April Reads...

*So sweet. Holding paws while sleeping*

April was one of those months that I'd rather not repeat. I usually associate April with happiness and warmth but this year all I can think of is stress and worry. I don't even want to think of what I would have done without books to escape into. So here's hoping May proves to be a better month all around.

Reading wise, I'm surprised at the number, mostly because much of the time it felt like everything was in a holding pattern. Waiting for this and hoping for that, it didn't feel like I read much at all. But apparently I did manage to keep up my usual pace.

Audio Books

1. This Side of the Grave/Jeaniene Frost/UF/
2. Silent on the Moor/Deanna Raybourn/Mystery/B-
3. Mercy Kill/Lori Armstrong/Mystery/B+

My audio books list is short for the month because I seem to have the patience of a 5 year old. There should be two other books on the list but listening was going too slow for me. At one point I was even reading along while listening to Karen Rose's Silent Scream, trying not to read ahead but couldn't help myself. (Seriously, who does this if not a 5 year old?) I finally gave up, turned on some music and read the darn book! The other book I tried to listen to but ended up reading was Rose's I Can See You. Clearly, mysteries and Bones' accent are what held my attention when it came to audio books. :)

Print/Electronic Books

1. The Sweetest Thing/Jill Shalvis/Contemporary/A
2. I Can See You/Karen Rose/Romantic Suspense/A
3. Demon from the Dark/Kresley Cole/PNR/A
4. Absolutely, Positively/Heather Webber/Romantic Mystery/A-
5. The Vampire Dimitri/Colleen Gleason/Historical PNR/A-
6. Silent Scream/Karen Rose/Romantic Suspense/A- (review to follow)
7. The Perfect Play/Jaci Burton/Contemporary/B+
8. Pleasure of a Dark Prince/Kresley Cole/PNR/B+
9. Mommy Said Goodbye/Janice Kay Johnson/Contemporary/B+
10. Mustang Wild/Stacey Kayne/Historical Western/B
11. Backstage Pass/Olivia Cunning/Erotic Romance/B (review to follow)
12. Blood Knot/Tracy Cooper-Posey/Erotic Romance/B (review to follow)
13. Revelations/Janice Kay Johnson/Contemporary/B (review to follow)

The Numbers

Contemporary ~ 4
Erotic Romance ~2
Historical ~ 2
Mystery ~ 1
Romantic Suspense ~ 2
PNR ~ 2

Format

Print ~ 8
E-book ~ 5

Not bad, certainly more than I expected. And no stinkers in the bunch! That's always a good sign of some excellent recommendations from all of you. So thank you! Now I just need to catch up on the reviews!

So how did April treat you? Any books that Wowed you?

Review: Demon from the Dark

Demon from the Dark
Kresley Cole
Paranormal Romance
Immortals After Dark/Book 10
Pocket/August 31, 2010

*Spoilers for Previous Books*

From the back cover ~

A Dangerous Demon She Can't Resist...

Malkom Slaine: tormented by his sordid past and racked by vampiric hungers, he's pushed to the brink by the green-eyed beauty under his guard.

A Maddening Witch He Aches To Claim...

Carrow Graie: hiding her own sorrows, she lives only for the next party or prank. Until she meets a tortured warrior worth saving.

Trapped Together In A Savage Prison...

In order for Malkom and Carrow to survive, he must unleash both the demon and the vampire inside him. When Malkom becomes the nightmare his own people feared, will he lose the woman he craves body and soul?

After the cliff hanger ending of Pleasures of a Dark Prince, I had to start Demon from the Dark. And boy am I glad I did! Malkom Slaine has got to be one of my favorite heroes. Add in the wickedly smart Carrow and you have a couple who create a heroic team.

Carrow Graie is a powerful witch but like any witch, she gets her power from a specific source. Being imprisoned by a sadistic bastard isn't her idea of fun. She's desperate to get out and with little hope of escape for herself or her friends, she takes the one opportunity offered her. It's not much of a choice - it's either take the job or torture and death will follow, and not necessarily for just her. The story starts in a dark place, picking up where Pleasure of a Dark Prince left off. It's dark for both Carrow and Malkom but for different reasons. As I mentioned, Carrow is a witch and usually, I have little interest in witches but I liked Carrow a lot. She is a practical witch who deals in commerce and survival. She's also a modern witch and while she can be a little too self-absorbed at times, she is loyal to her coven. She's not perfect and makes some mistakes but her determination leaves you cheering for her.

Malkom Slaine - oh, lordy how I loved this tortured, wounded, fucked-up hero! Malkom has been through hell and back and still makes the occasional trip there. He is both demon and vampire but hates his vampire side, trying to suppress it as best he can. When he and Carrow first meet, they have trouble communicating because Malkom has forgotten how to speak the Vampire language aka English. Carrow's Demonish is rusty but they stumble along with Malkom giving orders and Carrow not always following them. Their interactions are humorous, with Carrow making fun of Malkom and Malkom being a typical male and not understanding Carrow, no matter the language! Malkom decides Carrow is his and he protects what is his. I loved how he was careful with her, wanting to take care of her while learning to trust her. He had been alone for so very long, it was difficult for him to trust.

Carrow and Malkom have a rocky start to their romance but they do get a romance. It's sweet and funny and sexy which is odd when they spend quite a bit of the time battling one enemy after another. And these battles are messy and bloody giving Carrow and Malkom all the more reason to enjoy getting clean. But Malkom hates the water so Carrow must gentle him to it. There is a scene where he goes into the water for her even though he has horrible memories of water. That for me, shows how much he is willing to do for her. But Cole makes these two work very hard for the HEA. Even though Malkom had decided early on that Carrow was his and you could certainly say he had a "mine" moment, it isn't that easy. They end up working together to survive and getting to know each other, making that mine moment believable. One minor irritant - Malkom biting off his claws so he could touch Carrow intimately. All I could visualize were jagged, broken fingers nails. Not something you want touching you intimately! I'm guessing he has strong, sharp teeth that worked more like heavy duty nail clippers but still, could get the imagine out of my mind. LOL

The plot and story arc move along at a decent pace. I never felt like there was too much action or too much down time. Cole does a great job at pacing the story, blending just he right amount of action and romance. I'm fascinated with the Order and want to know more about them - no doubt they will feature prominently as the Accession draws nearer.

There are many secondary characters and quite a few shouting out for their story to be told. Apparently Regin was shouting the loudest (hard to believe *snort*). Her story is next and while I like her, I'm not so sure about her hero. Dreams of a Dark Warrior is out now with Lothaire's book due out next year. Lots to look forward to, Nix - soon I hope! Demon from the Dark will be a hard one to top!

Rating: A

Books in the series ~

The Warlord Wants Forever (Novella in Playing Easy to Get)
A Hunger Like No Other
No Rest for the Wicked
Wicked Deeds on a Winters Night
Dark Needs at Night's Edge
Kiss of a Demon King
Untouchable (Novel in duology, Deep Kiss of Winter)
Pleasure of a Dark Prince
Demon from the Dark
Dreams of a Dark Warrior
Lothaire (January 10, 2012)

Review: Pleasure of a Dark Prince

Pleasure of a Dark Prince
Kresley Cole
Paranormal Romance
Immortals After Dark/Book 9
Pocket/February 16, 2010

*Possible Spoilers for Previous Books*

From the author's website ~

A Dangerous Beauty

Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her - and those she loves.

An Uncontrollable Need

Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.

That Lead To A Pleasure So Wicked...

From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia's greatest weakness - her wanton desire for him.

Finally started up this series again. I had let it fall by the wayside after having such a hard time finishing Kiss of a Demon King. That book just didn't work for me. I didn't like the hero or the heroine. So after a break, I came back with a vengeance! I flew through Pleasure of a Dark Prince and Demon from the Dark. Both reminded me why I enjoyed this series so much!

Lucia went through hell at a young age. She made a huge mistake while a teenager and is still paying for, centuries later. One thing I've always loved about this series is the camaraderie and sisterhood of the Valkyries. They can be real bitches but even at their bitchiest, they stick together. They've got each others' backs. Lucia is closest with Regin, they are cohorts in crime or at the very least, in finding trouble.

Garreth MacRieve is the heir to Lykae throne and has been looking for his brother, the king of the Lykae, who has been missing for almost two centuries. It's while Garreth is in New Orleans that he senses his mate nearby. Too bad she wants nothing to do with him. Garreth is easy to like. He's funny, with that smartass humor that I love. He's also relentless when it comes to pursuing his mate. It's in his lykae blood, to never give up. I liked how he did this kind of one step forward, two steps back, then run like crazy to catch up with Lucia. He's an alpha and while he does exert his alpha-ness, he also has this gentle side that he shows to his mate. And I loved how he pronounced Lucia "Lousha" with that sexy Scottish burr.

After misunderstandings and imprisonment, Lucia and Garreth find themselves on a quest, searching for something that is said to have the ability to kill a god. It had a very Indiana Jones feel with a journey through the Amazon, complete with dangerous terrain, monsters and enemies at every turn. Cole keeps things moving quickly with lots of action. Garreth and Lucia hold their own against their enemies and work together to defeat them. The one thing about the Valkyries - that don't play the "girl card" when it comes to a fight. They can kick-ass just as well as the boys.

The story takes place during the same time-line as previous books. While I knew what the outcome for some of the characters story lines, I didn't know what would happened to Garreth and Lucia and that's what kept my interest. I did find some of the repetition of the previous plots hard to get into since I knew the outcome. Like when Emma is hurt and dying, it was emotional for the characters but not so much for me. Lucia wasn't always an easy characters to like. She's loyal and honorable but continues to punish herself, and in turn, punishes Garreth, because of her one big mistake as a teen.

The ending leaves the reader standing on a cliff, just waiting to get pushed over the edge. I loved it and immediately started the next book, Demon From the Dark.

Rating: B+

Books in the series ~

The Warlord Wants Forever (Novella in Playing Easy to Get)
A Hunger Like No Other
No Rest for the Wicked
Wicked Deeds on a Winters Night
Dark Needs at Night's Edge
Kiss of a Demon King
Untouchable (Novel in duology, Deep Kiss of Winter)
Pleasure of a Dark Prince
Demon from the Dark
Dreams of a Dark Warrior
Lothaire (January 10, 2012)

Cover Love ~ Pleasure of a Dark Prince

From the author's website ~

Coming January 19, 2010!

New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole enraptures again with this seductive tale of a fierce werewolf prince who will stop at nothing to protect the lovely archer he covets from afar.

A DANGEROUS BEAUTY

Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her—and those she loves.

AN UNCONTROLLABLE NEED

Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.

LEAD TO A PLEASURE SO WICKED. . . .

From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia’s greatest weakness—her wanton desire for him. . . .

Kresley Cole has posted the cover of her next full length novel in the IAD series. So, what do you think of the cover? I'm not feeling a whole lot a cover love here. I like the colors and he has sexy lips. He looks like his hands are tied - more bondage for the hero maybe? I think I'm one of the few that actually liked the first three covers in this series that featured both the hero and the heroine. One of the reasons I liked those covers is because they were different which is probably the same reason they were changed. I am however looking forward to Garreth and Lucia's story. I've found them an interesting couple since we first met them. I certainly hope I'll like it better than Kiss of a Demon King. Yeah, I'm one of the few that wasn't crazy about that one. Possibly the only one. :)

Her upcoming release is the duology Deep Kiss of Winter with Gena Showalter. Cole's story features Murdoch Wroth, vampire and Danii, the Valkyrie. Release date is October 13.

ETA: Per Kresley Cole's facbook page, Amazon is offering a free download of The Warlord Wants Forever here. It's a novella and the first story in the IAD series. It was originally released in the anthology Playing Easy to Get.

Westerns are Alive and Well...

Doesn't everybody love a western romance? I know I do and so do many of my fellow bloggers. In case you haven't heard, KristieJ of Ramblings on Romance, Wendy of The Misadventures of Super Librarian and Sybil from The Good, The Bad, The Unread declared last week The Great Western Drive. They blogged about western romances all week. Their posts have brought back some great memories of some of my favorite reads and in the true sense of romance bloggers they have added to my TBR pile. :)

If you haven't had a chance to check out their posts about all thing western then mosey on over to their blogs and get some great recommendations of some truly fine western romances. And there are some great giveaways too. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more reviews of western romances in the near future. And if you prefer contemporaries - they're on the list too.

Many of my favorite authors were recommended and if you haven't read a western romance or it's been years since you have, I encourage you to give them a try.

Since the ladies gave so many good suggestions I thought I would make a different type of suggestion.

Authors I Wish Would Write A Western Romance

If you've been reading romances for any length of time you know that authors will sometimes do a switch. Either a switch in genres or sub-genres and their readers are not always happy about that switch. Personally, I would be happy if some of my favorite authors wrote one western romance. Just one please.

Lisa Kleypas ~ As a long time fan of Lisa Kleypas I have always enjoyed her heroes. Now imagine some of those heroes in a western setting. Maybe Nick Gentry as a card sharp in Tombstone? Or Derek Craven running a house of ill repute in Deadwood? Kleypas could definitely write a western hero to rival all western heroes.

Nalini Singh ~ The changelings out west... I know you can picture it. :) The wolves and cats all out in the wild west. They would have a heck of a lot more room to roam and the ancestors of Lucas and Hawke could really go wild.

Kresley Cole ~ Kresley Cole has written 5 historicals but no westerns. How much trouble do you think her Valkyries could cause in the old west? Lots! The Valkyries could be gunslingers, madams, ranchers, gamblers or trail bosses. Anything thing a man could do and still look beautiful doing it. I think they would fit right in. Three words: Nix ~ Train Robber.

So which of your favorite authors would you like to see write a western romance?

The Next Kresley Cole Releases...

No covers but there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel for Murdoch and Daniela's story. It was suppose to be in the Not So Innocent anthology that was suppose to be released last year. Now it looks like it will be in a duology with Gene Showalter releasing this fall. Amazon shows it as being $14.95 USD. That's marked down from the 21.99 price so it looks like hardcover folks. There is also mention on Cole's website of the next full length book in the IAD series, Pleasure of a Dark Prince, due for release January 2010. This is Lucia and Garreth's story. No other info yet.

Here's the blurb for the story from The Deep Kiss of Winter, like that title a bunch!

A duology with Gena Showalter! Coming November 2009.

A brutal vampire soldier about to know love for the first time...
Murdoch Wroth will stop at nothing to claim Daniela the Ice Maiden--the delicate Valkyrie who makes his heart beat for the first time in three hundred years. Yet the exquisite Danii is part ice fey, and her freezing skin can't be touched by anyone but her own kind without inflicting pain beyond measure.

A Valkyrie aching to be touched...
Soon desperate for closeness, in an agony of frustration, Murdoch and Danii will do anything to have each other. Together can they find the key that will finally allow them to slake the overwhelming desire burning between them?

Kresley Cole Contest...

Kresley Cole is having a contest to Spread the Love for her upcoming release Kiss of a Demon King, release date of January 20. The winner will receive a Sony Reader or a $50 ebook gift certificate. The Sony Reader winner is drawn at random and the ebook gc goes to the most creative entry. So if you want to enter head on over to her site for the deets.

Kiss of a Demon King is the sixth full length book in her Immortals After Dark series. The series actually started with the novella The Warlord Wants Forever in the anthology Playing Easy to Get. This is one of my favorite series and I would highly recommend it. I do think you should start at the beginning with the novella The Warlord Wants Forever. It's about vampire Nikolai Wroth and the Valkyrie Myst the Coveted. It's a wonderful story and really gets the series started. This series keeps getting better and better with each consecutive book.

Kiss of a Demon King is about Sabine, the Queen of Illusions and Rydstrom Woede the demon king who is trying to get back his crown and his kingdom.

Here's the synopsis from Cole's website:

With one kiss, he knew she'd be his queen...

From New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole comes this spellbinding story of a demon king fighting to reclaim his crown and the wicked sorceress who dares to use his most secret desires to thwart him.

His obsession: the enchantress who surrenders her body,
but not her heart.

After Sabine, the Queen of Illusions, lures and traps Rydstrom Woede in her lair, the ruthless warrior fights to resist her seduction.But his fierce demon nature lusts for her delicate body and won’t be denied. Even as Rydstrom plots to escape, he still intends to claim Sabine as his own—on his terms.

Her downfall: the battle-scarred demon who vows to keep her at all costs.

When Rydstrom breaks free, her abducts Sabine, turning the tables. Now she’s the one struggling to resist his delicious torment. With each relentless encounter, Sabine hungers more for her merciless adversary.

They were never supposed to want each other this much…

If they can defeat the sinister enemy that stands between them, will Sabine make the ultimate sacrifice to save her demon? Or will the proud king lay down his crown and arms to keep his sorceress?

You can read an excerpt of Kiss of a Demon King here.