Review: Bite Me by Parker Blue (Demon Underground #1)

Publisher - Bell Bridge Books
Publication Date - 30th September 2008
Genre -  Young Adult/Urban Fantasy

Source - Received from NetGalley for review

Rating - 2.5 out of 5: I liked it


Reviewed by - Ally

Book Info - Life after high school is tough enough without having to go 15 rounds with your inner demon.

Val Shapiro is just your ordinary, part-demon, teenaged vampire hunter with a Texas drawl. And a pet hellhound named Fang. Soon enough she finds herself deep in the underbelly of the city, discovering the secrets of the Demon Underground and fighting to save those she loves. Whether they love her back or not.

My Thoughts - Since Richelle Mead's Succubus series ended I’ve been waiting for a book to come into my life to fill that hole. Unfortunately that is a VERY big hole to fill and Val and her inner succubus just did not fill it. This snarky little bundle of vampire hunting, familial problems virginal slayer and her hell hound Fang are a cute little duo, hidden within the depths of older YA books when the Cullen’s weren’t sparkling on our TV screens and vampires were the embodiment of Bram stoker *reminisces on the good ole days* Well okay enough of that.

This cute little older YA series deals with our main character Val Shapiro’s newly abandoned self, her parents, more specifically her spineless mother –excuse me I REALLY disliked her mother!- and her more understanding step dad, who sort of ….blame her for her sister being out late at night fighting vampires with her. That’s not the case …exactly.

Her snarky hell hound who thinks at her in ALL CAPLOCKS is cute and so funny, their relationship was definitely interesting (he reminds me of the unicorn in Allison Pangs series) The fight scenes in the book are definitely intense and well written and with a whole litany of interesting characters with back stories that I can’t wait to discover. This book is fast paced.

For me this wasn’t the most well written book, but the characters made up for it. Val handles her family problems pretty well for a YA which is refreshing for YA. Her love interest in this book is Dan, kind hearted, sweet….BORING Dan, the scenes between them were sweet, she’s part succubus! NOT unicorn (Although Miss Pangs unicorn is pretty horny-pardon the pun- himself). Where’s the lust? (Maybe I’m expecting too much from a YA book? Even if it is for the older crowd.)

The plotting in the middle was spotty; too much travelling, too much dialogue. It felt like I was following a ping pong match at moments, there’s fast paced and then there's pacing. Shade’s character is very cool and the scene with him had me picturing him lighting up my bedroom-no really just my bedroom he swirls with light-and I can totally see him being in my future books and ermmm *cough* dreams.

Things you should know (Again thank you Kimba)

1. This book won’t win awards for literary genius but the content makes up for that.
2. Her mother is a cold hearted ‘shroom.
3. I really liked the sister.
4. The Vampires don’t sparkle.
5. I really want a hellhound.

Summary - This book was cute and Val and Fangs snarky comments were funny. I liked Dan's sister and although Dan is sweet…ehhh. I can’t wait to see what this series has in store. Chao, lovingly Ally who’s waiting for the sexy to be put back into the part lust Demon that is Val Shapiro.

Other books in this series:
1. Bite Me
2. Try Me
3. Fang Me
4. Make Me

Other reviews of this book:
Coffee Table Reviews / That's What She Read / YA Bound

Review: Always the Designer, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker (Tanglewood #3)

Publisher - Abingdon Press
Publication Date - 1st April 2012
Genre -  Contemporary Romance

Source - Received from NetGalley for review

Rating - 2.5 out of 5: I liked it


Reviewed by - Ally

Book Info - It’s taken Audrey Regan years to establish herself as a wedding dress designer, and to date she’s been roped into creating dresses for nine of her girlfriends. Request #10 follows her vow to “Just say no!” and comes from her very best friend. She can hardly turn Carly down!

Audrey arrives in Atlanta early to perform all of her maid-of-honor duties along with final fittings for a one-of-a-kind dress. But Carly’s wedding is nothing short of an event, complete with Prince Charming, and the festivities make Audrey question whether there’s a prince of her own anywhere in her future.

Enter the groom’s brother and best man. Shaggy-haired, tattooed bad boy J.R. Hunt couldn’t be any more different from Prince Charming if he rode in on a Harley Davidson. Oh, wait. He actually did ride in on a Harley!

My Thoughts - Always the Designer, Never the Bride keeps the laughter going and the tears rolling, funny, romantic and damn well crazy. This book introduced a litany of characters that you can’t help but fall in love with. The third in the series, though I read as a standalone, this book brings to life every girls dream.

The book is set at the The Tanglewood Inn, a wedding destination hotel in historic Roswell, Georgia. The book brings to life Audrey Regan crazy and sad adventure in the world of Haute couture and romance - a wedding dress designer - who finds herself at the Tanglewood Inn, designing a dress for her best friend, Carly.

As Audrey tries NOT to fall for Carly's soon-to-be brother-in-law, J.R. Hunt – the rugged, fun loving, never stay in one place - is the most unlikely candidate for a prince charming. Carly’s Manoeuvres and fate's crazy antics inevitably bring them together.

Always the Designer is a light, "make you laugh" book. You'll find yourself cheering on for the loveable cast at the inn. Although this book was cute I found it dragged on in some parts and I think it needed more editing, the writing was good but It could have been much shorter, I found myself skipping over paragraphs waiting for something to catch my interest. I found the ending to be bit fantastical everything wrapping up a bit too nicely.

This book could have passed-if edited more- as a light hearted romance and would have saved me 2 extra hours of “reading”. This for me outweighed the good in the book, though u do have to say a certain scene with a door and a sister and husband asking loudly “are they kissing, they aren’t talking” will forever hold me in tears.

A solid book (for those who need some time wasting) that sparks my interest for the rest of the series( if I need something to do).

Summary - A cute love story that lead with the classic “he can’t be…no, I can’t be…We can’t be doing this” Definitely a series to read If you’re looking for warm fuzzy romance, and light hearted read.

Other books in this series:
1. Always the Baker, Never the Bride
2. Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride
3. Always the Designer, Never the Bride

Other reviews of this book:
I'd So Rather Be Reading / The Readers Den

Review: Demon Soul by Christine Ashworth (Caine Brothers #1)

Publisher - Crescent Moon Press
Publication Date - April 2011
Genre - Paranormal Romance

Source - Received from author for review

Rating - 2.5 out of 5: I liked it

Book Info - Gabriel Caine stands on the edge of the abyss. A vampire has stolen his soul and if he doesn't get it back soon, his next step will be into Hell. Only the naïvely mysterious Rose can help him retrieve it. Without her, he really will become the devil himself.

Rose Walters has been sent back from the dead to complete one task-save Gabriel Caine. She's drawn to Gabriel on the most basic level, but restoring his soul may cost Rose her life.

Rose has touched the whole of Gabriel, making him yearn for a love he believes he can never have. Her willingness to put her human life on the line for him forces him to bring all three parts of himself—demon, human, and Feri bloodlines, and the strengths of each—into harmony and into the fight that decides their fate.

My Thoughts - What I really liked about this novel is that it brings some originality back into the paranormal genre. Gabriel and his brothers are tri-breeds - a mixture of demon, fae and human - and they have each inherited slightly different characteristics from their parents. Rose is also very different from any other characters I've read about. This meant that I became intrigued by these characters from the very start.

I think that the novel moves along at a good pace, with a nice balance between the romance and action elements. The author slowly unravels the story, meaning that the plot kept me hooked and I was always guessing at what would happen next. I also liked the way that Gabriel's relationship with his brothers is portrayed. Gabriel has been on his own for a decade and we see how each member of the family was affected by this absence and also how they have to work at building a new relationship once he comes home.

However, I found it quite difficult to like Gabriel very much. He experienced some bad things as he was growing up and as a result he goes into a self-imposed exile. And when he comes back home in Demon Soul, he continues to keep his distance from the people around him, especially Rose. I couldn't help but feel as though he was taking the easy way out rather than dealing with the issues of his past. Plus he does far too much brooding for my liking. Near the end, once he accepts his feelings for Rose, he does become more likeable but I wish that this could have started happening sooner in the novel.

Summary - A new twist in the paranormal genre that is well-written and gripping. However, my inability to click with the hero meant that I did not enjoy the story as much as I would have liked. I am still intrigued enough by the concepts introduced in Demon Soul to continue with the series and see what the author has in store for the other tri-breeds.

Other books in the series:
1. Demon Soul
2. Demon Hunt

Other reviews of this book:
Judging the Book By It's Pages / Reader Views

This book counts towards the following challenges:
Book #10 for 2012 Speculative Romance Reading Challenge
Book #14 for 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

Review: Hot as Sin by Bella Andre (Hot Shots #2)

Publisher - Rouge Romance (Website)
Publication Date - 14th October 2011
Genre - Romantic Suspense

Source - Received from publisher for review

Rating - 2.5 out of 5: I liked it

Book Info - Sam MacKenzie is a fire fighter who knows no fear. There's no one waiting for him at home, no reason not to risk it all. Out of the blue, the only woman he's ever loved - the same one who ground his heart to dust ten years ago - shows up begging him for help. Dianna's sister is in big trouble somewhere in the rugged Colorado Rockies, and he's the only person Dianna knows with the skills to track her sister down.Working together on their quest, they soon realise there's a killer on the loose and his true target isn't Dianna's sister...it's Dianna herself. Using his extreme outdoor skills, Sam needs to track down the killer, before he loses the woman he loves forever.

My Thoughts - This is another hot and steamy fireman romance from Bella Andre! I enjoyed the first book in this series very much, but Hot as Sin was not as good in my opinion.

I really enjoyed the fast paced plot involving Dianna and her sister who has been kidnapped. Dianna must find her sister, therefore putting herself in danger as she is the kidnapper's intended target. Although the reader knows right from the start who has taken her sister, this does not detract from the story in any way. In fact we get to learn more about the kidnapper and his motives than we would do ordinarily and this makes for interesting reading.

There is a lot of chemistry between Sam and Dianna and this leads to many steamy scenes between the two of them. I loved the background story between the two characters. They were together ten years ago but their relationship breaks down after Dianna suffers a miscarriage. They both feel a lot of hurt over past events and I loved watching them open up to each other about how they felt after their miscarriage and watching them trying to regain each others trust.

However, what made me  have difficulties with this book is that I didn't particularly like Dianna or Sam and as a result of this I found it really hard to connect to either of them. Of course, this is just my personal opinion and other readers may not feel the same way at all. I found Dianna to be very judgemental of others, despite the fact that she is working hard to hide her trailer park background in case she herself gets judged. And Sam comes across as being quite controlling and I didn't like the way he spoke to Dianna at times when he was ordering her around. They were not like this all the time, and there are some very sweet and tender moments between them, but it happened enough for it to bother me.

Summary - An interesting premise to the story, with a lovely romance between Dianna and Sam. I just wish that I had found them to be more likeable. However, if you are a fan of sexy firemen then I would definitely recommend this series to you.

Other books in this series:
1. Wild Heat
2. Hot as Sin
3. Never Too Hot

Other reviews of this book:
All About Romance / Smitten With Reading
(If you would like your review of Hot as Sin included here, please leave a link to your review in the comments and I will be sure to add it)