Excerpt: The Soul of Love (The Soul of Love, #1) by E.X. Alexander + giveaway

The Soul of Love (The Soul of Love, #1)
by E.X. Alexander
August 31st 2021
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
For generations, the Greek gods have been at war with each other; fighting to sit on the throne of Mt. Olympus.

Eros, the god of love and the most powerful of the ancients, has been waging his own secret war. For eons, he has been looking for his lost soul mate, Psyche; her return marks the beginning of the end of the reign of the Olympians, and the restoration to power by the primordial gods. But she has been reborn as a mortal, with no memory of him.

Psyche holds the key to the throne of Mt. Olympus. With her and Eros’ enemies coming out of the shadows to stop them, it is a race against time. If she cannot reunite her soul with Eros, her powers, memories, and the lives of the gods and mortals alike will be forever lost.

Content Warning: This book contains some scenes with mild violence, sexual situations, and references to suicide.

Goodreads-Amazon

Excerpt

She lay still in his arms, allowing the heat from his body to lull her back into a semi-relaxed state. When he made no move to resume the intimacy of their wedding night, she turned slightly toward him.

Burying his head in her hair, he breathed in her scent as if committing it to memory. “I will leave you alone if that is your wish. We can wait until you are ready to consummate our marriage.” Feeling a heavy sorrow at the thought of leaving her, he nonetheless did not want to cause her any more turmoil. He would wait, even as it threatened to dim the joy he felt at finally having her back in his life.

He pressed a kiss against her temple and released her. As he turned away and made his way out of the bed, Psyche was gripped with fear at the thought of him leaving her. It was so strong it overwhelmed her with a desire to keep him by her side in spite of her reservations.

Not understanding her reaction to his departure, she cried out, “Wait!” Reaching out to stop him, she was shocked to discover what her hand was gripping. “You have wings,” she said in startled amazement.

Eros stopped and shuddered at the touch of her hand on his wing. It was the first touch she initiated between them of her own volition, and it devastated him. Holding still, for he did not trust himself, he waited to see what she would do.

Psyche was too stunned to do anything but hold on to his wing for several moments. When he did nothing to repudiate her touch, she slowly slid her hand down his wing, marveling at the soft texture and heat. Repeating the caress, she inched closer and brought her other hand to press against his other wing. Feeling emboldened by his continued silence, she pressed against his back and continued to stroke his wings.

Then Psyche laid her cheek against the center of his shoulder blades, where his wings grew out of his back. She continued her slow caress. The feel of his wings seemed strangely familiar, as if she had run her hands over them hundreds of times. Frowning, she tried to remember, the memory teasing along the edges of her mind, but no matter how hard she tried, the knowledge danced away from her. Before she could chase the phantom memory, she was distracted by the hiss of pleasure that her new husband released at her touch.

Eros could barely restrain himself from turning around and pinning her to the bed as lust consumed him. The feel of her bare breasts pressed against his lower back sent shards of pleasure directly to his groin, where he tightened painfully as she continued to pet him. But it was her breath teasing the sensitive nerve endings of where his wings emerged from his back that was his undoing. When she started to nuzzle him, Eros knew he had to warn her before he lost total control. “Psyche, make your choice now. I only have so much control, and I have waited so long for you that I cannot continue to let you touch me without taking you. So choose, do I stay or do I go?”

Psyche stilled at his words. Faced with the power to control even a small part of her destiny gave her courage. Feeling that something fragile and precious would be lost if she allowed him to leave this night, she made her decision. “Stay.”

About the Author:

FB-Twitter

Pinterest-Goodreads

E.X. Alexander is a romance author who loves to tell a good romance story: the hotter, the better. A proud Greek American (no My Big Fat Greek Wedding jokes or she'll be forced to pull out the Windex ;) who loves to spend time with her family and friends. There is no better way to relax than to curl up with a steamy romance novel with purr babies under a blanket. Okay, a spa day would be a close second. If she is not reading or writing she can usually be found in her car listening to heavy metal and rock music in pursuit of her two favorite fruits: coffee and chocolate. (Yes, they are fruits.)

GIVEAWAY

Blitz-wide giveaway (INT)

$25 Amazon gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Hunted: An Eternal Guardians Novella by Elisabeth Naughton + excerpt

From New York Times Bestselling author Elisabeth Naughton, comes HUNTED,a new novella in her Eternal Guardians Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure to grab your copy today!

Hunted: An Eternal Guardians Novella
by Elisabeth Naughton
June 27, 2017
128 pages
Erebus – Dark in every sense of the word, a skilled and lethal warrior, and sinfully sexy by design.

Since the dawn of modern man, Erebus was Hades’ secret weapon in the war between the immortal realms. Until Hades lost the minor god in a bet to his older brother Zeus. For the last hundred years, Erebus has trained Zeus’s Siren warriors in warfare and the sexual arts. But he’s never stopped longing for freedom. For a life filled with choice. And lately, he also longs for one Siren who entranced him during their steamy seduction sessions. A nymph he quickly became obsessed with and who was ripped from his grasp when her seduction training was complete. One he’s just learned Zeus has marked for death because she failed the last Siren test.
Before Erebus can intercede on the nymph’s behalf, she escapes Olympus and flees into the human realm. In a fit of rage, Zeus commands Erebus to hunt her down and kill her. Erebus sees his opportunity to finally go after what he wants, but he’s torn. Freedom means nothing if the Siren at the center of his fantasies doesn’t truly crave him back. Because defying the gods will unleash the fury of Olympus, and if he chooses her over his duty, whether she joins him in exile or not, the hunter will become the hunted.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CAN | Amazon AU

REVIEW

I'm a little torn on this one. It's kinda-sorta a sex slave type of tale, but is it really? I mean, it's not real. (least I hope not) So why did it, in parts, rub me the wrong way. Almost like sandpaper on my tongue. I had to ponder that a lot. 

Maybe it's the fact that our leading gal is forced into a sex trade and judged by her performance. Are woman meant to be so mistreated even in make believe books? I am just not sure how to give a rating review, when the foundation of the story was so hard to absorb. I liked the writing style as a whole, very descriptive and not lacking in details. The world overall was very layered and executed extremely well. For a short read, you really do get a lot. 

I'm going to say that this one is the first in a very, very, very long time that I can not give a rating to. Check out what other people are saying and hopefully you can decide if this is the right PNR for you. 

KD 

Excerpt:

“I want to know where you’re taking me,” she said as he pulled her around switchbacks in the tunnel, her breath heavy at his side, her skin so hot against his he was starting to sweat.

He didn’t owe her an explanation. She was lucky he hadn’t decided to kill her after the way she’d lashed out. Or taken her to Zeus already. The second he’d recognized her he’d decided not to do either, though. Not because she didn’t deserve one or both but because he had his own plans for her. Plans that didn’t include the King of the fucking Gods, at least not yet.

Eventually he knew Zeus would want her back for punishment, which could include anything from having her reassigned as a servant or handmaiden or even a sex slave. And though Erebus wasn’t wild about any of those options—especially the last, unless she was his sex slave—he knew he had time. Time to have his own fun before his life-long obligations to Olympus drew him back.

Hell, he deserved some fun after the years he’d spent in servitude, didn’t he? As far as he was concerned, he deserved more than a little fun simply because he had to deal with Zeus’s incompetent Siren trainees on a daily f*cking basis.

“I’m taking you to the half-breed ruins,” he said, tugging her around another corner in the dark, deciding he didn’t want her completely defiant. Oh, he enjoyed an adrenaline-amping fight now and then, but it was so much more enjoyable when he could coax a female’s reluctance into cries of sensual pleasure. With Sera’s nymphomaniac tendencies, he knew it wouldn’t take much persuading.

“No one’s there,” she argued. “The half-breed ruins have been empty for twenty-some years.”

Exactly. No one was there. No one could hear her screams from inside its walls. No one would even know a minor god had gone off the grid there with a cheeky little nymph who made him so hard he hurt.

She tugged against this grip. “Erebus, please. This is a bad id—”

It was the please that brought him around. Or maybe it was the way she said his name. He wasn’t sure which, but something in her voice made him whip back and push her up against the cold rock wall.

About the Author:
Website-FB-Twitter
Author Goodreads-Novella Goodreads
Elisabeth Naughton is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. From Elisabeth: “I was never one of those people who knew they wanted to be an author at the age of six. I didn’t have imaginary friends. I didn’t write stories in my journal or entertain my relatives by firelight after Thanksgiving dinner. For the most part, I was just a normal, everyday kid. I liked to read, but I wasn’t exceptional at it. And when my teachers complimented me on my writing abilities, I brushed them off. I did, however, always have a penchant for the unique and absurd. And as my mother told me all throughout my childhood, I should have been an actress—I was a drama queen before my time. “Years ago, my husband bought me Scarlett: The Sequel to Gone With The Wind. If you ever saw the book, you know it’s a long one. I sat and read that thing from cover to cover, and dreamed of one day being a writer. But I didn’t actually try my hand at writing until years later when I quit my teaching job to stay home with my kids. And my husband? After that week of reading where I neglected him and everything else until I finished Scarlett, he vowed never to buy me another book again. Little did he know I’d one day end up sitting at a keyboard all day drafting my own stories. “My writing journey has not been easy. I didn’t just sit down one day, decide I was going to write a book and voila! sell my very first attempt. As most authors will probably agree, the path to publication is filled with hours of work, pulling all-nighters I thought I’d given up in college, sacrifices, rejections, but a love I discovered along the way I just can’t live without. Instead of a big, thick book to read by lamplight (I do read much smaller ones when I get the chance), I’ve traded in my reading obsession for a laptop. And I’ve never been happier. “I’m one of the lucky ones. I have a wonderful family and fabulous husband who put up with my writing—and obsessive personality—even when life is chaotic. More than once my kids have been late to swimming or baseball because I needed just five more minutes to finish a scene. Their support and encouragement mean the world to me. I also have amazing friends and a support network I couldn’t survive without. So to all of you out there who have encouraged me along the way, sent me emails and fan letters, phone calls and congratulations, I just want to say, thank you. You make this whole writing gig that much more enjoyable. I truly wouldn’t be here without you.”

Coastal Magic Featured Author: Graylin Rane (Candy Man Delivery Stories)

This series grew out of a request I got to join the Red Hot Valentine’s series December 2013. The first story, TASTES LIKE CHOCOLATE, inspired me so much I had to keep going. 

Candy Man Delivery Stories Page on my site with cover art and blurbs for each. 
-Graylin

Interview with Viviana, Owner, Candy Man Delivery Service. 

How did you get into the business?
A milk chocolate slab showed up in my shop. I’m a sculptor and have a refrigerated room in the back for food items. The slab came with instructions to carve the hottest male figure I could imagine. I did so. I got an A on penis carving in school, so I thought I went overboard.

I guess the lucky woman with that Candy Man is grateful.
Yes, yes I am.

Oh, you got the first one?
After I carved this delicious man, I followed the instructions and sprinkled gold dust over him. He came to life and saved me from my ex fiancé.

You kept him?
He was, apparently, meant for me in the first place. Now, with Adonis by my side, we pick deserving women to receive Candy Men. They arrive in my shop as slabs of chocolate in the woman’s favorite flavor. I carve the statue and deliver it to the woman. She has to create a list of attributes she wants in a man other than being gorgeous, I’ve guaranteed that.

How long does the man stay with the woman?
They stay until the woman passes away.

Who are the men?
The statues are animated with the souls of Greek Gods. Picked by Eros for their compatibility with the particular woman.

How many are there?
So far, six. There aren’t any more planned at the moment, but that doesn’t mean I won’t get an unexpected delivery in the future.

Dark Chocolate Peppermint
by Garylin Rane

Releases 12/15/2014

amazon

Alicia ended a lucrative modeling career to get her MBA. Trying to find work in a crowded job market discouraged her as the men she interviewed with wanted a stripper instead of an employee. Fellow model and friend, Susie, watches the light fade from Alicia’s light brown complexion and puts her name into contention for a Candy Man.

Refusing to be discouraged, she decides to start her own modeling agency. Susie’s pregnancy announcement gives her an idea. An agency for models who are pregnant. Clothing lines need faces for maternity wear and the fashion industry hasn’t exploited that niche, yet. Her family, in town for Christmas, is fully supportive.

There’s just one complication, she’s been chosen for a Candy Man. She’s not sure her dreams can come true with a statue. Would her family accept a man who started off as chocolate? Can Vangelis tempt her to stay home with him or will she pull her Dark Chocolate Peppermint man into the chaotic modeling world?

About the Author:

website-FB-twitter

Graylin Fox is a multi-published author and poet. She began writing poetry in 1993 with her first poem published in 1995. In 2008, her characters demanded a larger format and she began to expand her talents into the short fiction market.

Decadent Publishing published her short story, Coming Home, in January 2011. In July of 2011 Decadent Publishing released Your Biggest Fan, a psychological thriller. Her series, Summer Fae, began with Contagion in April 2011. This series continued with Bloodlines, a novella in September 2012. The final installment of the series, The Legacy, will be out in 2013.

Her first full-length novel, Smolder, about a Hospital Psychologist who finds love while dodging a killer, released May 9, 2013.

She lives in a marsh off the eastern coast with plants that struggle to survive on her “happy muse” weeks and a tiny cat runs the place. Graylin can be found at GraylinFox.com and contacted at GraylinWrites@gmail.com.

The Character's Court: Tori Karacis VS Author Lucienne Diver + giveaway

“If it please the court, I’d like to introduce into evidence item number 1.” Tori Karacis said, looking over at me knowingly.

I blanched. I knew that cover—the kickass woman on the front of it who didn’t look so much like my heroine. Her hair was much too tame. See, Tori, for those of you who don’t know, is part gorgon. While her hair isn’t actually a nest of snakes, you’d never know it at a distance. Think a more Mediterranean Helena Bonham Carter.

“Let the record show the item is a paperback book entitled BAD BLOOD,” the bailiff announced, carrying the book toward the bench.

I was so dead. If I’d actually known that my characters existed in some parallel universe…that I could be held accountable for all the hell I put them through…Well, I hadn't, and that was that. If wishes were horses, I could have ridden right out of there. But they weren’t. This was a trial, and the punishment was anything up to and including subjecting me to my heroine’s same trials and tribulations.

I wondered if that meant the absolute torment of having to decide between the attentions of the two sexiest men I could envision…and I had a pretty good imagination. If so, I wasn’t absolutely sure I wanted to win this battle.

“So noted,” agreed the judge. She flipped through the book, stopping to read a few highlighted passages, her eyes above the bookish librarian glasses going wide.

Tori referred to her own notes. “If I might read from the first highlighted section?”

The judge gave her the nod.

“I fought the pain as I gathered my legs beneath me for another offensive. The attacker was distracted with the effort to free his hand from Circe’s chest cavity. I swallowed the bile burning up my throat and flew into action, closing the distance just in time to watch Circe fall to the ground, the gaping hole in her chest leaking gore and an equally noxious liquid starting to seep through her skirt.

I grabbed the arm of her assailant—killer—as he turned to run and froze as my brain suddenly registered what I was now seeing close up. The hands were scaly, clawed and blue-green. He turned on me with a look of malicious madness, ran his tongue over teeth that were again simply wrong and wrenched himself out of my grip.”

Tori appealed to the judge, “We’re barely into Chapter One here, and already she has me fighting for my life.”

The judge leveled a look at me. I shrugged. What could I do? I liked action. Suspense. Drama. Who didn’t?

It was a hard gaze. I was relieved when she turned back to Tori. “Is that all?” she asked. “Clearly you survived.”

“All? All?” Tori asked, her voice rising. “Let’s see. Latter-Day Olympians trying to stage a comeback. Murder, mayhem, domestic terrorism, death and destruction.”

“Dogs and cats, living together,” I muttered. I couldn’t help myself, I defaulted to Bill Murray when I got nervous, and Ghostbusters was such a classic.

“Ms. Diver, I’m afraid you might not be taking our proceedings seriously,” the judge said, staring me down.

I bit my lip before I could ask whether she was going to throw the book at me. It was a paperback after all. Probably it wouldn’t hurt…unless she caught me with the corner.

“Sorry, Judge,” I said contritely. “Nervous habit.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I caught a brief smile on Tori’s face. She couldn’t help it. She had my sense of humor.

“Anything else?” the Judge asked Tori.

“That’s just the first book! In the second—”

“Spoilers!” the judge cautioned.

“Oh, right, sorry. Well, if I might introduce into evidence item number two, you can see for yourself.” She held aloft my second Latter-Day Olympians novel, CRAZY IN THE BLOOD. I groaned. Things had really been touch and go there for awhile…particularly touch.

The judge accepted the book from the bailiff and flipped through. She stopped at a section and started to read. I heard her breath catch and then start again, maybe a little bit more quickly than before. She turned the page, continued reading. Finally, she looked up. “This Apollo—is he here? I think I may need him for questioning. Or Detective Nick Armani…”

Yes, there was a definite smirk on Tori’s face. “I’m not saying there weren’t perks, but seriously, have you ever tried to deal with two alpha males, both hot enough to melt iron? It’s not as great as it sounds.”

“Really? I think I’d like to be the judge of that,” the judge said, amusing herself.

“You and me both, sister,” I muttered. I didn’t think she heard me.

“Do you have any other evidence to introduce?” the judge asked hopefully.

Tori looked at me. “Items 3, 4 and 5—two more novels, one in print, the other being released in digital September 16th, and a short story in an anthology called KICKING IT.”

The bailiff took the books and flash drive and handed them over. “Nice boots,” she commented, seeing the KICKING IT cover. “Yours?” 

Tori was no longer just looking at me. She was glaring. I couldn’t meet her gaze. If the judge read what I did to her in that one there’d be no doubt about my guilt. Oh, I was going down hard.

The judge studied the evidence before her, silent, serious. Terrifying. But she flipped through Tori’s third adventure, RISE OF THE BLOOD, and I saw her eyes widen.

“Given the bulk of the evidence and the seriousness of the charges,” she said finally. Did she sound a little breathless? “I’m going to have to take these home with me. Give them all due consideration. I’ll have my verdict for you tomorrow. Bright and early in my chambers.”

Tori chewed her lip and started to gather up her papers. The judge took the books with her and left through a door behind the bench.

I had no idea which way things would go. Or whether it would do any good to talk to Tori. After all, I was already plotting her next adventure and…well, I couldn’t exactly offer to pull my punches and disappoint my fans. But she was tough. She could take it.

Right? Right? Bueller?

Okay, so I quoted Bill Murray and Ben Stein during stress. So sue me. Line forms on the right.

Battle for the Blood (Latter-Day Olympians)
by Lucienne DiverPrint Length: 319 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

(September 16, 2014)

pre-order amazon

Dragons, demons, gods, gorgons. Who will save the world…and who could destroy it?

Tori wakes after Rise of the Blood to two very shocking realizations: one, she’s in bed with a very naked Apollo, having lost the fight to resist their attraction. Two, she still has her wings. Not dinky little fairy wings. Full-scale, cover-’em-with-a-trench-coat bat wings.

Apollo suggests consulting the Gray Sisters on the wings. Those cannibalistic, psychopathic oracles who, even with only one tooth and one eye among them, manage to see too much. As in a Rapture, zombie-apocalypse, biblical-plague, hellgates-busted-open the end of the world.

While the Sisters are perfectly on board with death and destruction, the thinning of the human herd doesn’t sit well with them at all. They’ll help her. All she has to do is save the world.

Tori and her team trace the origin of the plagues to New York City, which is under quarantine and martial law—as if that’s enough to stop the influx of gods and gorgons, dragons and demons. But as death threatens from without, betrayal lurks within Tori’s ranks. And nobody is safe. Nobody.

Warning: Betrayal and bad-assery, sensuality and a sizzling hot sun god. Death, demons, destruction and, potentially, the end of the world as we know it…zombie style.

About the Author:
website-FB-Twitter
Lucienne Diver writes the Latter-Day Olympians urban fantasy series for Samhain, featuring a heroine who can, quite literally, stop men in their tracks. Long and Short Reviews gave the first in the series her favorite pull-quote of all times, "Bad Blood is a delightful urban fantasy, a clever mix of Janet Evanovich and Rick Riordan.” Sequels: Crazy in the Blood, Rise of the Blood and Battle for the Blood(forthcoming in digital September 16th). She also writes the popular Vamped young adult series (think Clueless meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Her short stories have been featured in the Strip-Mauled and Fangs for the Mammaries anthologies edited by Esther Friesner and, of course, the Kicking It anthology from Roc Books, edited by Faith Hunter and Kalayna Price. Her essay “Abuse” is included in theDear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories anthology from HarperTeen.

Book Review: East of Ecstasy (Hearts of the Anemoi #4) by Laura Kaye

East of Ecstasy (Hearts of the Anemoi #4)
by Laura Kaye
ebook, 368 pages
Published April 22nd 2014 by Entangled Publishing, LLC
Annalise Fallston made peace with postponing her big-city dreams to care for her ill father, but lately she’s been filled with a restlessness not even her beloved painting dispels. Worse, the colors don’t speak to her as they always have, and all her efforts produce dark, foreboding images of a dangerous man and a terrifying future.

Devlin Eston, black-souled son of the evil Anemoi Eurus, is the only one who can thwart his father’s plan to overthrow the Supreme God of Wind and Storms. But first, Dev must master the unstable powers he’s been given. Distrusted and shunned by his own divine family, he never expected to find kindness and passion in the arms of a mortal.

But Devlin’s love puts Annalise in the path of a catastrophic storm, and in the final Armageddon showdown between the Anemoi and Eurus, sacrifices will be made, hearts broken, and lives changed forever…or lost.

For a limited time only $.99

 Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

This is the last book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, and the first one I’ve read. You can read it as a stand-alone, but all the characters from the previous three were in this one and it was a little confusing till I got them all straight in my head. Then there are the spoilers for the first three books…in spite of all that I absolutely loved East of Ecstasy.

Kaye struck gold with the idea of using the Greek Anemoi gods. Clever, clever girl. She created an interesting twist then added those tortured warrior men we love so much to the mix. And she apparently saved the darkest, guilt-ridden and most self-loathing one, Devlin, for last. Viewed as a villain or at the least untrustworthy throughout the series because his father is the crazy evil god of the East Wind and Autumn. Things go from bad to worse when it appears he betrays the Anemoi to his father and it resulted in a much loved character’s death (this is would be the spoiler if you read EOE first).

Anna is human and an artist. She's been getting visions of a terrible battle with death and destruction and she must paint them or the images in her head will drive her crazy. She also has some secrets in her past that even she doesn’t realize adding an OMG twist to the overall plot.

This book hits all my PNR buttons, and that is pretty hard to do. I was completely sucked in not wanting to put the book down, and at a pivotal scene I got teary-eyed. I loved the chemistry between the main couple and when they finally gave in to their passion it was…this pretty much says it all:

“I have long abstained, Anna. And now, I want you too f***ing bad. If I let myself off this leash, I’m going to come at you like a freight train. I will take you over and over again in ways you can imagine and some you can’t…”

“Choo-Choo” Devlin! Who wouldn’t want to ride that train? Yeah, I went there. If you love PNR then this is a must read. I look forward to reading the first three.

4.5 “choo-choo” sheep

Sharon Stogner

For a limited time only $.99
Catch up on the whole series with the Hearts of the Anemoi box set featuring the first three books: North of Need, West of Want, South of Surrender!

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

About the Author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter 

Newsletter SignUp
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Book Review (ARC): Tempt the Stars (Cassandra Palmer #6) by Karen Chance (spoiler free)

Tempt the Stars (Cassandra Palmer #6)
by Karen Chance 
Being a goddess is a lot less fun than you might think. Especially when you’re only a half goddess, and you only found out about it recently, and you still don’t know what you’re doing half the time. And when you've just used your not-so-reliable powers to burglarize the booby-trapped office of a vampire mob boss.

Yeah, that part sucks.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Cassandra Palmer, aka the Pythia, the freshly minted chief seer of the supernatural world. After all, Cassie still has to save a friend from a fate worse than death, deal with an increasingly possessive master vampire, and prevent a party of her own acolytes from unleashing a storm of fury upon the world. Totally just your average day at the office, right?

When I started this book I was a little worried it wouldn't measure up to Hunt the Moon, which was a giggling thrill ride from page one to page… last. Tempt the Stars doesn't move at a break neck pace until the end, and there isn't as much humor, but it makes up for it in feels. OMG, the feels, people. When I put this book down I was an emotional mess; twitching on the floor foaming at the mouth mess. My heart was on the floor squished under the heel of Ms. Chance. Yes, she made me cry. I can’t give anything away, but the next book has the potential to be one of the funniest as well as emotionally draining.

The Mircea fans are going to be a little disappointed. He only appears on a handful of pages. Pritkin fans are going to be strung out by the end. This book takes Cassie into the demon realm and we learn more about their culture and history, also Pritkin’s father Rosier. Things aren't what they seem and Cassie is finding out just how many people have been keeping things from her. She also has to deal with feelings she has been ignoring her whole life. In spite of all that she is becoming stronger and ready for the coming war, but first she needs to go back in time for one little errand with the most unlikely of partners. Casanova gives a lot of comic relief since he is made an unwilling participant in Cassie’s adventure into hell along with Caleb, a war mage, and Pritkin’s friend.

I am expecting a lot of feels in the next book. There is a reason Mircea isn't around in this book. We aren't told exactly why and I am afraid of what the fall out will be, knowing his personality. I don’t envy Cassie at all! This could go so many ways! I am in denial about having to wait another year to find out what happens *twitch, twitch*.

This is book #6, and the series still manages to surprise me, and each book is better than the last. Now I am going to go into my corner and whimper softly and hope Chance decides to throw the fans a bone while I wait for the next book.

5 “Pythia Power” Sheep

Sharon Stogner

About the Author:

website-FB-twitter

Karen Chance is the author of two New York Times bestselling series, plus a number of novellas and short stories, all set in the Cassandra Palmer universe. A full-time writer since 2008, she was previously a university history teacher, which comes in handy when writing the time-travel aspect of Cassie’s crazy adventures. She loves Las Vegas, the main setting for her novels, but currently lives in Florida near her family home.

Book Review: Hunt the Moon (Cassandra Palmer #5) by Karen Chance

Hunt the Moon (Cassandra Palmer #5)
By: Karen Chance 
Cassandra Palmer recently defeated a god, which you’d think would buy a girl a little time off. But it doesn’t work that way when your new job description is Pythia—the world’s chief clairvoyant. Cassie is busier than ever, trying to learn about her power, preparing for her upcoming coronation, and figuring out her relationship with the enigmatic sexy master vampire, Mircea.

But someone doesn’t want Cassie to become Pythia, and is willing to go to any lengths to make sure the coronation ceremony never happens—including attacking her mother before Cassie is even born.

I love this series so hard. The wait for each book is a long excruciating experience, but well worth it. This is book #5 in the series and I think my favorite so far. The action starts at a sprint from page one and doesn't stop till the very end. I wonder if Karen Chance was out of breath by the end of each writing day? And on top of that, the witty character dialogue and the inner voice of Cassie had me laughing out loud. I actually would stop to read a few sentences to my kids so I could share the fabulous with someone. It would be cool to sit around with a bunch of Cassandra Palmer fans and listen to the book on audio. Well, on second thought that might not work if there is a Team Pritkin and Team Mircea. Then we might come to blows <G>

You can absolutely pick up this book and enjoy the ride. Chance includes all needed background story along the way. Even though I've read all the previous books it has been two years since I read book #4 and I appreciated the information. But if you love a fast paced urban fantasy you will regret not stating at book one.

What I loved about Hunt the Moon was Pritkin and Mircea broke down and confided in Cassie (and us) about their past. There was a lot of sharing going on. All kinds of sharing. Cassie finally gets some information about her mom and dad and in the process finds out something extraordinary about her Pythia powers. She became a stronger person in this book. Everyone is trying to control her, and her powers and she finally has had enough. I was so proud of her. Now if she could get her head straight about the two men in her life. I don’t envy the day if she ever has to make a choice. The passion she feels for Mircea and Pritkin is different, but both are just as strong. Don’t worry, this isn't an angsty triangle. Not quite sure how Chance pulls this off <G>. Cassie spent most of the book with Pritkin and one of my favorite secondary characters, her body guard Marco. My other favorite would be her Stetson wearing ghost partner in crime, and best friend Billy Joe.

The suspense, non-stop action, razor sharp wit, and raw emotions of all involved had me in knots by the end, and Cassie’s reaction when she realized what Pritkin had sacrificed broke my heart. Luckily I have book #6 sitting right next to me. I advise having access to all the books once you start the first.I could gush about this book and series all day long, but I won’t. I got book #6 Tempt the Stars to jump into right now. When reading a book I mark quotes I want to share, but I had to stop after the first 10 pages because I was highlighting just about every line! So here are a few of my favorites:

~~~~

“For a frozen second, I looked at him and he looked at me, and then I screamed and threw my coffee, which hit him square in the groin. And I guess that didn't feel too good because he screamed, too, and for a minute there was a whole lot of screaming going on.”

~~~~

“And then I was jerked back up, fast enough to cut off my breath, to leave me dizzy. Or maybe that was the feel of the hard arms around me or the harder body behind me. Or the stunning relief of Not dead, not dead yet-

Because that never gets old.

My name in Cassie Palmer, and I’ve cheated death more times than anyone has a right to expect. In the past two months, I’ve been shot, stabbed, beaten and blown up a few dozen times, and that doesn’t count all the magical ways I’ve almost been killed. I’d have been dead a long time ago if not for my friends, one of whom had just jumped off the cliff after me.

I’d have been a lot more appreciative if he hadn’t pushed me first.”

~~~~

“What?” I said defensively, clutching the mink and my dignity. Since I was barefoot, mostly naked and completely hungover, I was pretty sure I grasped only one of them.

5 “glass in my ass” Sheep

Sharon Stogner

About the Author:

website-FB-twitter

Karen Chance is the author of two New York Times bestselling series, plus a number of novellas and short stories, all set in the Cassandra Palmer universe. A full-time writer since 2008, she was previously a university history teacher, which comes in handy when writing the time-travel aspect of Cassie’s crazy adventures. She loves Las Vegas, the main setting for her novels, but currently lives in Florida near her family home.

Book Review: Creating Fate (Unspun #1) by Rachel Firasek

Creating Fate (Unspun #1)

by Rachel Firasek 

She gave away her heart…
Giving her heart to a mortal wasn't something the First Fate planned. Losing him nearly shattered her soul. Upon his death, Clotho swore never to love—or weave life—again. Hoping she'll change her mind before it's too late, Zeus commands the spinner of life to take a much needed vacation from her immortal responsibilities.

He had to hide his...
Dane is close to cracking the drug ring he's spent the last two years infiltrating, but needs to perform one last heist to meet the head man and prevent an impending war. An undercover agent, he’s now on the run from drug lords, thieves and with the very woman whose tears make him forget his purpose.

Together they’ll find a way back from the dark.
Chloe will have to put her trust in the man she believes may have killed her fiance, or face an eternity on Earth. Without the desire for life, hope could slip through the cracks of time if he doesn’t love away her sorrow.

There are so many good books out there that I want to read and I am glad I was asked to review this one. I literally could not put it down and read it all in one sitting. 

Stories with Greek Mythology are fun. I love how the author puts her own spin on the story of Clotho, one of the three sisters of Fate. Zues is forced to step in and sends Clotho (Chloe) to earth because she refuses to love or do her immortal spinner duties of weaving lives.

Dane is attracted to Chloe the moment he sees her. On the run from a drug lord, murderers and all around bad guys, Dane kidnaps Chloe for her own protection and takes her on the run with him.

To Chloe, Dane is dark and mysterious, yet kind and loving all rolled into one hot package. She is drawn to him, but she doesn't want to get her heart broken and doesn't know if she can let go again.

A little on the emotional side, this novella has some sexual tension, lots of teasers for the mythology buffs and bits of humor mixed in. It was over way too fast for me. I would love to have seen this story continued into a full size novel. I cannot wait to start reading the next book in the series.

4 Sheep

Review By: Author MaryLynn Bast 

The Many Muses of MaryLynn -fb

About the Author:

website-fb-twitter-blog

Rachel Firasek grew up in the South, and despite the gentle pace, she harassed life at full steam. Her curiosity about mythology, human nature, and the chemical imbalance we call love led her to writing. 

Her stories began with macabre war poems and shifted to enchanted fairy tales, before she settled on a blending of the two.

Today, you’ll find her tucked on a small parcel of land, surrounded by bleating sheep and barking dogs, with her husband and children. She entertains them all with her wacky sense of humor or animated reenactments of bad Eighties dance moves.

She’s intrigued by anything unexplained and seeks the answers to this crazy thing we call life. You can find her where the heart twists the soul and lights the shadows…