30 August, 2012

Steamy Days 5 Star Review: Wicked Nights by Gena Showalter

Blurb:
Leader of the most powerful army in the heavens, Zacharel has been deemed nearly too dangerous, too ruthless—and if he isn't careful, he'll lose his wings. But this warrior with a heart of ice will not be deterred from his missions at any cost…until a vulnerable human tempts him with a carnal pleasure he's never known before.Accused of a crime she did not commit, Annabelle Miller has spent four years in an institution for the criminally insane. Demons track her every move, and their king will stop at nothing to have her. Zacharel is her only hope for survival, but is the brutal angel with a touch as hot as hell her salvation—or her ultimate damnation?


I Say:
So right up front, I will admit that WICKED NIGHTS is the first Gena Showalter book that I’ve read. I’ve seen her books in the bookstore (who could miss those covers!) and I’ve even heard accolades from other readers and bloggers who like the same darker paranormal romance/urban fantasy novels that I like. But, I just never picked up one of her books before. After reading WICKED NIGHTS, I realize that I’ve been missing out.

Annabelle Miller has suffered for years at an institution for the criminally insane, all because she can see the demons that hunt her. She’s been brutalized and abandoned by those she thought she could trust, but Annabelle has not been broken in the four years she’s lived in virtual hell. Zacharel is on the cusp; leader of a powerful angelic army, he’s still in danger of losing his wings when Annabelle catches his attention. WICKED NIGHTS is a very dark and sensual novel about a ruthless angel and a vulnerable, but not spineless woman.

There were so many little touches in the novel that made me like it more with every page turn. Zacharel is painted as ruthless and possibly even brutal (though his class of angels are warriors), but Showalter gives a peek here and there of his heart. He truly cares about the redemption of his men. The scenes that involve Zacharel and Annabelle have just the right touch of sexual tension and heightened awareness. He is a protector, a warrior, and a man. Showalter gives equal time to all of these parts of his character.

WICKED NIGHTS opens pretty early with some of the explicit torture and degradation that Annabelle had to endure while at the institution. Instead of being off-putting, Showalter does a good job expressing how this has affected Annabelle. She is just as strong, maybe even stronger for her experience. As I said before, this woman has never been broken, despite her suffering. I absolutely loved this novel. It was gritty and wrenching; a total page-turner from start to finish.
Find the Book:
Barnes and Noble | Harlequin | Amazon | Audible | Add to GoodReads


About The Author:
Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today best selling author of the White Rabbit Chronicles, Otherworld Assassins, Angels of the Dark, Lords of the Underworld, and several of other series. She has written over thirty novels and novellas. Her books have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazine, and have been translated in multiple languages.
Website | GoodReads


This book was provided by Littlebird Publicity, in exchange for my honest review only

Steamy Days 5 Star Book Review: The Siren by Tiffany Reisz

Blurb:
Notorious Nora Sutherlin is famous for her delicious works of erotica, each one more popular with readers than the last. But her latest manuscript is different—more serious, more personal—and she's sure it'll be her breakout book...if it ever sees the light of day.

Zachary Easton holds Nora's fate in his well-manicured hands. The demanding British editor agrees to handle the book on one condition: he wants complete control. Nora must rewrite the entire novel to his exacting standards—in six weeks—or it's no deal.

Nora's grueling writing sessions with Zach are draining…and shockingly arousing. And a dangerous former lover has her wondering which is more torturous—staying away from him...or returning to his bed?

Nora thought she knew everything about being pushed to your limits. But in a world where passion is pain, nothing is ever that simple.



I Say:
Unlike many of the reviews that I have seen about THE SIREN, I was pretty sure that it wouldn’t push my boundaries too much. I’ve already read BDSM novels, some of which deal with non-consent, edge play, and blood play. So when I accepted the review request for THE SIREN it wasn't laced with trepidation. Tiffany Reisz has written the first book in a new series, THE ORIGINAL SINNERS and it is a stunner. Nora Sutherlin is a kinky writer of kinky fiction, and Zach Easton is the editor that will challenge her and whip (pun intended) her newest novel into shape.

THE SIREN is truly a journey, and it has many characters that bring their own spice to the table. Yes, Nora is saucy and incorrigible, but she is also true to herself. She never pretends to be other than she is. Some of Zach’s story does get overshadowed by Nora’s, but Reisz did his character justice by illuminating some of his own personal life. It wasn’t about Nora all the time. But the characters that Reisz really left me wanting to know more about were Griffin Fiske and Kingsley Edge. (I’ve read the next book in the series, THE ANGEL, and anyone with me on Griffin, have no fear. He definitely gets more of the spotlight!)

Let’s get to the erotica. Yes, there are some very powerful scenes in THE SIREN. But what I liked about it was that it emphasized that kinky is as kinky does, and not all BDSM relationships are “safe, sane and consensual”. Let’s be honest, at least for the first two, the same can be said about any relationship. Some readers are going to be appalled by Nora and Soren. Some readers are going to see themselves in Nora and Soren, and some readers are going to want to find out more about a relationship like Nora and Soren’s. When a novel elicits such a wide response of emotions, I think the author is doing something right.

I read THE SIREN in one sitting, staying up until 3:30am just to reach the last page. This is a book about power, pain, love, lust and growth. It’s about life and the choices that a person makes and how they choose to tell their story. Kudos to Reisz for bringing to life a story as raw and emotional as THE SIREN.
Find the Book:
Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Add to GoodReads


About The Author:
Tiffany Reisz lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her boyfriend (a reformed book reviewer) and two cats (one good, one evil). She graduated with a B.A. in English from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and is making both her parents and her professors proud by writing BDSM erotica under her real name. She has five piercings, one tattoo, and has been arrested twice.

When not under arrest, Tiffany enjoys Latin Dance, Latin Men, and Latin Verbs. She dropped out of a conservative southern seminary in order to pursue her dream of becoming a smut peddler. Johnny Depp’s aunt was her fourth grade teacher. Her first full-length novel THE SIREN was inspired by a desire to tie up actor Jason Isaacs (on paper). She hopes someday life will imitate art (in bed).

If she couldn’t write, she would die.
Website | GoodReads | Twitter


This book was provided by Littlebird Publicity, in exchange for my honest review only

Steamy Days Reviews

Well, the end of summer is nigh, and Read My Mind is going to be getting back into reviewing/posting regularly. I took a break over the summer, and since most people mark the end of the season at Labor Day, I thought I'd wrap up with a couple of steamy reviews. Even though the weather here has cooled down, it's not fall yet!

I'm also trying out a less formal review template. I've been testing out ways to put less stress on myself and streamline my blogging practices, because September-November are very busy months for me real-life-wise. So check out the posts that go up on August 30th for two smokin' books!







27 August, 2012

Cover Reveal: Naturals by Tiffany Truitt

I love uncovering art for upcoming books, and NATURALS is no exception, especially because it's the sequel to CHOSEN ONES, which I really liked. Haven't read CHOSEN ONES yet? Here's how the series starts:

Blurb:
Life is bleak but uncomplicated for sixteen-year-old Tess, living in a not-too-distant future where the government, faced with humanity's extinction, created the Chosen Ones, artificial beings who are extraordinarily beautiful, unbelievably strong, and unabashedly deadly.

When Tess begins work at Templeton, a Chosen Ones training facility, she meets James, and the attraction is immediate in its intensity, overwhelming in its danger. But there is more to Templeton than Tess ever knew. Can she stand against her oppressors, even if it means giving up the only happiness in her life?


About The Author:
Tiffany Truitt was born in Peoria, Illinois. A self-proclaimed Navy brat, Tiffany spent most of her childhood living in Virginia, but don’t call her a Southerner. She also spent a few years living in Cuba. Since her time on the island of one McDonald's and Banana Rats (don't ask) she has been obsessed with traveling. Tiffany recently added China to her list of travels (hello inspiration for a new book).

Besides traveling, Tiffany has always been an avid reader. The earliest books she remembers reading belong to The Little House on the Prairie Series. First book she read in one day? Little Woman(5th grade). First author she fell in love with? Jane Austen in middle school. Tiffany spent most of her high school and college career as a literary snob. She refused to read anything considered “low brow” or outside the “classics.”

Tiffany began teaching middle school in 2006. Her students introduced her to the wide, wonderful world of Young Adult literature. Today, Tiffany embraces popular Young Adult literature and uses it in her classroom. She currently teaches the following novels: The Outsiders, Speak, Night, Dystopian Literature Circles: The Hunger Games, The Giver, The Uglies, and Matched.


NATURALS blurb:
Tess is finally safe from the reach of the Council, now that she is living in the Middlelands with the rebel Isolationists. With James having returned to Templeton, she easily falls back into her friendship with Henry, though her newfound knowledge of Robert’s chosen one status still stings. Even surrounded by people, Tess has never felt more alone. So she’s thrilled when James returns to the settlement, demanding to see Tess — until she finds out that it’s because her sister, Louisa, has been recruited into Tess’s old position at Templeton, and that the dangerously sadistic chosen one George has taken an interest in her.

NATURALS is the second book in The Lost Souls trilogy, and follows the dystopian hit CHOSEN ONES.
Coming January 2013, ENTANGLED TEEN



Amazon

I'm a sucker for red hair. Not sure why; maybe because the color can be so vibrant and eye-catching, but I like how the red covers the bottom of the picture, while still revealing the model's face. NATURALS is a good cover mate to CHOSEN ONES. It's clear that the two are in a series and the same theme is continued.

Readers, what do you think?

20 August, 2012

Cover Reveal: Conjure by Lea Nolan + Giveaway

Read My Mind is breaking its summer hiatus to join in on another great Entangled Publishing cover reveal. This one's for CONJURE by Lea Nolan, the first in a new YA fantasy series.

About The Author:
Believe it or not, I couldn’t read until I was in the third grade. After a lot of hard work I finally got the hang of it, and quickly learned the best way to get out of doing chores was to tell my parents I was reading. Soon I was hooked, devouring books by Roald Dahl, E.B. White, Judy Blume, C.S. Lewis, and anything I could find with a shiny Newberry Award sticker on the cover. Books provided a portal to enchanted lands where anything was possible and characters relied on their wits to wiggle out of sticky situations. Today, even though I'm all grown up, I write the kinds of stories I sought as a teen -- smart paranormals with bright heroines, crazy-hot heroes, diabolical plot twists, plus a dose of magic, a draft of romance, and a sprinkle of history. I've got an undergraduate degree in history and a master's in public policy and women's studies, which believe it or not help a lot in my fiction writing. I live in Maryland with my heroically supportive husband and three clever children, who’ve figured out how to get out of doing their chores.


Alongside the cover reveal, Lea is also giving away 5 (five!) digital copies of CONJURE to anyone who visits one of the blogs hosting and enters via rafflecopter. Thanks to Lea!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Blurb:
Be careful what you search for...

Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry--hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday.

When a strange girl appears, bent on revenge; demon dogs become a threat; and Jack turns into a walking skeleton; Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before summer—and her friends--are lost forever.
Coming September 2012, ENTANGLED PUBLISHING



Barnes And Noble | Amazon


I like how the blue hints at so many different shades, from navy to almost purple, while still seeming continuous. This cover is as magical and mysterious as the title and blurb hint at.
Thoughts??

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