Book Review: Vampire Collection: Brink of Eternity and Embrace the Dark (Dawn of Ascension and Blood Rose Series Book 1) by Caris Roane

Vampire Collection: Brink of Eternity and Embrace the Dark (Dawn of Ascension and Blood Rose Series Book 1)

by Caris Roane

Length: 186 pages

Paranormal Romance
Welcome to Caris Roane's vampire collection, two very different novellas that track the journey of two powerful vampires. In entirely different ways, both BRINK OF ETERNITY and EMBRACE THE DARK, explore the sexy mystique of the warrior vampire, each over-burdened by the responsibilities of his job and in need of the love of a good woman.

BRINK OF ETERNITY follows the tradition of the Guardians of Ascension and introduces the Militia Warrior aspect of Second Earth. First published in July of 2011, the story features Warrior Gideon and his Mortal Earth lover, Elise Jordan, as she answers her call to ascension. BRINK OF ETERNITY launches a novella series called, Dawn of Ascension. The second novella, THE DARKENING, releases on Valentine’s Day, 2014. But the world is the same, and the Warriors of the Blood often show up as well as the magnificent Endelle.

EMBRACE THE DARK takes you into the world of the Blood Rose series, in which the blood-needs of a master vampire can only be met by one gifted woman. First published in May of 2012, EMBRACE THE DARK explores the Nine Realms of North America, a world inhabited not just by vampires, but by the fae, by charming trolls, and the evil Invictus pairs that prey on the weak of the realm. But ruling each realm, and more powerful than any other creature in the land, is a Mastyr Vampire. Our beleaguered Mastyr Vampire, Gerrod, suffers from chronic blood starvation and can only be sated by a phenomenon called a blood rose. But how can he accept Abigail as his blood rose, when she’s a mere human?

This is a fun box set of two novellas for a great price. If you're new to the Guaradians of Ascension series, then reading the tale included will give you a nice taste of what's in store. I'm a big fan of Caris and the sexy alpha warriors she's created. Their world is action packed, filled fill love and loss. Battles of epic proportions and steamy romance that heats up the pages. New and fresh, that's what you get with Caris. She's got a talent to write and works it like the best of them!

Embrace the Dark is another novella that takes the reader in to a darker realm of vampires and lore creatures. Written with twists and myths that pump some fresh blood into what can become a stagnate world. How many paranormal writers stretch their minds and come up with new and incredible characters? I'm not sure but I damn well know that Caris does! Hats and pants off to her for taking a big leap and letting readers hang on for the ride.

If you like paranormal romance with sexy men and their strong female counterparts, action, adventure, love and tenderness all mixed to a HEA beat...then grab this box set and dig your claws in!

Getting 4 Sheep

KD

About the Author:

website-FB-twitter

Hi, Everyone! Caris Roane here! I’m a USA Today Bestselling Author and I write super-sexy paranormal romance fiction designed to be as much an adventure as a soul-satisfying experience. With every book I write, I try to give a taste of real life, despite the fact that I’m writing about hunky vampire warriors. You’ll come away engrossed in the lives of my vampires as they wage war, as they make love, and as they answer the tough questions of life in terms of purpose, eternity, and how to raise a family! I began my career with Kensington Publishing writing Regency Romance as Valerie King. In 2005, Romantic Times Magazine honored me with a career achievement award in Regency Romance. I’ve published fourteen paranormal novels to-date, some self-published and some for St. Martin’s Press! I’ve also branched out into Contemporary Romance with A SEDUCTIVE PROPOSITION!

Caris Roane's Embrace the Mystery (The Blood Rose Series #3) Book Blast + giveaway

Embrace the Mystery
The Blood Rose Series, Book 3
Publication Date: November 18, 2013
Print Length: 222 pages
ASIN: B00GRXTZ1E
Mastyr Quinlan pursues the artist, Batya, with only one thing in mind but soon discovers that his desire for her is just the beginning of an earth-shattering affair…

He doesn’t want a woman in his life…

Quinlan must keep Grochaire Realm safe from the enemy at all costs. As ruler of his realm, a woman has no permanent place in his day-to-day existence. But when his lust takes him to Batya’s bedroom, he soon discovers he’s deep into a powerful experience that threatens to blow his life apart. He wants Batya with a feverish desire that makes no sense in his logical, warrior world. But when an ancient fae attacks Batya’s gallery, he launches into protector mode and soon finds himself embroiled -- body, soul, and fangs -- with a woman he’d only meant to bed a couple of times.

She has no desire to get involved with a mastyr vampire…

Batya’s intense desire for Mastyr Quinlan stuns and baffles her. She doesn’t want to be involved with the vampire on any level. His sole focus of ruling Grochaire Realm has kept him from staying with one woman longer than the proud length of his fangs. Besides, she’s built a life for herself in Lebanon, Tennessee as an artist and healer to the realm ex-patriot community. But when the ancient fae attacks Quinlan at her gallery, then attempts to kidnap her assistant, Batya finds herself catapulted into an astonishing adventure. Even so, she works steadily to get back to her free-clinic and her painting, but how can she leave Quinlan behind when he’s commanded her like no other man ever has?

Excerpt

From Chapter Two: Mastyr Quinlan, having survived an enemy attack because Batya healed him, has to brush out his long warrior hair. Batya helps him out…

Quinlan showered, washing out the mass of his hair twice then applying Batya’s crème rinse until he’d have a half-way decent shot at getting the snarls out with a brush.

Using her blow dryer, he scowled as he watched his damn hair fly around. Why couldn’t a vampire, especially a Guardsman, have some kind of preternatural power to remove snarls and dry his hair without electricity?

“Want some coffee with your ‘shits’ and ‘damn-all-the-elf-lords-to-hell-and-back’?” He met Batya’s reflection in the mirror, and saw a mug extended in his direction.

He shut the dryer off, turned around, and took the cup. “That bad, huh?”

Batya chuckled. She had dimples, two of them. Not deep, but they were definitely there, beside her mouth. He’d never noticed before, but then most of his seduction work had taken place at a distance.

“Turn around. I’ll work the back section.”

He didn’t hesitate, something that resonated deep in his brain as a serious warning of some kind, but he wasn’t sure in what way.

She picked up the brush he’d been using and started at the tips. He couldn’t even feel the tugs so he 

drank his coffee and released a sigh.

His thoughts turned to Grochaire, the realm he ruled. “I need to get word to my Guard, to warn them about what they’re up against. But my telepathy isn’t working through your shield and my phone got blasted by one of those wraith-pairs.”

“You can try my phone, but I can’t guarantee you’ll get through, not with the shield I have in place. Sorry, but staying alive has a priority here.”

He smiled because he couldn’t have agreed with her more.

She brushed through a long length, hit a snag and started working it. He could see her in the mirror, brow furrowed. He’d seen that look already, more than once just conversing with her. She had a seriousness about her that he approved of, maybe because it matched his own.

He sipped some more and watched her. She was a beautiful woman and tall, maybe just under six feet. He wouldn’t have to lean too far down to pull her into his arms and kiss her. She wore her hair loose with clips holding it away from her face.  She had strong cheekbones and a straight nose. Her chin was definitely fae, more pointed than a human’s would be, but exquisite.

He knew her ancestry, half-fae, half-troll, her genetics having fallen on the fae side. Realm-DNA did that when the species mixed. The offspring landed one way or another, the same if more than two lines made up the code. Genetics always picked a lane. He realized that he liked her looks, really liked them. “Have you ever done a self-portrait?”

She picked up another long hunk of his hair and once more started at the tips, working swiftly. “I don’t really do faces. I’ve always been into landscapes and the occasional still-life if the objects intrigue me enough.”

“Do you go out, snap photos of woodlands, that kind of thing?”

“Sometimes.” She stopped brushing and scratched her cheek with her thumb. “But more often than not I’ll get these rich images in my head and that’s what I’ll paint.”

“Sounds fae.”

She started brushing again, making quick work as he sipped his coffee. “Maybe. Probably. I don’t think about it. I just paint and let the spirit move me.”

He smiled. “The spirit, huh?”

“It’s a good earth-saying, don’t you think?”

“I suppose it is. So you like being here on human earth?”

“I do. In fact, I love it. I didn’t know what happiness or freedom was until I moved here.” She met his gaze in the mirror. “And I don’t plan on ever returning to the Nine Realms. The day that we made our treaties with the US, turned out to be the best day of my life…”

AMAZON-B&N

About the Author:
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Caris Roane has published nine paranormal novels and novellas and writing as Valerie King, fifty Regency works. In 2005, Romantic Times gave her a Career Achievement award in Regency Romance. As Caris Roane, she currently writes paranormal romance for St. Martin’s Press and also self-publishes the continuing stories for her Guardians of Ascension series as well as stories set in other worlds.

2/03 - 2/28 Caris Roane's EMBRACE THE MYSTERY Book Blast

TOUR GIVEAWAY 

3 Grand Prizes: Each winner will receive a signed paperback copy of EMBRACE THE DARK, e-copy of EMBRACE THE MAGIC and EMBRACE THE MYSTERY, notepad, journal, note cards, sticky notes, RTC cards 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Embrace the Mystery by Caris Roane + giveaway

EMBRACE THE MYSTERY
Mastyr Quinlan pursues the artist, Batya, with only one thing in mind but soon discovers that his desire for her is just the beginning of an earth-shattering affair…

He doesn’t want a woman in his life…

Quinlan must keep Grochaire Realm safe from the enemy at all costs. As ruler of his realm, a woman has no permanent place in his day-to-day existence. But when his lust takes him to Batya’s bedroom, he soon discovers he’s deep into a powerful experience that threatens to blow his life apart. He wants Batya with a feverish desire that makes no sense in his logical, warrior world. But when an ancient fae attacks Batya’s gallery, he launches into protector mode and soon finds himself embroiled -- body, soul, and fangs -- with a woman he’d only meant to bed a couple of times.

She has no desire to get involved with a mastyr vampire…

Batya’s intense desire for Mastyr Quinlan stuns and baffles her. She doesn’t want to be involved with the vampire on any level. His sole focus of ruling Grochaire Realm has kept him from staying with one woman longer than the proud length of his fangs. Besides, she’s built a life for herself in Lebanon, Tennessee as an artist and healer to the realm ex-patriot community. But when the ancient fae attacks Quinlan at her gallery, then attempts to kidnap her assistant, Batya finds herself catapulted into an astonishing adventure. Even so, she works steadily to get back to her free-clinic and her painting, but how can she leave Quinlan behind when he’s commanded her like no other man ever has?

Read more…

EMBRACE THE MYSTERY, Blood Rose Series #3 

EXCERPT #1 

Chapter One: The opening. Mastyr Vampire Quinlan pursues a woman with one thought in mind… 

What would she taste like, her skin, her mouth, her blood?

The question had many layers and burned like fire in Quinlan’s vampire mind as he leaned against a brick building in the old section of Lebanon, Tennessee. He stared up at a wide plate glass window on the other side of the street. His pursuit of Batya Cole had taken him away from Grochaire Realm way too often over the past couple of months, almost to the point of neglecting his duties as mastyr.

Yet, he couldn’t seem to help himself. Her blood called to him, like no woman before.

His instincts warned him away from the ex-patriot who lived a bohemian artist’s life in the small U.S. town, his realm’s access point to human earth. But she’d been on his radar for weeks now and he wanted her in his bed.

Nothing more.

And literally nothing less.

Once he set his sights on a goal, nothing could move him.

He pictured her now lying on her back, hands gripping the wrought iron headboard of her bed, the mass of her wavy blond hair spread out on her pillows.

He wanted to sink his fingers into her hair with both hands, lean close and smell all across the line of her cheek. He’d gotten near enough to her once to catch a fragrance that smelled deeply rich, like an exotic jungle flower. He didn’t have a name for her scent, but he wanted his tongue on her to find out every nuance of her deepest flavor.

He’d been seducing her for the past hour with just his telepathy and of course his mating vibration, a serious realm-ability he’d developed over the past seven-hundred-plus years of his life. His world was a land of frequencies and vibrations, all kinds, for a multitude of purposes.

He let loose another set of waves.

How does that feel, Cha?

He heard her moan, a soft whimper through the window.

Stop calling me that.

His telepathy with Batya rang clear as a bell, one more reason he knew they’d be good together. He’d be able to whisper her name through her mind while he kissed her and moved inside her, working his magic.

His realm vibration, the one that emanated from deep within his body, flowed in a stream straight up and through the second-story window. He loved his mastyr status in these moments, that he could do things most other vampires couldn’t. He could stand across the street and touch Batya low with just a thought and a vibrating stream of energy that had found the sweetest nest between her legs.

He added a jolt and heard her cry out. He extended his hearing so he could savor every whimper.

You should leave, Quinlan. Stop tormenting me.

Another jolt and again, she cried out. He liked punishing her with pleasure. That’s for telling me to leave. For the fun of it, he added another intense stream.

She sighed, purred and moaned, one after the other. He had her now. He’d bring her, like he did last time, but he wanted to get closer. He wanted to watch this time and he wanted her watching him. And this time, he’d let her see what he had to offer.

I want in, Batya. Now. We’ve been playing this game long enough. He increased the force of the vibration and she groaned long and loud.

This is a bad idea, Quinlan. She panted while she pathed to him. You know it is.

I don’t care. We’ll be good together.

He levitated and drifted across the street moving close to the window. He saw her through a haze of multicolored sheers so that she looked surrounded by ripples of golden, blue-violet light. He couldn’t see her clearly, but she writhed on the bed, her hands gripping the wrought iron bars just as he’d imagined.

I see you.

She rolled her head. You bastard. I never wanted this.

You didn’t have to let it get this far tonight.

Why did you come after me? You can have any woman in the Nine Realms you want and maybe a couple billion here on earth as well.

It’s all your fault. You shouldn’t have smelled so good when I trapped you in your gallery.

I can’t help how I smell.

And I can’t help how bad I want to bury myself between your legs. Besides, you refused me and I always face up to a challenge…

About the Author:

Website Facebook
Twitter Goodreads

I confess I've had a love affaire with vampires for several years now, especially warrior vampires, the kind found in the books of Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lara Adrian and JR Ward. Though I've been published in Regency Romance under the pseudonym Valerie King--and yes one of my Regency Novellas features a vampire--one day I woke up knowing I had to create my own contemporary world of the warrior vampire.For some mystical, magical reason, early in the process, my vampires appeared with enormous beautiful wings and it has been the most amazing experience to include flight in my novels, in both battle scenes and scenes involving spectacle. My special vampire world, published by St. Martin's Press, is introduced in the first book called, ASCENSION (12-28-2010). The second book, BURNING SKIES (May of 2011), opens up the world a little bit more. And even as I write this, I'm on the final draft of my third novel, WINGS OF FIRE (September of 2011). What a thrill it has been to live with my ascended vampires through the creation of this extraordinary, multi-dimensional world!For more information about my unique take on the vampire mythos, check out my website at carisroane.com and my book release video on YouTube by putting in the search phrase, Caris Roane Ascension.

GIVEAWAY: 

 signed copy of BORN IN CHAINS, e-copies of EMBRACE THE DARK, EMBRACE THE MAGIC, and EMBRACE THE MYSTERY, small tote, notepad, versatile calendar, sticky notes, and RTC cards!!! International winner receives gift card compensation!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight: Embrace the Magic by Caris Roane + giveaway

EMBRACE THE MAGIC
The Blood Rose Series Book 2
Release Date August 31, 2013

When a blood rose enters Mastyr Ethan’s world, will he succumb to his deepest needs or lose her forever to an enemy intent on possessing her at all costs?

He desperately needs his blood rose…

Ethan, mastyr vampire of the Bergisson Realm, never thought to find his blood rose, the one woman who could ease the blood-starvation he’s endured for decades. But Samantha carries a surprising level of power as her newly discovered fae heritage emerges and she connects with his personal realm frequency, a vibration that ignites his passion. His commitment to ruling Bergisson, however, has priority, even over his driving need to be with Samantha. As desire rises, and Ethan finds himself drawn into the web of his driving, relentless need for her, will he be able to embrace his blood rose or will his guilt over past events prevent him from living life to the fullest?

How can she give up the life she planned…?

Samantha can’t believe she’s a blood rose, a woman who can meet the needs of a starved mastyr vampire. Her plans never included the world of the Nine Realms in which mastyr vampires rule millions of realm-folk, but learning that she’s half-fae has changed everything. As Ethan’s blood-needs become a life-or-death struggle, and cast her into a war against the dreaded Invictus, how can she choose to embrace her new fae powers and change her life so completely? Will she take on the role forever as Ethan’s blood rose? Or will her desire to follow her life’s ambitions force her to choose against love, passion, and unbelievable fae power?

Buy Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo

Excerpt from EMBRACE THE MAGIC:

Chapter One

Mastyr Vampire Ethan stared down into Sweet Gorge where two of his Guardsmen hauled up a body on a sling carried between them. They flew side by side, matching their movements by long practice. The night air, though usually fresh in early April, carried a rancid edge, something he’d connected with this area for a long time.

But he’d lost another of his Guard here at Sweet Gorge, killed sometime this past week, but located by a search patrol just a half hour ago. And this was the fourth murder in a month.

Something was on the wind.

“Invictus?” Finn scratched behind his right ear. He was Ethan’s second-in-command, his long red hair a beacon in any situation.

Using both hands, Ethan shoved his own unruly hair away from his face. Sweat dripped from his forehead. The temp wasn’t too warm in Bergisson Realm this time of year, but when his blood-starvation reached difficult levels, he’d often perspire like he’d been battling for hours. “What the hell was Paul doing patrolling in this area?”

Ethan didn’t know Paul well, but he felt responsible for him, as he did for all his Guard. He’d built his force to three hundred strong, but Paul, as a new recruit, wasn’t well-known to many of the Guardsmen.

“He didn’t have orders to go out here, not with three other Guardsmen dead in the past few months along the eastern border.” Ethan let his gaze move from one end of the gorge to the other, then along the monolith to the east. A familiar heavy guilt clawed at his chest. This part of his realm was off-limits having been the place of a massacre forty years earlier.

“Maybe his body was dumped.”

Ethan’s frown tightened his forehead. “Most likely.”

There was a connection between Sweet Gorge and the Invictus. He just didn’t know what it was.

Sweet Gorge used to be a place of great beauty and had once been a modest resort, a place his family had been to a lot in its prime. Fae leadership had also met here often.

Now his mother, father and sister were gone, lost in the attack, along with many loved ones, over two hundred realm killed all at one time.

Afterward, the stream had dried up, the source cursed by a powerful fae of unknown ancestry. No one had seen the fae female or the deed, only that the stream was blocked and no amount of power had ever released it. A wall of crystals resided there and none of the fae he knew would go near it.

Besides, there was always the stench to warn realm-folk away, of something not right, very ancient, and deadly.

He glanced over the wooded ridgeline along the north ridge. A breeze picked up sending sharp pine scents through the air.

But something else struck his nostrils, the scent of dark fae magic, as though it waited there. His muscles flexed involuntarily along the insides of his arms. Yet in all these decades not a single fae of power, in any of the Nine Realms, had been able to figure out where all that power was coming from, not even Vojalie, the most powerful fae he knew.

EMBRACE THE DARK
The Blood Rose Series Book 1
Enter a world of blood-starved mastyr vampires and the rare women who can satisfy their deepest needs…

How can he resist his blood rose…

Gerrod, mastyr vampire of the Merhaine Realm, never thought to have his blood-needs satisfied by a mere human. But Abigail is no ordinary woman. She stuns him with her telepathy as well as the richness of her blood. However, her human DNA makes her an unacceptable mate. Yet how can Gerrod turn her away when she alone has satisfied his blood-starvation for the first time in a hundred-and-fifty-years?

Will she fall to temptation and give herself to a vampire…

When the dreaded enemy of all realm-folk, the Invictus, attacks at a fae wedding, Abigail’s simple human life gets turned upside down. She doesn’t know if she has the courage to pursue a path that means giving herself body and soul to a mastyr vampire. Will she return to her normal existence in Flagstaff, Arizona? Or will she embrace the dark…
Available in Both Digital and Print at Amazon

About the Author
Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads
BIO: Caris Roane has published nine paranormal novels and novellas and writing as Valerie King, fifty Regency works. In 2005, Romantic Times gave her a Career Achievement award in Regency Romance. As Caris Roane, she currently writes paranormal romance for St. Martin’s Press and also self-publishes the continuing stories for her Guardians of Ascension series as well as stories set in other worlds.

Caris Roane's EMBRACE THE MAGIC Book Blast Tour

9/30 Cocktails and Books
http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com
9/30 The Snarkology
www.melissasnark.blogspot.com
9/30 Tome Tender
http://tometender.blogspot.com/
10/1 Inner Goddess
http://www.InnerGoddessForum.com
10/1 Vampires, Werewolves & Fairies, Oh My!
http://vampireswerewolvesfairiesohmy.blogspot.com/
10/1 Bookish Writer
http://www.liviaellis.com/
10/2 Book Lovin' Mamas
http://booklovinmamas.com
10/3 Where the Night Kind Roam
http://paranormalromancenovel.com
10/4 Books And Their Seven Deadly Sins
http://booksandtheirsevendeadlysins.blogspot.co.uk/
10/4 Paranormal Romance Fans for Life
www.paranormalromancefanforlife.blogspot.com
10/5 Mad Hatter Reads
http://madhatterreads.blogspot.com
10/5 Penny For Them...
http://pennyforthemuk.com/search/label/tour
10/6 Crazy Four Books
http://crazyfourbooks.blogspot.com
10/6 Rumpled Sheets Blog
http://rumpledsheetsblog.wordpress.com/
10/6 The Reading Café
http://www.thereadingcafe.com/
10/7 Book Pages and Dripping Ink
http://bookpagesanddrippingink.blogspot.com
10/7 Fang Freakin Tastic Reviews
http://fangfreakintasticreviews.com
10/7 Romancing the Book
http://romancing-the-book.com
10/8 Coffee Talk Writers
http://coffeetalkwriters.com/blog/
10/8 Romance with Flavor
http://romancewithflavor.com/
10/8 Same Book, Different Review
http://samebookdifferentreview.blogspot.com/
10/9 Sassy Book Lovers
http://sassybooklovers.blogspot.com/
10/9 Victoria's Gossip
http://victoriasgossip.com/blog/
10/10 Book Monster Reviews
http://www.bookmonsterreviews.com/
10/10 My Book Chatter
http://mybookchatterchat.blogspot.com
10/11 deal sharing aunt
http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com
10/11 Miscellaneous Thoughts of a Bookaholic
http://miscellaneousthoughtsofabookaholic.blogspot.com/
10/11 Regina May Ross's
http://reginamayross.net
10/12 Brynna Curry's In Shadows
http://brynnacurry.com
10/12 LITERAL ADDICTION
http://www.literaladdiction.com
10/13 Books Books and More Books
http://booksbooksmorebooks.blogspot.com/
10/13 Dalene's Book reviews
http://dalenesbookreviews.blogspot.com
10/13 I Smell Sheep
http://www.ismellsheep.com/
10/13 Mythical Books
http://www.mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/

TOUR GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Caris is giving away the following prizes at the end of her tour:

Grand Prize: $10 e-Gift card to Amazon, signed copy of ASCENSION, an e-copy of EMBRACE THE MAGIC, a small tote, Caris Roane sticky notes, note-cards, notepad, versatile calendar, and romance trading cards!!! International winner receives gift card compensation!

a Rafflecopter giveaway