Touch of the Angel by Rosalie Lario

Touch of the Angel by Rosalie Lario

Book 3 in the Blood of the Demon series

www.rosalielario.com

All Amara is trying to do is stay alive and save her mother from harm.Unfortunately, since she's succubi, that's much easier said than done. When her accidental and unsuspecting prey one night is a sweet, if a little rough-around-the-edges, angel named Ronin, Amara has trouble forgiving herself for killing him through their one-night-stand (let me interject here for all of you non-paranormal people: succubi kill any non-sex-demon they have sex with). She can't seem to get his face out of her mind. Ronin wakes up drowsy and weakened from his one-night-stand with a beautiful girl - and it doesn't take long before he realizes she's succubi. Can he find her and take her off the streets before she kills anyone else? And what will he think when he discovers her real motivation for her dirty deeds?

This book started out disappointing – especially since the first two books in the series were so incredible. This book began slow, a bit confusing, and not terribly attention-grabbing. I wasn’t sure quite what I was reading and I wasn’t all that interested in reading about it. Luckily, that didn’t last too long! About 1/5 of the way through, it finally started to pick up the pace and turn into the magnificent book I was looking for. Still, that first 1/5 of the book was agonizing to get through and I’m still not certain I understand exactly why it was written the way it was – where the reader is plopped in the middle of a scene as if they should understand it. One other thing I noted that I didn’t like about the story was that the dialogue was a little unnatural and wooden at times. However that also disappeared as the book went on. Really, only the beginning didn’t live up to my very high expectations (well, the ending was a little cliché, but I was still able to enjoy it and put that aside).

I liked the book but there were a few things I absolutely adored: Ronin, Amara, and the unique nature of their romance. How many romances start with the heroine almost killing the hero… with sex? That was amusing, to me. I also really enjoyed how both the romance and the plot became increasingly unusual - and not in a bad way. There were some twists I wasn't expecting, and the focus of the story was far different than what I expected, which was still enjoyable. I also loved the romantic focus on the vulnerability of Amara due to her incredible sexuality. I really liked how Ronin protects her – recognizes that she needs protecting – and looks beyond his own anger at her, to the larger problem (the main villain). Many heroes can be short-sighted, but Ronin was looking far ahead.

Amara, for her part, is a savvy heroine. She's funny, sarcastic, smart and kind-hearted. She's going through a rough time, trying to keep her mom healthy and herself healthy in a deadly game where she's a near-useless pawn. She's struggling but she's keeping her head up. She was generally optimistic and I loved how she was able to keep her self-preservation instincts throughout the entire story instead of turning into a wimp that needed rescuing. Her determination to survive is unmatched. She has to make hard choices throughout the book but she doesn't let her bottom lip quiver - she does the best she can to make the best decision she can. She's definitely a strong woman, in need of an equally caring and equally strong man.

Ronin was really an incredible angst-y hero. Suffering through a nauseatingly awful childhood, he is strong, caring, protective, and smart. He looks past his own suffering to the suffering of others and does his best to ignore his own pain and rescue them from their demons (past and present). He’s a very giving hero, and inspiring. He’s also funny and your ‘typical man’ sometimes, which brings him down from being an obnoxious paragon to simply a caring human being (or rather angel-demon hybrid) capable of mistakes but not prone to them. The way he cares for Amara is beautiful and touching and makes for a great romance. The book's terrible start coupled with its beautiful prose and tender romance throughout the middle and end had this book averaging out to a B- in my mind – still good, but not as good as I’ve come to expect from Lario. Especially since this book became so unusual and interesting throughout the middle, I was extra disappointed by the still adequate but cliche ending.

Still, I would definitely recommend the entire series. Books one and two are phenomenal, and I can't wait for book four. Thank you so much, Ms. Lario, for sending me your book for review!

Favorite Quotes:

Getting captured sounded like the best thing ever.

Ronin’s chest expanded. “I like it. How’s Brynn?”

“Fine. Pissed at me. She says next time I have to be the one to give birth.” (Keegan)

“Sexy”ness rating: Hot! What else could you expect from a sex demon?

Overall Rating: B-

Bottom Line: This book started off slow but quickly picked up its pace to become the enthralling read I expect from Lario. Ronin is a loveable hero and Amara an admirable heroine. The book focuses on their struggles and provokes major amounts of empathy from the reader for both the hero and heroine. I also adored the struggle they faced as lovers – my only wish is that it wasn’t resolved so neatly. Overall, another touching addition to the series!

Pages: 286

Published: December 6, 2011

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

Courting Darkness by Yasmine Galenorn

Book 10 in the Sisters of the Moon series

http://www.galenorn.com

Many thanks to The Season ForRomance for providing me with this arc copy to review! 

The D’Artigo sisters are operatives working for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Each of the sisters has her own special talents and gifts. Camille (our protagonist) has three husbands – Trillian, Smoky, and Morio. One of them, dragon Smoky, has a father who’s none-too-pleased with Camille and kidnaps her to his Dragon Reaches. The question is – can Camille survive long enough to escape before the father breaks her, body and spirit? Well, I never got the chance to find out because this book was way too hard for me to struggle through, and I set it down less than half way through.

This book is the tenth in the Sisters of the Moon series, and it was very clear from the first page that if you hadn’t read the first nine books you wouldn’t have a clue what was going on. And so it went – terminology I didn’t know, people and places that were unfamiliar to me, customs, cultures, and events referenced that I knew nothing about. Every other word was something different and crazy and alien. This book is definitely not a stand-alone. It was very confusing and difficult to read – although with the sheer amount of characters, worlds, and species, I think it could have been difficult to read even if you did follow the series. The world was far too complex while being poorly crafted to make a good story.

Now, even if I had been following this series from the beginning there would are several things that would have lowered this book in my esteem. The story read like a series of disjointed vignettes, stapled together. There was no flow, no underlying connection between the scenes – instead each scene was like opening a new box of confusing ideas and relationships that had nothing to do with the last. Furthermore, the way the author writes was distracting. The syntax was strange and awkward, and I found the sentences jarring. The book was unnatural, and instead of flowing smoothly it limped along like a zombie from a low-budget horror flick.

Finally, the characters were unlikeable. I found it hard to understand their motives, thoughts, and ideals. I didn’t understand them, found them lacking in any real depth, and therefore was unable to connect with them – adding to my frustration. They were so cliché. And the sex scenes… lets just say they hit my ‘squick’ button, multiple times. One of the husbands has HAIR that lifts itself up and strokes her. What is that? Not my cup of tea, that's what.

“Sexy”ness rating: Explicit and squicky

Overall Rating: DNF

Bottom Line: All in all, I didn’t enjoy the characters, the plot, or the prose enough to keep reading. While long-time fans of the series may enjoy this book, I would recommend others to skip this one and read something else.

Pages: 336

Published: Nov 1, 2011

Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy

Mark of the Sylph by Rosalie Lario

Book 2 in the Demons of the Infernum series

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4843915.Rosalie_Lario

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy!

This book pretty much blew my mind and there was so much awesome-sauce to talk about that I don’t think I could even cover it all. Lario isn’t from one of the big publishers and while I hate to stereotype usually the best books come from the big names. Lario, however, writes one of the most compelling, engrossing, deeply romantic and totally sexy paranormal romances I’ve read to date. With great action, touching sacrifice and sweet seduction combined with wonderful writing, voice, style, and character development this book literally has it all. I was in love with this book, its characters, and the world Lario built that from start to finish and I literally couldn’t put it down, even to eat. I have no doubt Lario is going to do great things with her amazing talent, and I am literally on the edge of my seat waiting for book three. The only thing I would caution: before reading Mark of the Sylph you really have to read book one, Blood of the Demon. It’s not a good standalone but Blood of the Demon is almost as good as this book, so it really isn’t a hardship to have to read the series in order. Which you should do. STAT.

Maya is a kick-ass librarian who lends books by day and, occasionally, kills demons by night. Taeg, a half-demon half-faerie Otherworld being, comes to her library while researching some old legends about a mythical sword and wonders at Maya’s absolute distaste for him when most women are attracted to his charm and good looks. Taeg soon discovers the truth – Maya can see through his glamour to his true demon form (fear not, ladies, his demon form is also sexy and attractive!), and she carries a deep grudge against all demons. However once Taeg discovers Maya's ability, he realizes that he needs Maya to use her rare ability to see through glamour to help him locate the sword which is purportedly able to destroy a book that keeps his sister-in-law in danger. But while Maya isn’t inclined to help a member of the race she so despises, Taeg just might be able to convince her to surrender to his will…

The characters in this book are phenomenally developed. I immediately felt connected and in sync with all of them and I liked them very, very much. In fact, I was in love with Taeg for all his flirty, bad boy charm. I liked Maya, because she really was an excellent fighter, admirable and strong, and sarcastically witty. Taeg was fantastic and a great hero - he let Maya fight and wrestle when she needed it (whew, that was sexy!) and held her close when she needed that instead. He was in tune with her, and his journey to falling in love with her was absolutely adorable and yet really super-hot. And I mean, wow. The sexual tension in this book was beyond smoldering. It was a frickin’ inferno. My Kindle was overheating.

As I believe I stated in my review of Blood of the Demon, Lario has created a fabulous world that is fascinating because it is extremely unique. I especially appreciated how well Lario knew her characters – like she’d sat down and had coffee with all of them and took notes to figure out who they were, deep down and on the surface. It was obvious Lario was closely connected to her characters thus making them so well-developed and all show, no tell. Lario also really seemed to come into her voice in this novel, more so than the previous one which was a little shaky. I really can’t begin to describe to you how wonderful this book was, in all ways - dialogue, plot, romance, the whole she-bang. Lario literally has made me a fan for life with her Demons of the Infernum series. I am overjoyed with her creativity, her imagination, and her ability to paint the world and characters in my mind with vivid detail and color.

In conclusion: all I can say to my fellow readers: Go out and get this book. It’s a wonderful, necessary addition to your bookshelf. The story is touching and hot, poignant and sexy, sweet and bad-ass. Mark of the Sylph is a book I will continually revisit; and I will cry and laugh out loud every time I do.

Favorite Quotes:

The woman had more moves than a horny teenager on prom night.

When he spoke, his voice came out a sexy rumble. “I like what you’re wearing.”

“I’m not wearing anything.”

“Exactly.”

“You’re the one who wanted to turn our conversation into a Bruce Lee flick,” he said to her, “I just wanted to talk.”

For one long moment she lay there, too caught off guard to answer. She pushed against his chest. “Get off, demon.”

Taeg lifted his head and curved his lips into a wicked smile. “Is that an invitation, sweetheart? Cause I’d sure as hell love to.”

“Sexy”ness rating: Oh. My. Holy. Deity. *faints* I need a Taeg. Stat.

Overall Rating: A

Bottom Line: If you like unique and flirty paranormals with fun, intriguing plots and fast-paced, touching romances (and, of course, a to-die-for demon hero with mad sexy skills) then hot damn does Rosalie Lario have a book for you.

Pages: 268

Published: September 4, 2011

Genre: Paranormal

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

Book 1 in The Elder Races series

www.theaharrison.com

I was really looking forward to this book, and it did not disappoint. Hailed as one of the best paranormal romances of the year, I was ready to be blown away - and for the most part, I was.
 
Pia Giovanni is blackmailed by her ex-boyfriend into stealing something from Lord Wyr Dragon dude Dragos Cuelebre. Dragos, extraordinarily displeased with this discovery, takes it upon himself to find the thief of this most treasured and valuable item (honestly, I would recommend this book just for the hilarity of seeing exactly what she stole. I loved that). After finding the lovely lady, Dragos determines he doesn’t want to kill her - but someone else might. They embark on a dangerous journey together as unlikely companions that fall in love in a funny, light-hearted, very contemporary romance.

I loved Dragos. He’s the ultimate Dragon, Alpha-male, OCD control freak, lover, you name it. He was male in his uncertainties and I liked how well Harrison infused his character with Dragon reasoning and logic. He was a very powerful, intense character and I liked him a lot. Pia confused me occasionally, and I wasn’t such a big fan of her - though I admired her strength, determination, and her honesty. They made an explosive couple in and out of bed, and they were a pleasure to read about. Their banter was witty and humorous, their conflicts equally amusing and very realistic. I only wished I’d felt a bit more depth to their emotion. I felt like Harrison was only grazing the surface of what was a very deep well of emotion and that disappointed me.

I truly wish this book could’ve been longer. I loved the romance plot, watching them grow in their capacity to love one another instead of just lust and watching them begin to explore and admire one another’s characters. I liked how Pia got used to Dragos violent, bipolar moods and calmed him, and how Dragos learned to respect someone else’s wishes instead of doing exactly as he pleased.The romantic journey, especially on Drago’s part was especially cool as this old as time being learns something new about life and love. The action plot was extraordinarily well-written and very suspenseful. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire book because the dramatic tension simply never let up.

The secondary characters were also amusing - Tricks the Dark Fae was fun and snappy, and I’m looking forward to reading her book. The Gryffons and other Wyrs were each well-developed and unique in their personalities. Graydon and Rune, in particular were excellent additions to the story and the bad guy was your typical self-assured evil villain. The ending, where Pia is brave and clever, was one of my favorite parts. I also loved it when she told Dragos her Name and he promised never to use it against her. Her trust and his possessive nature were beautifully intertwined to make this book extraordinary. I could’ve used a little more explanation on some of the Wyr stuff and the significance of mating and being able to change into one’s Wyr form, not being a paranormal reader for the most part. However this book was still very good as I mostly understood what was happening and anybody who reads paranormal a lot will love LOVE LOVE this book.

Favorite quotes:

“That’s my long, scaly, reptilian tail - and it’s bigger than anyone else’s.” (Dragos)

“I’ve had it up to here with your mulish bad-tempered crap, Tiago! I’ll thank you to remember my name is not ‘Tricks goddammit’ or ‘God damn you, Tricks.’ Henceforth those phrases are against the law - when you yell at me again the next one out of your mouth better be ‘Goddammit, ma’am’!” (Tricks)

Well, Dragos, it’s one thing to agree that we’re mates, but I don’t know about marriage,” she said. “I read Cosmo. You eat people. I think divorce court might call that the definition of irreconcilable.”

“A dragon just gave me a piece of jewelry,” she said. She took another swig and handed the bottle back to Graydon. “Have I been added to his hoard?”
He shook his head and drank too. “No, cupcake,” he said. “I’m pretty sure you’ve replaced it.”

“Sexy”ness rating: Hot - like, really super hot. He’s a dragon. What would you expect?

Overall Rating: A-

Bottom Line: This book is a definite to-read for paranormal romance lovers/dragon lovers. Dragos and Pia’s relationship is amusing, the story is fast-paced, suspenseful and fun, and the journey they share is well-written if a bit shallow for my tastes. Pick up this book on your next trip to the book store!

Pages: 328
Published: May 3, 2011
Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy

Blood of the Demon by Rosalie Lario

This review was done on an ebook ARC copy provided by the lovely ladies at Sirens Song Reviews. Check out my post on their website at: Blood of the Demon by Rosalie Lario

Book 1 in the Demons of the Infernum Series

www.rosalielario.com

Wow, has it been a while since I’ve read a paranormal – and let me tell you, it was great! This was such a fun book to read. The hero and heroine were well done. The plot, besides being a tad silly at times, was refreshingly original. I loved the unique presentation of demons, angels, and their roles in the universe. This book has convinced me to look out for more Rosalie Lario works and perhaps read a few more paranormals, to keep it ‘unreal’. J That was a pun. Laugh. Please.

Thank you.

Anyways, on to the plot. Our hero, Keegan (I honestly could not find a last name. Coming from the land of historicals, where every character has not only a last name but thirteen titles, this was a disconcerting event for me), is a demon. He and his half-brothers, Taeg, Ronin, and Dagan, have been sent to Earth by ‘The Council’ to stop their father, Mammon (an insane, greed demon) from taking over the planet with an army of super-strong-flesh-eating zombies that he’s hoping to awaken with a spell from an ancient book. Only problem seems to be no one knows where the book is – or the heir, the only person on the planet who can make the spell work.

Keegan and his crew discover their heir’s identity before their father and whisk her away to… ah… safety. Brynn Meyers, however, is none too pleased at being whisked out of her art gallery and stolen by crazy kidnappers who believe she’s the key to the apocalypse. And thus, in a race against time to beat the maniacal father, the half-brothers and Brynn have to decide to work together. Although ridiculous at some points, I thought the book had a great pace. The plot was intriguing and definitely suspenseful. I was thoroughly entertained.

There were a few not-so-good plot problems. There were a few moments I wish were elaborated, for clarification and better understanding – and things were a tad rushed at the end. There were also a few minor plot details that didn’t exactly sit right, (for example if demons are never as strong as their parents, wouldn’t the entire species eventually die out from weakness as each successive generation would be weaker than the first?) but overall the plot was great and I was happily caught in the flow and the funny, sarcastic writing.

The characters. Keegan is a dark hero – the Alpha male, beaten by his father as a young boy, obsessed with responsibility in an effort to not turn out like dear ol' dad. He is the eldest, a leader, and very serious in terms of duty until Brynn comes along and rocks his world. Oh. Also, he’s really sexy. I don’t know if you like Tall, Dark, and Handsome but I definitely do. His brothers are all a riot, and I loved how they interacted! Taeg, especially was a hoot. He was uproarious, and a great comic relief but still loyal to his brother and intelligent and not simply a hopeless jokester. I liked that all of the guys had several dimensions. That can be hard to pull off, but Lario creates true characters matsterfully.

As far as our heroine, Brynn, I knew I liked her from page fifteen when she wakes up, remembers being kidnapped and says “That asshole.” Her spunk was charming, her strength an undeniable draw. She was open-minded, giving, compassionate, intelligent, curious, strong, and sarcastic. She stood up for herself and her man when it counted. She took all the strange things Keegan was telling her in stride, but she was intelligent enough to think about them, consider what they meant. She was definitely not an airhead. I loved her - she just got more and more admirable as the book went on.

The romantic plot, unfortunately, was probably my least favorite part – though it was still good! It lacked a proper build-up, and so some of the events seemed a little sudden. I couldn’t always feel the heat and sexual tension between Keegan and Brynn, especially in the beginning. I did love, however, how Keegan protected her and loved her fiercely at the end. His sacrifices for her and his family were so touching and emotional – and her bravery to save him was just as poignant. Overall, it was good – and it picked up steam as we went to a rip-roaring finish. This book was creative and dramatic - sensually and otherwise.

Favorite quotes (there were many more):

“Why don’t we take her to Disney World next? The Taj Mahal?” (Taeg)

“You were sent to Earth? So how are you supposed to have gotten here? Through a tornado?” (Brynn)

“What?” (Keegan)
“You know, like Dorothy? Wizard of Oz?”
Straight-faced, he said, “I’ve never met this wizard.”

“Wait a second. If there’s a portal in every major city, how come we couldn’t just use that to get here instead of flying?” (Brynn)

“Traffic control.” (Keegan)
“Are… are you shitting me?”

“Sexy”ness rating: Smokin!

Overall Rating: B+

Bottom Line: A sexy hero, a smart and spunky heroine, an insane father with apocalypse on the brain... this book had great characters, and a fun plot! I loved some of the unique ideas presented in this book. Reading this book made me remember why I love paranormal romance. A definite to read!

Pages: 241
Published: August 2011
Genre: Paranormal (Humans, Demons, Dragons, Zombies, Fae, Angels, Vampires, and Sirens all mentioned. Helluva zoo, I’ll say.)