Review: "Winterblaze" by Kristen Callihan

                                                        Once blissfully in love . . . 
Poppy Lane is keeping secrets. Her powerful gift has earned her membership in the Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals, but she must keep both her ability and her alliance with the Society from her husband, Winston. Yet when Winston is brutally attacked by a werewolf, Poppy's secrets are revealed, leaving Winston's trust in her as broken as his body. Now Poppy will do anything to win back his affections . . . 

Their relationship is now put to the ultimate test.
Winston Lane soon regains his physical strength but his face and heart still bear the scars of the vicious attack. Drawn into the darkest depths of London, Winston must fight an evil demon that wants to take away the last hope of reconciliation with his wife. As a former police inspector, Winston has intelligence and logic on his side. But it will take the strength of Poppy's love for him to defeat the forces that threaten to tear them apart.
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*Mild spoilers if you have not read the previous books in this series*

Up until now, the Darkest London series has touched on certain paranormal "species" and the society that keeps them in check.  In this third book, Winterblaze, everything comes to a head and we get to go deep inside the Society.  The whole series is set in a Victorian London setting which gives it a unique quality to it.  Each book in this series has had a very different feel to it.  Winterblaze, is definitely the darkest of the series so far... in a good way.  

In the past two book we have gotten to know Winston and Poppy as side characters.   They had been happily married for quite some time, but after Winston was attacked by a werewolf in the last book and finds out that Poppy has been keeping this secret world from him, things quickly change.  Poppy certainly had her reasons for keeping it from him but Winston wasn't aware of this.  Both of these characters are strong willed and stubborn, making it hard for either one of them to overcome the mounting problems between them.

We find out a lot more about Poppy that really changes things for the series.  I loved both Poppy and Winston's characters.  They both have their own identities and lives outside of each other but still rely on each other to be their safe haven.  Their relationship building was very different than most romance novels since we were not looking at a new couple falling in love.  This is the story of a couple that had been married for quite a while and were ripped apart by an accident and a betrayal and are now seeing that they truly miss each other.  We watch them build their friendship back up before anything else which, for me, was the only way these two could have gotten back on the right foot with their marriage.  It's not an easy road though, for either one of them.

The only thing I had mixed feelings about with this book was the flashbacks.  Some chapters were set back when Winston and Poppy first started dating.  While this gave more depth to their characters and allowed us to find out a little more about their past relationship, it was a little hard to switch back and forth.  Normally flashbacks don't take away from the story but I just felt like some of these did.  Maybe it was just that the story was very dark and heavy mixed in with these romantic, light scenes.   

I would definitely recommended starting from book 1 in this series as you would miss out on a lot of the things mentioned and emotions brought up throughout the book otherwise.  I'm looking forward to Jack and Mary's story next, they should certainly be an interesting match.  I'm loving Kristen Callihan's new take on historical paranormal romance and can't wait for more!

Winterblaze is due to be released February 26th.

For more information on Kristen Callihan and her books visit her website here.

Guest Post and Giveaway: Kendra Leigh Castle - "Immortal Craving"

I would like to welcome Kendra Leigh Castle to the blog today!  She's the author of the amazing Dark Dynasties series, among others.  I will try to save my gushing over Immortal Craving for my review which will be up soon... but it's so hard.  I'll let Kendra take the reins from here and tell you a little more about this hot shape-shifting vampire.

     When I started thinking about who I wanted for a hero in the fourth Dark Dynasties book, Immortal Craving, I knew I wanted to do something a little different.  The heroes of the first three books are all Cait Sith, a bloodline of cat-shifting vampires who, up until recently, were the pariahs of the world of night.  They’re gorgeous, they turn into big black cats, and they purr…I mean, yum.  Still, much as I love them, I wanted to introduce a completely new guy, with a completely new bloodline.  So I thought about it, and before long, who should come prowling out of the ether but Tasmin Singh.

     Tasmin is a Rakshasa, a dynasty of powerful lion-shifters that was wiped from the earth in a genocidal campaign by the Ptolemy…which will surprise no one who has read the previous books.  When he awakens in a small, manmade cave deep in the Gir Forest in India, he soon discovers not only that it isn’t the 1500s anymore, but that he is the only one of his kind still alive.  This would be a lot for one person to deal with regardless, but Tasmin has the added problem of blackouts that he awakens from covered in blood…and the occasional unfamiliar, malevolent voice whispering in his head.  He’s what you might call “troubled.”  Or just plain “trouble.”  Still, he is compelled to seek out the Queen of the Lilim, Lily MacGillivray, who is the one person he thinks may be able to help him with both his past and, he hopes, his future.  And that, of course, is where he meets his destiny in the form of one stubborn, kind-hearted human named Bay Harper.  Oh, and her enormous slobbery dog, Grimm.

     I loved writing Tasmin. It was really kind of freeing to be able to create a guy who didn’t have the particular sort of baggage that all Cait Sith carry. I got to create new baggage just for him! Tasmin came from an amazing dynasty. They were day-walkers, mind-benders, illusionists, creatures of fierce strength and beauty and magic. And they’re gone, something Tasmin is still struggling with. He is a man out of time, and alone in ways that none of my other characters have been. Before he was put in that cave, he had pride brothers who were his family. He had a life, hopes and dreams. When we meet him in Immortal Craving, he’s really starting from scratch. He’s got no idea how to relate to these other dynasties, who he never would have bothered with before. To the younger vampires he’s a frightening novelty, and to the older ones, a potential threat. He presents himself as proud and aloof and, often enough, rude—and what choice does he have? In the world of night, showing a highblood vampire your weakness is death. But underneath it all, what Tasmin really needs (though he would never admit it) is to be able to connect to someone again. When he does, we start to catch glimpses of the man he was before he had everything taken away. Tasmin is incredibly loyal, surprisingly sweet, and capable of the kind of love that will last lifetimes. He takes nothing for granted, because he knows better than most how everything can change in a heartbeat. And as a bonus, while he may not purr like the Cait Sith do (lions don’t purr, a fact I was sorry to discover), he has one hell of a roar.

     I hope you enjoyed this peek at Tasmin!  He’s a golden-eyed warrior with a lot of heart… and his arrival in the world of the Dynasties won’t just change Bay Harper’s life.  For the vampires, it changes everything.

     Thanks so much to Underworld Love Addiction for having me back to celebrate the release of Immortal Craving!  If you’ve got any questions about the series, the characters, or anything vampire related, ask away in the comments…I’m here all day :)

            

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For more about Kendra Leigh Castle and her books, visit her website at http://kendraleighcastle.com.

Review: "Tangled Web" by Crista McHugh

                                                                 The deadliest assassin in the empire just got too close
                                                             to her target…
     Azurha, a former slave turned deadliest assassin in the empire, has just been offered the ultimate challenge—seduce, then murder the new Emperor. But Titus is not the tyrant his forefathers were, and his radical ideas might be the glimmer of hope the empire needs.
     Titus Sergius Flavus has yet to master the powerful magic of his ancestors—magic he must wield if he’s to protect his people—but his father’s death has left him no choice. Rule the Deizian Empire and attempt to right his ancestors’ wrongs, or watch her fall to his greedy kin.
     More than just Titus’ ideas hold Azurha captive. Night after night, he awakens desires she thought lost, and uncovers the magic of her hidden lineage. As her deadline approaches, Azurha is forced to make an impossible decision-complete her job and kill the man she loves, or fail and forfeit both their lives.


"Tangled Web" is the first book in Crista McHugh's new Diezian Empire series.  While I believe this book is classified as sci-fi, it has more of a historical romance feel to it with a fantasy twist.    

Titus' struggle to take over the role as emperor while trying to improve things for his people makes him such a likable character right from the start.  He's got that alpha, take charge attitude and is tough when he needs to be but manages to stay humble.  Azurha just might be even tougher though.  Working as one of the most feared assassins for the past few years, she never expects to have any problems taking out the new emperor.  Her horrible past and her years of killing have made her very cold but not completely heartless.  

Titus and Azurha have instant chemistry.  She has the opportunity to kill him almost immediately but doesn't take it.  Instead, they spend a lot of time together over the days leading up to her bosses deadline.  I love that it wasn't all just about the steamy nights between them.  She comes to care about Titus and his kingdom that he's working so hard to protect.  Both characters grow so much throughout the book.  I loved the chemistry between these two.  I wish Azurha could have found it in herself to be honest with Titus a little sooner, but it ended up making for a great story.  I hope we get a little more of these two in the next book.  

Tangled Web was very appropriately named.  There are so many obstacles that the protagonists must overcome if they have any chance of being together.  It was very fast paced with tons of suspense, especially in the second half.  The sequel is due out next year and I will definitely be anxiously anticipating it's release.  We will be getting Galerius and Claudia's story in this next one which should be interesting.  

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Check out an excerpt from Tangled Web here.

Check out my reviews on a couple of Crista McHugh's other novels:
A Soul for Trouble - review
Tears of Elios - review

Want to find out more about Crista McHugh and her books?  Visit her website here.

Looking for a hot novella?  Be sure to check out her new short read, More Than a Fling.  I needed a little more Crista McHugh when I finished this, so I read this and was pleasantly surprised.  I'm usually not a big novella fan but this was an enjoyable one.  If you're looking for a steamy one sitting read, you can download it for free at Smashwords.


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Review: "City of Lost Souls" by Cassandra Clare

City of Lost Souls is the fifth book in Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series.

We left off in book 4 with the demon Lilith being destroyed and Jace and Sebastion are now missing.  When the Clave gives up the search for them, Clary and her friends band together to search themselves.  When they finally find Jace he is "changed".  Clary is ecstatic to know he's still alive but desperate to try to get "her" Jace back.  One big problem... Jace and Sebastion's life forces are joined.   This forces Clary to convince Sebastion that she has forgiven him in order to get close enough to find a way to seperate them.  If the Clave finds out where Jace and Sebastion are they will kill either one at the first chance they get.  Will Clary find away to save Jace before it's too late?

This book had a lot more romance and relationship building then the previous books.  Not only do we have Jace and Clary's relationship, but Simon's and Alec's as well.  We got a lot more of Magnus in this one - he cracks me up!  Simon is proving that he's really not the monster that he thinks he is and he has been an amazing friend to Clary.  I'm glad Clary is finally realizing this.  The chemistry between Jace and Clary was touching as usual.  Them kissing or even holding hands is as good as some of the sexier scenes in some other novels.  I was glad Cassandra Clare didn't end it with a huge cliffhanger like the last book.  I almost through the book across the room screaming "Noooo!" when I finished book 4.  This book had a little different feel to it then the previous books since there was a little less action and more on the characters but I loved it.  This is one of my favorite YA series and this book certainly didn't disappoint.