Virna DePaul, A Vampire's Salvation

Title: A Vampire's Salvation

Author: Virna DePaul

Rating: Five Siren Stones

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Keywords: Vampires

Word Count: 25,000

ISBN E-Book: N/A

Price: $2.99

Publisher: Smashwords

Buy-Link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/35723

Reviewer: Natasha Larry

Tagline: A Vampire’s Salvation is short, sweet, and ridiculously hot.

Blurb/Summary:

Vampire Jake Rios heads up the CA governor's security team, but he's distracted by having just discovered his true mate, the human female who can give him love, children, and continuing immortality. Frankie Stewart's attracted to Jake but her priority is protecting her heart. Can Jake eliminate the person threatening her, convince her to trust him, and gain them both eternal happiness?

Review:

Author Virna DePaul knows how to dole out the sex, and in A Vampire’s Salvation, the hot sex starts before you read the first sentence. Of course I’m talking about the insanely hot book cover that is sure to have readers breathing heavy.

The best thing about A Vampire’s Salvation is that the writer gets right to it with perfect pacing. This novella tells the story of vampire Jake Rios who is smoking hot, and Frankie Stewart, the tough, and very likable female of his affection.

Frankie shies away from men after her last relationship left her with scars. A literal scar, that readers will be happy to know, she wears proudly on her face. Still, she feels an inexplicable pull to Jake, mind body, and by the end of the novella, soul.

This is a must read for any fans of paranormal erotica. It has everything fans come to expect from this genre, a wonderful plot, and hot, HOT sex with an irresistible vampire.

Cynthia Gael, The Balefire Chronicles: Balefire and Lodestone

Title: The Balefire Chronicles: Balefire and Lodestone

Author: Cynthia Gael

Rating: Siren's Best Book Stone

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Keywords: Witches, Witchfinder General, Gods, Goddesses

Word Count: 70,300

ISBN E-Book: 978-1452488929

Price: $4.99

Publisher: Gypsy Shadow Publishing

Buy-Link: http://www.gypsyshadow.com/CynthiaGael.html

Reviewer: Natasha Larry

Tagline: A fire contained, consumes....

Blurb/Summary:

No one knows better than Tommy Hopkins why Anya Blanchett had to leave the town she grew up in; her family was murdered, her house burned, and she’s the next target. Tommy knows—because Anya’s on the run from his own family-owned company, WFG Ltd, whose incredible wealth is based on one single thing: the vast power they drain from witches. And Anya is a witch. Anya’s love for Tommy is too strong for her to withstand; she cannot stay away from him. When she returns to the little town of Manning, Tommy becomes more determined than ever to ensure her safety, no matter the cost. But Tommy isn’t the only member of the Hopkins family aware of Anya’s return. His cousin, Kinsey Hopkins, has been searching for Anya since her escape. Kinsey has dark and evil plans, for Anya, for Tommy, and for the very future of WFG. Tommy will do anything to protect Anya from Kinsey and WFG. But can he? Or will the three-hundred-year-old curse cast upon his bloodline finally destroy him and the girl he loves more than life itself?

Review:

Balefire and Lodestone is the sequel to Gael’s Balefire and Moonstone. When I began reading I crossed my fingers in hopes that the second book in this series would be as good as the first and unfortunately…

It was just so much better.

The book picks up with Anya Blanchett, the powerful young fire witch returning to her hometown after a necessary exile. When she returns home Anya has one very important thing on her mind, Tommy Hopkins, the love of her life and also the very last person she should be running to upon her return home.

But you can’t exactly stay away from someone you’ve bound to yourself with the consuming magic of fire. Soon, Anya and Tommy are reunited, which is when the danger begins. Now, Tommy has to try and protect the girl he loves from his cousin Kinsey, who seems to have less than honourable intentions for her.

I have to say that I just adore Anya. In the first book she was likeable in an awkward sort of way, but you see her grow in this novel into a feisty, fiery witch that is an addictive heroin.

Balefire and Lodestone is one of those rare novels that you hate to see end, lucky for the reviewer and the fans alike…The Balefire Chronicles are not over.

This is a must read for any fans of paranormal romance.

Rie McGaha, A Winter's Night

Title: A Winter's Night

Author: Rie McGaha

Rating: Five Siren Stones

Genre: Paranormal

Sub-Genre: Fantasy

Keywords: Sisters, Magic, Pagan, Time Travel, Witches, Spells

Word Count: 12,240

Price: $2.24

Publisher: Untreed Reads

Buy-Link: http://store.untreedreads.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6_34&products_id=49

Reviewer: Natasha Larry

Blurb/Summary:

Four sisters discover that they are born into a line of women with powers to control the Elements. Plucked from their normal college lives and thrust into a battle to save the Earth, can they defeat the evil Montatre?

Review:

A Winter’s Night is a chilling, paranormal short story about four women who happen to have the power to control the elements.

I really enjoyed reading this short story because the writer pulls you in with a punched up, intense prologue. Usually a prologue in a story this short is pretty pointless, but McGaha nailed her opening with incredibly imagery and mysterious dialogue.

After the prologue it only gets better. The story is simply well written with good pacing and excellent characterization. The plot is brilliant with a jaw dropping battle for earth and an ending that literally made me say out loud, “What the hell?”

This short story is highly recommended by the reviewer.

Zena Wynn, Carol's Mate

Title: Carol's Mate

Author: Zena Wynn

Rating: Four Siren Stones

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Sub-Genre: African American

Keywords: Shape-Shifter

Length: Novella

ISBN E-Book: 978-1-60737-906-5

Price: $4.99

Publisher: Loose Id

Buy-Link: http://www.loose-id.com/True-Mates-Carols-Mate.aspx

Reviewer: Natasha Larry

Blurb/Summary:

Life happens when you least expect it...

Carol Scott has everything planned. She'll finish her studies, do her internship, and return to Refuge to help run the medical center being built by her pack, The Ravens. When the time is right, she'll choose a male of her pack to mate with, push out a few pups, and life will continue--nice, neat, and orderly, just the way she likes it.

Then she meets Mark Johnson--sexy, handsome...human. Forbidden. A man who won't take no for an answer. He stirs her senses and even has her wolf sitting up and paying attention. What's a girl to do? Obey the rules or follow her heart and damn the consequences?

Then the choice is taken out of her hands.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content and graphic language.

Review:

I enjoyed reading this story because it was quick, entertaining and fast paced. The story centers around Carol, a college student who also happens to be a shifter. Carol has a seemingly good plan to finish school and return to her pack, the Ravens, but as things unfold in this novella, her plan begins to unravel.

Why? The answer is always a man. A man and a forbidden love.

The writer gets to the good stuff right off the bat, a fact that all readers can appreciate. The main character is likeable and Mark Johnson is very, very sexy. I liked the forbidden love angle and the sexual danger; this added to the sex scenes that are very well written by the way. The ending came as a surprise to me and it was a nice little twist.

I would read it again and you probably will too. Short and sweet in a naughty way.

Myla Jackson, Body Snatchers

Title: Body Snatchers

Author: Myla Jackson

Rating: Four Siren Stones

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Keywords: Vampires

Length: Novella

ISBN E-Book: 978-1419932113

Price: $4.45

Publisher: Ellora’s Cave

Buy-Link: http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8906-body-snatchers.aspx

Reviewer: Natasha Larry

Blurb/Summary:

Elite Paranormal Investigative Agent Reggie Gallagher hates vampires. After thirteen beautiful women are kidnapped off the streets of Houston, Reggie and her sister set themselves up as bait to catch the kidnappers. The mission goes sour, her sister vanishes and Reggie is surrounded by a rabid pack of vampires only to be rescued by the most desirable vamp she’s ever encountered. Captivated by his incredible magnetism, Reggie can’t deny her body’s response to Yuri’s nearness. When the sexy beast insists on providing protection and assistance in finding the missing women, Reggie can’t refuse.

After the woman he loved turned Yuri Kovac into a vampire four hundred years ago, he swore he’d never trust another woman with his heart. Then he saves a sensuous hellcat from a band of vicious vampires only to find himself mesmerized by her curvaceous body, hot temper and fierce love for her family. Together, Yuri and Reggie seek Reggie’s missing sister and face down the evil behind the disappearances while fighting their growing attraction for each other.

Publisher’s Note: This story was previously published elsewhere under the title Tempting and has been revised for Ellora’s Cave.

Review:

Body Snatcher’s is a great read for any fans of vampire paranormal romance. The only reason I gave it four stones is because in the beginning of this novella the author’s writing is a bit unclear. This is a novella for adults and contains explicit language and sex scenes.

Despite that the cover is beautiful, the pacing is top notch, the plot is intriguing and the characters are feisty and engaging.

Agent Reggie Gallagher sets out to solve the mystery of the disappearance of thirteen women by setting herself, along with her sister up as bate. Reggie is thrust into an impossible situation when things don’t go according to plan. She finds herself partnering with Yuri, an ancient vampire that readers will find very appealing.

Still, one thing the author makes clear is that Reggie Gallagher hates vampires with a passion. When she finds herself attracted to him the result is incredibly entertaining.

Reggie tries to deny her attraction to Yuri but in the end, desire wins out. When she realizes this she proclaims, “Oh, fuck! I just had sex with a vampire?”

This is a wildly entertaining read for adults. Jackson sure knows how to create hot, vampire sex scenes.

Cynthia Gael, Balefire and Moonstone

Title: Balefire and Moonstone

Author: Cynthia Gael

Rating: Siren's Best Book Stone

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Sub-Genre: Young Adult

Keywords: Witches

Word Count: 66,500

ISBN E-Book: 978-0-9844521-6-8

Price: $4.99

ISBN for Print: 978-0-9844521-6-3

Price: $20.78

Publisher: Gypsy Shadow Publishing

Buy-Link: http://www.gypsyshadow.com/CynthiaGael.html#top

Reviewer: Natasha Larry

Tagline: A love not freely chosen is not a love at all....it's enslavement

Blurb/Summary:

For Tommy Hopkins, rich and well-traveled, the idea of witches is ridiculous. When he turns nineteen, Tommy will be the new Witchfinder General, a line that stretches back to the original, Matthew Hopkins. The Witchfinder General directs WFG Ltd., the richest company on the face of the earth, providing clean, non-polluting power—though few know the power they sell is drained from witches. Then Tommy meets and falls in love with Anya Blanchett, poor, friendless…and a fire witch of an ancient line. Now Tommy must learn to believe so he can save the girl he loves—or is he destined to turn against her?

Review:

“Magic is a power, much like madness but so much more like fire.”- Anya Blanchett

Cynthia Gael’s Balefire and Moonstone is a paranormal romance published by Gypsy Shadow Publishing and targeted at young adults.

Cynthia Gael has written a wonderful tale full of romance, magic and suspense in equal parts. The writer sucks the reader in with a wonderfully intense prologue that has Bridgit Sinclair, a “true witch”, being hunted by the Witchmaster General. The scene ends in flames and a curse the witch casts on the man who betrayed her.

When the reader meets one of the two protagonists, Anya Blanchett is introduced; she is not only easily likeable, but also magically intriguing. Tommy Hopkins is rich, handsome and the soon to be interest of the young fire witch.

The conflict begins with a spell born in fire and the death of Tommy’s uncle, at which point the lad learns he is to be the next Witchmaster General.

The question then becomes, will Tommy be able to fulfill the role his family put him in and betray the fire witch he is now desperately in love with or will he save her from certain persecution?

For any fans of paranormal romance, this book is a must read. It has all the elements you want in this genre with characters you stand in awe of and fall in love with, and a romance with fantastical elements that let you escape reality.