ARC Review: Kiss Across Swords

Kiss Across Swords
Teal Ceagh
Erotic UF/Time Travel/MMF
Time-Crossed Love/Book 2
Ellora's Cave/November 2010

From the author's website ~

Taylor Yates never dreamed growing up she would end up happily living with two drop-dead sexy vampires and time-hopping through their thousand years of personal history. Her life is complete…or is it?

When she finds herself at the siege of Jerusalem during the first crusade, Veris doesn’t know her at all and doesn’t want to. Worst of all, he and Brody are total strangers, and Taylor drives a wedge in deep between them by trying to seduce Veris at their first meeting—not something a lady of the day does if she wants to keep her head.

Taylor and Brody must woo Veris using the customs of medieval England, win his heart and his full commitment before Jerusalem falls in four days time—or when they return to their own time, their lives as they know them will be gone…

After reading Kiss Across Time, the novella where Taylor meets and falls for vampires Brody and Veris, it was easy to get into their continuing story in Kiss Across Swords. It's been four years since the three became lovers and now Taylor wants to be turned. The only problem is Brody and Veris are not completely on board with the idea. The past is very much in the present with both men having strong feelings about the significance of turning a human to a vampire.

The time travel they had previously done bore no ill effects but now things are changing and Taylor might lose her lovers. This time Brody and Taylor time travel back to when Brody and Veris first met. Taylor being there causes a disruption in Veris and Brody's past. When they should have become lovers, Veris now thinks Taylor is Brody's wife and tries to keep his distance from them.

The scenes when Brody is telling Taylor how he and Veris first became lovers all those centuries ago I found to be very erotic. These two men are warriors but they are also very sensual men. Ceagh shows the reader how beautiful and seductive two men can be when they unleash their desires for each other. I don't read a lot of books with m/m but I found the love story between Brody and Veris moving and powerful. This time, with Veris not knowing Brody or Taylor, both of them took part in seducing Veris. I loved reading about when Brody and Veris first met. How they came to know each other and built their bond over the centuries. It wasn't easy for Taylor and Brody to get Veris to trust them and begin to form that bond.

This is a time travel and through that travel we get to explore the land of the Crusades. The history in the story is fascinating. When Veris and Brody first meet it's 1099 and they are fighting in the first Crusade. The feel of that time and place comes through in the descriptions of the land, the people and the politics. It was interesting to see how 21st century Brody and Taylor especially, acted in a time from so long ago.

All three characters are well developed with distinct personalities. Brody is the peacemaker and tends to defer to Veris, believing him to be the more intelligent of them. Veris is more stoic, exhibiting a calm demeanor. He is a man that keeps much to himself and likes to think things through before acting. I saw Taylor as a bit of a wild card. She's intelligent and thoughtful but can let her temper loose when angered. She also loves very fiercely and shows it through her actions and selflessness with Brody and Veris. The author did a wonderful job showing the give and take between these three.

The story was filled with history, passion and emotional love scenes between three unique individuals. It's a romance that has a number of elements, all combined to make a very captivating story. I'm looking forward to reading more in this imaginative series.

Rating: A-

Review: Kiss Across Time

Kiss Across Time
Teal Ceagh
Erotic UF/Time Travel/MMF
Time-Crossed Lovers/Book 1
Ellora's Cave/May 2010

From the author's website ~

Taylor Yates just got fired from her university for insisting that the 5th Century British poet and playwright, Inigo Domhnall, existed. When she hears the poet’s lyrics in a death metal song, she engineers a meeting with the dark-eyed, dark-haired lead singer, Brody Gallagher. An unintended kiss sends them spinning back to the poet’s time, when Saxons were pillaging King Arthur’s Britain, and a warrior expects a proper farewell from his woman before he sets off for war.

Brody’s all for kissing her again. More, he’d like her to try kissing his friend and lover, Veris, just to see what will happen. His blond, tall, blue-eyed Saxon friend Veris.

Kiss Across Time is the first book in a unique time travel series. The heroes are centuries old vampires who find their mate in Taylor Yates, a 21st century woman. What makes the relationship even more exceptional is the fact that they can time travel with a kiss. Yes, they kiss and are transported back in time. I love that part!

When Taylor shows up at the concert for the death metal band Noctural Rain, it isn't just to hear the music. She also wants to meet the man who wrote their songs. She needs to get backstage and find this songwriter. Her backstage pass comes in the form of a kiss. Kisses and kissing are obviously important in this series. I liked how a simple kiss becomes so much more within the story line.

Taylor meets not only lead singer Brody Gallagher but his lover Veris and both men know there is something very special about Taylor. She is open minded which is good since she's about to take two vampires as her lovers. The plot moves quickly with both Brody and Veris trying to show Taylor why she's so important to them as they seduce her into going home with them.

The three can hardly keep their hands off each other. There are some wickedly hot sex scenes as all three lovers enjoy exploring the new dimension of having three people in the bed or limo or wherever they may be. *grins* Taylor isn't a prude and she's very attracted to both men and wants to act on that attraction. She also needs Brody and Veris if she wants to find the answers about the poet, Inigo Domhnall, that she's spent so many years researching.

There is a lot of history packed into this novella. We learn some things about Brody and Veris' pasts and how their relationship has evolved over the centuries. We see some parts of the workings of the vampire world, learning how these vamps function among humans. Both of these men are powerful, older vampires but their not evil vamps, merely comfortable with who they are. The links between Veris, Brody and Taylor are far more than what they first seem and as the story continues, we see how connected their lives really are.

Kiss Across Time was a quick read and gave this series a solid start with three interesting main characters. I really enjoyed the time travel aspect of the story and looked forward to seeing more of that in the second book. Kiss Across Swords (book 2) continues the story of Taylor, Brody and Veris, and what happens when two vampires become a threesome with a human while doing some major time travel.

Rating: B+

June Reads...

June is gone but where the heck did it go? Last month's reading got off to a slow start for me. The family vacation to Disneyland and California Adventure cut into my reading time. I did some reading on the drive there and back but while we were there most of my down time was spent sleeping on the non-sleep number bed or complaining about my aching feet. :) (Yes, I missed my sleep number bed. *sob* Loves that bed!)

No DNFs this month that I remember. I did have one in May. (missed posting the May reads) It was an erotic romance. The heroes were aliens and their hair came alive, among other things. And since it's erotic, the hair got really friendly with the heroine. ICK! I had other problems with the book like the old alien forced seduction. Luckily, I don't have too many DNFs and I think it's due to the fact that the majority of books I read are either from favorite authors or because of good reviews from you guys. :)

The final count is 11 books read. Not bad but I hope to read more of my personal and library TBR piles this month. Yep, I even have a library TBR pile. The city library allows 99 renewals so as long as no one requests the book, I keep renewing, having faith that I'll get to it. :)

I'll also get my challenges read for this month. *shakes fist in air* I totally flaked on every single one last month so I plan to start early, like this weekend. :D

Countdown/Michelle Maddox/Futuristic/B+
The Making of a Duchess/Shana Galen/Historical/B-
I'm Watching You/Karen Rose/Romantic Suspense/B+
Tied Up, Tied Down/Lorelei James/Erotic Romance/Review to follow
Kiss Me If You Can/Carly Phillips/Contemporary/B+
Beyond the Night/Joss Ware/PNR/B
The Iron Daughter/Julie Kagawa/YA/Review to follow
Beauty's Beasts/Teal Ceagh/Erotic Romance/B+
Embrace the Night Eternal/Joss Ware/PNR/B
Chimera/Rob Thurman/SCIFI/Review to follow
Criminal Instinct/Kelly Lynn Parra/Romantic Suspense/Review to follow

The breakdown ~

Contemporary ~ 1
Erotic ~ 2
Futuristic ~ 1
Historical ~ 1
PNR ~ 2
Romantic Suspense ~ 2
SCIFI ~ 1
YA ~ 1

The reading was definitely mixed - a little here, a little there. I suppose the Futuristic, PNR and SCIFI could all be lumped together but there's really no stand out genre. I think it all has to do with mood. I'm a very moody reader. ;)

Review: Beauty's Beasts

Beauty's Beasts
Teal Ceagh
Erotic Paranormal Romance (M/M/F)
Guardian Bonds/Book 2
Ellora's Cave/June 2010
Author Requested Review

From the author's website ~

Riley Carson Connors is yanked out of Pittsburgh and coaxed to New York by two tall, sexy strangers. Nicholas Sherwood and Damian are the only people in the world who know anything about her parents, and what they know is terrifying. She must face a powerful enemy who killed both her parents, who were the best at what they did.

But while the truth about Riley’s family history is a powerful magnet, Damian and Nicholas prove to be even more compelling. Former lovers and brought together only because they gave their word to her mother, the two powerful vampires play erotic mind games with Riley, each with a hidden sexual agenda that Riley can’t begin to guess, but seems to involve driving her out of her mind with the sort of pleasure only a centuries-old lover would know how to give.

When Teal Ceagh aka Tracy Cooper-Posey, asked me if I would be interested in reviewing her latest release, Beauty's Beasts, I wasn't sure, not having read anything by the author. Then I read the excerpt she sent and that's when I knew I had to read about Riley and her two vampires. I was intrigued by all three characters and although I've been a bit "off" vampires, I found myself wondering what their story was. What I found was a highly erotic, well written, unconventional love story.

Riley Carson Connors is unaware of her family background or her heritage. She grew up in the foster care system and has learned to rely on herself. When she is approached by two very sexy, very dangerous men she's not about to go with them. Until they tell her they knew her parents. It's the one thing she desperately wants to know. She agrees to go to New York City with them even while wondering what she's gotten herself into. Riley is a heroine that you can't help but feel compassion for. Growing up with no real family, Riley has been on her own for most of her life. She's very no-nonsense and tells you what she thinks even to a powerful vampire that could snap her neck in a heartbeat. I liked Riley for standing up for herself. She went through some life altering experiences but stayed true to her beliefs.

Damian and Nicholas Sherwood, while both distinct individuals, you really can't have one without the other. These two just fit together even if they didn't believe it anymore. They are centuries old vampires (read: stubborn) that have a promise to fulfill. Both are sexy and dangerous but in different ways. Damian is very smooth with a type of European flare and the more approachable of the the two. Nick is the dark and brooding type. He's got a chip on his shoulder and dares anyone to try and knock it off. Damian and Nick were lovers years ago and you can feel that sexual tension between the two. I found myself liking both men, Damian because he's so damn sexy and charismatic. Nick because his closed off, brusque manner made me want to know him better - want to know what the heck made this guy tick.

The men tell Riley that she must train before she can fight the gargoyle Lirgon. The gargoyle clan gave an intriguing slant to the plot. These gargoyles come to life at night, attacking people. It was creepy when Riley was viewing the gargoyles during the day, looking at them and knowing that at sundown they would come alive. Reminds me of a wax museum - I always thought the figures came to life at night.

The training session were intense, sweaty and hot - in a very good way. There was already sexual tension between the men, adding Riley just ramped it up. I loved how the three of them interacted. Damian befriending Riley and making her feel comfortable in the bizarre situation she's been thrown into. Nick on the other hand, tried to keep his distance and maintain a teacher/student relationship. Nick's sense of honor kept him from acting on his need and desire for Riley. Both men have goals in mind for Riley but they go about reaching them in different ways.

The book is fairly short, coming in at 163 pages. The pacing was quick and surprised me how much story the author was able to pack into that length. The love story of Riley, Damian and Nicholas took a different turn that what I had expected but I did like how it all played out. I would have liked more back story on Damian and Nicholas and their history together. Riley's parents story can be found in Book 1 of the series but you don't need to read it before reading Beauty's Beasts. There is a short scene at the end that left me wanting to know what happens with Riley best friend and roommate, Sabrina. That will have to wait until book 3, Sabrina's Clan comes out.

Rating: B+