Book Beginning and Friday 56

I'm linking up with Rose City Reader for Book Beginnings and Freda's Voice for Page 56.

 Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Pick the closest book on your book stack and

Come Join us!

My book this week is Dangerous Seduction by Zoe Archer. This has been on my TBR pile for several months. It is book two in the series and it went to the top of my pile when I saw that book three is out.

Book Beginning:

'Trewyn, Cornwall

Wheal Prosperity Copper Mine

1886

The granite room shook. Hissing and grinding filled the chamber."

Page 56:

'Yet he didn't miss the cautious glances thrown is way by many of the other miners nearby or the wake of space around him."

From Goodreads:

"In Zoë Archer's Dangerous Seduction, Alyce Carr has no time for the strange man in her little Cornwall village, no matter how breathtakingly handsome he is. Life in Trewyn doesn't allow for much fun—the managers of the copper mine barely provide the miners and their families with enough food. Outsiders are suspect and flirts are unimaginable, but Simon Sharpe is as keen as his name…and Alyce can't ignore him for long.

As the founder of Nemesis, Unlimited, Simon Addison-Shawe is well accustomed to disguise and deceit. Yet he's not prepared for Alyce's dogged defense of her people and the injustices the copper mine has dealt them. With Alyce's help he can change the fate of an entire town, and convincing her to join him is only part of the thrill. Together, they ignite a desire in each other much too powerful to deny. But at what cost?"

The Seer by Ariel MacArran

Science Fiction Romance

From Goodreads:

Discovery means death but Arissa risks everything to save Fleet officer Jolar's life. Repaying this telepath means saving her from execution and Jolar strikes a bargain that will spare her life. In return, Arissa must join him on a dangerous mission and use her telepathic abilities to help him uncover hidden forces that threaten the Tellaran Realm.

Jolar will do whatever it takes to clear his life debt to Arissa. The only thing he absolutely cannot let himself do is fall in love with her.

I love Science Fiction Romance and am always looking for new books and new authors.  When Ariel MacArran offered a free copy of The Seer in return for an honest review I jumped at the chance and I am glad I did.

I love the start of The Seer.  Arissa walkes into an alley and sees a man about to shoot Jolar.  She thinks, “I could just let him die.”  But she does not.  She distracts the shooter, saves Jolar life and changes her own.

I loved Arissa.  She has been hidden away her whole life but when her parents die she is on her own.  She is very intelligent, stronger than she thinks and very much at sea out in a world she has only experienced from a distance.  It was great to see her change, realize that she is strong and that she can take control of her life.

Jolar is a very conflicted hero.  When Arissa saves his life he is honor bound to take care of her.  What starts out as just a duty quickly changes but that same honor binds him to other duties that could tear them apart. 

The two must travel together to find out who in threatening the peace of the Tellaran Realm.  Not everyone is who they seem and not every action is what they expect.  Both are on a journey of discovery and both have life changing experiences that may tear them apart or may bring them together.

The Seer is a good addition to anyone’s Science Fiction Romance library.

Here Be Dragons published The Seer by Ariel MacArran in 2014.

Waiting On Wednesday: The Winter Bride

 

 Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature sponsored by Breaking the Spine.  It is a great way to share upcoming releases.

I am waiting on The Winter Bride (A Chance Sisters Romance)  by Anne Gracie.  I loved the first book and have high hopes for this one.

Bittersweet Darkness (The Order #3) by Nina Croft

Paranormal Romance

From Goodreads:

There are no monsters, only good guys and bad guys. That’s the creed by which Detective Inspector Faith Connolly has always lived.

When Faith discovers that she has a time bomb counting down in her head, she has one goal; to solve the murder case she’s working on—a young girl who was found drained of blood—and in doing so gain closure for a long ago murder never solved. Her investigation brings her in contact with Ash Delacourt. Ash is all black leather, big guns and sexy bad attitude—definitely not one of the good guys.

As payment for a debt, Asmodai AKA Ash Delacourt, finds himself working with the Order of the Shadow Accords. He’s the demon representative on the newly formed Committee for the Integration of Mankind and well…everything else. It’s a chance to be near his daughter, make a new start, and—once he’s met the delectable detective—maybe have a little fun.

There are no monsters. But as Faith’s investigation deepens, her beliefs are eroded and for the first time, she is falling in love—with one of the bad guys. But how can she ever let Ash close when her time is running out.

It seems I just could not get enough of Nina Croft this week.  I received Bittersweet Darkness from Netgalley and read it right after Death Defying.  Bittersweet Darkness is book three in The Order series and I had not read book one, Bittersweet Blood or book two, Bittersweet Magic. It did not take me long to see that Bittersweet Darkness it worked very well as a stand along.  I knew I was missing back-story on some of the characters but there was enough dropped into the dialog and action that I never felt lost.

Faith Connolly is the main female character in the story and I loved her.  She had a blind spot (there are not monsters) but did not realize it.  She was very focused on her job and loyal to the people she worked for.  When she things started to go wrong she had to move past that blind spot to do what was right.  It was very had but she had the strength to do what needed to be done.

Ash Delacout is the main male character and he is a monster.  He thinks he is unable to love and knows that even if he is able he is unwilling to love.  Faith just knocks him off balance.  He has to admit his feelings and accept that Faith has always acted in an honorable manner.

Throw in the angles who do not want change, the fact that the modern world is going to discover that demons, vampires and others are real, that some are working to make sure that happens in an orderly fashion and the plot points are set up for an exciting story.

There is action, suspense, danger, and romance all mixed up in a great story.  Bittersweet Darkness is a fun quick paranormal read that held my attention throughout the story.

Entangled: Edge published Bittersweet Darkness by Nina Croft in 2014.

I received an ARC of Bittersweet Darkness from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

Teaser Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:"
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book. 

"How can you be sure."

Mark looked at me with eyes so remote they left me chilled.  "I'm sure." he said quietly, and sipped his drink."  page 93

From In A Fix by Linda Grimes.  I am only a few pages in but so far I like the book.

From Goodreads:

"The start of an original new urban fantasy series starring human chameleon Ciel Halligan

Snagging a marriage proposal for her client while on an all-expenses-paid vacation should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. A kind of human chameleon, she’s able to take on her clients’ appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don’t want to deal with themselves. No fuss, no muss. Big paycheck.

This particular assignment is pretty enjoyable... that is, until Ciel’s island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client’s about-to-be-fiancé is snatched by modern-day Vikings. For some reason, Ciel begins to suspect that getting the ring is going to be a tad more difficult than originally anticipated.

Going from romance to rescue requires some serious gear-shifting, as well as a little backup. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she’s been crushing on for years—both skilled adaptors—step in to help, but their priority is, annoyingly, keeping her safe. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client’s intended.

Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems."

Musing Monday March 3, 2014

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…Musing Mondays is sponsored by Should Be Reading.
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

Today I want to share two different on-line publications.  Fiction River features different themes each time it comes out.  It is edited by Wesley Dean Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch.  They are a husband and wife team who write in several different areas.  You can find it for sale on Amazon.

The second is Science Fiction Romance Quarterly Issue 2.  This one is free.  A little about both is below.

Fiction River:  Moonscapes – edited by Wesley Dean Smith

"We all look up at the moon and wonder. And maybe dream. For centuries, the moon filled our imaginations. Eleven professional writers took those dreams and set original stories on moons scattered all over the galaxy. Yet, as the dreams of centuries, every story holds a human touch. From a mythical man fulfilling a childhood wish to a fantastic addition to Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s bestselling Retrieval Artist series, this volume of Fiction River allows you to travel to eleven different moons without leaving the comfort of home.

Fiction River is an original fiction anthology series. Modeled on successful anthology series of the past, from Orbit to Universe to Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine, the goal of Fiction River is to provide a forum for “original ground-breaking fiction of all genres.”

Science Fiction Romance Quarterly, Issue 2 edited by Kaz Augustine

"This is the second issue of the Quarterly and it just keeps getting better and better.  This issue has new releases for December, January, February, and March, interviews with Beth Ciotta and Gail Carriger, an Opinion piece: Elements of Awesome, Charlee’s Scopebox:  Steampunk with Cyborg Squirrels, Reviews by Toni Adams, The Book Pushers, Jo Jones, and Marlene Harris and The Kissing Machine a fiction story by Danielle Davis.  And all of this is free."

Death Defying (Blood Hunter #3) by Nina Croft

Science Fiction Romance/Space Opera

From Goodreads:

Part snake, part human, and—some would say all bitch—Captain Tannis of the starship El Cazador has one goal in life—to earn enough credits to pay for the Meridian treatment to achieve the immortality she craves. And one last job will get her there. The assignment: protecting the most powerful man in the Universe.

Being leader of the known universe isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it sucks big time. And after five hundred years, Callum Meridian, founding member of the Collective, is bored out of his mind. But as things are changing, he’s changing—into what, though, he isn’t sure. Callum is determined to discover the truth, and he’s employed the crew of El Cazador to help him do it.

Not everyone agrees with his plan, though. His own people will stop at nothing to prevent the truth coming out, the Church is taking advantage of the confusion and attempting a coup, and even the crew of El Cazador seem close to tossing him out the airlock without a space suit. But defying death has never been more dangerous, sexier, or more fun.

I loved the first two Blood Hunter novels.  They were the kind of Science Fiction Romance and Space Opera that I love.  I put Death Defying on pre-order as soon as I saw it.  It appeared on my kindle several days ago and went to the top of by TBR list.  I expected the same level of enjoyment I got from reading the first two books and I was not disappointed.

Death Defying did several things. The prologue goes back 15 years and tells how Rico and Tannis met.  I got to catch up with the crew of El Cazador again.  There was additional world building as I learned more about the Collective, the Church and the Rebels.  Death Defying has one very important new main character, Callum Meridian.  He was a side character in previous books but moves to center stage here.  Tannis get her own chance for a HEA but not without a lot of problems.

The plot starts out simple and becomes more complex as the story progresses.  Callum hires the El Cazador and its crew to take him on a journey of discovery.  For Callum it is more of a journey then he expected.  He starts out as an arrogant spoiled man who has to face some hard facts about the man he has become.  How the mission plays out depends on how much he can change.

This is book three in the series but it does a good job standing alone.  For maximum enjoyment read Break Out, book one, and Deadly Pursuit, book two first.  When you finish all three there is Temporal Shift and Blood and Metal coming out in March and April of 2014.

Entangled: Edge published Death Defying by Nina Croft in 2014.

Stacking the Shelves, March 2, 2014

Some of the Books Stacked on My Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I added to my shelves this week. They may it be physical or virtual. I include books I buy in a physical store or online, books I borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  Follow the link to see what others have on their shelves.

Purchased:

In A Fix by Linda Grimes
The Bride Says Maybe by Cathy Maxwell
Death Defying by Nina Croft

Won From Random House's 14 Days of Love:

Because of You: A Loveswept Contemporary Military Romance (Coming Home)  by Jessica Scott
Wild on You: The Justiss Alliance Series by Tina Wainscott

For Review:  

The Seer by Ariel MacArran
Starcrossed Bride by Meg Leader
Grunt Life by Weston Ochse