Updates and Reviews: The Shadows by J.R Ward and Carnal Compromise by Robin Rotham, Revenant by Larissa Ione, Azagoth by Larissa Ione, Kissed by a Dark Prince by Felicity Heaton

Good Evening fellow bloggers and followers,

I know, I know, it has been a while. A couple of months but here I am. A lot has been going on in my personal life but I have not forgotten about you guys. So let me get started on filling everyone in on some of what I have been up to. One of the most exciting things that has happened to me so far this year was the 2015 Romantic Times Convention, while I didn't really go any panels this year, mainly because most of them were ones I had already been to, I did mix and mingle and met some of the most interesting people. Hanging out with the sexy cover models was awesome as well. This convention in Dallas didn't seem as high energy as the one in New Orleans but it was still an experience. Like always, being around established writers and meeting aspiring authors just like me is always a great a humbling feeling. Everyone was so supportive and gave excellent advise. Granted, that one of the only reasons I went this year was because Gena Showalter was going to be there. I truly had only one goal and that was showing Gena my Lords of the Underworld Butterfly and let her know how her writing inspired me. It sucks that I wasn't able to get a signed book from her due to a storm that had her hurrying back home but I did mange to get a picture with her and show her my tattoo. Next year RT is going to be held in Vegas. As you can imagine I am super excited about that. I expect the convention to be large and amazing and hopefully create even more contacts and open more doors for myself. 

You know its funny, I often wonder if self publishing was the best choice for me. But every time I look at the covers I made, or the characters I designed, the sense of accomplishment I feel... I have no words for it. I even surprise myself at what I am able to do is such a short amount of time. Of course I'm not some graphic wizard but I plan on getting there. The entire process from getting the right images and putting them together to create a beautiful master piece it feels so natural to me that I can imaging someone taking that away from me. Or someone whose never read one of my books or gotten to know any of my characters telling me what something should look like. Just the thought of someone doing that pisses me off. No don't get me wrong I love constructive criticism and any advise that would help and guide me. But someone down right changing anything I wrote or designed because they feel that it won't be right is something different. And I also like to be my own boss and the person in charge...

But anyway let me fill you in on what I have been working on:

Eternal Earth is still in process. It's coming a long slowly but surely. Adien is being a tab bit of an ass and often stops speaking to me. SnoWolf, DarKnight, and Twisted Midnight as also still in progress. I didn't realize how hard it was writing four novel until I started doing it. And man oh man is it draining. All these characters talking to me at one time...drives me crazy most days lol. But in my usual twisted and backwards way, I manged to create covers for Eternal Earth, DarKnight Dawn of the Red Sun and SnoWolf...covers that I am going to release once the books are close to being done. Well I might show the cover for Adien and Harmony's book seeing as how I love that cover. 

Side note: I am thinking of starting a YouTube page but I am not sure. I'm a little nervous about it actually. But look out for that.

Also, thanks to one of the connections I made I am currently working on a collaboration book that I will tell you guys about as time goes on... and that's pretty much it. On to the book reviews (yay)

Review: The Shadows by J.R. Ward

As we all know J.R. Ward is hands down my top author and one of the series that I am current on and also willing to pre-order for like double the original price (but hey it was a signed copy). Well anyway, you wouldn't believe how excited I was about reading the Shadows and while it took me a little while to finish the book it was definitely an awesome story. While I loved the character development of Trez and iAm, there were several issues i had with this addition to the BDB. 

For one there were way too many side stories and it took away from Trez and iAm. While I understood that each story was setting up for what was happening next in the BDB and the change going on within the Vampire race, there was still a lot going on and a lot of information getting thrown at you at one time. Truthfully I skipped most of the side stories as they really had nothing to do with the main story of this book and more to do with the upcoming books. 

Secondly, new characters were being thrown at us left and right and a few of the I don't feel were giving a proper introduction. Or should I say that with so much going on in this book it was hard to keep track of all the new people and the different plots. 

(And as much as I love Rhage, since he is my favorite brother, I felt his parts were thrown in and used as unnecessary fillers for the book. All of which could have been cut out.)

Third (which seriously pissed me off), while I love Trez, his story with Selena began dragging for me towards the middle of the book. I felt alot of it was fillers and setting up your emotions for a devastating ending that you saw coming but didn't want to happen. At a few points I skipped Trez story and quickly searched for iAm's story...speaking of iAm, but the time I finished the Shadows I found my self more drawn to iAm and his story than Trez and Selena. However once I put the book down I felt a little cheated by iAm's story and how lack luster it was told, as if his story was just a side story in Trez's story. It felt as if his story was thrown in so that both brothers' can be done in one book and the history of the Shadows was just thrown together. iAm was cheated out of an amazing love story and giving some rushed and disappointing story.

With that being said, I did like the book for the most part. It still was better than Phury and Payne's book. I did enjoy seeing a different side of Trez and iAm, granted some parts felt forced. Seeing them two fall in love was nice. I even cried towards the end of the book. Truthfully I feel the character who had the most development was Xcor and Layla and this wasn't even their book. (If I'm not mistaken I think their book is next. Either way I am excited about their story. Hopefully with a little less subplots). Watch them two was one of the highlights of the book. Dare I say that they are one of my favorite couples. I think my thinking goes like this. The best book in the series so far: Lover Awakened (Zadist and Bella's book. I actually read that twice. I think Z has had the greatest chage, even more so than Tohr.). My favorite brother: Rhage, and my favorite couple: Xcor and Layla (even though they aren't actually together). 

Rating: 3.5

Would I recommend this book? Yes, (mainly because it is part of the series.)

Review: Carnal Compromise by Robin Rotham

I actually had the great pleasure of meeting Ms. Robin and finding out she is a lovely person, which encouraged me to buy this book. And man oh man am I glad that I did. Talk about naughty. This book is probably at my top for the steamiest books I have ever read and I have read some pretty sexy books. All that aside this book wasn't just about sex, (well majority of it was), I definitely fell in love with the three main characters: Brent, Joe, and AJ. I love reading about strong women who become liberated and masters of themselves while finding true love. To be honest I think a guilty dream of mine is to have a relationship like the one the three main characters have.

Sexual tension is felt through the book and adds a bit a laughter into serious situations as you watch three people who are obviously attracted to each other fight their growing feelings. I envy AJ and her luck of having two dream men at her fingertips. 

If this book doesn't do anything else it pushes past people comfort zones. And unless you are an open minded individual and love a good down and dirty smexy book, there will be something missing in it for you. But for those of us that like to think outside the box this is one book you would want to read.

I also like how you don't have to read the books necessarily in order to know who the characters are. Apparently I started with the second book and felt like I was reading the first. There is enough information given so that the reader knows what happened in the past but not enough given to over shadow what is going on in the present. 

Rating: 4 (there is no denying I was hot under my collar)

Would I recommend this? Oh yes I would.

Review: Revenant by Lariss Ione

Okay seriously how could I forget to give a review of another one of my favorite authors. Where do I begin with this book. It was a great closure to the current deominca series, Granted I wish we would have gotten more of Revenant in the earlier stages of the demonic world but with the way the world was set up and they way things played out his introduction was perfect, especially with Reaver regaining his angel status and Revenant popping up and adding another bad ass smexy hunk to the equation. 

Reading Revenant's book he quickly became my favorite character from the demomica series. There is something about a torment bad good guy that just makes me weak in the knees. Add to that he's some type of fallen angel with a smart and dirty mouth that makes you swoon. Yup, Rev totally captured my heart. 

Watching this bad-ass angel fall for his heroin was amusing and entertaining. Both Rev and Blaspheme's development throughout the story intertwined perfectly with the plot and the series of events that had taken place before hand. Like I said the way everything was tied together and the introduction of the babies has me excited to see what Larissa is going to do next.

Rating: 4.5

Would I recommend? Obviously 

Review: Azagoth by Larissa Ione

Being that this one was part of the 1001 Dark Nights, it was a short read with not much going on. However, it was still a good in between read. Azagoth or better know as the Grim Reaper is stuck in his world, forced to live a bleak and miserable existence that he helped create while dealing with children that hate him and his loneliness and all the other things going on in the demonic world now that the Apocalypse loomed over the world.

In walks a gorgeous angel named Lilliana is within his reach it is touching to watch the destroyer of souls revert to a somewhat innocent child and look at the world in wonder as she takes him outside his comfort zones. While Larissa's world of the deominca is a little more serious than G.A.Akin's dragon kin world, I appreciate the child like antics that provide a short relief from the more serious issues in their world and allows for the two characters to explore each other and fall in. 

Rating: 3.5 (just cause it was short)

Would I recommend this? It's 50/50 since its a in between book

Review: Kissed by a Dark Prince by Felicity Heaton

It took me a little while to get into this book, most likely because it is a new author that i am reading, but once i got into the story i couldn't put it down. While i always love a conflicted prince, i wasn't pulled to Loren's character as much as i was pulled to the other characters in the book, especially his brother Vail.( seems i just like the tortured and dark type) But that's not to say that Loren isn't a bad-ass character, with the help of his mate, his best friend, and an unlikely ally this journey takes you down a dark a seductive path.

Though i may not have been a huge fan of Loren's character I did love his mate's Olivia character. A bit stubborn and hardheaded, she didn't cower in the face of danger and provided a calmness that helped level Loren out...when she wasn't arguing and avoiding him. 

I must say the story was slow for the most part but it was entertaining giving us a chance to see the relationship between the characters grow and build as they discovered their love and new friendships. It picked up more towards the end as the climax neared with a very climatic fight that left the reader both satisfied and excited to read the next books.

Rating: 3

Would I recommend this? Maybe

With that being said I am going to turn in for the night. I will try to update more regularly. Until then...

SMUCHEZ

-Layla-