Winner of Redneck Heaven by Marchelle Wallace

Before I announce the winner of an eBook copy of Redneck Heaven by Marchelle Wallace, I want to thank the author and CBLS Promotions for letting me give away a copy of this entertaining read.  Thanks too everyone who entered.  And now, without further ado, the winner is....

.....Catherine Lee!!!!!!!

I'll be emailing you soon to confirm your win so be on the lookout for my winner's confirmation email.  Congratulations again and Happy Reading!

Review for Lover Reborn by JR Ward

In the darkest corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other rages. The city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race: the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Now back in the Brotherhood - and unrecognisable as the vampire leader he once was - Tohrment is physically emaciated and heartbroken beyond despair. When he begins to see his beloved in his dreams - trapped in a cold, isolating netherworld - Tohr turns to a self-serving fallen angel in hopes of saving the one he has lost. When he's told he must learn to love another to free his former mate, Tohr knows they are all doomed . . .

Except then a female with a shadowed history begins to get through to him. Against the backdrop of the raging war with the lessers, and with a new clan of vampires vying for the Blind King's throne, Tohr struggles between the buried past, and a very hot, passion-filled future . . . but can his heart let go and set all of them free?

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For those who were a bit disappointed with the previous installment in this series due to it putting the main couple in a secondary role can rest assured that in this release the main couple's emotional journey is front and center.  Relationships between a few couples are in turmoil in Lover Reborn which makes for an emotionally intense roller coaster of a story that I just gobbled up between tear drops and am now in withdrawal waiting for the next release in the amazing Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

The death of Wellsie completely shattered Tohrment's life and he's still trying to deal with it and just going through the motions when this story opens.  Upon learning that Wellsie is suffering because of his inability to move on Tohr finally starts taking baby steps towards restarting his life.  Enter No'One, the only woman kind enough to put up with Tohr's moments of anger and willing to be second in his heart.  Tohr's suffering was very realistic and made my heart ache with his struggle to move on and the conflicting emotions it caused him.  Entering into a relationship with No'One didn't happen overnight, there was a slow build-up to their coming together.  In one way I liked the slow burn, it made their coupling that much hotter and it was more realistic for his character considering that Wellsie was the only female he'd ever been with.  In another way, this part of the story dragged a bit and frustrated me at times.  I enjoyed No'One and Tohr together.  It was nice seeing that caring side of his return and seeing No'One slowly come out of her shell.  Their sexual interludes were intense and varied and I definitely like the way JR writes the sexy sexing.

The path to their happy ending was a rough one where I wanted to slug Tohr for his insensitivity at times and for a particularly vicious verbal attack he made towards No'One.  I was also frustrated by her subserviant behavior at the beginning but was cheering her on as she slowly started standing up for herself.  By the end, the evolution of their characters made them a wonderfully compatible couple.  He became a worthy male to her and she a worthy female to him.

John Matthew and Xhex are also having a rough time as she's trying to find acceptance in this male-dominated world.  She's a strong woman who just wants to continue fighting against the Lessers like she always has.  But John's bonded male instincts consume him where he wants to keep her away from the fight.  This is like taking a part of her soul away.  Fighting defines who she is, doing what must be done is in her genes.  By taking that away she feels as if he finds her lacking and incapable.  John loves her tremendously and it's hard seeing that the strength of his love is smothering her and making her feel weak.  As they continued pulling apart I was practically screaming at them to make amends.  Seeing them finally find their way back to each other was an amazing scene with some memorably romantic words and actions.

As if emotional issues aren't enough for the Brothers to deal with, the Band of Bastards are stepping up their plans to overthrow the Brotherhood.  Assassinations and back door machinations abound as Xcor discovers he has a heart and decides to be different than his cruel father and brings his brothers closer to him by becoming a better leader.  Through an intriguing part in the plot Xcor finds himself even more obsessed with the Brotherhood for reasons having nothing to do with politics.

And now for the part of the story that made me scream and pull out my hair....the Qhuinn/Blaylock/Layla triangle.  I'm one of the readers strongly in the Qhuay camp and continue to be frustrated by them constantly being kept apart.  In this book an act is committed that completely enraged me.  It comes about in a very convoluted way and felt like a ridiculous plot device to keep Qhuay apart.  My only hope that we can move on from this ridiculous act are Qhuinn's final words upon seeing Blay across the room,"Our future has come."  And 2013 can't come soon enough for me to see these two Brothers finally come together.

JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series continues to keep me enthralled.  She's has me laughing one minute, crying the next, and wanting to scream at the pages in frustration.  But I always keep coming back.  These characters are richly drawn and appeal to me on every level.  The mix of romance, action, and exciting twists and turns keeps me on the edge of my seat everytime I pick up the latest installment until the final page is turned.  As long as Ward keeps inviting me into this exciting world, I'll definitely keep revisiting.

My rating for this is an A.

*I purchased this book myself.

Game of Thrones Returns Tonight!

Moobs may be gone, but the show, and Daenerys, must go on!  Tonight on HBO George R.R. Martin's masterpiece Game of Thrones returns!  And after the amazing season finale of Spartacus:Vengeance I'm glad that the blood and drama isn't ending yet.  Here is a description of tonight's premiere episode: Tyrion arrives in King's Landing to counsel Joffrey; Stannis Baratheon plots an invasion to claim his late brother's throne; Daenerys and her three dragons search for allies and water; Bran presides over a threadbare Winterfell.  Here now are some clips to get you excited for tonight's premiere....

Season 2 Trailer: Seven Devils

Season 2 Trailer: Power and Grace

Are you excited yet?!  I know I am.  So, join me in welcoming back Game of Thrones and tune into HBO at 9/8 PM CST.

Review for Sweet as Sin by Inez Kelly

John Murphy is tormented by nightmares. A bestselling young-adult author, he writes the ultimate fantasy: stories where good always triumphs. He knows better. His past has shown him the worst in people—and in himself. When he moves next door to the sexy, vibrant Livvy—a woman completely unlike his usual one-night stands—he's driven to explore every curve of her delicious body.

Pastry chef Livvy knows that giving in to the temptation that is John Murphy won't lead to anything permanent, but she deserves a passionate summer fling. John discovers she's as sweet as the confections she bakes while Livvy slowly unravels his secrets. But what will happen when she uncovers them all?

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I LOVE emotional reads that get under your skin and don't let go.  Seeing people who have gone through horrible things and made it through to find happiness are my kind of inspirational read.  Inez Kelly is one of those writers who makes their readers a part of these emotional journeys and Sweet as Sin delivers in the intensity of that emotional journey.

The journey to true happiness is incredibly rocky for these two.  John came from a childhood of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of his preacher father and still carries the scars today inside and out.  Through his YA and fantasy writings he uses his characters as a form of therapy.  Showing excerpts of these stories is an unique and intriguing way to show us his inner emotions since it's hard for him to express things out loud.  Unfortunately his writings aren't enough as he still has nightmares and rage and alcohol issues.  When he goes through these episodes he's a different man, a very unlikable one.  He lashes out and says hurtful things and it's hard reading these scenes.  Seeing his daily struggles made me ache for him even as I was despising his actions.  He's a good man deep down and deserves to find a woman who can help him heal.  I love wounded heroes and John is definitely that.  He's also charming and super sexy.  Which is part of the reason why Livvy is drawn to him.

Livvy is a very strong and independent woman and just what John needs.  She's not going to let him push her away no matter how hard he tries.  She'll stand by him as he struggles to put the past behind him.  She too had a rough childhood with a cheating father which adds to the rockiness of their relationship.  Both John and Livvy had to grow up before their time and it's this shared emotional past that makes their connection so intense and vital to each of them.

The sexual interludes in this story are steamy and nicely spaced throughout the story.  Even when they hit a rocky patch the sex is still intense between them.  The ups and downs between them are realistic and made me feel like I was on that emotional roller coaster with them.  Everything happening between them drew me in and I was rooting for them every step of the way.

This story was intense from the very first page and didn't let up until the very end.  These were two scarred souls destined to be together.  Livvy was an immensely likable character who was a pillar of strength for John and is the epitome of what a heroine should be.  John was damaged to his very core and after having countless women knew that Livvy was the one worth changing his ways for.  He knew he needed more in-depth help and found it because of Livvy's love and support.  It takes a strong man to admit that and it made me love him even more than I did at the start of the story.  Inez Kelly has created a story with a memorable couple that pulls at your heartstrings and stays with you long after the final page is turned.  Those looking for a story full of emotional ups and downs need look no further than Sweet as Sin.  Just make sure to have a tissue or two nearby.

My rating for this is a B+

*I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Feature & Follow Friday......

Hello all, it's that day of the week where we learn new things about each other and discover new blogs along the way.  We also help each other by becoming followers of one another.  Normally that following would be through GFC (which would be great if you'd still take a few seconds to do), but with that being eliminated for certain blogs (a big boo-hiss to that) I now ask that you follow through a RSS Feed (or Twitter, FB, or email) which you can find to the right.  I want to thank all of you ahead of time who choose to become a follower and make sure to let me know in the comments if you're new so I doubly make sure to follow you back.  And now for this weeks get to know me question....

Q: Do you read one book at a time or do you switch back and forth between two or more?

 

A:  I generally read one book at a time, but if I'm on a time crunch I sometimes have to stop in the middle of a pleasure read to start a review book.