Unwrapping: A Review of WICKED ROAD TO HELL by Juliana Stone

When I opened this month's goodie box from Avon, I got so excited I literally danced around. Inside, along with other delights, was a print copy of Juliana Stone's upcoming release, WICKED ROAD TO HELL, Book One of the League of Guardian series. WICKED ROAD TO HELL hits the bookshelves and ereaders on April 24, 2012 but I am very glad to give you a little insight into this incredible world created by the wickedly incredible imagination of Juliana Stone.

Blurb for WICKED ROAD TO HELL:

With the legions of the underworld gathering and chaos close at hand, Sorcerer Declan O’Hara’s deadly skills will be tested. But nothing will sway him from his duty…

Rescued from eternal darkness, vampire Ana DeLacrux owes her life to a mysterious stranger who asks for only one thing—her absolute allegiance. She serves this master without question until Declan, the one man who can make her forget her vow, returns. His magic is stronger, darker…more compelling than ever. His blood awakens a hunger she must resist, or risk deadly consequences.

As Ana and Declan join forces, the streets of New Orleans become a dangerous place for both humans and the otherworld. And the most dangerous place of all is a road Declan’s traveled before…the wicked road to hell.

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For those of you who have read Juliana's Jaguar Warrior Series, you're already familiar with Declan O'Hara and Ana DeLacrux but those who haven't let me introduce you to them.

Declan O'Hara is a sorcerer who has seen his share of trouble. He runs in the company of Angels (Seraphim), Demons, Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters (Jaguar Warriors) and other assorted otherworld creatures. Having spent too long in the depths of Hell, he's back and partnered with Nico, a Jaguar shifter (we met him in the Jaguar Warrior Series also). Declan and Nico have been given a mission by Askelon (a Seraph who insists everyone just call him Bill) to hunt down a person of interest but they've been told nothing more. Their search leads Declan to New Orleans, a city saturated with more magic than any one place deserves. Declan knows retrieving his prey may not be easy since he has learned there's a protector involved - a vampire. After recruiting the help of Ransome, an Alpha Werewolf, Declan zeroes in on the location of this stranger. The last thing he expects is to discover the vampire guarding his prey is a past associate who he had seen killed by his own father two years earlier. The vampire is the one person who could twist his heart in a million directions and leave him panting for more, Ana DeLacrux.

Ana DeLacrux died when Cormac O'Hara plunged a stake into her heart two years ago but Bill had other plans for her and so rescued her from the icy fingers of death. Now pledged to serve Bill, she's been placed in charge of a young teen named Kaden who wears a mark signifying him as one of the Mark of Seven. Her charge is incorrigible and powerful but a sweet kid who has never known a real family. Ana has come to care about him like the son she believes she'll never have since she's in love with a man she can never claim, Declan O'Hara. She's a vampire, he isn't. She's of a royal line, he's not a vampire. She can only mate with a vampire and Declan is not a vampire - yet!

Once Declan discovers what Kaden is, he decides to add his protection to Ana's and enlists Nico, Ransome and his pack of werewolves to join the cause. It's after they discover that the Demon Lord, Samael, has already taken two of the other Mark of Seven into the underworld that another Seraph, Cale, joins the cause. When Samael fails to make an aggressive move at taking Kaden, Declan with Cale's assistance meets with Samael and the Demon Lord makes Declan an offer he CANNOT afford to refuse.

Declan has no choice but to return to the last place he ever wants to see again - Hell. His old nemesis, Lilith, has stolen the two teens from Samael and is determined to gather the remaining Marks, including Kaden. Samael has agreed to give the teens over to the care of the League of Guardians which Declan has just learned exists. He discovers that Cale, Samael, and Bill are members of this group of natural enemies whose sole purpose is to keep the balance between Heaven and Hell. He's told that if the members of the Mark of Seven turn out to be good, so be it, but if they turn out to be dangerous to the world as they know it, the League will see them destroyed. Their greatest fear until that time is that either the Seraphim or the Demon Lords will obtain control of them at which time the fate of the Human world will certainly be at risk.

So Declan returns to Hell only to discover that Ana has followed. Now he's responsible for trying to get the two teens, himself and Ana back out of Hell in one piece. Samael gives him a special magick to mask his signature as a Human in Hell but Ana is unprotected even with her vampire strengths. The only solution is for her to feed on him and absorb some of that magick only she gets carried away because of her insatiable desire for him. With Declan on the verge of death she has no other choice, so against her better judgement for she knows the consequences of turning a Human, Ana turns the only man she's ever truly loved.

Declan has what he wants - Ana - but fears when she learns of his despicable past in Hell that she will not want him, vampire bond or no vampire bond. Ana is terrified that when Declan's turning is discovered by the Vampire Council that the Queen of the Vampires will have him destroyed. What will these lovers face in Hell? Will they succeed in rescuing the teens and manage to escape their dangerous journey into Hell? Even if they succeed and survive the depths of Hell, what does the future hold for them since they have broken the very rules that destroyed Ana's relationship with her own twin brother? Sorry, I'm not telling. I've probably given you more than I should but you're going to have to discover those answers on your own by reading WICKED ROAD TO HELL.

Even if you're not a fan of paranormal, Juliana Stone's writing has developed into an incredible force of which I feel everyone should experience. She's truly come into her own with this series and I expect great things to come. She writes with such depth and imagination that it's like watching an artist paint a portrait with an extensive pallet of colors and then have the portrait come to life. WICKED ROAD TO HELL is a journey into a world where the action is dark, gritty, and never-ending. The taste of the underworld that we were given a glimpse of in WRONG SIDE OF HELL is incredibly expanded and enlarged in such a way that you nearly smell the sulfur emanating from the pages.

I was worried that as a reader it would be absolutely necessary to have read at least some of the Jaguar Warrior series to grasp the complexity of the storyline in WICKED ROAD TO HELL but was happily surprised to find that it works excellently as a stand-alone novel. If you're a lover of all things paranormal or are new to it and wish to give it a try. If you love a dark, gritty, action-packed story, you're going to love this adventure into Hell. WICKED ROAD TO HELL by Juliana Stone is an incredibly well-written, expansively character driven, steamy paranormal romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. I highly recommend the wicked, sexually charged, and intense WICKED ROAD TO HELL by Juliana Stone to anyone who loves an action-packed, can't put down once you pick it up, kind of read. I'm eagerly looking forward to the rest of the series which I'm happy to say you get a taste of at the end of the book.

Happy Reading Everyone and please, come back on Wednesday when you'll get to meet the lady herself, Juliana Stone, plus have 5 chances to win in an awesome giveaway!!

WICKED ROAD TO HELL by Juliana Stone, published by Avon, release date - April 24, 2012 in both ebook and print format. Definitely a MUST READ!

                                                              

Unwrapping: Paranormal Romance with Shape-Shifters

I know it's supposed to be Wacky Wednesday but since I took a day with 'My Not So Little Rant' last week, I thought we should proceed with our exploration of Paranormal Romance instead. Don't worry, there will be an excerpt or maybe two to enjoy.  ; )

SHAPE-SHIFTERS

     Throughout the world, there are stories, legends, myths, superstitions - whatever you want to call them - about animals that are able to shift into Human form and vice versa. Real or imaginary?

     The authors of Paranormal Romance have taken that question and developed exciting worlds in which Shape-Shifters and Humans not only collide but fall in love with each other such as in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Series.

     There are as many Shape-Shifters as there are animals, or at least there seems to be as many legends of Shape-Shifters as there are animals.

     North American Indians tell tales of skinwalkers and windigos - creatures that once were man but now turn into animals.  Skinwalkers generally turn into wolves but can become mountain lions and bears as well. Windigos, it's said were created from an evil Human who turned cannibal and now must transform into a great tall beast akin to Bigfoot in order to hunt for Human flesh on which to dine. There are also tales of great birds called Thunderbirds transforming into Human form.
     European countries abound with tales of Humans that transform into creatures to roam the night in search of victims mostly in the forms of wolves and bats. In ancient Greece, the king of the gods, Zeus, was said to shift into animal forms in order to seduce women without Hera knowing about it. It seems she found out anyway.
     In Asia, there are tales of Humans who shift into various animals. Some can shift at will to which ever animal they wish at the time. There are tales of Humans shifting into great snakes from which we might have developed the tales of dragons. There are tales of werefox and transformations into badgers, racoons and dogs.
     In South America, Humans are believed to transform themselves into coyotes, wolves, and jaguars. In Chile, there is a tale of a chonchon shape-shifter who is a witch that transform into a vulture. Not very inviting but certainly scary!

     The imagination can take any one of these tales and expand them to become good, evil, or both. Combine these stories with magic and you've created a whole new world just as some Paranormal Romance writers have so delightfully and successfully done.
      One of my favorites is Pamela Palmer and her creation of the world of the Feral Warriors. Therian warriors who can transform themselves into the animal spirit that shares their soul. They work exhaustedly battling the Mage to keep them from freeing Satanan from the Daemon Blade. Confused, start with DESIRE UNTAMED and keep reading - soon you'll begin to understand and be irretrievably hooked. Her latest release is ECSTASY UNTAMED which tells Hawke's story and how he's recuperating from his ordeal of having been trapped in the Daemon Spirit Trap.
      Here's a small taste of ECSTASY UNTAMED:

      "Hawke!" Lyon tried to hold his friend, but it was too late. Reason had fled Hawke's eyes, replaced with a snarling, spitting anger. "Hold him down!" he ordered even as Hawke lashed out with his claws.

      But as the three men tried to contain the thrashing, violent warrior, Hawke shifted into his animal in a spray of colored lights. As one, they pulled back. "Kkkeeeeer." The red-tailed hawk took off on a wild flight through the dining room, flying at the windows, crashing through the glass.

      Kougar ran for the window. Lyon followed, certain the bird had shredded his wings. But if Hawke had done himself damage, Lyon couldn't tell. The hawk soared above the treetops and disappeared. When the Ferals shifted, they retained their human minds, able to control the animal bodies as they did the human.
      Hawke wouldn't have taken off like that if he'd been in control. Lyon feared his friend was lost to the wildness inside him.
     "I thought he'd be okay once he came to." Tighe took a step toward the window, glass crunching beneath his boot.
      Lyon shook his head, his expression grave. "He's damaged." The question was, just how damaged? He prayed the answer wasn't beyond repair.

     Want more? Get your own copy of ECSTASY UNTAMED by Pamela Palmer!

     Another favorite Paranormal Romance writer who takes us into the world of shape-shifters is Juliana Stone. She is the author of the Jaquar Warrior Series and if you love big cats, then these books are for you.  Her latest release, HIS DARKEST SALVATION tells the story of a world where two people are on the brink of chaos, passion and where vengeance collides …

    
     After six months in hell, Julian Castille has returned to the world a changed man. No longer the calm, powerful CEO, but a shifter fully embraced by the blood of his clan. Julian has one goal: find the key to the portal that stands between the human realm and unprecedented darkness—and win back the pieces of his soul. The last thing he needs is a distraction like the beautiful, enigmatic Jaden DaCosta.

     Three years ago, a forbidden night of passion left Jaden forever altered: mated to Julian Castille–bound to a man who despises her. But the temptation to trust this darker, more savage—and more captivating—Julian is overwhelming. And as they fight for their immortal souls, their insatiable desire for each other may prove their fatal undoing…

     Double treat today, first you got a taste of Hawke's story and now, I'm going to give you an extra treat and present you with a taste of HIS DARKEST SALVATION:

     Julian bared his teeth. He was on edge, the strange darkness that clung to him rising to the fore. It agitated her cat something fierce and she trembled slightly at the force of it.
     “I mean it,” she said forcefully. “Back off.”
     His hand reached out and inside everything stilled. She heard her heart beating heavily against her chest, felt the pace quicken as warning bells began to explode.
     Her breath hitched and her mouth went dry as his fingers settled over her clan tattoos. She felt them, burning beneath his touch. Another chunk of humiliation to add to her armour of shame.
     “So beautiful,” he whispered harshly.
     Jaden flinched at his tone.
     “So deceptive.”
     She wanted to rip his hand from her flesh but refused to let him know how affected she was by his touch. Instead, she smiled up at him and let her tongue run along her lips.
     “I’m also the best piece of ass you’ll never have again.”
     His breathing changed, slowed, and the air around them stilled. Jaden’s heart leapt crazily and a wave of dizziness circled her brain. She was dancing with the devil and that was always a dangerous game.
     His hand moved up from her neck to grip her jaw. She refused to look away, though the cold glint in his eye left her stomach tight, nauseous. He looked like he wanted to strangle her.
     “You do not want to mess with me.” He smiled, a cold slash of white. “I’m not anything like what you remember.”

     Come on, I know you want more but you're going to have to get your own copy of HIS DARKEST SALVATION by Juliana Stone to finish reading what happens between Julian and Jaden. Purrrrrrr!

     Question: If you could shape-shift into any animal at will, which animal would it be and why?
     
     Next time - Fallen Angels ... oh don't worry, these are sexy little devils.  : )
     Happy Reading Everyone!

                                                                   
                                                              

 Juliana asked if I could plug KC Klein's new release here and I am most happy to do so ... always interested in something new and different! To read what she posted about her new book, click here.

Awakened in the middle of the night by a future version of herself, Kris Davenport is given a mission: go forward 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 an abyss and straight into an alien invasion.

He turns out to be ConRad Smith, the callous, untrusting Commander of Earth's army and the world's last defense. There's only one way to know for sure if this strange woman is an alien spy—slice her throat. Except, he didn't anticipate the heat he would feel as he interrogates the hot-tempered, warm-blooded woman. For a man whose sole focus has been survival, she's more temptation than he can handle. But a world on the brink of destruction leaves no room for love…and time is running out.