Quick Reviews: Bloodlust - Larissa Ione & Weaved for Pleasure: Sinclair - Stella & Audra Price

I think it's great when authors put free short stories on their website - it's a fab way of trying out new authors before you buy their books.  The 2 short stories I'm mentioning today are actually from authors I already know & love but I wanted to mention them for those of you who haven't tried their work before.

Bloodlust - Larissa Ione

Sometimes, you don't need romance…

Sir Brynn of Lochland has a serious problem. He's been captured by an evil vampire queen who wants to use him as her newest blood slave. But Bryann doesn't have a submissive bone in his body, and he intends to fight her every step of the way.

Can Brynn's willpower remain intact when pitted against Sorla's superior vampire strength, seductive skills, and underhanded cruelty, or will she ultimately take possession of both his mind…and body?

* * * CONTENT WARNING: This is a VERY graphic erotic horror/fantasy novella. Expect blood, sex, some M/M content, and bad, bad words

The PDF for Bloodlust can be downloaded from Larissa Ione's website here

Review: I'm a massive fan of Larissa Ione's Demonica series and enjoyed Bloodlust, a story about vampire Queen Sorla and Sir Brynn Blackheath of Lochland - a knight who was captured in battle and is now her sex slave.  I have to say that this is very different to the Demonica series so if you don't enjoy Bloodlust don't let that put you off trying Pleasure Unbound, the first book in the Demonica series.
 
Weaved for Pleasure: Sinclair - Stella & Audra Price

When Nora is willed a beautiful house on a bluff, and a musty old curio shop from a distant relation, She thought it would be great way to start over after her divorce.
 
While cleaning the store room, a carpet unrolls and a very naked and sexy man pops out offering her a month of sultry passion... and three wishes.
 
For more information you can check Stella & Audra's website and Weaved for Pleasure can be downloaded from All Romance eBooks here
 
Review: I really enjoyed Weaved for Pleasure - Nora was a likeable character and I couldn't help but love Sinclair.  I found it was a sweet romantic love story but that didn't mean we missed out on plenty of hot scenes between them.  I'd definitely recommend reading this if you've a fan of Stella & Audra's and it would also be a great first read if they are new to you - I'm sure you'll want to read more of their work.

Review: Thin Air - Rachel Caine

On top of that, it was raining

Joanne Baldwin has had better days - at least she hopes she has. After waking up naked and freezing in a forest, she's located by two rescuers she doesn't recognise at all. One supernaturally gorgeous guy might have been her lover. The other says he can control the weather...and so can she.

Not everyone looking for Joanne has her best interests at heart, and with no way to tell friend from foe, Joanne is quickly lost in a fog of deception. Her tenuous hold on life is fading with every passing moment. Now she must rebuild herself, one memory at a time, before someone else steals her life - and she disappears into thin air. Oh, and along the way, it seems that she has to save the world...

The Weather Warden Series:
Ill Wind
Heat Stroke
Chill Factor
Windfall
Firestorm
Thin Air
Gale Force
Cape Storm
Total Eclipse

Outcast Season Series:
(This is a spin off from The Weather Warden Series)
Undone
Unknown
Unseen
Unbroken

Visit Rachel Caine's Website for more information & to read excerpts from all of her books including the Morganville Vampire Series. You will also find a selection of short stories, both linked to the series & stand alone that can be read online.

Review:
Thin Air is book 6 in the Weather Warden series & in some ways it is quite different to the previous books. Jo has completely lost her memory so she has no idea who she can trust and doesn't know her about her powers and how to use them. She's got to learn everything again from scratch and it's a steep learning curve. A lot of the book is focused on Jo trying to regain her memory & we get glimpses of events from previous books from other character's perspectives.

Joanne's interaction with the other characters is changed significantly due to her memory loss & I found I missed the ongoing chemistry with her & David although this does develop more towards the end of the book. We get to see what is happening with a lot of the characters we've known and either loved or hated in earlier books & I did find my opinion of some of them changed quite radically with the new knowledge we now have.

Although I wouldn't say this is my favourite book in the series I did find it interesting to see things from different viewpoints. There is still a fair amount of action but it isn't as fast paced as I've come to expect the books in this series to be. I wouldn't recommend reading this book if you haven't read any of the other Weather Warden books but if you are a fan of the series then I still think it is worthwhile reading. Overall I think the ongoing story between the Wardens & the Djinn is developing well & it will be interesting to see what happens over the next 3 books and how the series will actually finish.

Source: Library

Other Reviews:
Lily's Bookshelf
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Firestorm - Rachel Caine

The Genie is out of the bottle

Rogue Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin is racing to New York to warn her former colleagues of the impending apocalypse. An ancient agreement between the Djinn and the Weather Wardens has been broken, and the furious Djinn, slaves to the Wardens for millennia, are now free of mortal control.

With more than half the Wardens unaccounted for in the wake of the Djinn uprising, Joanne realises that the natural disasters they've combated for so long were merely symptoms of restless Mother Nature fidgeting in her sleep. Now she's waking up - and she's angry...

The Weather Warden Series:
Ill Wind
Heat Stroke
Chill Factor
Windfall
Firestorm
Thin Air
Gale Force
Cape Storm
Total Eclipse

Outcast Season Series:
(This is a spin off from The Weather Warden Series)
Undone
Unknown
Unseen
Unbroken

Visit Rachel Caine's Website for more information & to read excerpts from all of her books including the Morganville Vampire Series. You will also find a selection of short stories, both linked to the series & stand alone that can be read online.

Review:
I read the first 4 books in the Weather Warden series last year after spotting them in my local library. I enjoyed them so much that the whole series has been on my book wishlist ever since. I still haven't got round to buying them so when I spotted book 5 & 6 in the library just before Christmas I just had to read them so I can catch up on what is happening with Jo & David! As it was almost a year ago when I read the first 4 books I really wish I'd started the series again from the beginning as it was hard to remember everything that has already happened but that didn't take away the enjoyment I got from reading Firestorm.

It will be hard to review the book without at least giving some hints about what has happened in previous books but I'll try to give away as little as possible. I would point out that if you like the sound of this book then I would strongly recommend you start with Ill Wind & read the series in order. There is so much going on in the series that although you can read the books as stand alone stories it really is much better to read them in order to get the full experience.

Like the first 4 books Firestorm is very fast paced & action packed from beginning to end. I love the character Joanne, she has a great sense of humor and is devoted to her family & friends. She is willing to fight for what she believes in & despite the fact that things often go wrong for her she refuses to give up.

I love the chemistry between her & her boyfriend David, although we see less of this than usual in this book. Although I would have liked to see more of David I can see why that was impossible at this point in the storyline & there was just enough of him in there to keep things interesting. We also see a few of the other characters we've known & loved in the earlier books including Wardens Lewis & Paul and Djinn Rahel & Venna.

I really liked the major new character in this book Imara who is Jo & David's daughter. She is only 1 day old at the start of the book but as she is half-human/half-djinn she is already fully grown. I found the interaction between Jo and Imara really interesting - it must be quite confusing to be pregnant one day and have an adult daughter the next!

I'm really looking forward to seeing how the story develops over the next 4 books and I still intend on buying the series as I know I'll be happy to re-read the books again in the future.

Source: Library

Other Reviews:
Lily's Bookshelf
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.