Review: Prophecy's Healing by Brenda Dyer

Title:  Prophecy's Healing, Book 5, The Prophecy Series
Author:  Brenda Dyer
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
Book Size:  904 KB / 322 Pages

Her love for him has spanned time.

After years of betrayal, Julia Murphy is starting over and attempting to leave her broken-hearted past behind. As a waitress at The Green Tree nightclub, she’s working to save enough money to finally take the college courses that will kick-start her new future. But fate has other plans. When two men viciously attack her, a tall, menacing stranger comes to Julia’s aid and thrusts her on a wild journey into a past that death has erased and a world she didn’t know exists.

His past and future collide

As the deadliest vampire warrior in the Surrey squad, Ace is feared and avoided, which is fine by him. He cares for nothing and nobody, including himself. But when he rescues a pretty waitress from a deadly attack, he can’t deny he’s drawn to her. However, this newfound attraction comes with consequences Ace never could have foreseen. He comes face to face with his tormented past, and Julia is the link. Now, he must decide whether he’ll fight for a love that’s spanned the ages, or if he’ll allow centuries old hate and betrayal to destroy their futures.

This is Book 5 in the Prophecy series and while it could be read as a stand-alone, it probably wouldn't make as much sense unless you read the whole series in order.

Throughout the series, Ace has always been grouchy and mean. He wasn't mentioned a whole lot, but the other books weren't about him. Fair enough. In Prophecy's Healing, we find out why he acts the way he does. Two hundred years ago in the past, he'd been betrayed by a woman he loved. A cliche' story plot, but fun to read nonetheless. In the end, her betrayal gets her killed and Ace lives with the residual effect of not only the betrayal, but the fact that he'd been the lucky soul who killed her.

Fast forward to present day Surrey, BC. Julia is working in a dive bar hustling drinks and hates it. Why she works there and not flipping burgers at a greasy spoon or making change at Wal-Mart is unknown, but that's beside the point. The author had to put them together and does so in a way that's enjoyable to read. I mean, what's better than a super tall, super muscular, long-haired, bad-ass alpha male vampire rescuing a weak human female from two drunk brutes after last call? Again, cliche', but well written.

Throughout the story there's all sorts of angst - should she? No! Should he - Hell no! Back and forth, push and pull....I almost quit reading because the overdone melodrama of it all. But again, the author's talent kept me turning the virtual pages. Kudos to Ms. Dyer.

Prophecy's Healing is a good book. I recommend reading all the books in order, however.

**** Four Stars

 

Review: Dark Wolf Rising (Bloodrunners series Book 4)

Title:  Dark Wolf Rising (Bloodrunners series, Book 4)
Author:  Rhyannon Byrd
Genre: Paranormal Romance (werewolves)
Book Size:  302 pgs / 638 KB

Eric Drake, a powerful Dark Wolf, has never trusted himself around human females—preferring to mate only within his pack. That is, until he encounters Chelsea Smart snooping around Silvercrest pack land in search of her missing sister.

Secretly, Chelsea thinks Eric is the sexiest man she's ever seen, though she is wary of his potent Alpha energy. Then it's discovered that Chelsea's sister is being held by a pack of vicious Lycans, and Eric heroically leaps into action. Now, Chelsea will risk everything—her body and soul—to surrender to the passion that will mark her as Eric's woman for all eternity…if they survive.

The book started off strong and immediately sucked me in. By the end of page two, I started having doubts.

Eric Drake doesn't trust humans, females or not. At night, though it's so dark he can't make out her features, somehow he enables Xray vision and is able to suddenly make out everything from the shape of her nose to the curve of her cheek. Mind you, he's far away while she's sitting in her van, in the dark, hidden under the cover of trees. 

Yeah. Only it gets worse from there.

I'm not an English major or an expert on how to write a story, but I learned enough in my high school creative writing class to know when someone abuses the word "was" when writing a fiction story. Why Ms. Byrd's Harlequin editors failed to properly edit this book is beyond me. It could have been so much more...

Enter the heroine Chelsea Smart. She's short on cash, lost, can't afford a place to stay, and for some reason chooses to be uncooperative with the local law enforcement. I didn't find this believable in the least. 

When Eric approaches her driver's side window, after two other agents proved unsuccessful in terminating her illegal camping, she suddenly finds him hot, attractive, and her girly parts take notice. Oh! But wait. Although he's law enforcement, she's a bitch and treats him like crap.


Yeah. It got worse. Between the lousy writing and stupid story, I couldn't force myself to go on. Why torture myself when there's other, better written books available.

DNF

Review: The Vampire's Warden

Title:   The Vampire's Warden
Author:   S.J. Wright
Genre:   Classified as Paranormal Romance however there is no HEA ending.
Book Size:   201 pages/2905 KB

He moved. It was a flash in the moonlight, a blur of motion like I’d never witnessed before. No human had the capacity to move like that. When I found myself face-to-face with him there in the meadow, I knew without a doubt that the journal was authentic. I knew that my grandfather hadn’t been crazy at all. Because a foot away from me stood a vampire.

I tried to like this book. Really, I did. But I found the story confusing without a solid idea of who exactly is Sarah's love interest. At first you're lead to believe it's Alex. But then the interest shifts to Michael. Throw in a sister who's character fell flat and a housekeeper who we don't get a clear picture of, and the reader is left with pure literary chaos.

The least favorable aspect for me was the ending. To be classified as a romance, which the author has clearly done, the story must end in a HEA or HFN at the least. This is neither. Please - don't pass your work off as a romance when there isn't any romance or the proper ending!

WARNING: cliff hanger without an ending. (Which totally sucks.)

This confusing tale meanders around one flitting thought after another which string the reader along as we wait for it to get better. A redeemable factor for the author is an interesting concept of Vampire jail, called caretaking, which could have been so much more.

The book needed an editor to go after numerous and repetitive punctuation mistakes. I admit to being bored and skimming over large sections of the book to find the next interesting scene and yet lost no translation in the story.

I would not classify this book as an adult romance but as a regular YA paranormal story.

* 1-Star Rating

Review: Irish Moon

Title: Irish Moon
Author:  Amber Scott
Genre:  Fantasy Romance
Book Size:  344 pages / 812 KB

A promise... is a promise and Ashlon Sinclair refuses to let anything deter him. When the chest he vowed to conceal with his life is stolen, his only hope in recovering it is also his only distraction--Breanne O'Donnell.

In her bones, Breanne feels much amiss in her mentor's sudden death. But who would murder the king's own druid? Moreover, how is is his demise linked to the mysterious stranger left behind? 

Their searches intertwine and attraction beckons putting their lives and their hearts at risk under an IRISH MOON.

 

 

What a great story. I love when a book keeps me up late into the night. 

 

Ashlon and Breanne are wonderful characters whose lives are inevitably entwined when fate brings them together.  A former Templar Knight, Ashlon is entrusted by the deceased Jacques DeMolay with the duty of retrieving and delivering a special chest containing a rare item. Breanne is a druid (witch??) in training, until her mentor is discovered murdered.

The story is fantasy, paranormal, and suspense all rolled into one. Action, adventure, and romance bring the well-developed characters to life. When reading the story, you can almost imagine yourself moving along within the scene. Mental images of the historical world are easily incorporated into this fast-moving tale.

The pet peeve of mine is in the final editing. Words and punctuation were missing, which were glaringly obvious to me. That said, I still enjoyed the story immensely.

**** 4-Star Review

 

 

Review: Naming His Mate (Black Hills Wolves Book 17)

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Winter Secrets: Naming His Mate (Black Hills Wolves Book 17)
Author:  M. Limoges
Genre:  Paranormal: Werewolves

 

 Small-town sheriff, Mike Hadley, would love to experience a headache-free day for once in his life. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. While investigating a rash of disappearances and dealing with his ornery lover, he’s thrown into a whole new world he never imagined existed.

Damien Marks has finally found a place to call home in Los Lobos, South Dakota, with the Black Hills Pack. He also stumbles across something he never thought he would—his mate. Falling hard, he decides he needs to come clean and tell the truth. But will his sexy lover accept what he is?

Embroiled in a potentially dangerous situation, both men have to decide where their loyalties lie—with duty or love?

I've only begun to delve into the series created by Decadent Publishing. And because I enjoyed the first book of Limoges' (See my review: Winter Secrets: Winter Solstice Run #3 (Black Hills Wolves, Book 33), I was certain I'd enjoy another by the same author. She didn't disappoint.

Without fully knowing the background in the series, I never felt out of place or left wondering what the heck was going on. From the first page, I read as if I were there in the story. When reading novellas, oftentimes I'm left feeling the story was too short, characters not fully created, or scenes jumping too fast.

Not the case with Naming His Mate. I should also add: This is the first M/M book I've read and reviewed. While I can't say I'm wild about this genre, I can give the Ms. Limoges high marks for a well-written story.

Great action and warm love scenes, crafted by a highly skilled, professional author.

***** 5-Star Review

 

Review: Winter Secrets: Winter Solstice Run #3 (Black Hills Wolves, Book 33)

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Winter Secrets: Winter Solstice Run #3 (Black Hills Wolves, Book 33)       

Author: Melissa Limoges

Genre: Paranormal – Werewolves

Patience is a virtue…a lesson Stephen Dorsett has learned over the years, wooing his mate. He loves the prickly woman with all his heart, but he’s keeping a secret from her—one that will soon change the entire dynamic of their relationship.

Kate Matthews has a secret of her own, but she’s reluctant to share her surprise with Stephen. With her mate spending too many long hours and late nights at work recently, Kate begins to second-guess Stephen’s commitment to her.

One simple misunderstanding, fueled by insecurities and doubts, is all it takes to throw Kate and Stephen off course. Will they allow their secrets to pull them apart, or make their love stronger?

I found this book totally enjoyable. I felt the characters were well developed, the story believable (as much as shape-shifting werewolves can be), and the overall well written.

Ms. Limoges writes splendid and leads her readers on a can’t-put-it-down mystery of the hero’s actions. Kate’s reactions are well thought out and not overly done, as some writers will do. The journey of these two characters develop and change with heartwarming, satisfactory results.

I look forward to reading more from Melissa Limoges and wish her all the best in her writing career.

 ***** 5 STAR RATING