Gothic Books - Page 6

Until There Was You (The Graysons, Book 1)

Francis Ray

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Best of the Graysons!! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I loved Luke's story the best I have read Morgan the second brother, Brandon the third brother, and Pierce the final brother but Luke is hands down the best!!!! I wanted to go to Santa Fe and meet them the story is that real. Sierra is next I can't wait to read about the tough Ms. Sierra Grayson!!

Lovely read 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is the first book in the Grayson series but the 5th in the Taggert/Falcon/Grayson saga. I like reading books where for a change its the man trying to resist the woman and failing. The relationship between the family and the characters was sweet. Even tho the interfering parent plot has been done already by other AA romance writers I do love Mrs Grayson- wish I had her as a mother- lol. I look forward to reading the rest and hope we hear more about Naomi and Richard. Good also to catch up on the other characters from previous books. Also nice to know that the ending was not artifically contrived with a miraculous pregnancy. However a couple as loving and as financially well off as Luke and Catherine could adopt- after all being a parent is more than giving birth as was mentioned in the book. Tho I suspect we will get the miracle pregnancy in a future Grayson book.
Plus to be fair to Ms Ray the heroine is not described as fair skin but as mahogony which is a dark wood so there is no colorism with her heroines she appreciates all colours of the black rainbow. Would be nice if one of the Graysons fell for a fellow Muscogee..

Editorial Review:

All he was looking for was some peace and quiet. Instead, what ex-FBI agent Luke Grayson finds in the secluded cabin in the woods is a gorgeous, smoky-eyed woman…who just happens to be pointing a gun in his direction.

Dr. Catherine Stewart is relieved that the handsome stranger she encounters is not a dangerous intruder. But how is she supposed to relax in her woodsy hideaway with stubborn, intense, brooding Luke around? A woman could get into a lot of trouble with a man like that—and trouble is exactly what each of these two lost souls came here to avoid…

Oceans of Fire (Drake Sisters, Book 3)

Christine Feehan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 60 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Must have Series for Christine Feehan Fans!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is an awesome series. Very HOT!! A great addition for Christine Feehan-aholics!!

A nice by the beach read 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is the first book of Christine Feehan's that I have read. Actually, it was the first time I heard of her, since I typically stay away from the "cheap sex-filled romances." As I am a sucker for dolphins (yeah, I know it is definitly girly of me), the cover caught me attention and since I have read everything else at home I bought it.

At first, I thought it started out slow and drab but it quickly warmed up. Since it was seven sisters, it really didn't spend much time elaborating on the other characters as much as I would have liked. It really just focused on a few characters, and left the others up to imagination.

Alexsandr upon first impression was very controlling. I understand why his character was made that way because of his background but I couldn't understand why sweet Abby would go for that sort of thing. His betrayal of Abby seemed so horrible that I had a really hard time forgiving him myself. Although, I understand that kind of love well and under the same circumstances I may have done the same. By the end of the book, I had really come to enjoy the Russian heartthrob.

I was also really intrigued by Prakenskii and wished that the author followed him a little more so that we could learn more about him and his background. If he is really a carrier of all the gifts doesn't he need to carry on his gifts? To do that doesn't he need to fall in love? I thought there was a little spark between him and the headstrong Joley. I could see a hate-love relationship between them.

I was really disappointed when the little subtle hints between Jonas and Hannah didn't result into a sweet love affair.

Another disappointment was that even though two of the sisters were engaged (which two I couldn't tell you because there were so many of them that I have some of them confused with the other) and I never was really introduced to their fiancés.

The characters that did get some elaboration I did enjoy and the story line went fast enough to capture my attention. I would take it into the bathroom and sit on the toilet while I watched my children play in the tub while reading it. I would read one chapter so that there water would not get too cold. It quickly became an obsession of mine and let's just say that my kids were the cleanest kids that you ever did see.

She is not my favorite author but she got my attention enough to go and get some of her other books.

Editorial Review:

The third daughter of seven in a magical bloodline, Abigail Drake was born with an affinity for water and a strong bond with dolphins. After she witnesses a murder, she flees right into the arms of Alexsandr Volstov. On the trail of stolen Russian antiquities, he's a relentless Interpol agent--and the man who once broke Abby's heart. But he isn't going to let the only woman he's ever loved slip away again.

A Caress of Twilight (Meredith Gentry, Book 2)

Laurell K. Hamilton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 197 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

I am Princess Meredith, heir to a throne - if I can stay alive long enough to claim it. My cousin, Prince Cel, is determined to see that I don't. As long as we both live, we are in a race for the crown: Whichever one of us reproduces first gets the throne. So now the men of my royal guard - frightening warriors skilled with blade, spell, and gun - have become my lovers, auditioning with pleasure for the role of future king and father of my child. And they must still protect me from assasination attempts - for unlike most fey, I am part human, and very mortal. All this royal backstabbing makes it difficult for me to pursue my living as a private investigator in Los Angeles, especially since the media made sure the whole world knows the Faerie princess is alive and well in sunny California.

Now, in the City of Angels, people are dying in mysterious, frightening ways. What the human police don't realize is that the killer is hunting fey as well. Havoc lies on the horizon; the very existence of the place known as Faerie is at grave risk. So now, while I enjoy the greatest pleasures of my life with my guardians, I must fend off an ancient evil that could destroy the very fabric of reality. And that's just my day job...

Micah (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter)

Laurell K. Hamilton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 376 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

A Short Story of Sex and Micah 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.

That's it. Really. Were you expecting more? There isn't anything more. No, I'm not kidding.

MICAH is a very short novella put into book form to make Ms. Hamilton more money. And no, I'm not kidding about that either.

Thankfully, I like Micah, although I don't think there are too many more descriptions that the author can make up to describe his physical characteristics. He's not that tall, but he's big where it matters, is hotter than hot, and can have sex as often as Anita needs. Which, we all know, is basically any time she's not unconscious.

I'm glad I read it, because it's part of the series. But the only thing I learned that was new is how Micah became a wereleopard and what happened to his family.

That's it. Really. I tried to tell you.

Editorial Review:

There are lots of reasons to raise the dead - some private, some public. In this case, the feds have a witness who died before he could speak on the record. They want him raised so his testimony can be taken. So here I am, on a plane to Philadelphia, flying off to do my job.

But I’m not alone. Micah is with me. Micah, head of the St. Louis wereleopard pard. King to my Queen. The only one of my lovers who can stir my blood with just a glance from his chartreuse cat’s eyes. I was happy to have him at my side.

Until he mentioned that this will be our first time alone together. No Master Vampire. No Alpha Werewolf. Just me and Micah. And all my fears and doubts…

The Demon You Know (The Others, Book 3)

Christine Warren

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Witty and Fun!! 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Others have been outed and as predicted, the humans aren't taking the existence of witches, vampires, werewolves and were-anything very well. There are riots going on in New York City and Abby Baker is stuck in the middle. She's busy cowering behind a bunch of cars when a group of thugs start beating up a teenage Other. When the Other gets knocked into her, the demon snatched his opportunity and possessed her. Well, not a demon, a fiend. Rule is a demon and he has nothing in common with Lou, the fiend who now lives inside Abby. Rule takes her to the Vircolac, the Other's Headquarters for protection where they discover that Lou has a deadly, world annihilating spell that could end the world if he and the spell fall into the wrong hands. His current position inside Abby puts her in grave danger and the Others are determined to protect her with or without her permission. With humans rioting and the fiends and demons in the middle of a war, Rule needs to be concentrating on protecting the Above world and the Below world, and doesn't need the distraction of Abby's cotton candy scent. A virtual prisoner within the Vircolac and stuck with the company of Lou, Abby demands Rule's attention. They fall in love during one of the most inopportune moments in history, but they are helpless to resist the attraction. Meanwhile, the fiends are making their move and Rule and the Others are scrambling for a way to save her but Abby and Lou have the knowledge that could destroy the world, and even if it means dying to protect it, sacrifices have to be made.

Rule and Abby were really cute together. Not a whole lot of angst in this one, which I appreciated and when Abby does descend into self pity, Tess is there to slap it right out of her. Tess is one of those girlfriend's who will always tell it to you straight and is always ready with a good, strong slap. Abby's ability to insinuate herself right into Rule's big, tough heart was so cute and I liked how Rule didn't fight back too hard. Rule's reactions to the misconceptions regarding demonology was really entertaining and Lou was one of the funniest, smarmiest character's I've read in a long time and I thought him one of the greatest self sacrificing characters, too. His and Abby's conversations were kind of the highlight for me in the book and when he would "blink out" I really missed his smart aleck wit.

The world building the Other's continues in a fun and interesting way and it's was always great to revisit characters. I can't wait to read more in the Other series and highly recommend this as an entertaining read. Enjoy!!

Editorial Review:

As a research grunt at a local television station, Abby Baker tends to blend into the background, which is where she’s most comfortable. But when she ends up being the last resort to cover a hot story, Abby discovers a whole new side to her personality when she is possessed by a fiend—a type of rogue demon. Suddenly everyone wants a piece of her. And now the demon Rule—also a hunter of his own kind who have gone astray—is Abby’s only hope…
 
Meanwhile, the Others—vampires, werewolves, and witches, oh my!—have come out of the supernatural closet and the rest of the humans are all aflutter. Mischief is afoot in the demon realm, and Rule knows that Abby is key to figuring it all out before the fiends tip the fragile balance between the newly-discovered Others and the humans over into an epic battle. Now it’s up to two lost souls to make love, not war…..

Seduced by Moonlight (Meredith Gentry, Book 3)

Laurell K. Hamilton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 235 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

I am Meredith Gentry, P.I. and Princess Merry, heir to the throne of Faerie. Now there are those among us who whisper I am more. And who can blame them? I've awakened the dazzling magic that's slumbered in them for thousands of years. But the thing is, I can't figure out why.

My aunt, Queen of Air and Darkness, is no longer distracted by her sadistic hobbies. Her obsession has turned unwaveringly to me. The mission to get me pregnant and beat my cousin Prince Cel to the crown is taking longer than expected. Even though I spend each night with the Queen's Ravens, my immortal guards, no child has come of our decadent pleasures. But something else is happening. My magic courses through me uncontrollably. And as I lock my half-mortal body with their full-Sidhe-blooded ones, the power surges like never before.

It all began with a chalice. I dreamed of it, and it appeared, cool and hard, beside me when I awoke. My guards know the ancient relic well - its disappearance ages ago stripped them of all of their vital powers. But it is here with us now. My touch resonates with its force, and they're consumed with it, their Sidhe essences lit up by it. But even as they cherish me for this unexpected gift, there are those who loathe me for it. Me, a mongrel, only half fey and part mortal. The Unseelie court has suffered for so long, and there are some who would not have it weakened further by an impure queen. My enemies grow in number every day. But they do not know what I am capable of. Nor, for that matter, do I...

She's No Faerie Princess (The Others, Book 2)

Christine Warren

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Queen Mab's niece, Fiona, has long been bored to tears by the intrigues of Court life. She'd prefer to cut loose at a punk club, knock back a few Thai beers, and hook up with a likely lad of similar interests. But when Fiona goes AWOL, she only gets as far as Manhattan's Inwood Park before a nasty demon nearly puts a permanent crimp in her plans—and a dark stranger sparks her desire...
 
All work and no play make Tobias Walker one cranky werewolf. After six months of doing his part to keep the peace during the delicate negotiations between the Others and humankind, he'd like nothing more than a good night's sleep—preceded by an enthusiastic mating session. The alluring woman he rescues in the park might be the answer to his most lustful prayers, but only if they can both stay alive long enough to find out who wants her dead and why.
 
Now, Fiona and Tobias must unravel a tangled web of treachery that spans branches of the Fae, Other, and mortal worlds, all the while falling into a dangerous attraction that could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship—or the end for them both...

Into the Flame (Thorndike Press Large Print Core Series)

Christina Dodd

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

I REALLY didn't like this story! 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

**Spoilers**

This is the fourth book out of the Darkness Chosen series and my first by Ms. Dodd. I don't think I realized it was the fourth book in the series when I bought it. (I hate reading a new story in the middle of a series, or in this case, the end?) Although I probably would have bought it anyway because of J.R.'s endorsement on the back. (I'm really going to stop reading books she endorsed; I'm tired of getting burned.) I did not read the first three books in the series, but was able to figure out what was going on pretty quickly. Ms. Dodd did do a good job of providing history on the Wilder family.

Firebird is the fourth child of the Wilder family. The only girl in a family of boys...even though it was prophesied that the family would only birth boys. Well, come to find out, she really wasn't the Wilder's daughter. She was switched at birth with a male infant. This male infant was later left in the Nevada desert.

But as fate would have it, she later meets this male child at college, (Douglas)and he becomes the father of her son, Aleksandr. Confusing...not really, but still vaguely unsettling. I can see why people would think it sounds slightly incestuous, even though he and Firebird are not related. I think that Ms. Dodd could have arranged that situation a little better. Be that as it may, Firebird's and Doug's road to their very own HEA was riddled with betrayals, major evil and just plain silliness. However, their one true constant was love.

Final word: I did NOT like this story. Besides a general "ickiness" of their situation, I didn't really engage in the plot. It was kind of creepy (even more creepier than my usual beloved paranormals) and in some parts just plain stupid. For example, the final battle between Wilders and Varinskis was just silly, and made absolutely no sense to me.

Throughout the story, we're constantly being told how shrewd, smart and clever Konstantine Wilder is. Yet he goes into a battle with HUNDREDS of shapeshifters like himself, with nothing but himself, four women, his three, oh sorry, four sons, and a baby. How did he expect to win against those odds? Couldn't he have hired an army for himself? And, it seems that even Ms. Dodd realized how ridiculous this scenario was. Later she throws in this unknown, unheard of, Romany army to fight on their side. Even more sillier was what happened after the Wilders and Varinskis lost their shapeshifting abilities in the battle. The Varinskis ran away because they didn't know how to fight in human form. HUH?? They outnumbered the Wilders. They could have just jumped them and still beaten them.

It was silly. And that, plus other glaring plot holes, left this story almost crazily unreadable. Luckily, Ms. Dodd does have a strong writing style, which was probably the only reason anyone gave this book 5 stars. That is the only reason, I will give her another chance. But it won't be with the Wilders. I have absolutely NO desire to read the previous books in that series.

I would only read this book, if you've invested time in this series. Otherwise, it isn't worth your time.

Editorial Review:

meet Doug Black—the Wilder brother who’s been missing for centuries. With no idea of where he’s from, he’s become an angry young cop with the ability to transform into a cougar. in search of others like him, he comes across a beautiful woman who may hold the secret to his destiny...

Dark Magic (Leisure Paranormal Romance)

Christine Feehan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 137 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Boring! 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book was so boring I actualy found myself skipping pages. There is little to no plot beyond getting the two mains in bed, and once they are there Gregori spends most of the time lecturing Savannah on the fact that he knows best and she needs to do as she's told. Savannah pouts and whines and ends up following orders while telling him she's not always going to do so.

I was also disturbed by the first "love scene." I use the term loosely because it read more like a rape sequence than first time lovers. She is coerced into the bed, her mind manipulated and controlled, then she is violently used.

The villians finally make a real showing after half a book of Gregori's bossing, mind control and, at one point, taking control of Savannah's body to force her to do what he told her. The "action" there is still weak, with Savannah interrupting Gregori during action sequences via telepathy to remind him that she doesn't like having to sit at home and wait.

While I know she didn't compose it, the back cover blurb is also deceptive. It says the story is set in New Orleans, while they don't get to NO until more than halfway through the book, and it makes it sound like the story is about them getting to the "claiming the lifemate" marriage ritual, which actually takes place very early in the book. The book isn't about getting to the marriage, it's about them nagging each other and him forcing her to give in to him in all things. I think the back-cover writers were also at a loss to find the plot.

I'm very dissappointed with this book. I've read Feehan's other series and know she can write strong, alpha males who don't resort to this kind of abusive control of a woman. She knows how to write engaging and intriguing men and women. She knows how to write action so intense the reader leaves sweaty fingerprints on every page. None of that is evident in "Dark Magic." I think the one star I gave it is generous, but no stars wasn't an option.

Editorial Review:

They were masters of the darkness, searching through eternity for a mistress of the light...WOULD SHE FIND MAGIC Young Savannah Dubrinsky was a mistress of illusion, a world-famous magician capable of mesmerizing millions. But there was one--Gregori, the Dark One--who held her in terrifying thrall. Whose cold silver eyes and heated sensuality sent shivers of danger, of desire, down her slender spine. With a dark magic all his own, Gregori--the implacable hunter, the legendary healer, the most powerful of Carpathian males--whispered in Savannah's mind that he was her destiny. That she had been born to save his immortal soul. And now, here in New Orleans, the hour had finally come to claim her. To make her completely his. In a ritual as old as time . . . and as inescapable as eternity.

Tanner's Scheme (The Breeds, Book 3)

Lora Leigh

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Taners Scheme Review 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I love Lora Leigh!!! I have been a major fan since she started out at EC. Her books are always hot and full of great characters. This is her first mainstream book that I have read and its not as...arousing as her EC stuff but then that is to be expected from main stream books. This is a great, awesome series and to appreciate it you should really start at the beginning, the very beginning. I will have to go back and read the others. I have been a LL fan and will remain so.

Editorial Review:

A sexy paranormal series set in a world where genetically altered Breeds and the humans who created them sometimes come together in the fiercest of passions.

After the Feline Breeds' main base is attacked, Tanner desires revenge. So he kidnaps Scheme Tallant-the daughter of a one-time high-ranking member of the Genetics Council. But when Tanner discovers that Scheme herself is a target of her father's ruthless mission, his vengeance takes a back seat to saving the life of the woman he hopes to claim as his mate.