Heroes I can't live without: Part 1

So I've already talked about what series I have to re-read every couple years, now I'm going to tell you all about what Romance, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, etc, heroes that I can't live without.


Number One: Davy Dempsey from Jennifer Crusie's "Faking It."
  I fell in love with Davy in "Welcome to Temptation," which features him as the brother of the main heroine. And I can't tell you how happy I am that Davy got his own story. If I were being honest.. I'd say I love him so much because he's a bit (a lot) of a con man. But he's good, mostly. And maybe, for Tilda, he's ready to give it up. I love Davy.. he should teach me how to pull off a good con, and he's pretty dang resourceful..

Number Two: Valerius from Sherrilyn Kenyon's "Seize the Night."
   He's a bada$$ immortal vampire hunter... and a secret pop culture junky. How could I resist? Because of who Valerius is, and his past, the rest of the Dark-Hunters won't even acknowledge his presence at best, but would eagerly kill him on sight at worst. So Valerius learned to tune it out, or lash out before they get the chance to do anything. But with Tabby, he found someone that could appreciate him for who he is, not his and his family's past. So I can't help but love the tortured hero. It's a (delicious) flaw of mine. So already I loved Val.. but throw in his vast movie collection and his joy of tossing out movie quotes, and I'll melt into a puddle of happy goo.




Number Three: Sin from Kinley MacGregor's "Born in Sin."
   Yes, I'm aware Kinley MacGregor and Sherrilyn Kenyon are the same person. And here we have another tortured hero - Sin has been treated badly since birth, and hated by so many. So of course I was like "I'll love you, Sin!!" Maybe you all haven't noticed, but I adore comedy.. I deal with difficult situations (or any situation really) by laughing and cracking jokes. And while I love me some broody guys, I also need someone that can crack jokes. And Sin does that perfectly. He broods with the best, and his humor is so unexpected, you can't help but laugh.



So that's Heroes I can't live without: Part 1. Yes, there are plenty more, no worries. In fact, I wish I could have a nice harem of heroes.. it'll be the next big thing in romance! A Harem O'Heroes! Stay tuned for the next installment, as well as upcoming reviews.

Review of "Eternal Kiss of Darkness" by Jeaniene Frost

 Squee!! Another Night Huntress world book! Not as good as a Cat and Bones story... or is it?!

Disclaimer: I, the reviewer, bought this book for myself. I did not receive this book, nor any form of monetary incentive in exchange for a positive review.

Type: Series, Vampires, Paranormal Romance, Sexy and Powerful Alpha Male

From the back of the book: "  Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares. At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he'd seen it all. Then Kira appeared - this fearless, beautiful... human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable. But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.  "

I am quite a big fan of Jeaniene Frost and her Night Huntress series. So when readers first met Mencheres, he was described as a powerful, old vampire. I  know he was supposed to look young, but I couldn't get that "OLD!" idea out of my head. So when the author mentioned the second Night Huntress World book would be Mencheres' story.. I was a little wary. At least until she explained that Mencheres actually looks like a young Oded Fehr. Then, I'll admit, I was drooling a little. And after reading "Eternal Kiss of Darkness".. well, I can be firmly placed in the Mencheres-loving category.

I'm not sure I've mentioned this before, but I do love Jeaniene Frost's take on the vampire mythology. Much of what is considered vampire lore today are lies spread by the vampire community so they could easily prove they weren't vampires - So crosses, garlic, etc do not harm them. But I think my favorite part is the green-flashing eyes. When a vampire is hungry, using some of their power, or (and my favorite part) getting a little excited in the pants-region.. their eyes start to glow green. I believe at one point, Cat called it something like an optical hard-on.

Some of the scenery in this book, Mencheres' idea of a safe hideout, couldn't be more amusing. In one scene, Kira wakes only to hear screaming and something moving very fast. Where are they, you might ask? In Disneyland, under Thunder Mountain Railroad. I distinctly remember chuckling when Mencheres told her their location. And even better? They later find themselves in the Haunted Mansion, doing some very paranormal type-things, that fit in wonderfully with the theme of the ride.

One of the things I love the most about Frost is her ability to write some seriously kick-butt heroines. First Cat, who has no problem fighting back and taking the bad guys down, and now Kira, who doesn't bat an eye at standing up to people much older and more powerful than herself. And that includes Mencheres. I would have loved to see more scenes of other vampires witnessing how Kira spoke to him. This big, bad, ancient vampire being chastised by a human (and later not-so-human) female.

And a quick side-note... I love how the author used Egyptian history to suit her needs. The pyramids were not elaborate burial chambers, at least not how most people believe - but were instead supposedly comfortable retirement homes for vampire rulers after their reign ended. As a history nerd, I was quite interested and wanted to read even more. And I won't give anything away (no spoilers, promise), but Egyptian mythology/religion does play a hand in the ending.

I'm going to give "Eternal Kiss of Darkness" a FIVE out of FIVE (5/5). I practically inhaled it, forgoing an early bedtime in my desire to keep reading about both Kira and Mencheres. Frost has yet to disappoint me with her novels, and I believe EKoD has even surpassed "First Drop of Crimson" in my mind. Her Night Huntress World novels just keep getting better.. I hope she keeps it up, and finally gives us Vlad's story!

Read "Eternal Kiss of Darkness"? Tell me your thoughts in the comments. Want to check it out? Find it at Amazon.com!


Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow

Review of "Entwined" by Elisabeth Naughton

Well alright then! Let's get into it, shall we?

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me, the reviewer, in exchange for a review. I was not given any sort of monetary incentive for a positive review.

Type: Series, Paranormal Romance, Greek Mythology, Alpha Males, Weird Prophecies

From the back of the book: "  Forces of daemons are gathering and have broken through the barriers of the Underworld. Now more than ever the Eternal Guardians are needed to protect both their own realm and the human world. Zander can't afford to think about what might have been with the bewitching physician he once regarded as his soul mate. But with eternity stretching before him, he also can't fathom spending his life without the one woman who makes him feel most alive. Perhaps he's found his weakness after all... "

When I heard about the release of the first book in this series, "Marked," of course I was interested. I'm sure most of you know of my obsession with Greek mythology by now. But I never got around to picking it up. So of course I was excited when I received "Entwined" from Dorchester Publishing to review. I knew I was jumping in on the second in the series, but I figured that wouldn't be a problem. Most series, at least ones that feature different main characters each book, add in some explanation of previous events during the course of the story.

However, with "Entwined," I have to admit to feeling confused for a good portion of the book. There were too many unfamiliar terms, and it seemed to be taken for granted that the reader will understand them, or if they were explained, it happened later than would have been helpful. And it wasn't just the unfamiliar terms, there were a few occasions where it was the actions or motives of the characters that I just couldn't wrap my head around. During one scene, Zander leaves Callia behind, and when they meet up again, she starts chewing him out, but for what seems to be something altogether different than leaving her behind. And all too quickly, the arguing goes from screaming to sexing. This is not an uncommon occurence in romance, but it just felt like too abrupt a change from one to the other.
That said, I did enjoy the heart of the story. The confusing terms, the bewildering actions and prophecies, and such can be ignored enough for one to focus on the main characters and how they are dealing with being thrown together again.. and the fact that now both of them are promised to other people. As I'm sure, some of you know I am also a fan of two lovers being tossed back together after a split, and I enjoy the drama that comes as a part of that. But some of the scenes in "Entwined" felt... unreal. As much as I loved Zander and Callia, I think I would want to strangle them both. I didn't believe they were real. I didn't feel that they had had a deep connection in the past. Yes, I knew they had a past together, but it didn't feel as important as they said it was.

All in all, while I did enjoy "Entwined" to a point, it just didn't inspire anything in me. At the end, I just had that "Well... it's over" feeling, instead of the "YAY! They got their HEA" or even the "I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW... So I know they will get their HEA!"... or any number of other feelings that come at the end of an inspiring, or good, book. So I am going to give "Entwined" a rating of THREE out of FIVE (3/5). As I said the book was good, but it wasn't great. It was an interesting read, but it didn't stir anything in me.

Did you read it? Tell me how you feel in the comments. Interested in checking it out? Find it at Amazon.com!

Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow