Romance Book Scene: Into the Lair

Author: Maya Banks
Series Connection: Falcon Mercenary Group Book 2
ISBN: 978-1-60504-210-7
Genre: Paranormal/ Shape-shifters/ Erotic Romance/ Menage

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Running from one man out to kill her for killing her abusive lover, Katie Buchanan unwittingly becomes prey to another man hoping to use her in his experiments to turn men into shifters. Expecting a call from her brother, Katie doesn't know what to do when two men contact her and tell her that her brother Gabe has sent them.

Realizing that Gabe must be dead she runs from the two men and straight into the clutches of the deadly drug dealer out for revenge.

This action packed thriller takes readers from one action scene to another. It is filled with steamy hot sex, lots of shape-shifting, more action and then more hot sex. The best part about this novel is action scene as the three move quickly from the U.S. running from a drug dealer and his thugs to Austria. All along Katie continues to try to run from the men Gabe sent to help her.

Braden and Ian Thomas need to keep Katie close so that they can draw out the man who turned them into shifters, but keeping her can prove to be difficult.

Description:
It was supposed to be an easy mission. But nobody told her that.

Ian and Braden Thomas return to the U.S. to extract Katie Buchanan, the sister of the teammate who betrayed them. She could very well be the key to taking down the man responsible for turning Ian and Braden into unstable cat shifters.

Unfortunately, they’re not the only ones after Katie. Katie has no intention of going quietly or of offering her trust on a silver platter. She’s got troubles of her own that don’t include two pain-in-the-ass men who claim her dead brother sent them.

She’s too busy trying to stay one step ahead of Ricardo de la Cruz, the brother of a man she killed. As the bodies pile up, Ian and Braden are only sure of one thing: Katie makes them crazy. Something about her calls to their inner predator. They both want her, but she’s made a practice of making bad decisions and trusting the wrong men.

And by the time she realizes that she can trust these two warriors, it might just be too late.

Warning: Blood, gray matter, guts and gore. Ass kicking, potty mouths, acerbic wit. More mean people, mean people dying, mean people getting what they deserve. Sex…explicit sex, rough sex, ménage a trois, voyeurism, light bondage. Oh, and avalanches.

Romance Book Review: Into the Mist

Author: Maya Banks
Series Connection: Falcon Mercenary Group, Book 1
ISBN: 1-59998-069-X
Genre: Paranormal, Shape-shifters, Erotic Romance

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While on a mission, Tyana's brother, is left for dead after being doused with a mysterious chemical that suddenly leaves him with the ability to shift against his will into various animals. Trying to find a way to help her brother, Tyana goes after the man she holds responsible for her brother's condition.

When she sets up to seduce Eli Chance she winds up falling into her own trap. Falling for Eli Chance wasn't part of her mission, but now the two are working to find a cure that will help not only her brother, but also Eli's team mates.

Into the Mist combines natural shape-shifters with chemical intervention shifters. I like the lead hero, Eli and his quest to find a cure for his teammates. Supporting characters from both the Falcon Team and Eli's make the story more interesting. Tyana's tough girl character is just a bit too tough for me, but I liked her dedication to her brother.

Description:
One woman’s mission to bring down a sexy elemental shifter turns into a battle of wills…and hearts.

Hostage recovery specialist Eli Chance has a secret. He was born a shifter. A freak of nature.

While on a mission, Eli’s men and their mercenary guide are exposed to a powerful chemical agent, and suddenly his secret has become easier to hide. Now he’s not the only one with the gift. But for his men, this “gift” is becoming more and more of a curse.

Tyana Berezovsky’s brother Damiano was the guide for Eli’s team and was the worst affected by the chemical. As he grows increasingly unstable, Tyana fears she’s going to lose him to the beast he is becoming.

Tyana will do whatever it takes to help him, even if it means using her body to go after the one man she thinks holds all the blame—and possibly the cure. Eli Chance.

Warning: Violence, blood, guns, knives, ass kicking, people who do mean things, bad people dying, explicit sex and smart mouths.

Romance Byte: Obsidian Prey

Author: Jayne Castle
Series Connection: Harmony Book 6
ISBN-13: 978-0515146899
Genre: Sci-Fi

Description:
Two hundred years after the closing of the energy Curtain that allowed interplanetary travel—cutting off all contact to Earth—the planet Harmony is thriving. Thanks to an abundant supply of amber, which powers not only electrical machines for everyday use but also psychic abilities in the colonists, Harmony has created a stable, progressive community. But when that stability is threatened, resolving an ancient family feud and a fresh lover's quarrel might be the planet's only hope.

Three months ago, Lyra Dore suffered a heartbreak and a hostile takeover—both at the hands of the same man. A descendant of her ancestors' fierce rival. Cruz Sweetwater charmed his way into Lyra's heart and gained access to her pet project, an amethyst ruin. Then he took over the project and took off. When Cruz walks back into her life and requests a private meeting, Lyra convinces herself he's there to crawl and beg forgiveness. Wrong again—he just needs her help. With the project he stole from her.

Five innocent men are trapped inside a chamber in the amethyst ruin, and Lyra is the only one who can reopen the door. Reluctantly she agrees to help. Then Cruz wants her to apply her talents to the rest of the ruin—because no one else can work it. Lyra and Cruz are both harboring psychic secrets. Unknown—and dangerous—powers pulse within the amethyst ruin, and the closer Lyra gets to them, the more at risk she becomes. And now she must decide whether to trust her guts or her heart...

Romance Byte: Sexy Beast VII

Author: Kate Douglas, Anitra Lynn McLeod and Shelli Stevens
Anthology
ISBN: 978-0758228703
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Description:
Big and bold, primal and powerful, these men have a seductive sensuality that no woman can resist. Come enter their world of carnal desires and wanton sexuality...if you dare...

Chanku Challenge by Kate Douglas
When Beth and Nick first discovered the amazingly sensual power of their Chanku birthright, the desire to mate was fierce and uncontrollable. But Beth remains haunted by an event from her past, and she must confront it in order to accept her new life and find the happiness she so desperately seeks...

Eye of the Beholder by Anitra Lynn McLeod
Terrified at the rumors of her new husband's hideous disfigurement, Larra of Rellmon fears the night and his approach. But as the hooded Dauer caresses her body Larra's shivers of terror become quivers of ecstasy, and under cover of darkness she willingly submits to complete sexual surrender...

His To Reclaim by Shelli Stevens
Five years ago Gemma gave her heart and soul to a fellow werejaguar only to have him disappear. Now Hunter has come back and kidnapped her on her wedding day in order to make her his again, and he will tempt, tease and taunt her body to the heights of hedonistic pleasure to get exactly what he wants...

Romance Byte: Tempting Grace

Author: Anne Rainey
Series Connection: The Vaughn Series, Book 4
ISBN: 978-1-60504-655-6
Genre: Contemporary Romance

[Excerpt]

Description:
A hard man is good to find…and impossible to resist.

Since a car accident left her unable to have children, Grace Vaughn has hidden her heart behind a wall. So far it’s held strong, and no one complains much—except the few men she dates.

Now that fortress is crumbling thanks to Jackson Hill, an annoyingly attractive man who makes her imagination go wild just watching him in the office. He’s practically bullied her into attending a Vegas conference with him. Three days alone with the delicious Jackson—in Sin City, no less—is sure to push her right over the edge.

With a loving family, a decent bank account, a nice set of clubs, Jackson’s life is almost complete. Except for the missing piece. Grace. She sets a fire in his blood, and the conference is the perfect crowbar to get past her defense mechanisms. It’s time to see if the bump-and-grind potential in that booty of hers can be channeled into something a little more satisfying than looking.

He’s got just the tactic to get her to let down her guard—and hopefully her panties. A wicked bet. Because if there’s one thing he knows about Grace, she can’t resist a double-dog-dare…

Romance Book Review: Bengal’s Heart

Author: Lora Leigh
Series Connection: Breeds
ISBN: 0425229025
Genre: Paranormal

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This is the 19th book in Lora Leigh's Breed/Coyote/Feline/Wolf series. The general premise behind the stories is that in an effort to make a stronger fighting machine many years ago a group began experiments in mixing human DNA with animal DNA. The result were a new race of man. Hidden away, tortured and trained to be the ultimate killers, these hybrids finally escaped their prison and are now living freely among the humans.

Bengal's Heart tells the story of Cabal St. Laurents, Tanner's brother from "Tanner's Scheme". Cabal is one of the few breeds that are a mix of human and Bengal tiger. The story begins when he is still in the labs 11 years earlier as he watches his entire family killed and he first encounters reporter Cassa Hawkins, his true mate. Since this time, Cabal has become one of the elite enforces under Jonas Wyatt.

Cassa Hawkins has always been a protector of the breeds. As a reporter she has worked to make sure that the breeds are always treated fairly. When she begins to receive a set of mysterious e-mails which depict one the breeds going rogue and killing humans she knows she has to investigate. When she arrives at the scene of one of the killings she runs right into Cabal. Both Cassa and Cabal know that they are true mates, but neither has acted on it in 11 years. In one spark of intense passion that all changes and now the two are thrown into mating heat.

The timing isn't the best for handling all that mating heat entails, because both Cassa and Cabal need to be on their toes or wind up losing each other forever.

While this books wouldn't be high on the list of my favorites in the series, it didn't really have any fatal flaws. The general problem was a few obvious inconsistencies and rough chapters in the middle of the book. There was a lot of detail going on throughout the story and it was a little difficult at times to keep track of all the players. Those who have read the series shouldn't have a problem following along.

I liked both Cabal and Cassa's characters, although I do believe I would have made Cabal suffer for all his "tomcatting" ways if I were Cassa, but then again that is difficult when going through the mating heat.

The word is that Jonas is the next full story in the series and really I can't wait. I'm sure that Lora can have a lot of fun with his character and really Jonas has what ever she dishes out coming. Before then check out Hot for the Holidays, due out Sept. 29 featuring another Breed novella. (ISBN: 978-0515147001)

Description:
Reporter Cassa Hawkins has always supported Breed rights, believing they should be allowed to live free of fear and prejudice among the humans. A reasonable woman couldn’t think otherwise, especially in the presence of Cabal St. Lawrence (Laurents), a spectacularly muscled specimen of the Bengal breed. The epitome of the male animal, his sensuous growl can fire up Cassa’s vulnerable body faster than a flame. Yet neither can ignore the nightmare unfolding around them…

The Breeds have been incriminated in a series of violent murder, and accused of hiding a vicious serial killer. It’s left to Cassa and Cabal to discover the truth. But as hunter becomes prey, are trust and passion enough to keep them alive through the night?

Recommended Weekend Read: Dakota Cassidy's Accidental Series.

THE ACCIDENTAL WEREWOLF - BOOK 1
ISBN: 978-0425219300
When Marty Andrews gets bitten by a mangy mutt while walking her teacup poodle, her blond hair darkens, the hair on her legs starts growing at an alarming rate, and her mood swings put her dream job as a sales rep for Bobbie- Sue Cosmetics in serious jeopardy.

Then a drool-worthy man shows up at her door claiming that he accidentally bit Marty. And since he's a werewolf, she is now, too. Thinking Keegan Flaherty is clearly insane, Marty refuses to believe a word until a kidnapping makes her realize there's more at stake than just her highlights. And she must put her out-of-control life in the hands of the man who makes her blood run wild in more ways than one...

ACCIDENTALLY DEAD - BOOK 2
ISBN: 978-0425221594
A vampire puts the bite on a dental assistant.
It’s a lousy first day on the job for Nina Blackman when a patient, loopy from the anesthesia, bites her. At least he was cute. But for real drama she can’t beat the next evening. Nina wakes up with a set of razor-sharp fangs, bionic vision, supersonic hearing, and a taste for blood. But there’s a good explanation: It’s her patient, Long Island vampire Greg Statleon. Actually they’re perfect for each other—if Nina’s willing to commit to one man for eternity.

THE ACCIDENTAL HUMAN - BOOK 3
ISBN: 978-0425225950
Immortality bites.
Wanda Schwartz is raking in the dough selling Bobbie-Sue Cosmetics—and she’s a pro at recruiting new saleswomen. So, she’s shocked when a man comes to one of her in-home parties—a very hot man. Heath Jefferson is sure to put some extra spin into a lot of women’s color wheels.
When Wanda is diagnosed with a terminal illness, it doesn’t have to be a death sentence. With a werewolf and a vampire for best friends, she has options that most ordinary people wouldn’t. As Wanda ponders what to do about her mortality, Heath reveals he has secrets, and one of them is that his former bloodlust has turned into an old-fashioned lust—for Wanda. And he’s already given up too much to lose the love of his lifetimes.

Romance Byte: Dark Hunger

Author:Rita Herron
ISBN: 978-0446199483
Genre: Paranormal


Description:
Reporter Annabelle Armstrong will go to any lengths to deliver a story, even track down Quinton Valtrez, a man she believes is a coldhearted assassin. Yet the truth about the darkly sensual Quinton is even more shocking...and the overwhelming desire he ignites is one she vows to resist.

Quinton has fought his demonic powers since he was a child. Now using his gifts for the good of national security, he can't let himself be distracted by the beautiful, determined Annabelle. But his need for her is sudden, fierce--and could soon cost Annabelle her life. For a wicked enemy is out for vengeance, a demon who wants to draw Quinton into a life of pure evil and is willing to use Annabelle as bait. To save her, Quinton must achieve the near impossible: tame the sinister force that is both his inheritance and his curse before it claims him forever.

Romance Byte: Fantasy Quest

Author: Tina Gerow
ISBN: 978-1-934657-20-1
Genre: Paranormal

[excerpt]

Description:
Astiria Petrey wants nothing more than to lay on a sandy beach reading a good book at the exclusive Fantasy resort. Pestered by dumb jocks in tight shorts, Astiria decides to play the hotel’s role-playing computer game - Fantasy Quest. Only the game is more than she could ever imagine!

As soon as Astiria creates her perfect man—an online Warrior named Lerik, she is sucked through a portal to the mythical Verrath to meet him. There, Astiria must do battle against a host of trials.

If she is unable to succeed, Astiria becomes property of Marsoon, the Goblin King.

Accompanied by a real live gargoyle named Max, and Lerik, the sexy warrior she created from her wildest fantasies, Astiria must discover herself in order to not only win the game, but make her way back home.

Only then can she realize that true love awaits, if only she believes…

Romance Byte: Six Foot Hero

Author: Shea McMaster
ISBN: N/A
Genre: Erotica/Contemporary
http://www.onceuponabookstore.com/

Description:
Sometimes a woman needs a hero.

Nicole Dahl has some hard decisions to make. Trapped by a job and the troubling attentions of a mentor, she breaks free temporarily on an Alaskan vacation. Once there, instead of the soul-searching and relaxation she'd planned, she meets Logan Schafer, a man who erases her loneliness with his strong, skilled hands.

Logan is mesmerized by Nicole's emerald eyes and beguiling sense of innocence, but he knows their pasts spell trouble for any hope of a future together. He has a prior claim to deal with once and for all, and Nicole's so-called mentor is a much bigger threat than she realizes.

Will Nicole let him be her hero?

Romance Book Review: Devon Cream

Author: Jet Mykles
ISBN: 978-1-60168-188-1
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ M/M

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When Steven meets he new neighbor it is almost love at first sight. He takes the new man under his wing and helps he adapt to life in the city. Things couldn't be any better except for one little problem, Devon is straight and Steven would love more from him than just friendship.

This is a nice quick feel good story. Steven works hard to help his fellow neighbor in need and his next door neighbor, Patty is a kick and adds a little spice to the story.

Description:
When Steven helps his neighbor Devon move into the studio apartment upstairs, he can't help but drool. And that's all. Devon is straight and totally off limits. Knowing, though, doesn't stop the desire Steven fights every time the two men are together, which is a lot since Steven has decided to take Devon under his wing until the young man can get his life together.

About the author from her website:
As far back as junior high, Jet used to write sex stories for friends involving their favorite pop icons of the time. To this day, she hasn’t stopped writing sex, although her knowledge on the subject has vastly improved.
An ardent fan of fantasy and science fiction sagas, Jet prefers to live in a world of imagination where dragons are real, elves are commonplace, vampires are just people with special diets and lycanthropes live next door. In her own mind, she’s the spunky heroine who gets the best of everyone and always attracts the lean, muscular lads. She aids this fantasy with visuals created through her other obsession: 3D graphic art. In this area, as in writing, Jet’s self-taught and thoroughly entranced, and now regularly uses this art to illustrate her stories or her stories to expand upon her art. Only recently, through the wonders of the digital age, has Jet, a self-proclaimed hermit, been able to really share this work with others.
In real life, Jet lives in southern California with her boyfriend of over a decade, his daughter and father and too many cats. She has a bachelor’s degree in acting, but her loathing of auditions has kept her out of the limelight. So she turned to computers and currently works in product management for a software company, because even in real life, she can’t help but want to create something out of nothing.

Romance Byte: Romance on Route 66

Authors: Judith Leigh and Cheryl Norman
Anthology
ISBN 978-0-9818550-8-0
Genre: Historical

Description:
Route 66 is more than a highway. Much more. It’s an attitude and a part of American culture. Although Route 66 is officially off the map (as of 1984), it lives on in sections designated “Historic Route 66″ in many towns along its original route. It also lives on in song and stories.

In this new anthology Judith and Cheryl take readers on a nostalgic journey back to the days of Route 66 with four romacne novellas. There's a variety of story genres: historical romance, time-travel romance, mystery romance and a spirited paranormal romance.

MORE THAN HE BARGAINED FOR
Historical romance written by Judith Leigh. It’s 1949 when David Montgomery travels Route 66 on his Harley Davidson motorcycle. Just outside San Bernadino in the tiny town of Cactus Falls, he gets More Than He Bargained For when he has a flat tire beside an orange grove owned by lovely widow Rachel O’Hare. Drawn to her and her adorable twin sons, he’s in no hurry to leave Cactus Falls. But Rachel wants nothing to do with the handsome daredevil. Her late husband lived his short life on the edge, and she’s not about to put her sons through that kind of grief again. The sooner David’s on his way, the better. Or is it?

BAD MOON RISING
Return to 1969 Missouri with Cheryl Norman’s mystery romance. Celeste Lucas mourns her husband, a victim of a kidnapping gone deadly wrong the previous year. But she discovers disturbing secrets about the man she thought she knew. Jack Lucas harbors a secret love for his sister-in-law, one he’s tried to forget. Then she shows up asking for his help. Should he tell her his suspicions about his brother, or does he have a serious conflict of interest?

ROMANCING STONE
Judith Leigh takes readers back to Route 66 in 1979 with this paranormal romance story. Stone Thunderhawk thinks the new woman in town looks eerily like his dead wife. Author Lynette Sinclair thinks Stone looks like the Cherokee hero in her last novel. The two are co-owners of a house in Forgiveness, Oklahoma, thanks to Shanna Thunderhawk’s will. Why has his wife kept the house a secret, and why leave half the house to a woman she didn’t know? And whose spirit haunts the building? The small-town artist and the New York novelist don’t have a ghost of a chance at romance. Or do they?

TWILIGHT TIME
Matt Hershey didn’t realize his vintage 1954 automobile once belonged to a guy who jilted his pregnant girlfriend. Suddenly transported to 1959 Santa Rosa, New Mexico, Matt has the chance to make changes in history and save Olivia Carter from a terrible fate.

Romance Byte: Beg For It

Author: Minx Malone
ISBN: 9781419923593
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance

[Excerpt]

Description:
The only thing ad executive Mya Taylor loves more than winning is her best friend Milo Hamilton. Nothing has ever come between them—until she finds out Milo is her chief rival for a new account.

Milo's not sure when it happened but his secret crush has morphed into an obsession. He wants Mya in his bed, screaming his name, and he knows just how to make it happen.

When he proposes a friendly wager on the account, he knows the ultra-competitive Mya won't be able to resist. She's more than ready to lay it all on the line—until she finds out how high the stakes are. The two of them. Skin to skin.

Suddenly, all bets are off.

About the Author from her Website:
Multi-published author Minx Malone lives in the Washington, DC metro area with her three favorite guys, her husband and their two sons. She’s been writing since college when she finally figured out that daydreaming could be good for more than escaping boring business classes. Most of her novel ideas come to her at the strangest times, such as when waiting in line at the bank or while on the metro. She also gives some of the credit to her incredibly vivid dreams. She’s the only person she knows who dreams in HDTV with surround sound!

Her new series, Desire Incorporated, is about the kind of company for which she’s always wanted to work. Visit the company on the web to learn more about upcoming books and maybe even submit a job application yourself at www.desireincorporated.com.