Three-Some Review: Sexy Shifters Shorts by Amanda Bonilla

Amanda Bonilla can write an amazing Urban Fantasy series with a great world and larger than life heroine. So I was curious when I saw she had written three shorts in the Paranormal Romance genre. And I jumped on them when she asked if I would be interesting in reading them. HELL YA.

All three shorts are connect in a way that a PNR series would be. Bonilla does a fantastic job of weaving the couples' story into one over all plot arc.

Even though each short is about 40 pages long, Bonilla has giving you what amounts to the cliff notes version of what could be three great full length novels.

In the first short, The Sweetest Torture, we meet the first couple, Cait and Logan. The two share a past that has stuck with them for the last 30 years. Both are weres that change into mountain lions. Cait has to go to Logan in order to help her father and pride. She has not forgiven Logan for his cheating on her all those years ago.

Logan hasn't had eyes for another female since Cait. He hasn't gotten over her not believing him when he tried to explain about that night 30 years ago. He has vowed to himself that once he gets Cait back in his life he will make her listen and understand.

Both Cait and Logan are strong and stubborn people. Both believe they are in the right. Both are still in love with the other person. It was fun watching the two come to turns with their past and what could be their future. And DAMN was there some smexy scenes.



The second short, The Sweetest Temptation, features Logan's brother, Andrew and a wood nympho, Erica.

The couple is thrown together by a BIG misunderstanding. Erica thinks that Andrew kidnapped her sister and had either harmed or killed her. Andrew has no clue to who Erica or her sister are.

After Erica uses her nymph magic on the local troopers, she kidnaps Andrew to find out where her sister is and if she is ok.

Things heat up between the two when Erica's nymph sexual nature takes over. They two heat up the pages while trying to piece together the mystery of Erica's missing sister.




The last and third short, The Sweetest Mercy, continues the story of Erica's missing sister, Keria and Carter.

Logan the alpha of the pride from the first short sends Carter to look for Keria and bring her home safely. Logan is a little more prepared for Keria's nymph background than Andrew was. But not by much.

Sure he knows that Keria is most likely in sexual need because of the full moon but he has no idea what kind of need she is going to put him in when they meet.

Carter does is job and then some saving Keria from the bad guy that helps thread the three stories together. Carter and his lion find their mate in the tiny and sexy nymph. But it's not just her sexy body that gets Carter's attention, its the fact that she is a strong female that can be his equal no matter how tiny she is.

I really enjoyed reading these shorts by Amanda Bonilla. All three could have easily been turned into full length novels. But Bonilla get a great job boiling down a long stories and making them very sweet treats for someone that needed a quick fix. If you are looking for some romance in bite size reads you should check out these Sexy Shifter shorts. But trust me you won't stop with one, you'll want to read them all back to back and you'll still have time left in your night to do other things. Maybe grab your sexy male and show him a few things that you read in Bonilla's smexy shorts about hot mountain lion shifters {wiggles brows}.

About the Author

Amanda Bonilla lives in rural Idaho with her husband and two kids. She’s a part-time pet wrangler, a full-time sun worshipper, and only goes out into the cold when coerced. She loves the outdoors, black clothes, pink appliances and thinks junk food should be a recognized food group. In the summer, she can be found sitting by the lake, enjoying the view from her dock.

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Review: Bound in Darkness by Cynthia Eden

Bound by Darkness

by Cynthia Eden

Bound #2
eBook, 193 pages

Hunter...

When it comes to killing vampires, werewolf Cade Thain is the best slayer in the Northwest. So when a witch hires him to take out a pureblood vamp, the assassin thinks it will be just business as usual. One less vicious vamp on the streets... one more undead parasite gone from the earth. Then he meets her.

Protector...

Allison Gray isn't the prey that Cade expects. Beautiful, innocent, she stirs a dark desire within him. Allison hasn't transformed fully into a vampire, not yet, and it's Cade's job to make sure that she never does. Allison thinks that he's at her side to keep her safe, but Cade is supposed to pick the right moment --and kill her.

Lover...

Killing Allison is soon the last thing that Cade plans. As she begins the transformation that will turn her into a vampire, her bloodlust and their desire merge in an explosion of need that neither can control. But Allison's enemies are closing in, and the coming battle will take Cade and Allison beyond life, beyond love... and into a deadly darkness that waits to claim them both. Bound in Darkness.

Cade, a werewolf and an assassin, is hired by a witch to kill a pureblood vampire. In this series werewolves and vampires are natural enemies, but Cade really hates vampires - with good reason. So, eliminating one more bloodsucker is just another day's work. Until he meets his mark.

Allison is on the run and searching for the one man she was told could help her. After finding Cade in a seedy bar, she is shocked to learn that her savior was to be her executioner and that she is the same as the creatures that are hunting her - yep, she is a pureblood vampire and doesn't know it.

This was a super fast read, the romance was sweet and hot while the plot was a little too thin for me. I did like how the characters developed, especially Cade. Ms. Eden has a talent for writing sexy, irresistible alpha males and strong, sassy female leads to create a wonderful balance.

Now, there are two reasons why I gave this book 4 stars and not 5. First, Bound in Darkness is the second within the Bound series and even though it can be read as a stand alone, there were some inconsistencies between the first book and this one. Second, I would have liked some more layers to the plot, it seemed a bit flat to me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorite.

Audio Review: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

Frost Burned 

by Patricia Briggs 

(Mercy Thompson #7)
Narrated by Lorelei King

Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman—the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack—has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more…

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely

The Heroine: Mercy Thompson is a skinwalker (coyote shifter) that grew up within a wolf pack. She's the town mechanic and she can see ghosts. Mercy is not really the alpha type herione. She can't go one book without getting bloody and bruised but she can take care of herself. She is much like her coyote form, wiley and resourceful where she lacks the werewolf strength. It also helps that her skinwalker magic is different than wolf magic in the way that she cannot be controled by vampires and other plus for her is that fae objects of power seem to like her.

The Alpha: Adam Hauptman is the alpha of the local werewolf pack and Mercy's mate and husband. I like that Adam is the type of alpha that knows to give his woman a little space to do her own thing. He knows that Mercy is an independent woman and even after they mated he still lets her be who she is, within reason.


The Plot: I was wondering if we would see more about the events that took place at the end of Fair Game, the campanion series. But we didn't and I was little disappointment by that. But we did get to see some fae and vampire action this time around when Mercy has to reach out for help when Adam and the pack is kidnapped. We get to see more of Mercy and Adam connecting through their mate bond and I really enjoyed seeing some scenes through Adam's POV. All in all I enjoyed Frost Burned a little more than the last book, River Market becuase it moved at a faster pace.


The Series:  Mercy Thompson is one of the best examples of a well written urban fantasy series with lovable characters reader really care about. Patirica Briggs keeps me entertained book after book. If I had to find something to complaint about, it would be the lack of smexy scenes in the series. Yes it's Urban Fantasy but even some UF has sexy times and sex scenes. Briggs glosses over them which most of the time doesn't bother me but I would like to get at least one hot scene with Mercy and Adam. I'll just have to get my smut fix from other books. I'm every excited that we will not have another 2 year wait for the next book in the series, Night Broken is schedule to release in 204, at least according to Goodreads. 

The Narration: I received an arc from Ace but I'm so behind on my reading backlist so when I saw that my library had Frost Burned on audio I jumped at checking out so I could get the book finished faster.

I've read all the other books in the series so I wasn't sure what to expect starting the audio since the narrator was Lorelei King. I love King's work on Darynda Jones' Charley Davidson series but I never would have pictured her as Mercy's voice. I guess because I consider Mercy's world a little darker and Mercy more serious. But after listening to King bring Mercy to life I'm viewing Mercy in a different light. I think with King's narration I picked up on more of the snark and humor that I didn't pick up in earlier books by reading them. 

Other books in the series:

        

Cover Revealed + Teaser: Werewolves be Damned by Stacey Kennedy

Werewolves be Damned

by Stacey Kennedy

Release Date: April 15, 2013

Pre-order at:

Amazon
B&N

Nexi Jones—part witch, part guardian, and wannabe kick-ass warrior—can’t throw a punch or conjure the simplest magic. But that doesn’t stop her from hunting the werewolves who slaughtered her human family. She’ll have her revenge, but only if Kyden, the elite guardian, would get the hell out of her way.

Kyden can’t decide if Nexi wants to get herself killed or if she just has no clue what she’s doing. But her father made it clear: keep Nexi safe…or else. Of course, the more Nexi runs toward revenge, the more she needs Kyden’s aid, and as she grows into her power and confidence, so does his desire to protect her. The only problem? She’d rather he dropped dead.

But when a vampire paints a bull's-eye on Nexi’s back, she’s hard-pressed to deny Kyden and the help he’s offering. Even if it means getting her revenge will be a little bit harder. At least it will still be as sweet."

Review: Before the Moon Rises by Catherine Bybee

Before the Moon Rises 

by Catherine Bybee

(Ritter Werewolves #1) 

After a twelve-hour shift in a busy emergency room, Janet O’Brien is beat. Her last patient arrives unconscious and naked. She’s lead to believe he’s a psyche patient off his meds. However, once he awakens, Janet is charmed by his million-dollar smile and agrees to give him a ride home.

Werewolf, Max Ritter notices the sassy nurse when he wakes after a night under the full moon. Unfortunately, his archrival is drawn to Janet as well. In order to keep her out of harm's way, he opts to keep her close. When the chemistry between them sparks, Max discovers a completely new reason to keep Janet safe.

In this paranormal world there are werewolves. You could be born a werewolf or be changed into one. Those that are born have the option to accept the change and take wolf form every full moon or to remain human - if you transform once, you will always transform. These werewolves are not immortal, but that does not mean they aren't sexy.

Janet O'Brien was tired and more than ready to go home after a long shift in the E.R. The handsome, naked, unconscious man was to be her last patient of the day. Max Ritter did not expect to wake up in the E.R. nor did he count on the attractive, sassy nurse being his enemy's intended victim He knows he has to protect her, but struggles with revealing who and, more importantly, what he is.

Not wanting to risk leaving Janet alone. They spend the morning together and when she finally reaches her house (with Max in tow) she finds her place a wreck - someone had broken in. Believing it was a random burglary, she calls the cops, but Max knows his enemy was the culprit. Once they finished with the cops, Max insists she stay with him...As romance readers/lovers we all know where this is heading...

The best word I can come up with to describe this book is "cute". Max was charming and Janet was very easy going. The nontraditional take on werewolves was nice and the side characters were interesting. I would love to read more about Max's brother, Richard, who has been refusing the change for years despite his family's insistence. I have already added book 2 to my to read Nook shelf.

If you are looking for a werewolf fix and want something short and totally cute, I recommend Before the Moon Rises.

Review: Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler

Tempest's Legacy 

by Nicole Peeler 

(Jane True #3)

After a peaceful hiatus at home in Rockabill, Jane True thinks that her worst problem is that she still throws like a girl - at least while throwing fireballs. Her peace of mind ends, however, when Anyan arrives one night with terrible news . . . news that will rock Jane's world to its very core.

After demanding to help investigate a series of gruesome attacks on females -- supernatural, halfling, and human -- Jane quickly finds herself forced to confront her darkest nightmares as well as her deepest desires.

And she's not sure which she finds more frightening.

Jane's world keeps sucking me in with every book. Tempest's Legacy is even better than the last two books. The reason might be that we get a lot more of Anyan this time around.

Anyan comes back to town after being gone for two months only to give Jane some bad news. Jane being up step that she hasn't seen him for so long and now he is bring her the horrible news, she goes off on him. Later she apologizes for shooting the messenger.

True to Anyan's caring nature he forgives her and reluctantly lets her join his and Ryu's investigation into some horrible crimes that has taken place. Speaking of Ryu, he is a real douche bag in this one. If I wasn't team Anyan before I am now. I would totally find if we never saw Ryu again after this book.

But I think our days of a love triangle is over and thank goodness for that. But I think Jane has a long road to go with Anyan. I think she is the one that will have to seduce him. Not that he's not interested but that he is either too shy or thick headed to know what to do with Jane. But it's safe to say that he doesn't see her as a little girl like Jane always thought he did.

To sum up Tempest's Legacy - Ryu, bye bye. Hello Anyan. Jane learns some family secrets that will sure to make for interesting times in the books to come.

Fans of "lighter" Urban Fantasy stories will love Jane and her world.


Narration Note: Still didn't care for the narration so I'm glad that I have the rest of the series in paperback. Because I can't take Anyan's voice from the 12 year old sounding narrator if sexy times are coming.

Audio Review: Hostage to Pleasure by Nalini Singh

Hostage to Pleasure 

by Nalini Singh
 (Psy-Changeling #5) 

Narrated by Angela Dawe 

  

Separated from her son and forced to create a neural implant that will mean the effective enslavement of her psychically gifted race, Ashaya Aleine is the perfect Psy: cool, calm, emotionless... at least on the surface. Inside, she's fighting a desperate battle to save her son and escape the vicious cold of the PsyNet. Yet when escape comes, it leads not to safety but to the lethal danger of a sniper's embrace.

DarkRiver sniper Dorian Christensen lost his sister to a Psy killer. Though he lacks the changeling ability to shift into animal form, his leopard lives within. And that leopard's rage at the brutal loss is a clawing darkness that hungers for vengeance. Falling for a Psy has never been on Dorian's agenda. But charged with protecting Ashaya and her son, he discovers that passion has a way of changing the rules.


REVIEW:

I've been waiting for Dorian's story but I have to say that Hostage to Pleasure was a little disappointing. Sure it has a hot alpha and a head strong heroine. But really this series as very predictable formula like so many PNR books do.

I'm just not feeling this series at the moment. It's not the writing I just this it's my mood. I think I just need to take a break from it. And come back to see if it can get my attention again when my reading mood has changed.

But in any case Dorian was hot and his Psy woman was like the others, cold until he melted her panties. Meh. I don't have anything else to say about the book. But I think I enjoy the wolves in this series more than the cats.

Audio Review: Skinwalker by Faith Hunter

Skinwalker 

by Faith Hunter 

(Jane Yellowrock #1) 

Narrated by Khristine Hvam 

Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind—a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. But now she’s been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katie’s Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who’s killing other vamps..

“I figured even the most jaded and cynical inhabitant might report a bloody girl in a party dress carrying a severed head by its hair.”  ~ Jane


I've read few shifter/were books where the person has a inner monologue with their beast and I love it when it happens. Faith Hunter does an fantastic job at showing the two different being that share the same skin. Skinwalker doesn't have one heroine but two, Jane the woman and her big cat.

Jane is a shifter which means she can shift into any animal but her true beast is a large cat and when Jane picks a different animal, to add her in hunt for a rouge vampire, her big cat is not happy. Jane's not sure how she and her beast became one because she doesn't remember her childhood before age 12 where she was found wandering out of the woods. There are jokes through the book that she was raised by wolves.

Skinwalker takes place in New Orleans where Jane has taken a job to hunt down and terminate a rouge vampire. The only vamps that Jane has really interacted with are the ones she kills as part of her job. So when she is hired by and has to work with the local vampire council she has to change some of her thinking about vamps. Like not calling them vamps, it's a racial slur. She also starts seeing that they are not all monsters. Some of them can even be kind of sexy....

Jane also find her self working a with a local "Joe", a human by the name of Rick and like the vampires he is more than meets the eye.

In true UF fashion there's no hot sweaty monkey sex but there is a potential for a love triangle set up. Jane is attracted to both the human and the vampire. Her cat is also interest in both men for different reasons. I'll keep reading to see which guy wins the attention of both woman and cat.

If you're looking for a well written story about an Über kick ass heroine that can land on her feet as her out look on the "enemy" is changing you will love Skinwalker.


Narration Note:
Khristine Hvam does an amazing good with the narration of Skinwalker. Only after a couple of chapters I could not picture anyone else bring Jane to life. She also does a great job with the male voices.

Review: Tracking the Tempest by Nicole Peeler

Tracking the Tempest 

 by Nicole Peeler  

(Jane True #2)

Tracking the Tempest begins four months–and one eyebrow sacrificed to magical training–after the close of Tempest Rising. During that time, Jane’s been busy honing her supernatural powers and enjoying her newfound sense of confidence. Rockabill may not yet be heaven, but she’s realized it’s home. Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and Ryu - Jane's bloodsucking boyfriend - can't let a major holiday go by without getting all gratuitous. An overwhelming dose of boyfriend interference and a last-minute ticket to Boston later, and Jane's life is thrown off course.

But Ryu’s best laid plans inevitably create more upheaval than even he can anticipate, and Jane winds up embroiled in an investigation involving a spree of gruesome killings committed by a being of tremendous power . . .

. . . who, much to Jane’s surprise, happens to be another halfling.

I’m starting this review off letting you know that I’m TEAM ANYAN all the way.

Love the fun world that Nicole Peeler has created with her Jane True series. Jane is your average, lovable, girl next door but now she finds herself in the middle of the fae world and its problems. She’s learning as she goes since she just found out a few months ago (in book one, Tempest Rising) that she is part fae.

Jane is a total bookworm and even works in a bookstore so when she meet her now boyfriend, the sexy vampire, Ryu she couldn’t believe that someone like him would want her. Ryu has been pressuring Jane to make a decision about the future of their relationship. And he drives me nuts with this and the way he calls her babe. UGH

Tracking the Tempest starts out with Jane wondering what Valentine plans Ryu has in store for her....mmm..flowers - check, plane ticket to visit him in Boston - check,  hot sweaty monkey sex - check, fae issues that almost gets Jane killed - check.

This time around the danger is a halfing that ends up stalking Jane wanting to make her is love bunny and take over the world. So we have blood, action and a tense relationship atmosphere between Jane and Ryu. Then throw in the fact that we get a great deal of Anyan in human form. YAY.

Anyan is helping Jane learn to use her fae magic when Ryu just wants to keep her safe but keeping her out of the action but Jane won't have it. I love how Anyan wants to protect Jane by teaching her how to protect herself and not treat her like a sexy bunny with no brain like Ryu does. Yeah I'm being a bitch about Ryu but like I stated in the being I'm for Anyan all the way and Ryu just bug the crap out of through this whole book.

I enjoyed Tracking the Tempest just a little more than Tempest Raising and I can only hope that same will be said about book 3, Tempest's Legacy which I plan to start next week.

Audio Review: Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh

Mine to Possess 

by Nalini Singh 

(Psy-Changeling #4) 

Clay Bennett is a powerful DarkRiver sentinel, but he grew up in the slums with his human mother, never knowing his changeling father. As a young boy without the bonds of Pack, he tried to stifle his animal nature. He failed...and committed the most extreme act of violence, killing a man and losing his best friend, Talin, in the bloody aftermath. Everything good in him died the day he was told that she, too, was dead.

Talin McKade barely survived a childhood drenched in bloodshed and terror. Now a new nightmare is stalking her life--the street children she works to protect are disappearing and turning up dead. Determined to keep them safe, she unlocks the darkest secret in her heart and returns to ask the help of the strongest man she knows...

Clay lost Talin once. He will not let her go again, his hunger to possess her, a clawing need born of the leopard within. As they race to save the innocent, Clay and Talin must face the violent truths of their past...or lose everything that ever mattered.

REVIEW:

I've said this before but I'll say it again, I really enjoy it when the couple has a history instead of falling in love/lust after only knowing each other for a day. Mine to Possess is the first combo of Changeling and human mating. Clay is a leopard that joined the DarkRiver pack after growing up away from other Changelings. He didn't know anything about his animal side and it made his younger years hard. Tally is the human in the relationship and Clay thought her to be dead for about 20 years.

Tally has been scared of Clay every since the day he killed her foster father but not in the way Clay thinks. Tally finds herself lusting after her childhood protector even after their 20 years of separation.  But she must fight it in order to get Clay's help with a missing teen she is over seeing.

Tally and Clay have a lot of things to work out from their pasts in order to reach their HEA. Both had a hard childhood and they were the others rock during that dark time and sometimes a claiming can take place at a young age. They were each others before they knew what a mating was and now they are all grown up and their heat is consuming them both.

I've got to say this series is not my favorite but each couple is better than the last IMO. And the story of Tally and Clay is both heartbreaking and beautiful. So far they are my favorite story in the series.

Click on images to see other reviews in the series:

    


Simliar series:

Lora Leigh's Breeds

Review: Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs

Hunting Ground

by Patricia Briggs

#2 in the Alpha & Omega series

Published August 25th 2009 by Penguin Audiobooks

Mated to werewolf Charles Cornick, the son—and enforcer—of the leader of the North American werewolves, Anna Latham now knows how dangerous being a werewolf is, especially when a werewolf who opposes Charles and his father is struck down. Charles’s reputation makes him the prime suspect, and the penalty for the crime is execution. Now Anna and Charles must combine their talents to hunt down the real killer—or Charles will take the fall.

Ok. In the review of Cry Wolf I stated that I would READ the rest of the series because of my dislike for the narrator. Well….I listened to Hunting Game on audio because it was only 8 hours and I knew I could get it done in one day at work. And this time around the narrator didn’t bother me as much. I guess I got use to his voice as the characters. And I have Fair Game on audio since they offered it during a sale at audible.com and it was cheaper that the book. YES I’m cheap.

I really enjoy Briggs writing, world and characters. I like seeing that Anna and Charles are getting more comfortable with each other in each book. Charles is not a touchy feely guy. He doesn’t use words, not that he’s not smart but he choosing to show his feelings with actions. Anna is still recovering from her time with her old pack before she and Charles meet. She very much needs the words that Charles finds hard to use but he is learning how to be more vocal with Anna. She is learning how to be more physical with Charles. Touching him more and not just in a sexual way. Wolves live for touching their mates and pack members. They are both slowly teaching each other how to over come their weaknesses.

If you’ve read Brigg’s Mercy Thompson series then you know there are other supes than the werewolves and in this installment we get to see vampires and fae. Charles and Anna go in his father’s place to a big werewolf summit in Seattle where there are attacks on some of wolves and mates by vampires that seem to be hired by a wolf.

As the mystery unfolds; we really get to see Anna shine. She is starting to show how an Omega can be just as ass kick as an Alpha but in a different way.

After I finish writing this review, I’m jumping right into the audio of Fair Game. If you are a fan of werewolves you should give this series a try.