ARC review Sierra Dean – Pitch Perfect

The first book in the Bad Boys of Summer series, to be published August 6, 2013. Available as ebook at Samhain.
Genre: contemporary romance / sports romance
Cover: nice, but the models are way too young



She’d be the perfect catch if he could take his eye off the ball.

Emmy Kasper knows exactly how lucky she is. In a sport with few opportunities for women at the pro level, she’s just landed her dream job as head athletic trainer for the San Francisco Felons baseball team. Screwing up is not an option.
She’s lost in thought as she pedals to the spring training facility, her mind abuzz with excitement as she rounds a corner—and plows head-on into two runners. The end of her career dances before her eyes when she realizes she’s almost run over the star pitcher.
As Tucker Lloyd watches the flustered Emmy escape with his bandana tied around her skinned knee, the view is a pleasant change from worrying about his flagging fastball. At thirty-six, the tail end of his career is glimmering on the horizon. If he can’t pull something extraordinary out of his ball cap, the new crop of rookies could make this season his last.

The last thing either of them needs is a distraction.
The last thing either of them expects is love.

Warning: Contains a down-on-his-luck pitcher, a good-girl athletic therapist, chemistry that’s out of the park and sexy times that’ll make them round all the bases.


For me to write a recap about this book, would mean talk baseball. I can’t do that. I hate sports. I loathe sports on t.v.. So, why on earth did I want to read a sports romance? Good question. I have asked myself that question while reading the book, and I did want to quit a few times. But I did not. And why is that, you want to know? Well, I started reading it because it is a Sierra Dean book. And Sierra did what she does so well: write amazing characters. I kept reading because I fell for the main characters, and I did like the slow romance part. Just like Sierra kept me reading the first Secret McQueen books, when it got at times too scary for me, and I still could not stop reading.

If you do like baseball, and you like reading romance novels, this book will be like heaven to you. It is very big on the baseball things. From the start of the training season, to the games and everything that is necessary to have a functioning team.

So, what exactly did I like about this one? For starters, the heroine. Emmy is 32 and a very capable woman. She is one of the best athletic trainers there is, with a higher degree than most men in her profession. And she has snagged her dream job. She loves baseball passionately, and now she has been hired as the head athletic trainer for the San Francisco Felons baseball team. She was allowed to hire her own assistant, and she chose her good (gay) friend Jasper. They were fun together.
Emmy does have a boyfriend, but it did not take a genius to register that that relationship was doomed before the book even started. A long distance relationship between two people who both value their career more, will never work. They just did not miss each other enough for it to be real love. And when Emmy literally falls over Tucker Lloyd and his best friend Alex Ross, the team’s catcher, she was done for.
But Emmy does not let her feelings get in the way of her sense of honor, and her professionalism, and I totally admire her for that. She doesn’t want a relationship with somebody she has to work with daily, and I do understand that. And of course, she was officially still with Simon.

And then there is the hero, Tucker Lloyd, 36 year old and just recovered from a major elbow surgery. His most important body part as he is the team’s star pitcher. He is afraid he won’t be as good as he used to be, and that he is getting too old for the sport. Newer team members are recruited right out of college, as he was. But he is determined that this will be a great year for him and the team, and he is not ready to be cast aside.
So what he does not need, is a woman he can’t get out of his head. He is very attracted to Emmy, and sure, he does want her in his bed, but he knows she is taken. And she does work wonders with his arm, improving his pitch. So for now he will be friends with her, even though it is not easy to keep at a distance, when all he wants is to kiss her senseless.

What I really liked, is the slow start of the romance part. Emmy and Tucker first become friends, and get to know each other. Attraction turns into love, but they don’t realise that yet. First, Emmy has to end her relationship with Simon, and that takes some more time. But when that has been done, there are some good love scenes between them.

What else did I like? Alex, Tucker’s best friend. He is not the typical athlete, not as tall as the rest of the team and he even has a bit of a paunch. And he is a bit of a lecher, but he is a good man. Jasper, Emmy’s friend and assistant. I really like their friendship, and how Jasper can tease Emmy. He is gay, and they have been competing for men in the past. He makes for some fun scenes. He is also good and dedicated in/to his job.
The other team members are not really fleshed out, the book does focus on Tucker, and a bit on Alex.

So bottom line? I still hate sports. I am totally not interested in learning about baseball. BUT. Sierra Dean really made me anxious about the result of a baseball game in this book! She wrote about it in such a manner, I had to know the outcome of the match. My boyfriend was talking to me, and I totally shut him out. I was completely focused on the pages of my ebook.

Conclusion: Sierra Dean is an awesome writer, who can make me enjoy things I normally hate or strongly dislike. I love her writing style, her characters, and I don’t really care about the genre. Be it paranormal or sports romance, I will keep reading her books.

9 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Kevin Hearne – The Grimoire of the Lamb

Novella 0.5 in the Iron Druid Chronicles, published May 7, 2013.
Genre: urban fantasy
Cover: meh



When he’s not vanquishing villainous gods or dodging demons, two-thousand-year-old Druid Atticus O’Sullivan can be found behind the counter of Third Eye Books and Herbs in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, literally minding his own business. But when an evil sorcerer—and amateur shoplifter—snatches an ancient Egyptian tome of black magic, The Grimoire of the Lamb, Atticus is not sheepish about pursuing him to the ends of the earth . . . or at least to the Land of the Pharaohs.
Unfortunately, Atticus already has enemies in Egypt—including cat goddess Bast, who wants her own book of mischief back from the Druid. In the streets of Cairo, she sends a feline phalanx after Atticus and his Irish wolfhound, Oberon. With fur still flying, Atticus must locate the sorcerer’s secret lair—where he will face killer crocodiles, spooky sarcophagi, and an ancient evil Egyptian who’s determined to order the sacrificial lamb special tonight.


I am not sure how to review this book, without spoiling something. The blurb (from Kevin Hearne’s site) tells so much already.

When some Egyptian magician tells Atticus that the ancient Grimoire he thinks is a cookbook for lamb, is actually written by Nebwenenef, the sorcerer who killed the Sahara elemental, causing it to be the desert it is today. It is filled with spells for power and to kill enemies, and it is too evil to excist. When the man counters Atticus’ magic and steals the book, Atticus has no choice but to go to Egypt and steal it back. If only the goddess Bast had not forbidden Atticus to ever come to Egypt again …

So Atticus has to face a few thousand cats intent on killing him unless he can talk Bast into letting him go, avoid a horde of crocodiles and fight some major evil. Lucky for him, he has brought Oberon with him to guard his back.


This novella is a fun peak into Atticus’ life before the series starts, and I enjoyed it. The bond between Atticus and his Irish hound is great; I do love their talks together, and how Oberon can talk Atticus into doing things he did not plan on doing. This little novella is filled with action and adventure, and I just love the wit and sarcasm.

If you have read the series, you know what I am writing about. If you are thinking of starting this series, this novella is a great try out if you like Kevin Hearne’s sense of humor.

8 stars.





Buy from:
Amazon

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Gini Koch – The Happy Acres Haunted Hotel for Active Seniors

A stand alone novella, published June 10, 2013. About 14.560 words.
Genre: paranormal with a hint of romance
Cover: fun



Welcome to Happy Acres (Haunted) Hotel for Active Seniors, the premiere senior living facility in all of Southern California (especially if you’re already dead)!
At Happy Acres we pride ourselves on the depth and breadth of our elder care (and for how many haunts we have -- 789 and counting!) as we surround your loved ones with vibrant, interesting people of their own generation (and many generations prior).
Happy Acres is fully staffed 24/7 by a team of dedicated (and in some cases, spellbound) medical staff, as well as housing one of the state-of-the-art medical inpatient and outpatient facilities in the Southland (just don’t see your doctor after dark), so your loved ones are ensured the best care in their golden years (and long after, as well).
Don’t let the rumors (all true) fool you -- while Happy Acres is indeed the best, its costs won’t race your beloved elders to an early grave (no, others will handle that). So come to Happy Acres, a facility you’ll love so much you’ll never want to leave! (Trust us on this one.)


When Gini Koch announced in her weekly news mail, that she had written a new novella, I knew I had to read it asap. And as it is available at Smashwords, the book was on my computer a few minutes later.

I very much enjoyed this story, the main characters are very engaging, and the story hooked me from the first page. But I really, really do not want to visit there after dark! Still, the perks of living there are amazing. It was not as creepy as I was fearing for a moment, but very intriguing and original.

A typical Gini Koch book: fun, entertaining, surprising, original, with great characters, and never long enough as I always want more. And I do for sure hope on more stories within this Haunted Hotel for Active Seniors.

9 stars.




Buy from:
Smashwords

Amazon

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Jennifer Ashley – Tiger Magic

The fifth book in the Shifters Unbound series, published June 4, 2013.
Genre: paranormal romance
Cover: fierce



He was once a captive, but his urges were never caged. Now he'll release them on a beautiful stranger whose own secret desires are longing to be sated...

He doesn't have a name. He doesn't have a clan. The humans who held him prisoner for forty years have taken them away. He knew nothing but captivity until nearly a year ago, when he was released into the light. Now Tiger lives in the Austin Shiftertown, where he struggles to belong and searches for an identity.
Carly Randal thinks her fabulous life is complete - until her car breaks down on the side of the road, and a wild-looking Shifter is the only one to help her. Tiger takes one look at Carly and knows instantly - she will be his mate. As Carly is drawn into his Shifter world, she risks everything she has for that forbidden something she still wants: passionate love.


If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know by now that I am a huge Jennifer Ashley fan. Her shifter series is one of my favourites out there, and again she did not disappoint me. I loved this book. Ever since Tiger was rescued from the research facility, I have been curious about him. And this book is his story.


Carly Randal is happily driving towards her job. Her fiancée lend her his vintage Corvette, and she is eager to help her boss organise the new showing in the art galley. Until the Corvette breaks down on a deserted stretch of the highway, and she has no cellphone reception either to call for help. A strange and very big man suddenly appears in the field next to the road, but she is not afraid of him. He is kind of gorgeous, with weird black and orange striped hair. And when he can fix her car, she is happy enough to offer him a lift back to town. She doesn’t dare drive on with a car that can break down at any moment.
Tiger is all too happy to accept a ride. The moment he laid eyes on the female, he knew she is his mate. All he has to do is to claim her. The Morrissey’s have explained the rituals to him, but he knows they are wrong. A mate just is, and it has nothing to do with the ceremony’s they invented. But he has to be careful not to scare her off. Especially as she has a fiancée already. Whom she claims to love, but Tiger smells different. When they get back at her fiancée’s house, she finds him having sex with another woman at the kitchen counter! Why? She is supposed to move in with him next week! Half her apartment has been packed already! Upset Carly drives away again, leaving Tiger behind with Ethan.

Tiger is angry with Ethan for hurting Carly, especially when Ethan accuses Carly of sleeping with a shifter, while he is the one being caught. Tiger threatens Ethan, who then shoots him in the stomach seven times. But Tiger can handle that, he has been shot very often at the research facility, just to see what he can survive. Leaving Ethan’s house trashed, but Ethan alive, Tiger tries to make his way back to Shifter town. Unfortunately, the police are already on their way, and dealing with bullets and multiple tranquilizers shot into him, is too much. He is rushed to a hospital that deals with shifters, not suspected to survive. But the Morrissey’s come to his rescue, and when Tiger regains consciousness and keeps calling for Carly, they track her down in the hope she will come to the hospital to see him. Just her presence makes him calmer, and her touch starts healing Tiger. The healing touch of a mate, but nobody really believes that. After all, Tiger is some kind of super shifter. Not born, but created in a lab. No one knows what he can do.

After helping Tiger, he insist that Carly stays with him, and when she refuses, he wants Connor to stay with her, to keep her safe. Which is a prudent decision, as she gets a visit from the Shifter Bureau, and the professor wants her to turn spy on the shifters. She doesn’t like the man, and she refuses, but they won’t give up that easily.

Somehow, things keep happening that keep Carly and Tiger together, with Carly unable to go on with her life. And when things get really dire, she is even prepared to leave for Mexico with Tiger, to keep him alive. But the hunters won’t back down and Tiger has no choice but to leave her behind, to go back to what is left of her life…


I liked Carly from the start, she saw Tiger for what he really was, a good man, all the cubs trusted and loved him. The adult’s distrust was totally uncalled for, as he only got angry and into fights to protect himself or innocents. Of course she does not intend to fall for another guy the moment her engagement is over, but there is this connection between Tiger and her. She likes him, and he cannot be persuaded to leave her alone. Tiger needs to protect her, and as her life really is in danger since she met him, she needs him around. Carly doesn’t know much about shifters, but she is not afraid of them. Do not their collars keep them quiet? She doesn’t know that Tiger wears a fake collar, and can become as aggressive as is necessary.

Tiger is trying to live a life outside the research facility. Austin Shifter town has not exactly welcomed him with open arms, but he does his best to fit in, and to obey Liam Morrissey. Not because he acknowledges Liam as his alpha, but because it is the prudent thing to do. If he does not obey, he will not be able to stay here, nor does he want to challenge Liam for leadership of the Shifter town. He likes the cubs, and feels really protective of them all. Together with Connor he is learning to fix cars and appliances, to make a bit of a living for himself. Tiger sure has a knack for it. He does not like that he is beholden to the Morrissey’s for everything he needs.

So when they finally discover why he was made, what his special abilities are, a whole new future opens up for him, and his new family …

9 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Annie Burrows – Captain Corcoran’s Hoyden Bride

A stand alone novel, published April 1, 2011.
Genre: historical romance
Cover: nice. Love the color. My cover is different, but it is still pretty.



GOVERNESS WANTED...
Miss Aimée Peters desperately craves respectability: after her father scandalously auctions off her virginity, she flees London to become a governess in remote Yorkshire. She's horrified to discover her new employer, the piratical Captain Corcoran, never sought a governess - he wants a bride!
TO BE CAPTAIN'S FIRST MATE!
Aimée's unadorned charm makes Captain Corcoran forget the true reason he married her. Then he discovers the fortune of coins stitched into Aimée's bodice - what secrets does his new wife hide behind her oh, so innocent façade?


This book was a gift from the author at the Love Letter Convention, thank you again Annie! She surely has made a new fan out of me, as I loved this story.
Aimée Peters has run away from their lodgings after her father gambled her away in a card game. Seeing an advertisement about a position of governess, she applied, with falsified recommendation papers. Thanks to her very unusual upbringing, she does know some strange people like forgers. She really wants to become respectable, and being a governess will give her that at least, or so she thinks.

But the situation she encounters in Yorkshire, is far different from what she expected. Her employer is not really looking for a governess, he needs a wife now he has suddenly gotten the title of Earl, and he has no intention of scouring the London balls to find one. Captain Corcoran has been at sea most of his life, working his way up to ship’s captain, until he god badly hurt fighting the French. And now, being an Earl, he won’t be allowed to go back to active duty. Now he has estates and tenants to look after. But he won’t forget his loyal crew, who are thrown away by the politicians as they are no longer needed.

Aimée doesn’t understand at first that he is offering marriage, and thinks he is offering for a mistress. And as she did refuse that position more often in her past, she is intend on fleeing in the night. But she doesn’t get very far, as her flight is noticed. As she hurt her ankle, there is no way she can leave that night to return to the posting inn, or even to London. But when the confusion is lifted, and she has time to think about the Captain’s proposal, she is relieved. After all, he is handsome and rich, and she so longs for security.

When her mother eloped with her father, her grandfather cut her off. Her parents took her all over Europe, from one city to the next, until their debts were too big to pay, and they needed to flee in the night. As a minor nobleman’s son, her father refused to work for a living, but he was not so good at cheating with cards either, that they did not catch him at it.

And so, a marriage of convenience is made between Aimée and Captain Corcoran, but it will not be in name only. And it seems to start of very well, until Septimus finds the fortune of money sown into her clothes. What is she hiding from him? Why doesn’t she confide in him? He can’t stay away from her at night, but he sure can ignore her by day, even when they move into the Earl’s main residence, and have to deal with the Dowager Duchess and her daughter on a daily basis. At first Aimée is content, being the sort of wife he thinks he wants, but then she wants more. And what will happen when she is confronted with her past?


I really enjoyed this book from the start. Aimée does not behave like it is expected from a staid governess or a gently raised girl; she was fun to read about. She is practical above all things, but she can also dream and is not afraid of much. The sailors who are Captain Corcoran’s servants are great secondary characters, and provide a nice background. And then of course the Captain himself. Who is portrayed very lively, and has been burned badly by his first wife. This makes him very untrusting of Aimée’s motives and jumping to the wrong conclusion very often. But Aimée takes it all in stride, and she holds her own against his accusations. I liked them together, both are not looking for love, but finding it nonetheless. Aimée has no idea how to run a household, but she is determined to learn. Unfortunately, the Dowager Duchess really hates her, and does her best to make her miserable.

I had fun reading this book, and I do recommend it if you like a lighter writing style and your historical romances outside the ballrooms of the ton. I am looking forward to reading more of Annie’s books.

8 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Full review on my blog, www.boeklogboek.blogspot.com

International Street Team

While at the Love Letter Convention in Berlin, Germany, last month, the amazing Cherry Adair asked me to become a part of her street team. Of course I would love to be a part of that, but practically, I had no idea how I could help her, living in the Netherlands as I do. Her books are not for sale in the brick and mortar shops here. So I declined.
Last week though, I had to go to a real brick and mortar book store and I asked if they would be willing to make room for promotional bookmarks and such.
The manager told me she would love to, as they have a lot of English reading clients. And they do order a lot of English (romance) books for them.

So, dear author, do you want to increase your international reading audience? Would you be willing to ship bookmarks and such over the ocean to promote your books? Then I am certainly willing to visit some bookshops in my fair city to distribute the goodies (and keep one for myself of course!). There are different brands of bookstores in my city, near where I work, so I could easily visit four of those regularly.

You can contact me at auriansbooks at gmail dot com so we can discuss details.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Karen Chance – Midnight’s Daughter

The first book in the Dorina Basarab, Dhampir series, published October 7, 2008.
Genre: urban fantasy
Cover: I like it



Dorina Basarab is a dhampir – half-human, half-vampire. Subject to uncontrollable rages, most dhampirs live very short, very violent lives. So far, Dory has managed to maintain her sanity by unleashing her anger on those demons and vampires who deserve killing.
But now Dory’s father has come back into her life. Her uncle Dracula, notorious even among vampires for his cruelty and murderous ways, has escaped from prison, and her father wants Dory to work with the gorgeous master vampire Louis-Cesare to put him back there.
Vampires and dhampirs are mortal enemies, and Dory prefers to work alone. But Dracula is the only thing on earth that truly scares her, and when Dory has to go up against him, she’ll take all the help she can get…


When I started reading this book, I was convinced I had read it before, years ago. But nothing at all was familiar, so I must have been mistaken. Still, it was the wrong idea going into the book with, as I kept waiting for things to recognize. This did not happen. I also think, if you have not read the Cassie Palmer series first, you will be totally lost in this world.

Dorina Basarab is a dhampir, working as a private investigator. She has been looking for her missing roommate for the past month, and is not happy with the fact that she can’t find her. Dory is very worried, Claire is a magical null, and with the war between the Vampire Senate and their mage allies, the Silver Circle against some rogue vampires and the Black Circle brewing, chances are she has been harvested for her powers to negate magic.
So when some sleazy vampire tells her that her friend is still alive, and run off with a low level vampire, she is not sure she believes him. Especially when there is another rumor that Claire is pregnant. And a dhampir child is extremely dangerous to its mother. It will kill their friendship for sure if Dory has to kill the child.
And so Dory sets out to find out the truth from some of Michaels flunkies. Unfortunately, the only result she gets is a bar full with dead vampires and demons, and no answers. And that is when her own father finds her. Mircea demands her help in capturing her uncle Dracula, who has escaped his prison again. In exchange he will pull the Senate’s resources in finding Claire for her. And he offers her the aid of Louis-Cesare, a French vampire and a known duelling master. To her surprise, Louis-Cesare is stronger than Dory, and he will not listen to her at all. Thinking he is in charge of the operation, while he knows nothing about her uncle. And she sincerely doubts her dear father has told him everything.

While searching for Dracula, both Dory’s and Louis-Cesare’s pasts are revealed, and thanks to some Fae wine, they even share memories. While it does give them some understanding, it won’t stop them from fighting each other. When Dory gets too angry, some kind of rage takes over and she often wakes up in a carnage, with no memories about what happened. Which is one of the reasons’s being around Claire is so important to Dory: Claire dampens her. And she is the one good friend she has. Dory is certainly not close to her father or her uncles. Searching for illegal and lethal magical weapons to use against Dracula and his followers, Dory finds some strange allies. And together they just might have a chance.


This certainly is an action packed book. Dory gets from one fight or situation in the next, with hardly any time to heal up again. I liked her. She is certainly a kick-ass heroine, and capable of handling her own. In the end, everything comes together, why the Fae are after Dory and Claire, and she finds her friend again without the help of Mircea and the Senate. The world Karen Chance build is certainly a strange and crazy one, filled with lots of creatures. And as the mages have been experimenting, there are also some horrible hybrids running loose. Yes, there is a lot of violence and gore in this book. But I am looking forward to reading the next book. I liked Dory, who doesn’t give up or give in easily, and I want to find out what will happen next in her strange life.
Louis-Cesare, I do wonder if he is a serious love interest in the future, or if this was just an interlude. He really seems to admire Mircea, and Dory doesn’t even want to like her father. Mircea abandoned her and her mother, who gave her away to some gypsies when it became known that she was not completely human.

So, a book filled with action, strange creatures, and a stubborn kick-ass heroine I really liked. Throw in some vampires, Fae and mages and magical weapons, and mayhem is there.

7 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian