas of her beloved husband, Captain Javan Rhodes, to keep herself and their unborn child safe.

Fitted with a series of technological “enhancements” entwined with her central nervous system, Sola is not fully human. Her father is the undisputed leader of Earth, and Sola is driven to put an end to his genocidal rule—before he can follow through with his plans to consolidate power over the universe into the hands of the aristocracy.

Despite Javan’s fears for her safety, and coping with a difficult pregnancy, Sola’s quest has become an obsession she cannot control. Compelled to choose, duty must come before her love for Javan. And when Sola joins forces with Destin Grady — her father’s sworn enemy — in a plot to execute the dictator and seize power, she soon uncovers secrets from the past that have her facing a future she never could have imagined…

If you like science fiction romance AT ALL, get Blue Galaxy now. I’ll wait for you to catch up to me. It is just SO worth it. Don’t believe me? Take a look at my review of the first book in Diane Dooley’s Blue Universe for the first chapter of Javan and Sola’s story.

(And it’s impossible to review book two without spoiling book one at least a little. I want you to discover this world for yourself. Much more fun that way.)

At the end of Blue Galaxy, Javan and Sola have more of a “Happy-For-Now” than a “Happy-Ever-After”. Not because they aren’t crazy in love with each other, but because the entire universe really is out to get them.

Sola is determined that the only way she and Javan can have their happiness forever is if she goes home and gets rid of the enemy who is dogging their every step. There are only a few problems with her plan.

1) Their enemy is the all-powerful Dictator of Earth.
2) He’s Sola’s daddy.
3) Sola is pregnant.
4) Daddy dearest inserted some really messed-up bio-engineered programming into Sola that is messing up her pregnancy and her emotional balance.

And then there’s the really big problem–her daddy the dictator planned all of this (except Sola’s pregnancy) because he wanted Sola to take over from him. He’s dying. He wants her to be the next dictator.

Sola only knows what she wants when she turns off all her enhancements. But without her enhancements, she’s not sure she can survive everything that’s being thrown at her. Especially after her programming makes her give Javan up. But it can’t make her forget him.

No matter how many times she puts her memories of him into data storage. Love is stronger than programming. Love can conquer everything.

Escape Rating B+: Blue Nebula was every bit as good as Blue Galaxy. I loved finding out more about Sola and her world. In the first story, she’s such an enigma. Here we find out what happened to her. But then, so does she!

There’s also a lot of heartbreak. Not just for Sola and Javan, but also for Destin Grady, who loved Sola and lost her twice. I kind of hope there will be a sequel where he finally gets another chance at happiness with someone else. He’s finally earned one.

I do still wish we knew a bit more about Daddy Dearest’s motivations for totally warping all of his children. He was just plain way out there. I kind of get why he became dictator, but not the stuff he did to turn his children into monsters.

Blue Galaxy and Blue Nebula pack a LOT of story into surprisingly short novels. I still wish there were more.

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

Ebook Review Central, Carina Press, August 2012

Posted on October 1, 2012September 30, 2012 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Ebook Review Central> ebooks

I know, I know, it’s October, and Ebook Review Central is still talking about summer books. In this particular case, it’s the August 2012 books from Carina Press.

But hey, if the “Boys of Summer,” in other words, Major League Baseball, can play LONG into the NFL Football season, why can’t we keep talking about the summer books as long as we want–as long as they’re the good ones?

Based on the reviews, August was a pretty good month at Carina. At least the reviews were pretty tightly packed. Lots of titles in the 10+ review group, and then another bunch clumped at between 5 and 7 reviews. That 10+ gang made it difficult to pick the featured titles for the week, they were all excellent choices.

After reading over some of the terrific reviews for the books in that 10+ category, the three standouts, well, stood out after all.

First at bat this week is also the first book in L.B. Gregg’s Men of Smithfield series. When she originally released this contemporary male/male romance in 2009, the title of the book was Gobsmacked, and readers were absolutely gobsmacked from the opening scene of the story. Mark walks into church and whacks his boyfriend upside the head with a Bible for cheating on him and wiping out their joint checking account. Then he gets pulled over for speeding by the state trooper he’s always had a crush on. Carina Press has re-released Gobsmacked as Mark and Tony (the bible smacker and the state trooper) revised and with new material added. Readers who read both versions say it’s even better the second time around.

Second in this week’s lineup is The Guardian of Bastet by Jacqueline M. Battisti. This urban fantasy/paranormal romance is one of the few times where the shapeshifter main character does not shift into a big powerful predator–Trinity becomes a house-cat. A feline who is also a witch, which makes her something very different indeed. Trinity’s little corner of the paranormal is about to be visited by something very evil, and only her peculiar mix of abilities that have never quite worked makes her suitable to inherit the responsibility of being the Guardian, and the power that goes with it. This one is terrific if you enjoy your urban fantasy with a touch of the snarktastic.

Rounding out this week’s roster we have title number three, a contemporary romance between a hopeless romantic and the anti-Cupid. The book I’m referring to is Planning for Love by Christi Barth, and it’s the first book in her Aisle Bound Trilogy. This trilogy is all about wedding planning, and in the first book, wedding planner Ivy falls in love with Ben, a guy who is allergic to love. This looks like comedy romance of the finest kind.

That’s it for this edition of Ebook Review Central. We’ll be back next time with the August 2012 titles from Dreamspinner Press.

Interview with Author Heather Long + Giveaway

Posted on September 13, 2012September 13, 2012 by Marlene Harris | Author : Marlene Harris | Author Interviews> Author Q&A> ebook giveaway> Giveaways

As a lover of science fiction romance (over at Book Lovers Inc. I’m The Rocket Lover because of it!) I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome Heather Long to Reading Reality today. She’s here to talk about her fantastic (see review) new SFR superhero romance from Carina Press, Yesterday’s Heroes.

Marlene: Heather can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Heather: I live in Texas and nearly every animal I have is a stray or a rescue. I’m a freelance writer and copyeditor, I am a mom, a quilter, a reader, and a friend. But at the heart of all of these things, I’m an author. I’ve always written, and when I was little, my grandmother used to read me Harlequin romance novels by Penny Jordan and Nora Roberts. I’m always working on my next project, and I fall a little bit in love with every hero I write.

Marlene: Yesterday’s Heroes is a little bit science fiction, a little bit time-travel, and a lot superhero romance. What inspired you to come up with this mix of genres for Yesterday’s Heroes?

Heather: The In Death series. The X-Men. The Teen Titans. The Avengers. Batman. Terminator. Time Cop. Star Trek. Changing the past is a provocative challenge, never mind the inherent paradox that exists when you travel into your past. If you recall from H.G. Wells The Time Machine — the reason he could never save his wife is that saving her would have negated the creation of the time machine itself. So these elements create a tapestry of conflict–internal and external — that I just couldn’t leave alone.

Marlene: What did it feel like when you got the call from Carina Press that they were publishing Yesterday’s Heroes?

Heather: I actually wrote about that call for an anthology, because I was in a changing room trying on bras when I got the phone call. I was over the moon thrilled and almost speechless, which never happens to me. It was an awesome feeling.

Marlene: Were you thinking of any particular superheroes when you put together the mix of powers that make up the Boomers?

Heather: Not exactly–I took elements that I enjoyed from different variations on different superheroes over the years — the elements that made me reach for those comic books over and over. Most of the Boomers then introduced themselves to me one at a time.

Marlene: Who are your favorite superhero movies or TV shows?

Heather: The Avengers blew me away when that came out – in fact, I have been over the moon with all the Marvel products in the last few years. As a writer and a fan, it’s amazing to see how well they’ve folded the worlds together with each film and then Whedon’s Avengers just knocked it out of the park. I watched Smallville for the entirety of its ten year run and prior to that I watched Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and even the Superboy series in the late 1980s. I enjoy Nolan’s Batman – even if I think they went far too dark and at the same time I wanted to see more with the internal mythology of that series.

Marlene: Who first introduced you to the love of reading?

Heather: My grandmother. She read for years and she used to read to me from Harlequins when she was little.

Marlene: Who influenced your decision to become a writer?

Heather: I’ve wanted to write since I fully grasped reading, so it would have to be my grandmother.

Marlene: What book do you recommend everyone should read and why?

Heather: Read Yesterday’s Heroes — it’s one of the best books I’ve ever written – and I can’t wait to spend more time in this world.

Marlene: Will there be more books about the Boomers? Can you tell us a little about your upcoming projects?

Heather: I hope there are more Boomers — fingers crossed! Also coming is The Lady is a Thief, the third and final installment in the Fortunate Buddha trilogy, Micah & Mrs. Miller, book three of the Fevered Hearts series and No Regrets, No Surrender which is the full length follow up to Retreat Hell! She Just Got Here (Always a Marine series).

Marlene: Morning person or night owl?

Heather: Morning person!

Somebody please tell Carina Press I want more Boomers. Right now! In the meantime, I’ll just have to indulge my guilty little addiction for 1Night Stand books, now that I know Heather’s written a whole series of them. Thanks Heather!

~~Giveaway~~

As part of her blog tour, Heather is offering ten copies of Yesterday’s Heroes and one copy of Marshal of Hel Dorado.

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