The Grass is Always Greener by Brindle Chase

Title: The Grass is Always Greener

Author: Brindle Chase

Publisher: Breathless Press

Publication Date: 2010

ISBN: 978-1-926771-58-8

Genre: Contemporary erotic romance

Length: Short story

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Author Website

Author Email: brindle@forlorn-hope.net

Rating: 3.5 Diamonds

Heat Level: Erotic

Other: Oral, m/f

Reviewer: S. K. Fero

Date: 8-16-10

This is a very short story about two wounded hearts, two lonely people, both with a lot of secret desire. Life has dealt hard blows to neighbors. Susan divorced her womanizing husband and has been wary of trusting another man. Jim’s beloved wife died a year ago and he has struggled with letting her memory go enough to try dating again. Both have secretly fantasized about the other and finally Susan decides to take a chance on finding out if she and Jim can be more than just neighbors.

Since the story is so short, the characters are barely developed and the conflict is limited. But the heat is definitely there.

Eloria's Tear by Amanda Steiger

Title: Eloria’s Tear
Author: Amanda Steiger
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Publication Date: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-595788-722-4
Genre: fantasy romance
Length: 177
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Author Email: sekuiro@comcast.net
Rating: 4 diamonds
Heat Level: spicy
Other: oral
Reviewer: Brecken Stevens
Date: Aug 11, 2010

Wendy Martin is in trouble. She owes money to the wrong person and her life, as well as her family’s, are at stake. With a mysterious lead, she goes searching for the fabled Eloria’s Tear, a priceless religious artifact said to contain the power of a saint long dead. On her way she meets Zander, a creepy guy who keeps himself hidden, but offers to help for a price. Wendy finds that Zander is more than he appears, a chimera who is no longer completely human who needs the Tear to regain his humanity. They’ll have to work together to not only find the Tear, but also to keep it and stay alive.

Eloria’s Tear: good stuff. I enjoyed how flawed Wendy was. She was short sighted, forgot basic things and was terribly impulsive. Those things drove the story. It got a bit long at times, but even in those slower points I enjoyed watching Zander and Wendy get closer. There was danger and the fight scenes were intense with a mix of physical and magic-type violence which I found very engaging. Elloria’s Tear is a story that anyone looking for a bit of fantasy will really enjoy.

Pack of Lies by Vanessa Vaughn

Title: Pack of Lies
Author: Vanessa Vaughn
Publisher: Ravenous Romance
Publication Date: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60777-339-9
Genre: paranormal romance
Length: 185
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Author Website
Author Email: authorvanessavaughn@yahoo.com
Rating: 3.5 Diamonds
Heat Level: explicit
Other: m/m, m/f, voyeurism, oral
Reviewer: Brecken Stevens
Date: Aug 11, 2010

Marcus isn’t necessarily the strongest werewolf in his pack, but through cunning and luck, he became alpha. His pack is animalistic, cruel and lives by the law of the strongest survives. Within that mindset, the tender male attention that he craves is unacceptable, so he spends moments with other males in secret to maintain his status. Jack is a yuppie human, on his way up in the world. From humble beginnings, he fought the social stigmas and became a man of means and reputation. But all that changes when he hits a wolf with his car. A mauling brings changes in Jack and not just his sight and food preferences. He sees a man, feels that man and wants him. Marcus and Jack finally meet, man-to-man and the lust explodes, but will Marcus jeopardize his place in the pack for Jack and can Jack ever accept what it means to be a werewolf?

Pack of Lies, for the most part, is a harder story. Told from alternating first point of views from Jack and Marcus, the reader gets very different views on what is happening and then has to put them together, which is no hardship as the plot flows very well. The sex is hot, frequent and varied, which is nice. The big downfall I felt in the story was in Marcus’ viewpoint. There were times when it felt very feminine, even distractingly so, which I felt didn’t fit his character. But all in all, a good m/m story featuring the not so cuddly side of werewolf paranormal romance. Definitely worth picking up when a reader wants something different.

Beauty is a Beast By Tina Holland

Title: Beauty is a Beast (Dealing with the Dead Book Two)
Author: Tina Holland
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Publication Date: May 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59578-709-5
Genre: Paranormal, Werewolf
Length: 41 pages
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Author Website
Author Email tina-holland@hotmail.com
Rating: 4.25 Diamonds
Heat Level: erotic
Other: Oral, spanking
Reviewer: Suki
Date: August 9, 2010

“Welcome to the future! The year is 3025, and humans are fast becoming extinct. Nizhoni of Mojave Earth Clan knows her spirit guide will protect by giving her the power of the wolf. When she unwittingly bites another human, she flees.
Michael of the Air Clan has searched for the woman he calls Beauty; the one who turned him into a creature of the moon. When he finds her living among the Mojave, he believes he can finally claim her. There's only one problem. She's already married.

Together Nizhoni and Michael must battle her former lover, the Yee Naaldlooshi, or feared skin-walker. The fate of their love and humankind hang in the balance. If Beauty can't have her mate and save the world, she's going to be a real Beast.

Ms Holland has written a fun and unique book full of every paranormal thing I

can think of. This is a paranormal lovers playground. The characters were wonderful and a couple I was routing for the entire time. Although this is book two, I had no problem jumping right into the series and following the story line. In fact, the story is independent enough that if I hadn’t known it was in a series it never would have occurred to me.

My biggest complaint about this book, and the reason I can’t give it a higher score, is that Ms Holland has a book that could have been full length. It felt like scenes were cut short and there could have been so much more to it. It’s all there right at her finger tips and the reader would read it if she would just give it to them. A good read that was just a little too short, but still very recommended.

Curling Up by K.T. Bishop

Title: Curling Up
Author: K.T. Bishop
Publisher: Red Rose Publishing
Publication Date: April 22 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60435-658-8
Genre: Contemporary, Interracial/Multicultural
Length: 79 pages
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Author Website
Rating: 3.75 Diamonds
Heat Level: sensual
Other: oral
Reviewer: Suki
Date: August 9, 2010

“Robin Friesz skipped college to take a radio gig in Canada. He walked into a drug raid in Toronto. The charges were eventually dropped. He was befriended by a Lawn care owner who harnessed his skills as a Curler. He worked his way on the American curling team. Inga Johan found herself out of work as her TV series was cancelled in Sweden. She re-discovered the world of figure skating and beat out a talented squad to make the Olympic team.”

Awesome a love story that involves curling. And I am serious---I love curling. Mr. Bishop has the definite knack for righting a love story that involves sports he is able to talk about a reader may not understand but do it in a way that flows and is exciting.

I absolutely fell in love with the Hero Robin, he is charming and well mannered. It is unfortunate that his luck is as lousy as it is at the beginning of the book, but it’s all those bad things that lead to greatness.

I hated the Heroine, she isn’t supposed to be likeable in the beginning and she isn’t, she is self-centered and rude. Because of this, the transformation into a likable woman is a hard one but one that the author is able to eventually make.

If the reader is ready to suspend disbelief (because it hard to believe that these two could accomplish what they do) and take a jump of faith into this sports romance, you will enjoy it. Yes I would read this one again and yes I will read more by this author.

Gangster Moll by Karen Lewis

Title: Gangster Moll
Author: Karen Lewis
Publisher: Solstice Publishing
Publication Date: April 2010
Genre: Suspense thriller
Length: 90 Pages
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Author Website
Rating: 3.5 for writing – Not a romance.
Heat Level: Sensual
Other: Discussion of Donkey Sex
Reviewer: Suki
Date: August 8, 2010

“Police Officer’s Affair with Gangster Moll Jeopardizes Case. The headline blazed from the newspaper lying on Cheryl Richards’ front doorstep. This is her husband they're talking about.

Devastated that her marriage was thrown away for a slut, a gangster moll, who’s been passed around by gang members and even done donkey sex shows, Cheryl walks out. But to make matters worse, she must now be isolated in a police safe house, which turns her world upside down.

While in protective custody, Nicky, the gangster moll, finds her rescuer in Brian. Their affair produces what he wants most in life, and hasn’t been able to have with Cheryl, a child. Nicky sees this as a way out of her gangster life and lures him into her web of deceit. When Brian, bored with his wife and enticed by Nicky, makes a life altering decision the results are not only catastrophic but potentially deadly.”

Okay, while this is an interesting read, I really have no idea why it was sent to a Romance Review site. This is not a romance...well not one that leaves you feeling good when you walk away.

First of all, it’s a story about adultery and deception. The characters were interesting and Cheryl begins the story with my sympathy but her change of heart seems too quick, too eager to keep it. And her husband is a jerk through and through.

The writing is good and had I gone into this book knowing it wasn’t a romance, if I was a reviewer for a site that reviewed other things than Romance, I would have given this a higher rating.

Slipping the Past by D.L. Jackson

Title: Slipping the Past
Author: D.L. Jackson
Publisher: Liquid Silver
Publication Date: January 11th 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59578-653-1
Genre: Sci-fi Futuristic romance
Length: 129 pages
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Author Website
Author Email: dlareejackson1@gmail.com
Rating: 4 Diamonds
Heat Level: Sensual
Reviewer: Suki
Date: August 8, 2010

“Some love affairs last a lifetime…others never end.

Fifty years into the future, if you’re one of the damned, you don’t run for your life, you run to save your soul. Jocelyn Miller is wanted for crimes she committed before she was born. Homeless, blind and out in the elements on one of the coldest nights of the year, her desperation results in a bad decision. When Jocelyn and her brother Nate rob a convenience store, Jocelyn comes face to face with her worst nightmare and greatest love, a reaper named Gabriel.

Gabriel Solaris is an Enforcer, a genetically-enhanced psychic often referred to as a reaper for his ability to take souls, and he’s charged with collecting Jocelyn’s. When he finds Jocelyn outside the store, he’s sure she’s up to something illegal. Proving it isn’t necessary. He holds a warrant and it’s all he needs. But the closer Gabriel gets to Jocelyn, the more he begins to question his duty and why he believes her claims of innocence. When Jocelyn tells him she loved him once, Gabriel loses control and kisses her. Instead of taking her soul, he gives her a week to prove innocence in her past-life crimes, something he has no authority to grant”

What a wonderful, inventive, and suspenseful read. From the prologue you know you are reading a book quite different from most anything else out there. Slipping the Past takes place in the future when we as humans have learned to create super humans with extraordinary powers and how to harness the powers of those who are criminal. But what happened when all the criminals have been harnessed and you need more, you head to the past and find people whose souls have committed crimes in past lives. And that is just the beginning of this book full of twists and turns at every corner. But at the Center is a love affair that crosses the bounds of time and past lives.

Gabriel is the Enforcer Charged with finding Jocelyn, the woman he has he has always loved. But he isn’t alone and how do you prove your innocence through past lives and past crimes.

D.L. Jackson creates a world that is fascinating and asks the question how much power is too much.