Review: Bloodlust

Michelle Rowen
PNR
283 pages
Nightshade #2
Chapter 1
Berkley Sensation

Synopsis:

For those who feast on blood, Jillian Conrad is a fatal attraction. After being injected with a serum that made her blood both irresistible and deadly to vampires, she was used as a pawn to assassinate the vampire king. Now, the vampires want her eliminated.

Hunted and unable to return to her old life, Jillian desperately seeks to prevent the poison in her veins from killing her. And she must find a way to help her dhampyr protector, Declan, whose exposure to the serum has split his personality into one part uncontrolled desire, and one part stone cold killer.

But an even greater danger is rising. The Amarantos – a secret society of vampires – is seeking the infant daughter of the slain king to complete their quest for true immortality. And if they succeed, no one, living or undead, will escape the darkness.

Review: Night Play

Sherrilyn Kenyon

362 pages

PNR

Dark Hunter #5

St. Martin's Press

Synopsis:

Bride McTierney has had it with men. They're cheap, self-centered, and never love her for who she is. But though she prides herself on being independent, deep down she still yearns for a knight in shining armor.

She just never expected her knight in shining armor to have a shiny coat of fur...

Deadly and tortured, Vane Kattalakis isn't what he seems. Most women lament that their boyfriends are dogs. In Bride's case, hers is a wolf. A Were-Hunter wolf. Wanted dead by his enemies, Vane isn't looking for a mate. But the Fates have marked Bride as his. Now he has three weeks to either convince Bride that the supernatural is real or he will spend the rest of his life neutered--something no self-respecting wolf can accept...

But how does a wolf convince a human to trust him with her life when his enemies are out to end his? In the world of the Were-Hunters, it really is dog-eat-dog. And only one alpha male can win.

Mini Review: Dark Hunter 2, 3, 4

I've been powering through the Dark Hunter novels, hoping to be up to-date in the series by the end of the year. {There's no way I'll make it in time for the Retribution release, August 2nd}  I don't want to write lengthy reviews since there are thousands upon thousands of them already, but I also didn't want to just leave them, and not share my thoughts.  Here are a few mini reviews:

Dark Hunter # 2
408 pages


This should have been the first book in the series.  If you read Fantasy Lover, DH 0.5, or Night Pleasures, DH 1, and thought it was a borderline chick-lit, come back! Start fresh with this book.  Embrace has so much going on, it's a great introduction into the world. And a great intro to Acheron as well. The meet-cute is still a little bad romance novel "I see you. You look hot. Let's get it on. Now I can't let you go." But the Talon and Sunshine are entertaining, with lots of history from both of them, and have a few surprises for you. The world is interesting and unique and you'll finally get a feel for what all the fuss is about. 
4 stars

Dark Hunter #3
343 pages


I love Zarek.  My heart poured out for him.  His life is one of the worst I've ever read, and each time he dove into stories of his past I would ache for him. Seriously. "Tortured soul" has his picture next to it in the dictionary.  The story picks up exactly where DH2 left off, which was really cool.  Zarek is marked for execution, but Astrid has been sent by The Fates to judge him before he is condemned.  She ends up trapping him in a house using a snow storm, so that she can give him a fair trial.  The locale and story surroundings became a little drab because its mainly in one location, but there is a lot of action due to the fact that certain beings decide not to wait for the verdict.  There's also finally a building relationship. Woot.  OH! And lots more Acheron mystery.
4 stars

Dark Hunter #4
361 pages


This book had a lot of things happening that I never thought would happen so early on in the series.  We got a healthy dose of the Apollite and Daimon insight, and I was surprised with how it all played out.  There are still a few cameo appearances from the Dark Hunters we know, but mainly this book was all by itself. The romance was a little more tame than the rest of the books, but it was more tender too.  There were a lot of emotions involved with this one, but the couple was my favorite. But I have to say, I really liked having to think about this race, the Apollites and the Daimons, as people, and force myself to imagine what I would do if I was in their shoes. 
3.5 stars

Review: Dragon Bound

Thea Harrison
Paranormal Romance
312 pages
Edler Races #1
Chapter 1&2
Berkley


Synopsis:
Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful - and passionate - of the Elder races.

As the most feared and respected of the Wyrkind, Dragos Cuelebre cannot believe someone had the audacity to steal from him, much less succeed. And when he catches the thief, Dragos spares her life, claiming her as his own to further explore the desire they've ignited in each other.

Pia knows she must repay Dragos for her trespass, but refuses to become his slave - although she cannot deny wanting him, body and soul ...

Review: Eternal Rider

Larissa Ione
PNR
402 pages
Lords of Deliverance #1
Excerpt
Grand Central Publishing


Synopsis:
His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.

Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can't-or won't-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman's safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara's life.

Review: Darkness Dawns

Dianne Duvall
PNR
320 pages
Immortal Guardians #1
Chapter 1


Synopsis:

Once, Sarah Bingham's biggest challenge was making her students pay attention in class. Now, after rescuing a wounded stranger, she's landed in the middle of a battle between corrupt vampires and powerful immortals who also need blood to survive. Roland Warbrook is the most compelling man Sarah has ever laid hands on. But his desire for her is mingled with a hunger he can barely control. . .

In his nine centuries of immortal existence, no woman has tempted Roland as much as Sarah. But asking her to love him is impossible--when it means forfeiting the world she's always known, and the life he would do anything to protect. . .

Review: Nightshade

Michelle Rowen
PNR
352 pages
Nightshade #1
Chapters 1&2
Berkley Sensation


Synopsis:
Jillian Conrad never believed in vampires-until she was unwillingly injected with a serum that was supposed to act as a deadly poison to them. Now, tormented half-vampire Declan Reese wants her blood to destroy the undead kingdom. Unfortunately, the serum has also made her blood irresistible to all vampires-including Declan, whose desire for Jillian is more than mere hunger.

Review: One Foot in the Grave

Jeaniene Frost
PNR
357 pages
Night Huntress #2
First 50 pages
Avon


Synopsis:
Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She's still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.

Being around him awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she'll find that desire lasts forever . . . and that Bones won't let her get away again.

Review: Night Pleasures

Sherrilyn Kenyon
PNR
309 pages
Dark Hunter #1 
Excerpt & Extras
St. Martin's 


Synopsis:

The Dark-Hunters are ancient warriors who have sworn to protect mankind and the fate of the world is in their hands. . .
He is solitude. He is darkness. He is the ruler of the night. Yet Kyrian of Thrace has just woken up handcuffed to his worst nightmare: An accountant. Worse, she's being hunted by one of the most lethal vampires out there. And if Amanda Devereaux goes down, then he does too. But it's not just their lives that are hanging in the balance. Kyrian and Amanda are all that stands between humanity and oblivion. Let's hope they win.