Creating Fate by Rachel Firasek - Unspun #1

She gave away her heart…
Giving her heart to a mortal wasn't something the First Fate planned. Losing him nearly shattered her soul. Upon his death, Clotho swore never to love—or weave life—again. Hoping she'll change her mind before it's too late, Zeus commands the spinner of life to take a much needed vacation from her immortal responsibilities.

He had to hide his...
Dane is close to cracking the drug ring he's spent the last two years infiltrating, but needs to perform one last heist to meet the head man and prevent an impending war. An undercover agent, he’s now on the run from drug lords, thieves and with the very woman whose tears make him forget his purpose.

Together they’ll find a way back from the dark.
Chloe will have to put her trust in the man she believes may have killed her fiance, or face an eternity on Earth. Without the desire for life, hope could slip through the cracks of time if he doesn’t love away her sorrow.

Rachel made the beautiful trailers for these books.

  

Rhonda's Review

Her reason for existing was to create. She was the bearer of the beginning.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not only a fan of Rachel’s writing, I’m also a huge fan of the lady herself.  It has been through her books that I have come to know this fantastic, fun lady and her books are no different!  I love the idea that has been presented here, Rachel Firasek introduces us to a new series in book 1 of the  Unspun trilogy in which there will be 3 novellas written by 3 different authors.  I’m excited to read these, as I will be introduced to 2 new authors on this journey.

Clotho (Chloe) is the first Fate, the one who creates.  Chloe suffers from a broken heart.  Against the warning of Zeus, Chloe had fallen in love with a human and he was killed.  Chloe has sworn to never return to earth, wanting nothing to do with humans, but Zeus has other plans.  Zeus send Chloe to earth giving her one week to find her sisters, and if she doesn’t find them in time she will remain there for eternity.  Well, as fate would have it, she ends up on a bus next to Dane, an incredibly sexy undercover cop. 

He flashed that grin at her - the one that made her girly bits grin back in anticipation.

Dane is working on a big drug bust case, and Chloe ends up on the run from the bad guys with him.  Of course Chloe thinks he’s a bad guy, she doesn’t know he’s a cop. Refusing to let herself get close to Dane she remains closed up, and snarky with him. I loved the banter between these two.  But as she gets to know him, she starts to feel like maybe he’s not so bad.  Still she’s unwilling to let herself fall for this man because of his mortality.  But maybe this time fate would deal her a winning hand.

Rachel Firasek writes super fun, and sexy characters with witty dialogue, lots of sexual tension and steam!  The action sequences are always fantastic, and the ones in this story were great.  I recommend this to anyone who likes a fun fast read.  

 

Cover Reveal - Unspun Trilogy by Rachel Firasek, Berinn Rae, and Elle J. Rossi

The Fates are said to control our destinies. From our first breath to our dying gasp, these creatures of legend weave the courses of our lives. Even the gods are subject to their decrees. Spinners of dark secrets, the Fates have been feared for the tragedies they weave. No man dared confront the Relentless Ones . . . until now.

Title: Creating Fate
(An Unspun Novella, #1)

Author: Rachel Firasek Genre: Paranormal Romance 

Length: Novella Release Date: July 10, 2012 Book 2 coming July 24, 2012!

She gave away her heart…

Giving her heart to a mortal wasn't something the First Fate planned. Losing him nearly shattered her soul. Upon his death, Clothos swore never to love—or weave life—again.  Hoping she'll change her mind before it's too late, Zeus commands the spinner of life to take a much needed vacation from her immortal responsibilities.

He had to hide his...

Dane is close to cracking the drug ring he's spent the last two years infiltrating, but needs to perform one last heist to meet the head man and prevent an impending war. An undercover agent, he’s now on the run from drug lords, thieves and with the very woman whose tears make him forget his purpose.

Together they’ll find a way back from the dark.

Chloe will have to put her trust in the man she believes may have killed her fiance, or face an eternity on Earth. Without the desire for life, hope could slip through the cracks of time if he doesn’t love away her sorrow.

 About the Author:

Rachel Firasek grew up in the south and despite the gentle pace, she harassed life at full steam. Her curiosity about mythology, human nature, and the chemical imbalance we call love led her to writing. Her stories began with macabre war poems and shifted to enchanted fairytales, before she settled on a blending of the two.
Today you’ll find her tucked on a small parcel of land, surrounded by bleating sheep and barking dogs, with her husband and children. She entertains them all with her wacky sense of humor or animated reenactments of bad 80’s dance moves.
She’s intrigued by anything unexplained and seeks the answers to this crazy thing we call life. You can find her where the heart twists the soul and lights the shadows… or at www.rachelfirasek.com .

Stealing Fate
(An Unspun Novella, #2)

Author: Berinn Rae Genre: Paranormal Romance

Length: Novella Release Date: July 24, 2012
Book 3 coming August 7, 2012!

She stole his fate…

Lachesis—now known simply as Lacey—is a Fate, an ancient goddess in whose hands our destinies are unraveled. When she’s not weaving fortune, she does what she wants when she wants. Until she runs into a man she craves but hoped—and prayed—never to see again. It had been a dangerous gamble to betray the god of terror, but in war, hard choices--and enemies--are made. And she'll soon discover the most frightening of immortals can really hold a grudge.

Now it’s his turn…

The most cruel of gods, Phobos is a predator who takes pleasure in terrorizing the world. After millennia of relentless searching, he finds the Fate who caused him to be cast from Olympus. Now he plans to use every bit of his talents on the goddess to regain his lost heritage without losing his heart in the process.
As the outcast god ignites her passions, Lacey must come to grips with the destiny she has long denied herself. And Phobos must find a way to escape the destiny that would force him to betray the woman he has grown to love.

About the Author:

Berinn Rae writes romantic science fiction/fantasy about extraordinary women who always get their guy. Her Guardians of the Seven Seals series follows mythical creatures we believed in as children, only to be forgotten as we aged. When not writing, she can be found flying old airplanes, watching SciFi movies, playing RPGs, and pampering an incredibly spoiled sixty-pound lap dog

. Berinn lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband and dog. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA)

. Born: Manchester, Iowa, USA Schools: BA in Management Information Systems, University of Northern Iowa MPA in Organizational Leadership, Drake University

To learn more 

Chasing Fate

(An Unspun Novella, #3)
Author: Elle J Rossi Genre: Paranormal Romance 

Length: Novella Release Date: August 7, 2012 She is forced to kill . . .

When a much-needed vacation turns into work for the third Fate, Atropos vows to sever the mortal’s lifeline quickly and get back to the sea and sand. Having her mysterious quarry offer a deal in exchange for more time is an unexpected complication. Always surrounded by darkness and death, Attie takes a chance to get a taste of life and help right a wrong that never should have happened.

He refuses to die . . .

Dru spent months praying for death to take him. Anger over the brutal killing of his family festered until those prayers turned to plans for revenge. Making a deal with the Death Fate was the only way to extend his lease on life. He only needed a handful of days to avenge those he lost, but within minutes of meeting Atropos he knew he’d want forever.

About the Author:

Elle J Rossi grew up in rural Indiana surrounded by great people, a huge family, and more animals than she could count. But the sites and sounds of the world beckoned, so she left her small town to escape into a creative world full of music. As a full time singer she was able to lose herself in a thousand different songs in a hundred different places.

After meeting the love of her life and settling down, she yearned to find a new and fulfilling creative outlet. Overly fond of the happily ever after, she wondered what it would be like to have her own characters lead her down dark and twisted paths. The very first word on the very first page sealed her fate. She’d found a new love. She’d found her escape.

Now along with weaving haunting tales about the journey to love, she’s creating cover art for authors around the world and loving every second of it. For fun, she cranks country music to take her back to her roots, and sings karaoke anytime she gets a chance. Her husband, two children, and a cat that rules the roost keep her company along the way and guarantees she doesn’t get lost in the enchanted forest. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
Find Elle at

"Small Press Treasures" Blog Hop

    Over the course of the past year, the ladies here at S,E,R’s have had the pleasure of reading some really awesome books by some super fabulous authors. And to our surprise,a lot of these books came from Small press and independent authors.Well it comes as no surprise to us now that an incredible book can be found beyond the major publishers.So  for the next week we are very excited to put the spotlight on these authors who have commanded our attention, made us take notice, and turned us into a bunch of squealing  fan girls awaiting their next book! (These authors are mentioned in no particular order)

The path that was laid out before us started with a Sassy, snarky empath named Piper Anast. Rachel Firasek took us on her journey with Piper and her unique crime fighting skills along with the sexy Slade, and left us clamoring for the next book.  Firasek also introduced us to her creative Curse of the Phoenix series and gave us a  new world, and characters to love. 

    As our journey into the unknown continued we discovered  Mrs. E.L. James who brought us the lusty, naughty love story between Ana Steele, Christian Grey and his “fifty shades of fucked up“.  Fifty ruled our thoughts to the point it was hard to wrap our minds around the next books on our TBR.

    Mrs. Carolyn Crane….. How fantastic is this author who took us into an awesome Urban Fantasy world and gave us a unique story with Justine Jones a hypochondriac who learns to use her hypochondria to work for her instead of against her, with the help of the sexy Packard.  Crane gives us a colorful cast of characters to love, and the wait for Head Rush was exhausting, but well worth it!

    Along the way, we happened to come across a  book by Debra Anastasia called Poughkeepsie.WOW!! We could go on for days about this fabulous lady who tells us a heartwarming story of love,courage, heartbreak,loyalty,and self discovery where a young lady falls in love with a homeless man. Mrs. Anastasia’s story is full of some of the funniest most amazing characters, it has left us in dire need of the next story, as well as made our top favorite shelf! She also tells us a story in Crushed Seraphim where good and evil collide and find a love worth sacrificing for, and the devil has never been so sexy!!

    J.M. Darhower….. “Sempre”!  This book was an amazing, crazy terrific ride! Darhower took a cause she believes in and centered her story around it, incorporated the Italian Mafia,and the outcome was  SIMPLY FANTASTIC! With a cast of characters that will steal your heart and leave you wanting more, Darhower landed on the top shelf too! 

   J.A. Saare swept us off to New York with the awesome, outspoken necromancer Rhiannon Murphy, and the super sexy vampire Disco in her PNR novel, Dead Undead and Somewhere in Between.  After leaving us out on that cliff, we were chomping at the bit for the next book. Saare delivered a wild crazy ride with The Renfield Syndrome that did not disappoint!  After throwing us 100 years in to the future and  hanging us out on that cliff again, we are super excited that the next book will be coming soon. 

    Diving into the world of BDSM Novels,  we found Kallypso Masters new “Rescue Me” series, to be all kinds of toe curling yummy. Love her writing style, which is simply beautiful, and thus makes her one of our most anticipated authors.We love Kally, and can’t wait for the upcoming releases!

    To our Surprise, author C.J. Roberts took us to a dark place in Captive in the Dark, her debut full length novel where Livvy is abducted to be used as a pawn in Gabe’s quest for vengeance.  Roberts is an author to watch,  this lady can seriously write! Her sequel Seduced in the Dark, lands on our most anticipated list for 2012.

    Laura Hunsaker took us on a time travel adventure with super sexy highlander in Highland Destiny. This was a fast paced, hard to put down novel.  If you enjoy time travel, and historical fiction, you’ll enjoy this one!

    Some of our other favorite authors who have brought Greek mythology to the table, and a little PNR is Laura Kaye,her new series Hearts of the Anemoi introduced us to a new series featuring a different tale of Greek Mythology, and Owen Winters will certainly make you lick your lips, and ask for more.Another great author that brings the Greek mythology to the table is Lisa Beth Darling, and her “Of War” series. Darling’s stories are dark, mysterious, and challenging. She will keep you turning the pages, and the stories will stay with you for quite some time. Next, Rosalie Lario, her stories are full of twists and turns, and lots of demonic fun!

   

We have a few authors,that we've mentioned above,who have generously donated to our hop.(So we will be giving away more then one prize)

1. Laura Hunsaker, has donated,one ebook copy of any format for her novel "Highland Destiny" for more information about Laura,  Click Here

2. Rachel Firasek,has donated  one signed copy of her novel "Piper's Fury" for more information about Rachel, Click Here

3. Laura Kaye,has donated two ebook  copies of her novel  "North Of Need" For more information about Laura, Click Here  

4. Kallypso Masters,has donated E-copies of the first three books in her "Rescue Me" series, Readers who already have the three books will be added to a list to receive the next two romances  in the series--Nobody's Perfect (May) and Nobody's Dream (August).




 One handmade evil stick with a purple heart. (This is a BDSM toy favored by sadists like Master Damian and used on very naughty l'il subs--or masochists just needing to feel the bite and wear the mark for a few days). The stick was handmade by Toymaker, one of Kallypso's most helpful Dom resources for Nobody's Hero and Nobody's Perfect.



A promo card with the first two book covers (in shiny cardstock for those who want to lick)
Open Internationally. For more information on Kally Click Here

5. Carolyn Crane,has donated one print signed copy of her Novel "Head Rush" Open Internationally.To learn more about Carolyn and her series Click Here

6. Debra Anastasia,has donated one ebook each,of her novels " Poughkeepsie,Crushed Seraphim" 

Two crystal bracelets, Two temporary tattoos and a bookmark!

 For more details on Debra and her novels,Click Here

7. J.M Darhower,has donated one ebook of her novel "Sempre" (forever) in format of winners choice,epub,mobi,pdf. To learn more about the author Click Here

8. C.J Roberts,has donated two ebooks (in kindle format only) of her novel "Captive In The Dark" To learn more about the author Click Here

9. JA Saare,has donated one copy of her novel "Dead Undead or Somewhere In Between" To learn more about the author Click Here

  Thanks to these fabulous Authors who've helped and made this  Hop a great success,we couldn't have done it without you ladies! And many thanks for donating to our Blog for our followers and new followers to have a chance to experience the stories we loved and adored.


Please Fill Out Rafflecopter to enter to win,we will have 11 winners that will be picked by Rafflecopter. Good Luck!

Rachel Firasek Interview and Giveaway!

                                         

Please make a warm welcome to the one and only Rachel Firasek! Today we are going to be pimping Rachel’s newest release, The Last Rising and having a quick Q and A with her to learn a little more about this awesome author.



A little Snippet about this Author:

Rachel currently resides in the heart of Central Texas with her husband and three children. She's an active member in the Romance Writers of America, belonging to the Heart of Texas, FF&P, and YA chapters. You'll also find her surfing the Savvy Authors site daily.

An office manager by day, and an urban fantasy/paranormal romance author by night, you'll never find her far from her beloved stories. Find more about Rachel on her website : http://www.rachelfirasek.com/

Interview

Elenas Questions for Rachel...

I now understand why authors put so much time into writing one novel. Their goal is "perfection" Is there really such thing?

Funny you should ask this... No, there will never be a perfect novel because to whose perfection would you be writing too? Here are my guidelines for perfection: Try to fulfil every promise I've created, try to keep my characters consistent--even if they're moody, try to keep a plot twisting and always give the unexpected. Oh, and polish as much as I possibly can. Perfect? Never. The best I can write? Hopefully every time I'll get better than my best.

There will always be readers who like or dislike a novel. So while you have reader’s thoughts in mind. What is your goal?

I want my theme to come across. In The Last Rising, my theme is forgiveness. I want the reader to understand that it's okay to forgive yourself even over some really bad things you've done. And, of course to entertain. I want to know that a reader couldn't put the book down. Loved it. Want the next one. Those are the qualities I reach for.

And why do you spend countless hours with a numb tush and a hungry tired body sitting in front of your computer writing your buns off?

Sometimes I ask myself this very same question. :O But, the real answer is that this is the one thing I do that is totally for me and I don't have to share it with anyone else. Totally selfish, but as a mother, wife, sister, daughter, etc... I'm constantly giving a piece of myself to someone. But, this... this is mine.

When writing love and heart wrenching scenes, whether it's on both the hero and heroine, do you feel for your characters just like us readers do? While reading "The Last Rising" I cried my eyes out like a baby! Now C'mon spill the beans, is the box of tissue your new BFF? Hehehe....

There were moments that my heart caught, but because I'm on this end, I can step away. I'll tell you. The part of the book that really got me, was the first scene. When he asks her about her child. At that point, I thought: How am I going to get through this book? I have children. I have a son. The thought of not seeing him each and every day breaks my heart and I instantly knew that Ice was my hero. She's strong enough to continue on, even if she did rage against her people for a bit. I like that she's flawed. I love that she didn't handle his death well. But, before I give more spoilers away. Yes, I cried. Several times. The scene between Grey and Turner at the end really dug into me.

Sams Questions for Rachel...

The Last Rising was such a great novella! I often read novellas and feel like their very rushed and cut short in areas to make things fit. You seemed to mystify me, because I felt nothing was cut short and it was honestly like you fit a full length novel in to just over 100 pages. What’s the secret to making sure you get all the important stuff into a novella without cutting out all the good bits to short?

The Plot. The secret to writing a full novella is the plot. Keep it simple. There can only be one really big climax. Sure there are a bunch of things that lead up to it, but still there can only be one big moment. Other than that, I don't know. I write really short. Getting a full length novel out of me is like trying to steal a banana from a monkey. You guys read Piper's Fury and that book was only about 78K. I'm not quite sure what the real "secret" is, it's just how I roll. LOL

Ice is an awesome heroine. She could fit in here at our awesome blog. But what I want to know is, how do you come up with these characters and their bio’s? For instance, Ice – did you think of her name then make her eye colour glacier blue or was it the heroine had Glacier blue eyes and the name stemmed from there?

I totally create a person and their mood in my head first. Names are last. In fact I'm playing with a new story now, and the heroine is still nameless. But, I know her entire story. Ice came to me broken. When I was researching the story of Isis and Osiris, I was so touched by their heartache. So, when I began thinking about Isis in present day, Ice was born. The hair and eye color came after the woman and her name, but I knew her before I named her. If that makes any sense.

I read that you have a full time job by day and then write by night. How on earth do you manage to juggle all this and still have time for family and friends?

HAHAHA, this is the question everyone asks. LOL. On Friday, I sent my hubs a huge basket of candies to his job with a thank you card attached. I bribe him with beer and candy, lol. He's seriously the only way I'm still functioning right now. I get up two hours before I need to--when everyone is still in zombie mode and I write. Then when I get home, I'm lucky to have a hubby that prefers to cook over eating my forgotten burnt dinners. At about 7:00 pm each night I dig in. Now, that doesn't mean that I won't have serious interruptions throughout the night.
Oh, and he usually takes the kids everywhere with him to give me time to write. Seriously the best husband ever. I love him more each and every day. In October we will celebrate our 15th year together and I have to think of a really good gift for him. Maybe you guys have some ideas. ;)

Rhondas Questions for Rachel...

I NEED to mention Piper's fury here, because she's freakin Awesome and I want everyone to know about her as well. She is such a fun, amazing character to read, (one of my all time favorites) and she really wriggled her way into my heart. I understand there will only be 2 books for Piper. *heavy sigh* Do you really think her story can be wrapped up in just 2 books???

I'm still debating this. I have the story finished, but I have to revise. You are going to love it. I think it's better than the first. Piper opens up a big can of whoop-a&&. lol. But, I do know that there are at least two more romances budding in the second book that would make great spin-offs. So, possibly we'll see her for a while yet. So, don't fret. I love her too. In fact, she's quite interruptive when I'm working on other projects. ;)

Rachel, you write fabulous heroines. Was there a particular inspiration for Ice, and what was the inspiration for her story?

Thank you! Of course, Isis had her own back-story, so that part was easy, but when I brought Isis into Ice I had planned on the story being an erotica. But as I wrote her crawling around the cockpit like a lust starved demon, I realized that wasn't who she was. I seriously re-wrote that first chapter like 10 times.

Okay, you're going to laugh at me, but I'm like the most overprotective mother ever. I've had dreams throughout my life that have come true. Call it premonition, ESP, whatever, but it has happened. When my son was in the womb, I dreamt of him running through our field with a stick in his hand and falling on it. He lost an eye. Horrible dream. Woke up sweating, crying, hurting. When he was born, I had it again and again. In my dream he was always about four. So, poor kid was never allowed to pick up a stick outside. Maybe I prevented it. My point is that I created Ice and the story on that dream. What would happen if you could step in and save someone that should be saved. Should be whole.

In Ice's case, she's saving a soul, not an eye, but you know what I'm getting at. She's protective of her people, her children. In Isis world, she was the mother to all. So, even though Ice fights this, she can't get over the protective instincts she has. There's my inspiration. I hope I answered the question. I think I went the long way to get to the answer. lol

Five Question Quickie....

Best book ever read?

I give a new book with every interview, lol.
The Darkest Hunger by Julianna Stone, is one of my top five right now.

Favorite place to write?
In my office. I'm surrounded by windows. When I get too far into myself, I just open a window and there is the world.

What are you wearing right now?
A very ugly nightie. It's 7:43 am. I guess some would call it a moo-moo. lol.

An interesting fact about yourself?
I'm 5'1" and chunky. So, you'll notice most of my heroine's have been stunted. This is the only angle I've ever seen the world from. lol.

Favorite food?

Cheesecake.

Thanks so much for taking the time to join us, and we just cannot wait for the release in the Phoenix’s series.

The Last Rising ( Curse of the Phoenixs book 1)

Author: Rachel Firasek
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella – 102 pages
Launch Date: September 2011

After paying two millennia’s penance to Osiris, world-weary Phoenix Ice has had enough. Saving souls without any hope for her own redemption isn’t how she imagined spending eternity. Fed up, she decides her next death will be her last. But when she sacrifices her own life for a sexy Texan in a catastrophic plane crash, she has no idea the consequences will be so great…or that she’ll end up back in his life for her next assignment.

Now that Turner Alcott has survived the worst, finding a wife and mother for his son matters more than ever before. When the mysterious Ice comes into his life, Turner knows she’s the one—but love is the last thing Ice wants. If he wants to win her heart, Turner must teach Ice how to forgive herself, and prove that love is the ultimate sacrifice.

Curse of the Phoenix( Curse of the Phoenixs book 2)

Author: Rachel Firasek
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella
Launch Date: November 2011

For three hundred years, Arabella’s life has been one meaningless death after another. In a cruel twist of fate, Osiris gifts the phoenix her mortality and long-gone voodoo magic with a warning that she must save her next soul within a week without using magic, or she’ll lose her power forever.

Ex-soldier Greyson Meadows desperately wants to be freed from the nightmares and guilt that haunt him. Confronted by a waif of a woman who forces him to face the truth about his past, he runs fast and hard, fighting the need to prove himself worthy despite his perceived failures.

When Ari becomes the target of her own magical blunder, the weak will find strength and the strong will fall. One will have to give up everything so the other can have peace, but will love’s magic withstand the loss?

Books 2 and 3 are coming November 2011 and January 2012!

Doesnt everyone just love that little picture above? I know I sure do!

To win an Ecopy of  

'The Last Rising'

  

all you have to do, is fill out the form below and HEY PRESTO!

GOOD LUCK!

Pipers Fury (Group Review)

http://www.rachelfirasek.com/

It's an empath thing...

Using your "powers" to help the Dark Hills Police Department hunt down serial killers doesn't leave much time for dating. Not that Piper Anast is complaining. The last thing she needs is some guy brushing up against her and pumping his pornographic thoughts into her head.

When she meets Bennett Slade, a sexy, tormented vampire, Piper stumbles headlong into a telepathic connection with his missing daughter. She can't leave the kid to the evil surrounding her unwanted visions, nor can she resist her draw to Slade. He's the first guy she's been able to touch vision-free in, well, forever.

As she and Slade close in on the evil creature holding his daughter, Piper's powers morph into a deadly fury. To save Slade's daughter-and herself-Piper must face down demons she never knew she had and trust the one thing she keeps from everyone.

Passion of the Soul: Piper’s Fury
by Rachel Firasek

Purchase e-Book
Purchase Print
Genre: Paranormal
ISBN: 978-0-9828200-5-6
Length: Novel
Publication Date: March 2011
Cover art by Ash Arceneaux

Group Review Time

This book was fantastic!!!

Okay I’m about to gush over this big time.

Rachel Firasek has put together a fabulous story, full of everything I love. A heroine that would now be among one of my favorite. A sexy Vampire hero, and a great paranormal / urban fantasy story, with some suspense mixed in. It was chocked full of action, plenty of tension between the H/h and wonderful characterization. I love how well she brought out each of the characters distinct personalities, and flaws. The story was perfectly paced, and I loved every page, it grabbed me at the prologue, and swept me away. Firasek brought Piper’s first person account of the story to the pages beautifully, without feeling like I was missing something. I had a difficult time putting this down, and was disappointed only when it was over.

Piper Anast is an empath, she can see a persons memories from touching objects. She can also see other peoples thoughts and feelings by touching someone, and for this reason, she avoids touching people. After Piper’s mother died when she was around 8 yrs old, she was raised by her mother’s best friend Mabel. Now at 24, she works with the Dark Hills police department to help with missing person’s and murder investigations using her empath abilities. She doesn’t date, well because you know how men’s minds work, and she can see all of sexual thoughts, and fantasies going on in their heads. I loved Piper so much, she strong, stubborn and has qualities that make her unique to her character, but I also see in her vulnerability, and I think she projects a lot of her cynicism as self preservation.

Piper’s life is about to change forever, and with it, her empath abilities start to change and grow stronger. There is a serial killer in town, and Piper has been brought in to help with the investigation that has no leads. This case and the appearance of the sexy Bennett Slade are about to turn Piper’s world upside down. Piper has spent most of her life without touch because of her empath abilities, and when Slade comes into the picture she’s awestruck because this is the first man that she hasn’t gotten the sexual images from. When she touches him she senses nothing evil about him either. But Piper doesn’t really know how to handle all of this. Slade wants Piper to help him find his missing daughter that disappeared 5 years ago, the day his wife was murdered. These events set in motion a lot of self discovery for Piper.

I don’t want to give away too much of the story, I have left out a lot of details intentionally. I went into this knowing very little about it and enjoyed it so much, I can’t express that enough. I recommend this highly to anyone who likes a great PNR / UF, and enjoys a terrific heroine.

I can’t wait for the next book, and I hope Firasek doesn’t keep me waiting too long. This book definitely goes on my “favorites” shelf.

5+ Stars Great start to a new series!

The novel itself is very fast paced,and enthralling.You are guaranteed to be addicted!

For a PNR it marked it's spot on my "favorite shelf" It was what I needed to beat my paranormal craving. *Screams, Bite Me Slade* Just in case you're wondering, Slade is the Sexy Vampire that makes me think "Could I compare him to Bones?(from:The Night Huntress series) My Answer; O Hell Yeah!! Bite me wherever you please!! LOL! Sorry,I'm getting carried away here. Back to my point.This book is a must-read, the Heroine will make you waddle with excitement. Piper is a handful,but such a loveable character. I loved every other character in the book as well(except the villan and his posse of course =P). The story plot was feisty with a bundle of action. It had enough twist and turns to make my heart skip a beat.Once I was done reading it,I just wanted to be able to pick up the next book and read it.It was just that good!

You want a quick paranormal novel and be satisfied? Pick this novel up and take your chances.You'll Love it!

The Last Rising - Rachel Firasek (Group Review)

http://www.rachelfirasek.com/

The Last Rising (Curse of the Phoenix #1)

After paying two millennia’s penance to Osiris, world-weary Phoenix Ice has had enough. Saving souls without any hope for her own redemption isn’t how she imagined spending eternity. Fed up, she decides her next death will be her last. But when she sacrifices her own life for a sexy Texan in a catastrophic plane crash, she has no idea the consequences will be so great…or that she’ll end up back in his life for her next assignment.

Now that Turner Alcott has survived the worst, finding a wife and mother for his son matters more than ever before. When the mysterious Ice comes into his life, Turner knows she’s the one—but love is the last thing Ice wants. If he wants to win her heart, Turner must teach Ice how to forgive herself, and prove that love is the ultimate sacrifice.

Such a sweet story! My heart is still warm and melting.

Ice is one stubborn Heroine, but not for long. Everything changes in an instant. Turner Alcott is her Hero *sighs* what a sweetie he is. It's hard not to adore him. A man who wants nothing more in his life but to be happy, settle down with a wife that can also raise his child as her own. Hard to find men like him nowadays. *googly eyes*

There was just so much romance, love, tears and hurtful memories from Ice's past, but between the H/H and Turners son Brodie. They taught Ice you can love and put your past behind you. No more vulnerable Ice, she's in for a ride of her life, with nothing but pure undying love.

I just love the plot of the story and it's happily ever after. It was captivating! I couldn't for the life of me set it down until I was completely done reading it. I got a little of everything I love in a story, my pnr, smexin, and most of all, a love story. If anyone has second guesses about picking the book up, then, that would be your biggest mistake. Rachel Firasek has a phenomenal way of intriguing a reader with her wonderful writing style. Don't hesitate or think twice, go get your copy ;)

My favorite quotes:

"Ice, you need to stop." "Why?" she purred. The woman actually purred. He'd never heard a grown woman make that sound. Dangerous." .......Pfft!! Gotta love Turner.

"I want you with every breath I take. You've been tormenting me since you wrapped your hands around my cock thirty-thousand feet in the air"........ Rotfl!! Still love him!

The Last Rising –

Oh wow.. I’m still coming down from this beautiful short sweet book. This is the first book in a new series for author Rachel Firasek and I knew I would love it before I even started it.

The low down: Ice, is a phoenix who is cursed to lay down her life for the life of another over and over again. Her most recent job is Turner, a very sexy Texan Cowboy.  After saving Turners life, Ice disappears and Turner goes on with his life with his son. He forgets about ever meeting Ice but continues to have vivid dreams about her. Once Ice is assigned her next job and runs into Turner again, Turner automatically knows there is something about Ice that he just can’t put his finger on. The two then start a dance of romance and passion that just blew me away.

Since this is a short novella, I can’t delve to must into the plot without giving things away but I will say that this was easily one of the best novellas I have read in a long time. I tend to find that Novellas are very cut throat and quick to jump from place to place. Somehow Ms. Firasek has squeezed everything that needed to be in a full length novel into just over 100 pages. At no point did I feel it was lacking anywhere and it basic terms, it was great!

Turner and his son, Brodie are just the two cutest little morsels ever. But it was Tuner and Ice that really got my blood pumping.  The pair had a huge battle of feelings but it was played out wonderfully. The sexual tension between the two just yanked all the right cords and kept me wanting and wanting until the very end.

I love that there was a background of mythology in this romance. It gave it a good edge and made it slightly different. I have never really read anything about Phoenix’s, so I was enthralled to learn more.

This was an awesome short read that I would recommend to anyone. Whether you’re a paranormal fan or a temporary romance fan, this caters to all.

I am waiting on bated breath for the next release in the series.

This was a great little novella. The characters were perfect, and I just loved little Brodie, he was so cute in his little personality that was wise beyond his years. My only disappointment was that it wasn’t long enough, and I wanted to know more about the characters and their past. I wanted to know more about the phoenix world.

Ice is a phoenix and once was an Egyptian goddess whose husband and child were murdered. She is serving penance from what I got, was self blame for what happened to her family. Ice is sent to save the life of a certain individual, and in doing so she dies each time and is incarnated again to do the same job over and over for the past 2,000 years, in a different place, and a different target. Until she is sent to save the life of Turner Alcott, the chosen survivor of a plane crash. After the crash, Ice is sent back to yet another job, this time her path crosses Turner Alcott again.

She returns to Turner’s life as his son’s kindergarten teacher and Turner doesn’t remember her, which is the way it’s supposed to be. However Turner can’t shake the familiarity of Ice. Turner has decided to stop playing the field, and look for someone to settle down with, someone to be a mother to his son, which he’s never had. Upon meeting Ms. Nix on the first day of school, for Turner it’s pretty much “love at first sight”.

Ms. Nix can’t deny her lusty attraction for the sexy Texan, but all she wants is to keep him at arm’s length as to not risk him remembering her from the plane crash. But a sexy romp between the sheets would be just fine with her. As the sexual tension builds, so does her feelings for Turner and his son Brodie. But if she starts to care it will mean complications, the more she pushes away from Turner, the more he pursuits her until her defences start falter. In the face of tragedy the walls finally crumble