Found by Evangeline Anderson

I read a few books from this series a couple years back and I'm really glad I decided to get back into it. I love a good science fiction novel and the way the author blends romance into her stories is wonderful. The love scenes are pretty erotic and not for the faint of heart but as a whole, the novel isn't just about the romance. There's an actual actual story that involves dangerous situations, multiple characters and many storylines.

The main storyline is about Lauren, a Florida native who was abducted by an evil alien race called the Scourge. It was prophesied by the AllFather, the leader of the Scourge, that she was the future of their dying race. Luckily, she was saved from a grave future of rape and torture by one of her captors, Xairn, whom she falls for romantically. At first, she attributes her feelings to a sort of Stockholm Syndrome but the more time she spends with Xairn, the stronger her feelings become. Xairn promises to keep Lauren safe but his duty doesn't come easily, especially when the AllFather still wants her. Also, Xairn feels he must protect her from himself and his dark sexual urges, so he represses his feelings, which annoys Lauren immensely.

They try to create a life together but Xairn's finds controlling his sexual urges difficult, especially with a very affectionate Lauren. The more Xairn shares about his past, the more Lauren realizes where his fears come from. Xairn's childhood was an abusive one which has shaped him into the cold warrior that he is. When the AllFather threatens someone he loves, the cold warrior facade might be the only thing that saves both of them.

The author made the right choice with Lauren. She could have made her the hapless female that is mentally scared by her abduction but instead Lauren has turned out to be a strong female lead. Xairn might be afraid of hurting her, but at this point, the only thing that could possibly hurt her is leaving. They've gone through so much together, including DNA modification, escaping the AllFather and a horrible market trade on a strange planet. I can't help but cheer for this couple, even if they are the most unlikely pair.

Space travel, psychic abilities, medical advances and alien technology are present in this novel, but the one thing I wish the author could have done is spent more time on is elaborating these aspects. Evangeline Anderson has created a wonderful and strange world and I can't wait to learn more about it and its remarkable inhabitants. Found is a compelling science fiction romance that is leading this series in a great direction.



 

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 04:08

 aliens, Brides of the Kindred, Erotica, Evangeline Anderson, Purchased, Review, Romance, Science Fiction, Science-Fiction, Self Published  Leave your mark

Bloodlust by Larissa Ione

I stumbled upon this novella by Larissa Ione long ago, and finally decided to read it. First, you need to know that this novella is classified as erotica (something I had not realized before diving in) and it's not part of the Demonica series, though I could see those characters fitting right in!

Bloodlust is a quick and steamy read that may ruffle your feathers a bit (sex slave, a bit for m/m action). I'm not usually a fan of the genre but I found myself engrossed from the first couple of lines and I have to confess, I wish there was more to the story!

Brynn found himself sold as a slave of war on the market and he is bought by the vampire Queen, Sorla, for her sole pleasure. I really wanted to know what is this war, how he got captured, what's his story? Also, I wish I knew more about Sorla's intentions and motives. She unexpectedly did Brynn a huge favor and I wonder how it came to be, and just what it would entail in the end.

The novella really ends on a cliff-hanger and I find it weird because as far as I know, there isn't a sequel nor another novella following that one, and since it's not part of a series, there's no way to know what happens next.

Bloodlust is a sexually charged story and I could totally picture it being part of a bigger paranormal romance series.  It's definitely worth your reading time, and it's free, so why not indulge?

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 01:12

 Adult, Erotica, Free, Larissa Ione, Paranormal, Review, Self Published, Vampire  Leave your mark

Captive: The Forbidden Side of Nightshade by A.D. Robertson

Sarah is setting off to an extremely dangerous mission. She is to sail to a mysterious island from which no one comes back. The Keepers are keeping something valuable on this island, and she must find out what it is. Unfortunately, she was caught right as she finished climbing the rocky cliff and no part of her training could've prepared her to this fate.

Captive: The Forbidden Side of Nightshade is an adult spin-off series of the Nightshade world, initially a young adult series, written under the pen name Andrea Cremer. Andrea had a thing for steamy scenes that weren't appropriate for a younger audience and The Forbidden Side of Nightshade series was born. If I am not completely mistaken, it also takes place twenty years or so before Nightshade.

I kind of have mixed feeling about this novel and I'll try to tell you all about it as clearly as possible ^^ Let's get the negative out of the way, shall we? One element I am not sure about is how miss Robertson introduced the lore in her adult series. Having read the first two books in the Nightshade series (admittedly a long time ago...) I had a good idea of what I could expect, yet I have to admit I was a little bit confused at first. I am not sure someone diving into this world for the first time would be able to fully grasp the gravity of the situation between Keepers, Searchers, and Guardians, and their origins.

Another element bothering me is the time table. The whole novel happens over the course of a week, give or take, and it's 'enough time' for Sarah and Tristan (her kidnapper/jailer) to fall madly in love, and for one of them to betray their side. I am quite aware this is fiction, mind you, but it's just way too fast to be anywhere near believable. Her being a virgin also interferes, in my mind at least, with the quick flammable sexual interactions between the two of them.

If, accent on the 'if', I completely ignore the timeline, I actually enjoyed their flourishing relationship. Tristan is bored and lonely and Sarah is the only interesting thing happening to him for as far as he can remember. He is completely enthralled by her and would do anything to keep her. Despite his questionable actions, namely keeping her hostage, he treats her kindly and he is sincerely, genuinely attracted to her, which I appreciated. Sarah's falling for him was harder for me to grasp (Stockholm syndrome anyone?) but I understand the romantic/sexual appeal of such a  situation in a romance novel.

The plot line was pretty straight forward, without that many bumps in the road. The whole thing revolved around their growing relationship and the only suspense really was to figure out which one of them would leave their old lives behind.

I grew particularly fond of Seamus, the leader of the Guardian pack protecting Tristan, and the closest thing he has to a friend on this secluded island. I loved his personality, his 'spunk' and his sense of humor. His strong loyalty toward Tristan was also commendable. I also really liked Sarah's maid. The girl was shy and scared, but she became a friend to Sarah and she stepped up her game when the time came.

The end was fashionably action-packed and turned out to be satisfying. The actual very end felt like a bomb and the revelation somewhat shocked me. I truly didn't expect it and I loved the connection to the Nightshade series. It might not have to same effect on someone who hasn't read the YA series, but I got a nice jaw-dropping moment lol

Overall, this novel was a good read and if I ignored the small flaws, I had an enjoyable ride. I'll be honest, I haven't decided yet if I'll keep on reading this series, but it's definitely worth a try :)

Read an excerpt

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 01:27

 A.D. Robertson, Adult, Dutton, Erotica, Forbidden Side of Nightshade, Magic, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Penguin, Publisher, Review, Shifter  1 Person left their mark

Novella November: Replicant by Dani Worth

I picked up the first novella in this series a little while ago and reviewed it on my other site. The series is a little outside of my wheelhouse since it's a pretty erotic space opera but I love Worth's writing style and world so I've decided to continue. This book is definitely for the 18+ crowd since the sex scenes are quite descriptive.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the series, Worth's Kithran Regenesis series centres around the redevelopment and reclamation of the planet Kithra. Home to the Gwinarians, a humanoid race that has no problems with polyamory and that had been engaged in a fruitful trade relationship with other races, including humans, until explosions decimated the planet and its population. Nearly every Gwinarian died but Kithra is slowing being repopulated and rebuilt. In KITHRA, we see the first stages of the resettlement, with a triad comprised of Lux, Kol, and Egan. We get to visit with these characters again in  REPLICANT but they're not the main focus. This time, the story is told through the eyes of Jarana Gothbrun, a Gwinarian who escaped the explosions because she had been captured by slavers. A pilot and a Tracker, she has dedicated her life to bounty hunting, focusing on Replicants, the race of humanoid shapeshifters who captured her. In REPLICANT, her hunt leads her back to Kithra, stirring up old feelings and revealing new ones, as she finds herself attracted to two unlikely individuals.  Jarana's voice is quite distinct from Lux's, which is great. Like Lux, Jarana is a strong, sexual woman but she has her own set of hangups, since she's basically been emotionally numb since Kithra's destruction. It takes time to settle in with her but it's worth it since she's a very interesting character. She has connections with both Lux and Egan, as you'll see at the start of the novella, and these old relationships really cement how much she has changed.

I can't talk about an erotic space opera without commenting on the sex, can I? It's very well written. I'm not a huge erotica fan but the scenes are as much about the emotional as they are about physical, which I appreciate. I can take or leave love scenes but I'd prefer them to have a purpose, which they definitely do in REPLICANT. I should also mention that REPLICANT features a male-male-female triad, so you'll be reading about a less represented relationship dynamic.

REPLICANT is a very smexy book, sure to appeal to fans of sci fi romance. Worth wins me over more and more with each novel and I'm looking forward to CATALYST, the next story in the series. I believe it's a full-length novel so I can't wait to see what this author does with a larger page count.

Read an excerpt (click on Excerpt tab)

Read More

Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Adult, Alien, Dani Worth, Erotica, Kithran Regenesis, Novella November, Purchased, Review, Romance, Samhain, Science Fiction  Leave your mark