Scorched – Spotlight & Review

Scorched by Sharon Ashwood

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Signet (MM) (Dec 1 2009)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0451228642

ISBN-13: 978-0451228642

Book Description:

“Welcome to the castle. The price of admission is your soul.

Ex-detective Macmillan has a taste for bad girls, but his last lover really took the cake–and his humanity. Now a half-demon, Mac’s lost his friends, his family, and his job.

Then a beguiling vampire asks for his help to find her son. Suddenly, Mac has a case to work–one that leads him deep into the supernatural prison where Mac learns that cracking the case will cost him his last scrap of humanity.

Fiery, vulnerable Constance will do anything for those she loves, including Mac. He’ll be damned if he turns his back on her… and a demon forever if he doesn’t.”

My Thoughts:

The second book in Sharon Ashwood’s The Dark Forgotten series grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go. Mac and Constance heat up the pages, kick some serious butt and defy a lot of odds. Both main charcters have a lot to deal with internally, in coming to grips with their paranormal natures, as well as externally, in dealing with the people who matter to them and the situations they are in. We also get to “see” a bit more of Holly and Alessandro, the main characters from the first book, Ravenous. I really liked that they were worked into this story because I always wonder what “happens” to characters after their book is done. 🙂 

Gripping, suspenseful, funny at times, and filled with a myriad of amazing charcters and plot, the story weaving is excellent! The castle and every other location that Sharon Ashwood writes about just oozes atmosphere and you feel like you’re there with the characters.  I can’t wait for the next book in the series, Unchained to hit stores in July 2010. Any fans of both Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance will find this to be an awesome book and series to follow.

    

Buy Scorched at:

Chapters

Amazon

To read the hilarious guest blog that Sharon Ashwood wrote back when Ravenous came out, click HERE.

To read my review of Ravenous, the 1st book in the series, click HERE.

To find out more about Sharon Ashwood and what new wonders she has in the works, visit her website, HERE.

Night Life – Spotlight & Review

Night Life by Caitlin Kittredge  March 2008 by St. Martin’s

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martins Press
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312948298
• ISBN-13: 978-0312948290

From the Back Cover

“The first book a thrilling, addictive new series by a talented new voice in dark fantasy. Welcome to Nocturne City, where werewolves, black magicians, and witches prowl the streets at night…

Among them is Luna Wilder, a tough-as-nails police officer whose job is to keep the peace. As an Insoli werewolf, Luna travels without a pack and must rely on instinct alone. And she’s just been assigned to find the ruthless killer behind a string of ritualistic murders—a killer with ties to an escaped demon found only in legend…until now.

But when she investigates prime suspect Dimitri Sandovsky, she can’t resist his wolfish charms. Pack leader of a dangerous clan of Redbacks, Dimitri sends her animal instincts into overdrive and threatens her fiercely-guarded independence. But Luna and Dimitri will need to rely on each other as they’re plunged into an ancient demon underworld and pitted against an expert black magician with the power to enslave them for eternity…”

Another awesome Urban Fantasy author to add to my favorite’s list! Caitlin Kittredge comes out swinging with her debut novel, Night Life. I loved the non-stop action, grittiness and danger that Luna Wilder goes up against and the sparks that fly every time Luna and Dimitri come anywhere close to each other are hot, Hot, HOT!

I like the world building. Nocturne City is awesome, and the tension and dark story-telling are definitely to my liking. The police and the corruption that could occur in a world like this are dead on. I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series Pure Blood, which is due to be released in August 2008.

( Moved over from my original blog )  

Personal Demons – Spotlight & Review

Personal Demons by Stacia Kane   Juno Books April 1, 2008

Paperback: 304 pages

Publisher: Juno Books (April 23 2008)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0809572559

ISBN-13: 978-0809572557

(from Stacia’s web site) “When psychological counselor Megan Chase promises listeners to her new call in show she’ll slay their personal demons, they believe her. So do the personal demons.

Megan doesn’t know that she’s the only human alive without a personal demon on her shoulder. This, coupled with her psychic abilities, makes her a valuable weapon for any demon mob-like family lucky enough to gain her allegiance. It also makes her a serious threat not just to the personal demons, but to a soul-sucking Legion of Hell known as the Accuser. The Accuser already has an old score to settle with Megan and sees this as the perfect time to do it.

But Megan isn’t without allies as she’s plunged back into a world she forgot existed. A member of a competing demon family sees Megan as his ticket to power, and sets about both protecting and seducing her with devilish intensity.

Can Megan, her new demon lover, a witch with poor social skills, and three cockney guard demons named Malleus, Maleficarium and Spud defeat not only the Accuser, the personal demons, and the ghosts of Megan’s past, but the reporter who threatens to destroy Megan’s carreer as well?”

Psychologist and new radio talk show host Megan Chase gets the shock of her life when she discovers that not only do demons exist, but that she can see them and there are scores of them after her to kill her! The innocent slogan for her talk-radio show, promising listeners that Megan can “slay their personal demons” gets taken quite literally by the demon population, and they are bent on taking her out. Enter the uber-sexy Greyson Dante with the three cockney brothers, all demons as well, but there to protect her.

This book was a marvelous read. It drew me into Megan’s world and took me on a whole new paranormal roller-coaster ride! Not only does Stacia Kane bring to life the big & small, ugly & evil, violent and scary demons, but she also has charismatic, funny, sexy and caring demons that I totally fell in love with.

Megan Chase could easily be you or I, throw in some psychic abilities, a whole lot of spice, and she’s one of the most captivating female protagonist’s to come along in awhile. I really enjoyed the mix of action, romance, paranormal elements and a cast of great characters.

I’m hooked and really looking forward to the next novel in this series The Demon Inside, which is scheduled for release in January 2009.

You can read Chapter 1, or find out more about Stacia Kane at her web site. http://staciakane.com/  You can pre-order Personal Demons by clicking on either the Chapters or Amazon links at the top of this page.

 

( Moved over from my original Blog )