Wolf at the Door by Mary Janice Davidson

Goodreads Description:

The howlingly good spin-off of the Undead series from theNew York Times bestselling author.

Rachel, a werewolf/accountant, is asked to keep one eye on Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor and the other peeled for a rogue werewolf who's itching to start a war. But her attention is mostly on a sexy, mysterious stranger she wishes she could trust.

My Rating:

My Review:

I picked this up because I really liked Derik's Bane and had such hopes for this book.  I think it was ok but reading this reminded me why I stopped reading the undead series before I finished the whole series.  I just don't enjoy the choppy slang ridden narrations.  Betsy's character and Sinclair's character just annoy men.  I did enjoy the romance and quirky personality of Edward and Rachaels humor.  I did however pick this up and put it down A LOT....took a while to get though.  All around disappointment.

Fortune Hunter Series by Christina Dodd

Goodreads Description for Dangerous Ladies (Book 1 Trouble in High Heels and 2 Tongue in Chic):

Two sexy, suspenseful bestsellers? together in one volume!

Two stories of dangerous women entangled in the arms of deliciously treacherous men?

Trouble in High Heels

When Brandi Michaels discovers her fiancé hopping a flight to Vegas to marry his other girlfriend, she pawns her ring, buys herself a fabulous outfit, and spends one sultry night in the arms of a gorgeous Italian stranger named Roberto Bartolini. And when Brandi becomes the mark for a killer, she has no choice but to turn to Roberto?a man who?s destined to be either her savior or her downfall?

Tongue in Chic

Devlin Fitzwilliam catches Meadow Szarvas breaking into his mansion to steal a priceless painting. In sheer desperation she tells him she has amnesia. But then he claims she?s his wife?and Meadow finds herself locked in a match of high-stakes deception. She doesn?t dare take her eyes off him?and doesn?t want to?yet the danger is just beginning?

My Rating:

My Review:

I really loved this book.  I was looking for a contemporary romance with some suspense and this DEFINITELY gave me what I wanted.  I loved the loose connection between the books with the half brothers and how they all are in some way connected to each other through their father and his misdeeds.  I loved the romance between both brothers and their significant others! 

Goodreads Description for Thigh High:              Nessa Dahl always had the good sense to steer clear of trouble. Then Jeremiah MacNaught showed up in New Orleans, determined to get to the bottom of a string of bank robberies by two women wearing Mardi Gras masks. Little does Nessa realize that the handsome investigator is convinced she's involved with the crimes-or that he's willing to do anything to get the truth. Even if it means taking the beautiful woman he's convinced is a liar and a thief straight to bed...

My Rating:

My Review:

I had a love hate relationship with Nessa.  She was so nice but strong but she let people crap on her and that just made me mad.  I loved the humor in this book and I really enjoyed the slow romance that built between her and Jeremiah.  The Vault scene was HOT, and I will never forget it!  This is the least favorite of mine in this series, but saying that, this was still a FANTASTIC story and I'm not upset in any way I read it.  

Goodreads Description for Danger in a Red Dress:                                                           Down on her luck and desperate for work, beautiful Hannah Grey finds herself in a mansion on the wild Maine coast, caring for a lonely elderly woman. On her deathbed, she entrusts Hannah with a dangerous secret. Now Hannah's on the run, pursued by killers, and she desperately needs the one man who can keep her alive. Gabriel Prescott has hunted for a home his entire life. Now he's on the verge of finding his long-lost family. Only one person dares to stand in his way --- Hannah Grey. Yet the delicate, determined woman who threatens his search for truth may be the only woman who can save him.

My Rating:

My Review:

I LOVED Hannah's character!  I totally thought I had it all nailed down those first few chapters but the plot kept taking turns and it kept getting so much better!  Hannah had a rough patch and thought she found a savior, but he was a devil in sheep clothing!  I loved how Gabriel gets involved and how the romance forms.  I felt the reactions and emotions written in this book were very realistic and felt I would have reacted in the same ways.  I really enjoyed finally seeing Gabriel find love and I loved seeing the whole series come together to a wonderful ending! 

Bitten By Cupid by Lynsay Sands, Pamela Palmer, and Jaime Rush

Goodreads Description:

WITH THEIR VERY LIVES AT STAKE, LOVE WAS THE LAST THING ON THEIR MINDS. BUT THEN THEY WERE 
Bitten by Cupid... 

-A Daring Vampire thinks she can conquer anything, but when she's paired with a mortal detective, she'll find her life--and her heart--in grave danger... 

-An innocent woman falls into the arms of a mysterious man when she can't get a killer's terrifying thoughts out of her head... 

-A stunning beauty should be thrilled when her lost love finally returns, but instead she fears for their immortal lives... 

On Valentine's Day, some women want roses. But some just want to make it through the day alive. In Bitten by Cupid, New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands and newcomers Pamela Palmer and Jaime Rush present three tales of dangerous desire, where giving in to temptation could turn deadly, and even immortality won't keep you safe from Cupid's bow. 

Stories included are: 
Vampire Valentine (Aregneau, #12.5) by Lynsay Sands 
Hearts Untamed (Feral Warriors, #4.5) by Pamela Palmer 
Kiss and Kill Cupid (Offspring, #2.5) by Jaime Rush

My Rating:

My Review:

I really loved reading Tiny's story by Lynsay Sands.  I also enjoyed the story created by Pamela Palmer and will be researching her series.  I thought her story line was very clever and had some very original aspects that intrigued me but I wasn't blown away by it.  It had awesome bones and I did like the part about a mysterious race that faked it's own extinction!  I thought the story was missing something and was just didn't flow perfectly.  The idea was great though and I will be looking into the author for other works with hopes that she irons out the minor issues I have with the writing style and created the awesome world I feel she's capable of created!  I really loved Jaime Rush's high suspense thriller mystery with a hint of paranormal.  I've just started really getting into that type of writing so it really grabbed me.  I have to admit it was fairly predictable but it was still some awesome writing.  I really hope there is some more by this author because I would devour her work!

The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose

Goodreads Description:

A sweeping and suspenseful tale of secrets, intrigue, and lovers separated by time, all connected through the mystical qualities of a perfume created in the days of Cleopatra—and lost for 2,000 years. 

Jac L’Etoile has always been haunted by the past, her memories infused with the exotic scents that she grew up surrounded by as the heir to a storied French perfume company. In order to flee the pain of those remembrances—and of her mother’s suicide—she moves to America, leaving the company in the hands of her brother Robbie. But when Robbie hints at an earth-shattering discovery in the family archives and then suddenly goes missing—leaving a dead body in his wake—Jac is plunged into a world she thought she’d left behind. 

Back in Paris to investigate her brother’s disappearance, Jac discovers a secret the House of L’Etoile has been hiding since 1799: a scent that unlocks the mysteries of reincarnation. The Book of Lost Fragrances fuses history, passion, and suspense, moving from Cleopatra’s Egypt and the terrors of revolutionary France to Tibet’s battle with China and the glamour of modern-day Paris. Jac’s quest for the ancient perfume someone is willing to kill for becomes the key to understanding her own troubled past

My Rating:

My Review:

Wow this book blows my mind! I haven't read a mystery in a long while and this one also has mystical aspects. Jac and her brother Robbie unexpectately gain control of the family perfume company their father ran until his Alzheimer was diagnosed. Jac, who lives in the US, didn't know what a disaster the office was until Robbie disappears under confusing and suspect circumstances. Robbie, while cleaning, found pottery fragments and the mystery of the pottery involves a lot of people and countries. Griffin was helping Robbie translate the hieroglyphs on the pottery when Robbie disappeared. Griffin and Jac team up to help find Robbie and have to deal with their old romance. Jac's flashes of previous lives and loves aren't helping matters either. The ending is both fantastic and unexpected and I can honestly say that I would love to see this book made into a film, it would give movies like The Da Vinci Code a run for it's money!

Once Upon a Wicked Night by Jennifer Haymore

Goodreads Description:

All of London looks forward to the Dowager Duchess of Clayworth’s annual ball. For no matter how hard the serious society matron strives to host an elegant event, scandal always ensues… 

Seven years ago it was a young Serena Donovan and Jonathan Dane who shocked the ton when they were discovered in a most compromising position. Tonight they return for the first time as the Earl and Countess of Stratford. And while Serena hopes for a quiet evening to introduce her younger sister Olivia to society, Jonathan’s only desire is to pick up where he and Serena left off… 

Though innocent Olivia secretly longs for the kind of passion her sister shares with her husband, none of the men she’s met spark a fire inside her heart—least of all the notorious Marquis of Fenwicke. When his request for a waltz turns into something sinister, Olivia must use her wit and wiles to evade a powerful peer who vows if can’t have her, no man shall…

My Rating:

My Review:

Good short story to lead upto the second book.  Gives a little more exposure between the hero and heroine in book 2 though nothing mind blowing or important enough you have to read it to understand the second book's plot.  You could take it or leave it but if you're like me then you should read it just in case there is something important in there.

Ember by Kristen Callihan

Goodreads Description:

Prequel to Firelight. 

After a fire consumes the Ellis family fortune, the beautiful and resourceful Miranda finds herself faced with an impossible dilemma: enter a life of petty crime or watch her family succumb to poverty. But once her fiancé learns of her descent into danger—and of the strange, new powers she's discovered—saving her family may come at the high price of her heart. 

When Lord Benjamin Archer's one chance for redemption is destroyed by corrupt London antiquarian Hector Ellis, he vows to take what Ellis values most—his daughter Miranda. Forced to hide his face behind masks, Archer travels the world hoping to escape the curse that plagues him so that he can finally claim his prize. 

But once Archer returns home to London, will it be revenge he seeks? Or will the flame-haired beauty ignite new, undeniable desires?

My Rating:

My Review:

Great lead up to the first book.  I didn't read this until after the first book and it answered a few questions I had from reading the first book.  It gives a bit more detail into certain events that are touched upon in the first book as well.  Great little novella.

Kiss of the Vampire by Cynthia Garner

Goodreads Description:

Warriors of the Rift

Once a generation, the rift between the paranormal world and the human world opens, allowing supernatural entities to cross. Vampire, demon, or shapeshifter, they can save the world-or send it spiraling into chaos.
Half-demon, half-human, Nix de la Fuente is accepted by neither and mistrusted by both. Determined to prove she's more human than not, she devotes herself to solving crimes between the world's mortals and its most unsavory undead. But her latest case brings her face to face with the one vampire she could never resist . . . 

Called in to investigate a string of violent murders, special agent Tobias Caine isn't interested in rekindling his relationship with Nix. Yet one look and the vampire knows his need for her is as strong as ever. Once, their all-consuming passion nearly cost Nix her fragile hold on her humanity. Now, as their hunger for one another intensifies, exposing them to an unimaginable danger, it could cost them both their lives.

My Rating:

My Review:

I love the original aspects of this story.  The theory that the beings cross over through a dimensional rift and then possess human beings to turn them into Werewolves, Vampires, Demons, Etc is very original and I highly enjoyed that aspect of the story.  Nix is part human and part demon, and the human liaison between the counsel and the human PD.  Her specialty is demon crimes.  She has to keep hold of her temper because half breeds like herself tend to go insane at a young age due to the dueling personalities.  The love of her life, Tobias, left her to try and keep her sane.  Tobias is a vampire and could see Nix slowly loose her humanity the longer they are together.  He leaves to try to capture a long running enemy but is called back to the town Nix lives in by a friend.  When that friend is found murdered, both Nix and Tobias are thrown together by the counsel to solve the murder which is the second in a series of viscous crimes against vampires.  Their interactions are intense and you can just feel the passion simmering beneath.  Their search for the murder and the reasons for the murders is very well written.  There is just enough twist and turns to keep you guessing till the end!  I really loved the world created and the love story between Tobias and Nix.  I can not wait to read the next in the series!