THE VAMPIRE AFFAIR #1 by Vivi Anna

Title:  THE VAMPIRE AFFAIR #1 
Series:  The Vampire Affair #1 
Author:  Vivi Anna 
Publish Date:   04.01.13 
Publisher:  self-published 
Category /Genre:  paranormal romance, novella 

Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content

Received from:  Amazon purchase 
Date completed: 06.17.14 
Goodreads link: The Vampire Affair #1 

Description from the publisher:

Makayla Bradley, a small-time journalist, risks everything including her job to get the goods on billionaire playboy Jonathan Devane. A man who enthralled her from a single passionate kiss months prior. A man who makes her blood race and her thighs tingle. A man with dark secrets…

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This is the first book in the Vampire Affair series.  Unfortunately, they do not have individual names and are just Vampire Affair#1, #2, #3…  This one was previously published in a different form as Hot Gossip.

A flash of fang?  Did she see that?  No, it must be her imagination.  This is a great build-up short-story to prepare you for the rest of the series.  At least, I hope the rest of the series is this hot and well-planned.  I really liked that who and what Jonathan is was slowly revealed, much like a good strip-tease.  Mak is a strong woman who makes no apologies for being as tough as she needs to be in order to do her job.  Together they are fire and gasoline…HOT!  Besides the sexual tension of the two main characters, there was also quite a bit of humor from or about all of the characters. 

The spelling and grammar errors were a little distracting, but not overwhelming.  The humor and heat made it worth putting up with a bit of trouble in the reading.

This is the first book that I have read from Ms. Vivi Anna (an obvious nom de plume), but it will not be the last.  I have already purchased the second book in this series and will be reviewing it as soon as I can squeeze it into my schedule.

Grammar/editing:  B – a few small errors

The Vampire Affair series:

1. The Vampire Affair #1
2. The Vampire Affair #2

Other books:

• Hell Kat
• Inferno
• Blood Red
• Awakening
• Into the Night
• Draconian Legends:  Of the Moon
• The Vampire Design
• Buck Naked
• A Wolf’s Heart
• Threshold of Passion

The Nina Decker series:

1. Glimmer
2. Dawning
3. Portal

The Blackthorn Wolvesseries:

1. Bad to the Bone
2. Hungry Like the Wolf
3. Bad Moon Rising

The Valorian series:

1. Blood Secrets
2. Dark Lies
3. Veiled Truth
4. Mahina’s Storm
5. Bewitching Hour
6. The Vampire’s Quest
7. The Vampire’s Kiss
8. Her Dark Heart
9. A Wolf’s Heart

The Fallen series:

1. Heart of the Hunter
2. Releasing of the Hunter
3. Seducing the Hunter (coming soon)
4. Protecting the Hunter (coming soon)

The League of Illusion series:

1. Legacy
2. Prophecy
3. Destiny

The Sexy Beast series:

1. Sexy Beast

Nom de Plume:  Tawny Stokes (Young Adult):

• Static
• Demons of the Rich and Famous
• Eternal Spring
• Electic
• America’s Next Top Zombie
• Bound by Nature

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WIRE by Anne Conley

Title:  WIRE

Series:  Pierce Securities #2

Author:  Anne Conley

Publish Date:   06.25.15

Publisher:  Anne Conley

Category /Genre:  Contemporary Romance, Suspense

Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content

Received from:  Anne Conley (in exchange for an honest review)

Goodreads link: Wire

Date completed: 06.25.15

Description from the publisher:

Evan Rocco has been a hero to Paige Lawson for as long as she could remember. So when she runs into him in a bar after a major professional coup, she’s feeling celebratory and reckless. But it can’t go anywhere, because after all, he’s Evan Rocco. When she finds her gaming company in trouble, there’s only one man she can turn to.

Evan can’t get the woman who disappeared after their one-night-stand six months ago out of his head. He’d honestly thought there was more between them besides just sex—a connection he’d never felt before. When PSL, his favorite game software company is the victim of sabotage, he jumps at the chance to help them solve the mystery behind The Crimson Lady, the fan-made character who’s taking credit for murder. Maybe it will get his mind off the woman of his dreams.

When he realizes who the CEO of PSL actually is, he has to get over his own issues or else he’ll put the one woman in danger he never wanted to hurt.

This is book two in the Pierce Securities series, a stand-alone story. The first book, while not necessary to read, is Craze.

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This is the second book in the Pierce Securities series.  So far each stands on their own, but I always recommend reading all and in order (especially when it is from Anne Conley).

This series is Anne Conley’s best work yet.  Very well researched, it provides edge of your seat suspense with an intense undercurrent of love, lust, and desire.  The characters are as extremely well developed as the story.

I loved Krista and Ryan in CRAZE.  I thought, “This is Anne’s best.”  Now, she has surpassed herself.  It helps that Evan and Paige are geeky; I can relate to that personality quirk very well.  There was a lot of fun and flirting, including a nod to Dr. Who (hello, my fellow Whovians!)  I must mention that Evan may be nerdy, but he is a hunky protective nerd – rawrrrr!!

Please, Anne, do not end this series, EVER!!  I want all of the HEAs, of course, but I can’t wait to find out what the story is with Simon.  I know it has been given in brief, but there must be so much more.

Grammar/editing:  ungraded – book received as an unedited ARC / errors excused

 Pierce Securities Series:

1.      Craze

2.      Wire

Other books from Anne Conley

·         The Best Laid Plans of Boys and Men

·         The Fixer Upper

Stories of Serendipity Series:

1.         Dream On

2.         Neighborly Complications

3.         Chef's Delight

4.         Hot Mess

5.         Falling for Him (4.5)

6.         Gambling on Love

7.         My Mistake

8.         Wrecked

9.         Saving Charlie

The Four Winds series:

1. Falling for Heaven
2. Falling for Grace
3. Falling for Hope
4. Falling for Faith
5. Falling for Cyn (coming soon)

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WEREBEAR TEACHER by Crystal Scarlett

Title:  WEREBEAR TEACHER 
Series:  N/A 
Author:  Crystal Scarlett 
Publish Date:   06.08.15 
Publisher:  BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance 
Category /Genre:  Paranormal Romance, BBW 
Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content 
Received from:  Amazon purchase 
Goodreads link: Werebear Teacher 
Date completed: 06.15.15

Description from the publisher:

Emily is a happy young lady, about to embark on her first teaching job, after graduation. Thousands of miles from her home town, she settles into her new life, on the borders of Arizona and Mexico.

School life agrees with her, that is until she has to take home a little boy, Gezan, who’s carer has not turned up to collect him at the end of the day. He is cared for by his older brother, Naz, who, though handsome and hunky, turns out also to be arrogant. They end up in a bitter argument and she storms away from the house.

When she decides to return to apologize to Naz for disagreeing with him, she finds herself surrounded by bears in their yard. Then she spots the little boy, Gezan, and runs to rescue him, only to be mauled by a bear.

Naz, cares for her and they are soon falling madly and deeply in love with one other. That is until their next disagreement, they just cannot stop from shouting at each other. She storms off, only to return to apologize, once again.

This time she comes upon a bear fight, only to find Naz on death’s door. What she discovers that evening pushes her beyond her own sanity. Emily’s passions run deeply for this new man in her life, but can she survive a whole new way of thinking, that simply goes beyond human perception?

Warning: Intended for 18+ readers only

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This is a stand-alone short story.

Emily is a newly graduated girl pursuing her first teaching job far from home with the idea of making a difference in an impoverished area.

There is very little I liked about Emily.  She is brave when she attempts to protect Gezan, her special-needs student and she is strong enough to meet her situations head on.  On the other hand, she acts like a spoiled rich girl (which she is).  She is brash, loud, and opinionatedly close-minded.  How could any alpha male find her superiority complexities endearing and/or alluring?

While I understand that it is a short-story, there was entirely too much telling and not enough showing.  The relationship was rushed without a feeling of kismet to explain it.

With phrases like “whilst still at University” I am certain that the author is British, writing about American characters in Arizona. 

Grammar/editing:  F – spelling, homonyms, etc. were numerous and distracted me from the story 

Other Books from Crystal Scarlett:

• Kidnapped by the Bear

BUY LINKS

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VALHALLA by Mandy M. Roth

Title:  VALHALLA 
Series:  Valkyrie #2 
Author:  Mandy M. Roth 
Publish Date:   08.17.10 
Publisher:  New Concepts Publishing 
Category /Genre:  Paranormal Romance 
Recommended for:  18+ due to sexual content 
Received from:  Mandy M. Roth (in exchange for an honest review) 
Date completed: 06.23.15 
Goodreads link: Valhalla 

Description from the publisher:

It's hard to be good when the other side is oh, so bad.
The Valkyrie, Book 2

Linnea isn't exactly happy with her life as one of Odin's handmaidens, but she has always done what is expected of her. Yet all the while she knows the truth--the Valkyries are stretched thinner every day. And now Evil has stopped playing by the rules and started recruiting minions from the supernatural gene pool.

Her newest assignment: counter the vampires' plan by seeking out brave male souls with supernatural powers to join Valhalla's cause. Leaping through waterfalls of time and into legendary battles has never bothered her before, but even with her magic, it's tough to beat the bloodsuckers to the best warriors before they can be turned.

She never expected her quest to bring her face to face with love, in the form of Kerr Laochailan. Their innocent temptation flares into desire, so hot and fast it attracts the wrong kind of attention. In a cruel joke of fate, Kerr is torn from her. Yet her mission goes on. And Fate isn't through playing tricks on the lovers yet, nor is it done introducing lovers to her bed...

Warning: This book contains a butt-kicking female, torn between her love of a stubborn Scottish vampire and a super-sexy Italian blood sucker. Oh, and a lot of fight scenes. 

This novel contains adult content and is intended for mature audiences only. Must be 18 years or older to read.

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This is the second book in the Valkyrie series.  Please do read them in order.

If you haven’t yet read book, The Valkyrie, then stop…. Don’t read any further.  I’m begging you – go read it first!  Trust me, you want to.

Now, for those you have read The Valkyrie, remember reading it and thinking, “Oh, how did she meet Kerr the first time?  Who is Corbin to her?  Gregorios?  Lucha?”   I know for me, I just knew those were rich stories and felt disappointment that I didn’t know the rest of it.  Well, as Paul Harvey used to say, here is “the rest of the story.”  But seriously, do not read this one first.  Allow yourself the mystery and read it as intended.  I’m glad I did; it made for such an outstanding journey.

I read this book in less than a day.  I absolutely could not put it down.  I would have finished it sooner, but I kept getting interrupted (these people actually want to discuss business while I’m traveling through time and around the world!)  I was even trying to read it while making obligatory phone calls.

Please, Mandy Roth, please, with a cherry on top, I’m wishing for book three! 

Grammar/editing:  A – near perfect

Valkyrie Series:

1. Valkyrie
2. Valhalla
3. Voyagers (coming soon)

Other Books from Mandy M. Roth:

http://www.mandyroth.com/full-book-list/

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