Wild Hunger (The Phoenix Pack #7) by Suzanne Wright

  Wild Hunger (The Phoenix Pack #7) by Suzanne Wright

Blurb:
 
When half–wolf shifter Frankie Newman receives an e-mail from a family member she didn’t know existed, a secret is revealed: as a child, Frankie witnessed her father killing her mother…and then himself. Frankie was torn from her pack by her mother’s human relatives, and the trauma was erased from her memory. Realizing that she’s been lied to her entire life, she’s never felt more alone. Until she catches the scent of an old friend—warmly familiar and intoxicating.

Trick Hardy, enforcer of the Phoenix Pack, can sense the rush of mutual attraction when he sees Frankie again. He knows immediately that she’s his true mate. But he also knows that, given her fragile state, he needs to tread with care—no matter how fierce his surging desires.

As aroused as Frankie is by Trick’s darkly dominant air and simmering desire, her priority right now is her past—not her future, no matter how tempting. But as more secrets emerge and Frankie’s life is threatened, Trick must do everything he can to keep her close and safe. After all, it’s their destiny.


Wow, what a ride - again. I love the books by Suzanne Wright. I've read all of her books in the Phoenix- and Mercury Pack series' up to now and I love them. Yes, her heroes are a bit rough around the edges and rather coarse but, hey, they are shifters, right. Wolves. And they behave like their feral counterparts only (slightly) less feral.

So, well, you shouldn't mind some (more) swearing and there might even be (a lot of) sexual intercourse so if that offends or disturbs you these books might not be right for you. If you are fine with that though, you are in for great characters and amazing stories. Even though each and every one of these books tells the story of another couple struggling to find their way from feeling the bond to mating, every book is as different as the personalities of our different heroes.

"Wild Hunger" is the story of Trick, one of the wolves of the Phoenix pack and his mate Frankie. Once started, I couldn't put this book down but read on and on till the end. It was gripping and thrilling and kept me guessing, nail-biting, swooning, grinning, gasping and well...just read it. It is totally worth it!

★★★★★

The Duke of Lies (The Untouchables #9) by Darcy Burke

  The Duke of Lies by Darcy Burke

Blurb:

Verity Beaumont has suffered domineering men most of her life, first with her father and then with her husband. Free from both men, she has finally found peace. Even meeting a kind and hard-working gentleman who just might be the perfect father her young son so desperately needs. But as she dares look to the future, her carefully ordered world is shattered when her dead husband returns.

Imprisoned in America during the war, Rufus Beaumont, Duke of Blackburn, wants nothing more than to return to his native England. He longs for comfort and safety away from the horrors of battle, only the life he returns to is not the life he left. He must convince his wife that their marriage is worth fighting for, that he’s not the man he was. But when the truth about what happened to him leaks out, he must prove that not everything about him, especially his love for her, is a lie.


I read and loved the other books in this series and after having met Verity in the Duke of Ruin's story where she attended....oh, well, did you read it? Otherwise, I'll better not tell more about my first meeting with Verity.
Let's just say that I met and loved her in that book and I was thrilled to find her story in this one. Okay, I wasn't thrilled when I learned more about her marriage and her life with her husband and I really feared for her, when he suddenly reappeared. What an.... yup. That one.

Verity's story had a lot of potential to go wrong or to be too predictable because with certain stories you expect certain things to happen but instead Mrs Burke led me on a merry chase. Whenever I thought that I had finally figured out what had happened and where it would lead us (apart from a happy ending, I take it that we all take that as a given, right?) in the end, something else happened. With some twists and turns and some real villains, Darcy Burke once again kept me on my toes and I couldn't stop reading.

Up to now I've read most of the books in this series and they just keep being amazing! Each couple and its story are unique and convincing, the stories simply draw you in and never fail to entertain.

★★★★★

 

 

The Bashful Bride (Advertisements for Love #2) by Vanessa Riley

  The Bashful Bride by Vanessa Riley

Blurb:

 A friend's newspaper advertisement for a groom nets the most famous actor in London, Arthur Bex. Shy heiress Ester Croome proposes to elope with the handsome man, who she's secretly loved for two years, in order to escape an impending engagement arranged by her overbearing family.

Trying to outlive the shadow of his villainous uncle, Bex needs to marry quickly—to a woman of good character. And smart, beautiful Ester fits the bill. But a harrowing trip to Gretna Green and dangerous abolition rallies prove to be a more treacherous stage than either imagined. Infatuation and a mutual love for Shakespeare might not be enough to bind a couple looking to outrun the chains and secrets of family and the past.


On the whole, I enjoyed reading this book but there were some things that felt too forced, too coincidental to feel right and natural. I really liked the characters though, female characters with an inner strength and confidence, strong flawed male characters that are essentially good and trustworthy despite their faults and weaknesses. The heroine's fixation on someone she had never really met but just, well, fan-girled over Regency style was a bit irritating though, all circumstances considered.

This book is set in 1820, at a time when the British anti-slavery movement had led to the passing of a Bill for the abolition of the slave trade 15 years prior but the fight to abolish the slave trade in other countries as well was still underway. The so-called blackamoors had been a part of the English society for ages then but even those with money and power still weren't fully accepted by society in the 1800s.

This is a subject not often mentioned in historical romances so this was as unexpected as the hero's involvement with the abolitionists and the dangers he faces due to this involvement. No change ever came without sacrifices and people willing to fight for it. I loved that this book draws attention to this time and the people of color in those times and their struggles to be accepted.

All in all, this is a book that kept me entertained and interested, made me look up and google things so I enjoyed reading it despite the fact that some things weren't completely convincing.

★★★

COCKTALES - A Cocky Collective #cockygate

THE COCKTALES ARE LIVE! 

 

 

Cocktales, a limited-release anthology of original, never before published material, from some of your favorite bestselling authors is coming May 26th!

Cocktales Anthology

Publishing Date: May 26th

Cover Designer: CD Reiss

Each story was specifically written for this anthology.

The goal of the Cocktales Anthology is to raise funds to fight against obstruction of creative expression. Specifically, what we believe are obstruction attempts through the trademarking of common (single) words for titicular use in books / or as a book series (eBooks, print, and audio).

Cocktales will only be available May 26th-August 26th.

Datenschutz und Änderungen...auch hier...

Et tu? 
Et io.

***

In den letzten Tage habe ich versucht, 

mich in die (nicht ganz) neue Verordnung einzulesen und 

den Blog hier anzupassen.

Die Möglichkeit, per Email zu folgen, wird es hier erst einmal nicht mehr geben, da es recht kompliziert zu sein scheint, dies verordnungskonform umzusetzen.

Ansonsten habe ich ein bisschen was umgestellt und die Datenschutzerkärung angepasst 
und was noch alles so dazugehört.

***

Ab morgen kann ich mich dann hoffentlich endlich wieder dem netten Teil des Bloggen widmen, nämlich dem BLOGGEN!

Kleines Land by Gaël Faye

  Kleines Land by Gaël Faye

Inhalt:

"Bevor all das geschah, von dem ich hier erzählen werde, gab es nur das Glück, das nicht erklärt werden musste. Wenn man mich fragte, wie geht es dir, habe ich geantwortet: Gut." Damals traf sich Gabriel mit seinen Freunden auf der Straße, erlebte seine Kindheit wie in einem paradiesischen Kokon. Bis seine Familie zerbrach und fast zur selben Zeit sein kleines Land, Burundi, bei einem Militärputsch unvorstellbare Grausamkeiten erdulden musste. Bis seine Mutter den Verstand verlor. Zwanzig Jahre später erst, nach der Flucht mit seiner Schwester in ein fernes, fremdes Frankreich, kehrt Gabriel in eine Welt zurück, die er längst verschwunden glaubte. Doch er findet dort etwas wieder, das er für unwiederbringlich verloren hielt. - "Kleines Land" ist ein überwältigendes Buch, voller Schrecken und Glückseligkeit, Güte und ewiger Verlorenheit - ein Stück französischer Weltliteratur im allerbesten Sinne.


Puh, dies ist so ein Buch, wo man zusammenzuckt, wenn man überlegt, ob es einem gefällt. Zu sagen, dass es einem gefällt, klingt bei einem Buch wie diesem fast schon zynisch. Es ist ein Buch, das in einer sehr schönen Sprache über sehr viele grausame Dinge berichtet.
Es ist fesselnd und tragisch und es lässt einen nicht los.

Meine Tochter (20, ein Kinderbuch ist es nämlich definitiv nicht), die das Buch ebenfalls gelesen hat, ließ es bis zur letzten Seite nicht los und las es in einem Rutsch durch. Danach musste sie erst einmal mit mir darüber diskutieren und fing an, sich Sachen über die Hutu und die Tusie herauszusuchen und zu versuchen, Dinge zu verstehen, die man ehrlich gesagt, gar nicht verstehen kann.
Eindringlich, intensiv und schonungslos, beschreibt dieses Buch viele Szenen, die auch mir noch lange nachgehen werden. Letztlich lässt es einen hilflos zurück, weil dieser Krieg so viele Opfer fordert und so viel Leid geschieht und man nichts ändern kann.

Ein tolles Buch, wobei das Erzählte schön geschrieben, aber oft nur schwer erträglich ist. Lohnenswert ist dieses Buch auf jeden Fall.

★★★★★

Blog Tour - Piece of Work by Staci Hart

Piece of Work by Staci Hart

Blurb:


Marble isn’t the only thing that’s hard at this museum.

His body is as chiseled as Adonis. His lips are as sculpted as David. And his ego is the size of the Guggenheim.

You know the type—wolfish smile and the gravity of a black hole. The kind of man who sucks all the air from the room the second he enters it. My cocky boss thinks this internship was wasted on me, and he doesn’t hesitate to let me know.

But he’s wrong, and I’m going to prove it to him. If I can stay away from his devil lips, that is. Lips that cut me down and kiss me in the same breath, leaving me certain he’s on a mission to ruin my life.

And maybe my heart.

First - I loved this book!
It wasn't as intense as the last books by Staci Hart that I read but I really loved Rin and Court. It was great to see how Rin found her confidence, how she turned - well, not from the ugly duckling but from the hidden-in-the-shadows duckling into a beautiful and confident swan. Oh, by the way, I think I need a new lipstick - and everything else that goes along with it. To read how some lipstick and a make-over help Rin to feel good in her own skin and to see herself as ore than a lanky, gangly, far too tall young woman of Asian descent. And to see this make-over work and get her to be seen? This is magic of its own kind. After hiding almost all her life she longs to be seen and heard. And Court is there to see her.

Of course, even though Court and Rin are attracted to each other things aren't easy for them because, well, she is his intern and he has some rules. Honorable ones, rules meant to protect both of them but definitely rules that stand in the way of romance.
Actually, I mean, I could see where Court was coming from and why his experiences made him...wary...when it comes to women but nevertheless, I very often felt like groaning and telling him what an idiot he is. I mean, when you meet someone who does not only make your...heart...feel a lot but who also challenges your mind, well, that's somebody you should hold onto, right?
Should.

Another wonderful book by a very talented author, a bit different from her other books with a bit more angst in it but also with amazing and very very lovable characters and a great storyline.

★★★★

Release Day Blitz - Piece of Work by Staci Hart #pieceofwork #releaseblitz #review

PIECE OF WORK 

by 

STACI HART

IS LIVE!

 ***

 Piece of Work, an all-new sexy and hilarious romance from Staci Hart, is available NOW!

Marble isn’t the only thing that’s hard at this museum.

His body is as chiseled as Adonis. His lips are as sculpted as David. And his ego is the size of the Guggenheim.

You know the type—wolfish smile and the gravity of a black hole. The kind of man who sucks all the air from the room the second he enters it. My cocky boss thinks this internship was wasted on me, and he doesn’t hesitate to let me know.

But he’s wrong, and I’m going to prove it to him. If I can stay away from his devil lips, that is. Lips that cut me down and kiss me in the same breath, leaving me certain he’s on a mission to ruin my life.

And maybe my heart.

Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/PieceofWork

Add to GoodReads: https://bit.ly/2pT693W

***

Excerpt

He smirked and flipped up his sunglasses.

Bastard.

“You’re early,” I clipped.

“I would have had my assistant text you, but she’s currently bedridden.”

“You could have texted me.”

“I didn’t have your number,” he said simply.

“Oh.”

His eyes shifted to look behind me, and I turned to find my friends standing me in a row with my suitcase in front of them, my messenger bag on top, and fake smiles on all their faces, lips together, their judgment about as quiet as a foghorn.

“These your roommates?”

“Yup,” was all I said as I turned and took my suitcase, hugging each of them down the line with promises to text when we landed. And then I turned to Court, rolling my suitcase in front of me like like a riot shield.

I tried to pick it up to carry it over the threshold, but it was heavy, and before I could get far, he’d swept it out of my hands like it was a loaf of bread and not fifty pounds of mascara and shoes.

I waved at my friends, who offered encouraging smiles and hand gestures, and I closed that door, immediately regretting every decision I’d made to bring me to the moment I turned around.

He stood at the door to the backseat, holding it open for me like a gentleman, which I knew he was not. But the look on his face of regret and deference, under the hard shell of his brooding, was almost too much to bear.

So I did the only thing I could.

I ignored him.

I ignored his gorgeous lips as they tilted and the sleek cut of his jaw as I walked past him. I ignored the sight of his long legs as he climbed in next to me and the smell of him that made me want to grab him by the lapels of his jacket and bury my nose in his chest.

The driver took off, and I busied myself in my bag, looking for my headphones and book.

His eyes were on me. I pretended like I didn’t notice.

“You’re not wearing lipstick,” he stated.

Headphones, headphones, headphones. “It’s an international flight, Court. Of course I’m not wearing red lipstick for a ten hour flight.”

A pause. “Rin, I—”

Aha! I popped in my earbuds the second they were in hand.

His lips flattened, his face unamused. Rin, his lips said, but I smiled and shrugged, pointing to my ears.

“Noise canceling,” I said way too loud.

His chest rose and fell with a sigh I couldn’t hear—I’d already turned on music, a playlist we’d built the night before geared toward resisting douchery and unwanted-slash-totally-wanted advances—and he reached into his own bag, a leather affair at his feet, his hand disappearing into the bag and reappearing with a book, which he handed to me.

He watched me with his expression shrouded as I paused, my eyes on the offered book. An image of Penitent Magdalene by Tintoretto filled the cover, and I met his eyes, pulling my earbuds out by the cord.

“I thought you could use this. For your proposal,” he said, giving nothing away. “I…A colleague of mine wrote it, so if you have any questions, I can connect you. If you want.”

I took it from his hand, surprised and disarmed. “Thank you,” was all I said. He opened his mouth as if to speak again, but closed it, and with a nod, he reached back into his bag for his own book. Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake.

I put my earbuds back in place, trying not to bite my lip, but it found its way between my teeth despite the effort at the sight of him sitting there, dressed like that, reading Margaret Atwood. After giving me a thoughtful gift, a book he knew I would want, one I would need for my dissertation.

Court Lyons made about as much sense to me as a scrambled up Rubik’s Cube.

I leaned against the door as I flipped through his gift, doing my best to sort through the rush of questions and confusion as Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s sang about being cheated by the opposite of love. And I found I knew exactly the feeling.

About the Author

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life -- a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can't forget that. She's also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She's been a wife, though she's certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She's also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she's been drinking whiskey.

From roots in Houston to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she's not writing, she's reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

Connect with Staci:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2hv5OA5

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stacihartnovels

Twitter: https://twitter.com/imaquirkybird

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/imaquirkybird/

Website: http://stacihartnovels.com

Newsletter: http://stacihartnovels.com/get-the-newsletter/

Join Her Reader Group Here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stacihart/

 

 

Preorder Blast for COCKTALES - A Cocky Collective #cockygate

 

 

It is with great honor that I present today  the...

...

 Preorder Blast 

for 

COCKTALES - A Cocky Collective

 

  

What's behind all this amazing cockiness?

Cocktales, a limited-release anthology of original, never before published material, from some of your favorite bestselling authors is coming May 26th!

Cocktales Anthology

Publishing Date: May 26th

Cover Designer: CD Reiss

Each story was specifically written for this anthology.

The goal of the Cocktales Anthology is to raise funds to fight against obstruction of creative expression. Specifically, what we believe are obstruction attempts through the trademarking of common (single) words for titicular use in books / or as a book series (eBooks, print, and audio).

Cocktales will only be available May 26th-August 26th.

Pre-order your copy today:

*Amazon*

*iBooks*

*Nook*

*Kobo*

*Google Play*

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/CockTalesGR

Contributing Authors Include:

Nana Malone, USA Today Bestselling author – Foreword

Dylan Allen – 'Cocked and Loaded'

Jana Aston, NYT, WSJ, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Double Cocked'

Whitney Barbetti – 'Cocksure Grin'

Author Sawyer Bennett, NYT, WSJ, USA Today Bestselling author – 'A Wicked, Cocky Plan'

K.f. Breene, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Magical Cock and Bull'

Ruth Clampett, Amazon top 20 Bestselling Author – 'Don’t Get Cocky'

L.H. Cosway, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Illusionist Seeks Neanderthal'

Mariah Dietz – 'Landmines'

Amy Daws, Amazon Top 25 Bestselling author – 'Cock and Balls'

BB Easton, Amazon Top 100 Bestselling author – 'Cocky BB: Two Boys, One Prom.'

Jaymin Eve, USA Today Bestselling author – 'The Cockier the Dragon, the Harder They Fall'

Emma Hart, NYT and USA Today Bestselling author – 'Tricky Bond'

Staci Hart, Amazon Top 10 Bestselling author – 'Cockamamie'

Jessica Hawkins, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Cocky Couture'

Julie Johnson Amazon Top 100 Bestselling author – 'Culinary Cock-Up'

Karpov Kinrade, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Crimson Cocktail'

Adriana Locke, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Swag'

Lex Martin, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Love & Hate at the Stallion Station'

Aly Martinez, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Going Down'

Katyi McGee - USA Today Bestselling author – 'Cocksure Co-Star'

Corinne Michaels, NYT, WSJ, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Cockblocked'

Liv Morris, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Getting It Up'

Red Phoenix, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Her Cocky Russian'

Daisy Prescott, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Confessions of a Cockblocked Wingman'

Jessica Prince – ‘A Cocky Corruption Engagement’

Meghan Quinn, Amazon Top 20 Bestselling Author – 'Fight or Flight'

CD Reiss, NYT and USA Today Bestselling author – 'Cocky Capo'

Penny Reid, WSJ and USA Today Bestselling author – 'Beard and Hen'

Julie Richman, USA Today Bestselling author – 'The Color of Love'

Aleatha Romig, NYT, WSJ, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Aligned'

Kennedy Ryan, Top 40 Amazon Bestselling author – 'All'

Kylie Scott, NYT, WSJ, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Short Story with Mal and Anne from The Stage Dive Series'

Sierra Simone, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Until the Cock Crows'

Tara Sivec, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Chocolate and Cockup'

Kate Stewart, Amazon Top 30 Bestselling author – 'The Golden Sombrero'

Leia Stone, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Cocky Alpha'

Karla Sorensen – 'Tristan & Anna: A Bachelors of the Ridge short story'

Rachel Van Dyken, NYT, WSJ, USA Today Bestselling author – 'Cocky Mafia'

April White, Amazon Top 100 Bestselling author – 'Code of Conduct'

*ALL* net profits will be donated to:

Authors already impacted by creative-obstruction (10%), and Romance Writers of America (RWA) (90%) as a general donation intended for their Advocacy Fund.

*Disclaimer: This anthology is not being conducted on behalf of RWA, nor does RWA endorse this anthology or effort. They have, however, graciously agreed to accept the funds.

For more information, visit: 

https://www.cockyauthors.com

 

Release Day Blitz - Unbreakable Bond by Jessie Bryant #unbreakablebond

 

 RELEASE DAY BLITZ!

It is LIVE!

Unbreakable Bond (Book 1 in the Fated Mates Duet) by Jess Bryant

Blurb:

Sometimes fate gets it all wrong.

Zoey Kent has lived with that fact ever since she turned eighteen and learned that the man she loved could never be hers. He’s a born shifter, a wolf, and she’s a mere human. Fate doesn’t care if on paper they’re a perfect pair. She isn’t his fated mate and she’s resigned herself to the knowledge that someday, she’ll have to watch Michael mate with another. It’s never crossed her mind that there might be someone else out there for her, that she would be the one to mate another, to choose another over everything she’s ever known or wanted.

Sometimes fate gets it all right.

Rafe Hudson left his pack behind years ago. Physically and mentally scarred from an attack that left his parents and twin dead, he walked away from his responsibilities as Alpha. He never intended to return but lone wolf or not, he can’t leave Michael open to an attack he’s learned is coming for his only brother. What he didn’t know was that going home would mean scenting his mate, the one person in the world that could make him whole again, that could give him everything he thought he’d lost. His pack, his home and his family.

But fate always has a plan.

There’s no way Michael’s brother is her future, is there? Just like there’s no way that the girl his brother has loved since they were kids, was always meant to be his, right?

Only fate knows why they were brought together but there is one thing for sure, the sparks between Zoey and Rafe are undeniable. The bond between them is unbreakable. And together… they’ll change the face of the pack forever.

*****

***

*****

This book was nice to read. Zoey and Rafe were sweet together and I enjoyed reading about their love for each other and their way back into the pack. The characters were nice but could have done with a bit more depth. They remained somewhat flat even though they had strong feelings and as a reader, I felt sorry for them but I didn't feel with them despite everything they had to get through.

Even though it was not unputdownable, it was written fluently and I am pretty sure that I'll check out the next book in this series either. Somehow I want to know what happens next and find out whether Leo's sisters will be fine and of course, it would also be nice to find out about Michael's mate.

★★★