My Beautiful Enemy by Sherry Thomas

My Beautiful Enemy (2014) (Headline Eternal)
Sherry Thomas
Grade: A
Genre: historical romance
Sex scenes: mild
Source: bookbridgr
The Heart of Blade: (prequel) The Hidden Blade, (1) My Beautiful Enemy
Romance RBC 2014: A non-Regency historical

The beautiful and deadly Catherine Blade has arrived in London with a mission to complete. The illegitimate daughter of a Chinese courtesan and English adventurer who died before she was born, there had been a tub of water ready to drown her at birth if she were a girl. When it came down to it, neither her mother or her amah could go through with it and it was the latter who was responsible for her secret training in the martial arts. Her task in London is to retrieve a pair of jade tablets for Da-ren, the man who has been more like a father figure to Catherine than any man has ever been. What Catherine doesn’t expect is to bump straight into the man she loved and thought she left for dead eight years ago …

The Saint by Tiffany Reisz

The Saint (2014) (Harlequin MIRA)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: A
Genre: erotica
Sex scenes: hot / BDSM / not for the faint-of-heart
The Original Sinners: (prequel) Seven Day Loan, (The Red Years): (1) The Siren, (2) The Angel, (3) The Prince, (4) The Mistress, (The White Years): (5) The Saint

Romance Reading Book Challenge 2014: A book without a happy ever after 

Once upon a time, Nora Sutherlin was just Eleanor Schreiber, daughter of a wannabe-nun and crook with mob ties. At fifteen years old, all her mother wants is a daughter who loves God, goes to Church, respects her priest and even her mother a little. Instead, she gets Eleanor whose quick brain and fast-talking often gets her into trouble – as much trouble as the clever hands that know how to hotwire luxury cars before you can say five Hail Mary’s. It is these illegal activities that get Eleanor arrested. With the help of her priest, she escapes juvie by the skin of her teeth and instead lands community service under the supervision of Father Stearns – or to Eleanor, Søren.

Delusion in Death by J.D. Robb

Delusion in Death (2012) (Piatkus)

J.D. Robb a.k.a. Nora Roberts

Grade: B

Genre: romantic suspense

Sex scenes: mild

Source: library 

In Death: (1) Naked in Death ... (34) Celebrity in Death, (35) Delusion in Death 

It began as another normal night at In the Rocks: colleagues winding down after work and friends catching up over drinks. Yet, in the space of twelve minutes, eighty-three people are dead. When Lieutenant Eve Dallas arrives on scene, she is greeted with one of the worst sights of her career. A powerful hallucinogenic was released onsite, causing headaches and murderously violent behaviour where the roles of victim and perpetrator were inextricably intertwined, death a curse and prayer to all its targets as they mindlessly plundered without mercy, using whatever items were handy.

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb

Naked in Death (1995) (Piatkus)
J.D. Robb a.k.a. Nora Roberts
Grade: A+
Genre: romantic suspense / futuristic / crime
Sex scenes: hot
Source: own 
In Death: (1) Naked in Death, ... (35) Celebrity in Death

It’s something of a novelty to go back to read the first In Death book when I’ve just read book thirty-seven (review coming soon), the latest in the series. The writing style is unmistakeably darker, Eve and Roarke are shells of the people we now know them to be and there are none of the bonds with the recurring and secondary characters we know and love – that said, I love it and in a strange way, miss it.

The Mistress by Tiffany Reisz

I received The Prince for review on the basis that I didn’t reveal any spoilers; there wasn’t any such condition on receipt of The Mistress, but I’ve decided to keep my summary and review spoiler-free anyway, just because I enjoy being cryptic. Plus, you need to buy this and read the series for yourself.

The Mistress (2013) (Harlequin MIRA)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: A+
Genre: erotica and so much more
Sex scenes: will blow your mind
Source: NetGalley
The Original Sinners (The Red Years): (prequel) Seven Day Loan (1) The Siren, (2) The Angel, (3) The Prince, (4) The Mistress

This was the perfect answer to end the mindfuck of all mindfucks.

The Siren saw Nora Sutherlin use her Siren’s call to bewitch her uptight English editor as he hones her book to perfection while estranged from his wife, Grace. In The Angel, Griffin, one of Nora’s many lovers and a Dominant of the New York Underground finds true love in Michael, a damaged teenage submissive, who becomes the Angel that saves him. In The Prince, Nora and Wesley escape to Wesley’s home in Kentucky where Wesley is the Prince of his world, richer than beyond even Kingsley’s dreams. And as they have their fun, Søren and Kingsley are on the trail of an enemy who knows too many of their secrets, that if exposed, could destroy them all …

The Prince by Tiffany Reisz

The Prince (2012)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: A
Genre: erotica
Sex scenes: This is Tiffany Reisz - nuff said
Source: NetGalley 
The Original Sinners (The Red Years): (prequel) Seven Day Loan (1) The Siren, (2) The Angel, (3) The Prince, (4) The Mistress

If you’re familiar with my blog, then you’re aware of how difficult I find it to write reviews with as few spoilers as possible. When I was given The Prince on the condition that my review was free of spoilers, I found myself faced with a Herculean task. Don’t get me wrong, it makes perfect sense: The Prince is book three of Ms Reisz’s Original Sinners series and any review has to appeal to readers who have already started the series as well as those who are new to it. Considering that The Original Sinners is the quite possibly the most explosive and twist-heavy series that I’ve ever read, I think all reviewers who conform to the brief should be getting a medal or something. Or, even better, a signed ARC of The Mistress – we deserve it.

Back to the story. It’s the day that we never dreamed of happening: Nora has left Søren. For Wesley.

Angel & Faith Volume 2: Daddy Issues by Christos Gage

Angel & Faith Volume 2: Daddy Issues (2012)

Christos Gage (script), Rebekah Isaacs (art), Dan Jackson (colours), Chris Samnee (art, Women of a Certain Age), Jordie Bellaire (colours, Women of a Certain Age), Steve Morris (cover) etc

Grade: B+

Genre: graphic novel

Source: NetGalley
Angel & Faith: (1) Live Through This

It’s been too long since I’ve read anything and since I had just finished my review of Buffy: Freefall but couldn’t manage to find my copy of Buffy: On Your Own from wherever it decided to hide itself on my laptop, I decided on the next best thing: Angel & Faith. One issue, I promised myself. Yeah, right. I finished the whole arc, went to bed at three in the morning and felt like crap when I woke up. But it was worth it and I’m going to tell you why.

Something is making its way across London, making people crazy and lash out at the people around them with devastating consequences. In the course of his bring-Giles-back-to-life mission, Angel has been poring over the Watcher’s journals and thinks he knows who the culprit is. The Lorophage demon feeds on the trauma of others to the point of death, but there have been rare reported cases of the Lorophage being interrupted in its feeding process, with the victim merely becoming insane – Giles was one such victim. There must be something controlling the Lorophage in order for it to be leaving this many victims alive, and whatever it is, it must be pretty damn powerful …

At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost

At Grave's End (2009)
Jeaniene Frost
Grade: B
Genre: paranormal romance
Sex scenes: mild
Source: library
Night Huntress series: (1) Halfway to the Grave, (2) One Foot in the Grave, (3) At Grave's End 

With the man that she loves by her side and doing a job she loves, Cat Crawford (aka the Red Reaper) should be in heaven, but not everyone wants her blissful happiness to last. When Bones’ grandsire Mencheres invites him to do a power-sharing, people-sharing bonanza, that’s the first sign that shit is about to hit the fan.

As if Cat didn’t have enough going wrong in her life already: she’s been recognised for the third time in a row whilst on a job, thus putting innocent civilians at risk; Tate, her second-in-command, just won’t stop coming-on to her despite the fact that he knows that she isn’t interested and Bones might just rip his head off; oh, and Cat’s vampire father is back in town. Add a certain Egyptian vampire called Patra into the mix, and Cat’s got a recipe for potential disaster …

The Angel by Tiffany Reisz

UPDATE!!!: I've found the proper Harlequin UK cover for The Prince! By 'proper' I mean that it matches the ones for The Siren and The Angel and isn't the one with the blindfolded guy or the piano and crop. A shame, because both are great but this one is truly beautiful.

The Angel (2012)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: B+
Genre: erotica like you've never known erotica before
Sex scenes: hotter than the eighth circle of hell (you have to read it). Contains the most sadistic yet strangely titillating sex scene I've ever read. I swear even the most hardened erotica readers might be slightly put off, though this may be my relative inexperience in the genre peeking through. Also contains homosexual sex scenes, threesomes and lashings of innuendo to blow your mind (amongst other things) away; there's nothing that Ms Reisz doesn't (or won't) do

Source: NetGalley
The Original Sinners (The Red Years): (prequel) Seven Day Loan (1) The Siren, (2) The Angel, (3) The Prince, (4) The Mistress

Ms Reisz has no qualms about sticking her hand in your chest (amongst other places …), yanking your heart out and leaving you still breathing to boot. And the worst thing is, she’ll enjoy doing it and you’ll be left begging for more (I know I am). The best kind of erotica writer.

One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

One Foot in the Grave (2008)

Jeaniene Frost

Grade: C

Genre: paranormal romance

Sex scenes: hot

Source: library
Night Huntress series: (1) Halfway to the Grave; (2) One Foot in the Grave, (3) At Grave's End

We open with Cat four years older than we saw her last, entering the house of a Master vampire alone. She heads up the supernatural division of the FBI and trains other men to work with her. At the end of HTTG, her future boss, Don, had used threats of exposure to coerce Cat into taking the position and for the safety of her mother, Cat reluctantly agreed. This meant leaving Bones and she hasn’t seen him since.

Who would have guessed that the Master Cat had been sent to exterminate would be Ian, Bones’ sire? Cat suggests to Ian that she and Bones parted on bad terms because she has no wish for Ian to know of the full extent of their relationship, nor for him to communicate to Bones that she still misses him like crazy. Cat can’t bring herself to kill Ian like ordered because without what he did, she would have never met Bones; instead, she allows Ian to run on the condition that she never sees him again. Little does Cat know that this is exactly what will make her Ian’s greatest prize …

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Halfway to the Grave (2007)

Jeaniene Frost

Grade: C+

Genre: paranormal romance

Sex scenes: that infuriating spot between mild and hot that I’ve yet to find an adequate word to describe

Source: library
Night Huntress series: (1) Halfway to the Grave, (2) One Foot in the Grave, (3) At Grave's End

When I say that it’s been a long time since I’ve read a paranormal romance, I do mean it. I keep track of absolutely everything I read, both on paper and Shelfari and my records are pretty damn accurate. The last PR I read was A Lick of Frost, the sixth Merry Gentry book by Laurell K. Hamilton back in January 2012. The last PR by a new-to-me author was Wolf at the Door by Christine Warren back in July 2011 and even this was an aberration in my reading habits at that time. I went through a phase about three years ago where almost everything I read was PR, but I grew out of it and moved to straight romance because I got bored and most of what I was reading was too repetitious and unoriginal. 2012 and I’m not budging any time soon; I may be more willing to venture back into PR every now and again if I feel like it, so it better be worth it.

I’m not entirely sure why I picked Jeaniene Frost as my pass back into PR; there’s a lot of other authors and series that I’ve heard equally good things about. I think the deciding factor was learning that the vampire-hero is called Bones. Now, Bones the television show is one of my favourites. I’ve only watched up to the end of season five because six and seven are still too expensive to buy, but I have a vague idea of what happens. [Incidentally, this is the bulk of where my hatred of spoilers comes from]. Anyway, back to the point: yes, I am shallow enough to have picked up HTTG mainly for the reason that the hero’s name is that of one of my favourite shows.

The Siren by Tiffany Reisz

The Siren (2012)
Tiffany Reisz
Grade: A-/B+
Genre: erotica
Sex scenes: S&M, graphically hot and not for the faint-of-heart, but a lot less detailed and fewer and further between than I had been expecting
Source: NetGalley
The Original Sinners (The Red Years): (prequel) Seven Day Loan (1) The Siren, (2) The Angel, (3) The Prince, (4) The Mistress

Tiffany Reisz is not your average erotica author, the corollary being that The Siren is not your average erotica novel. It's been a long time (if there has indeed ever been such an occasion) that a book has simultaneously made me want to cry while thumping it repeatedly against the wall in anger - the latter I might have actually done if I hadn't been reading on my laptop and thus another reason why print reigns supreme. Not that I'm complaining about free galleys.

By day, thirty-three year old Nora Sutherlin is a popular erotica writer; by night she's the most sought-after Dominatrix in New York. She sees clients at her leisure and commands astronomical figures for an hour usually spent beating the shit out of whichever masochist will pay the most - male or female. But Nora hadn't always been this popular; she's a Switch. Until five years ago when she left him, she had belonged to Søren since she was fifteen years old. Nora might currently be New York's number two Dominant, but Søren has always been number one and there's no one that Nora is more afraid of - or more in love with. He's a complete sadist and revered in the Underground for the pain and torture he can inflict on submissives. Griffin (Nora's friend and number seven Dominant) sums it up nicely:

Angel & Faith Volume 1: Live Through This by Christos Gage

Angel & Faith Volume 1: Live Through This (2012)
Christos Gage (script), Rebekah Isaacs (art), Phil Noto (art), Steve Morris (cover)
Grade: A-
Genre: graphic novel
Source: NetGalley

I've waxed poetic about how much I hate writing spoilers and how I'll try and keep spoilers to a minimum where I do need to reveal big plotlines. Not possible here. There's no way that I can talk about this book without revealing huge spoilers for Buffy Season 8. So if you haven't read the Buffy comics and want to, then DO NOT click on the 'Read more' link below if you don't want to find out what happens. Similarly, there's some biggish spoilers for Angel and Faith too. I mean, sure, don't let me stop you from reading it if you haven't read Live Through This yet and you plan to, but it's nothing MAJOR major unlike the Buffy spoilers. If you have read Buffy Season 8, or on the other hand don't plan to, then click ahead. But don't say I didn't warn you.

Celebrity in Death by J. D. Robb / Nora Roberts

Celebrity in Death (2012)
J. D. Robb a.k.a. Nora Roberts
Grade: B
Genre: romantic suspense
Sex scenes: hot for NR, but mild for In Death - not very clear if you're not a regular Roberts reader, I know, but this is just how I'm used to thinking of them now.
Source: library
In Death: (1) Naked in Death

It was cute. Not amazing, but cute. I realise that I've used this word to initially describe a lot of the pitiful number of reviews I've actually written, but cute is the first word to come to mind here. I realised that I haven't actually written any reviews for March. Of course, it would help if I had actually read any books in March, and I'm pretty sure that this is my first, so I thought it would be nice to have some down before March is over.

The Icove case (Creation in Death) was one of Eve's biggest. Nadine Furst, well-known face of Channel 75 and one of the few Eve can call her friends, even when she's hounding her for an exclusive interview or new information about a case, wrote a book about the Icoves, father and son who were cloning people or something. I forget. That book has been adapted for the big screen because even in 2060, the public still love a good murder mystery and excitement.