Wolf Bite (Wolves of Willow Bend #1) by Heather Long

Published: August 2014

Pages: 184

Diversity: Yes (BW/WM)

Rating: 3 out of 5

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review*

Wolf Bite is a paranormal romance about a woman named Alexis and a wolf shifter named Mason. Alexis grew up as one of the only humans in a shifter "wolf pack" after her mother marries and eventually becomes one. As a result, Alexis never really fit in as she never possessed the traits of other wolves such as the ability to shift to a wolf or enhanced strength and senses. As a young wolf Mason is not only her friend but they also develop feelings of great affection for one another. That is, until Mason disappears suddenly without saying goodbye or telling Alexis where he's gone. The story begins when the two reunite by chance. Old feelings are still there despite the time that has passed and the changes in both of their lives. Mason is now a lone wolf and cannot mate with anyone from the pack, and Alexis is now an independent woman on her own in the city. To be together would be dangerous for them both, but fate takes it out of their hands and Mason must do what's necessary to be with the human woman that he loves.

Wolf's Honor by Ambrielle Kirk

I jumped  ahead a bit to read Wolf's Honor, the latest release in the Caedmon Wolves series. I've previously read Wolf's Haven, which was the first in the series, but that was before I started regularly reviewing. I remember wondering what happened next, but never got around to continuing the series. Recently, I was fortunate enough to receive a review copy of Wolf's Honor from the author. I was pretty excited and looked forward to catching up on what I'd been missing. That said, I wish that I could say I really loved this book, but for me it was just an okay read.

Wolf's Honor is about Connor Maxim. He's a wolf shifter who operates within both the shifter and the human worlds as he was raised by his human father and shifter mother. Apparently there have been several unsolved murders of members belonging to the Caedmon and the Arnou wolf shifter packs. The question of who is committing these murders needs an answer before the human government gets involved. Obviously, human involvement isn't something that any of the packs wanted. Time is short and it's Connor's job to get those answers.

Ensnared by Charisma Knight

Ensnared is an interracial (is it interracial if the hero is an alien? Technically he wouldn't be defined by something like human race, but I digress...) sci-fi/paranormal romance. The heroine of the story is a woman named Charlie Marine who is from Earth and who also has some psychic abilities. The hero is an alien, a shifter dragon, named Rhyker. At the beginning of the story we learn that the people of Rhyker's planet have more or less been wiped out during a war with Earth. The surviving males of his race remain with another alien race with whom they've allied. A few of the shifters go to earth. Years in the future we meet Charlie who is headed on a vacation to Mars despite the protest of her sister who is worried because of the disappearance of human women. Even their other sister has disappeared. Undeterred Charlie moves forward with her vacation plans and soon finds herself kidnapped and taken to the alien planet where she is given to Rhyker. Rhyker wants her but won't force her, she is determined to resist. The two soon discover that things aren't exactly what they seem and danger and frightening betrayals reveal themselves. I give Ensnared

Full Circle by Chudney Thomas

Full Circle is a novella (about 75 pages) and part of a series. Two things that I'm generally not a fan of, but this is a new author for me and since I had the opportunity to give it a try I figured why not? I'm going to keep this review short and sweet (really, I am!) so I'll jump right in.

What it's about: This is a paranormal story with werewolves at the center. We have an alpha werewolf named Drake and a half-human/half werewolf woman named Ria. Because she is basically human, Ria is the person that everyone seemingly takes advantage of. She's okay with this for the most part having accepted her place. She is completely in love with the pack alpha however, but she feels that he couldn't want her and even if he did she couldn't be his mate because - well she's basically human. Drake sees things differently and knows that Ria is his mate. He's been in love with her for years and thinks its time she finds out. Drake chases, Ria runs from the truth, and in the meantime trouble is brewing in the form of a mystery that is affecting some wolves.

Toxic, by Belinda McBride

Briony, a full-figured veterinarian, has a serious love for chocolate and the serious hots for sexy ranger Rico. Ranger Rico is wildly attracted to Briony who, to him, smells as good
as chocolate. The problem is Rico is a wolf shifter and
chocolate is toxic to canines. Chocolate toxicity becomes a

Rumors of Wars by R.L. Craven

I was given the opportunity to read Rumors of Wars and I wasn't really certain what to expect. The cover (here I go again...) is entirely unremarkable and nothing about it really

Infinity Unleashed (Valkyries: Soaring Raven #2) by Sedona Venez

If you've read my review of Infinity (Valkyries: Soaring Raven #1) you're probably surprised that I rated this one so

Infinity (Valkyries: Soaring Raven)

Have you ever walked up to two people who are in the middle of a conversation? It might be a casual conversation or one that's got them both heated up, and chances are it's

The Bad Death by Naima Haviland

I wish that I could say that I liked this book, but unfortunately it was a miss for me in many ways. The story is basically about a slave woman named Anika (or Annie) who is possessed by the spirit of a modern ballet dancer (who Anika and the other slaves call a hag). The spirit that has hitched a ride in Anika's body is in love with Anika's master Julian. Anika on the other hand is attracted to Marcus, another slave who acts as an overseer on the plantation. There's somewhat of a love triangle going on, but it isn't the main storyline. There are monsters called plat-eyes who are drinking people's blood and either killing them or turning them into plat-eyes as well. When a person is turned to a plat-eye they've died a "Bad Death" because they didn't die and stay dead the way that they should have. As you can guess a plat-eye is a vampire and there's a whole lotta death happening on the plantation. Anika becomes the go to person to kill the vampires.


I'm a fast reader so it rarely takes me a long time to read a book. The Bad Death was so confusing however, that I could barely force myself to continue. A week in and I was just at the halfway mark and contemplating throwing in the towel, however, out of courtesy to the author who had lent me a copy I felt obligated to stick it out.

The Pros: Marcus. Here was a great character who did what he thought was best for his fellow slaves even if it was unsavory. He is an intelligent and proud man and was the one character who stood out. This might seem insignificant, but I liked the cover art. It's vibrant and Anika's eyes are mysteriously haunting and intense. It's also refreshing to see a cover that isn't on every other IR or AA romance that's currently on the market.

The Negatives: There are several areas that were a problem for me, such as the depiction of slave life on the plantation. I also really didn't care for the whole ballet aspect of it. Ballet (yes ballet) seems to give Anika the skills necessary to fight the vampires but it just seemed silly to me. I also wish I could have learned more about the hag. We get flashbacks as the hag makes Anika dance, but they are disjointed and don't really reveal anything that you haven't already figured out. Julian is another problem for me. He was just too annoying in his refused to listen and seemed weak minded to me. He was the one person everyone felt had to be protected from the truth. The ending was also a negative for me because it didn't really end anything. There were so many loose threads and unanswered questions that I just felt frustrated.


My Final Thoughts: The Bad Death had a lot of potential and I was initially very excited to have the opportunity to read it. Unfortunately it was too unbelievable in too many ways for me to enjoy. Although the ballet aspect seemed silly to me, it was a potentially clever and original effort that missed its mark.


Note: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Ratings: 2 Stars
Publication Date: August 29, 2013

Pages:  494

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A Touch of Midnight by Lara Adrian

I'm a huge fan of author Lara Adrian and her Midnight Breed Series. Not only is it kick-ass, but it's multi-ethnic as well. As you'll find out, I'm not into reading the works of author's who create worlds that are devoid of other ethnicities or portray the single black (or other person of color) character in a stereotypical and negative light. In fact, I won't review their books on this blog or purchase them even if its a series that I've started reading and enjoy (the library is a great thing!). Lara Adrian's novels are refreshing in that they feature women and men of color that are strong, fleshed out individuals. Since reading the first novel in the series, I've wanted to know the story behind Savannah and Gideon. They have been the solid, ever dependable mated couple throughout the series. Gideon is the loveable, ever disheveled and bespectacled Breed who is the Order's resident computer geek. Savannah is his beautiful African-American mate who can see visions of the past by touching a person or an object.

Fortunately, Lara Adrian did not leave her fans adrift and self-published A Touch of Midnight. This short novella takes place in the 1970s when Savannah is a freshman at Boston University. When she touches an ancient sword she first see's a handsome yet savage man and then a the death of two children at the hands of a fanged monster. While the sword brings tragedy and danger into Savannah's life, it also brings the Breed warrior Gideon. When Savannah describes the sword to a local news station, Gideon recognizes it as the sword that his enemy used to slay his two brothers long ago and plans to use the lovely woman to help him locate it. While Gideon and Savannah face danger, they also fall in love.

The Positive: I loved seeing Gideon the fighter. Now I know for sure when Gideon steps from behind his keyboard he is more than capable of handling his business. I felt his back story was touching and thought she did a good job at fleshing him out. The love scenes were steamy and you could definitely feel the love between the two.

The Negative: Savannah's character needed more developing and her reactions just felt off. She accepted Gideon and what he was too easily, and there were times when she should have been more suspicious and reluctant than what was portrayed. Savannah's character wasn't all horrible by any means, but the flaws in her character were due to the shortness in length of the novella. Another negative mark comes when we learn why Gideon doesn't fight in future books. It just wasn't believable. The man has been a fighter for hundreds of years. He just wouldn't give it up so easily. Nope. Didn't buy that. Again, this is due to length.

What it Boils Down To: I enjoyed A Touch of Midnight if for no other reason than I finally got to read about a couple that I've grown to love. It was well written, as expected, but suffers from being too short and comes across rushed. A Touch of Midnight desperately needed to be a full length novel and because it wasn't I felt cheated. I still recommend it because at the end of the day it is an enjoyable, although quick, read. I wanted to give this five stars, but unfortunately I can't because of the length.

Rating: 4 stars
Released: July 2013
Pages: 166
Available for Purchase at: Amazon | Smashwords