Book Review: Leopard's Hunt (A Leopard Novel Book 15) by Christine Feehan

Leopard's Hunt (A Leopard Novel Book 15)

by Christine Feehan
February 20, 2024

In this pulse-pounding novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Leopard series, animal instinct unites two elite shifters whose heads are at war with their hearts.

Gorya Amurov might be known as his family's peacekeeper, but the leopard inside him wants nothing more than to claw to the surface and unleash hell. A harsh life has shaped him into a vicious fighter with a calm exterior, but Gorya knows it's only a matter of time until he loses all control. Deep down, he truly believes he'd be better off dead, and that no woman will ever accept him as a mate....

Maya Averina has spent years hunting the criminals who destroyed her life, and she always takes down her prey. She keeps to herself, stays under the radar, and never loses focus. But with her body burning up and her mind distracted by her first heat, an ambush takes her by surprise. Now she's trapped, an unmated female shifter about to be sold off to the highest bidder. Maya is ready to fight her way out—until the most dangerous, powerful man she's ever encountered arrives to set her free....  

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Gorya is an elite Leopard shifter. He's taken over the criminal enterprise after killing everyone who used to run it. Now he's a better boss than his predecessor because he doesn't allow women and children to be abused the way he was as a child. Gorya hires another couple to watch him closely because he thinks he might have to be put down because his Leopard is a cold-blooded killer. 

Maya is also an elite Leopard and a killer. Her early life was very hard when people killed her family and kept her as a sex slave. When she and others escaped with the help of another, she grew up to be a killer that took out the men who made her life miserable. 

Now Gorya and Maya's leopard's have mated and their human sides feel things for each other but neither think they can truly be in a relationship because they are so broken emotionally. 

Maya meets the people that Gorya works with and his cousins and they all have to work together to bring down the bad people even though they don't trust her and she doesn't trust them much. When they find out that some of the people is Gorya's organization are still trying to traffic women and children, they have to work together to find out who, take care of them and save the women and children from a bad situation. 

Gorya is such a great character, he thought there was nothing redeemable about him and he was so wrong. When he and Maya start getting closer they bring out the best in each other and their leopards are helping them to heal. It was sad watching how broken they really are but great seeing how they tried to find a way though and make their relationship work. 

This book was a little wordy, dragged at times which slowed down the pace for me but all in all it was a great story. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 Sheep!

 

Mary Kirkland - Dark Thoughts Blog

 

About the Author:
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I write every day and have done so since I was old enough to pick up a pen. (I spent a lot of time getting in trouble at school for writing instead of doing the things I was supposed to do.) Once I create my characters, I try very hard to have them react to situations as they really would. Sometimes I have preconceived ideas of what I would like them to do, but they don’t mind me, because it would be out of character for them. They take on a life of their own. Sometimes when I throw difficult situations at them in the hopes I’ll get a certain reaction and they don’t do what I want, I complain bitterly to my husband and he laughs at me. Still, it is important to me to have them be real, not perfect people, so they make mistakes we lesser mortals might make.

 

Exclusive Excerpt: Guild Boss (A Harmony Novel Book 15) by Jayne Castle

Jayne Castle Returns

To Her Beloved Harmony Series

For the First Time in Five Years with

GUILD BOSS

Jayne’s devoted readers and speculative romance fans alike will be eager to get their hands on the fifteenth installment in the series after a five-year hiatus following the publication of Illusion Town in 2016. A starred Booklist review praised Illusion Town, writing, “Readers will have a blast with this fast-paced futuristic romantic thriller that delivers the author’s irresistible brand of dry wit and sexy suspense.”

Guild Boss (A Harmony Novel Book 15)

by Jayne Castle 

November 16, 2021

Berkley

Welcome to Illusion Town on the colony world of Harmony—like Las Vegas on Earth, but way more weird.

Living in this new, alien world doesn’t stop the settlers from trying to re-create what they’ve left behind. Case in point—weddings are still the highlight of any social calendar. But it’s the after-party that turns disastrous for Lucy Bell. Kidnapped and drugged as she leaves the party, she manages to escape—only to find herself lost in the mysterious, alien underground maze of glowing green tunnels beneath Illusion Town. She’s been surviving on determination and cold pizza, scavenged for her by a special dust bunny, when help finally shows up. 

 

Gabriel Jones is the Ghost Hunter sent to rescue her, but escaping the underground ruins isn’t the end of her troubles—it’s only the beginning. With no rational reason for her abduction, and her sole witness gone on another assignment for the Guild, whispers start circulating that Lucy made it all up. Soon her life unravels until she has nothing left but her pride. The last thing she expects is for Gabriel Jones to come back to town for her.

 

The Lucy that Gabriel finds is not the same woman he rescued, the one who looked at him as if he were her hero. This Lucy is sharp, angry, and more than a little cynical—instead of awe, she treats him with extreme caution. But a killer is still hunting her, and there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to heroes. Despite her wariness, Gabriel is also the one person who believes Lucy—after all, he was there. He’s determined to help clear her reputation, no matter what it takes. And as the new Guild Boss, his word is law, even in the lawlessness of Illusion Town.

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Excerpt from GUILD BOSS by Jayne Castle

Gabriel walked through the last of the fog—and straight into a blaze of blinding camera lights. A hoard of journalists and a crowd of onlookers were waiting just outside the Zone.

Lucy groaned. “This is so embarrassing.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Gabriel said. He strode through the crowd with Lucy in his arms. “It’ll blow over within twenty-four hours. A one-day story.”

“You can put me down now.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

Gabriel set her down carefully on her stilettos.

“Lucy, Lucy, are you okay?”

Lucy looked at the young man running toward her. He was dressed in a leather jacket, jeans, and sneakers. He had a rez-bike helmet under one arm.

“Hey, Runner,” she said. “I’m okay.”

“Me and my crew looked everywhere for you in the Dark Zone. Thought you might have gotten disoriented on the way home.”

“Thanks,” she said. “I ended up in the tunnels. Mr. Jones found me, as you can see.”

Runner switched his attention to Gabriel. “Name’s Runner, Mr. Jones. I operate a delivery service over in the Dark Zone. Lucy’s from the neighborhood. She’s a regular customer. Thanks for saving her.”

Gabriel smiled at Lucy. “Any time.”

A woman called out from the group of onlookers. “Lucy, it’s me, Veronica. Are you all right? We’ve been so worried.”

“I’m okay,” Lucy said. “See you when I get home.”

“Lucy,” a man shouted. “Lucy, darling, your mother and I have been very worried.”

Lucy watched her father make his way through the cluster of journalists and flashing cameras. Heywood Bell was the distinguished and successful CEO of a high-flying corporation. He moved in upper-class circles that were as close to aristocratic as things could get in an officially classless society. Power and authority radiated from him. When he moved through the crowd, everyone automatically stepped aside.

He reached her and pulled her close for a quick hug. “Do you have any idea how scared Deborah and I have been?”

As usual, he implied that his wife had been equally concerned, and as usual, Lucy did not bother to correct him. They both knew the truth. If Deborah Bell cared that her stepdaughter had disappeared, it was only because she was furious about the publicity. Having a member of the Bell family go into the weather channeling business, a career that was only a couple of steps up from the ghost hunter profession, was bad enough. Having that same family member get drunk and lost in the tunnels was downright embarrassing. It certainly did not reflect well on the Bell dynasty.

Theoretically, the inheritance laws protected children born out of wedlock financially, but they could not erase the social stigma of illegitimacy. Lucy knew she had been lucky. When her mother had died, her father had insisted on bringing his thirteen-year-old daughter into his home. A lot of kids in her situation ended up in orphanages or foster care.

In fairness, Deborah had not been a wicked fairy-tale stepmother, but it had been obvious from the start that she would never get past the humiliation of being forced to allow her husband’s illegitimate daughter to live under the same roof as her own legitimate sons.

The solution had turned out to be boarding school. It had worked for both of them, Lucy thought. She had been dreadfully lonely at the fancy academy she had attended, but she and Deborah did not have to sit across from each other at breakfast and dinner and pretend to have a relationship. Deborah did not have to attend school functions or help her stepdaughter deal with the problems involved in surviving the teens and learning to be a woman.

“I’m okay, Dad,” Lucy said.

“What a relief.” Heywood released her and immediately turned to Gabriel. “We can’t thank you enough, Mr. Jones.”

“She was holding her own down there,” Gabriel said.

A journalist thrust a microphone at Gabriel. “I’m with the Curtain, Mr. Jones. Tell us about the rescue operation.”

“It was pretty straightforward,” Gabriel said.

A couple of medics with a gurney made their way through the crowd.

Lucy panicked. “I don’t need an ambulance. Really. I just want to rest.”

“The doctors and your mother insist,” Heywood said. “I agree that it would be best for you to go to a para-psych clinic for observation. You’ve been through a lot. After all, you were down there for three days without food or water.”

“The water wasn’t so hot, but the pizza delivery was great,” Lucy said. “I’m okay. I just want to go home.”

One of the medics came up on her left side. She ignored him.

“I refuse to go to a clinic,” she said. “I know my rights.”

She felt a sharp sting and realized that someone had given her an injection. She turned quickly and saw the medic slipping away into the crowd.

Another medic took his place. “It’s all right, Ms. Bell. We’ll take good care of you.”

“No, damn it,” she said.

She started to struggle, but her words were slurring and she was fading into a dark place. The last thing she saw was Gabriel Jones. He leaned down and touched her hand.

“It’s all right,” he said. “You’re going to be okay. I’ve got another assignment. High priority. But I’ll see you when I finish. Goodbye, Lucy.”

From GUILD BOSS published by arrangement with Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2021 by Jayne Castle.

About the Author:

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Jayne Castle is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She writes contemporary romance novels under the Krentz name, as well as historical novels under the pseudonym Amanda Quick.

New Release: Million Dollar Demon (Hollows Book 15) by Kim Harrison

Million Dollar Demon (Hollows Book 15)
by Kim Harrison
June 15, 2021
459 pages
To save the city, Rachel Morgan will need to show some teeth in the next Hollows novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison.

The new master vampire of Cincinnati has arrived . . . and she wants Rachel Morgan out. No matter where Rachel goes, Constance is there--threatening Rachel's allies, causing city-wide chaos, and, to add insult to injury, even forcing Rachel out of her current quarters. Ever since Rachel found a way to save the souls of vampires, the old undead's longtime ascendancy has been broken. Now Constance sees eliminating Rachel as the key to consolidating her own power.

Rachel has no desire to be enthralled or killed--and she's terrified of what may become of the city if Constance forces a return to the ancient ways. But even a witch-born demon can't stand against the old undead--at least, not alone. And if Rachel refuses to claim the role of Cincinnati's master demon, the city will tear itself apart, taking her and all those who stand beside her with it.

photo by Myra Klarman Photography

About the Author:

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I'm Kim Harrison, best known for penning the Hollows series though I've tried my hand at YA, traditional fantasy, graphic novels, and a one-of-a-kind world book. I grew up reading science fiction and fairytales, which means my fairy garden has Daleks in it. Recently, I've moved back to my home state of Michigan after a ten year stint down in South Carolina, and it feels good to be home--even with the snow and cold. I've been traditionally published for almost twenty years, and a good day is still one where there is nothing to distract me from my keyboard.

Kim Harrison is best known as the author of the New York Times #1 best selling Hollows series, but she has written more than urban fantasy and has published more than two-dozen books spanning the gamut from young adult, accelerated-science thriller, several anthologies, and has scripted two original graphic novels set in the Hollows universe. She has also published traditional fantasy under the name Dawn Cook. Kim is currently working on a new Hollows book between other, non related, urban fantasy projects.

Rise By Moonlight (By Moonlight Book 15) by Nancy Gideon + giveaway

Rise By Moonlight (By Moonlight Book 15)
by Nancy Gideon
August 3, 2020
Genre: paranormal romance/ PNR
ASIN: B08DKGQV9G
Number of pages: 273
Word Count: 88,571
Cover Artist: Patricia Lazarus, Lazarus Art
Max and Charlotte return for the explosive conclusion of the “By Moonlight” series . . . and the stakes have never been higher!

He’s the Promised One

A Mobster’s attack dog turned legitimate business powerhouse, Max Savoie is the reluctant leader of New Orleans’ shapeshifter clan. They’ve kept to anonymous shadows, working and living unnoticed by the human world until their new Shifter King’s past draws dangerous outsiders who threaten all.

She’s the Protector

A fiercely determined NOPD detective, Charlotte Caissie has sworn to defend her beloved city and her unborn child from both criminals and otherworldly factions at war. While standing boldly at the side of her mate/husband, secrets from the past return to shake the foundation of her beliefs.

They Have a Problem

Walking a marital tight rope between opposite worlds, Max and Cee Cee’s paths place truth and trust at odds when outside threats force enemies to become allies. The time to take a stand for their family and their future is at hand. Time to rise together for the survival of all they love!

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It’s Halloween Party Time! 

October brings out the party animal in me! 

I can’t help it . . . from the extensive decorating (too many orange tubs to count!) to the ghoulish appetizers (including skull Jell-O molds!) . . . I love it all!! But for sake of space, I’ll condense my bump in the night and howl at the moon passions into a list of favorite things. 

Favorite childhood scare: Bella Lugosi’s Dracula 

Favorite type of shapeshifter: Wolf 

Favorite Halloween movies: Wolf, Ernest Scared Stupid, Hocus Pocus, Halloween 2019 

Favorite costume from childhood: The front half of a donkey 

Favorite scary place: The Myrtles Plantation outside New Orleans 

Favorite scary book: Stephen King’s The Shining 

Favorite paranormal TV shows: Supernatural, Penny Dreadful (first 3 seasons), Night Gallery, Kolchak the Night Stalker 

Favorite otherworldly passion: Collecting Tarot cards 

Favorite Halloween candy: Snickers 

Favorite Halloween decoration: my animated/lighted Halloween village, now with over ten buildings and graveyard! 

And my other favorite . . . Halloween music videos! For your grim enjoyment, shiver your way through my Halloween Video Playlist on YouTube

Have a Boo-fully scary (but safe!) holiday

About the Author:

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Goodreads Group “NancyGideonbyMoonlight” 

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Nancy Gideon is the award-winning bestseller of over 60 romances ranging from historical, regency and series contemporary suspense to dark paranormal, with a couple of horror screenplays tossed into the mix, and is currently testing the “Hybrid author” waters. 

Under her own name, she’s a top 100 Amazon bestseller with her “By Moonlight” dark shape-shifter series and is also listed on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) for collaborating on Indie horror films In the Woods and Savage with screenwriting and ADR script credits, and a small role as “bar extra” she likes to boast about. Writing as Dana Ransom, she’s a “Career Achievement for Historical Adventure” award winner with books published in Romanian, Italian, Russian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, French, German, Icelandic and Chinese. Writing historicals as Rosalyn West, she’s a HOLT Medallion winner and she’s also penned regencies as Lauren Giddings. Many of her older titles (from the ‘80s and ‘90s) have been or are soon being reissued. 

A prolific writer, Nancy attributes her creative output, which once peaked at seven novels in one year, to her love of history and a gift for storytelling, also crediting a background in journalism and OCD. She’s up every weekday at 4:30 a.m. to get in computer time before heading to her full-time job as a legal assistant in Central Michigan, and feeds a Netflix addiction along with all things fur, fin and fowl.

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Winds of Wrath (Destroyermen #15) by Taylor Anderson

WINDS OF WRATH is already receiving amazing acclaim! In a starred review of the novel, Publishers Weekly writes “Anderson’s world-spanning Destroyermen saga comes to a tense and well-crafted climax in the thoroughly satisfying 15th and final entry.”

Winds of Wrath (Destroyermen #15) 

by Taylor Anderson

June 9, 2020

544 pages

Genre: Alternate history, time travel, science fiction

Matt Reddy and the crew of the USS Walker are positioned to push the line of battle to the breaking point on an alternate Earth, in the thrilling return to the New York Times bestselling Destroyermen series.

Matt Reddy and his sailors have fought, bled, and died for their Lemurian friends and other allies from across time, but their enemies are still operational. In Africa, the Grik General Esshk has escaped defeat to build a new army and new weapons, and is desperate enough to use them to destroy the world if he can't have it.

In South America, the NUS, General Shinya, and the Army of the Sisters have the evil Dominion on the ropes and are closing in on the seat of its blood-drenched power, but the twisted Don Hernan has struck a deal with the fascist League, and Victor Gravois is finally assembling the awesome fleet of modern ships he's always craved. If he's successful, the war will be lost.

Undermined by treachery on a stunning scale, Matt Reddy must still steam his battered old ship halfway around the world, scraping up what forces he can along the way, and confront the mightiest armada the world has ever seen in a fiery duel to the death.

Praise for Taylor Anderson and the Destroyermen series

"I cannot recommend [these books] too highly."—New York Times bestselling author David Weber 

"Taylor Anderson...[has] steamed to the forefront of alternative history."—National bestselling author E. E. Knight 

"The fact that Anderson has a gift for complex plot and dialogue and a fabulous sense of humor makes reading his work a fun and guilt-free pleasure."—North County Times (CA) 

"If you like a fun tale set in a well-developed world, pick up the Destroyermen series and kick back and enjoy."—SFRevu

About the Author:

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Taylor Anderson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Destroyermen novels. A gunmaker and forensic ballistic archaeologist, Taylor has been a technical and dialogue consultant for movies and documentaries and is an award-winning member of the National Historical Honor Society and of the United States Field Artillery Association.

Book Review: C.A.E.C.O. (A novel of the Demon Accords – Book 15) by John Conroe

C.A.E.C.O. (A novel of the Demon Accords – Book 15)
by John Conroe
July 9, 2019
Pages: 316
Demon Accords book 15. Combat is literally her middle name, Chimeric Adaptive Enhanced Combat Operator, but now Caeco Jensen works for the FBI, building a new life and trying to learn from a painful past. It’s hard to fit in when you are one of a kind, but maybe, just maybe, there’s a place for her in this world. That is if threats from off planet don’t ruin it first. Forging and protecting a new future with a her unique skillset won’t be easy, maybe almost as hard as making new friends. 

Caeco hasn’t been around in the recent books of the demon accords series, and Conroe brings her back front and center in book 15 of the series. Caeco is a unique individual, who was raised in a lab and is a Chimeric Adaptive Enhanced Combat Operator. Lately, she has been putting her skills to work for the FBI and is hoping that her new SAC will listen to her instincts and use her abilities to help the team achieve their objectives.

A new mystery character is introduced in the story, that leaves Caeco thinking twice about many aspects of her personal and professional life. She is the outsider of the team, with special skills, her ability to talk with Omega and her connections with Declan and others from the school she struggles to fit in. Caeco and her team want to stop the aliens from destroying the earth and each member struggles to accept the help that Omega can offer them as well as the President of the United States. The character development and individuality that each received makes this book another winner.

Review: College Arcane (A Novel from the Demon Accords #8)
Review: God Hammer (A Novel from the Demon Accords - Book 9)Review: Rogues (A Novel from the Demon Accords - Book 10)
Review: Snake Eyes (A Novel from the Demon Accords - Book 11)
Review: Winterfall (A Novel from the Demon Accords - Book 12)
Review: Summer Reign (A Novel from the Demon Accords #13)
Review: Demon Divine (A Novel of the Demon Accords #14)



Getting 5 sheep

Denise B

About the Author:
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Conroe wrote his first readable novel, God Touched, right after finishing his daughter's copy of Twilight and muttering: "Vampires don't farging sparkle!"

With seven more books in the series and a stand alone novel (Black Frost), he doesn't seem to be slowing down. He cut his reading teeth on the likes of Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, JRR Tolkien, Robert Heinlein, Andre Norton, and H. Beam Piper.

Financial professional by day and author by night (actually by morning), he bangs out his stories with fingers that are usually sore from forge burns or getting beat up at the dojo.

Book Review: Unchained by a Forbidden Love (Eternal Mates Paranormal Romance Series Book 15) by Felicity Heaton

Unchained by a Forbidden Love (Eternal Mates Paranormal Romance Series Book 15)

by Felicity Heaton
December 14, 2017
330 pages
Genre: paranormal romance, vampires, fantasy
Lost to the darkness, Fuery wages a daily war against the corruption that lives within him, constantly in danger of slipping into the black abyss and becoming the monster all elves fear. Work as an assassin gives him purpose, but what reason is there to go on when he killed the light of his life—his fated mate?

Shaia has spent forty-two centuries mourning her mate. Tired and worn down, she agrees to wed a male of her family’s choosing, following tradition that has always bound her as a female and hoping she will be able to gain just a little freedom in return. But as she resigns herself to being the mate of a male she could never love, fate places an old friend in her path—one who tells her that her lost love is alive.

Will Shaia find the courage to break with tradition and leave the elf kingdom in search of her mate? And as a ray of light pierces his soul again, can Fuery find the strength to win his battle against the darkness or will it devour him and that light of their forbidden love forever?

Discover a passionate, lush, and powerful paranormal romance world packed with dark elves, vampires, demons, fae, shifters and angels from New York Times and USA Today Best-Selling Paranormal Romance Author Felicity Heaton.

For over four thousand years Shaia has mourned the death of her fated one, Fuery. She has been living a sort of half-existence with her parents in the elf kingdom, never quite embracing life. Shortly after reluctantly agreeing to marry a fellow elf vetted by her parents, Shaia leans Fuery may be alive and working as an assassin. And so she embarks on a journey to find Fuery and, in essence, the other half of her soul. But when Shaia finally reunites with Fuery, she finds him profoundly changed and narrowly averting a descent into dark madness.

A Felicity Heaton book is a guaranteed good read. I very much enjoy the Eternal Mates series. The books are all connected here and there, however, they can be read as standalones. I started the series with book 11. Eternal Mates is well done paranormal romance. The settings are imaginative and the storylines sexy. Unchained by a Forbidden Love is told non-linearly with several flashbacks to the origins of Shaia and Fuery’s relationship. I liked this technique as it added a bit of complexity to the plot. The action in the last part of the book is suspenseful and entertaining. I also love a good second chance story. When characters have history, it adds to the intensity of their connection. That was one of the features I loved about Eternal Mates #11.

Of the Heaton books I’ve read, this is probably one of my least favourite, however. While I liked it well enough, I found much of the book a little overwrought by Fuery’s angst. I found his tumultuous thoughts and relationship apprehension a little repetitive and I feel the book could’ve been considerably shorter. I didn’t really connect with Shaia and found her rather unoriginal and flat as a character.

Ultimately I love this series and I look forward to the next installment. I’m also eagerly anticipating the third book in Heaton’s Guardians of Hades series slated for release this year.

3 ½ Sheep

Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:

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I'm a NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY and International Best-Selling Author writing passionate paranormal romance books and series for adults.

I love to create detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! All of them alpha as you would expect in paranormal romance!

If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, my best-selling Her Angel romance series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm romance series or any of my stand alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and steamy then try my Vampire Erotic Theatre romance series. Or if you like hot-blooded alpha heroes who will let nothing stand in the way of them claiming their destined woman then try the Eternal Mates series. It’s packed with sexy heroes in a world populated by elves, vampires, fae, demons, shifters, and more. If sexy Greek gods with incredible powers battling to save our world and their home in the Underworld are more your thing, then be sure to step into the world of Guardians of Hades.

Author of:
VET series -- enter Vampirerotique, a dark sexy vampire theatre
Her Angel -- best selling acclaimed angel romance series
Vampires Realm -- critically acclaimed paranormal romance series

Book Review: The Chosen (Black Dagger Brotherhood #15) by J.R. Ward (no spoilers)

The Chosen (Black Dagger Brotherhood #15)

by J.R. Ward
April 4, 2017

Ballantine Books (Random House)
Pages: 544

Xcor, leader of the Band of Bastards, convicted of treason against the Blind King, is facing a brutal interrogation and torturous death at the hands of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Yet after a life marked by cruelty and evil deeds, he accepts his soldier’s fate, his sole regret the loss of a sacred female who was never his: the Chosen Layla.

Layla alone knows the truth that will save Xcor’s life. But revealing his sacrifice and his hidden heritage will expose them both and destroy everything Layla holds dear—even her role of mother to her precious young. Torn between love and loyalty, she must summon the courage to stand up against the only family she has for the only man she will ever love. Yet even if Xcor is somehow granted a reprieve, he and Layla would have to confront a graver challenge: bridging the chasm that divides their worlds without paving the way for a future of even greater war, desolation, and death.

As a dangerous old enemy returns to Caldwell, and the identity of a new deity is revealed, nothing is certain or safe in the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, not even true love . . . or destinies that have long seemed set in stone.

Layla knows that she can’t love Xcor, but can’t seem to help herself. She doesn’t know what to do to save him from a horrible death at the hands of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Layla puts everything on the line to try and help him.

The chemistry between Xcor and Layla is incredible. You can’t decide whether you should hate him or cheer for him. Beware, there are some shockers ahead in this installment that you won’t believe! Ward’s books are so well thought out and written, it makes reading them such a pleasure. If you are a fan of this series don’t miss this installment. If you’ve never read the Black Dagger Brotherhood I highly suggest you do, you won’t be disappointed.

There were at least three side stories started in this book that didn’t go anywhere. My guess is that Ward was laying the groundwork for future stories, but it was slightly distracting since it pulled the focus from the main story and left you wondering what was going on with each of them. Hopefully, some of these stories will come sooner rather than later and won’t leave us hanging for long.

Getting 5 sheep

DeniseB

About the Author:
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J.R. Ward is the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series of vampire books. She is a winner of the prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA award for Best Paranormal Romance and is a multiple RITA nominee. A graduate of Smith College, she was a double major in History and Art History with a medieval concentration in both and she still longs at times for a return to those days sitting in dark lecture halls, looking at slides of old triptychs and reliquaries. Prior to becoming a full time writer, she was a corporate attorney, serving for many years as the Chief of Staff of one of Harvard Medical Schools premier teaching sites. Her idea of absolute heaven is a day filled with nothing but her computer, her dog and her coffee pot and the Brothers, of course.

Spotlight, Q&A, and Excerpt: Nalini Singh on the future of the Psy-Changeling series + giveaway

Is Allegiance of Honor the end of the Psy-Changeling series?
No, it’s not. :) I ADORE this world and the characters and I have so many Psy-Changeling stories yet to tell. (I've often joked that I'll be writing this series until I'm ninety-eight!)

Where do you see the Psy-Changeling world going from here? Who is the next book about?
(Slightly spoilery answer to follow if you’re just starting the series).

Allegiance of Honor sets up a lot of possibilities for the future. There are many avenues I could take. However, for me, this arc is all about what happens not just to the Psy, but to the world, now that Silence has fallen and all the rules have changed.

We’ve had the immediate aftermath books, both of which focused on the Psy race (Shield of Winter & Shards of Hope), but what about the wider long-term future? Because Silence existed for a reason. The Psy still have these incredible abilities that have the potential to drive them murderously insane, and the world is still a fractured triumvirate. And there are players about whom we know very little, like the falcons and BlackSea.

As for who’s book is next, I’m not ready to announce it yet because I want to be certain this character is ready – but I think you’ll be pleased. ;-)

Allegiance of Honor (Psy-Changeling #15)

by Nalini Singh
June 14th 2016 by Berkley
ebook, 478 pages
The “unparalleled romantic adventure”* of Nalini Singh’s New York Times bestselling series continues as a new dawn begins for the Psy-Changeling world...

The Psy-Changeling world has undergone a staggering transformation and now stands at a crossroads. The Trinity Accord promises a new era of cooperation between disparate races and groups. It is a beacon of hope held together by many hands: Old enemies. New allies. Wary loners.

But a century of distrust and suspicion can’t be so easily forgotten and threatens to shatter Trinity from within at any moment. As rival members vie for dominance, chaos and evil gather in the shadows and a kidnapped woman’s cry for help washes up in San Francisco, while the Consortium turns its murderous gaze toward a child who is the embodiment of change, of love, of piercing hope: A child who is both Psy…and changeling.

To find the lost, protect the vulnerable—and save Trinity—no one can stand alone. This is a time of loyalty across divisions, of bonds woven into the heart and the soul, of heroes known and unknown standing back to back and holding the line. But is an allegiance of honor even possible with traitors lurking in their midst?

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Excerpt from Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh

Lucas had had to chase Naya around the aerie at bedtime last night—her walk might still be a little shaky, but she was a rocket when it came to crawling. Dressed only in a diaper, she’d laughed uproariously and said a loud, firm “No” each time Lucas caught her and put her in her crib.

After which she’d clamber out—she’d figured out how to escape a month earlier—and the game would begin again. Of course, since Lucas was a cat, he’d been having just as much fun as their daughter. Sascha, meanwhile, had sat in the living room with a cup of hot chocolate and just indulged in the sight of her mate playing with their cub.

She’d had to pretend to be stern when Naya ran over and pleaded her case with loud sounds and wild gesticulations of her hands.

“No, Naya,” she’d said, biting her tongue in an effort not to laugh. “It’s time for bed. Go with Papa.”

At which point, Naya had growled at her, eyes sparkling with mischief.

And Sascha had cracked, laughing so hard she’d had to put down her hot chocolate before she spilled it. Lucas had shaken his head as Naya plopped down on her diaper-covered butt and joined in, clapping her hands at having made her mommy laugh. “No discipline.” Lucas had mock-growled at her before picking up their misbehaving baby.

“And you”—a growly nuzzle that made Naya laugh harder and pat his stubbled cheek—“time for bed.”

He’d finally got her to sleep—by walking around with her pressed up against his bare chest.

Today, their cub was playing in the living area just outside the kitchen nook. Sascha had locked the aerie door to ensure Naya wouldn’t undo the latch and go out onto the balcony, and Lucas had childproofed the entire main area of the aerie, so Naya was free to roam as she liked. A lot of the time she practiced her walking skills. And no matter how often she fell down, she started back up again after a little break.

Stubborn, determined baby.

Peeking out from the kitchen, Sascha found her concentrating on stacking the colored alphabet blocks Faith and Vaughn had given her as a gift. Beside her sat a more than slightly ragged wolf plush toy, aka “The Toy That Shall Not Be Named.” Hawke had given that to Naya when she was a newborn, and it remained her favorite snuggle toy, much to her father’s despair.

Though Lucas did enjoy it when Naya went leopard on the toy, growling and “fighting” with the wolf. Then he’d smile and say, “That’s my girl.”

Posted by arrangement with Berkley Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © Nalini Singh, 2016.

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