Shy Ella settles for safety. She submerges her talent, her personality and her drams in favor of pleasing her Morgon-hating parents whCourage wins out
Shy Ella settles for safety. She submerges her talent, her personality and her drams in favor of pleasing her Morgon-hating parents who keep her under lock and key. She accepts her smarmy, cheating user fiance to keep peace. Then she meets the Morgon art gallery owner, Paxon Nightwing, and undeniable attraction gradually forces Ella’s hand. This story of metamorphosis and authenticity is a romance well worth reading....more
Sorcha is one tough human. She's bold, predatory, the ultimate femme fatale. No man, human or Morgan, will ever touch her fiercelResistance is futile
Sorcha is one tough human. She's bold, predatory, the ultimate femme fatale. No man, human or Morgan, will ever touch her fiercely guarded heart. Then Lorian Nightwing, wealthy nightclub owner and entrepreneur hires her to help develop his newest club. His dragon instantly knows what his mind, and Sorcha's very being, resists: they are each other's heart fires. The kick in this tension charged romance is not just Sorcha's defiant resistance. There are racial and social impediments and a dangerous religious cult determined to destroy their union. Once again, the human/Morgon fantasy world is a beguiling setting for an intense and scorching love story....more
In the world of human/Morgon coexistence, money, power, family ties, and prejudice complicate Jessen Cade’s and LuOvercoming, becoming, and homecoming
In the world of human/Morgon coexistence, money, power, family ties, and prejudice complicate Jessen Cade’s and Lucius Nightwing’s lives with far-reaching consequences. Jesss is human, the daughter of a powerful tycoon and a dictatorial patriarch whose hatred of Morgons poisons his businesss and his family. Lucius is Morgon, of the race of dragon/human hybrids, and the son of an equally powerful But more enlightened Morgon family. It’s almost a Romeo and Juliet set-up, but Jessen and Lucius are neither naive teenagers nor powerless victims. This is an emotionally compelling and thought provoking romance, in a uniquely memorable fantasy world - one I’m eager to visit again....more
The gutsy independent courier from the overcrowded slums is more than she seems to be. Mia ekes out her living as a delivery seExciting series starter
The gutsy independent courier from the overcrowded slums is more than she seems to be. Mia ekes out her living as a delivery service operator in the dome, one of the last human refuges on a devastated, ecologically wrecked Earth. Outside is barren, toxic, radiation poisoned death. But when she is blackmailed into taking a delivery job outside of the dome she finds out a few things about herself that she never suspected. To deliver her "package" she must enter the territories of both the dragons and the phoenixes - the two warring species whose emergence post-eco collapse decimated their own, and humanity's populations to near extinction. This is a superb post-apocalyptic fantasy romance. It's full of adventure, danger, and surprise twists. The world building is vividly descriptive and lusciously detailed. Better still a is the character development; Mia in particular stands out with her stubborn independent streak, her sense of irony, and her pithy, honest self-talk. There is only one downside here: the dreaded cliffhanger. Fear not! There is a remedy. Book 2 in the series is immediately available. This is essential for binge readers like me, and so I will happily read on. ...more
Cam and Ellie survived their encounter with the murderous mages of Martin House, where Ellie killed the only mage who could control hePayback is scary
Cam and Ellie survived their encounter with the murderous mages of Martin House, where Ellie killed the only mage who could control her shadow. But House Martin wants revenge. Segue Institute, the refuge of humans who fight Shadow, is under attack again and all indications are that House Martin is to blame. Cam and Ellie must once more undertake the mission to subdue the Martin mages. This exciting conclusion of the series sees them gathering their courage and bringing their special talents to bear, but it is their love, and their growing faith in each other and themselves as individuals that hold the key to Segue's survival. High drama, magic-wielding violence, and growing dread make the story so intense that it sometimes feels overwhelming. Beneath it all, the foundation of commitment and trust keeps the reader motivated to see it through to its rewarding conclusion. This is a voluntary independent ARC review....more
Princess Liria has been tutored for years by her loyal guardian, but her magic is still not strong enough to claim the scepteUnexpected love and unity
Princess Liria has been tutored for years by her loyal guardian, but her magic is still not strong enough to claim the scepter and rule. Lord Ronan Morendial, her guardian and regent in the king's absence, has maintained the elves' Winter Kingdom, wielded the scepter, and taught Liria all he can. He has also fallen in love with her. Theirs is a love-hate relationship, and when anger drives Liria to the human realm, her meeting with Sigurn throws them into a triad of deception, mistrust, and a power struggle that could end two kingdoms and Liria's succession to her father's thrown. Filled with roiling emotions, family drama, surprise revelations, and tangled politics, this gripping and steamy MMF ménage romance plunged me into a magical world of frost, fated prophecies, hard-fought struggles and hard-won peace. Liria, Sigurn, and Ronan's relationship is the unforgettable beating heart of it all, and the true magic in this wonderfully written story. This is my voluntary independent and totally enchanted ARC review. ...more
Cam, Segue Institute's lead researcher, has fallen hard for Ellie. She's the human with the independent shadow, and Cam has helpCam and Ellie together
Cam, Segue Institute's lead researcher, has fallen hard for Ellie. She's the human with the independent shadow, and Cam has helped her anchor her shadow back to her body. Her control isn't complete; she's dependent on him, and for that reason she won't marry him despite their intense love for one another. A murder at Segue, a rogue mage on the loose, and a dangerous challenge by a powerful mage House send Cam and Ellie into the lion's den with a udesperate mission: kill the mage, avenge theiruu murdered colleague, and counter the mage House's threat to humanity. Erin Kellison's otherworldly tale juxtaposes Cam and Ellie's personal vulnerabilities with their perilous mission to save human beings from mage domination. It pits the power of love against Shadow in an intricate web of deceit and power plays. This nerve-wracking cat-and-mouse game makes a short and un-put-downable read. This is a voluntary, independent, and thoroughly nail-bitten ARC review....more
Layden is "Famine" of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Phoenix is the umpteenth-great-granddaughter of Vlad, ruler of the vampires. HoMonster hash
Layden is "Famine" of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Phoenix is the umpteenth-great-granddaughter of Vlad, ruler of the vampires. However, she isn't a true vampire, but something else. The book starts with their sham wedding night. Their marriage had been forced by Vlad, as a means to get Phoenix pregnant, so Vlad can have control of the child. Had I not read the previous books in the series, none of this would make sense, and... I had trouble with it anyway. The author writes with a dual first person POV, switching between Phoenix and Layden, PLUS the chapters flit back and forth from their past history to their present predicament. I was utterly confused. The romance backstory is incredibly angsty, and both MCs do a great deal of self-pity and whining. which only added to my frustration. By the end of the novel, in present time, they finally achieve HEA, but honestly, by then I just couldn't care. The entire storyline in the present is quite convoluted, and resolution seems to hinge on the introduction, or re-introduction, of more strange secondary characters from yet more other-worldly dimensions. It takes a multi-dimensional paranormal village to raise Phoenix to full being, while Layden kind of stagnates in the background. I've been a fan of this series, but the wonderful emotional depth of previous stories is sadly lacking in this book. I found it a chore to finish, and in this ARC reviewer's voluntary, independent opinion, it wasn't rewarding....more
Mages are soulless magic wielding mortals. Angels are beings of soul and light who belong to the hereafter. Neither can enThe ultimate frenemy romance
Mages are soulless magic wielding mortals. Angels are beings of soul and light who belong to the hereafter. Neither can enter Shadow, the realm of the fae. Those were the old rules. The new rules are in flux, with angels and mages in conflict over the mortal world, and the fae on the loose. Angel Jack Bastian finds himself embroiled in the life of mage Kaye Brand, and against all odds, they fall in love. But she's a spy whose loyalty is suspect. She's a target for the ruler of the mages. She's a wild card, a potential doomsday weapon if war breaks out between angels and mages. How can he love her? How can he not? This is one heck of a chilling spy thriller, a doomed romance that refuses to die, and the best book yet in Erin Kellison's eerie, otherworldly Shadow Series. I hung on every word, glued to every twist and turn, right up to the seemingly impossible ending. This is an incredible story, according to me, your independent and voluntary ARC reviewer....more
The world of Shadow leaks into the mortal world again when a little boy is lured into the Shadows. Ellie and Cam are tasked with the Playing for keeps
The world of Shadow leaks into the mortal world again when a little boy is lured into the Shadows. Ellie and Cam are tasked with the attempt to retrieve him, based on Ellie's unique gift - her shadow van separate from her body. Cam is Ellie's anchor, trainer, and would-be lover. But the strange 3-way dynamic of their relationship threatens to derail the rescue and the romance in this scary, sexy tale of desperation, magic and love. Erin Kellison's world of Shadow mesmerized me more with each book, and I can't wait to read the next one. This is a voluntary, independent ARC review....more
Artemis, bank CEO, moon goddess, and single mother, is in the midst of a long dry spell. Her son's father isn't in the picture, despite reAdorably hot
Artemis, bank CEO, moon goddess, and single mother, is in the midst of a long dry spell. Her son's father isn't in the picture, despite repeated invitations to get to know the boy. When dragon-shifter Finley reluctantly goes to work at little Alexander's daycare, he bonds with the boy. Then Artemis decides to try speed dating, where she meets Finley. They're a hit, until he finds out she has a son. The setup is there, and all it takes for their mutual fall is… Nope. Not telling. But this cute, clever, sweet and heated romance is a delight to read, and I promise on my voluntary, independent ARC reviewer's honor, readers will find it perfectly, enjoyably satisfying....more
Wolf, the leader of Los Angeles vampire colony, is charged with saving humans, but he failed to save Aurora, the human he loved. When he Mated at last
Wolf, the leader of Los Angeles vampire colony, is charged with saving humans, but he failed to save Aurora, the human he loved. When he discovers that she lives, and that he turned her and then abandoned her, his guilt is nearly as strong as his love for her. But he has a baby on the way with Luna, another human woman. Plus, the situation in L.A. is becoming untenable, and he must lead the colony to a new safe haven in Kentucky. Fans of Valerie Twombly's PNR series will find all the demonic attacks, angelic visits, fated mate mix-ups, fierce fighting and dire predicaments they can handle in this exciting, steamy vampire romance. This is a voluntary, independent ARC review. ...more
The Shadowman is fae, immortal - and Death incarnate. Layla Mathew's is a journalist an orphan, a foster child, connected to no one. TTogether at last
The Shadowman is fae, immortal - and Death incarnate. Layla Mathew's is a journalist an orphan, a foster child, connected to no one. The fae are restricted to the Shadowland between the mortal world and the Hereafter, but Shadowman long ago defied that restriction, and the borders between realms weakened as a result. Which is why Layla has strange visions, odd sensations, and an obsessive need to investigate Segue, the institute investigating and fighting wraiths and other incursions of magic into human affairs. This last novel in the Shadow Series brings those who started it all to a most astonishing and gratifying conclusion, but not without terror, drama, angst, and more paranormal phenomena. The fear, the excitement and the suspense had me enthralled from page one to the very end. The heat of romance was a welcome respite and a great counterpoint to the grim emotional discoveries Layla endured. Erin Kellison's breathtaking, other-worldly realm of Shadow will linger hauntingly in my mind for a long time. Readers who want a truly paranormal romance will find all they desire in this book, and the series that goes before it. This is a voluntary independent ARC review....more
Shadowsend vampire clan clings to existence by some very frayed threads. The soul jars could destroy the last of the Elders, weakeninLove is inclusive
Shadowsend vampire clan clings to existence by some very frayed threads. The soul jars could destroy the last of the Elders, weakening the arch-enemy Magnis - but that would also destroy four of their own true allies. Magnis is able to circumvent the their wards at will, and his repeated assaults against Aisling have resulted in her losing all her magic. Desperate, Nicolai, the frenemy of all Shadowsend, calls in every favor, makes every bargain, every promise to the most powerful magic-wielders of all - the Three witches, not of this realm, whose price for intervention is Nicolai's eternal loyalty and complete subjugation. For love of Ash, and to save her vampire lovers and the clan she holds dear, Nicolai makes his final deal, and his ultimate sacrifice. Ahh, but deals with witches are never as straightforward as they appear to be. And Nicolai, ancient vampire Elder, master of trickery and escape clauses, proves a worthy opponent to witches, Magnis, and all monsters who seek to harm Ash. Blazing magic duels, bloody battles, desperate gambles, and the over-arcing power of love light up the pages of this last volume of Shadowsend vampire clan's epic fight for vampire survival. Readers will rejoice - but this voluntary. independent ARC reviewer can't help but feel a niggle of regret to see the last of these fierce, loyal, magical, and *drool, sigh* smoking hot vampire heroes....more
The boundaries that once separated this world, the afterlife, and the shadows that divided the two have been weakened and frayed. AmonMe and my shadow
The boundaries that once separated this world, the afterlife, and the shadows that divided the two have been weakened and frayed. Among other consequences, this peculiar one besets quiet, reclusive, uptight Ellie Russo: her shadow is no longer attached to her. Worse yet, it has a mind of its own, a self-centered, gregarious, and highly libidinous one at that. A shamed and desperate Ellie wants her shadow removed permanently, and contacts Dr. Cameron Kalamos of the Segue research team to help her. But he can't. The only solution to her torment involves forbidden angelic interference in human affairs, and a complete re-unification of Ellie and her rebellious shadow. Ellie won't hear of it. This involves more trust than she is willing to give, but the equally abhorrent alternative is eventual death. The oddly disembodied romance that progresses through this fraught struggle for total self-acceptance is the key to its resolution. Readers of Erin Kellison's Shadow World books will find this side novella powerfully touching. This is a voluntary, independent ARC review. ...more
Romulus and Remus, whose two faces share a single body, are monsters. Together they are one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - WAR. ThCease Fire
Romulus and Remus, whose two faces share a single body, are monsters. Together they are one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - WAR. Their eons of strife and bloodshed on Earth are over, and they are retired to a hidden realm apart from humanity, but War is who they are, and their eternal conflict is now focused on wresting control of their shared body from one another. Neither can kill the other, but domination is the goal. When bored Remus knocks out his other and escapes to Earth in search of a human consort, the game changes. Desperate Lauren takes a leap and volunteers to be Remus' consort, and the stage is set for the most bizarre monster love story I've ever read. That it also involves the other Horsemen, their consorts and children, other mythical/monstrous beings from other realms, and the imminent annihilation of Earth just makes it more complicated, more poignant, more dire, and all the more satisfying when the runes fall out in the end. Turns out, "peace, love, and understanding" may indeed be the ULTIMATE WEAPON - but learning to wield such power is indeed a super-human undertaking. This is an amazed and gratified, voluntary and independent ARC review....more
Custo Santovari never belonged. His father rejected him for his illegitimate birth. His only friend, Adam, made a place for him in SFallimg into place
Custo Santovari never belonged. His father rejected him for his illegitimate birth. His only friend, Adam, made a place for him in Segue, the wraith-fighting super force. And Custo sacrificed his life to save Adam. Being given a place in Heaven doesn't agree with Custo's deep-seated unworthiness, and he deceives his way back to the mortal world just in time to encounter Annabella, the prima ballerina, who is stalked by a Shadow wolf. The fight is on, as the angels, the Shadow Man, Adam, and Annabella contend for Custo's loyalty and his immortal future. Custo's deepening love for Annabella puts him in the crosshairs of the Wolf as well. Internal tug-of-war is matched by external warfare as wraiths continue to menace humanity and are joined by other, more monstrous magical creatures from the Shadows. The fear and threat level in this fantasy romance is off the charts, as the boundaries between earth, the hereafter, and the Shadows blurs and flexes. Erin Kellison's metaphysically imbued world-building is as seductive as ever. Her characters glow with other-worldly qualities, while their deep humanity is both heartbreaking and uplifting. The book's end is a sigh of giddy relief, a break in the ongoing battle of good and evil that must surely resume in the next book. This is a voluntary independent ARC review....more
For Imogen, the vicar of a rural parish, the need to unravel her nightmares leads to a past life regression expe>b>the link between love and trust>/b>
For Imogen, the vicar of a rural parish, the need to unravel her nightmares leads to a past life regression experience. And when Devlin, the love of her life in that dim past, reappears in the present, she knows him immediately. But theirs was not an HEA romance, and much trauma and drama, not to mention the Queen of the Abyss and all her demons, stand in opposition to Devlin and Imogen rekindling their true love. It's a last-minute, nip-and-tuck move on Imogen's part that will save them, or doom them for all time. The suspense in this story wouldn't let up and I couldn't stop reading till the last page. This is a voluntary ARC review....more
Aisling's determination to move from pawn to key player in the deadly warfare that threatens Shadowsend vampire clAssembling pieces of the big picture
Aisling's determination to move from pawn to key player in the deadly warfare that threatens Shadowsend vampire clan is laudable. It proves astonishingly difficult. Still unsure who is friend or foe, whether her mate loves or loathes her, and how her new-found magic can be anything but destructive, Ash does the only thing she knows how to do - she wings it. She takes advantage of every opportunity to learn from whomever is willing to teach her. Her reward is increasing control, power, and the will to use both. She isn't the only one: Rowan, the clan's new and untried King, must also move from puppet to powerful ruler. His struggle to master his royal role, claim true kingship, and unite his clan, includes a final decision on Aisling, his unclaimed mate. This dizzyingly paced story of dual personal metamorphosis sees remarkable growth in Rowan and Ash. Theirs is a steamy and peril-fraught romance. Complicated by death threats, missed clues, and an established menage à trois (Ash, Finn and Darrow), it is nonetheless a journey to freedom of a sort. The terror and bloody violence against Shadowsend escalates, as certain of the Elders, the Council and its vicious mercenary allies, and even recalcitrant minor clan factions attempt to eliminate Rowan's kingdom and enslave Ash's ever-more powerful magic to their own nefarious ends. The gripping, near-disaster magic duels, bloody feints, hair's breadth escapes, and new revelations about key players, all occur at breakneck pace. Ash and Rowan learn a great deal in this complicated and terrifying process. Each realizes at last what they value most, how far they will go to preserve and protect it, and how the means employed must be forgiven when there is no other choice. So, there is resolution of a sort in this harrowing tale: something of rescue, redemption, and completion. And enough puzzle pieces fall into place that Shadowsend's beleaguered rulers at last perceive their true enemy, and their ultimate destruction if he wins. How they may circumvent that annihilation is another story, one for the next chapter in this vividly imagined, emotionally volatile, horrifically addictive epic of vampire survival. ...more
Sidling, or Ash, as the White Raven's regulars know her, is a punky, spunky, sweetheart of a barmaid who cares for her regulaBarmaid with a big secret
Sidling, or Ash, as the White Raven's regulars know her, is a punky, spunky, sweetheart of a barmaid who cares for her regulars and loves her freedom. But the tatted-up, pierced exterior hides a monstrous truth: she's a vampire. When the clan she ran from, the vampire ruling council, and the vampire Elders all hunt her down simultaneously, her freedom is taken, she's returned to Shadowsend clan, and the king she refused to mate before she escaped. This amazing, mesmerizing story follows Ash as she is forced to re-enter a world she hates, confront the fears that have led her to hide, and learn the secrets others have hidden for her protection. Her metamorphosis from hostage to key player in this most deadly clan conflict is riveting. This magical, violent, sexy, power-mad, conflict-ridden world is as seductive as it is bloody. Bit by bit, the reader - like Ash herself - is pulled in, ensnared, and spellbound until the ending leaves them craving the next book like a vampire craves blood....more