Lynelle Reviews: Kithra (The Kithran Regenesis, #1) by Dani Worth

Reviewed by Lynelle

"A frustrated spaceship captain, her trusty second-in- command, and a handsome alien prove that three is definitely not a crowd.

The Kithran Regenesis, Book 1

Spaceship captain Lux Moyans is currently piloting missions for The Company. When her second-in-command, Kol Frega, informs her they’ve been ordered to Kithra, she’s furious. A year on an uninhabitable planet? She’ll only be flying supply missions! But her ship—Kol’s design—is the only one that can withstand the planet’s gases…and Lux is one of the few pilots with the skill to navigate the debris fields resulting from the explosions that killed most of the planet’s Gwinarian race.

Kol is the engineer who learned to manipulate the indestructible metal on Kithra, and he and a surviving Gwinarian will be her only company on planet. When they pick up Egan Lothbrun, Lux knows there will be trouble. She’s already attracted to Kol and she doesn’t need another man to arouse her either mentally or physically. Lux doesn’t want or need the complications that emotions bring. Yet, when she learns Kol and Egan share a painful past, she realizes getting Kithra livable won’t be her only challenge.

Keeping her heart intact might be harder."

Review:

Kithra I thought was a great start to the series and thought it was easy to follow with being sci-fi (which I find at times can get confusing due to terminology, etc) and I just couldn’t help but feel for each of these 3 main characters.

The story begins with Lux Moyans, Captain of the ship, being informed by Kol Frega, second-in-command, that they have been reassigned to a new mission, to go to Kirtha, an inhabitable planet with deadly gases. Right from the beginning the sparks fly between these two. We learn that Lux has a strict policy to not have relations with others that are below her in rank and therefore up until this point her relationship with Kol has been strictly business without even a hint of interest. As part of their new mission they are to bring one more person to this small crew, a surviving Gwinarian, Egan Lothbrun.  Right away Lux lusts after him but doesn’t know what to think has she observes the first interaction between Kol and Egan. Obviously there’s a history there, but she has no idea what it could be. The chemistry between the 3 characters is hawt!!

The beginning I felt like just dropped you right into the story with no real introduction to the world, but I didn’t find this to be problem to get into the story or get to know the characters. Dani did a great job of the flow of the story and when/how much past information she revealed throughout. As each part of Kol and Egan’s past is revealed, I just could not help but have my heart go out to them; there is so much unspoken emotion between them. At times I felt that poor Lux was like the 3^rd wheel to this past relationship Kol and Egan had, and each time I’d think something(as if I was in Lux’s position) well she went ahead and had the same thoughts and feelings and insecurities about what was going on as well. This feisty, independent woman gets confused about her feelings for these two men and she has to decide if she wants to explore these emotions or stick to her structured planned out future, that doesn’t involve any long term relationships.

Although this was a pretty sexy story, which definitely isn’t the entire story is about. It is an emotional story about 3 individuals who are afraid to love and learn to find trust, acceptance, and compassion within each other. I would recommend this book and will be looking forward the next book in the series that follows.

ebook

Published November 8th 2011 by Samhain Publishing

more details...

ISBN 9781609288

Guest Post & Giveaway with Author Virna DePaul

Welcome to stop #10 in my blog tour For Chosen By Sin (Para-Ops #3).

Thank you to Lush for having me here today!  This tour focuses on my writing and my paranormal series, but also my Twelve Resolutions for 2012, as well as the resolutions of my hero in Chosen By Sin, werebeast Dex Hunt. Those of you who know Dex know he's a bit...difficult, so I'm curious to see what he comes up with. (Psst: Dex doesn't actually know it, but his “resolutions” are more like a Twelve-Step Program designed by me to get him to his HEA).

I'll be giving away a prize to one commenter from this blog stop, but I'm also giving away one grand prize to one blog tour follower.  See the giveaway details below! :)

The Para-Ops Series: Five years after the Second Civil War ends, humans and Otherborn—humanlike creatures with superhuman DNA—still struggle for peace. To ensure the continued rights of both, the FBI forms a Para-Ops team with a unique set of skills.  (Chosen By Blood (Book 1), Chosen By Fate (Book 2))

So what's Resolution #10 for me?  See More Plays And Musicals

I'm a musical junkie.  At least, I used to be.  But in the past few years, while I've managed to sneak in a few big ones (Wicked, Phantom, Jersey Boys), I no longer see them regularly and I haven't seen many local productions.  Just like books, musicals enable me to experience other people and places in an emotional, usually uplifting way.  They're especially great for those who love romance, even if it doesn't necessarily come with a perfect HEA.  For example, take Aida, a musical written by Elton John about star-crossed lovers.  I'm listening to a song from the musical right now, a duet between the romantic leads called Written In The Stars.  Here's just a few lines:

Never wonder what I feel as living shuffles by

You don't have to ask me and I need not reply

Every moment of my life from now until I die

I will think or dream of you and fail to understand

How a perfect love can be confounded out of hand

Is it written in the stars?

Are we paying for some crime?

Is that all that we are good for?

Just a stretch of mortal time?

Or some God's experiment

In which we have no say?

In which we're given paradise

But only for a day...

How's that for gut-wrenchingly powerful?

  

And what's Resolution #10 for Dex Hunt?

Here's a hint from Chosen By Sin.

“Remember, Dex,” Mahone said during their final briefing on Dex’s assignment. “Flying to Paris is about gathering intel only. The shape-shifters aren’t exactly a group the Bureau is prepared to trust. Still, reliable sources overseas tell us there’s more infighting than ever.”

“You’ve reminded me of this every hour on the hour. I’ve made several good connections over the past few days. I’m not stupid, Mahone.”

“But you do have a problem blending in, even when you’re in the States. You’ll stand out even more in France, where Otherborn aren’t even publicly acknowledged.”

It didn’t matter where they were—none of the Para-Ops team blended in. But Dex just shrugged.

He got what Mahone was saying loud and clear.

Forget that the team’s leader, Knox Devereaux, had a vampire’s silver hair and pupils, that Wraith had once had blue skin and hazed-over eyes, or that O’Flare was an “11” on a scale of one to ten for sexual appeal. Dex was the team’s problem child. That’s what Mahone meant, and that suited Dex just fine. 

Dex's resolution #10 is to stop buying into what other people think of him.  In fact, it's to stop encouraging those thoughts.  At various times, people have called Dex a problem child, a whipped dog, a pet, a worthless bastard.  He's taken in all those slights, whether he wants to admit it or not, and he needs to let them go. 

Want to see a trailer I made depicting the Para-Ops characters as I see them?  Dex is particularly yummy!  Here's the link: http://on.fb.me/z6Z8nI

Bio: Virna DePaul is a former prosecutor and now national bestselling author of the Para-Ops Novels. She also writes contemporary romantic suspense for Harlequin Romantic Suspense (It Started That Night, May 2012) and HQN (Shades Of Desire, June 2012).

Blurb for Chosen By Sin:

The longest life isn’t always the happiest one…

For now, werebeast Dex Hunt serves on the Para-Ops team, but his true purpose is to kill the werewolf leader he blames for his mother’s death. Biding his time, Dex keeps his emotional distance from his team members and anyone else he might care for, including a mysterious vampire he met in L.A.

As a doctor, vampire Jesmina Martin has dedicated her immortal life to healing others. As a scientific researcher, she’s trying to prolong life spans, in particular those of her adoptive dragon-shifter family and the werewolf who saved her as a child. Her greatest hope lies with Dex, a werebeast she believes can gift immortality to others.

Only Dex knows nothing about his gift or the fact Jesmina wants to harness it. After a passionate night together neither expects to see the other again. Weeks later, they are reunited in France and forced to acknowledge a fragile miracle—a new life struggling to survive. At the same time, they must stop a group of rebel shape-shifters hoping to unleash every demon in hell. But before Dex and Jesmina can save their child or the world, they must relinquish their secrets, face their fears, and open themselves to love.

Purchase:

E-version ($4.99)

Amazon: http://t.co/SE2EAgR

Barnes and Noble: http://t.co/UW5P73o

Paperback ($7.99)

Amazon: http://fb.me/19XPRKYX3

Giveaway Details:

Daily Blog Tour Giveaway: Today, Virna is gifting one book from her backlist (prize winner's choice, see backlist here) to one randomly selected commenter who either leaves a comment on the blog, or a question for Virna to answer. Please also include your email addy. This will end on 1/21/12 at midnight

GRAND PRIZE TOUR GIVEAWAY: What was Dex's "resolution" that Virna talked about today? Do you know the answer? Fantastic!!  Because...

Virna is also gifting a $100 Amazon gift card to one randomly selected reader who leaves the answer to this question during the blog tour.  Go to: http://chosenbysin.com/virtual-tour-grand-prize  You can be entered to win the grand prize once each day by simply following the tour from January 9 - 20, and leaving your answer with each day's different resolution!!

Virna is also offering autographed copies of CHOSEN BY SIN for purchase during this blog tour.  To purchase an autographed copy, please visit http://chosenbysin.com.

Thanks Virna for stopping by!

ARC Review: A Town Called Valentine by Emma Cane

"Welcome to Valentine Valley--

where broken hearts come home to mend,
and true love may lie just across the range...

Emily Murphy never thought she'd return to her mom's rustic hometown in the Colorado Mountains. But after her marriage in San Francisco falls apart, leaving her penniless and heartsick, she returns to her old family home to find a new direction for her life. On her first night back, though, a steamy encounter with handsome rancher Nate Thalberg is not the fresh start she had in mind...

Nate has good reason not to trust the determined beauty who just waltzed into town--he's no stranger to betrayal. Besides, she's only there to sell her family's old property and move back out. But as Nate and Emily begin working side-by-side to restore her time-worn building and old family secrets change Emily's perception of herself, both are about to learn how difficult it is to hide from love in a place known far and wide for romance, family ties, and happily-ever-afters: a town called Valentine."

 Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages

Expected publication: February 2nd 2012 by Avon (first published January 24th 2012)

ISBN 0062102273 (ISBN13: 9780062102270)

 

Review: 

 

 Emily Murphy decides to escape to Valentine, Colorado to move on from her old life and start a whole new one. Since Emily is just recently divorced she is hoping to sell the building her mother had left her so she is able to go to college, but that doesn’t even almost cover it. She is just about broke. Who said this was going to be as easy as she planned.

Nate Thalberg, has always lived in Valentine and is the local cowboy who all the woman would love to get a hold of. Unfortunately for them he doesn’t like form meaningful relationships with the women he decides to date. This is a rule for him, but when he meets Emily for the first time at a bar he can’t help but be drawn to her.

Sparks start to fly while they are in the bar and one things leads to a hot kiss. Although they are intrigued by the sparks they are both throwing off she is more than embarrassed and gets out of dodge. Well at least she tries until she finds out that her car won’t start and she must depend on this cowboy to take her to the building.

When they arrive at the building they both realize that it is unsafe for her to be staying there and so good old Nate suggests a room for a night but not at his house but his Aunts. Seeing her in distress brings out the protective side of him and he feels the need to take care of her. Spending time with Emily isn’t as easy as Nate thought it would be and keeping the distance tends to get harder and harder. Developing feelings for each other was never part of the plan.

I loved the attraction and tension between the two main characters. I felt like I was actually on the outside looking in. The way they can’t stay away from each other was just darling. It was as if they were pulled towards each other by an invisible string.

I couldn’t help but love Emily’s character. The way that her confusion took over with Nate was sweet. She wanted to be involved but she was very scared of falling for this sinfully looking cowboy. Nate never wanted to be attached to a woman because the fear of hurting her. Even the side characters will get you more interested and invested for what is to come in this town.

This ended up being a super sweet story that I didn’t want to end. It was emotional, but had it enjoyable parts where you couldn’t help but smile. I am looking forward to seeing if this will be a series and who will be up next to fall in love in Valentine, Colorado. This is a town I can’t wait to return to.

 

ARC REVIEW: Lover's Leap by Emily March

"Twenty years ago the town bad boy, Cam Murphy, left Eternity Springs in handcuffs, riding in the back of a sheriff’s van . . . and breaking young Sarah Reese’s heart. The defiant teenager vowed never to return.

In Australia, Cam makes a new beginning. He builds a successful business and suffers few regrets until Sarah—and their daughter—walk into his life, and then immediately run away. Realizing it’s time to right yesterday’s wrongs, he follows Sarah home to Colorado—and turns her world upside down.

Cam wants to know his daughter. He needs to prove to Sarah, the town, and himself that he’s changed. Will the residents of Eternity Springs offer forgiveness—and will Sarah have the courage to trust this man who is asking for a second chance?"

Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages

Expected publication: December 27th 2011 by Random House Publishing Group

ISBN 0345528778 (ISBN13: 9780345528773)

Review:  

When Sarah Reece’s boyfriend was escorted out of town in handcuffs twenty years before her heart broke into pieces. That wasn’t even the icing on the cake. Nope. The icing was when she told him that she was pregnant with his baby. The worst blow hit her when he said that her and the baby were a mistake. Although the strong Sarah never got over her love, she always did her best to raise Lori. 

Winning a trip of a lifetime to the lush Australia is what the Mother and daughter team needed. This was to be the best vacation they had ever had, well that was until they received the surprise of both their lives and ended up on a boat with Cameron Murphy. And to make matters worse he was with his son. It ended up being way too much for Lori and Sarah, so much that they retreat back to Eternity Springs where it is safe and Cameron isn’t. 

One major regret Cameron has in his life was leaving behind the woman he loved and their unborn child. Seeing them standing on his boat was very real. It was also very real when he sees them both running from him. He has never been so hurt or confused. Now that his past has come back to confront him, he won’t give them the chance to run away. It’s about time he gets to know his beautiful daughter and see the one woman who he has loved forever. 

Returning to the place he left so long ago wasn’t in the cards, but now it is time to face the past and try to make a mends with not only the woman he has never forgotten but to try to reach out to the daughter he never got the chance to know. It’s time to make his family whole and he is pulling out all the stops to do just that.

I loved this book. The emotions that were brought out in the read were truly overwhelming. I couldn’t help by tear up the moment Lori sees her father for the first time and decides she isn’t ready for this at all. You can’t help but not to feel for these characters and what they are going through in the story. 

I not only found Lover’s Leap to be an emotional ride, but to insightful. Sometimes you must overcome past mistakes and take control of the future. Getting over the past is what Cam and Sarah must do to help Lori heal. I felt for Cam and the way he had to prove that he isn’t the same person he was when he left town.

This story is filled with love, emotions and heartache that will have you reaching for the tissues.

I loved every moment of this story and can’t wait to read what Emily March has next in store for us. This story will give you more than a hope but a second chance of a happily ever after.

ARC Review: Sweet Reward by Christy Reece

"WHEN RISK IS THE REWARD—LET THE DANGER BEGIN

Adrenaline junkie Jared Livingston has found the perfect blend of exhilaration and danger in his new job at Last Chance Rescue. Raised to depend only on himself, Jared tried marriage, but the end of the relationship renewed his belief that he was meant to be a loner. Now a desperate plea from his ex-wife puts Jared in the unique position of using the skills she despised to rescue her missing daughter. The case brings Jared face-to-face with Mia Ryker, the only agent ever fired from LCR—for playing too far outside the box. Now Mia’s back, and as a team, they’re as compatible as fuel and fire—blowing off tension in each other’s arms, blowing open the secret life of a wealthy philanthropist and his shameful dealings. Their search for the innocent child takes them to places neither have been before—to the edge of danger and to the edge of their hearts."

Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages

Expected publication: December 27th 2011 by Random House Publishing Group

ISBN 0345524098 (ISBN13: 9780345524096)

 

Review: 

Jared Livingston not only likes living life on the edge, but his job as an operative for Last Chance Rescue gives him all the rush he needs.  His new case happens to hit close to home when his ex wife calls with her baby has been kidnapped. Although they don’t get along he feels like he needs to help out no matter what it may cost in the end.

Mia Ryker is an ex-Last Chance Rescue operative who now runs her own rescue business in Chicago. When the case starts not to make compete sense she is brought in to help Jared put all the pieces together to get the baby back safe. This includes working with the sexiest man she has ever encountered. 

Sparks start to fly as Jared and Mia start to work very closely together. Mia takes a chance and decides she wants to go undercover, but Jared isn’t sold on the idea. She is bringing out feelings in him that are more than confusing so he tends to try to ignore them as the case starts to progress. In the battle with himself he finds it more difficult than he has expected. 

Reece brings you on ride that is emotional and action packed from the beginning to the very end. I wouldn’t say I fell in love with this book but it was a book that kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what in the world is going to happen. Jared is a hero that you easily like or instantly don’t. I found myself on the fence about his character throughout reading. In the beginning he is so cold and hard, I got the feeling he would never soften, but as the story did progress it became clear on why he was the way he was. So when he does a 180 i have to admit I was more than pleased.

I loved the fact that Mia brought in her emotions in everything she did. They were both just so different that they ended balancing each other out very well. Mia didn’t end up being so kick ass as I first thought of her to be, but none the less she was the perfect heroine for Jared. The way she doesn’t back down to him or anyone else makes him want her even more than he would have ever expected. The way she ends up gets to him is really is a classic.

No relationship is ever easy especially not there’s. They will have to work at their relationship to keep it in balance. Although the case takes you on turn after turn, you can’t help but feel the tension between these two which to me was the best part of the story. Sweet Reward will leave you with just that… a reward that will leave you with an ending that you will never forget.

Guest Post with Author KT Grant : Find out who she wants under her tree..

Today I want to welcome one of my favorite people. She is not only an awesome blogger but a terrific author who has opened my eyes to a new genre ..... Please welcome KT Grant :)  

Danielle my favorite blogging lush *raises a glass of some fruity concoction in her honor* invited me here to talk about my top 5 literary heroes I’d love to find under my Christmas tree on Christmas morning.

If I found Roarke from J.D. Robb’s In Death series, I would pounce on him in a hot minute. Roarke is one sexy Irish stallion who appreciates the best things in life like a nice bottle of wine, coffee and a waterbed to rest his weary body on after working long hours running his multibillionaire company and giving his detective wife, Eve some aid when she’s up against the wall working a tough case. I can just imagine Roarke lying there with only a big red bow wrapped around him and nothing else while he drinks from a snifter of brandy.

Bones from Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series would had a big black leather bow around his neck and hidden among a few branches, keeping watch to make sure no bad guys like crazed vampires or nasty ghosts come along to ruin my Christmas. His sexy British voice would be the best gift I could receive and he has a thing for redheads (like me). Maybe Cat would let me borrow him for a few hours on Christmas morning as I undress him…I mean unwrap my gifts!

Derek Craven from Lisa Kleypas’s Dreaming of You knows how to have a fun time. He’s a smooth lover with a cockney attitude who respects the lady and likes to gamble. He’s humble, yet wants to best of everything because he grew up in the worst situation possible. I can see him spending his Christmas at a hospital reading to sick children or chatting up the sick patients.

Since I can’t decide, I want every vampire hero from JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series under my Christmas tree. It will be a very tight squeeze with all these big, hulking men who are always on call to protect the innocent people in their community. All these guys have so much stress to deal with that I would cook them a big dinner where they could eat until their content and just sit back and have a good old time. 

Allow me to introduce you to a new favorite hero of mine. He’s Xavier Marks, the hero from my book, Xavier’s Loving Arms, releasing on 12/30 from Decadent Publishing. Xavier is my favorite hero I’ve written so far. He comes from a loving family, is addicted to coffee (like me!) and loves to show a woman a good time. His heart was broken by his fiancée who cheated on him with a friend. He has returned home to take over the family run business from his father who’s retiring and he ends up meeting a woman who gives him a run for his money because she doesn’t fall at his feet. His goal is to break down her defensives and show her that she’s no longer alone in the world because she now has him for support.

Plus Xavier looks much like this guy: (picture of Blair Underwood)

Can we say swoon?

This is only a short list (well I guess if you count all the BDB vampire men, it really isn’t) of hot heroes I would love to find under my Christmas tree. If you woke up on Christmas morning, what literary hero would you love to find under your Christmas tree? How would you spend the day with him?

I would love to find  Ford from Lucky Harbor under my tree and we totally would be spending the day out on his boat... and in his bed. I need to thank Jill Shalvis for writing a man i just can't get enough of. 

I want to thank KT for taking the time to join me today. *kisses and hugs* hope to see you soon for a glass of wine or 5 LOL. *winks*

Visit Her here 

KB
Babbling About Books, and More!
http://kbgbabbles.blogspot.com/

KT Grant (Author of "out of the box" reads)
http://ktgrant.com/