Blood Secret, By Sharon Page. - Review

So, I have Blood Secret, by Sharon Page for review today, a historical paranormal romance.

Now as you read this, keep in mind that I love Historical romances, as well as paranormal ones, so to have those two genres TOGETHER is very nearly a perfect book for me.

This book is a bit steamier than I’m used to of late, but considering there is a WARNING on the back, that’s to be expected….and anticipated? Yes, I had that in mind when I asked for this one.

We start out with Lucy Drake; her brother has managed to get himself into pretty deep trouble, the least of which may be his gambling debt to a certain Duke of Greystone.

Irate, Lucy knows someone must pay her siblings debt, but without money, she offers the one thing she has left to her- her virginity; in order to save her family.

But Lucy has a secret, and she isn’t the only one.

The Duke of Greystone is a man on a mission, he’s intentionally allowed Lucy’s brother to stay in his debt, but only because he believes he may have knowledge of his nephews ware bouts. But the Duke isn’t only out to find his missing nephew, he has another mission as well; one that could mean the end of Lucy.

I abhor spoilers, and try not to give them away too often, so I’m not going to give away any now, but I loved the way Sharon Page seems to bring the book to life through beautiful descriptions, and realistic thoughts/speech.

I enjoyed ‘Blood Secret’ and I’m not sure if it’s because I wasn’t very interested in the last two books I reviewed, or if it was truly a great book. Either way, ‘Blood Secret’ is a keeper, and it’s staying on my shelves for a long while. I hope you check out, and enjoy it as much as I did. –Be on the lookout for more from Sharon Page.

Kindle Cover 3

So as I've mentioned, I purchased '3' old hardcover books for only .10 cents at my local library. And as MY way of recycling them, I decided to hollow them out and turn them into Kindle Covers! I've posted the results of my first, and second Cover already, so here's the third, and final (until I get more books).

And here are all 3 of them, (in case you missed it)



Kindle Cover Number Two!

I bought 3 used books from the library a few days ago, for only .10 cents a piece, and I just couldn't wait to get started on the others! It's so much fun!

So anyway, I got a different kind of Duct tape, (used strictly for decoration) and a new ribbon, and voila! Here is the finished product:

Note* All my favorite colors are present and accounted for!

You'll notice that with this one, the closure is different, and I've added a pocket, as well as a corner tag for EXTRA protection, though precise measuring, and the rubberized texture of the Duct tape holds the kindle in just fine. 

Homemade Kindle Cover

So I LOVE my kindle. No, really- I LOVE it! I also love my son, he's the greatest kid a mother could ask for, and he's 3.... needless to say 3 year olds, and expensive electronics DO NOT get along...


Recently I found a website that recycles old hard back books into Kindle covers, and while it looked pretty cool, and I'd LOVE to have one, they were very expensive! BUT the hardback covers looked like they'd do a better job protecting my kindle from toddler fingers then my admittedly cute leather bound STORE BOUGHT one.

 SO....I thought about making one myself, but it seemed like a difficult thing to do, so I decided against it.


A couple days ago however, a friend of mine mentioned she was thinking of trying it, and that got me thinking- there's no harm in trying, so why not? So I looked up the directions online, and with a bit ot tweaking, THIS was my final result.

To see more details, click on 'The Kindle Project' page link at the top.

The Seduction of Phaeton Black- Review

The Seduction of Phaeton Black

By; Jillian Stone 

*Paranormal Investigator.

So I’ve been reading this book for a couple weeks, and although it is a really great story, I just can’t seem to get interested in it.

Normally when I read a book, I can read it in 5-10 hours, depending on how well the plot interests me, and while this book has a unique plot, It just doesn’t seem to be keeping my interest- but as I said, the book is still really good, so I’m going to go ahead and give it a 5 star, because my lack of interest should not judge the book.

So, The Seduction of Phaeton Black, is kinda like a steam punk, in that it is in an unusual time frame- One that I do not immediately recognize. Phaeton Black is an on again-off again employee of Scotland Yard who lives in what I understand to be the basement of a pleasure house.

He is good at his job, but his unique ability to see things that should not exist have gotten him a couple eye-rolls from his fellow employees, and so they don’t completely trust him, but a series of grisly murders forces them to hire him back- because while they do not necessarily like, or trust him, there is no doubt that he is good at what he does.

In one instance of the book, it seems like the ‘normal’ characters do not really know about the ‘other’ things that exist in their world; but a few pages later, it seems that maybe they do. So I was a little confused as to why Phaeton black was such an outcast. –That being said, Ms. Stone was able to develop a new world for me, which is somewhat difficult for an avid reader such as myself, so I definitely give her props for that.

Now, of course this is a romance, and as our leading lady we have, America Jones. She is sort of an odd character, with little to no known background, other than her father’s shipping business. She too is a bit unusual in that she can sense ‘others’ and how they feel. Together the two should make a wonderful team, and you would expect them to fall madly in love, but I feel at times as if they are repelling each other, more than attracting. Now that is not to say that there weren’t plenty of times when the love was clear, so maybe it is just my understanding that clouds my judgment on that particular score.

Don’t get me wrong, the book was great, the plot was new, something different that I have not come across before; the characters believable, if a bit challenging to understand- to be clear, this is one of those books you really have to follow along to understand. This book deserves a lot more focus than me, a young mother of a 3 yr old can really give, so perhaps the fault is not with the book, but with me as a reader.

This book is going on my shelves, as I would like to read it again another time where hopefully I will be able to have a better understanding of what’s going on. I recommend this book to someone with a lot of time on their hands, who can give it the attention it deserves.

To be completely honest, I didn’t always know exactly what was going on, so maybe that is why the book couldn’t hold my interest. I don’t know, but give the book a try anyway, as I’m sure our tastes differ, and this is just my opinion, so you might have a better chance at it than I did.

Tasting Fear- By; Shannon McKenna.

Tasting Fear

Shannon McKenna

Tasting Fear is a combined novel of three novellas, based on three sisters who, after finding their foster mother dead embark on an adventure full of intrigue and romance. 

A killer, bent on the destruction of the three girls is looking for priceless sketches, their mother, an Italian countess happens to possess. After accidentally killing the countess, the killer must rely on his talents in order to find out what he must from her daughters; Nancy, Nell, and Vivi  D'Onofrio, the three Irish women adopted as young girls by Lucia D'Onofrio.

Lucia, having gotten the upper hand by dying long before the thief could get the answers he wanted leaves clues for the three sisters, starting with some very pretty expensive jewelry. 

To be honest however, while I enjoy a good romance, it’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a contemporary, and this is perhaps not the best book to get me back into them. The story had a great plot line, but the story itself was a little dull. The characters started out great with a strong sense of who they were, but as the story went along, I got a sense that they tended to be a bit dry.

The story starts out very dramatic with the death of the Countess, and Marco, but fades a little. The only real drama was during the killer’s point of view, and only because he seemed like a disturbed individual. 

That is not to say that this was a bad book, I’m sure given the right reader, that this book is terrific, that reader is just not me.

I appreciate getting to read the book, I’m sure the author put a lot work into it, and I applaud her that ability, but this was just not the book for me. I intend to give this book another try a little later, but for now, I’m just going to leave it at that, and give it a 3. However, keep in mind that I have never read a book by Shannon McKenna before, and this book alone is not enough to keep me from checking out her other stories.

A Seal in Wolfs Clothing (Terry Spear) –review

A Seal in Wolfs Clothing –review

By Terry Spear.

Fair warning- I’m going to gush and I apologize. I know it’s not very professional, which is why I apologized I advance, but sometimes a girl just can’t help it!

Terry Spear has, and always will be on my list of favorite authors. She’s been there for some time, since I picked up one of her books from the public library, but every book I read of hers just seems to cement her place on my shelves.

To be honest, getting one of her wolf books in the mail is a little like Christmas to me. I anticipated each day, until it finally arrives, and then I squeal like a teenage girl before I finally mange to calm down and read it.

I was no different with this one. –You’ve been warned.               

The last book I reviewed by Terry Spear was ‘Dreaming of the Wolf’, and before that was; ‘Heart of the Highland Wolf’ so I’ve gotten used to her writing style and I really like it. Truthfully, I love her Highland series the most I think, simply because of the romance of it, and the accents of course. LOVE the accents. But in this review I’m going to talk about ‘A Seal in Wolfs Clothing’ which I just finished.

We start out where we left off in ‘To Tempt the Wolf’ with Hunter’s twin sister Meara. She’s determined to find a mate, and why shouldn’t she be? With her brother safely on his honeymoon, she’s finally left to her own devices, and has every intention on utilizing the time to herself.  She’s already made plans with several apha’s and is quite intent on getting to know them while her overbearing overprotective brother is away. What she doesn’t count on is Finn Emerson coming to screw it all up.

As part of Hunter’s elite Navy SEALS team, Finn, and every other male in the vicinity knows that Meara is strictly off limits, and even though he keeps telling himself that, he can’t make his body listen. He wants her, and the worst part? She wants him too, there’s no resistant to keep them apart….except a deadly assassin.

I am in LOVE with this book! I say that a lot, I know, but trust me, Terry Spear is a great author, and she has several note-worthy books, it bears repeating!  This one in particular is great because we are thrown into the world of intrigue, and adventure. We get to read about sexy SEALS, and their wolfish ways, while joining in on the mystery of finding a killer, and even falling in love along the way. What isn’t to love about that???

Meara is strong, independent, and bull headed- she doesn’t take orders, well and she’s all too ready to kick butt, while Finn is strong, protective, and not mention he’s one of her brother’s best friends. He knows the rules the same as everyone else, but can’t keep himself from wanting to be with her.  It’s like they were MADE for each other!

*I can't wait to see if we hear about Bjornolf next!*

If I haven’t said it yet, I’ll say it now- this book is definitely a keeper!!!! And if you don’t believe me, well….you’ll just have to check it out for yourself. “A Seal in Wolfs Clothing” by: Terry Spear.

For more of her books, check out her website at; http://www.terryspear.com/werewolf_series.html

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Alaskan Fury, by: Sara King (review)

Alaskan Fury
By: Sara King

 

So Sara King is a new author I have been enjoying lately. Alaskan Fury is the second book in her series, the first being Alaskan Fire –and I’ve got to say, BOTH books are AMAZING. I know I’m gushing; I’m trying not to, so stick with me, while I try to explain WHY I love this series.

I’ve already put my review of Alaskan Fire on Amazon and if you check it out, you’ll see that I am not the only one in love with it, and that it is totally worthy of your book-lust.

So now I’m gonna talk about Alaskan Fury, and why IT is so great.

We start out where we left off in Alaskan Fire, with Kaashifah the little wolf we were introduced in her first book. She and her friend; ‘Aqrab (I use that term lightly) –the djinni.

I don’t think I’d ever heard of a djinni before this story, so the term is still a little new to me, but to my understanding he is some sort of gene in a lamp type. In the first book she introduces a different sort of world, kind of like realms, but in this one we get to take a closer look and even venture into one. It wasn’t like most books I read however, which of course is why I love her books so much, they are never like other books, it’s as if she takes some of the same concepts, and turns them into something completely different and foreign, which is a hard thing to do as we see with some authors who like to repeat each other’s plots.

With Alaskan Fury however, we are introduced to an entirely new breed of creatures, some new, some old, some I’ve never even heard of before, and every page is like a new adventure. Admittedly, I DID skip parts. BUT that is not the fault of the book, but rather my impatience to get to the next part. I regret that decision however, as I missed quite a bit, and I have every intention of going back and re-reading it, as the book deserves.

 I am not going to give any spoilers here, as I know how that can ruin the anticipation of a new book, but I WILL say that I LOVED it, and I can’t wait until she gets the next one out. I was extremely pleased with the ending as well. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next!

 If you like Fantasy romance, sword fights, and mystery, this is DEFINITLEY the book for you!! –Be sure to look out for Alaskan Fury! It’s a real page-turner!

My Wicked Little Lies, by Victoria Alexander (review)

I just finished reading ‘My Wicked Little Lies’ and it was pretty good. I’d give it a 4.5 out of 5 simply because while it was enjoyable, there were a few slow moments, where I wanted to skip parts. For the most part, the plot was fantastic, there was a lot going on to grab the attention, but a couple times it moved a little slow.

I really liked reading this story though and I wouldn’t mind reading it again, and while I got this book free, I would not regret having paid for it. The characters were believable, the plot unique, and unlike anything I’ve read before.

It was a pleasant change to the cliché normally created in a historical romance. I especially liked the way Evie played such a large part of the story, and not just in the ballroom, but on the ‘battle field’ as well. I know that is hard to do given the time period, and I am impressed. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the story! Definitely recommended!

The ending was a huge shock…I wasn’t really prepared for it, so that’s good- and I loved the secondary romance that went along side by side with the main plot. My favorite part would have been the Rouse section however as I really love a little revenge in romances, particularly when you know the characters will end up together regardless.

Over all, it’s one of the better romances I’ve read lately, and I look forward for more from this author.

Last Historical Review for Awhile

Check out the Historical Review page to see my review of
'My Wicked Little Lies' by: Victoria Alexander.
Probably my last historical review for a while as I switch gears back into paranormal reads. -Enjoy.

Next to Review

Next on My list is; 'My WIcked Little Lies' by: Victoria Alexander.
Immediatley following that is: 'A Seal in Wolfs Clothing' by: Terry Spear.
"Dark Enchantment" by: Anya Bast- is a library loan, and so I may have to check that one out again later, as I've renewed it once already, and still haven't gotten to it.

1st official Historical Review posted!

Click on the Historical tab above to find a review of
'Just Like Heaven' by; Julia Quinn.