Midnight Untamed (Midnight Breed #14.5), by Lara Adrian

 

Format: e-ARC, 120 pages

Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Inc.

Published: October 11, 2016

ASIN: B0197OZW7A

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Back cover blurb: The mission was supposed to be simple. Infiltrate an enemy’s stronghold outside Rome and eliminate its leader. For a Breed warrior as lethal as Ettore Selvaggio, AKA “Savage”, stealth assassinations are only one of his many cold-hearted specialties. But the last thing Savage expects to find behind enemy lines—in his target’s bed—is a woman he once adored.

It’s been years since Savage last saw beautiful Arabella Genova. Years he’s strived to banish to his past, along with the fierce desire he once felt toward Bella . . . and the irresistible calling of her blood that stirs in him even now, despite the fact that she belongs to another male.

But when fate throws Savage and Bella together again in a race for their lives, will his long-lost love prove to be the one woman he can’t live without, or the perfect weapon to destroy him?

My review: Lara Adrian’s latest contribution to the 1001 Dark Nights series continues the Midnight Breed stories set in Italy, this time with Order warrior Savage. I loved him in the previous novellas, and here he finds himself in the middle of an assassination job when he sees the love of his life, Arabella, a Breedmate whose family forced him to leave her 10 years earlier. Saving her risks his mission but, as we know with these warriors, they place a priority on rescuing women and children, and he ends up doing both before the night is over.

Adrian always writes a great, hot romance, and there are plenty of thrilling moments with the ongoing battle against the Red Dragon drug. I was also intrigued by Scythe and hope we see more of him and Trygge in the books to come.

This novella can be read as a standalone or out of order in the series – as I have read it – as long as you are aware of a bit of the Breed history and know about the 20-year time jump between books 10 and 11. I really must catch up on the ones I own but haven’t read yet. This series is fabulous and it just keeps getting better!

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 5/5

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I’m thrilled to be part of the Review & Excerpt Tour for MIDNIGHT UNTAMED by Lara Adrian, a novella in her Midnight Breed Series brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights. Grab your copy of this sexy novella today!

Book trailer: https://s3.amazonaws.com/embed.animoto.com/play.html?w=swf/production/vp1&e=1475604408&f=8l51MQrU143hd56W0kagqw&d=0&m=p&r=360p+720p&volume=100&start_res=720p&i=m&asset_domain=s3-p.animoto.com&animoto_domain=animoto.com&options=
Direct Link: https://video214.com/play/8l51MQrU143hd56W0kagqw/s/dark

 

About Lara Adrian:

Lara Adrian is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author ofthe Midnight Breed vampire romance series and seven award-winning, historical romances, previously released under the pen name Tina St. John.

Lara’s Midnight Breed series is available in hardcover, mass market paperback and e-book through Random House, and in limited edition through Doubleday Book Club, Rhapsody Book Club, Book of The Month, and the Science Fiction Book Club. Unabridged audio editions are available through Tantor Media, Random House Audio, Amazon, iTunes, etc. Lara’s new releases regularly appear on all of the key bestseller lists including the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Indiebound, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc. There are more than 2 million copies of the Midnight Breed novels in print in the United States.

 

Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

Lara Adrian’s MIDNIGHT UNTAMED – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:

October 12^th

Hart’s Romance Pulse – Excerpt

2OCC Reviews – Review

A Fortress of Books – Review

Coffee Books Life – Review & Excerpt

Shayna Renee’s Spicy Reads – Review & Excerpt

Nice Ladies, Naughty Books – Excerpt

Reading in Pajamas – Excerpt

October 13^th

Adria’s Romance Reviews – Review

Books That Hook – Review & Excerpt

Books,Dreams,Life – Excerpt

Evermore Books – Review & Excerpt

That’s What I’m Talking About – Review

Straight Shootin’ Book Reviews – Review

Hannah’s Words – Review & Excerpt

October 14^th

Books, Coffee & Passion – Excerpt

Majorly Delicious – Review

Tome Tender – Excerpt

Books, Baking and Other Objects of Beauty – Review

Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt

K&J Book Promotions – Excerpt

October 15^th

Lucky 13 – Excerpt

The Reading Cafe – Review & Excerpt

Diane’s Book Blog – Review

Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt

Vagabonda Reads – Review & Excerpt

October 16^th

Ramblings From This Chick – Excerpt

Loves Great Reads Blog – Review & Excerpt

Nerdy Dirty & Flirty – Review

Sofia Loves Books – Review

October 17^th

Literary Misfit – Review & Excerpt

Rantings of a Reading Addict – Review & Excerpt

SnoopDoo’s Book Reviews – Excerpt

Rock Out With Sweet Reads – Excerpt

October 18^th

Booknista – Review & Excerpt

Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – Excerpt

Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt

Feeling Fictional – Review & Excerpt

Wicked Babes Blog Reviews – Review

GraveTells – Excerpt

October 19^th

Becky on Books – Excerpt

The Romance Reviews – Review

Queen of All She Reads – Excerpt

Lynn’s Romance Enthusiasm – Excerpt

The Silver Dagger Scriptorium – Review & Excerpt

BFD Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

October 20^th

G & T’s Indie Café – Excerpt

KatyaRath – Review & Excerpt

Knotty Girl Reviews – Review

Romance Reviews and More – Review & Excerpt

Bookgatherer – Excerpt

October 21^st

Romancing the Readers – Review

EskieMama Reads – Excerpt

What Is That Book About – Excerpt

Shelf Life – Review

 

Fangs for the Memories (Half-Moon Hollow #4.5), by Molly Harper

Format: e-ARC, 86 pages

Publisher: Pocket Star

Published: November 2, 2015

ISBN: 9781476794549

Genre: Paranormal romance

Back cover blurb: How did Andrea and Dick Cheney fall in love? Join Half-Moon Hollow’s favorite couple for a trip down memory lane—to a time when Mr. Wainwright was newly dead, Jane Jameson was a newbie vampire, and a budding paranormal romance was not yet uncorked…

Half-Moon Hollow’s supernatural social event of the season—Zeb’s Titanic-themed werewolf wedding—is coming up, and Dick Cheney (not that Dick Cheney!) needs a date. But Andrea’s had enough of clever, handsome, and rakish to last a lifetime, and Dick Cheney is certainly not the sort of man you bring home to mom (not that Andrea’s deadist parents are speaking to her ever since she dropped out of college and became a blood surrogate.) Shameless, relentless, roguish, with a Stetson-worthy swagger, a naughty sparkle in his eyes, and a constant smirk—oh, and fangs—no, Dick is the last person (er…vampire) Andrea wants to date.

But the infuriatingly irresistible man who lives quietly on the edge of a criminal underworld knows exactly what he wants, and once he surprises Andrea with a thrilling hot and dirty kiss behind the paranormal bookshop, she knows what she wants too: Dick. All it takes to ignite their unconventional courtship is a near-undeath experience that confronts Dick with a choice between turning Andrea, losing her forever, or tapping into his countless shady resources).

My review: I’m a big fan of Dick (TWSS) and he just became even more lovely in this wee story about how he won Andrea’s heart. Full of the usual Harper humour, this is set just days after Mr. Wainwright’s death and shows how Dick came to Andrea’s rescue after a council-endorsed feeding goes bad. I loved everything about it, especially find out more about Andrea’s past. Just wish it was longer!

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 5/5

Amazon

Stroke of Midnight (Midnight Breed #13.5), by Lara Adrian

Format: e-ARC, 100 pages

Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Inc.

Published: October 13, 2015

ASIN: B00NVMJ2F8

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Back cover blurb: Born to a noble Breed lineage steeped in exotic ritual and familial duty, vampire warrior Jehan walked away from the luxurious trappings of his upbringing in Morocco to join the Order’s command center in Rome.

But when a generations-old obligation calls Jehan home, the reluctant desert prince finds himself thrust into an unwanted handfasting with Seraphina, an unwilling beauty who’s as determined as he is to resist the antiquated pact between their families.

Yet as intent as they are to prove their incompatibility, neither can deny the attraction that ignites between them. And as Jehan and Seraphina fight to resist the calling of their blood, a deadly enemy seeks to end their uneasy truce before it even begins…

My review: Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed series is one of my favourites, although I will admit to being not quite up to date with it. That didn’t matter when I sat down to read this novella, because it can be read as a standalone as long as you are aware of the 20-year time jump between the start of the Breed series and its later stories. I absolutely inhaled this story and read it in just a couple of hours. Adrian’s easy writing style sweeps you along, instantly giving you a connection with Order warrior Jehan and Seraphina, with whom he is forced into an arranged pairing. Both resist, but that just builds the delicious UST. Things get HOT *fans self* and then dramatic, and I fell in love even more with these two.

This is a great addition to the Midnight Breed series and perfectly fits in with the 1001 Nights theme. I can’t wait to see where Adrian takes this series next, and this has also spurred me to read the ones I own but haven’t got to yet. Highly recommended!

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 5/5

Amazon eBook ** Amazon Paperback

 

STROKE OF MIDNIGHT is a Midnight Breed Series Novella brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights. Check out all the other stops on this tour and be sure to grab your copy of this sexy novella today!

STROKE OF MIDNIGHT Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:

October 14^th

Alleskelle Blogs But Mostly Reads – Review & Excerpt

Books, Baking and Other Objects of Beauty – Review

Dark Faerie Tales – Review & Excerpt

Read more-sleep less – Excerpt

October 15^th

Echoing Books – Excerpt

Feeling Fictional – Review

She Hearts Books – Review

Oh My Shelves – Review & Excerpt

October 16^th

SnoopyDoo’s Book Reviews – Excerpt

Cassandra’s Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Caroline Jane Reads – Excerpt

Pretty Little Book Blog – Review

October 17^th

Kelsey’s Corner Time – Review

Girls With Books – Excerpt

The Consummate Reader – Excerpt

Romance Reviews and More – Review & Excerpt

October 18^th

Romantiamente Fantasy Sito – Review & Excerpt

Diane’s Book Blog – Review

Barbara Book Reviews – Excerpt

October 19^th

A Fortress of Books – Review

Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – Excerpt

Books That Hook – Review

Renee Entress’s Blog – Excerpt

October 20^th

Hannah’s Words – Review & Excerpt

Romancing the Readers – Review & Excerpt

Book Bite Reviews – Excerpt

Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt

October 21^st

Grownupfangirl // oh the book feels – Excerpt

Love Affair With Fiction – Excerpt

Book Starlets – Review & Excerpt

Bloggin With M.Brennan – Review

October 22^nd

Zili in the Sky – Review & Excerpt

Vampire Book Club – Excerpt

Alpha book club – Review & Excerpt

A Hopeless Romantic’s Booklandia – Review & Excerpt

October 23^rd

Blogging For The Love Of Authors And Their Books – Excerpt

JB’s Book Obsession – Excerpt

Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt

Booklover4lifeblog – Excerpt

 

 

 

 

 

About Lara Adrian:

Lara Adrian is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author of the Midnight Breed vampire romance series and seven award-winning, historical romances, previously released under the pen name Tina St. John.

Lara’s Midnight Breed series is available in hardcover, mass market paperback and e-book through Random House, and in limited edition through Doubleday Book Club, Rhapsody Book Club, Book of The Month, and the Science Fiction Book Club. Unabridged audio editions are available through Tantor Media, Random House Audio, Amazon, iTunes, etc. Lara’s new releases regularly appear on all of the key bestseller lists including including theNew York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Indiebound, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc. There are more than 2 million copies of the Midnight Breed novels in print in the United States.

Visit Lara Adrian’s website.

 

 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter Sign Up | STROKE OF MIDNIGHT on Goodreads

 

 

 

Stacking the Shelves #13

 

Hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Welcome back to Stacking the Shelves, a regular meme hosted by Tynga at Tynga’s Reviews. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the latest books you have added to your shelves, physical or virtual.  This means you can include books you buy in store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course e-books! Here is my haul from this week.

Invited to read via Netgalley

I was invited by Gallery Books to read Searching For Always by Jennifer Probst via Netgalley, which was my first invitation from a publisher since I joined – woo hoo! I have read a number of Probst books and enjoyed them a lot.

Freebie purchased from Amazon

Because I’ve been reading her other books, I grabbed Rewind by Susan Ward when it was free on Kindle this week. It’s a novella about the children from her other Half Shell and Affair Without End series, so I’m keen to read.

Purchased from Amazon

Finally, I bought Taken by Midnight by Lara Adrian from Amazon. I read a number of the Midnight Breed series earlier this year and am up to this one, so grabbed it while it was a couple of dollars cheaper. The last one ended with a bit of a cliffhanger so I’m keen to see what happens next.

So that’s it for this week. Keep an eye out for my reviews of these in coming weeks. So what new books did you pick up this week? Let me know in the comments.

Shades of Midnight, by Lara Adrian (Midnight Breed, book 7)

Format: Kindle edition, 420 pages

Published: December 1, 2010

Publisher: Robinson Publishing

ISBN: 1849012822

Back cover blurb: Her sanctuary has become her blackest nightmare…

Life is tough in the Alaskan tundra but lately something wholly inhuman has let itself loose on the territory, leaving a wake of unspeakable carnage.

For bush pilot Alex MacGuire the wreckage is especially chilling – Alaska is the place she fled to after her mother and brother were brutally murdered in Florida.When the Midnight Breed is alerted to this slaughter, they send Kade to quell the danger and ensure Alex does not learn the truth behind the attacks.

And soon Alex will be tested by the threat of otherworldly evil, and by her unexpected desire for Kade, a man she should fear but who has become her seductive guide into an erotic realm of blood and darkness.

My review: Another great read from Ms Adrian. I really enjoyed the plot, which was fast-moving, and the new Alaskan location made a nice change. Kade and Alex were a good match — he was a typically hot warrior with a troubled family background and she was plucky and strong. I even felt a little sympathy for the Ancient! There’s an intriguing twist at the end to set up the next book, and I can’t wait to see how that turns out.

My rating: 4/5

Amazon

Eternal Kiss of Darkness, by Jeaniene Frost

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 361 pages

Published: July 27, 2010

Publisher: Avon Books

Back cover blurb:

An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness . . . And now one woman has stumbled into the shadows. Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she’s only imagined in her worst nightmares.

At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he’d seen it all. Then Kira appears, this fearless, beautiful . . . human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

My review:

This was sitting by my bed for about a year and I was reluctant to start it for two reasons: I wasn’t sure I was all that interested in Mencheres, and the cover is so awful I felt embarrassed to pick it up. However, I can now admit my doubts were unwarranted. Mencheres is lovely, and once started, I couldn’t put his story down.

Kira was a great heroine – I don’t usually like the heroines in PNRs – and it was fabulous to see how strong she was all the way through, with no contrived angsty subplots. Finding out about Mencheres makes me want to reread Cat and Bones so I can fill in the blanks about him. This also has the bonus of Vlad, and I’ll be moving on to his story soon. I loved it, but I’m still taking a cupcake off for the cringeworthy cover – ugh.

My rating: 4/5

Definitely Dead, by Charlaine Harris

• Format: Paperback 336 pages
• Published: 09 July 2009
• Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Back cover blurb:

Sookie doesn’t have that many relations, so she hated to lose one – but of all the people to go, she didn’t expect it to be her cousin Hadley, a consort of New Orleans’ vampire queen – after all, Hadley was technically already dead. But she is gone, beyond recall, and she’s left Sookie an inheritance – one that comes with a bit of a risk – not least because someone doesn’t want Sookie digging too deep into Hadley’s past – or her possessions. Sookie’s life is once again on the line, and this time the suspects range from the rogue werewolves who have rejected Sookie as a friend of the pack to her first love, the vampire Bill. Sookie’s got a lot to do if she’s going to keep herself alive …

My review:

This took me FOREVER to finish, so I guess that is telling. A lot of this was ho-hum, the best part being Quinn the were-tiger, who seems to be a bit too good to be true. I guess I’ll keep reading, but the more I do the more I realise the TV series has veered so very far from the original storyline. Upshot: not enough hot vamps, too many weres.

My rating: 3/5

How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire, by Kerrelyn Sparks

Format: Kindle Edition, 384 pages

Published: March 3, 2009 (first published July 26th 2005)

Publisher: HarperCollins e-books

Back cover blurb:

So what if he’s a bit older and usually regards a human female as dinner, not a dinner date? Yes, Roman Draganesti is a vampire, but a vampire who lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn’t have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop–sided eater for all eternity.

Things aren’t going well for Shanna Whelan either…After witnessing a gruesome murder by the Russian mafia, she’s next on their hit list. And her career as a dentist appears to be on a downward spiral because she’s afraid of blood. When Roman rescues her from an assassination attempt, she wonders if she’s found the one man who can keep her alive. Though the attraction between them is immediate and hot, can Shanna conquer her fear of blood to fix Roman’s fang? And if she does, what will prevent Roman from using his fangs on her…

 

My review:

Not exactly laugh-out-loud funny, but very amusing nonetheless, especially in the first half of the book. It reminded me a lot of other vampire series – I read too many of them, I know – and at times I felt like I had read parts of this before in either Twilight or Cat and Bones or somewhere.

Regardless, I loved Roman and all his vampire mates – especially the Highlanders and Gregori – and will be reading the other books in the series just to find out more about them. Shanna was annoying for the most part, but I usually hate the heroines so that’s nothing new. I also think the cover lets the book down a bit.

My rating: 4/5

One Grave at a Time, by Jeaniene Frost

Format: Kindle Edition

Published: August 30, 2011

Publisher: Harper Collins, Inc.

Back cover blurb:

Having narrowly averted an (under)world war, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift from New Orleans’ voodoo queen just keeps on giving–leading to a personal favor that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous spirit.

Centuries ago, Heinrich Kramer was a witch hunter. Now, every All Hallows Eve, he takes physical form to torture innocent women before burning them alive. This year, however, a determined Cat and Bones must risk all to send him back to the other side of eternity–forever. But how do you kill a killer who’s already long dead?

My review:

Not a bad installment, marginally better than the last one but still missing something I can’t quite put my finger on. The business with Don sat oddly with me and the introduction of douchebag Madigan indicates fairly clearly where the plot is likely to head after this.

Still, I love Bones, Spade and Ian, and despite my misgivings, they’ll keep me reading.

My rating: 4/5

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow #13: (Cat)Fight Club!

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow is a weekly feature that runs over the weekend, hosted by Crystal from one of my favourite blog sites, Reading Between the Wines.

Question of the Week:  Fight club! Heroine Vs. Heroine. Pick your two favorite kick-ass book heroines and pit them against each other. Who would win?

Ooh, this is a good one! Well, the first name to come to mind is Cat Crawfield, of course, from the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost, because it’s a cat fight and that’s her name! She’s a vamp, she has a kick-ass entourage (mmm… Bones, Spade, Ian, Vlad… *sigh*) and she doesn’t take anyone messing with her.

I would pit her against Payne, Vishous’s sister from J.R. Ward‘s the Black Dagger Brotherhood. She’s also a kick-ass vampire, is mad as hell, murdered her father and seriously injured King Wrath when they sparred together. She also has an awesome entourage of hot, lethal Brothers… *fans self*

In a fight, I think I’m gonna have to go with Payne. Cat would make too many wisecracks and Payne would just floor her with a roundhouse kick!

What do you reckon? Leave a comment below or link up HERE to follow the meme.

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• 18 & Over Book Blogger Follow #12 (mrsaubergine.wordpress.com)
• 18 & Over Book Blogger Follow #11 (mrsaubergine.wordpress.com)