Owned By Rome – Spotlight & Review

Owned By Rome by Katalina Leon

Book Length: Plus Novel

Book Type: eBook

Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing

ISBN: 9781419927843

MSRP/List Price: $13.98

Genre: Romance, Historical, Erotica

Book Description:

“On the edge of the Roman Empire, Queen Boudica’s rebellion has ended. A time of great tragedy has passed. Atellus, a Roman magistrate living in Gaul, discovers he’s no longer sympathetic to Rome and must now question every facet of his life.

A cunning Celtic woman with golden-red hair arrives in the slave markets, defiant and angry—a danger to anyone foolish enough to purchase her. As punishment for her willfulness, she is to be offered as a sexual favor to Roman guests at a lavish feast and put to death for their entertainment.

For Atellus, it’s love at first sight. He wants to own her. They embark on an erotically turbulent journey through a lonely Celtic forest. He suspects his beautiful slave is harboring a painful secret and must never again speak her true name. She is Celtic royalty—the last of her kind.

In the heart of the forest, strong-willed lovers clash, fall in love and catch a glimpse of what the future can be if both can learn to trust and forgive.”

My Thoughts:

This was an interesting read. Katalina Leon obviously really did her research as she incorporates quite a few Roman words into the story. If you got hooked on the HBO show Spartacus and you’re wanting some more ancient Roman tales, then here you go. She does a great job in writing about what it might have been like to live in that place and time.

I really liked the character, Rutila. She’s strong, brave, vulnerable and determined. A Celtic who was captured and sold into slavery in Rome, she’s fiesty and never gives up. I honestly wasn’t so crazy about the main character, Atellus. He had some good qualities, but for my individual tastes, he was a bit too “moony” or fixated on finding a grand love. I like a big, brawny, sexy alpha male who not only acts the part, but thinks in those terms as well. Just my personal preference though. All in all, it was a good read.

   

Buy Owned By Rome

Find out more about Katalina Leon and what she’s working on at her website!

Dark And Disorderly – Spotlight & Review

Dark & Disorderly by Bernita Harris

On sale date: Jun 28, 2010

Publisher: Carina Press

eISBN: 9781426890338

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Book Description:

“I was standing there naked when my dead husband walked into my bathroom…”

 

Lillie St. Claire is a Talent, one of the rare few who can permanently dispatch the spirits of the dead that walk the earth. Her skills are in demand in a haunted country, where a plague of ghosts is becoming a civic nuisance.

Those skills bring her into conflict with frightened citizens who view Talents as near-demons. Her husband comes to see her as a Freak; so when Nathan dies after a car crash, she is relieved to be free of his increasingly vicious presence. Lillie expects to be haunted by Nathan’s ghost, but not to become Suspect #1 for her husband’s murder and reanimation.

But what’s most surprising of all is the growing attraction between her and psi-crime detective John Thresher. He thinks that Lillie killed Nathan—and Nathan must agree, because his zombie is seeking revenge. Now she and Thresher must work together to solve her husband’s murder—before his corpse kills her…”

My Thoughts:

I quite enjoyed this e-book which is part of Harlequin’s Carina Press launch month of releases. Bernita Harris writes a brilliant story with interesting and quirky characters who drive the tale. A wonderfully written dark and edgy paranormal world in which ghosts, talents, sidhe and humans co-exist.

Lillie St. Claire and John Thresher had sparks galore and I hope there will be another book about them! 😀 The villains were truly detestable, (which I love, because you have to hate the villain), and the supporting characters were great as well. There’s something unique about the author’s writing style or voice that I found to be refreshing. It almost has a touch of a British taste to the writing and I liked it! I also have to show some cover love as the gal on the cover looks exactly how I pictured Lillie in my mind. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books by this author.

     

Pre-Order Dark & Disorderly at:

Carina Press,  Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble

Find out more about Bernita Harris and what she’s got in the works at her BLOG.

Free YA Vampy Gothic Novel – Marta Acosta

I just wanted to share this with you all seeing as how you’re all made of awesome and deserve a great free read! 🙂 Marta Acosta, author of the hilarious Casa Dracula series has written a YA Vamp story and she’s posted it online for everyone to read for free. It just doesn’t get much better than that!

Book Description:

“Foster teen Jane Williams survives in her gritty world by keeping to the 
shadows.  When she’s invited to attend the elite Birch Grove Academy for
Girls on a full-scholarship, it sounds too good to be true.  She even gets
to live on her own in the old groundskeeper’s cottage in the middle of a
Birch Grove.  Everyone is so Jane, especially the elegant and pale
headmistress and her gorgeous sons.

But soon an unknown enemy is threatening Jane and she begins to have
questions about the headmistress’s family…and another scholarship girl
who disappeared.  What secrets are people keeping and what’s the real 
reason Jane was invited to this school?  What’s she willing to risk for
this once-in-a-lifetime chance?”

Read or download The Shadow Girl Of Birch Grove for free! Let me know what you think after you read it. 🙂

Dusk – Spotlight & Review

Dusk by Lana Griffin

Format: Kindle Edition (See link on bottom of post for other E-book formats)

File Size: 182 KB

Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited

Publisher: Ravenous Romance (December 30, 2009)

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Language: English

ASIN: B0032FOITE

E-Book Description:

“A sexy vampire tale by Lana Griffin, the alter ego of a New York Times best-selling author!

Can an ancient voodoo priestess and her vampire lover overcome their “bad blood” to save the lives of ordinary humans?

Alexandra Leveau comes from an ancient voodoo priestess clan that’s been feuding with sexy vamp Vadim Blerinca’s family for centuries. The mysterious “bad blood” between the Leveaus and Blerincas is what keeps Alexandra and Vadim burning for each other, yet it also makes them a very dangerous match: by making love, each could kill the other.

Added to the erotically charged mix is Alexandra’s ex-boyfriend, the poetic wraith Skipp, as well as a gargoyle who is devoted to Alexandra and will kill anyone who tampers with her. Add one more wraith to the mix plus an insane vamp sire and the true Venus de Milos. Now mix in elements of murder and mystery: the deaths of elderly citizens for unknown reasons.

DUSK gives you all this and more. A sexy, romantic romp of forbidden love and lust!”

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this book. Vampires, a Voodoo Priestess, reincarnation, wraiths, gargoyles and themes of love, loyalty and strength all combined to make for an interesting read. Of course there was some hot sex too and the danger of “bad blood” making it dangerous for Alexie & Vadim to be together. I also liked the inner battle that Alexie had to wage as well as having to deal with outside circumstances.  

Now anyone who knows me, or at least has been reading my reviews for awhile, knows that I lean more towards longer novels or series, as I personally prefer more fully fleshed out stories and characters. But for a shorter novel, Dusk was a good read! If you love a quick bite of erotic paranormal romance with some interesting twists and turns, then Dusk is for you.

    

Buy Dusk at:

Amazon Kindle

Other E-Reader editions

Find out more about Lana Griffin at her blog.