Review: Winter of the Woft by Cherise Sinclair

Book: Winter of the Wolf

The Wild Hunt Legacy #2

Author: Cherise Sinclair

Paranormal, Erotic Romance

Blurb:

After years in foster care, Breanne Gallagher has the stable life she’s always wanted, living with her foster-sister, working as a chef, enjoying her comfortable routines. Then one devastating night, a hellish creature invades her apartment and shatters her fragile existence. Shifting between monster and man, it slaughters her foster sister and assaults Bree. Alone, wounded, her beloved home tainted by gruesome memories, Bree flees to a tiny wilderness town, following her only clue to her past.



Shapeshifting warriors, Zeb and Shay move from one pack to another, hunting the hellhounds which prey on their kind. Assigned to Cold Creek, they take over management of a decrepit fishing lodge for their “human” cover. Their first renter is a pretty human female who trembles at the sight of them—yet stands her ground. Furious at the hurt they see in her eyes, the protective nomads are drawn into helping her. Although no shapeshifter is ever attracted to a human, her scent is oddly compelling, and her ferocious determination to conquer her fears ignites longings neither loner ever expected to face.



Bree is healing, learning to shoot the biggest pistol she can find, and overcoming her fears, especially of the two deadly, disconcertingly attractive hunters. Her life is getting back on track…until she tries to save a little girl from a hellhound and discovers everything she knows about herself is false.

I could have picked any one of Cherise Sinclair's books and given her an accolade, cause... it's Cherise Sinclair and everything she writes is awesome. Seriously, though, this author never disappoints. Her books are always well written, with strong plots and interesting characters and you can't help but be pulled in from the first page. 

Winter of the Wolf is a great example of a story that, for me, has the right alpha male vibe, without needing any of the trappings of BDSM. Not that there's anything wrong with the BDSM trappings, Cherise Sinclair does those well too. Just that this story was more focused on the paranormal and menage, but still had the right alpha feel. Reading this book I was immediately pulled into the magical world Cherise described. I really enjoyed the details and that Cherise stayed true to wolf nature and delved into pack dynamics throughout the book, even when it didn't bode well for the main characters.   

It's not a light story, there's a lot that happens here that is sad and gory and unfair. Issues of sexual assault come up, as well as abuse of power and bullying. I obviously don't like those things, but I liked reading about the way that the characters dealt with these issues. How they came together, how they struggled and overcame. I appreciated that Cherise didn't gloss over the abuse and showed how it can be devastating and how it is possible to overcome even the worst with the right partner(s) and determination on your side.  

And while we're talking about partners... let me just say that when Shay and Zeb decide to turn on the heat, clothes come off. The sensuality was so intense and so sweet at the same time. It was so well written that I had to hold the book one-handed. ;-)

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal, sexy menage, alpha male heroes who have the right combination of dominant, bad ass and scary without ever being mean, and sometimes frustrating and feisty heroines who think they can solve the world's problems by themselves without having to ask for help (yeah, that drove me a little batty sometimes, but don't worry Zeb and Shay straighten her out and that's fun to watch... or well read).

Purchase Link:

amazon

Review: Rare Vintage (Brotherhood of the Blood #2) by Bianca D'Arc

Book: Rare Vintage

Brotherhood of the Blood #2

Author: Bianca D'Arc

Paranormal, Short Erotic Romance

Blurb:

This is a revised version of the originally published work.

She would give her life to save his, but can he save her from himself? 

As the new Gal Friday at Atticus Maxwell-s winery, Kelly is grateful for the much-needed job, and delighted to be working with her best friend Lissa. What she doesn-t need is the exasperation brought on by Marc LaTour-s constant flirting. Yet she can-t deny she is drawn to the mysterious, unsettling Master vampire.

After six hundreds years of searching, Marc has resigned himself to the fact that he-ll never find his One. Kelly is under Atticus and Lissa-s protection, and therefore off limits. Yet the desire to possess her is too strong to resist. Curiosity leads to lust-and the surprising discovery that they indeed could be destined mates.

But a dark cloud hangs heavy over them. A rival vampire has challenged Marc for leadership-a challenge that involves a fight to the death. The cost of survival could forever poison any hope for a future together, but if they can both pass the final test, they could find love that will last for eternity. 

Warning: This book contains graphic language, hot neck biting, outrageous flirting and undeniable lust.

Just as I said with One and Only, the first book, this was a short read. However, unlike the first book, I suffered through it. I was done with it about halfway through and only finished it because it was short and I felt that I needed to get to the end in case there was something there to redeem this series for me. Sadly, I didn't find this elusive redemption. 

Same as One and Only, I think that if you read the synopsis above, you can just skip the book, unless you want to read about some vampire sex. For me, because the character and story development was so lacking, I couldn't get into the sexy parts... I didn't really care, because I couldn't feel the connection. They were each others' destined mates and so everything was pretty much instantaneous for them, just like Atticus and Lissa. As soon as they fucked they knew they loved each other and that was that. No struggle or anticipation. And, honestly, the lovey parts read like this to me: he was all like "I love you!"  and she was all like "I love you!" and he was all like "I love you more!" and she was all like "I love YOU more!" And I was all like "shut up and FUCK her already! Preferably in the ass." Nothing says "I love you" like some ass sex. Sadly, there was no ass sex. There were promises for dark delights that Marc was going to initiate Kelly into, but aside from a light slap on her ass nothing really outlandish happened. 

Okay, I have nothing against people proclaiming their undying love for each other. I really don't. I just wanted to experience their love, not be told about it. That's why we read these books - we want to feel something and aside from some mild irritation I can't say I felt much. I wished for some more struggle, more action, more passion ... just more. 

Let's talk action. This is where I ask, what action?? There was supposed to be this big challenge with a rival, but again, if you read the synopsis then you read the details of the challenge and the fight. It was completely glossed over. I was disappointed. Which is pretty much how I felt about the whole story.

Purchase Link:

amazon

Review: One and Only (Brotherhood of Blood #1) by Bianca D'Arc

Book: One and Only

Brotherhood of Blood #1

Author Bianca D'Arc

Paranormal, Short Erotic Romance

Blurb:

A deadly crash changes the fate of one lonely vampire.

Brotherhood of Blood, Book 1

Vampire enforcer Atticus Maxwell stands at the edge of his own oblivion…until the faint heartbeat of a desperately wounded mortal woman calls him back. The terrible crash that almost took both their lives has brought him a charming, intriguing woman who just might give him a reason to live again.



Lissa was headed for a conference at a resort in a last-ditch attempt to find a job. Instead, on a rain-slick mountain road that almost killed her, she finds the love of her life. A love with the most eligible, reclusive vineyard owner in Napa Valley—one that isn’t quite human.



No barrier—not even breaking the news to Lissa’s friends—seems too great to hold back their blossoming love. Until they learn the accident that brought them together wasn’t an accident at all, but a murder attempt by an unknown enemy. 

Atticus saved Lissa once. Can he keep her that way in the face of a renewed threat?



This book has been previously published and has been substantially revised and expanded from its original release.



Warning: This book contains graphic language, hot neck biting, outdoor loving and a hot man with a killer smile.

This was a quickie. There wasn't much story or background or development... But since it was a short story and the first one in the series, I was okay with that. I figured the second book would make up for the missing pieces. The love between Atticus and Lissa was pretty much instantaneous. Honestly, if you read the synopsis above, you can almost skip the book. I almost feel like it's longer than the book... you know, minus the X rated parts. I guess you'd have to read the book for the X rated part. Which was good, by the way. But, aside from that, there really wasn't much to it... I don't even know what else to say. I guess, if you're just looking for a quick sex scene, then you might enjoy this. If you're looking for a well developed, well written story that makes you feel something then... this probably is not the story for you.

Purchase Link:

amazon

Review: Were Trilogy by: Dixie Lynn Dwyer

Series: Were Trilogy 

Books: Were She Belongs

Were Love Found Her

Were Love Conquers All

Author: Dixie Lynn Dwyer

Paranormal Romance, Menage

Blurb:

 After being abducted, Lexi is unable to escape and about to be murdered. Growls…bodies flying…the next thing she knows, she’s staring into the eyes of some sexy wolf she met at the club.

Her old friend Sierra helped save her, along with three very sexy and intimidating Alpha males. Although they are triplets, Lexi soon finds out that they are just as powerful individually as they are together. But she’s never really belonged, and all she can give them is danger and pain.

Paul, Saber and Andre have found their mate, and they’re ready to claim her body and soul. The one problem…Lexi trusts no one. She’s lived on the streets, survived on her own, and she’s not about to be pampered. They know she’s in danger and that she’s safest with them.

It’s going to take some sneaky, dominant sexual tactics to convince Lexi she’s where she belongs.

Blurb:

The Sinclair, McFay and Crimson wolf packs are not out of danger.



In fact, it is quite the opposite. Lexi’s cousins, Jacob and Troy Crimson, are about to be murdered. As they join the party in their club, VALERIES, they are attacked. If not for the quick reflexes of one sexy blonde, Jacob would have been killed by the blade of silver.



Antoinette is stunned by her reaction to the two Alphas and finds herself in a heap of trouble, quadruple style. Not two, but four Alpha males claim her for their mate, and she’s not sure how to handle them.



There’s an evil force set on destroying all Alphas and ruling the world. He wants to obliterate the Circle of Elders and sets his sights on destroying the Crimson, McFay and Sinclair packs.



The battle has begun, and both Lexi and Antoinette must combine their powers, with the help of their Alpha mates, to destroy the evil force before their packs are annihilated.

Blurb:

Princess Charity Mossano of Milan is the Chosen One. She is forced to remain in hiding as a magical rogue wolf named Devlon continues to hunt her. He wants to mate her to gain her powers, destroy the circle of elders, and rule the world. She establishes Caliber, a security firm, to protect the last Royal were family, the Venificus triplets. Maximus, Luther, and Dante are individually powerful and dominant males. They get what they want and are superior in battle, in wealth, and in charm.



Fate leads Charity to the Royal Venificus estate. She realizes that the three handsome, powerful royal Alphas are her mates. While there, someone Devlon is working with attempts to kill Dante. She reveals herself and the battle of all times begins. With the help of her spirit sisters, Lexi and Antoinette, along with their Alpha mates, Charity must fight the evil villains and save the world.

This is going to be a 3-in-1 review, cause the whole trilogy is, essentially, the same book. And for the purposes of the review I'll treat it as one entity and post this same review under all three books. 

This trilogy had so much potential to be great! The concept is fun and sexy and has some adventure. However, the execution was a little painful (no pun intended). This was a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, because I liked the story and actually read all three books, which is why I gave it 2 stars. But I couldn't give it more than 2 stars, because the writing was awful.  

All three books have heroines who are sexually inexperienced, independent women who had to survive on their own. All the heroes are Alpha wolves... blah blah blah. I get that cliches work and people like them. I read the books, so I'm no exception. However, a little variation here would have been appreciated. Also, the sex scenes were so repetitive that I had to start skipping over them. A little bit of creativity could have gone a long way.

What drove me crazy with this author is that everyone "states" everything. When I imagine someone "stating" something, I think of an authoritative, matter of fact type of statement. Kind of deadpan, even. Dixie Lynn Dwyer, however, thinks that everyone can state anything in any context. 

"I love you," he stated.  ... deadpan ... 

In the heat of passion ... "Mine," he stated... umm in the heat of passion, I'd expect him to growl it. He's a wolf for god's sake!

And just so you don't think my snarkiness is unjustified, I had my e-reader count the number of times "state," "stated," or "statement" appeared in all three books - Were She Belongs, Were Love Found Her, and Were Love Conquers All - and the combined number is over 400 times. That's scary. 

Other quotes that make me sad:

"His eyes roamed over the cleavage of her chest..." as opposed to the cleavage of her ... ass? do we really need that distinction? I'd let it go, if it only happened once, but... 

"Charity awoke, finding all three brothers holding her stare." umm... does she have three sets of eyes? 

Also, Dixie Lynn Dwyer likes for her characters to "lock gazes." A lot. Folks were locking gazes left, right and sideways. In all three books there were a total 56 "locked gazes."

"She moaned and withered from the triple onslaught of sensations..." withered? that is not a word I'd associate with mind-blowing pleasure, more like slow horrifying death. 

These are just some examples from all three books, I can go on. But I'll stop. I think you get the point. 

I gave the trilogy two stars because I really wanted to like it. I actually finished it and the story itself had potential. But the writing was just ... not good. I tried out some books from Dixie Lynn Dwyer's other series and it's just more of the same.

Purchase Link:

amazon