April 20, 2013 by Caroline Barker

Update from Caroline

Hi guys, this week we will begin hosting our Werewolf theme!!! As from Wednesday 24th April we will be focusing on Werewolves for the forthcoming weeks which will include book reviews, some basic mythology as well as trivia on literature and movies! If you have any information or literature you would like to have a mention please let us know by commenting below!

One of the books we will be reviewing is the currently unreleased ‘The Wolfstone Curse’ by Justin Richards, the Creative Consultant for BBC Books on the Dr Who titles. With it’s release due in July, Tina and myself are hoping to do a double review! ‘The Wolfstone Curse’ is an action-packed adventure where teenager Peter, during time working with his archaeologist father in a remote village named Wolfstone, reveals the truth behind the werewolf myth! For adults and teenagers alike this novel is going to be a very, very exciting thriller!!!

I am currently reading ‘Cursed‘ (also known as ‘Frostbite’) by David Wellington, ready for Wednesday’s theme. I have had this paperback for quite some time and have been waiting for this week to read it. In ‘Cursed’ a woman alone in the Arctic is attacked by a wolf and becomes a beast herself. However, as she was once the hunted, she now becomes a hunter too and with her original attacker wanting her dead, can she carry out a similar attack on her enemy?

Amongst the werewolves, I am also planning to read Mere Enchantment and Rings of Enchantment novels by Alicia Rivoli over the coming weeks. These are fantasy fiction for the younger and adult reader alike where a group of friends end up fighting for survival. After entering a cave to shelter from a storm, more and more strange happenings keep occurring the further they go inside the cave. With magic, wizards and other strange people surrounding them, the group become separated and try to find each other in this new magical world. The new kingdom is also under attack from a traitor. Will the group become one again? Will they survive? I am looking forward to reading this novel as the synopsis itself sounds very exciting!

Tina and myself are also hoping to add a double review on ‘Addicted‘ by JoAnn DeLazzari over the next few days. This is an amazing romance, suspense and thriller that definitely keeps the reader on their toes throughout. A high profile reporter, Nikki Bradley, in the Colombian jungle is trying to find sufficient evidence to bring down a high and mighty drug trafficking operation after her brother died of a possible cocaine overdose. However, when she is found and captured she finds her captor wants to have her for himself! King, her captor, happens to be a ruggedly handsome man that makes Nikki fear for him but also strangely desire him. Nikki finds herself torn between surrendering and losing hope on her mission or taking a risk and fighting for her brother! The heartbeat definitely increases pace during this great sexy, intense thriller/adventure!

As you may have already guessed we will still be reviewing other genres, as well as the werewolf-based novels, in between for those of you that like more variety. Tina will be posting a review of Skye Warren’s new book, Wanderlust, on our Sizzle and Burn site in the next day or two and will be reading the first two novels in Regan Walker’s Regency Agents of the Crown Trilogy, Racing with the Wind and Against the Wind. She has asked me to tell you that her first contribution to our werewolf reviews will be Karin Tabke’s Blood Law (A Blood Moon Rising Novel # 1), which she read a few months ago but would like to share, and that a review of Christina Phillips’ Betrayed, which she is currently swooning over will follow soon!

You may be aware of our new A-Z author page which displays a list of all the authors and their novels that we have reviewed so far. This page will be updated at least on a weekly basis, enabling you to find authors/novel reviews more easily.

We will also be adding a new page over the coming weeks, focusing on True Crime. Although it is great to escape with fantasy fiction novels, I also like to try and wrap my head around real events. I find myself trying to analyse criminals and their behaviour to try and understand what makes these people carry out such horrendous actions. I am aware that not all of our followers would wish to read such literature, which is the reason that these reviews will be on their own page. This way these reviews will not pop up on our main page.

Unfortunately, the Tortured Hero blog hop has been cancelled and therefore will not take place this week as planned. Although we are hoping to take part in blog hops over the coming weeks and months. We will keep you updated on this!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our followers on the blog, Twitter and Facebook. We would be more than happy for you to spread the word of our site to help build our fanbase up and create more interaction with you guys! We are open to book recommendations and other comments you may have. Thank you 🙂 Happy reading x

Caroline 🙂

Post image: Minerva Studio/Shutterstock.com

April 14, 2013 by Tina Williams

Update from Tina

I truly had a ball this week reading books by Samantha Holt and Eve Rabi and also welcoming Samantha to our blog to share her thoughts on being an author. We were also very happy to receive an author post from M. C. Lavocat, author of Control (The Soul of Voodoo #1), which Caroline reviewed. Also thank you to everyone who commented this last week.

My Reads this Week

Whether it is due to the rise in the temperature (it reached the heady heights of 11 degrees celsius today), but the heat level in the books I have chosen to read this week seems to have increased!

Betrayed, by Christina Phillips, an erotic historical romance, set in Roman Britain. In 51 A.D., Druid priestess Nimue is enslaved by the hated Roman Legions. Although drawn to her captor, she’s determined to escape and complete her mission for the Briton king and her duty to Arianrhod, the goddess she is bound to. I was lucky enough to win this book last month and have already read the first two books in this series, Forbidden and Captive, which were both great reads. Click for Christina Phillips’ website.

Dragons’ Mate, by Beverly Ovalle – An erotic romance, containing two dragon shifters and one very lucky woman who they have decided to claim as their mate! Click for Beverly Ovalle’s blog.

Tortured Hero Blog Hop

A Readers’ Review will be participating in its very first blog hop – some of you may have noticed the button below on our sidebar.

It takes place on 25-28th April. Caroline and I will be posting on what we like about tortured heroes and we will be inviting comments from readers. At the end of the hop one commenter will be drawn at random, to win a £5 book voucher (or equivalent currency). Each commenter will also be put into the draw to win a grand prize offered by the blog hop. You can also hop across to others blogs to have a look at their thoughts on tortured heroes and participate in any giveaways they may be running and leave further comments to increase your chances of winning the grand prize draw. More details on the 25th April.

Purchases this week

Shield, New World #1, by S.L. Scholey – An erotic sci-fi romance featuring a human Grace, whose shuttle crashes on the planet Ulsy and who meets a massive fanged and ebony warrior Rask, who is very intrigued by her……… Whiskey Creek Press has 25% off all of S.L Scholey’s books this month in celebration of the fact that she is their author of the year. I have not read any of her books yet, but I could not resist this!

Wolfkeeper’s Woman, by Lisa Day – After Cassie’s husband is murdered, Native American Wolfkeeper takes Cassie’s child for his brother and sister-in-law to raise, as they have no children of their own. He brings Cassie along to ensure that her child lives during the journey. Thrown into an unfamiliar lifestyle and unable to communicate she must learn how to stay alive for her son and how to adjust to life which is so different to her own. I had to buy this as I love romances where the hero and heroine come from different worlds, cultures or social classes, as it increases the conflict and the tension in the plot. Lisa Day’s website

Coming Soon

Looking ahead we have a werewolf theme coming up and I will also be posting reviews on the first two books in Regan Walker’s Regency romance trilogy, Agents of the Crown. More on these very soon. Regan Walker’s website

Enjoy your week and your reading!

Tina 🙂

April 6, 2013 by Tina Williams

Update from Tina

It has been a strange week – the coldest March in fifty years, followed by an April which so far is not shaping up much better. We still have a huge block of ice in our back garden, all that is left of a snowman we built two weeks ago, which has yet to melt! With the Easter break and children in full swing I am a little behind with my reading. However, I have a cunning plan to find a suitable spot to hide in and settle down with my Kindle!

This coming week I plan to travel back in time to the wilds of Medieval Northumbria with Samantha Holt’s latest release, Borderland Bride (The Borderland Legacy Book 1). The book tells the tale of Lady Isabel, who after a brutal attack, which results in her losing her voice and hearing, is rescued by Jake, a brooding knight and taken back to the home of his charismatic brother Dominic. With secrets and intrigue afoot, it promises to be a sensuous tale that I am looking forward to reading.

I also plan to read Eve Rabi’s Gringa – In the Clutches of a Ruthless Drug Lord, which was an Amazon bestseller last year. The tale, comprising books 1-4, tells of Peyton, a young American, who is blackmailed into becoming the woman of a Mexican drug lord Diablo, and is compelled to go and live with him and his madcap family. This is a book for mature readers only and the book blurb implies that is not a sweet romance. The excerpt that I have read also contained a great deal of humour and I am intrigued as to how the tale will pan out. I like an alpha hero and I sometimes like my heroes to be a little bit mean, or maybe even anti-heroes, so I am drawn to this book, which I think will take me on a wild ride!

We are always very interested in what our readers are reading too. If you want to tell us of any good books you have read recently or ones that you are looking forward to we’d really welcome your thoughts.

Happy reading!

Tina 🙂

March 30, 2013 by Tina Williams

Happy Easter to all our Readers!

I was hoping to post a picture of some golden daffodils in our garden, whilst basking in the spring sunshine, but the British weather has other ideas. Instead, I have made an internet star out of the Easter Chick my eldest made at Brownies this week. I hope that you like him!

I am about half way through reading Kellyann Zuzulo’s The Genie Ignites and hope to post a review in the next few days. So far it is a very sexy and engrossing read, with strong elements of suspense and intrigue.

I noticed this week that Amazon has some deals on the following e-books (please note that the prices were correct at the time of posting but may have changed when you read this post):

Darker After Midnight (Midnight Breed 10), by Lara Adrian

Amazon UK 99p Amazon US $1.51

I loved this book, but then I love all of the Midnight Breed Series! I recommend it if you like vampire romances, featuring some very alpha males, although I would advise starting with the first book in the series. Lara Adrian has a great take on the vampire myth as her vampires have alien DNA.

Knight Awakened (Circle of Seven #1), by Coreen Callahan

Amazon UK 99p Amazon US $1.50

I haven’t read any books by this author as yet, but I am tempted to try this one.

Consequences, by Aleatha Romig

Amazon UK 73p Amazon US $1.10

I purchased this book late last year and have not been brave enough to read it yet! It is the first book in a trilogy. Most readers elsewhere have loved it. It sounds like a dark read along the lines of an erotic thriller, but I believe that it does contain some violent scenes.

Once Burned: A Night Prince Novel: Night Prince Series, Book 1, by Jeaniene Frost

Amazon UK £1.99 Amazon US $3.03

I have read some of the author’s Night Huntress Series which pairs a half-vampire Cat with a scrummy vampire called Bones, and I really enjoyed them as they are sexy and funny, with a kick-ass heroine. Also Bones is one of my favourite vampire characters. According to the book blurb, this tale features Vlad Tepesh, who inspired the greatest vampire legend of them all, and a woman whose body has been scarred by a tragic accident, giving her the power to channel electricity and learn a person’s darkest secrets. It will be a great read if it is as good as the Night Huntress novels that I have read.

Happy reading!

Tina and Caroline 🙂

March 23, 2013 by Tina Williams

Books I’ll be reading this week

I am planning to read Kellyann Zuzulo’s romance novel, The Genie Ignites (Book 1 of the Zubis Chronicles), which she has kindly provided ARR for an honest review. I am very excited as I have never read a book with a genie as a hero and having read the excerpt on Kellyann’s site I am intrigued. This is the book blurb from her publisher, Boroughs Publishing:

Girl meets genie. They fall in love. Girl gets killed. Genie gets cursed. Three millennia later, she’s reincarnated as a smart, somewhat sardonic 21st century editor who can’t remember the great love of her existence. The genie however, will never forget her.

I think that the pairing of a modern day woman with an ancient genie has all the ingredients of a great read. I hope to post my review in the next week or so.

Templar Publishing have also kindly provided us with copies of a proof of a forthcoming young adult publication, Drummer Girl, by Bridget Tyler, for an honest review. In this novel, five London schoolgirls form a band and win a talent show that takes them to L. A . However, L.A. has a dark underbelly and the girls find themselves having to deal with issues such as murder and drug addiction, alongside the usual teenage trials of first love and self-image, in this coming of age novel. Caroline and I have decided to read and review this independently of each other and post our reviews side by side this week. The novel is scheduled for publication this May. See Amazon UK and Amazon US sites.

We love reading and reviewing books for the site, but we are also looking into ways to spice up the content where we can. Look out for some guest posts from authors or other bloggers, blog hops and some special themes, starting with our Werewolf theme coming soon!

Tina 🙂

Cover design for Drummer Girl by Will Steele

March 23, 2013 by Tina Williams

Update from Tina

Books I’ve read recently

I read and reviewed Samantha Holt’s The Angel’s Assassin, which takes place in medieval England. If you have read my review you know that I enjoyed this immensely. The hero, a dark mercenary knight, is not only an alpha, but a tortured alpha. The woman he is sent to kill is the very woman that melts his heart!

I also re-read Connie Balfour’s Deceptive Lord, (Lords of Bondage Series #1). I read this last year before we began our blog and it is one of those unforgettable reads that I just had to share. The story takes place in an alternate Earth, at first in Flourda, in the household of a deranged dominatrix Countess Nefertiti, who keeps a male harem, which is on the receiving end of her depraved passions. The hero of the tale, Drest, an alien/Druid hybrid from the land of Asstrumnia, infiltrates her household on a mission from his king. In escaping Nefertiti’s clutches, he kidnaps Lady Eden Avenal, Nefertiti’s half-sister, and transports her to Asstrumnia, rendering her a captive in an alien land. I have posted this on our Sizzle and Burn site. It is a very naughty and humorous romp! For adult readers.

I also read a couple of novels that I don’t plan to do a detailed review of but which I found to be great reads:

Kristen Ashley’s Knight, book 1 in her Unfinished Heroes Series, an erotic romance. This is the first book I have read from this author and the characters are addictive. The main character, Knight, is an alpha male and an anti-hero. He has had a dark past and lives life on the wrong side of the law, although he has his own code of honour. He meets a young woman, Anya, who does not belong to his world, and although he does not think he will be good for her they begin a passionate affair. Knight is very dominant in and out of the bedroom and I enjoyed all of the scenes the main couple had together! The main tension in the plot not only came from whether Anya enjoyed Knight’s dominance but also whether she could accept him for what he was, especially when the extent of his operations comes to light. It was a super hot, romantic read and I will be reading Kristen Ashley again.

Elizabeth Hoyt’s To Desire a Devil, is a great conclusion to her Legend of the Four Soldiers Series. Each story has centred on one of the four soldiers who survived the betrayal of their regiment and suffered torture at the hands of natives in the American colonies. In this instalment, Reynaud St Aubyn returns to Georgian England seven years after being presumed dead, to reclaim his Earldom, after being enslaved by the natives who tortured his fellow soldiers. He is a scarred hero, inside and out, and I loved the way he courted the heroine, Beatrice, the neice of the current Earl.

The main tension in the plot is whether Reynaud can reclaim his title, as he is suffering from post combative stress disorder and it is in the interests of others to prove him insane. There is also the matter of who is responsible for the attempts on his life and what impact these events and his state of mind have on his relationship with the heroine. I love reading Elizabeth Hoyt, as her heroes and heroines and the situations she puts them in are always so original. I have read all of her books now and am eagerly awaiting the next in her Maiden Lane Series.

Happy reading!

Tina 🙂

Deceptive Lord (Lords of Bondage) cover art by kind permission of Corinne Balfour

March 20, 2013 by Tina Williams

Sizzle and Burn Book Reviews

We like our fiction with an element of romance in it, be it a paranormal, sci-fi, contemporary or an historical, from books aimed at young adults to adults.

However, sometimes the novels we read may be controversial and darker and we are not comfortable putting a review of them on this site.This is because some of our readers are below 18. It is for that reason that I have set up a separate blog site Sizzle and Burn, where Caroline and I will make the ocassional book review of erotic romance, dark fantasy and erotica.

It is an Adults only site for those of you like us who like your romance to sometimes push the envelope. If you think that you might be interested than pop over to the site to check it out. If you are at all offended by anything that goes beyond a mainstream erotic romance than it may not be for you. We will continue to post adult books which we feel are not as controversial on A Reader’s Review, labelling them as containing adult content where we think it is necessary. In fact we have a review of an erotic paranormal for A Reader’s Review planned very shortly!

There are currently three reviews on Sizzle and Burn, the latest being Corinne Balfour’s Deceptive Lord, the first book in her Lords of Bondage series. If there is anyone out there who wishes to blog alongside us on Sizzle and Burn, we’d be delighted to discuss it.

If we post a review on Sizzle and Burn, we’ll mention it as part of any updates we put on this site. You can also click on the link on the left of A Reader’s Review screen.

Happy reading!

Tina @ ARR

March 7, 2013 by Tina Williams

Update from Tina

What I am Reading

I have just started Lynsay Sands’ The Rogue Hunter, book 10 in her Argeneau Vampire Series. In it Garrett Mortimer, an eight hundred year old immortal moves into a rural lakeside cottage in Canada with two fellow enforcers on a mission to track down and apprehend a vampire who has gone rogue in the area. The neighbouring cottage is occupied by three young women, one of whom Garrett realises, albeit a bit reluctantly, is his life mate. Sam, the lady concerned is unaware that Garrett is a vampire and is sworn off men. Meanwhile the rogue vampire is still on the loose. So far the tale contains all the trademark humour and romance of other novels by the author and I will be posting a review soon.

Sci-Fi Romances

I am on a quest to find some good sci-fi romances. I have found some on Book Junkies’ PInterest Boards, an indie and small press library, where you can view books across all genres. This is hosted by author Louise Wise and can also be accessed from her own site. I found it was a quick way to find the type of book I wanted. If anyone can recommend any good sci-fi romances please let me know.

Read an E Book Week and special offers on Books

If you access our blog through our Facebook page you will know that I am very excited about the Read an E Book Week promotion that is going on. The promotion, which is from 3rd – 9th March 2013 sees many books being made available for free or at a discounted price. It is an excellent way to try out a new author or even a new genre at nil or low cost. If you have time, dip into some of the sites that are participating and see what you can find. It has its own Facebook page. Smashwords has many books in this promotion, but they are not the only site. Also Whiskey Creek Press is celebrating its 10^th birthday and has three free e-books to download during March, a cowboy romance, a mystery and a fantasy/paranormal romance.

Freaky Folk Tales

As I know that many of you like tales of the paranormal you may wish to check out this site, which has some great tales, inspired by strange goings on around the UK and some lovely photographs and images. Click on the title above if you want to check it out.

Happy reading and have a great weekend!

Tina @ ARR