Unwrapping a Review of QUANTUM, a Red Rock Alien Mail Order Brides novel by Erin Kellison

Greetings my darling readers, I know I’ve been remiss in providing you reviews of good reads this past year and I apologize. Life has a hold on me which does not allow me much reading time. I have tried to make up for that in publishing my own good reads for you and I hope you’ve given them a try. In an attempt to make up for my neglect, I have been offering up guest reviews for you enjoy by my dear friend, Connie Fischer. 

However, today I am actually sharing a review of mine of a book I read last year but never got around to reviewing – QUANTUM, a Red Rock Alien Mail Order Brides novel by Erin Kellison. She is one of my favorite authors and I hope to make her one of yours with a scifi romance that I absolutely inhaled.

***copy purchased for my own personal reading but I'm sharing my honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for QUANTUM:

Space Invader steals time for love

Ex-soldier turned space pirate Tey Raider is visiting Earth to steal a fortune and use one of the Red Rock vortexes to escape into the deep black. When he bumps into Sophia West, he has no idea the human woman will throw a wrench into the hyperdrive of his master plan, and spin him, his storm cruiser, and his heart out of control.

Sophia doesn’t believe in aliens until a Sedona-based dating agency mixer puts her in direct contact with out-of-this-world clientele. She’s undercover trying to locate her brother—abducted and tortured by the big-brained bully, Nimbus. She strikes a hard bargain with Tey Raider to help her find and free her brother. Never mind that the haunted ex-soldier makes her want to reach out and make an alien connection.

The mission leads to a close encounter, and when the red dust settles, neither will be the same.

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My Review:

In most scifi adventures featuring the idea of an intergalactic dating service, the women travel to other planets or realms to seek out husbands where there is a shortage of women…not in this one. This one takes place right here at home on Earth. Surprise!

Tey Raider is a space pirate who has visited Earth in order to steal something very valuable and once he has it, he needs to use one of the Red Rock vortexes to escape again. In the process, he bumps into a woman who simply and undeniably does not believe in aliens of any sort…not even one who is all male, incredibly sexy, and set on protecting her no matter what even though she realizes quickly he’s a little off with his somewhat red skin.

Sophia West is searching for her brother. Unaware of the absolute and out of this world danger she is in, she finds herself inside a club hosting a party which is filled with aliens, and I don’t mean the type who came over the border illegally but the kind you might meet in your nightmares, and they are seeking mates. Once inside the club leaving is not particularly an option and she quickly discovers she must depend on Tey to escape unless she wants to end up totally under the control of a truly nasty bad guy. When she discovers an odd item, she hides it away which puts her into an even deeper puddle of trouble. Not willing to leave until she discovers her brother’s whereabouts, she and Tey are on the go and trying to stay one step ahead of the bad guys.

I loved this story. The power was out. We had a Nor’Easter raging around us and I had to stay awake in order to continuously check on my elderly mother to make sure she was staying warm and to keep a check on the gas logs burning on the lower level to provide us heat. It was cold! However, it turned out trying to stay awake while reading QUANTUM was no problem at all. This was a great story filled with unusual and exciting adventure, albeit sometimes a bit gruesome, and a great cast of secondary characters. Tey is sexy as can be and an Alpha male with a surprisingly big heart. Sophia is a typical earthling woman who although she is stubborn and determined isn’t very kickass but then she doesn’t really need to be with back-up like Tey…although, she held her own.

If you love outrageous characters, an adventurous romance, and something a little out of this world unusual then definitely read QUANTUM, the first book in the Red Rock Alien Mail Order Brides series by Erin Kellison. I highly recommend it. In fact, I’ve got AXION and PARADOX waiting for me on my reader. I bought them as soon as the power came back on.

Happy Reading Everyone!!

QUANTUM, a Red Rock Alien Mail Order Brides novel by Erin Kellison.
(I am sorry. It seems this book is no longer for sale at vendors but perhaps you can contact Erin through Goodreads or her Facebook page to find out how you might get a copy.)

In the meantime, if you're looking for adventurous good reading, the first four books of my Seekers of the Past series is now available for FREE reading at Kindle Unlimited as well as a fun standalone, rom-com inspired contemporary romance, When It Doesn't Stay In Vegas. Happy Reading!

   

Unwrapping a Review of OBSESSION, an Arum novel by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I’m going to be honest up front and say that before now, I had not read anything by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I had meant to because I’d heard such good things about her stories but hadn’t gotten around to it. I’ve actually had the first Lux book, OBSIDIAN, on my reader since November 2015 when Entangled brought it to my attention but it was OBSESSION that caught my attention better in May, because it was adult rather than YA. I’ll get around to the Lux book later.  All of these books have been available for years actually…yes…I’m still trying to catch up.

***purchased for my own personal reading but sharing my honest and unscripted review

This is a stand-alone novel that is an adult spin-off of the Lux Series—You do not need to read a Lux book to read OBSESSION and vice versa.

He’s arrogant, domineering, and... To. Die. For.

Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.

Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something... unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.

Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter?

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When a man, who glowed with bright light and shot electricity from his hands, murders Serena Cross’s best friend Mel in a parking garage she doesn’t know what to believe anymore. When the same man shows up at her apartment and tries to kill her, a man who claims to be with the Department of Defense turns into smoke, and then something dark and even more unusual, saving her life but then seemingly sucks part of her life away. When she wakes up, she’s far from home and discovers it’s not a dream but that aliens are indeed real—very real.

Hunter is an Arum. Arum are a race of beings bred to kill Luxen, an alien species that nearly wiped out the Arum. Now both species are living among humans on Earth, only the humans don’t know it and if they find out, those in charge exterminate them. Now Hunter has been asked to babysit a human female until it can be determined exactly what she knows. His only problem is that she is unlike any human female he’s ever met before and he’s not sure what to do about the situation, or her. If he doesn’t protect her, she will die but it’s very possible that if she stays with him, he may kill her—and he doesn’t want her dead. He wants something he never thought capable of an Arum. He wants her.

OBSESSION by Jennifer L. Armentrout is a good story…not a great one…but I liked it. There were times I felt it stagnate a bit but then it would pick up with deadly action and so kept me hooked. I liked Hunter, he was hard with a soft center that he was only just beginning to recognize, but there were times I just couldn’t understand why he had such thoughts about killing her when he seemed to have so much control the rest of the time. Serena did get on my nerves a bit, but I appreciated her desire to find out the truth in regards to her best friend’s death even though her nearly immediate attraction to a very bizarre alien was a bit unrealistic. I can understand her attraction to the human Hunter but the alien one…yikes, he sounded anything but attractive even if still muscular.

Overall, it was an interesting read and since I’m all for aliens, government cover-ups, and science fiction, I will say that it was worth the visit. I’m still up in the air about reading the Lux series but I know that eventually, I will read my copy of OBSIDIAN—because I have it and I don’t like to let books go unloved and because I am curious about the Luxen side of the story now. Whereas, OBSESSION by Jennifer L. Armentrout isn’t the most intriguing or even the best-written story, I will say that if you’re into alien/government cover-up stories, it’s a good read so try it out. It might surprise you more than me. OBSESSION is promoted as a standalone, and it does work but perhaps it would have been received better had I read the Lux series first.

Happy Reading Everyone!

OBSESSION, an Arum novel by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Entangled Embrace, available in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.

My Review Stop on the DARK FUTURE series tour by KC Klein with #excerpt + #giveaway

DARK FUTURE Series

by KC Klein

To Buy A Wife – To Keep A Wife – Dark Future

TO BUY A WIFE (Book 1)

In a harsh land where corruption rules and women are few, cold realist Hudson Land must purchase a wife to save his farm. Instead of an auction, he witnesses the start of an execution. With his first look at a beautiful woman in years, Hudson knows he has to have her—no matter the cost. Lake, a chemist and a rebel fighter, is resigned to her death, but when some back-hill farmer rescues her from the chopping block she has no intention of simply becoming his wife. She’s pledged her life to the Rebellion and being bought for some stranger’s bed doesn’t change a thing, even if his soft caresses are damn distracting. As lies and secrets build between them, are the quiet moments they’ve shared enough to stand against two warring factions in a world where only the strong survive.

My Review:

TO BUY A WIFE is Lake's story. Yes, we meet Hudson first, but we learn what he needs from Lake—protection for his farm, his men, future children, and companionship. I feel we even get a hint of his wanting love. After Hudson brings Lake to his farm, he makes a deal with her that she may have twenty-four hours to do what she needs—something she won't tell him—but that she must return willingly to him as a wife and eventual mother to his children. Lake agrees but has absolutely no intention of keeping her promise. It's at this point that I feel Hudson becomes a secondary character. It becomes Lake's story, her journey, her mission, and eventually her fight. Hudson comes across as nothing more than a second thought, and bodyguard. When he does go after her and makes a deal with the Rebels to retrieve Lake's brother, Vonn, I felt it even before he declared it that he would easily accept Vonn into his family—I like Hudson.

Lake is a strong character, a strong female character—KC is good at writing strong female characters—but I get the feeling of Lake resigning herself to being Hudson's wife more than desiring it. There’s a bit more feeling from her at the very end of the story. The romance wasn't wholly evident in this science fiction romance.  

You're probably saying to yourself, uh oh, she didn't like TO BUY A WIFE— not at all—I liked it very much, I just would like to have seen Lake recognize the good man that Hudson was from the beginning. He was gentle with her, caring, treating her like the dove in the story he tells her. The premise of the story is intriguing. It carries a sci-fi western-esk feel about it reminiscent of FIREFLY and I like that. I just wanted to feel that Lake really was falling in love with Hudson.

As the start of this amazing series that truly does work best read in order, TO BUY A WIFE is a must read to understand what comes next. 

TO BUY A WIFE (Book 1) is currently available for FREE at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobobooks, and iTunes.   

TO KEEP A WIFE (Book 2)

In the shards of civilization ruined by a global war, Lake has gotten the life she never dared dreamed of—a safe haven, and the love of a good man, her husband, Hudson Black Creek. But Lake’s hard-won happiness doesn’t last long when powerful Elders lay siege on Black Creek Manor in retaliation for a past defiance. As Lake watches everything she loves go up in flames, she sacrifices herself for the chance to keep Hudson and her brother alive. Syon, a diabolic Elder with his own agenda, will push Lake to her breaking point, forcing her to compromise—heart and soul— in order to survive.

Hudson wakes from a head wound to find that his whole world is reduced to ashes. With no memory of why he’s sacrificed everything for a woman whose name is tattooed on his chest, Hudson is determined to make his heart match the emptiness of his mind, and wipe out everything except the hatred for those who are to blame—the Elders and the wife he sought to protect.

As evil and fear spread across a war-torn land, Lake and Hudson are tested like never before, and both will have to forgive betrayals and risk greater heartbreak if they want a chance at saving their lives… and their love.

My Review:

We met Lake and Hudson in TO BUY A WIFE, and learned that a man, who has a wife, is revered with respect, envy, and believed to have great prestige in this war-torn society. We catch up with Lake, Hudson, and Lake’s little brother, Vonn, in the midst of an attack on the farm. Lake realizes that the Elders want her and will stop at nothing, and spare no one to get her in their clutches. She convinces a wounded Hudson to protect her brother, let the Elders take her, and come for her later. Things don’t work out exactly how Lake had hoped. Now a prisoner of the maniacal Syon, too much time has passed for her to believe that Hudson is ever coming for her. It’s just her again, alone to fend for herself, and her unborn child.

This story covers so much in so short a time that you will almost feel like you’re watching a film in your head. Lake was almost content to be on her own in TO BUY A WIFE, but in TO KEEP A WIFE, KC Klein weaves a wonderful story about the fear of loss, fear of abandonment, and the wonder of how love can pull back loving memories from the darkness and bring a family back together. TO KEEP A WIFE by KC Klein is the perfect finish to a couple’s story that began with a match not exactly made in heaven, but ends with a happy ending which will lead us on even more adventures.

I highly recommend TO KEEP A WIFE by KC Klein, but do be sure to read TO BUY A WIFE first because without that lead-in, the fast paced action of this one might confuse and sully the wonderful intricacy of this amazing tale. 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobobooks | iTunes

DARK FUTURE (Book 3)

A woman caught between two futures…

Awakened in the middle of the night by a future version of herself, Kris Davenport is given a mission: go travel in time to save the world–and his life. Of course, her future self doesn’t tell her who he is just sends her into the darkness and straight into an alien invasion.

…must choose between the man who has her heart…

He turns out to be ConRad Smith, the callous, untrusting military commander of Earth’s army and the world’s last defense. There’s only one way for Smith to know for sure if this strange woman is an alien spy–slice her throat. Except, he didn’t anticipate the desire he would feel as he interrogates the hot-tempered, warm-blooded woman.

…or the fate that saves the world.

As Kris and ConRad struggle to trust each other in a world on the brink of destruction, they each will have to face the ultimate choice of whether to fight or die… survive or forgive.

My Review:

DARK FUTURE by KC Klein is just that—dark, and dangerous. There’s no deception in the title. The story, written in first person, takes the reader on a journey with Kris Davenport into a very dark future where danger exists 24/7 and not always just from the aliens trying to destroy every human being in the universe. This riveting tale about a future resembling TERMINATOR SALVATION without the giant machines is dark, bloody, and action-packed.

Kris is a normal girl trying to make her way in a normal life as a medical intern when suddenly she finds herself confronted with her future self, who in comparison is more Sarah Connor than Kris Davenport. Her future self tells her that she must travel to the future and save him. Who is this mysterious him? He is ConRad, the Commander of a military force located on a dark world that is the last barrier between an alien force and Earth. Kris reluctantly goes. The connection between these two is turbulent, hot, sexy, and at times frustrating but if you’ve read the first two books, everything begins to come together. The adventure Kris embarks on is none like she ever expected, and over time, she discovers a stronger self and a love that is stronger than time itself. As a time travel, it has its flaws, they all do, but KC does it up well, and this is by far one of my all-time favorite futuristic dystopian science fiction romances—ever! And I’ve read all of KC’s. This was her debut, and oh what a debut!

I highly recommend this amazing dystopian/sci-fi romance, but I warn you that although this is a romance, it is not for the faint of heart. It's a futuristic tale with lots of action but if you're at all squeamish about blood and torture, this might not be for you. If you're good with lots of action, gun battles, evil men, mysterious women and don't mind some scenes of torture, then you'll not be able to put it down. I know, because I couldn't.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobobooks | iTunes

Excerpt from DARK FUTURE:

“Mmm, you taste human. Like salt or more like … warm sunshine?” He pinned me with his gaze. His eyes spoke a primal language. Desire warred with anger; need against punishment.

I looked away. Embarrassed. Violated. His body crushed mine, suffocating in its nearness. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even breathe without crushing my breasts against him. I always considered myself strong and physically fit, but he subdued me with barely any effort. Heart racing, I panicked.

The feeling of no control would break me—complete powerlessness always did. I used whatever weapon was available; whatever maneuvers would give me a fighting chance. This was no different. I turned my head, opened my mouth against his neck, and … sunk my teeth in.

He cursed. Grabbed hold of my shirt, picked me up, and slammed me back against the wall.

A painful whoosh came from my lungs. My vision rocked—brain swished inside my skull.

“You bit me.” He sounded shocked.

My head hurt so bad I had to blink hard to keep my eyes in their sockets. “You licked me,” I shouted back.

He assessed me, aqua blue eyes hooded with thick, long eyelashes, for what seemed like an eternity. “I will ask you one more time. Who are you?”

“I’ve told you everything.” My voice sounded desperate, tired, even to me. “I went running and fell into the dark … I’m a doctor at a hospital. If you don’t believe me, just call them. I’ve worked there for years.”

He stood still, his body hard against mine, creating an insurmountable barrier. His face so close I could see his pupils enlarge, almost hiding the hard blue of his irises. The rage in him lived and breathed. One hand ran along my scalp in a mock caress, grabbed hold of my hair and pulled.

“Liar,” his voice barely a whisper, the knife was back … shaking at my very exposed, very vulnerable artery. “There hasn’t been a hospital anywhere on Earth since the year 2075.” And in one efficient movement, he drew the knife across my throat. 

Happy Reading Everyone!

About the Author

KC Klein has lived most of her life with her head in the clouds and her nose buried in a book.

She did stop reading long enough to make a home with a real life hero, her husband, for over seventeen years. A mother of two children, she spends her time slaying dragons, saving princesses, and championing the belief in the happily-ever-after. Her debut novel, DARK FUTURE, was a 2010 Prism finalist and has been honored with a reviewer’s choice award. She’s the author of the sexy cowboy Texas Fever series, which starts off with, TEXAS WIDE OPEN, available now, and HUSTLIN’ TEXAS, due out December 2013, and also a contributing author to the fun, sci-fi romance anthology, HOTTER ON THE EDGE and HOTTER ON THE EDGE 2. KC loves to hear from readers and can be found desperately pounding away on her laptop in yoga pants and leopard slippers or more conveniently at www.kckleinbooks.com.

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Unwrapping a Review of THE SPACE CAPTAIN'S COURTESAN, an Omega Galaxy novel by KC Klein

I love science fiction, I love romance, and so when you put the two together, I am in seventh heaven and THE SPACE CAPTAIN’S COURTESAN of the Omega Galaxy series by KC Klein kept me there from the first page to the last. I had such a great time reading this wonderful story. KC Klein never disappoints me.

***purchased for my own personal reading and sharing my honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for THE SPACE CAPTAIN’S COURTESAN:

Mya is having a crap day.

Princess Mya Centauri is stranded and alone on the shady Bates Space Station. With rumors of her father's dethronement escalating, she needs more than her wits and entitlement to protect her--she needs a hero. So when she unexpectedly finds herself mistaken for some whore by Centauri's most notorious assassin, and at one time her father's most trusted man, she decides things can only get worse.

Jax is having a crap decade.

Framed for a crime he didn't commit, Captain Jax Rouss, an ex-Royal Guard, is now an escaped prisoner with a price on his head. Embittered after years of trying to clear his name, Jax wants nothing to do with the family he once swore to protect. So when he wakes up to find that the sweet, smelling patron-pleaser he's purchased is not only lovely, but already in his bed, he decides things can only get better.

But with lives at stake and kingdoms in jeopardy, Mya will do anything to convince the one man who hates the Royal family above all else to become her hero, even if it means being the one thing he can't resist...The Space Captain's Courtesan.

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Princess Mya was sent away from her home on Centauri for her own safety, only now alone after her aunt died, she’s stranded on the Bates Space Station and trying desperately to fend for herself and earn enough credits to get passage home. Thievery is not beneath her at this point and the best victims are those who will cause the least trouble…the ones recovering from stasis. Having managed to enter her latest victim’s room, she finds he’s not only not completely unconscious but expecting a patron-pleaser…or courtesan. When it becomes apparent he's not going to let her leave until he gets what he paid for, she has no choice but to knock him out. Before he's completely out, he makes sure she can't leave, and to make things worse, she knows him…he’s the Royal Guard on whom she’s had a crush for years and the man accused of trying to kill her father.

Captain Jax just wants to recover from stasis and be on his way again. Having pre-paid for a patron-pleaser seemed like a good idea at the time, and the one sent to his room is more than he’d hoped for except she wants to leave and he’s not ready for what she came there to offer. After snapping current cuffs on her and attaching them to himself, he passes out only later to find himself dragged aboard his ship. Then she asks him to fly her to Centauri, the last place in space he ever planned to go again after having been framed for an attempted assassination of the King he vowed to protect. When he discovers the truth of her identity, his determination to stay as far away from her and her family pulls him in closer until his heart and his honor won’t allow him to escape.

THE SPACE CAPTAIN’S COURTESAN by KC Klein is an action adventure through space, visits to places less than desirable for vacations or even brief stops, and intrigue that will keep you turning the pages and hoping things work out the way you hope. KC is wonderful at conjuring up characters that pull you in, make you wish them to be your friends, and desire only happiness for them. Mya and Jax are those kinds of characters and there are times when you’re not sure things are going to turnout the way you want, which keeps you turning the pages even more addictively.

As science fiction, THE SPACE CAPTAIN’S COURTESAN is exemplary with its unusual settings, modern yet old-fashioned living style and technology, and almost medieval punishments. As a romance, Jax is a charming yet irritating hero who frustrates so delightfully, you want to knock him in the head, and then kiss it to make it better. Mya is perfection in a match for Jax because she's just as stubborn but so in love, even as she despises him at times. I love how it has a Firefly feel to it. So there you are, if you’re a fan of Firefly, and that space western kind of atmosphere, you’ll love this book. Jax carries himself in that Captain Mal way and is just as stubborn and sexy, while Mya is thoroughly princess but with the desire and heart of a courtesan like Inara.

I highly recommend reading THE SPACE CAPTAIN’S COURTESAN, an Omega Galaxy novel by KC Klein because it’s an adventure, escapism, and even if you’re not a fan of science fiction, if you love romance, you will love Jax and Mya’s story…a fairy tale space story.

Happy Reading Everyone!

THE SPACE CAPTAIN’S COURTESAN, an Omega Galaxy novel by KC Klein, Indie publish, and available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, (print) B & N, and Kobobooks.

***click on links above or cover below for purchasing information, remember even pennies per sale using my links help keep this blog alive. Thank You.

   

Spotlight for SEVERINE by Jaden Sinclair

SEVERINE

by Jaden Sinclair

The year is 9045 and the Nations control almost everything in the universe. They have brought order to many planets and cultivated others but behind closed doors, they’ve raided and pillaged the planet’s resources for their own gain.

She is one of the many children who have been ripped from their home for their selfish cause. Trained at a young age, she was developed into just what the Nations hoped to accomplish. A perfect weapon. But when control is lost and the weapon goes rogue, the Nations learn firsthand just what they’ve created and just what their weapon will do for her freedom and for a family she can never forget.

He is sent to find her. Another trained and burned by the Nations, Byron Suthland is hired to find the weapon, only he doesn’t want to find her for them. He wants to find her for himself and bring back a woman, not a weapon. Knowing she can kill him instantly means nothing, but caring about her means everything.

Severine!

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EXCERPT from SEVERINE:

“And where are you going to go?”

“Home.”

“Do you even know where home is?”

“No, but you do and you’re going to be kind enough to give me the information.”

“It isn’t that easy.”

She lost her temper and walked right up to him, bringing the gun she had tucked behind her right out. He didn’t fight her when she put her hand up to his throat, shoving him back against the wall, her gun now pressed right between his eyes.

“What are you going to do, Severine?” Byron asked. “Shoot me?”

“If I have to.”

“Then what kind of information will you get?”

They had a kind of standoff. Both, refusing to back down or look away.

However, Byron made a move, one she wasn’t expecting. His hand came up slowly, his body didn’t move. With the back of his hand, knuckles only, he touched the side of her face.

Severine moved back.

“What are you doing?” She frowned at him.

“Something I think hasn’t been done to you in a very long time.”

“Don’t do that.”

His hand went back to her ear and into her hair.

“But I want to do this.”

When his face began to lower down to hers and both of his hands moved to her waist, Severine changed the position of the gun. She now pressed it up under his chin.

“I can shoot you and keep you alive.”

His face was mere inches from her own, lips so close she could feel his breath upon her own. “And I think this will be well worth getting shot.”

They touched. His lips touched her own gently, softly.

She had never been kissed before. The only type of touching she’d been subjected to had always resulted in pain of some kind. Yet this wasn’t painful, but it confused her none the less. He didn’t do much of anything else either. In fact, if she wasn’t mistaken, she thought he was trying to show her how to kiss. Why she let this happen, she couldn’t answer. But Severine did give in mostly due to her curiosity. She wanted to know what this felt like. What it was like to be held by another and not made to suffer for it.

However, before anything more could go on, the gun she held under his chin was taken from her hand and the light kissing simply stopped. He pulled back enough to look her once more in the eye, one arm still around her. Keeping eye contact with her, Byron uncocked the gun, let it drop with his finger still on the trigger so it would flip butt first back to her.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Severine. Ever. And I will help you find what you need, but not with a gun at my head. Next time, just say please.”

She took the gun from his hand, he let her go, and moved around her toward the steps, taking them two at a time up, leaving her right where she stood. ***

                                          

About the Author:

Jaden Sinclair lives in a small town in Kansas with her husband of eighteen years, two boys and a few pets that keep her hopping. Between sports and the animals it’s a wonder at times how she is able to keep the flow of her writing going. But she does. She has many series in the works and out for your enjoyment, and most known for the Shifter series. Between werewolves, vampires, scifi, new worlds, or simple romances, one never really knows what will come out next. So to keep up with what she doing, visit her website, or just simply email her. She’ll love to hear from you. Feel free to follow her on Twitter and Facebook as well.

SEVERINE by Jaden Sinclair, Beau Coup Publishing, available now in ebook format at Amazon.

***click on link or cover for purchasing information

   

   

Unwrapping: Review of ONLY LOVE SURVIVES by Renee Charles

Ask most anyone who knows me well and they’ll tell you that when it comes to zombies, I’m more likely to run the other way than watch a zombie movie or read about zombies. So, when Renee Charles asked me to read and review her upcoming new release from The Wild Rose Press, ONLY LOVE SURVIVES, I was more than hesitant, I was apprehensive but she promised that I wouldn’t get grossed out by it. Was she ever right!

***eARC provided by author in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for ONLY LOVE SURVIVES:

Amidst an epidemic ravaging the world, all Megan Fletcher's hopes for the future lie in getting to Las Vegas where newscasts reported scientists were gathering to search for a cure for the modern plague. After rescuing her from a rooftop surrounded by Zombies, Sam Woods appoints himself her escort. While he knows she is determined to get to Vegas no matter the cost, he doesn't know her secret. And with his hatred of all things Zombie, she doesn’t dare tell him the truth. The more he kisses her, the harder it is for Megan to hide her growing feelings…and the bite-shaped scar. But Vegas is not the haven it was promised to be, and when Megan’s immunity to the disease is discovered, she realizes her future and her heart belong to Sam, if he will trust her.

An idealistic school teacher and ex-corporate mogul manage to find love despite a looming worldwide catastrophe. Can their love survive while everything around them is dying? Will they learn that when facing the end of the world, Only Love Survives.

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Excerpt from ONLY LOVE SURVIVES:

A storm that spelled danger flashed across Sam’s face. He advanced on Megan so fast, she backed up against the side of the Suburban. Planting a hand firmly on each side of her, he pinned her with his arms as well as his gaze.

“What I want? Are you so hard headed you can’t tell what I want?” He covered her mouth with his lips and crushed her clever comeback with an assault on her senses.

Megan pushed him, but he didn’t budge. Instead, he continued to kiss her until her heart raced and cheeks flushed with need. All resistance melted and she succumbed to the warmth of his embrace. Her arms wound around his neck of their own accord pulling him closer while her tongue sought his in a passionate dance, completely ignoring what her heart wanted.

When he finally broke away leaving Megan breathless and wanting so much more, Sam put his forehead to hers and watched her mouth like a drunk watches amber liquid poured into a glass. “You,” he rasped. “I’ve wanted you since I found you hanging from that damn roof, and all our little encounter in the river did was add fuel to the fire.” 

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Megan Fletcher has survived more tragedy, heartbreak, and danger then she ever thought she would in one lifetime much less in only seven months. When the epidemic broke out, she was a happy elementary school teacher, enjoying her life and just wanting what every young woman wants out of life. Now seven months later, she’s hiding from everyone  - human and zombie. Bitten by one of her students. She watched her mother die of infection and feared for her own life, but somehow survived. Believing that her blood may hold the secret to a cure, she’s traveling to Las Vegas where it’s rumored civilization still exists.

Sam Woods is searching for his younger sister. Responsible for her since their parents died when he was a teen, Sam has carved a successful life out of nothing only to have the epidemic destroy everything he knew. Now he only wants to find his sister. After rescuing a young woman from zombies and a rooftop, he’s discovered someone else he wants, and desires, to protect. He knows she has a secret and can only hope that someday soon she will trust him enough to share it.

Outrunning zombies, human men who want to rape and abuse Megan, vicious murdering hookers, and finding safety with a group that welcomes them with friendship and camaraderie, Megan and Sam begin a journey that takes them further than Las Vegas or their expectations.

ONLY LOVE SURVIVES by Renee Charles surprised and delighted me. Enthralled by everything about this zombie-apocalyptic romance from the characters, the setting, to the action, dangerous encounters, and close escapes, I read this one in one night because I just couldn’t put it down. Even if you’re not a fan of zombies, you’ll thoroughly enjoy this one without the blood and gore and dropping body parts that are usually included. You’ll still enjoy that edge of the seat, nail-biting nervous energy that makes a horror so much fun, but will fall in love with Megan and Sam, and cheer them on.

I highly recommend ONLY LOVE SURVIVES by Renee Charles because it’s exciting, descriptive without being cringe worthy gory, and the romance that develops between Megan and Sam, although quick but then again it is apocalyptic, is sweet, funny, and so natural that you want everything to turn out just right for them, and for the rest of the world.

Happy Reading Everyone!

ONLY LOVE SURVIVES by Renee Charles, The Wild Rose Press, currently available at Amazon in print and ebook format and coming to Kobobooks in ebook format on September 18, 2013.

***click on links or cover below for purchasing information.

   

Author's Taproom Presents ... DRIVEN by Eve Silver Book Blitz - Spotlight

Welcome to my stop on the Author’s Taproom Presents … DRIVEN by Eve Silver Book Blitz. I haven’t read this seemingly amazing sci-fi romance from Eve Silver writing under her pseudonym, Eve Kenin, as yet but it’s going on my TBR list. How about you? I've provided two excerpts to help pique your interest. And be sure to stick around to the end - there's a Giveaway! Happy Reading Everyone!

Blurb for DRIVEN:

In the harsh Northern Waste where human life is worth little, ice trucker Raina Bowen has learned to keep her eyes open and her knife close at hand. She’s spent her life on the run, one step ahead of the megalomaniac who hunts her. All she wants is to stay out of trouble and haul her load of grain to Gladow Station—but trouble finds her in the form of a sexy stranger called Wizard. He has the trucking pass she needs, and she has to drag him out of a brawl with the very people she’s trying to hide from in order to get it. She may have rescued him, but Raina’s not foolish enough to see Wizard as anything close to helpless. He’s hard and honed and full of secrets—secrets that may destroy them both. As they race across the Waste, trying to outrun rival truckers, ice pirates, and the powerful man bent on their destruction, Raina’s forced to admit that trouble’s found her. And this time, there’s nowhere left to run.

Excerpts from DRIVEN:

Raina had a fleeting impression of dark hair spilling from beneath his hood before he ducked his head and climbed up the side of the cab. She stepped back to let him in, unfastened the catch-seam of her own parka and hung it on the hook behind the driver’s seat.

 She led the way into the small living quarters that backed off the driver’s cabin. She felt awkward having him here. Gesturing to the plasma screen set into one wall of her rig, she spoke over her shoulder, babbling as she tried to cover her discomfort. “I can track six satellites, and over four thousand channels. Used to be seven satellites, but I think an orbit decayed.”

Her companion made no reply. It appeared that he wasn’t interested in small talk. Fine by her. She wasn’t particularly adept at it herself.

She snatched a pile of microdisks off the plastitech chair, clutched them against her chest, and looked around for somewhere to put them. The chair was the only place to sit other than the bed, and she wasn’t about to offer him that. Hazarding a glance over her shoulder, Raina checked just to make certain he was still there. Her breath skidded to a stunned stop.

He was right behind her, his tall frame a hand span away. Up close, with his hood thrown back, the catch-seam of his parka undone, Wizard didn’t look helpless at all. A day’s growth of beard shaded the chiseled plane of his jaw, and his full lips were drawn into a hard line. He looked dangerous, self-assured, frightening. Not a man who’d needed saving. 

Hugging the microdisks like a shield, Raina tipped her head back and met his eyes. Slate gray. Cold. She swallowed. What the hell had she been thinking to bring him here? He wasn’t some lost puppy who needed a warm place to sleep.

She blew out a slow breath.

As if sensing her discomfort, Wizard took a step back.

DRIVEN - Copyright © 2007, 2013. Eve Silver. All Rights Reserved.

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Turning his head, he glanced over his shoulder, his silky black hair falling forward to caress the hard line of his jaw. There were marcasite beads woven through a long braid behind his right ear, and they caught the light, glittering as he moved.

“I agreed to meet Bowen with the license. No one mentioned a girl.”

A girl. She gritted her teeth. Yanking open a cupboard door, she then shoved the microdisks inside. “I’m Bowen. Raina Bowen.”

“Yes.” He stared at her a moment too long, then slowly paced to the opposite side of the small space.

Yes? What was that supposed to mean?

“I was supposed to meet Sam Bowen.” He tapped the wall, opened and closed a cupboard. “A well appointed rig. Hydrogen power? Fuel cell?”

Raina nodded, then realized he wasn’t looking at her. “Yeah. With solar panels on the roof of the cab along with a hydroponics grow-tube.” She paused. “Whoever you were expecting to meet, you were still late.”

“Acknowledged.”

Well, that about summed it up. She bit her tongue against the urge to demand an explanation, deciding that the why of it didn’t really matter.

Pushing open the door to the miniscule bathroom, he poked his head inside, and then turned to face her. “Efficient and well designed. Full bathroom. Shower stall. Mind if I use it when we are done?” 

“Done?” With what?

He shrugged. “I can use the shower before, if you prefer, though I used the one in my rig just this afternoon.”

Wizard pulled off his parka, folded it with meticulous care, and placed it neatly on the plastitech chair. He wore a black thermal top that clung to every muscled ridge of his torso. Raina swallowed, looking despite herself. Hell, she could appreciate art as well as the next woman.

He was even taller, broader, more leanly muscled than she’d thought. The realization clanged a warning bell. Slipping her knife from the sheath hanging across the small of her back, she shifted into a defensive stance. Wizard hooked his fingers into the hem of his shirt and began to peel it off, baring a nice strip of golden skin and ridged abdomen.

Oh, man. Somehow this guy had leaped to a conclusion that was just plain wrong.

“Uh, Wizard. Nice show, but I’m not looking for a stripper.” Or a quick lay, but she couldn’t manage those words out loud.

His hands stilled midmovement, and he raised a questioning brow. Gray eyes glittered beneath dark lashes, scanning her with unhurried interest. She saw him take note of the knife, his gaze sliding over it, unconcerned. “My mistake,” he conceded gracefully. “So what are we doing here, Raina Bowen?”

DRIVEN - Copyright © 2007, 2013. Eve Silver. All Rights Reserved.

AUTHOR BIO:

National bestselling author Eve Silver has been praised for her “edgy,

steamy, action-packed” books, darkly sexy heroes and take-charge heroines. Her work has garnered starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, two RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Awards,Library Journal’s Best Genre Fiction Award, and a nomination for the Romance Writers of America® RITA® Award. Eve also writes books for teens; RUSH is available now from Katherine Tegen Books. Eve lives with her husband, two sons, an energetic Airedale terrier and an exuberant border collie/shepherd.

If you’d like to learn more about Eve and her books, please visit her website, and feel free to follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Goodreads.

Please click HERE to follow the rest of the Book Blitz!

Giveaway Information

There will be a Tour-Wide Giveaway to one winner for:

• 1 eBook of Driven by Eve Silver
• 1 $10 Gift Card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble (Winner's Choice)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cceafc9/"

DRIVEN by Eve Silver writing as Eve Kenin, self-published, available now in print and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobobooks, iTunes, and Smashwords.

***click on links or cover below for purchasing information.