Review: The Bodyguard by Raven Willow-Wood

The Bodyguard by Raven Willow-Wood

Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Genre: Futuristic Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

Her father might have bought him to protect Brooke, but as far as the cyborg, Zeno, was concerned, Brooke was his! When the raiding cyborgs took her, leaving him for dead, he struck off the moment he recovered to get her back … determined to kill the cyborg leader, Deltra, if that was what it took!


Claudette’s Review

Brooke is in love with her bodyguard. The problem? He’s cyborg. At the beginning of the novel the author takes great pains to tell the reader how android like Zeno is, making him seem as emotionless as your computer. We then assume that that is why Brooke thinks that loving Zeno is so pointless, because it can never be anything but unrequited. Then we find out that Zeno is not just a machine with some human genetic material; but a former human soldier who has survived what would have been fatal injuries by becoming a cyborg through the addition of nano-technology and cybernetic enhancements. The reason that there has been war between mankind and the cyborgs is because the cyborgs overcame their programming and refused to do the bidding of their weaker human overlords. Being able to reason like that suggests sentience to me, but what do I know? With war raging between Cyborgs and robots and the massively reduced human population mainly in hiding, I’m not all sure why Zeno insisted on training Brooke to defend herself. How can one frail, clingy, lovesick human take on a cyborg or cyborgs intent on abduction and slavery?

I’m amazed that Brooke managed to keep her love for Zeno a secret. For a woman in her twenties, perhaps both Zeno and her parent’s protectiveness has left her with the emotional maturity of a hormonal teenager. When she isn’t throwing temper tantrums worthy of a three year old, she’s a damsel in distress. This book would have better if Brooke had been a stronger and well developed character, capable of behaving like a woman instead of a girl. It would also have been interesting to find out more about Zeno’s life prior to his becoming a cyborg. Zeno gets the chance to join his fellow cyborgs. Does he forget his loyalty to Brooke? Is it possible for him to ever succumb to the human weakness called love?

2 Tea Cups!

Review: The Soldier's Baby by Megan Ziese

The Soldier's Baby by Megan Ziese

Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

Dalton had forgotten what a master of manipulation Dakota was in all the years their service to their country had kept them apart. It was a mistake, but not nearly as big a mistake as falling in love with a woman that could never be his.


Claudette's Review

The Soldiers Baby is a gripping, emotive drama, which covers the dilemmas facing a man who starts out agreeing to deceive his sister in law, in order to help his twin. He then finds that the old saying is true and indeed he’s woven quite the web of deceit; when jealousy enters the picture, complicating things further.

Twin brothers Dalton and Dakota Carlton are identical in looks only, though like their father before them they are both soldiers. They have never been close, mainly because as children Dakota, had always been competitive with his brother, and lorded it over him that he is the elder by two minutes. Their career paths have diverged too, as Dalton had been promoted above his brother, a fact that is resented by Dakota. So it was more than a little strange that Dakota chose to confide about something as personal as his sterility to his brother. And even more shocking that he would propose that Dalton impregnate his wife, while impersonating him.

Dalton immediately sees that Dakota’s jealousy would be a major problem, but Dakota manages to persuade him that he is doing this not just for him but for the sister in law he’s never met. Unknown to Elle Carlton, Dakota is aware that she has been using an ovulation kit, and on the week that she’s ovulating, he lets his brother into the house while Elle is asleep upstairs and he stays downstairs.

Though Dalton feels awkward about being tasked to get his sister in law pregnant, any stiltedness disappears when he holds her in his arms. The way she responds to him, and the look of her in the moonlight; and making love to her becomes the most natural thing in the world. He quickly admits to himself that he doesn’t only envy his brother, but he covets his brother’s wife.

Dalton quickly finds that his brother’s possessive nature makes him regret allowing his twin, anywhere near his wife. Poor Elle is confused, when Dalton first suggested trying for a baby, she didn’t expect to be dealing with his mood swings. The short tempered, verbally abusive, stranger she has been living with is a world away from the dream lover she’s spending her nights with. Not knowing if she’s living with Jeykell or Hyde is driving her insane, and she’s had enough. When Dakota leaves on deployment, they part with angry words and then months later comes a visit from army personnel informing her that her husband is dead; leaving her pregnant and alone.


Though she knew Dakota was a twin, she had no idea that he and Dalton were identical. Elle has to face feelings that leave her conflicted. She has no business being attracted to her husband’s twin! Dakota and Dalton’s mother isn’t handling her grief well and her bitterness at losing her favoured son poisons the situation further. Dalton has a secret that he knows he should confess, but how can he? And how will Elle react? He wants to be there for her and the baby, but when the baby is born, he wants his name as the father on the birth certificate, not his brother’s. Elle is the woman he’s always wanted in his life, but when she finds out how both he and Dalton deceived her, will she reject him, or believe that he truly wants her and not just the baby?

4 Tea Cups!

   

Review: For the Love of Julian by Zelma Orr

For the Love of Julian by Zelma Orr

Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 2

Blurb


Can you love a man and hate him at the same time? If Juliana is to save her five year old son Julian, there is really no choice. A woman who has been wronged and betrayed, she finds that now, at last, there is a chance to get even. But should she? Her decision could save her son's life, but will it also revive the love she lost so long ago?



Clare's Review

Juliana Palmer has spent the last two years trying to come to terms with the betrayal by the one person who promised to love her and only her for the rest of their lives. Her husband Zane. Fed lies by both his mother and mother-in-law at a time when he was deathly ill in hospital, Zane chose to believe them and not Juliana and took custody of their three year old son—giving her no contact with him at all.

Even helped by one of her clients, a psychiatrist, Juli is barely coping with her feelings when Zane walks into her office out of the blue demanding her help. Julian, their son, is dying and the only thing that can save him is a bone marrow transplant. Zane wants Juli to be tested to see if she is a compatible match.

Against her better judgement, Juli goes back to California with him, telling both herself and him she’s doing it for her son and no other reason. Finding she is a perfect match is more than she hoped for, but knows there is still a long way to go. Especially with Zane’s mother determined to keep interfering.

This story is a wonderful blend of heartbreak, a broken marriage, damaged trust and the iconic interfering mother in law who will stop at nothing, literally nothing, to keep Juli away from her son. The hospital scenes are spot on, as are the emotions and wringer Juli and Zane go through. Hard to read, having been in a very similar situation myself, I probably felt a lot more empathy that was intended. There are many battles they have to overcome, Zane’s mother the least of them, before they finally realise the love between them never died.

This book is most definitely worth reading. The characters are more fact than fiction, a villain everyone can associate with – even if most are nowhere near as bad as this one. And running through its pages, the undying love a mother has for her child, a love she will do anything for.

5 Tea Cups!

      

Review: Alien Embrace by Tracy St. John

Alien Embrace by Tracy St. John

Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Genre: Fantasy Romance

Heat Rating: 4

Blurb

Amelia Ryan fled Earth’s fanatically religious government to live quietly among the aliens of Plasius. Her life of peace shatters when a three-man clan from the planet Kalquor kidnaps her and holds her prisoner.
With their people poised on the verge of extinction, the Kalquorians are determined to have Amelia for their mate. Amelia is equally determined to escape. But when her body thrills to the ruthless domination of her captors, she finds herself surrendering to desires she never imagined possible.

RATING: Carnal/Erotica—mild BDSM. Captive situation/forced seduction. Multiple sexual partners. Retrospective MOM and rape of the heroine--not by the hero!



Hunter's Review

This is a very good BDSM, Menage filled book that has some rather disturbing elements in it. None of the upsetting parts have anything to do with the hero but, rather, they are memories the heroine carries with her and they also serve as explanations for the heroine’s own sexual interests, which could be construed as slightly disturbing until you realize what has prompted them.

The heroes are wonderful in their Alpha-ness. They are absolutely certain that what they want is what should happen and they are so hot that I was more than happy to go along with them. I think fans of the real erotic, futuristic science fiction are going to enjoy this book as much as I did.

4 Tea Cups!

   

Review: In the Arms of a Stranger by Mary Eason

In the Arms of a Stranger by Mary Eason

Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 2

Blurb

Everything Kate Bradshaw believed to be real about her marriage to her husband Alex slowly slipped away from her as the newspaper reports explained the sordid truth in black and white. Their marriage and Alex's seduction had been nothing more than a lie, a means of accomplishing one thing--Alex's revenge against the man he believed responsible for killing his one true love--Kates own father.



Clare’s Review

When Kate literally falls into Alex's arms, she struggles to remind herself that love at first sight only exists in the romance novels she's just been stacking on the shelves. Alex is a man on a mission, he needs Kate in order to exact revenge on her father. He just doesn’t anticipate falling in love with her. But when he does he'll stop at nothing to keep her.

Given Kate's history, the speed at which she pursues Alex did surprise me. It would have been nice to see them work things out by some other means than just jump into bed, as they seem to spend half this short there.

I loved the way that love came unexpectedly to both Kate and Alex. Ms. Eason’s characters come alive on the page as they see-saw through the story towards their HEA.

3 Tea Cups!

Review: The Mating by Mandy Monroe

The Mating by Mandy Monroe

Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Heat Rating: 2

Blurb

Lucius had been patient long enough. Now he wanted his woman, his mate, and nothing and no one was going to stand between them ever again, not even her.

Tonya had never been what most would consider to be lucky. She hadn’t been lucky enough to have been born with a great metabolism or great looks. She hadn’t been lucky enough to keep her landscaping job in the city or her dream home from being foreclosed on, and she hadn’t been lucky enough to meet the right guy and fall in love. But, as luck would have it, she had no idea that the right man was about to land right in her lap, literally. Only she didn’t recognize him as the man of her dreams when she first met him. How could she when all she saw was a wild wolf that chased her into her house right before it passed out on her?



Yadkny’s Review

Tonya has never had a very high opinion of herself in the looks department. She lives a solitary existence in the middle of the forest. Having just enough to get by, she never thought much of her future.

Lucius is a wolf shifter and guardian to the gate of his Alpha’s pack lands. He takes his duty seriously and would rather die than let there be a breach. Having been attacked by a pack of rogue wolves was the best thing to ever happen to him.

Looking at the cover, which is deliciously distracting, one would never think that this story is only 19 pages long. In my opinion, it wasn’t enough to do this story justice, but the main points of the story were well made. Boy thinks he’ll never find a mate; girl thinks she’s too unattractive and fat; boy scents mate and immediately pursues; girl eventually learns of his dual nature and relents to the mating. I have to commend Mandy Monroe on her extremely colorful vocabulary used throughout the story to describe the emotions the characters experience. The ending was surprisingly unexpected and leaves an opening for the author to pursue further.

Recommended reading for those looking for an extremely short story packed with lots of possessive mating.

2 Tea Cups!

Review: Feral Fascinations by Skhye Moncrief

Feral Fascinations by Skhye Moncrief

Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Heat Rating: 2

Blurb

Beyond rebels and rogues, the ultimate insurgents, psychic mercenaries, fight for your freedom of thought and hunt earth mates for one purpose--to defeat the universe's psychic emperor wanting to control all sentient beings through mind control. And you have no idea this war rages beyond the planet... Failure is not an option for the free-thinking universe.

The free thinking's universe's prized psychic mercenary, Red Trekaar, seduces an ex-mercenary from earth, a Violet Child of heightened psychic ability, who she feels can hold his own as a were-assassin, i.e. her psychic soul mate. But she's running out of time. A legend claims she will give birth to a child that will end the war. But gaining her mate's respect just might prove her greatest challenge of all.

A sexy Goth babe crosses Jake Straightarrow's path, and he wakes up in an alien-abduction nightmare with a chronic hard-on, powerless, labeled a blood fucker. She shanghaied him using some force's magnetic attraction. But a guy has self-respect. She should have earned his trust, then spread her legs. Especially after he learns sacred soul mates shape shift into uncontrollable werewolves trapped in a frenzied blood lust for their mate's blood. Self-control is what kept him alive so long. Now, the unshakable countdown to the moment he will shape shift ticks inside his head. His gut shouts escape stud service. Yet, humanity needs a hero. Colliding in a world of mind-reading games where one's best friend is the equivalent to one's worst enemy, each knows trusting the other is as dangerous as buying into their FERAL FASCINATIONS.



Janet’s Review

This isn’t one of your brother’s Sci-Fi Books – it’s Rebel Mercenary meets Paranormal Alien Chick. The first chapter grabbed my attention. I loved the twist of the “hero” Jake Straightarrow being the one abducted. The “alien” Red Trekaar has been stalking/watching Jake for years and against all advise, chooses him for her “mate”.

Jake’s a strong lead character, he doesn’t just roll-over and accept his fate. He’s strongly (sexually) attracted to Red, but resents being abducted and isn’t sure who to trust.

Red is challenged with getting her new “mate” to accept her and his new life, as she struggles with her prophesized destiny. I was disappointed that Red gives up her profession to become the “stay-at-home” mom, but how many pregnant assassins have you heard of?

The storyline is complex and well written, Ms. Moncrief seamlessly blended earth religion, new-age mysticism, paranormal events, shapeshifing rogue spies, and a who-done-it twist. The love scenes were not overly explicit, but very romantic & emotionally heart felt.

2 ½ Tea Cups!

Review: Dragon Blood by Madelaine Montague

Dragon Blood by Madelaine Montague

Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

They were the last of their kind--brothers born of the last dragon and doomed never to find mates of their own--not of their own kind, at any rate.


Yadkny’s Review

Marlee is focused and driven when it comes to her career in the FBI, but she may be a little too focused on the end result of catching the bad guys and not nearly enough on her surroundings. It isn’t until a training mission becomes deadly that she realizes this flaw. The bad guy in this case is a bear and it has decided to make Marlee its dinner.

Eli and John heard the woman scream and ran toward a scene that was complete carnage. They didn’t think she would live, but decided to try to help her anyway. Their healing technique involved tasting her blood and what they discovered after healing her was beyond what they thought possible.

Gabriel, Eli, John, Joshua, Aaron, and Luke are brothers all born to a dragon-shifter. The knowledge of their heritage however, died when their mother died, before she could show them what they could be. They know of the beast that lurks inside them, but the brother’s don’t know what it will take to set their inner dragon free or better yet who.

Who knows what you’ll find when you take that trip to a place that houses painful or repressed memories. Sometimes fear of the unknown stop us from making the trip, but in taking that journey you never know what you’ll find that just might heal some of the wounds. A lesson learned while reading this book. Marlee’s trip down repressed memory lane offers her some answers as to what happened in the woods when she was attacked, but the biggest gain was in finding something she never knew she wanted… love. As for the brothers, their journey in finding Marlee leads them to a hopeful future and back to the place of their birth where their mother died protecting them. The discovery made there gives them some of the answers they have been seeking for many years.

Madelaine Montague does a wonderful job portraying characters that are very emotionally real. Each have their own strengths, but also insecurities that they have to overcome. I appreciated that the reader is immediately swept into the story from the beginning as it should be. I am still very curious as to how the family dynamics of the household will play out, but with the background given, the author allows for the reader to make some of their own conclusions. Just a small warning that some readers may find a particular scene in the beginning of the book objectionable on the grounds of dubious consent. Interesting characters and an interesting dragon shifter concept kept my attention to the very last page. I’m excited to learn more about some of the other books this author has published.

4 Tea Cups!

   

Review: Savage Heat by Mandy Monroe

Savage Heat by Mandy Monroe

Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

They were still naked. They were still gorgeous. And, according to them, she was their soul mate.

Emma suspected the pheromone she'd used to help the wolves she studied to breed had some hallucinogenic properties to it. That was the only thing that could possibly explain how three wolves that cornered her in the woods could suddenly transform into men--hunks. That or she'd been alone in the woods for far too long doing her research. But, really, did it make sense that they turned into men, three extremely handsome men that argued over who she belonged to?

“You're mine.”

Dante, Caden, and Shane knew instantly when they had found their mate. There was just one problem, none of them wanted to share.


Yadkny’s Review

Emma is a scientist desperately trying to help increase the numbers in the local wolf population. She creates a spray-on pheromone and uses it on a she-wolf to see if the male wolves will take to it. Her experiment is a success, but takes on a life of its own when three male wolves begin sniffing around her! Having accidentally splashed some of the pheromone on herself, Emma believes that eventually they will recognize her human scent and leave her alone, but what happens when the three wolves turn into three men?

Dante, Caden, and Shane are Alphas to three of the largest packs around, but they have their work cut out for them when they meet Emma. Instinctively each of them recognizes her as their mate, but sharing her wasn’t what they had in mind. Fate has other plans for the Alphas and as they work through their sharing issues, convincing Emma of her role in their lives seems all but impossible. The woman in Emma believes them when they say they love her and that she is their mate, but the scientist in Emma can’t fathom why or how it’s even possible.

If you’re looking for a short story with spectacular romps in the woods with three gorgeous Alpha wolf shifters, then this story is for you! Mandy Monroe does a fantastic job with the sexual content, keeping it fresh without being repetitive. The storyline is unique, but felt incomplete and the climax fell short. So many questions still remain and I would love to have seen this story novel size in order to get the answers. The potential for an unforgettable story is there and although it lacks in some areas, overall it was still quite the read.

The reader will easily identify with the emotional turmoil that Emma goes through battling between her womanly and scientific instincts. The men have it no easier when their personalities and differences of opinion on how to handle Emma come to the surface. Those differences end up making them the perfect mate for Emma. It also doesn’t hurt that throughout the entire story the men are naked! You would think eventually that would be awkward, but you get used to it. This was a great afternoon read and I’ll be on the lookout for more books by this exceptional author.

3 Tea Cups!

Review: The Gladiators by Kaitlyn O'Connor

The Gladiators by Kaitlyn O’Connor

Publisher: New Concepts Publishing
Genre: Futuristic Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

The only thing worse than finding herself in the harem of the hideous fish-man that had bought her, Loren found out, was discovering what he really had in mind. His gladiators, to his mind, needed incentive to fight more savagely and dangling her under their noses, he was certain, was just the thing to inspire them.
What luck to arrive just as the Hirachi—his best and fiercest warriors—went into spawning! And what a terrifying thrill for her to find herself the object of the affections of three seven foot, yellow skinned aliens built like tanks—Kael, Dakaar, and Balen—all at the same time!



Desmond’s Review

Update a classic, Roman gladiator theme with science fiction and add a plucky heroine and Ms. O’Connor stirs the pot with an enthralling story, which moves from page to page, keeping your interest until the end.
A modern day top secret engineering analyst, Loren Hess, working with supposed alien technology becomes too inquisitive and her employer hands her over to the aliens. Loren finds herself dropped into an alien world as sexual bait for arousing gladiators to fight for her ‘services.’ Ms. O’Connor creates a character in Loren, which pops off the page. Along with her companions, Kael and Dakaar, who are from a different alien race and are top gladiators, we travel their journey, understand their motivations, fears and, at times, their desperation.

The combination of the gladiator and inter-galactic, sex trader themes weaves two compelling, visceral images into a story of survival. The sex starts slowly, allowing tension to mount, starting with descriptions of near nakedness for both Loren and her two Hirachi aliens, Kael and Dakaar, through foreplay (interesting sexual encounters through the bars of their prison) to polyamory. As with most of Ms. O’Connor’s characters in the two books I’ve read, the characters accept consensual sexual encounters without reservation and perceive sex as being both recreational, at times, and for procreation.

Using the sex trade and gladiator themes, which are not really that far apart from each other, and creating an escape and survival story keeps you turning the pages. The characters are wonderfully drawn and, once again, Ms. O’Connor has taken an earth female and mated her with overly large aliens, which seems to be the norm in romance novels (romance authors tend to display the male interest with a magnificent fit body, six-pack abdominal muscles and large thick organs. Kael and Dakaar are personifications of these qualities, taken to an extreme).

As I said previously, The Gladiators by Kaitlyn O’Connor is a page turner and, in PDF format, 154 pages, an easy read. The characters are fun, the adventure idealized and with enough spice to make you perspire.

Desmond’s Quote: “Kaitlyn O’Connor has done it again in creating a story, rich in adventure with sexual overtones and robust characters. She has taken the classic escape and survival story and enlivened it with enough spice and flavor to make a delicious meal for your mind and, of course, a damn good read.”

4 Tea Cups!