By blood, by word, by magic…
Most can’t touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood.

And more blood will be spilled before it’s over…

Rachel Vincent can do no wrong. Yes, I said it and I probably mean it. Over the years I’ve undoubtedly grown as a reader and reviewer, and sometimes my increasingly high expectation as to what makes a truly great urban fantasy novel leaves me feeling unsatisfied with what I come across. Yet, not once has Rachel Vincent fallen under that increasingly high bar. In some aspects I feel as if we have grown together. You know, as much as two people who don’t know each other can, and not in a creepy sort of way. Or maybe it is simply that her own development as a writer and continued success as a story teller has influenced the ‘standard of excellence’ I hold other novels and authors up to.

Who are these people?

Liv Warren is a tracker, capable of finding people (unofficially) within a 300 mile radius through even the smallest drop of blood. She is one of the Skilled, a subset of people born with special skills that go largely ignored by society. With the exception of criminal syndicates and the government, of course.

I’ve sat for at least ten minutes trying to think of one word that adequately describes Liv and nothing fits just right, except maybe desperate, or desolate, or confident, or defiant, or flawed, or empowered, or …see, the list goes on. She is complicated. She does what she has to in order to survive and keep her friends safe, even if they don’t realize she is doing it. Her world is full of black, white, gray, and boundary lines that were meant to be pushed up against and bent.

Cam Caballero, is the one she can’t have. There is certainly more to him and their relationship, but honestly Liv carries this story on her own. Their romance is secondary, if not unremarkable to the story as a whole.

What is this book even about?

Bound by a blood oath taken as a young girl, Liv is forced to help a friend find and kill a man in the name of revenge. Yet, when is revenge ever a simple and straight forward task? Coerced to work with a man she loves, but believes she is a danger to, Liv Warren finds herself neck deep in a complicated ring of criminal politics that threatens to expose her own secrets with every passing hour.

Trackers find people, Jammers keep Trackers from finding people. Travelers teleport through shadows and Binders can make promises a death sentence. There is an entire world of Skilled people officially ignored by society and the government, but unofficially used by both. The basic plot in itself isn’t revolutionary, it doesn’t need to be. Instead its a steady and well paced constant nestled among a rapidly shifting world and cast of characters.

What did I like love about this story?

The creativity. The innovation. The sense that this series would be unlike anything else I’ve read in urban fantasy so far. One of the things I enjoyed so much about Rachel Vincent’s previous Shifter series was that she didn’t just build a story resting on the back of traditional paranormal “shifter” lore, but instead created her own. She does the same with this new series, blazing a trail that is entirely hers and entirely unique to the genre. Not only is the world building creative and innovative, but it is believable. The characters, events, and dynamics of the Unbound world teeter along the line of credible possibilities in such a way that one can’t help being completely captivated.

What gave me pause….?

Truthfully, very little. I did find the romance subplot to be less interesting than the rest, but it certainly wasn’t badly done or in any way detrimental to the novel. It is likely my own disinterest in romance in general as of late, rather than the subplot itself. I’d like to speculate it could have been written without it, but I fear we’d lose character growth within Liv that manifested nicely because of the romantic entanglements. If you enjoy a good bit of romantic tension in your urban fantasy, this book has the perfect portion of it.

Favorite Quote

“But before you start officially asking me for help, you need to understand that there are certain requests I can’t carry out, and making those particular requests would be like pushing my self-destruct button. I’ll implode, like the fuckin’ Death Star.”

“Um, point of fact, I believe the Death Star exploded,” Cam said, leaning back on a bar stool, his elbows propped behind him on the counter. “Twice.”

“Congratulations. Your official super-nerd badge is in the mail,” Kori said, but I couldn’t get past the part about me accidentally pushing her self-destruct button.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit! “Please tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it means….”

Should you read this book?

Yes. In fact, if you only try one new series or one new author this year, Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent should be at the top of your list.

FTC Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Related posts:

• Review: Shift by Rachel Vincent
• Review: Alpha by Rachel Vincent
• Cover Reveal: Alpha by Rachel Vincent

Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.

So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price . . .

I’ve talked about how much I absolutely love Kate Daniels before. This series started out rough, but has grown into one of my absolute favorites. It is easily ranked in the top 5 of my OH MY GOD YOU MUST READ THIS SERIES list, if I were keeping one (I am). I don’t simply love this series because Kate is a BAMF, she is, but also because the series itself is continuously growing and changing. Every book has been better than the last and Magic Slays is no different.

Things are different for Kate in Magic Slays. She is no longer living on her own fighting bad guys, fighting Curran, fighting herself. Instead she has accepted her role as Curran’s Mate and lover and finally moved into the Pack’s Keep. There is a certain level of security that comes with being mated to the Beast Lord and living in a fortified castle, however Kate has never been one to sit back on her laurels in style and comfort. Having quit the Order and working for her own agency, a seemingly simple case of a loose vampire and missing person quickly turn into a situation that threatens Kate, her family, and the Pack.

There were so many things I liked about this installment in Kate’s story. Magic Slays is more than just scary monsters being tossed at our heroine left and right, at parts it even has a slight ‘crime novel” feel to it. The romantic tension between Kate and Curran is lessoned slightly, as we are no longer wondering will they or won’t they, and there is an honesty and ease between them that is hard to put words around. They laugh, they argue, they fight (literally), and there are moment’s of doubt, but it is somehow all very natural. Their spats are some of my favorite scenes in the book because the sarcasm and dialogue are delivered so well, yet I was never once distracted from the overall plot. Additionally, I felt the side characters were utilized in a way to fully enrich the ongoing story and lay the groundwork for future novels in a way that I hadn’t noticed before. Kate really is no longer alone and she finally seems willing to accept that.

Kate and Curran’s relationship is a perfect foundation of humor, tension, and tenderness upon which sits a riveting and suspenseful story. I bit off at least three of my fingernails, gasped several times, and went on to whisper “oh my god, they wouldn’t do this…. no!” at least once. Additionally, an older and wiser Kate is thrown a curveball or two that will leave readers wanting more while setting up future books nicely. I agree with Danielle at AlphaReader entirely, this book does feel like the calm before the storm. It is not an all consuming read, but it was enjoyable and well done.

Magic Slays was one of my highly anticipated reads for this year and I am happy to say that it delivered on all of my expectations. There was never a paragraph I wanted to skip or a description I rolled my eyes at. The foreboding at the end was absolutely perfect and I can not wait to see where Kate finds herself next time and who she is faced with. I have a guess. It is taking all of my willpower not to type it.

Favorite Quote

I made a mental note to punch Jim in the arm the next time I saw him. “Thought it was funny, did he?”

“I didn’t think it was funny.”

I bet. “People were about to die and I could save them. There was a girl . . . Anyway, I’m not hurt. I’ll be home for dinner.”

“As you wish,” he said.

My heart made a little jump. I love you, too.

The tension in his voice eased. “You sure you don’t need your Prince Charming to come and save you?”

The knot in my stomach evaporated. My Prince Charming, huh. “Sure, do you have one handy?”

“Oh, I think I could scrounge one up somewhere. As often as I have to rescue you . . .”

“I’m going to kick you in the head when I get home. Repeatedly.”

“You could try. You probably need the exercise since you sit on your butt in the office all day.”

“You know what, don’t talk to me.”

“Whatever you want, baby.”

Now he was just jerking my chain. I growled at the phone.

FTC Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me.

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• Cover Reveal: Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
• Review: Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews

I was going to try to write this review without spoilers from the previous books in this series, but I honestly don’t know how to do it. Too much has happened that built up to this book to leave them out. I will avoid spoilers about the plot content of Shift and tread cautiously with previous books, avoiding spoilers about the main mystery/suspense plot of each book. Several people have asked if they can read this book without reading the previous books…. my answer is yes, you could if you really wanted to. But I agree with Patti over at Book Addict that if you do you are missing the full impact of the story. The buildup and history of these characters add so much I would avoid it if you can! You won’t be sorry.

Fans of this series know what a hugely important and controversial book Prey, book 4, was. Besides the devastating death of a well loved character, there was shocking (and totally hot!) smexing between Jace and Faythe. Fans have high expectations of Shift and it delivers on every one of them.

Simply put, Faythe Sanders is not the same girl she used to be. Book 1, Stray, introduces her as a mouthy, defiant, and somewhat whiney college student. Her father is Alpha of South Central pride of werecats, and tabbies (female werecats) are rare. So incredibly rare that they are prized and used as pawns in greedy attempts at controlling all the werecat prides. Initially, Faythe wants none of this system and insists she can have a life of her own outside of the pride, away from her family. This series is very much about the growth of Faythe and her finding her own path within the system her natural werecat instincts are longing for.

By the time we get to Shift Faythe is a strong, determined, intelligent, and forward thinking tabby. She no longer denies who she is or what her status means, but instead works to redefine it and make it her own. She is done shying away from the tough choices. She is the first female enforcer for a pride and thrives on the decisions that will lead her to become the first female Alpha. Yet, she is still flawed, she still makes mistakes. Faythe has to face the consequences of one of those mistakes in Shift.

The tension between Marc, Faythe, and Jace in this book is overwhelming. For most of this series there has been tension between Marc and Faythe, could she ever just let go and be with him? I was rooting for him, he was strong and dependable and would let Faythe lead in her own way. He surprises me in Shift and it only adds to my admiration of his character arc.

Jace was always the fun, but flirty guy who made the readers laugh. I never expected him to grow so much over such a short period of time. The events in Prey, changed him drastically. He is no longer willing to be the fun flirty guy who’s intentions aren’t taken seriously. He is making a serious attempt to win Faythe’s heart in Shift and I find myself swooning over his new found Alpha-ness. Faith is going to have to choose and if being with both of them isn’t an option, I don’t know what I want for her!

With so much of this book riding on the relationship between Jace and Marc and Faythe I was worried the overall plot of the werecat pride conflicts would be lost. I should have known better. Rachel Vincent has written a dynamic, fast paced, action driven story that had me hanging on every word. The South Central pride faces new dangers from both a flight of Thunderbird shifters and Carl Malone’s Pride, intent on gaining control of the pride council. Once again Faythe and her enforcers are fighting for their lives and tough decisions have to be made.

This is probably one of the longest reviews I have written and the sad thing is that I could keep on writing! I finished the book this morning and have been unable to think of anything but it all day long. My heart is torn, my nerves are shot, and my emotions are a mess in that way that you can only get from being invested in a great book. Where do they go from here? With only one book in the series left, Alpha can’t come soon enough. Rachel Vincent’s Shifter series is a roller-coaster ride of suspense and emotion that I don’t want to get off.

Other Reviews:

Book Addict – 5

FTC Disclaimer: Book recieved from NetGalley

Related posts:

• Review: Alpha by Rachel Vincent
• Teaser Tuesday: Shift by Rachel Vincent
• Author Interview: Rachel Vincent

I have only just recently realized my love for contemporary romances, and usually its the strong overpowering alpha males that get my toes tingling. When I heard there was a skull tattoo in Lead Me On I knew that I had to read it. I mean how can a man with a skull tattoo not be a growling alpha male that would make my heart go pitter patter? I am happy to say that Victoria Dahl has shown me I don’t need a contemporary romance with an overbearing male to keep me interested.

Jane Morgan is reserved, immaculate, and the picture of professionalism. At the age of 29 she has left behind the troubled girl of her youth. She changed her name and her appearance, moved to a new town, and dates only men who would make good husband material. She often feels like a fraud but continues doing everything she can to convince herself she isn’t the girl she used to be.

William Chase likes to blow things up. He likes his worn jeans and boots, and he really really likes to blow things up. He is big, tattooed, manly…. when he walks into her office looking like a man out of her past Jane tries to convince herself she can’t have Chase. What would people think? Yet, she gives in to her desires and decides a one night stand would be the perfect treat for her birthday. Little does she realize that Chase is more than just sex on a stick.

Oh how I adore Chase. The thought of him with his tattoos wrapping around his arms and up along his buzzed skull gives me the tingles. I full expected him to be the growling tough guy who took charge, but instead I got a growling and sexy man who knew how to be compassionate, loving, and patient. I was so used to the tough alpha male who tries to deny his feelings and pushes the heroine away for her own good that Chase took me by surprise. Even when I thought he should walk away from Jane and her stubbornness, he hung in there and was honest with her about his feelings. As if Chase alone wasn’t enough to make me drool on my Kindle, the passion between Jane and Chase was scorching.

Her eyes flew to his tattooed skull. Jane licked her lips.
“You’r going to miss your chance, darlin’.”
He knew. He knew she wanted to nibble her way all the way up, wanted to lick him, wanted to look down and see that tattooed head between her thighs…God, he was so arrogant.

Um yes, please. I don’t want to give too much away, but a certain parking lot/truck scene will forever be annotated on my reader.

I will admit that Jane annoyed me a little. She comes across as shallow and uptight at first. She is far too worried about what other people think and I found myself frowning at her behavior on more than one occasion. She pushed and used Chase and I was worried he wasn’t going to push back. In the end tho, Jane grew on me. I get where she is coming from and some things are hard to get passed. She is flawed and there wouldn’t be a story to tell if she wasn’t.

I was originally going to rate this a 4 or 4.5 star book because of my annoyance at Jane’s issues. But the truth is that Lead Me On kept me awake until 3 am last night because I just did not want to put it down. The writing is smooth and flows easily. The story telling and character interactions were amusing and entertaining. Many times I simply typed “lol” next to a line because it got a smile out of me. Lead Me On gives you witty dialogue, sexy men, and a passionate romance that will keep you up all hours of the night – if that isn’t a 5 star romance than I don’t know what is!

Other Reviews:

Smexybooks – 4.5
FictionVixen – 4.5
Bibliophilic Book Blog – 5
Alpha Reader – 2

FTC Disclaimer: This book was acquired through NetGalley

Related posts:

• Review: Make Your Move by Samantha Hunter
• Review: Shift by Rachel Vincent
• Review: Crossroads by Moira Rogers

I feel like I should knock on wood or something. I have had a string of really great books and keep waiting for one to let me down! Crossroads continued my lucky trend of great books and exceeded my expectations. I am hereby declaring Moira Rogers my favorite discovery of 2009.

Nicole Peyton is a werewolf. She also happens to be heir to the very rich and powerful Alpha of the United States pack of werewolves. We first meet Nicole in book 1 of the series, Crux. What makes Nicole so endearing is that she doesn’t want the wealth and power that she has every right to. Instead she leaves the world of werewolf politics and runs a bar in New Orleans. She is trying desperately to live a life of normalcy, constantly turning away from her father’s goals of making her into a powerful female Alpha.

Derek Gabriel is a sexy beast. Derek was turned a werewolf, instead of being born one. As he tries to adjust to his new life he pushes Nicole away, even tho its obvious to all around them there is a connection between them. Thankfully the wolf comes to his senses not too far into the book and tries to claim what his inner wolf is telling him is HIS. Unluckily, on the verge of Nicole and Derek finding out what the future holds for them, Nicole’s twin sister shows up with danger following her.

I went into this story fully expecting Derek and Nick to fight their attraction for half the book, it seemed obvious considering how stubborn they seemed to be! I mean they had already ignored it for 2 years, what was a little more time?!? I was overjoyed to find out I was wrong. The chemistry between the two was sweltering and just too much to ignore. The next thing I knew we had werewolves having sex on the kitchen floor amongst a flurry of waffle batter. This book contains an intimate scene in the forest after a run, which has to be the hottest scene I have read in a very long time…. I had to read it twice. Then I noticed I had a big grin on my face and was blushing furiously. Derek and Nick are just so needy, so intense, so passionate – it is perfection.

One hand dropped to her ankle, and his large fingers encircled it easily. “Tell me to stop.”

She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. “No.”

Derek dragged her ankles apart and dropped to his knees between her legs. He tickled his fingers up her calves as he jerked his gaze to hers again. “Put your hands over your head.”

Sheer primal instinct drove her to obey.

Where Jackson’s southern charm in book 1, Crux, made my heart go pitter patter, Derek’s protective and passionate alpha manhood makes my toes curl.

I should probably point out there is much more to this book than just hot forest sex, lest I get sidetracked and find myself rereading all my bookmarked scenes, again. Crossroads has a complicated and engrossing plot that takes us deeper into werewolf politics. We learn so much more about the life Nicole and her sister have been subjected to along with the bond between them. Crossroads drags you into the characters lives and forces you to experience their passion, their happiness, but also their sadness and pain.

As if all of the above isn’t good enough for a 5 star review, Moira Rogers manages to add a little bit more to the story. Jackson and Mackenzie from Crux are still in the mix and have small parts in the book. We get glimpses of the brooding and sarcastic Alec, at least once in nothing but a pair of jeans (hopefully low slung ones). We are also given a new development in regards to Kat and Andrew, side characters from book 1. They step a bit closer to the front of the stage in Crossroads and I hear that Andrew will be getting his own book after Alec’s. Based on the events in this book, I am going to go ahead and lay claim to Andrew right now. He is mine and you can’t have him.

If you have not read Crux, I encourage you to do so immediately so that you can pick up Crossroads on the day it releases, February 9th. Trust me, you will not be sorry. I am going to leave you all with a small glimpse of my newest book boyfriend, Andrew.

Once Mackenzie had opened the door, she glanced at Nick. “Should I have Jackson bring Kat? Or is he going to pee on her leg or something crazy?”

“I’m not going to pee on anyone.” Andrew growled, and Mackenzie stepped aside and let him pass.

She rolled her eyes and followed, already dialing the phone.

FTC Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Related posts:

• Review: Crux by Moira Rogers
• Contest: Celebrate Release Day with Moira Rogers!
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Fatal Shadows – 4 stars

Goodreads entry here.
Someone’s out to get Los Angeles bookseller Adrien English. His best friend has been viciously murdered, now he’s getting weird phone calls and sinister gifts from a mysterious “admirer.” The cops think he’s trying to divert suspicion from himself-with the exception of sexy and homophobic homicide detective Jake Riordan. Is Riordan really such a great detective–or does he have a few secrets of his own? Is his offer to help Adrien on the level or is he out to nail his favorite suspect — to the wall?

A Dangerous Thing – 3 stars

Goodreads entry here
Suffering from writer’s block and frustrated with his tentative relationship with hot but closeted L.A.P.D. Homicide Detective Jake Riordan, gay bookseller and mystery writer Adrien English travels to northern California where he finds a body in his front drive. By the time the sheriffs arrive, the body has disappeared, and Adrien once again finds himself playing amateur sleuth. But when the game turns deadly, Adrien turns to Jake. Jake may be confused about some things, but keeping his lover alive is not one of them–no matter what the cost.

The Hell You Say – 5 stars

Goodreads entry here
The long anticipated third novel in the Adrien English series finds the “ill-starred and bookish” mystery writer and bookseller battling demons–maybe literally.

And, oh, yes, murder…

Death of a Pirate King – 5 stars

Goodreads entry here
Gay bookseller and reluctant amateur sleuth Adrien English’s writing career is suddenly taking off. His first novel, Murder Will Out, has been optioned by notorious Hollywood actor Paul Kane. But when murder makes an appearance at a dinner party, who should be called in but Adrien’s former lover, handsome closeted detective Jake Riordan, now a Lieutenant with LAPD — which may just drive Adrien’s new boyfriend, sexy UCLA professor Guy Snowden, to commit a murder of his own!

The Dark Tide – 5 stars

Goodreads entry here
As if recovering from heart surgery beneath the gaze of his over-protective family wasn’t exasperating enough, someone keeps trying to break into Adrien English’s bookstore. What is this determined midnight intruder searching for?

Jake is only too happy to have reason to stay in close contact with Adrien, but there are more surprises in Adrien’s past than either one of them expects — and one of them may prove hazardous to Jake’s own heart.

It is 3:40am and here I am typing away on my laptop writing a review for a series I just finished reading. I should have packed it up and called it a night as the girls will no doubt be pestering me for breakfast bright and early, but the last book of the Adrien English series was so perfect, so sigh worthy that I absolutely had to get my thoughts out before I could fall asleep.

I started this series not knowing what to expect. It came highly recommended by Smexybooks and she has never steered anyone wrong before, but I have never read a M/M romance before. True to form, Ms. Smexy did not disappoint and this series is a must read. Fictionwise has this series classified as M/M erotica but I have a hard time classifying it as erotica. Yes, there are some smexy scenes in it, but the plot and relationships between characters steal the show in every book. Because of the strength of the last 3 books, I am giving the series as a whole 5 stars.

Adrien English is likable and funny, often sarcastic but not overly so. He is curious, finding himself close to far more dead bodies than one would think is possibly. The relationship between him and Jake is an unlikely one where they seem to knock heads more than kiss. I would have liked to sit them down and stage an intervention more on several occassions. They seemed to take turns being unable to be emotionally honest and often saying the wrong words. On one hand I am glad this series was only 5 books long, I am not sure my heart could take the emotional turmoil that their relationship caused me!

The plots for all 5 books were well done. The mysteries were interesting and demanded equal footing with the romantic plot. I did find the storyline in A Dangerous Thing, book 2, to be less interesting than the others. I felt the changes in Jake and Adrien’s relationship were most important to the series, but the plot kept trying to push them out of the way.

Ultimately, book 5 left the biggest impression on me. I laughed out loud at the one liners and sighed at the tender side Jake finally showed us. I held my breath during many scenes hoping one of them would say the right thing and happiness would be in their future. Never have I read a series that was completed so well and did so without compromising the characters or the growth they had to experience. Even upon finishing The Dark Tide I kept hitting the “next” button trying to deny the book was really done. Realizing it was truly the end, I actually grinned and hugged my kindle for a moment in gratefulness.

Thank you Mandi for helping me spread my book horizons and thank you Josh Lanyon for giving readers a little piece of joyful perfection.

FTC Disclaimer: These books were purchased by me

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