Book Review: Black and Blue by Gena Showalter + Halloween Trick or Treat book blast contest

BLACK AND BLUE
Otherworld Assassins, #2
By: Gena Showalter
Paranormal Romance
HE IS EVERY WOMAN’S FANTASY . . .

Corbin Blue is a man of many talents. One of the most powerful otherworlders ever born, he is wealthy, a professional football star, and a legend in the bedroom. But only a select few know he is also a black ops agent . . . and there is no better killer. When he and his crew are attacked and separated, he’s forced to turn to his boss’s daughter for help—a woman with even more secrets than Blue.

SHE BECOMES HIS ONLY OBSESSION . . .Evangeline Black has always been wary, guarded. No man has ever breached her walls. Until Blue. He has never been denied something he wants, and now he’s decided he wants her. As he sweeps her into his double life of seduction, intrigue, and danger, he helps her see beyond the darkness of her past. But as an enemy closes in, Blue will have to let Evie go to keep her safe—even though he’d rather die than live without her. . . .

I'm a cover whore. Admitted and freely owned. I love a good cover and Black and Blue has one heck of a cover! On covers alone, I can be sold on a story  It's the girl "window shopper" in me. Call me easy like that.

You combine a slamming cover with the power house that is Gena Showalter, and I'm sold. I don't care what she's selling. I'll always buy it. Again, meet easy Katie. (Uh, that sounds bad. Let's just go with it.)

Black and Blue, as mentioned above, is the second addition to the new paranormal romance Otherworld Assassins saga. Honestly, I forgot I was reading an ongoing saga until the ending pages. This truly can be read as a stand alone. You can decide if you see that as a positive or negative. I was in the middle, didn't care either way.

What I care about is the story. Give me power males, feisty females, action, drama, romance and some witty humor. Is that too much to ask? Not for Gena. She can bring all of these qualities time and again, in all of her series. BUT, this edition was lacking that gusto and umph I've come to love.

Corbin was a little meh, kinda boring at times. Overall, he seemed like a likable character, but I just never connected. Labeled the "man whore", the dude is just trying to make a living at the one thing he's good at. Kicking ass. But again, I didn't feel either passion or contempt for the guy. He was just, down the middle for me.

Evie was a tad more compelling, but that's because she has one kickass bag of goodies in her purse! Um, want those gadgets! If she can turn Ranch dressing into something that might kill you, that's a chick I want to meet! Character wise, she was so-so. I like vanilla ice cream, but I dislike vanilla characters. She was a rich and creamy version, but vanilla nonetheless.

The story itself was enjoyable enough to keep you entertained until the end. Not every single story is going to awe the fans with fireworks. I'm sticking with the good thing Gena has going and riding this series till the end.



Getting 3 and 1/2 'rubiks cube' Sheep
KD

About the Author:
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Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of the White Rabbit Chronicles, Otherworld Assassins, Angels of the Dark, Lords of the Underworld, and several of other series. She has written over thirty novels and novellas. Her books have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazine, and have been translated in multiple languages.

HALLOWEEN HOP INSTRUCTIONS & RULES: 

Thank you for joining in Gena Showalter's BLACK AND BLUE Trick or Treat Halloween Hop!

The instructions and rules are easy!

1) Every day there will be 3 - 6 participating blogs. In order to enter the giveaway you must "Trick or Treat" at the participating blogs, see which candy the blog has posted and then enter the name of that candy into the Rafflecopter widget.

2) There is ONE MANDATORY blog PER DAY. In order to enter the giveaway, you must visit the mandatory blog of the day. You will receive 10 points for each mandatory blog entry.

3) Once you visit the mandatory blog of the day, you then have the choice of gaining extra points by visiting the "Optional" blogs for that day. You will get an extra 5 points for each optional blog you visit. Once you visit each blog, write down the candy you found at each blog and be sure to enter it Rafflecopter widget to get your points.

TOUR GIVEAWAY PRIZES:

At the end of the tour Gena will pick THREE (3) winners to receive: 

GRAND PRIZE: $100.00 gift card to Amazon

RUNNERS-UP: TWO (2) winners will each get an autographed copy of BLACK AND BLUE and some SWAG from Gena.

HALLOWEEN HOP Tour Schedule- 10/18 - 10/31

http://bit.ly/19VbQke

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sheep Book Review: Last Kiss Goodnight by Gena Showalter

Last Kiss Goodnight: An Otherworld Assassin Novel, by Gena Showalter is a thrilling new paranormal series with a breathtaking tale of a warrior enslaved by desire and the woman who frees his soul. This novel presents a darker side to Showalter this time around and while the plot was different than what I've come to expect, I did enjoy the story and the new saga that's unfolding. 

Plot:

Black ops agent Solomon Judah awakens caged and bound in a twisted zoo where otherworlders are the main attraction. Vika Lukas, the owner’s daughter, is tasked with Solo’s care and feeding. The monster inside him yearns to kill her on sight, even though she holds the key to his escape. But the human side of him realizes the beautiful deaf girl is more than she seems—she’s his.

Vika endures the captives’ taunts and loathing, hoping to keep them alive even if she can’t free them. Only, Solo is different— he protects her. But as hostility turns to forbidden romance, his feelings for her will be used against him . . . and he’ll be put to a killer test.

When writers go through life changing events sometimes those events manifest in their stories. I'm not personally aware of all the little details in Gena's life but I know she's at a place where she is opening herself up to new ideas, new ways of thinking, and new ways of sharing. That being said, Gena has taken a slight turn from what fans of her series may have expected. Last Kiss Goodnight is heavy on the dialog and lighter on the romance and while I don't read romance novels for just the "romance" bits, I did expect a bit more heat mixed with action and adventure. 

The story starts out very well; we meet a young woman who's being horribly abused by her father who's a circus owner. He's a cruel man with some serious devilish issues, maybe Dr. Phil will have some good luck with this one. Daddy's life is NOT working out but he doesn't care and will beat the crap out of anyone that says different. Vika and her animal friends are trapped in this desperate situation and we find that her daddy dearest is making use of new animals for his sick and twisted sideshow called Otherworlds, made up of various group of immortals with fantastical talents and unique personalities. 

Solomon is our leading male who's been captured and locked in a cage, forced to endure the most hideous of acts or face execution. It's pretty sick stuff but it's not grotesque to the point of being unbearable to read. There's some major bible themes going on with the story and while I enjoy the good vs evil, I did feel like the story became majorly focused at times to the point preaching. 

As the romance between our pair heats up, the story becomes very tender. The passion between the two is kept at a slow burn and never really lifts off from that point. It wasn't really a let-down, but definitely not what I expected from a writer known for her character passion. There's a lot of give and take and countless times where an easy answer is found and any dramatic build up is pretty much quickly defused. 

Regardless of all the nit picking, the story itself was enjoyable and diverse. Definitely different and dark compared to her other books, but wonderful in its complex darkness. Greed and compassion are major players this time around and written in a very elegant way. 

To date, the Lord of the Underworld series has been the most rewarding series I have read and Showalter is one of the best writers on the shelf today. This new saga may not be for everyone, but I was glad I gave this unique world a try. I look forward to reading the next edition and seeing where the saga leads next! 

Getting 4 'cage scrubbing' sheep
KD