Into the Dreaming (Highlander #8) by Karen Marie Moning

Title:  Into The Dreaming
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Highlander #8
Genre:  Paranormal Romance/Historical Romance

Rating: 4/5

Aspiring romance novelist Jane Sillee was completely in love with her fantasy man -- the hot and strapping dark-haired Highlander who d been coming to her in her dreams for years and inspired her sensual flights of literary fancy.

But it was more than her imagination that conjured up the brilliantly woven tapestry sporting the spitting image of her magnificently arrogant warrior. It was more than a dream that transported her to medieval Scotland to break an evil spell. And it was more than she could handle when she found herself wrapped in the muscular arms of Aedan MacKinnon, who had his own fantasies to fulfill...

Review:

I read this book in one sitting.  I enjoyed this book so very much.  It's the eighth book in Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series but it can defiantly be read as a stand alone.

What I enjoyed about this book was that it had different elements mixed into it.  There were paranormal romance elements and then there were historical romance elements too.  I haven't read any of the prior books in the Highlander series so I wasn't sure what to expect when I sat down with my Nook and read this one.  Let's just say that I was happy with the outcome.

Each of the characters has a set of their own demons.  Aedan has been bound to the Unseelie King for roughly 500 years and Jane is an aspiring author who is having issues getting her book noticed by publishers.  Then the Seelie Queen gets involved and things get really interesting for our main characters.

I really enjoyed reading about the involvement of the Seelie Queen and the Unseelie King.  Not only do they have involvement with our main characters it does seem that these two have a history together.

Aedan at the beginning of the book is a bit of a tyrant and it makes it very easy to not like him.  Then Jane comes along and turns his world upside down, whether he liked it or not.  As Into The Dreaming progressed I really enjoyed seeing Aedan grow out of being a tyrant and grow into a loving, caring individual.  I really liked Jane a lot.  She's thrust back in time and gets stuck with this lunatic tyrant and she's bound and determined to make him love her because they have met before.....In the Dreaming.

There wasn't all that much that I didn't like about this book.  I'm actually having a hard time coming up with something that I didn't really care for.  I guess the one thing that really stands out to me at this point is the length.  I thought that this was a full length novel and it's more of a novella.  Which is fine but I did think it was a little short.  Overall, I'm beyond happy that I picked up the book.  I you haven't read this book or anything by Karen Marie Moning please do.  This is a really great book and author!

A Brush of Darkness (Abby Sinclair #1) by Allison Pang

Title:  A Brush of Darkness
Author:  Allison Pang
Series:  Abby Sinclair #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 3.75/5

The man of her dreams might be the cause of her nightmares.
Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn’t at all prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and sexy-as- sin incubus searching for his sister, convinced Abby has the key to the succubus’s whereabouts. Abby has enough problems without having this seductive shape-shifter literally invade her dreams to get information. But when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish, as well, Abby and Brystion must form an uneasy alliance. As she is sucked deeper and deeper into this perilous world of faeries, angels, and daemons, Abby realizes her life is in as much danger as her heart—and there’s no one she can trust to save her.

Review:

I downloaded this book onto my Nook a long time ago and never got around to reading it until a couple of days ago.  This was definitely an interesting read that's for sure!

Our main character Abby Sinclair is just chock full of AWESOME onto of the piss and vinegar!  Our Abby is the TouchStone to the Protectorate and is suddenly put in charge of well everything when Moria, the actual Protectorate goes missing.  There is a TON of mystery in A Brush of Darkness too.  As you're reading you learn that there have been more disappearances on top of Moria AND THAT is when life and this book get a little crazy.  A Brush of Darkness is chock full of humor as well.  Here's one of my favorite quotes from the book...

“I had a naked incubus in my bedroom. With a frying pan of half-cooked bacon, and a hard-on. And a unicorn bite on his ass. Christ, this was turning out to be a weird morning.”

There are a host of secondary characters as well.  My personal favorite though was Phineas, the horny little unicorn.  He's a funny little guy.

What I didn't like about A Brush of Darkness was Brystion.  I just didn't connect with him on really any level and this definitely made an impact on my feelings toward the book overall. There was a hint of romance between Brystion and Abby but it just didn't set right with me.  It may be a result of my feelings toward Brystion.  I felt that Moria really dropped the ball and left Abby in a great big lurch.  The overall treatment of Abby during portions of this book were a turn off too.

My overall impression of this book was that even though there were parts that really irked me, I did really enjoy A Brush of Darkness.  From what I can tell this book is being classified as a Paranormal Romance but it read more like an Urban Fantasy to me.  To each there own I guess.

Giving Chase (Chase Brothers #1) by Lauren Dane

Giving Chase by Lauren Dane
"A plate of Chili Cheese Fries + pants = True Love"

Title: Giving Chase
Author: Lauren Dane
Series: Chase Brothers #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotica
Source: Personal E-Book purchase
Rating: 4.75/5

I really enjoyed this book very much. I downloaded this book onto my Nook on a whim and once I finished this book I automatically downloaded the next 3 books in the series. It was just that good and that dang HOT!

Our heroine Maggie has just been dumped by yet another boyfriend, ha ha sucks to be him, and is out with her girlfriends, Liv and Dee, at The Pumphouse when the Chase brothers walk in for their weekly pool night. The Chase brothers are the one group of guys in the town of Petal, GA that EVERY woman wants to get there hands on, LITERALLY, Maggie included. A little run in with Sheriff Shane Chase and a plate of Chili Cheese fries in her lap, a bat crap crazy mother/sister combination and a creepy stalker starts off a whirlwind of excitement in this book.

Shane Chase has been burned by women before. Needless to say his attitude towards Maggie in the beginning is well, he climbed on his menstrual cycle and tried to run her ass over. But after apologizing Shane decides that he wants to take Maggie out on a date, do the casual thing. All goes well for a while. But then the good looking nutcase implodes is own relationship.

In steps little brother Kyle to clean up the mess. Yeah White Knight! Kyle is the exact opposite of Shane. He befriends Maggie first then goes about pursuing a relationship with her. And BOY HOWDY do things get HOT when the smexing starts.

The one thing that I really didn't care for in this book was Maggie's mother and sister. Can you say emotionally abusive much?! I think that all the drama that's thrown in, Kyle's mom Polly or Tsunami Polly as I like to call her, and the budding romance between Kyle and Maggie even out all the emotional abuse.

Overall, I was really happy with the first book in this series and I most definitely continued on with it. If you haven't checked out this series please do!

Skin Deep (I-Team 5.5) by Pamela Clare

Title: Skin Deep
Author: Pamela Clare
Series: I-Team 5.5
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Source: Personal E-book purchase
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Sexual Meter: Sex scenes, acts of sensuality
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Broken on the inside
Megan Hunter has worked hard to get back on her feet, leaving the nightmare of her teenage years behind. The last thing she wants or needs in her life is a man. But when she is attacked by someone from her past, a scarred stranger intervenes, saving her life and that of her little girl. Looks can be deceiving, for despite the man’s rough appearance, she feels safe with him. And for the first time in her life, she knows the stirrings of desire.
Broken on the outside
Nathaniel West paid a high price serving with the Marines in Afghanistan. He returned to his family’s ranch in the Colorado mountains to heal—and be alone. Disfigured as he is, he has put all thoughts of sex and romance aside. But something about Megan brings him back to life, heats his blood, makes him feel like a man again. As danger pursues her, and the truth about her past is revealed, he vows to protect her—and to heal her wounded spirit.
But confronting the past is never easy—especially when it’s carrying a gun. Megan will have to learn to trust Nate to survive and to claim a passion that is much more than … Skin Deep.
Includes a Bonus Story, Marc & Julian Make a Beer Run
Ride along with Marc, Julian, Zach, Gabe, Reece, Nate, and Joaquin as a beer run turns out to be more than they bargained for.

Review:

I saw this book as I checking out the lendable books that were available from my Nook Friends. The premise of the story sounded so good that I just had to have it. I’ve read one other book in the I-Team series and I really enjoyed it very much. If you haven’t checked out this series I highly recommend it.

We actually meet Megan in an earlier book in the series, one that I haven’t read yet and I actually didn’t know this until I was reading reviews for this book on Goodreads. Megan has her own set of demons that she’s dealing with most of them stem from events that happened to her when she was younger. Megan is also a single mother who is trying to do right by her little girl Emily. But Megan does have 1 big problem and his name is Donny.

Nate West is a former Marine who is dealing with the burns that came from an IED. He has always admired Megan from afar but when Megan is attacked in the parking lot on her way to pick up Emily from pre-school he steps in and rescues her. After reading a little bit about Nate you learn that he’s been “burned” by women before and he really wasn’t ready to through his hat in the ring yet when it came to dating but Megan saw past his burns and he eventually gets over himself.

The romance between Nate and Megan starts off pretty slowly and escalates pretty quickly once Megan takes Nate up on his open invitation. I really enjoyed all the secondary characters that are in the book very much. Every character adds a little something extra to the book to make it just that much more appealing. The drama and suspense kept building through out the story as well. The only issue that I had with the book was you know at the beginning of the book who the bad guy is. That slightly detracted from the story for me.

Styx's Storm (Breeds #22) by Lora Leigh

Title: Styx's Storm
Author:  Lora Leigh
Series: Breeds #22
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Rating: 3/5

When Storme Montague's father and brother are killed by the Breeds, her father's research is also destroyed -- except for a crucial data chip that both the Council and the Breeds would kill to possess. Betrayed to the Council, she is rescued by Styx, a Wolf Breed who is different from most other Breeds she has ever known. Storme has something he wants too -- but it's not a data chip.

There's never been a woman who bad boy Styx couldn't seduce. But can the charmer of the Wolf Breeds charm the enemy?

Or has the enemy come up with a plan of her own? A plan that could destroy the tentative balance the Breeds have created in society and among their allies -- and that may ultimately destroy them both...

Review:

I downloaded this book onto my Nook when it was first released...In October of 2010.  Naturally, I've been busy and reading other things so I just hadn't gotten to it until last week.  I've seen some pretty mixed reviews for the Breeds series on Goodreads and I just don't understand them.  This is my first Breeds novel but I really enjoyed it.

What I liked about Styx's Storm was that there is a lot of things going on in the book.  A lot of balls up in the air if you will.  It kept me engaged and into the story.  Because I'll be honest, I was really struggling with Storme.  But more on that later...

Being as this is book 22 in the series I was really happy to see that the author included information on what the Breeds are, how they were created, how they operate, basically I was really happy to see that this book could be read as a stand alone.  There was a lot that I needed to learn in a short period of time so I appreciate the information.

Now let's talk about the characters.  Storme!?  Oh my goodness, I had a real problem with Storme.  She saw some pretty bad stuff happen when she was younger and has been hunted by the "good guys," the Breeds, and the "bad guys," the Council since then.  So yeah, she's got some issues.  I think at points it got taken to the extreme.  Though when you throw Styx into the mix she's thrown quite a cruve ball.

Styx, who is a Wolf Breed, has been on Storme's tail for 2 years.  She doesn't know it yet but she is his mate and he's finally ready to collect.  He's wickedly good looking and has NO trouble with the ladies.  As a matter of fact there are few women he hasn't been able to charm.  When Styx and Storme get together their chemistry is combustible but because of Storme's fear he isn't able to really make her his mate until near the end of the book.

Besides Storme's issues, I really didn't care for the lack of drama.  There was some, yeah, but it was in one big lump sum near the end of the book.  That is part of the reason this book didn't rate higher with me.  I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I tore through this book too.  If you haven't checked out Styx's Storm please do.  At least see if your library system has it.  It was definitely worth the read.