Body Master by C.J. Barry  Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Trade Available: August 3, 2010 Genre: Paranormal Romance Book received from: Penguin

Seneca Thomas is an agent with XCEL, a secret government taskforce charged with capturing the dangerous shapeshifters that have infiltrated New York City, passing for humans. Her Native American heritage gives her a special gift–the ability to see the shapeshifters for what they are.

But when her partner is killed in the line of duty, Seneca finds herself teamed up with Max Dempsey–a shapeshifter. And when the pair discover a growing army of shifters gathering beneath the city, Seneca will have no choice but to trust the one man she shouldn’t.

Reviewed by: Tracy

UFOs.  Corn field circles.  Area 51.  E.T.: Extraterrestrial.  Despite what you might have read, aliens exist.  Well, at least in C.J. Barry’s new release, Body Master, aliens do exist and they are on the hunt for humans.  C.J. Barry writes a tight, fast paced story that makes it an enjoyable read, but misses out on some of the rich details and emotions that would have pulled me in more. 

In the not too distant future, aliens crash land on earth, infiltrating cities across the world.  With the power to replicate human DNA, Shifters can take on the exact appearance of any human.  Of course, becoming human often means that the shifter brutally kills the person whose appearance they are stealing.  The agents of XCEL, a government task force charged with capturing the shifters, work tirelessly to protect humans and keep their existence hidden.

Seneca Thomas is the best agent XCEL has to offer.  Not only a tough copy and fearless fighter, Seneca’s Native American heritage gives her the extremely rare ability to see shifters even when they are in their human form.  After losing her partner to a shifter slaying, Seneca is paired with Max Dempsey, an attractive, intelligent and dedicated agent who just happens to be the first shifter hired by XCEL.  Max hopes to leverage Seneca’s strong track record of capturing (and killing) shifters so he can find the traitor who murdered his wife.  Hell-bent on revenge, Max doesn’t expect his attraction to Seneca or her mutual response.  However, to catch the shifter killing homeless people to harvest DNA and the traitor who killed Max’s wife, they have to learn to trust each other and embrace their developing relationship.

I swoon for a hot shifter as much as the next girl and admire a fierce heroine, but it was difficult for me to become particularly vested in Seneca and Max or the book’s outcome.  Moments in the story that should have been turning points or quite emotional were told almost matter-of-factly such that I liked the characters, but didn’t quite fall in love with them.  In a way, I almost felt like I was reading the Cliff Notes version of the book.  I had just enough information to inform me about what was going on, but I felt like it was missing some color on the characters and details in the world-building that would have clarified some of the plot and added depth to our hero, heroine, and this new alien world.   

While I still have many questions about the shifters and this new world, those questions and a big reveal at the end of the book have me curious to know what happens next.  Though it was not perfect, it was still an enjoyable read and The Body series has the potential to put a fresh spin on aliens and shifters.

 

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Also writing as Samantha Graves

Nauti and Wild by Lora Leigh & Jaci Burton  Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: Berkley Trade Available: August 3, 2010 Genre: Contemporary Romance Book received from: Penguin

You’ve seen them. Looking for trouble, and looking irresistible, riding into town, straddling 73 cubic inches of throbbing horsepower.

Boys so bad it takes a special kind of woman to satisfy them.

But some women are made for high speed handling… Lora Leigh, the New York Times bestselling author of Nauti Intentions and Nauti Dreams revisits that sultry and “sinfully good”* Southern landscape with a story of a good girl gone bad–and doing it for all the hottest reasons. But she’s not the only one going down that road…

Jaci Burton, the national bestselling author of Riding Wild and Riding Temptation, lets loose in a story of a hot biker hired to keep an eye on the reckless daughter of a Nevada senator. She’s hooked up with a rival biker gang–a dangerous move that makes the wild beauty more vulnerable than she imagined…

Reviewed by: Samantha 

 

Nauti Kisses by Lora Leigh

I am a faithful follower of Lora Leigh’s Nauti Boys series. When I opened this book to the dedication page and read the following:

“This Last Nauti book is dedicated to the fans and readers of the Nauti series who asked for just one more. The final in the series, for all of you.”

My heart may have stopped beating for a second. No more Nauti boys? What’s a nauti girl to do? I quickly pledged my undying love and delved right into this last story, Nauti Kisses.

Nauti Kisses involves John (Rogue’s brother from the last book) and Sierra. John is rich and engaged to an ice queen named Marlena. Sierra is the goddaughter of John’s father. One night, Sierra tells John that his fiancée isn’t just an ice queen but a complete bitch that has been cheating on him and plans to only marry him for the great merger it would appear to be to everybody on the outside. Later in the night Sierra shows up at John’s place to console him. John has always been attracted to Sierra but has always managed to resist her – until this night. Drunken activities ensue. Sierra is hurt and runs away. Cut to one year later and John is now living in Kentucky on one of the Nauti Boys’ boats. He gets a call from his father that Sierra has been badly beaten and that John’s father is sending Sierra down to Kentucky for John to protect her. Now cue up the usual Nauti antics and voila(!) we have ourselves the usual Nauti escapade. I don’t want to reveal too much of the plot as it is only about 142 pages long.

I base my review of this story solely on what one may come to expect from a book in Lora Leigh’s Nauti series. I have to say though it just wasn’t Nauti enough for me. I was a little turned off by the “virginal and beaten” female and the Nauti boy who wants to immediately get her into bed. She is badly bruised and still has marks on her neck. Something just didn’t click for me. And I am saddened my Nauti boys have left me forever with this as the last story. On the upside there were a few glimpses of Dawg, my favorite Nauti boy. *Swoon*

 

Riding the Edge – Jaci Burton

This is the first thing I have ever read by Jaci Burton. After reading this story, I am not sure how that is possible?

Riding the Edge is the 4th installment in her Wild Riders series. Rick is a member of the Wild Riders and sent to protect Ava, a senator’s daughter. Rick must re-join his cousin Bo’s motorcycle gang, the Hellraisers, as a way to infiltrate and figure out what Ava is doing with the gang. The chemistry between these two leaps off the pages from their first meeting. I was smitten with Rick right away. (How have I missed this series??) As the tough loner Rick grows closer to sweet and smart Ava, he is wrestling with the requirement for him to still do his job to figure out what bad things his cousin is up to in the gang. Again – I don’t want to give away too much of the plot as it is a fairly short story. But I will say that the pages of this story are filled with passion, sexy chemistry, and what I would consider above-par dialogue for this genre. Also, it wasn’t a problem at all for me that I hadn’t read any of the previous Wild Riders books. I did of course order the very first one in the series as soon as I was finished with Riding the Edge.

Favorite quote:

Ava sized up the biker she’d just been introduced to. Tall, damn fine—looking, with dark hair, dark eyes, in need of a shave, and looking all too dangerous. Classic biker look in jeans, chaps, and leather jacket. Wow. Just…wow.

 

 

Overall Book Rating:

 

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Kiss of the Rose: The Tudor Vampire Chronicles by Kate Pearce  Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Signet Available: August 3, 2010 Genre: Historical Romance Book received from: Penguin

Desperate to defeat King Richard III and gain the crown, Henry Tudor made a pact with the Druids binding him and his heirs to the Druids’ struggle against vampires. Ever since, the Llewellyns, a vampire- slaying family, have been in the king’s employ. Now Henry VIII reigns, and his father’s bargain has been almost forgotten-until bloodless corpses turn up in the king’s bedchamber. To save the king, Vampire hunter Rosalind Llewellyn must form an uneasy alliance with Druid slayer Sir Christopher Ellis. But soon, Rosalind must face an unthinkable truth: that her sworn enemy may be her soulmate…

Reviewed by: Amy 

The old saying goes, "never judge a book by it’s cover," but, alas, this Tudor’s lover did months ago.  I could not wait to get my hands on Kate Pearce’s new release, Kiss of the Rose, the first story of The Tudor Vampire Chronicles.  I had all kinds of expectations after seeing the luscious couple on the cover, especially after recently finishing HBO’s series finale of The Tudors. (I lusted myself into oblivion with the likes of Henry Cavill and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.) So with cover and concept at hand I went in full throttle, wanting to adore this story.  While this story did not fire me up like a shirtless JRM’s King Henry did, I do think it has potential to hopefully become a stellar series.

Henry VIII is now King of England and an ancient vampire is out to destroy him. The King is unaware of an agreement that his father made years ago with the Druids. This agreement united both himself and his decedents with the Druids to destroy Vampires. The King discovers the agreement after Lady Rosalind Llewellyn, Vampire slayer and Druid, arrives at court to provide proof in a letter written to Henry from his deceased father. The letter confirms the vow that was made and Rosalind explains that she has been sent to protect him from the rogue Vampire that is killing members of Court.  Rosalind is fiercely loyal to her family’s calling as a Vampire slayer.  It’s something she has trained for her whole life.

Rosalind is accompanied to Court by her longtime friend and trainer, Rhys Williams. Rhys no longer sees Rosalind as a fighter, but as a woman who he has grown to have deep feelings for and who he hopes will eventually become his wife.  Rosalind is a strong, feisty, independent woman who has always thought of marriage as unappealing. And while Rosalind sees that Rhys’s feelings for her have changed, she only views him as a dear friend and questions if she could ever feel more.  Upon arriving at Court, Rosalind and Rhys soon find that there is an addition to King Henry’s protectors, Druid slayer and Vampire protector, Sir Christopher Ellis. From the first meeting, both Christopher and Rosalind feel an attraction between them, but know that they are sworn enemies and therefore the idea of being anything else is a moot point. The Vampire Council determines that the threat against the King is unusual and declares a prophecy that both Christopher and Rosalind are to join together to overthrow the rogue Vampire.  Both Rhys and Christopher battle for Rosalind’s heart while trying to form "a truce" in order to arrange a plan on how to destroy the rogue Vampire before it reaches the King.

While I like the concept of a Vampire after the King, the so called vampire appeared more like a speedy ghost. There was reference to the smell of blood, dead corpses but never a vampire caught in the act of draining a victim. And while the plot had an interesting twist on the paranormal it still felt like it was dragging at times.  I believe this could have been prevented had the author incorporated more of the historical aspect of the story to balance the dominating paranormal tone.  I was disappointed the time period was only a surface addition to the overall story with little reference to the history of the Tudor dynasty. Also, any of my friends will confirm I am a serious cheese lover; feta, gouda, cheddar, etc, but not when it comes to dialogue between lovers. And I have to attest there were quite a few cheesy moments in the love scenes.  The ending leaves you unresolved with the trio’s relationship and the prophecy unfulfilled which leads into the second novel, Blood of the Rose.  Overall, I do believe the series has potential and hope that Ms. Pearce will add more of the Tudor history in the books to obtain an overall balance. In the meantime I will return to my King Henry (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) on HBO and lust on!

 

Favorite Quote:

Are you suggesting that I would merrily swive any man who asked me?

I’m not suggesting anything other than perhaps we should scratch this itch before it becomes bothersome.

She stared pointedly at the black codpiece that covered his groin. I suggest you scratch it yourself. I’m sure you are more than capable.

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Under the Northern Lights (Granite Lake Wolves) by Vivian Arend  Paperback: 224 pages Publisher: Samhain Publishing Available: August 3, 2010 Genre: Paranormal Romance Book received from: Author 

Anthology of Granite Lake Wolves Bk 1 & 2

A split second is all it takes to pull the trigger on destiny.

Wolf Signs

Robyn’s deafness doesn’t stop her from taking the backcountry trip she’s been craving. Meeting a hot, ripped hunk-of-male at the Yukon cabin starts cravings of a different kind. And raises questions about wolves, mates, and duels to the death.

He wanted a quiet retreat before challenging for the pack Alpha position. Keil wasn’t planning on meeting his mate or discovering she’s not aware she has the genes of a wolf to go along with her attitude…

Wolf Flight

Tad’s workaholism keeps his bush-pilot company in the air, and his inner werewolf in check. Letting it lose would mean compromising his human principles. Then Missy re-enters his life, and their chemistry is off the charts, pushing him closer to the step he’s not sure it’s safe to take.

A wolf pack is a dangerous place to have secrets, and Missy’s corrupt Alpha has sniffed out her carefully hidden Omega powers. Her only choice is to get to Tad, and hope like hell his untapped powers are strong enough to negate her own…

Reviewed by: Fiction Vixen

Wolf Signs

Robyn and her brother Tad are about to leave on a ski trip to a remote area when Tad is called away for work.  Tad wants to cancel the trip but Robyn is determined to go anyway.  Being the protective older brother, Tad is concerned for her safety, not just because she will be taking the trip alone, but also because Robyn is deaf.  Being the determined younger sister, Robyn has her way.

After arriving at the cabin and settling in, Robyn has a rather unexpected and embarrassing encounter with two strange men who arrive at the cabin she is staying in.  Turns out they are werewolves and one of them, Keil, recognizes Robyn as his mate.  The problem is, Robyn has no idea she is a wolf or that the world of werewolves even exists.  Keil and his brother TJ must find a way to break the news to Robyn about being a wolf as well as being Keil’s mate before Keil makes a challenge as Alpha of his pack. 

Wolf Signs is definitely a sexy story, I’ll state that right up front.  Keil recognizes Robyn as his mate from the moment they meet and although Robyn has no idea she is a werewolf, the chemistry between them heats up right away.  I wondered how the author would handle communication between the lovers since Robyn is deaf and Keil does not know sign language but apparently body language speaks louder than words.  Their flirting was quite cute and they eventually discover another, more direct way to communicate as their relationship develops.

I liked Robyn and I liked that although she was deaf she didn’t let that hold her back in any way.  She had just the right amount of courage and strength without being over the top with it. She did seem to accept her werewolf nature quite easily and transitioned into werewolf culture without much hesitation at all. Since she was portrayed as such a strong character I expected that she would have been more resistant to her world being completely turned upside down within the period of one week. 

Keil was a likeable hero in that he was strong, very masculine alpha male.  He was tender yet possessive and protective toward Robyn but never crossed the line that some alpha males tend to do.

Wolf Signs is a love story with an interesting sexual twist to werewolf lore that adds a little extra kick to the story. The romance is sweet and sexy, the story is nicely paced and there is an exciting fight scene near end.  An enjoyable, quick read.

 

 

 

Wolf Flight

Wolf Flight takes place at the same time as Wolf Signs, the first book in the series, and at times the two stories actually intersect.  When reading Wolf Flight, you’ll recognize certain scenes that took place in Wolf Signs, only you’ll experience them from an alternate point of view. 

Missy is a an omega werewolf, which means she has the ability to affect the emotions of other wolves.  This makes her very valuable in her pack since her ability can be used by her unscrupulous alpha to gain power over his wolf pack as well as other packs.  Missy is a widow who is terrified of her alpha and will do anything to escape him.  She is allowed six months of mourning before her alpha will try to take her as a mate.  She intends to use the six months to figure out a way to escape but the alpha has threatened Missy’s sister’s life is she does not return to the pack. 

Tad is an un-triggered werewolf meaning he carries the werewolf genes but he has not gone through the process that will trigger his change.  Although Tad looks forward to eventually being able to change and embrace his werewolf nature he still very much embraces his human side and finds himself conflicted regarding werewolf politics and customs.  He’s quite a complex character and his more primitive urges take a slight backseat to his more intellectual and emotional side.  That’s not to say that Tad isn’t hot stuff in between the sheets, he just seems to think with the head located between his shoulders rather then the one between this thighs.  Funnily enough, this is the very thing that creates quite a lot of trouble for him.

Tad and Missy were attracted to each to each other in high school, and have now been reunited. Missy and Tad’s former attraction to each other is immediately rekindled and eventually Missy recognizes Tad as her mate.  Tad, tending to over think things sometimes, is reluctant to accept what is clear to Missy and even wonders if Missy is using him.  Eventually, Missy will have to return to her pack or her sister’s life will be in danger.  Although Tad’s wolf has not yet been triggered, he and Missy will have face a challenge for their very lives.

If my concerne in Wolf Signs was that Robyn seemed to accept her wolf nature rather easily, I’d have to say quite the opposite is true for her brother Tad. While Tad understands that he is a werewolf, his transition into werewolf society is anything but smooth.  Wolf Flight deals with more complicated emotional roadblocks and is packed with much more action that the previous book in the series giving the reader a bit more to sink their teeth into plot wise.  The romance and sexy scenes are steamy and I would say overall this was a very enjoyable read. 

 

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The Hypnotist (The Reincarnationist, Book 3) by M.J. Rose  Hardcover: 416 pages Publisher: Mira Available: May 1, 2010 Book received from: TLC Tours

Haunted by the murder of his lover — a beautiful young painter — Lucian Glass keeps his dark memories at bay by focusing on his work with the FBI’s Art Crime Team. Currently investigating a crazed art collector destroying priceless masterpieces, he becomes involved in a bizarre hostage negotiation that takes him undercover at the Phoenix Foundation. Under hypnosis he travels back to ancient Greece and nineteenth-century Persia, past life while the case takes him New York to Paris and the movie capital of the world. These combined journeys will shatter his understanding of reality. force him to question his sanity and lead him into the center of an intricate plan to break in to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and steal Hypnos, the 1,500 year old sculpture of the Greek God of sleep, said to hold a secret that many would literally kill to uncover.

Review by: Samantha 

The Hypnotist is the third book in M.J. Rose’s The Reincarnationist series. I didn’t read the first two books in the series, and I never felt lost having not read them. But don’t let that make you think The Hypnotist is a simple read. This book has a big twisting and complex plot that weaves together one person’s story after another in a way that reminded me of giant spider web. As I read each page, I felt like I was slowly climbing through that web on a journey where I wasn’t sure what I would find when the web was finally untangled.

Lucian Glass is a member of the FBI’s Art Crime Team. When a Matisse painting is destroyed and Lucien’s team is called in to investigate the crime, he comes face to face with his tragic past and his lost teenage love. As the plot of the book thickens readers are treated to themes of past lives, reincarnation, art, tragedy, love, and hypnosis just to name a few. And I can’t forget the smoldering sexiness of Lucian. With a name like Lucian, can you really go wrong?

This was a book that made me think and required my full attention. I actually ended up away from the TV in another room in the house. As a chronic multi-tasker faced with a complicated and what I would call an “intellectual” plot, it was necessary. Once I gave it my full attention, I felt the book really took off in the right direction for me. I am not sure the exact way to sum up this book besides the following: I used to read books like this before I discovered smutty worlds filled with vampires and shape shifters. But this book reminded me I liked to read books like this. It even had just humans in it and I still liked it.

Favorite Line:

“You think I’m looking for someone else inside you, but I’m not Emeline.” He tilted her face up so their eyes met. “I’m just looking for you.”

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Other books in the series:

• The Reincarnationist
• The Memorist

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M.J. Rose is the internationally bestselling author of several novels and two non-fiction books on marketing.

The television series PAST LIFE was based on Rose’s Reincarnationist series.

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Giveaway:

M.J. Rose is offering one copy of The Hypnotist to one lucky reader.  You comment on Samantha’s review is your entry.  Giveaway is open until  August 6, winner announced shortly after.  Giveaway is open to US and Canada only.