The Reading Cafe discussion
REVIEWS
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REVIEW: OFF HER GAME is the first storyline in Suzan Butler’s new Texas Highlanders Ice Hockey series focusing on the men who play professional hockey and the women they love. Suzan also includes a variety of secondary characters including team owners, bar managers, ex-wives and lovers as well as a multitude of family members, patrons and fans.
http://thereadingcafe.com/off-her-gam...
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Spell of Summoning is about Necromancer, Holden Clark and Real Estate realtor, Rebecca Powell. The gist of the story is Rebecca has a demon trying to take over her and it is slowly but surely wearing down her defenses.
http://thereadingcafe.com/spell-of-su...
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Macy Beckett does an excellent job of making you like her characters, and you become invested in their lives.
http://thereadingcafe.com/a-shot-of-s...
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ANYTHING FOR YOU (2013) is a short story of a breast cancer survivor, Nurse Jen St. James and Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison who was first featured in their budding love story in BECAUSE OF YOU (a debut e-novel 2011) by contemporary military romance writer, Jessica Scott.
http://thereadingcafe.com/anything-fo...
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REVIEW: MURDER IN THE WORLD BELOW is the first storyline in Lara Nance’s new contemporary suspense HAVEN MYSTERY series focusing on the men, women and children who live in the underground world known as Haven. Once a former mental institution for the ‘retarded’ Haven is now home to the local college but the descendants of many of the previous ‘inmates’ at Haven now live below the surface, hiding the physical deformities brought about by years of radiation experiments and sexual assaults.
http://thereadingcafe.com/murder-in-t...
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Surrounded by Death
Surrounded by Woods
Surrounded by Temptation
Surrounded by Pleasure
Surrounded by Secrets
http://thereadingcafe.com/the-woods-f...
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AGENT OF DESIRE is the first storyline in Charlie Evan’s new Jessica Booker series focusing on a young female CIA agent working undercover in the world of espionage, secret missions and world domination.
http://thereadingcafe.com/agent-of-de...
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INELIGIBLE BACHELOR is a contemporary romance short story that plays right into the hands of fans of some of television’s reality programming. When Freddy McAllister enters a photograph of her childhood sweetheart into a contest she failed to read the fine print-she had inadvertently entered him a contest to be the next Bachelor for a reality program.
http://thereadingcafe.com/ineligible-...
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HIRTEEN is the final instalment in Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series. Although the number of storylines, technically cross, into the 20s (with the many anthologies and short stories available), THIRTEEN is the last of the full-length novels.
http://thereadingcafe.com/thirteen-wo...
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ALL THE WAY is a contemporary romance storyline that will tug at the heart of anyone who has loved and lost. But this storyline is also about what happens when a lack of communication between two people, who are desperately in love with each other, threatens to destroy their relationship.
http://thereadingcafe.com/all-the-way...
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DEAR CASSIE by Lisa Burstein is the follow up novel to Pretty Amy. This takes place right after the girls are arrested for possession and intent to sell after they were stood up by their prom dates. Cassie tells her own story starting from the airport until she arrives at Turning Pines Wilderness Camp. She journals her whole experience at the camp. This is really Cassie’s story of going from a hurt and vulnerable girl, to one who learns to love and forgive in an unlikely setting.
http://thereadingcafe.com/dear-cassie...
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Assassination of a Dignitary by Carolyn Arnold is a suspense thriller. The story revolves around the mafia, and a man who got away, only to be pulled back in years later. Raymond Hunter is a family man, married with a wife and children that he loves . He used to be a hit man for the Russo family, and when he saved the Don’s son, he was allowed to leave the family, as he wished to live a normal life.
http://thereadingcafe.com/assassinati...
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Calculated in Death is another excellent book in J.D. Robb’s (Nora Roberts) wonderful In Death series. Though this is the 36th novel in her series, I eagerly look forward to the next book, and just never get tired of reading about our Eve & Roarke, and team. Calculated in Death starts off with the death of an accountant, which originally looked like a mugging, but of course, as Eve Dallas is called onto the scene, she knows right away, this is not a mugging, but a murder planned.
http://thereadingcafe.com/calculated-...
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Redemption picks up not too long after Revelation ended. This book belongs to Tainted Angel, Japheth, and our heroine in this story, Rose Harley. Japheth is desperate to be accepted back into Heaven, as he has no idea why he was marked as tainted by Michael, the Archangel, thousands of years ago. He fights demons with a vengeance, and has remained pure for all those years, so that he can prove himself.
http://thereadingcafe.com/redemption-...
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THE INDIGO SPELL (Released February 2013) by Richelle Mead is the 3rd book in the Bloodlines Series. How do I start on this review? It is a very hard book to review, because it was SO GOOD!! You might think, why would that make it hard? When the whole book is written well, full of endearing scenes and the emotion is so HOT, yes it is hard!! Some series start to falter in the middle, but this series has been consistent!! Strong, swoon-worthy emotion is hard to review, it must be read firsthand to be appreciated.
http://thereadingcafe.com/indigo-spel...
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Immortal Ever After is a wonderful addition to the Argeneau Series. It opens with Valerie and several women having been kidnapped by a rogue vampire and being held in cages, only to be brought out for the rogue’s “indulgences”.
http://thereadingcafe.com/immortal-ev...
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Vows to Kill is a mystery/crime/romance novel taking place in and around London, England. Written in point of view style, different characters have point of view changes in chapters with the main story being the majority, until they all come together into the main story. This reminds me of Dean Koontz’s style of intertwining the lives of characters into a thrilling tale.
http://thereadingcafe.com/vows-to-kil...
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THE BABY BARGAIN is the latest contemporary romance release novel from author Jennifer Apodaca (Jennifer Lyon). The storyline focuses on veterinarian Megan Young and retired marine Adam Waters. Adam has reluctantly returned to the small town of Raven’s Cove when his company is asked to handle the security details at the local golf course and the last person he wanted to see was Megan Young-the woman he walked out on almost three years earlier.
http://thereadingcafe.com/the-baby-ba...
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WHEN THE HEART LIES is not your typical romance novel. If anything, it is a contemporary suspense novel with a little bit of romance and a little bit of sex and a whole lot of betrayal, revenge and heartbreaking pain.
When The Heart Lies is a study in bad family dynamics-the Wentworth family take the title of dysfunctional family to a whole other dimension.
http://thereadingcafe.com/when-the-he...
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The much sought-after, but elusive “Ghost Courier”, aka Leila Benet, has finally been nabbed – in custody at a king’s palace no less! An ineffectual woman might panic. Ok, Leila is more than a little frazzled; her BFF is also being detained (but she failed an assignment!). Leila thinks only to liberate her friend and sets to negotiate with King Nalick. To Stand Beside Her by B. Kristin McMichael is a lovely Young Adult novel that travels along the pitfalls of procurement adventures, both in goods and persons, and surprises us with a bittersweet twist on the ever-popular love triangle.
http://thereadingcafe.com/to-stand-be...
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AURA is a fantasy romance novel written by M.A. Abraham that focuses on a young woman whose need to escape the family will find her travelling back in time to a place that is familiar -yet not. Loved by her step-father and disregarded by her own mother, Aura will pack up her things and head into the unknown where she will awaken several centuries earlier, in a world run by feudal Lords and drunken men.
http://thereadingcafe.com/aura-by-m-a...
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Lord of Darkness is the fifth storyline in Elizabeth Hoyt’s historical romance Maiden Lane series and although I highly recommend reading in order, Lord of Darkness can be read as a stand alone without too much difficulty. The characters were first introduced in book one Wicked Intentions and their storyline has been building in each successive novel. The premise focuses on Lady Margaret Reading (who two years earlier) was forced into a marriage of convenience to Godric St. John when, her lover and father of her unborn child, was murdered by the Ghost of St. Giles.
http://thereadingcafe.com/lord-of-dar...
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Shelly’s world of shifters, whether it be pride and pack or dragon, is a world filled with humor. The ease with which Shelly’s characters and storylines pull you into the book is something every author should aspire to. I have a habit of re-reading novels that I enjoy, but if I am feeling a little down, one of Shelly’s books is one of the first books I head to –first.
http://thereadingcafe.com/wolf-with-b...
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The Nightmare Affair is Mindee Arnett’s first YA Fantasy Novel. The base of the story takes place at Arkwell Academy, a school for the magickind. Our heroine, Dusty, is 16 years old, and has inherited from her mother the ability to create nightmares into a person’s dreams.
http://thereadingcafe.com/the-nightma...
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The infamous ‘they’ say you can never forget the past or go home again, but in the small town of Sweetwater one man-Marc Baron-refuses to let go.
Charlie Hanover was a con artist who all but destroyed the small town of Sweetwater and in his wake left three sons who must now deal with the aftermath of their father’s con. Fast forward twenty years, and the now three adult men, have returned to claim their grandmother’s estate-only the house once belonged to Marc Baron.
http://thereadingcafe.com/no-turning-...
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THE PROPOSITION is the first storyline in Jennifer Lyon’s AMAZING new PLUS ONE CHRONICLES focusing on Sloane Michaels and Kat Thayne. As the series suggests, Sloane is a man looking for a ‘plus one’. Not one for any permanent or serious relationships, Sloane offers a proposition to bakery owner Kat Thayne-to be his ‘plus-one’ for both personal and public affairs.
http://thereadingcafe.com/the-proposi...
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Soulbound is the story of a young witch, from a powerful family of witches. Xandra Morgan is our heroine, and as the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter, she was expected to become very powerful. However, all of her life, she has not been able to perform any magic, and is considered latent.
http://thereadingcafe.com/soulbound-b...
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The Submissive is the first instalment in Tara Sue Me’s (not her real name) series originally written as a piece of fan-fiction based on the Twilight series and first published (2009) online at fanfiction.net. It is very hard to be objective with the knowledge that nothing about this particular story is original or fresh considering the glut of similar series on the market.
http://thereadingcafe.com/the-submiss...
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Written in Red is a fantastic start to a new series, set in a world run by The Others. They consist of non humans, such as shapeshifters, elementals, vampires, in a paranormal story unlike anything we have seen before. Humans learn to live in the lands allowed to them by the Others, who control everything, not mention put the fear in the hearts of humans, who do not follow the rules. The Others all live in an area that is their own, within different parts of the world. This story follows the Lakeside Courtyard, run by their leader & our hero, Simon Wolfgard, a wolf shapeshifter.
http://thereadingcafe.com/written-in-...
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If you love small town stories with wonderful characters and witty dialog, this book by Carolyn Brown will thrill you! It’s sort of a “Steel Magnolia” type with more than a bit of “Texas Attitude” thrown in.
http://thereadingcafe.com/the-blue-ri...
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The Alpha’s Choice is the 2nd book in the Wolver series by Jacqueline Rhoades. This is a wonderfully written but definitely not a clone of the first Alpha’s Mate. I found it a different and compelling read from the very first page.
http://thereadingcafe.com/the-alphas-...
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MATING INSTINCT is the third full-length storyline in Katie Reus’s Moon Shifter series focusing on the Armstrong-Cordona wolf shifter pack and their struggles with the Antiparanormal League (APL).
http://thereadingcafe.com/mating-inst...
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FOREST OF THE FORSAKEN is a dark retelling of the Grimm Brother’s (Jacob and Wilhelm) fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. German in origin, the Hansel and Gretel storyline follows two young siblings who stumble upon a cannibalistic witch living in a house made of candy, deep in the darkened forest. Forest of the Forsaken twists the original storyline such that the evil witch no longer lives in a house made of candy, but the furnishings and embellishments remind Joey and Meg of the original storyline.
http://thereadingcafe.com/forest-of-t...
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Dawn of a Dark Knight by Zoe Forward is her first book in her Scimitar Magi Series, a paranormal romance novel, and this is indeed a great start for Forward.
In the similar theme of Ward’s BDB series, Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series, Dawn of the Dark Knight is about a group of hot sexy warriors, who fight Daemons, and must protect humans. Our hero is Ashor Vlahos, who is the group’s leader, a Scimitar Magi.
http://thereadingcafe.com/dawn-of-a-d...
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Long ago, Demons and Lycans have lived in harmony… Until one kind, humans, decided to change that. For the Lycans, it is to dominate or be dominated. And some have become ruthless, because of their nature that their numbers have suspiciously climbed. To control the growth of the Lycan population; and for other personal reasons, a mad scientist, General Jackson Wade, created an almost indestructible human army…the Alexi soldiers.
http://thereadingcafe.com/soul-avenge...
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CHECKMATE, MY LORD is the second storyline in Tracey Devlyn’s regency romance Nexus series set in the historical English countryside of 1804 against the backdrop of the French Revolution and continuing wars in Europe, and the men and women who work as British Secret agents.
http://thereadingcafe.com/checkmate-m...
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A WARRIOR’S HEART is the fifth and final instalment in Donna Grant’s The Shield series. The Shield series focuses on a group of ancient warriors, all from different realms and times, hoping to rid the world of The Great Evil. With the help of the Fae, the Shields must locate and gather the Chosen. It is said the Chosen were sent as infants to other realms, to protect them from the evil. And along the way, the five Chosen will meet up with the Shields and their power will bring an end to The Great Evil’s reign.
http://thereadingcafe.com/a-warriors-...
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The premise that surrounds the series follows a group of ancient warriors, who with the help of the Fae, are tracking down and reuniting the remaining Chosen females that have been sent from another time and place. With each encounter and time travel, the Shields, as the group of men call themselves, must fight the Great Evil in various forms including gargoyles, harpies, and a Gryphon who is reluctant to end the life of the woman he has been commanded to destroy.
http://thereadingcafe.com/a-forbidden...
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Miss Shalaby does a wonderful job of grabbing the reader early and sweeping them along and into the story. There were many times when I was reading Rhianna that my imagination would get away on me and make me feel like I was being transported back in time. I could actually see in my minds eye the scenes that were being described on the pages. From the long flowing gowns, to gardens of flowers and splendid sprawling hills and valleys. I must say that Miss Shalaby has a talent for words and descriptions and does so in such a flowing and lyrical manner that you can’t help but get lost in the story she sets before you.
http://thereadingcafe.com/rhianna-by-...
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FORBIDDEN SISTER is a sad tale of one young girl who is caught between the love of her family and the need to find her ‘forbidden sister.’
http://thereadingcafe.com/forbidden-s...
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The wonderful writing team of P. J. Parrish does such a wonderful job with this book, as it is so well done, with the story flowing so smoothly. If you want a good mystery, that has you pushing to finish and find the resolution, then Heart of Ice is perfect for you.
http://thereadingcafe.com/heart-of-ic...
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DIE FOR ME is a contemporary suspense storyline of murder and love. And the sociopathic mind that cannot separate the two.
Cynthia takes the reader on a journey of twists and turns, revelations and obsessions-a serial killer with a need to protect one woman at all costs; and a homicide detective with the same mission-but with a completely different set of morals and obligations. Love comes at a cost.
http://thereadingcafe.com/die-for-me-...
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If you have ever wondered what happened to the Dragon’s Teeth Warriors-the remaining group of 17 Pyr who had been ‘beguiled by an ancient viper, enchanted to take the form of dragon’s teeth and trapped for a millennia’, The Dragon Legion novellas answers some of your questions. Kiss of Danger is Alexander’s story.
http://thereadingcafe.com/kiss-of-dan...
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TIME WALKER by Meghan Ciana Doidge is a fantasy YA novel and the first in her Spirit Bound series. There is an introductory novel, Spirit Bound that takes place ten years previously, but you don’t need to read it first.
http://thereadingcafe.com/time-walker...
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Targets of Deception
Targets of Opportunity
Targets of Revenge
http://thereadingcafe.com/the-jordan-...
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TIME OR MONEY is a short storyline-less than fifty pages in length that focuses on a few hours in the life of Mason and Bridget Jackson but tells of a lifetime of empty promises and broken hearts. Bridget has given herself an ultimatum-if her husband Mason ignores Valentine’s Day she is walking away for good.
http://thereadingcafe.com/time-or-mon...
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This incredibly well written novel is just full of wonderful humor and still has a story to tell. It’s actually told very well. Amid a mirage of fantastic names and great lines, this is a really clever murder story. You really don’t know who is doing the killing. I’m pretty good at figuring out twists, but this was really a stumper for me.
http://thereadingcafe.com/somebody-is...
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Pivot Point by Kasie West is another YA novel that I have read this past year, but I have to say that this one is totally different. Kasie West has created a unique storyline of one story with two different views of being able to choose which life path you want to live. Sounds different? It is and very well done by West.
http://thereadingcafe.com/pivot-point...
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