Pleasures Untold (Hanafird park #2) By Lisa Sanchez

Hell hath no fury like a witch done wrong. Pissed off and packing an arsenal of witchy mojo, Martha is on the warpath. Determined to avenge the murder of her mother and grandmother, her mission is simple: kill every vampire, demon and underworld bastard she comes across, because one of those hell beasts might be the monster that stole her childhood from her. But when a sexy Latin vamp literally falls from the sky, saving her from becoming an undead Happy Meal, she has no choice but to reassess everything she thinks she knows.

Xan is an anomaly --a vampire born, not turned. A powerful warlock who walks in daylight, Xan spends his days, and nights, watching over Martha, protecting her from Lucian, the blood-sucking monstrosity whose sole mission in death is to drain her dry. Undeniable attraction and the promise of pleasures untold draw the two lovers into a frustrating dance of one step forward, two steps back. When Lucian throws down a deadly ultimatum, Martha is forced to choose between relying on her own mystical woo woo to save the lives of her stolen friends or succumbing to the lure of dark, voodoo magic. Xan and Martha must work together to save those closest to her and put an end to Lucian's reign of terror before it's too late.

Grace's Review:

Pleasures Untold is a FANTASTIC sequel to Eve of Samhain of the Hanaford Park series!

In this installment, we get to find out more about Martha, who was introduced in the first book. She's a witch who is hell bent on completing a self-imposed mission to destroy every creature that stands in her path in hopes of finding and killing Lucian, the vampire who murdered her mother and grandmother. Her life is turned upside down when she meets Xan. Martha is trying to figure out who or what Xan is, since she can't sense any evil in him. Xan is not the usual vampire Martha frequently runs into in her daily life, and he has his own secrets too.

I enjoyed reading Eve of Samhain, but I loved Pleasures Untold even more! Martha is a strong heroine. She's snarky, likeable, a badass and watches out for her friends, Taylor and Jessica. Xan is a sexy Latin vampire with a hot bod who whispers loving phrases in one moment and then curses in Spanish in the next breath, LOL! Xan and Martha had great chemistry together too! I loved how they helped each other out in certain situations.

If you're not familiar with Ms. Sanchez's work, her writing is witty, humorous and sarcastic. There were moments that had me laughing so hard I spit out my coffee! One of my favorite moments was when Taylor and Jessica, who are Grey's Anatomy fans, were trying to come up for a nickname for Xan:

“McVampy. He's smoking hot, and he's got a delicious bite to him. He's better than McDreamy and McSteamy rolled together!”

So if you liked the first book, you will definitely love this one! Even if Eve of Samhain was not your cup of tea, please give Pleasures Untold a try anyway. I found the storyline and the dynamic between the characters more interesting. It was definitely an entertaining read. Plus, the story sets it up nicely to go into the 3rd book, Faythe Reclaimed, which is Taylor and Gabriel's story. Gabriel is Xan's friend, and we get to know him a little in this one.

 

Charming The Prince By Teresa Medeiros

He never lost a battle until he met the one woman who might succeed in...Charming the Prince.

Dear Reader,

My enemies know me as Lord Bannor the Bold, Pride of the English and Terror of the French. Never in my life have I backed down from any challenge or betrayed so much as a hint of fear—until the war ended and I found myself a reluctant papa to a dozen unruly children.

Realizing that I couldn't lop their little heads off or throw them in the dungeon, I sent my steward out to find them a mother and me a bride—an attractive, meek, maternal creature too plain to tempt me to get her with child. You can imagine my horror when he returned with Lady Willow of Bedlington, a spirited beauty who made me think of nothing else!

With her cloud of dark curls and the sparkle of passion in her eyes, Willow was everything I'd sworn to resist. I never dreamed she would join forces with those mischievous imps of mine to teach this cynical warrior just how sweet surrender can be.

Bannor the Bold,
Lord of Elsinore

Ren's Review:

4.5 stars.

So, I just bought this book from an online shop which usually sells many used books. The price is cheap. Just 50000 rupiahs or maybe 4,99 dollars. I decide to read Charming the Prince, first because I really loved the blurb, its rare to find characters letter for a synopsis. And I was kinda stuck with UF/PNR books I read lately. So I want to change my usual genre for a little while :)

I read this for 4 hours.And of course that a good sign! If I can't stop reading it, that means the story is good. And yes,Charming The Prince is really good.

So, what we have from this book?

Charming the Prince is re-telling from Cinderella story. With "Cinderella" having a weak father, evil stepmother, and 10 bothersome, annoying step-siblings. Lady Willow of Bedlington hopes her new mother will love her. Alas, what her stepmother does is to poison her father with her sweet venom talk. She makes them poor and that makes Willow as a servant for her step-siblings..

The story moved forward 13 years later. We meet the Prince Charming (he is charming after all), Lord Bannor the Bold, Pride of English and Terror of The French. Must always be successful winning every war and captured all his enemy, but not this war.. Not when his enemies are his TEN children, whose faces are like an angel, but their attitude are worse than Black Prince (King Edwards's son) himself. Bannor then ask to his steward, Sir Hollis, to search him a bride. An unattractive, meek, not so beautiful woman, but have maternal instinct.To babysit his children of course and left him at peace...

To Bannor's surprise, Hollis take Willow as the bride. Willow who desperately  goes out from her home, and wants to find her own happiness, is insulted with the way Bannor treated her. Little does she know Bannor avoids her, because he's attracted to Willow, but don't want to sire another babe. Since Bannor believes he was to virile, and said, its must be a curse. Because his father and grandfather have so many children too (the usual slogan of Bannor house is to conquer and die which he change as be fruity and multiply )

Not just from Bannor act, his children decide to "torture" Willow too, because they don't want a new mother. Even though later they support her, and decide to teach their father to become a "real" father, and "husband" to Willow. (or like the blurb said, how sweet surrender can be).

I'm happy my sleepless night is paid off well :). This is my first book by Teresa Medeiros and definitely not the last. When it comes to Historical Romance, I'm  always picky, since some themes of that genre are bothering me. Like infidelity, or rape. I don't like them all. That's why I never read Johanna Lindsey, that's why I dislike Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas. Just one historical author who I adore, and thats Lisa Kleypas. Even I found Bridgerton's Julia Quinn is a little boring for me. But now I'm glad to find another Historical Romance book which I enjoyed. Teresa Medeiros's writing is flowing, easy to read, funny, with some heartbreaking moment.

Some readers may find they don't like hero who is a bastard or a widower and have so many children. We will think some of Bannor's children are bastards. But when the story goes, we know that the children not his bastards. Just another people's child who Bannor took to his home. Because he doesn't want them to have same fate with him, to be abandoned by his father and live poor. I love Willow strength too, even she always live tormented at her home, she still face it.

Another character I like are Bannor's children. They are all naughty, but not like Willow's step-sibling who have a mean bone. They do that because they want Bannor to care for them, to watch them and love them like a real father.

Why I don't give this full 5 stars, maybe because I found the "love scene" was too flowery for me, lol. I think I read too much erotica, or PNR. Which sex scenes are always told directly, hot and so steamy *grin sheepisly*. And I find myself snorting and giggling when I read these types of sex scenes in books. But not that bad, just a "little tame" to my preference, LMAO!

My favorite quote of this book is by Fiona, Bannor's house servant and caretaker.:


Love isn't a burst o' trumpets and flock o' doves descendin' out o' the heavens to roost on yer heads. Tis' sharin' a cup o' tea by the hearth of cold winter's night. Tis' the look in yer husband's eyes when ye lay yer first child in his arms. Tis' the ache in yer heart when ye watch the light in his eyes dim fer the last time and know a part o' ye has gone out o' this world with him


If you love Historical Romance which took place at Tudor era, make sure to include Teresa Medeiros's book at your list :)

 

Wicked Becomes You By Meridith Duran

Gwen Maudsley is pretty enough to be popular, and plenty wealthy, too. But what she’s best known and loved for is being so very, very nice. When a cad jilts her at the altar—again—the scandal has her outraged friends calling for blood. Only Gwen has a different plan. If nice no longer works for her, then it’s time to learn to be naughty. Happily, she knows the perfect tutor—Alexander Ramsey, her late brother’s best friend and a notorious rogue.
So why won’t a confirmed scoundrel let her be as bad as she wants to be?
Unbeknownst to Gwen, Alex’s aloof demeanor veils his deepest unspoken desire. He has no wish to see her change, nor to tempt himself with her presence when his own secrets make any future between them impossible. But on a wild romp from Paris to the Riviera, their friendship gives way to something hotter, darker, and altogether more dangerous. With Alex’s past and Gwen’s newly unleashed wildness on a collision course, Gwen must convince Alex that his wickedest intentions are exactly what she needs.

Sam's Review: 

 First, I let me just say how much I love the cover of this book! THEN they even got Gwen's red hair right (I'm a stickler for things like that). But pretty cover aside, I absolutely loved Wicked Becomes You.

Our heroine is Gwen Maudsley, the nicest debutante and also the richest. After Gwen's second fiance jilts her at the altar , she decided she is done with being nice and wants to experience life let say 'Wickedly'. And who better to guide her than her late brother's best friend Alex.

Both Gwen and Alex were really likable characters and as the story goes on you begin to see that beneath the surface there is more to them than being "the nice girl" and "the rake," which makes this book an engaging read.

Not like alot of other HR, this book is NOT set in London. Their adventures takes them from London to Paris and Nice and even to Monte Carlo.

This isn't a perfect book- Something that bothered me was that after being jilted early in the book, Gwen found a note from a "secret admirer" in her room and read it and tossed it aside without much thought. I thought, surely this is from Alex and she'll find out later that he'd loved her all along. In actuality, the letter is never mentioned again. Maybe this started out as part of the plot, but then got changed, but not removed from the entire story.

Other than the above mention, as far as I'm concerned, this was a great romance, and I can't wait to read more titles by Meredith Duran.

 

The Duke's Perfect Wife-(Highland Pleasures #4) By Jennifer Ashley

Lady Eleanor Ramsay is the only one who knows the truth about Hart Mackenzie. Once his fiancee, she is the sole woman to whom he could ever pour out his heart.

Hart has it all--a dukedom, wealth, power, influence, whatever he desires. Every woman wants him--his seductive skills are legendary. But Hart has sacrificed much to keep his brothers safe, first from their brutal father, and then from the world. He's also suffered loss--his wife, his infant son, and the woman he loved with all his heart though he realized it too late.

Now, Eleanor has reappeared on Hart's doorstep, with scandalous nude photographs of Hart taken long ago. Intrigued by the challenge in her blue eyes--and aroused by her charming, no-nonsense determination--Hart wonders if his young love has come to ruin him or save him..... 

Sam's Review:

This feels like the book in the series that everyone has been waiting for. The elusive and closed of Hart Mackenzie finally gets his happily ever after with his true first love and the woman that he never forgot.

If you have read this series, you know that Heart is a widower, his wife and new born son having passed away tragically. He is one of the wealthiest men in the country and is beyond powerful. But Hart has some very dark secrets lurking that may just come out to bite him when he least’s expects it.

Hart has everything he wants and is on the cusp of becoming Prime Minister. All he is lacking is a wife. So when Eleanor Ramsey comes storming back into his life, he declares to himself that he will not let her get away this time and vows to marry her. Hart never forgot Eleanor or the passion they once shared. But with Hart having become the hardened man that he is today, can Eleanor see through that to the man she once new that lurks beneath.

I have to say that is was such a nice change to fall back into the world of Historical Romance. I haven’t read one like this for a long time and it was such an easy transition -  it helped that the book was written flawlessly – it made me wonder why I haven’t jumped back into this Genre sooner.

It was such an enjoyable read with the perfect amount of what seemed like everything. With a nice case of ‘the world does go on without you’. It was fantastic getting to know Hart; he was always such a mystery. Eleanor was just a perfect Heroine. She was head strong, determined and so very passionate for a woman of her era.  Seeing the rest of the family involved in the story just makes it all seem so real. I love it when an author continues giving us glimpses into couples from past books.

The heat between Hart and El, was scorching. For a book of this era, these two were ahead of their time! Hart is slightly a Dom in the bedroom and likes to do a lot of naughty things that would certainly have had them in trouble back then.

If there is anything bad to say about this novel, you won’t hear it from me. It was such an easy read, and I cannot wait for another in this wonderful series.

 

Happy Release Day, Inhale by Kendall Grey

We are very excited for Kendall Grey and her new release Inhale.

Grace here at S.E.R's did a wonderful review for this book a short while ago, so we turned this introduction over to her.......

My first and only whale sighting was on my honeymoon. It was a gorgeous Hawaiian spring afternoon on the western side of Maui. While strolling the beach, someone near me yelled out “There's a whale!” and pointed out over the blue water. A couple hundred feet away a whale was surfacing and spouting. What I experienced in that next moment was something so beautiful and spiritual that it was almost unexplainable. I left Hawaii with that whale locked into a special place in my heart. Since then I've enjoyed learning about whales. If there's a whale documentary on TV, I'm watching it! Whales are such magnificent and fascinating creatures!

Fast forward 13 years later, and I am given the opportunity to read and review Kendall Grey's new urban fantasy-romance novel. Reading her book bought back all the warm memories of my whale sighting experience...beautiful and spiritual. I learned that Kendall Grey is a dedicated whale advocate. It definitely shows in her writing. She takes great care in bringing a voice to the whales in her book. Did you know that she is donating all profits from the sales of the JUST BREATHE trilogy directly to whale education? That totally rocks! So without further ado, I introduce INHALE by Kendall Grey. Let her tell you an amazing story...                      -GRACE

 
Kendall is donating all profits from the sale of the trilogy to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face. Watch the video to find out why.

 Inhale is the first book in the "Just Breathe" Trilogy. 

This is a urban fantasy romance, and is now available on:

Kindle  , Nook, and Paperback 

Kendall encourages interested readers to consider purchasing an e-book instead of a paperback. E-books save trees, cost considerably less, and bring in much more money for the whales.

Thank you for supporting INHALE, and most importantly, the whales that need our help.

INHALE blurb:

Strangers in reality, inseparable in dreams…

After years of suffocating under her boss’s scrutiny, whale biologist Zoe Morgan finally lands a job as director of a tagging project in Hervey Bay, Australia. Success Down Under all but guarantees her the promotion of a lifetime, and Zoe won’t let anything—or anyone—stand in her way. Not the whale voices she suddenly hears in her head, not the ex who won’t take no for an answer, and especially not the gorgeous figment of her imagination who keeps saving her from the fiery hell of her dreams.

Gavin Cassidy hasn’t been called to help a human Wyldling in over a year, which is fine by him. Still blaming himself for the death of his partner, he keeps the guilt at bay by indulging in every excess his rock star persona affords. That is, until he’s summoned to protect Zoe from hungry Fyre Elementals and learns his new charge is the key to restoring order in the dying Dreaming. He never expects to fall for the feisty Dr. Morgan…nor does he realize he may have to sacrifice the woman he loves to save an entire country.

*This book contains graphic language, sex, and some violence. Not suitable for readers under the age of 18.

Grace's Review for Inhale 

To Learn more about Kendall Grey, you can find her at:

Blog: http://www.kendallgrey.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KendallGreyAuthor

Despicable Tweets:  http://www.twitter.com/kendallgrey1

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5108885.Kendall_Grey