SAFE AT LAST by MAYA BANKS - #ARCREVIEW @maya_banks

Title: Safe at Last

Series: Slow Burn #3

Author: Maya Banks

Release Date: June 23, 2015

from Goodreads

The third book in the beloved #1 bestselling author’s sexy, romantic suspense Slow Burn series…

They say young love doesn’t last, but a girl from the wrong side of the tracks with unique abilities and the hometown golden boy were determined to defy the odds. For Zack Covington, Anna-Grace—his “Gracie”—was the one. Until one night forever alters the course of their future, when a devastated Gracie disappears without a trace, leaving Zack to agonize over what happened to the girl he loved. As the years pass, his desperate efforts to find her uncovered nothing.

Now working for Devereaux Security, he stumbles across a painting featuring a special place only he and Gracie would know. The image is too perfectly rendered for it to be coincidence. His Gracie must be alive. When he finally tracks her down, he is shocked—and heart-broken—to discover the wounded shell of the girl he once knew and still loves. Her psychic gifts are gone, and worse, she believes he betrayed her all those years ago.

Zack has enemies, and once his weakness is discovered, Gracie becomes a target for revenge. He’ll have to save her before he can earn her trust and her love. And he vows they’ll never be torn apart again.

Safe at Last is not a short book, but for me it was a one sitting book. I picked it up and couldn't put it down until I finished. It was that good!

If you've read the other Slow Burn books you'll see all of your favorite characters come back. But this book focuses on Zack. 12 years ago Zack lost the love of his life. He was never sure if Anna-Grace, or Gracie as he called her, disappeared or died. Then unexpectedly he finds her.

Gracie has been through hell. 12 years later she is just starting to recover emotionally. Seeing Zack brings all of her past nightmares back. She is terrified of him and wants nothing to do with him. But when Gracie is hurt, Zack insists upon providing protection with his team.

Safe at Last is not your typical romance. Zack already loves Gracie. Gracie had loved Zack, but now feels betrayed by him. When forced into close proximity everything comes out. Zack works diligently to save his old relationship and to build Gracie's trust.

There is not a lot of steam in this book, but there are so many emotions. While I do usually read books and talk about the chemistry and hotness of the characters, this was different. I loved Zack for his character and integrity. Gracie I also loved. Even though she felt betrayed and terrified she stands up for what she believes in and confronts her fears towards the end. For an emotional wreck she is one of the strongest characters ever.

This was a very powerful, emotional book that I absolutely loved. I give Safe at Last FIVE STARS!

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HADES by Larissa Ione - #BLOGTOUR #BOOKREVIEW @InkSlingerPR @larissaione

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Review & Excerpt Tour for Larissa Ione's HADES! HADES is a novella in Larissa's Demonica Series as part of the 1001 Dark Nights Collection and is exclusively available as Amazon Kindle and Paperback. Grab the latest installment in this sexy series!

 

Title:  Hades

Series: A Demonica Novella

Author: Larissa Ione

Release Date:  May 26, 2015

A fallen angel with a mean streak and a mohawk, Hades has spent thousands of years serving as Jailor of the Underworld. The souls he guards are as evil as they come, but few dare to cross him. All of that changes when a sexy fallen angel infiltrates his prison and unintentionally starts a riot. It’s easy enough to quell an uprising, but for the first time, Hades is torn between delivering justice — or bestowing mercy — on the beautiful female who could be his salvation…or his undoing. Thanks to her unwitting participation in another angel’s plot to start Armageddon, Cataclysm was kicked out of Heaven and is now a fallen angel in service of Hades’s boss, Azagoth. All she wants is to redeem herself and get back where she belongs. But when she gets trapped in Hades’s prison domain with only the cocky but irresistible Hades to help her, Cat finds that where she belongs might be in the place she least expected…   

 

Somewhere outside Azagoth’s Greek-style mansion, a bird of prey screeched. Cat loved hearing it. Not long ago, Sheoul-gra had been a dead realm, a physical manifestation of Azagoth’s emotional state. Dark and dreary, the “Gra,” as it was sometimes called, had resembled a toxic wasteland that couldn’t support any animal or plant life that wasn’t straight out of Hell itself.

But Lilliana’s love had changed Azagoth, and with it, his realm.

Now, when Cat strolled outside the palace, the grounds and buildings surrounding it teemed with life, from the lush grass, leafy green trees, and sparkling water, to rabbits, birds, and even the occasional fox or deer.

Smiling, she put down her feathered duster and headed from Azagoth’s pool room toward the mansion’s entrance, and as she rounded a corner, she collided with a body.

A huge, muscular body.

Hades.

An instant, hot tingle pricked her skin as she leaped backward, crashing into something behind her. She heard something break, but at the moment, it didn’t matter.

This was the first time she’d touched Hades. The first time her ability to sense good and evil as a physical symptom on the surface of her skin had triggered. At least, it was the first time with Hades.

She’d always suspected he’d give off an intense blast of evil, but she hadn’t expected the evil to be tempered by a ribbon of goodness. She also hadn’t expected to be so...aroused by the vibes he gave off. Then again, merely looking at him aroused her, so why wouldn’t touching him do the same?

He stood there, bare-chested and wearing a skin-tight pair of silver pants that showed every ropey muscle and presented that impressive bulge at his groin like a gift. Criminy, he might as well be naked. She wished he was naked.

“E-excuse me,” she squeaked.

He looked down at her, one corner of his perfect mouth tipped up in a half-smile. Which was a first. Everyone seemed to get smiles but her.

First let me say that I can't believe that I've waited so long to read any of the books in this series.  This is the first book in the Demonica Series that I've read and I don't know what took me so long. This type of paranormal books is right up my alley.  

 Even though I hadn't read any of the other books I was able to easily understand what was happening.  I wouldn't say that Hades is written as a stand-alone, but it can definitely be read that way.  So, if you're like me and haven't read the others you can read this one.

I love mythology and since a young age have loved reading about Greek and Roman Gods.  Larissa Ione puts a unique spin on the traditional characters in this series (or at least in this book).  We always think of Hades as evil with no redeeming qualities.  In this book he has his evil moments, but he also has so much good inside.  He's misunderstood and lonely.  He's the torturer of evil souls, but  he is so sweet with Cat.

Cat is a newly fallen angel.  She is still finding her way and trying to earn her way back into heaven.  She has met Hades several times and is always tongue-tied and awkward around him.  She is instantly attracted to him and can't resist him.  If you read this book you'll see why he is so hard to resist.  He is HOT!

When Cat is thrust into Hades world and hurt he rescues her.  He tries very hard to resist her, but he can't.  He is drawn to Cat just as much as she is drawn to Hades.  They are absolutely perfect for each other.

Hades was a quick read, in that it's a novella, but it had everything needed to make a great book.  Even though it was short, nothing was cut.  Frequently I'll read novellas and come away thinking that things were missed, but that's not the case here.   It was a great book and a great read for the start of summer.  I now intend to go back and read all of Larissa Ione's books.  

I give Hades FOUR AND A HALF STARS!

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Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.      

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ROUGH by SKYE WARREN - #RERELEASEBLITZ #BOOKREVIEW @givemebooksblog @skye_warren

Title: Rough

Series: Chicago Underground #1

Author: Skye Warren

Release Date: May 26, 2015

I’m a cautionary tale. A statistic. A victim. A single teenage mother from the poor part of town. Most of the time I’m too busy working and struggling to care what people think. Survival doesn’t come easy.

I have a dark secret, a pressure valve, a rare moment just for myself. On these nights I visit a club. There I find men who give me what I need.

Men like Colin.

But he wants more than a few stolen hours. He demands more than my body. He wants my heart and soul—my happily ever after. I never thought I’d be Cinderella. I never thought a man that rough could be my prince.

He walked me backward, and we made out against the round fake-wood table, his hands running over my sides, my back. Avoiding the good parts like we were two horny teenagers in our parents’ basements, new to this. I shuddered at the thought. This was all wrong. His hands were too light. I was half under him already, my hips cradling his, so I surged up and nipped at his lip. Predictably his body jerked, and he thrust his hips down onto me.

Yes. That’s what I need. I softened my body, surrendering to him.

“Bed,” he murmured against my lips.

We stripped at the same time, both eager. I wanted to see his body, to witness what he offered me, but it was dark in the room. Then he kissed me back onto the bed, and there was no more time to wonder. The cheap bedspread was rough and cool against my skin. His hands stroked over my breasts and then played gently with my nipples.

My body responded, turning liquid, but something was wrong.

I’d had this problem before. Not everyone wanted to play rough, but I was surprised that I’d misread him. His muscles were hard, the pads of his fingers were calloused. I didn’t know how he could touch me so softly. Everything about him screamed that he could hurt me, so why didn’t he?

I wanted him to have his nasty way with me, but every sweet caress destroyed the illusion. My fantasy was to let him do whatever he wanted with me, but not this.

“Harder,” I said. “I need it harder.”

Instead his hands gentled. The one that had been holding my breast traced the curve around and under.

I groaned in frustration. “What’s wrong?”

He reached down, still breathing heavily, and pressed a finger lightly to my cunt, then stroked upward through the moisture. I gasped, rocking my hips to follow his finger.

“You like this,” he said.

Yes, I liked it. I was undeniably aroused but too aware. I needed the emptiness of being taken. “I like it better rough.”

Colin frowned. My eyes widened at the ferocity of his expression.

In one smooth motion he flipped me onto my stomach. I lost my breath from the surprise and impact. His left hand slid under my body between my legs and cupped me. His right hand fisted in my hair, pulling my head back. His erection throbbed beside my ass in promise. I wanted to beg him to fuck me, but all I could do was gasp. He didn’t need to be told, though, and ground against me, using my hair as a handle.

That small pain on my scalp was perfection, sharp and sweet. Numbness spread through me, as did relief.

The pain dimmed. My arousal did too, but that was okay. I was only vaguely aware of him continuing to work my body from behind.

I went somewhere else in my mind. I’d stay that way all night.

At least that’s what usually happened. Not this time. Instead I felt light strokes on my hair, my arms, my back. His cock pulsed hot against my thigh, but he didn’t try to put it inside me, not in any of the places it would almost fit. His hands on me didn’t even feel sexual. He petted me, and I arched into his caress.

“Why did you stop?” I meant it to come out demanding, but instead I sounded weak. I hated sounding weak, especially about sex. He may be the one with the cock and the fists, but I called the shots. I had to.

“Allie, shhh. It’s okay.” He was trying to soothe me, and it was working. He turned me back over and began to kiss me, still murmuring words against my lips. “I’ll give it to you. Don’t worry. Relax.” More words than he’d spoken all night.

I was lost, my emotions all jumbled up from my arousal and my high and subsequent low, at the mercy of this stranger.

What’s happening to me? I needed to get back to something I knew. I wanted him to fuck me, to be inside me, to center me. I whimpered, hoping he’d understand. “Shhh.” He arranged my arms and legs so that they were splayed open on the bed and then kissed his way down my stomach.

I just finished reading Rough and I'm still processing it.  The book is definitely dark and disturbing as with most Skye Warren books.  Allie and Colin are not your typical couple.  She is a young mother running from a troubled past.  She has issues with men and control, but she is a good person and a very good mother.  

I'm not entirely sure what Colin is.  Is he good or is he bad?  He definitely cares for Allie.  She expects one thing from him and gets something entirely different.  Even if Colin is a bad guy he's not so with Allie.  We find out that his brother is considered a bad guy and that Colin works for the brother from time to time, but what exactly he does we don't know in this book.  

While I'm not sure that I like Colin (or Allie) yet, I did like their relationship.  They were hot and steamy.  As I said before Allie has control issues, but with Colin things seem different.  She can relinquish some control and give him her trust.  The question that remains to be answered is if he deserves it or if he will betray her trust as men have in the past.

I can't wait to read the rest of this series to find out.  I give Rough FOUR STARS!

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Skye Warren is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of dark romantic fiction.

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HADES by LARISSA IONE - #RELEASEDAY @InkSlingerPR @larissaione

 

We are so excited to bring you the Release Day Launch for Larissa Ione's HADES! HADES is a novella in Larissa's Demonica Series and part of the 1001 Dark Nights Collection. It is exclusively available as Amazon Kindle and Paperback. Grab the latest installment in this sexy series!

 

Title:  Hades

Series: A Demonica Novella

Author: Larissa Ione

Release Date: May 26, 2015

A fallen angel with a mean streak and a mohawk, Hades has spent thousands of years serving as Jailor of the Underworld. The souls he guards are as evil as they come, but few dare to cross him. All of that changes when a sexy fallen angel infiltrates his prison and unintentionally starts a riot. It’s easy enough to quell an uprising, but for the first time, Hades is torn between delivering justice — or bestowing mercy — on the beautiful female who could be his salvation…or his undoing. Thanks to her unwitting participation in another angel’s plot to start Armageddon, Cataclysm was kicked out of Heaven and is now a fallen angel in service of Hades’s boss, Azagoth. All she wants is to redeem herself and get back where she belongs. But when she gets trapped in Hades’s prison domain with only the cocky but irresistible Hades to help her, Cat finds that where she belongs might be in the place she least expected…

Her luxurious mink-brown wings were gone, sliced off in a brutal ceremony, and with them, her source of power. She totally understood why an Unfallen would cross the barrier between the human and demon realms to turn themselves into True Fallen and gain new wings and new powers. But was the evil upgrade worth it? Cat didn’t think so.

“Cat!” Azagoth’s voice startled her out of her thoughts, and she nearly dropped the tray of dirty dishes as she looked up to see him striding down the hallway from his office.

In the flickering light cast by the iron wall sconces, he didn’t look happy. He also wasn’t alone.

Hades, Azagoth’s second-in-command and the designated Jailor of the Dead, was walking next to him. No, not walking. With the way his thigh muscles flexed in those form-fitting black pants with every silent step, it was more like prowling. His body sang with barely-leashed power, and she shivered in primal, feminine response.

Son of a bitch, Hades was hot. Hard-cut cheekbones and a firm, square jaw gave him a rugged appearance that bordered on sinister, especially when paired with a blue Mohawk she’d kill to run her palm over.  But then, she’d kill to run her palms over all of him, and she’d start with his muscular chest, which was usually, temptingly, bare. Not that she’d complain about what he was wearing now, a sleeveless, color-shifting top that clung to his rock-hard abs.

She tried not to stare, but really, even if she’d stood in the middle of the hall with her tongue hanging out, it wouldn’t have mattered. He never looked her way. He never noticed her. She was nothing to him. Not even worth a glance. Those cold, ice-blue eyes looked right through her. And yet, this was a guy who laughed with Lilliana, pulled pranks on the other Unfallen who lived here, and played with hellhounds as if they were giant puppies. Giant, man-eating puppies.

Azagoth stopped in front of her. “Cat? You okay?”

She blinked, realized she’d been lost in a world of Hades. “Ah, yes. Sorry, sir. What is it?”

   

 

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Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.      

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