Review: A Wild Night's Bride - Victoria Vane

NOTE: This is book #1 in a series that reads as a continuing story.

WITH THE DEVIL IN CHARGE...THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY...
What happens when a struggling actress and a grieving widower come together in a night of unbridled debauchery orchestrated by a bored and machinating rake?

She’s a lonely lady down on her luck...
Phoebe Scott, alias Kitty Willis, is a struggling Covent Garden actress with a bruised heart and a closely guarded secret.

He’s steadfast and eminently respectable
Sir Edward Chambers, Ned to his intimates, is guilt-ridden over his beloved wife’s death and avowed to live out a rustic and mundane life … of celibacy.

With the devil in charge — there will surely be hell to pay.
Devil in disguise, Viscount Ludovic DeVere, is determined to return his best friend, Ned, to the land of the living. His meddling machinations result in a night of mind blowing passion after which “dull dog Ned” awakes to find himself in the King of England’s bed! A WILD NIGHT’S BRIDE, a sexy, rollicking Georgian romp!

The Devil DeVere Series:
A Wild Night's Bride (Novella)
The Virgin Huntress (Novella)
The Devil You Know (Novella)
The Devil's Match (Novella)
Jewel of the East (Novella) (2013)
A Devil by Another Name (Novella) (2013)
A Devil in Diamonds (Novella) (2013)

Visit Victoria Vane's website for more information

Review:
Phoebe has spent years trying to make it as an actress and she is sick of never getting the best parts - not because she is unable to act but because she doesn't have a benefactor. She has come to the realisation that if she ever wants to be the leading lady then she will have to find a rich gentleman to become her patron and sponsor her role. Ned has been in seclusion in the country since the death of his wife but is forced to return to London society to make sure his daughter can make her debut. When he comes to the city looking for a house to rent for the season he takes the time to meet up with his old friend DeVere. DeVere is determined to shake Ned out of his celibate ways and decides that a Feast of Venus party at one of the brothels he visits is the ideal place to start.

A Wild Night's Bride is a fun and sexy read that I really enjoyed. At around 100 pages it is a quick read that is easy to devour in one sitting. You have to suspend belief at times because the actions of the characters are so over the top but that helps to make this an amusing read to pass the time with. I was slightly disappointed that Ned and Phoebe go from overwhelming lust to love so quickly though - I would have preferred them to spend some time getting to know each other rather than making declarations of love after spending just one night together.

While I would like to see more of DeVere unfortunately I really didn't take to Ned's daughter Vesta or her godmother Diana. The fact that they are the heroines of the next two novellas has put me off continuing with this series but I will definitely keep an eye out for other stories from Victoria Vane in the future.

Source: Received from the author as part of a promotional giveaway on Goodreads

Other Reviews:
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.

Kindle:

Review: Reflected in You - Sylvia Day

Eva and Gideon return in Reflected in You, the second novel in the erotic romance Crossfire series, following on from Bared to You - this is the perfect read for those who loved Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James.

Gideon Cross. As beautiful and flawless on the outside as he was damaged and tormented on the inside. He was a bright, scorching flame that singed me with the darkest of pleasures. I couldn't stay away. I didn't want to. He was my addiction . . . my every desire . . . mine.

My past was as violent as his, and I was just as broken. We'd never work. It was too hard, too painful . . . except when it was perfect. Those moments when the driving hunger and desperate love were the most exquisite insanity.

We were bound by our need. And our passion would take us beyond our limits to the sweetest, sharpest edge of obsession . . .

Intensely romantic, darkly sensual and completely addictive, Sylvia Day's Reflected in You will take you to the very limits of obsession - and beyond.

Crossfire Series:
Bared to You (2nd Read Review)
Reflected in You
Entwined with You
Captivated by You
One with You

Visit Sylvia Day's website for more information.

Review:
I absolutely loved Bared to You - in fact it was one of my favourite books of the year - so I couldn't wait to spend more time with Gideon and Eva in Reflected in You. I've had the paperback on order for months but when the release date was pushed back I couldn't wait and had to buy the Kindle version too. As soon as I got home yesterday I started reading and I literally devoured this book, Sylvia Day did it again and kept me up until 5am reading for the second time! I'm going to assume that anyone reading this review has already read Bared to You so this may contain slight spoilers for the first book - if you haven't started the series yet then you really need to!

This series isn't one you're going to enjoy if you don't like angst and drama in your relationships but for anyone who loves emotional upheaval and characters who are deeply flawed and psychologically damaged by their pasts then you're going to love Gideon and Eva. They both have serious hang ups about themselves and trust issues with each other and that doesn't make for smooth sailing in any relationship but it does make for gritty and realistic reading. The attraction between them is intense but it is about more than physical lust - they just both have difficulties explaining their feelings. Because they find it so hard to communicate they often use sex as a way of expressing themselves which can sometimes cause more problems than it resolves.

What I love most about them is that they both know they are messed up, they both admit to having issues and they are both determined to make a success of things. They understand that they are both going to have to compromise if they want to be together and they are both open to accepting the help of a couples counsellor to make things work. Because the story is told by Eva we get to see exactly what goes on inside her head, how her jealousy effects her and why she does the destructive things she sometimes does which allows us to relate to her and see her side of things. We know a lot less about Gideon's emotions and until quite near the end of the book we don't learn any more about his past than what Eva guesses from witnessing his nightmares. At times this makes him seem a bit closed off but although he finds it hard to express himself there are times when he manages to say exactly the right thing to make you fall for him. I'll be upfront and confess I am majorly crushing on Gideon right now, I didn't think I could like him more after Bared to You but I was proved wrong!

Reading Reflected in You is like going on an emotional roller coaster; there is drama and angst; there are secrets and misunderstandings; there are arguments and punishment fucks but then you also have the hot sweaty make up sex and some incredibly sweet moments between them! Gideon swears he isn't romantic but he really, really can be. Eva sums it up herself when she says "The simple fact was, Gideon and I were the best and worst things that had ever happened to each other." They know how to push each others buttons in both a positive and negative way but they understand exactly what they are doing and are surprisingly insightful when it comes to their actions. This is one messed up couple who desperately deserve a happy ending and I can't wait to get my hands on Entwined in You to see if they get it!

I'm going to leave you with a couple of my favourite quotes:

"...It turns me on when you challenge me, Eva." His voice lowered and became rapier, dripping with sex and sin. "It makes me want to fuck you. For a very, very long time."

"I'd rather argue with you, angel, than laugh with anyone else."

“People get over love. They can live without it, they can move on. Love can be lost and found again. But that won't happen for me. I won't survive you, Eva.”

“I am obsessed with you, angel. Addicted to you. You're everything I've ever wanted or needed, everything I've dreamed of. You're everything. I live and breathe you. For you.”

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
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.

Paperback / Kindle:

2nd Read Review: Bared to You - Sylvia Day

Our journey began in fire . . .

Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness - beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white hot. I was drawn to him as I'd never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily . . .

Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become he mirrors that reflected each other's most private wounds . . . and desires.

The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn't tear us apart . . .

Crossfire Series:
Bared to You (Read my original review here)
Reflected in You
Entwined with You
Captivated by You
One with You

Visit Sylvia Day's website for more information.

Review:
The first time I read Bared to You I had just finished reading Fifty Shades of Grey and was looking for something to fill the Christian shaped hole in my life (you can read my original review here). I felt that Bared to You was better than FSoG in so many ways but I think because I read both books so close together I didn't fall for Gideon as hard as I could have done. I felt that the writing style was a million times better, that the characters were easier to relate to and far less irritating and that the sex scenes were so much hotter but I didn't find myself quite as addicted to BtY as I was to FSoG.

In the run up to the release of Reflected in You I was starting to get more and more excited about revisiting Gideon and Eva and I decided that I was going to treat myself and reread Bared to You first. Since I started blogging I've hardly reread any books, in fact I can count on one hand the number of books I've reread in the last 3 years, so this isn't usual reading behaviour for me. I have to say that I'm so glad I changed my pattern though - I really liked Bared to You the first time I read it but I LOVED it the second time around and have now moved the book onto my favourites shelf! This is a book I would recommend to fans of FSoG but I would also tell you not to let the fact that the two books are compared to each other put you off. If FSoG pushed all the wrong buttons for you then I would still recommend checking out Bared to You - it is the start of an emotional roller coaster that will have you on the edge of your seat!

I can't get enough of Gideon and Eva. They both have their problems and have been messed up by their pasts but I love the fact that they are prepared to work through their issues. They know that it will take hard work to make their relationship successful but that doesn't stop them wanting to try. Their chemistry is off the charts steamy and everything about this book makes for addictive reading.

I'd forgotten how much I liked Eva's equally messed up room mate Cary too - I really hope we get to see him start to deal with his own issues as the series continues. Eva and Cary have been through a lot together and I love the fact that they are so honest with each other. They are true friends who cut through the bullshit and tell it like it is, they are protective of each other but they won't sit back and watch their closest friend press the self destruct button. I really hope that we see more of this supportive friendship and that Cary gets his own happy ever after too.

There are so many questions I want answers to, in particular I want to know what happened to Gideon and Cary to make them act the way they do (we have already found out about Eva's past). I really want to see Gideon and Eva make it work despite all the things stacked against them. I love this series for the drama and the angst but most of all I love it for the passion and the flawed but likeable characters.

I can't review this for a second time without pulling out a few of my favourite quotes to share with you (these may contain mild spoilers so you have been warned!):

“I’ve always seen you, angel. From the moment you found me, I’ve seen nothing but you.”

“He was the kind of guy that made a woman want to rip his shirt open and watch the buttons scatter along with her inhibitions.”

“You forget who submits, Eva,” he said gruffly. “I’ve given up control for you. I’ve bent and adjusted for you. I’ll do anything to keep you and make you happy. But I can’t be tamed or topped. Don’t mistake indulgence for weakness.”

“Oh, Eva." He rubbed his cheek against my damp face. "I must've wished for you so hard and so often you had no choice but to come true.”

“I want there to be happily-ever-afters for the fucked-up crowd. Show me the way, Eva honey. Make me believe.”

“Keep looking at me like that," he warned, leaning casually into the counter and sipping his coffee.
"See what happens."
"I'm going to lose my job over you."
"I'd give you another one."
I snorted. "As what? Your sex slave?"
"What a provocative suggestion. let's discuss.”

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review but I have also purchased a copy of the UK paperback.

Other Reviews:
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.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: No Flowers Required - Cari Quinn

He’ll give her everything she desires...except his identity.

Flower shop owner Alexa Conroy had it all before the recession hit and her customers fled to cheaper shopping grounds. Desperate to make ends meet, she sells her dream home and moves into the rundown apartments above her shop. When she spots six feet of sexy distraction—complete with muscles, piercings, and tattoos—ripping up flooring, Alexa knows the karmic windfall she’s due just landed on her doorstep. And the attraction’s definitely not one-sided.

Dillon James, reluctant heir to the corporation about to foreclose on Alexa’s shop, is not about to jeopardise their scorching chemistry by admitting he’s not the building’s handyman. But with only weeks until her business goes under and his identity is revealed, Dillon must find a way to convince Alexa cooperation isn’t a dirty word, help her save the shop from his brother’s greed, and persuade her that he’s not the enemy...or risk losing the only woman who’s seen the real him.

Love Required Series:
No Dress Required (Novella)
No Flowers Required

Visit Cari Quinn's website for more information

Review:
When Alexa inherited the flower shop previously run by her mentor she was determined to do whatever it took to make a success of things. That isn't going to be easy with the local hardware store doing it's best to steal her business though and now she is really struggling to make ends meet. Selling her dream house to move into a rented apartment above her shop may not be what she's always wanted but if that's what it takes to get Divine Flowers back in the black then that's what she's going to do. She hasn't even been living in her new apartment for a day when things start to go wrong but when the handyman who comes to fix things looks as hot as Dillon Alexa isn't going to complain too much. It's about time something went right and some no strings fun with a hunky, tattooed handyman sounds perfect. What she doesn't realise is that Dillon is part owner of Value Hardware and that makes him her enemy. Dillon is immediately drawn to Alexa and wants to help her business succeed but he worries that if he lets her know his true identity then she won't trust him to have her best interests at heart. As the pair grow closer Alexa steals his heart but if she finds our his secret then she'll never forgive him.

I'm a massive fan of Cari Quinn's writing but most of the stories I've read by her have been fairly short novellas so I was excited to see what she could do with a longer story. Let me tell you right now that she nailed it with No Flowers Required. This is a fantastic sexy contemporary romance with a heroine you'll want to be best friends with and a hero you'll want to jump the bones of! I have a thing for guys with tattoos so I was pretty sure I'd like Dillon but add in a sweet and caring personality, a super hot body and an eyebrow piercing and I was completely sold! Yes, I have found yet another book boyfriend - now where are the guys like Dillon in real life? I did get a little frustrated with him for not coming clean with Alexa about his identity sooner but because we get to see part of the story from his point of view it was easy to see how conflicted he felt. He was falling hard and terrified of losing her but he was also guilt ridden over keeping his secret and that made it very easy to forgive him. All Dillon wants is to help Alexa succeed and achieve her dreams and find a way to keep her in his life.

We met Alexa previously in No Dress Required and it was great to get to know her better. She is best friends with previous heroine Nellie and sister to Jake so we get a chance to catch up with the couple and see how they're getting along about 2 years after their story started. Before inheriting Divine Flowers Alexa was a party girl who worked hard but mainly wanted to have fun. Since taking control of the business her dreams have changed and she just wants to prove to everyone that she can make a success of things. She wants to be independent and stand on her own two feet but with everything that has been going wrong in her life recently she has started to lose her confidence. All she needs is someone to believe in her and give her a little push in the right direction though and that is where Dillon comes in. He can see that she has the skills to create a successful business but she just needs a little advice on the day to day stuff.

The couple definitely have a case of instant lust, from the moment they meet they can't take their eyes (and very soon their hands!) off each other but I was pleased that Cari Quinn takes time to develop the emotional connection between them. As they get to know each other their connection just gets stronger and stronger and I loved seeing how they both dealt with that. No Flowers Required was a fabulous instalment to the Love Required series and it's an erotic contemporary romance that I would highly recommend. You don't have to have read No Dress Required to follow the story but I really enjoyed Nellie and Jake's story too so I suggest you do! I can't find any information about future books in this series but I have a feeling that we might get to see more of Dillon's brother Cory and a certain staff member he seems to have a love / hate relationship going on with. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we will anyway because that would also give us a chance to catch up with Dillon and Alexa!

Source: Received from Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
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

Kindle:

September 2012 Recap

Books read in August but reviewed in September:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

1. Poison Princess - Kresley Cole (Read in June, review coming nearer the release date)
2. Timeless Desire - Gwyn Cready (Read in August, Reviewed in September)
3. Alpha & Omega - Patricia Briggs (Novella) (Read in August, Reviewed in September)
4. Alchemy - K.J. Wignall (Read in August, Reviewed in September)
5. Slave to Sensation - Nalini Singh (Read in August, Reviewed in September)
6. Cry Wolf - Patricia Briggs (Read in August, Reviewed in September)
7. Cosmo's Fifty-One Shades of Blonde - Jessica Knoll (Novella) (Read in August, Reviewed in September)
8. Blade Song - J.C. Daniels (Read in August, Reviewed in September)
9. Blood Red Road - Moira Young (Read in August, Reviewed in September)
10. Succubus Lost - Tiffany Allee (Read in August, Reviewed in September)

Books read in September:

(Links will take you to my reviews)

1. No Dress Required - Cari Quinn (Novella)
2. Submit to Desire - Tiffany Reisz (Novella)
3. The Masque of the Red Death - Bethany Griffin
4. Impulse - Moira Rogers
5. Blackwood - Gwenda Bond
6. Her Guardian Angel - Felicity Heaton
7. Beautiful Disaster - Jamie McGuire (review coming soon)
8. Elemental - Brigid Kemmerer (Short Story) (review coming soon)
9. Immortally Yours - Angie Fox (review coming soon)
10. Broken Promises - J.K. Coi (Novella) (review coming soon)
11. The Dark Garden - Eden Bradley
12. Local Heroes: Portraits of American Volunteer Firefighters - Ian Spanier, Marek Fuchs, Florian Bachlda & Grace Martinez (review coming soon)
13. Vanish - Sophie Jordan (review coming soon)
14. Seven Years to Sin - Sylvia Day (review coming soon)
15. The Asylum Interviews: Bronx - Jocelynn Drake (Novella)
16. Her Demonic Angel - Felicity Heaton
17. Turf - John Lucas
18. The Asylum Interviews: Trixie - Jocelynn Drake (Novella)
19. The Ugly Duchess - Eloisa James (review coming soon)
20. The Restorer - Amanda Stevens (review coming soon)
21. A Wild Night's Bride - Victoria Vane (Novella) (review coming soon)
22. Stormdancer - Jay Kristoff
23. The Gathering Dark - Leigh Bardugo (review coming soon)
24. Angel's Ink - Jocelynn Drake
25. No Flowers Required - Cari Quinn (review coming soon)
26. The Obsidian Mirror - Catherine Fisher

September Guest Reviews:

1. Plugged - Eoin Colfer (Reviewed by my Dad)

September Books of the Month:

(Choices are made from books reviewed this month and the links will take you to my reviews)

My top YA read in September:

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff (read my review here)

My top adult reads in September:

Her Demonic Angel by Felicity Heaton (read my reviews here)

Impulse by Moira Rogers (read my review here)

Challenge Updates:

These are the 2012 challenges I'm taking part in, I'll update my progress every month but so far so good!

2012 Debut Author Challenge - Read 40/50

2012 Read 100 Books in a Year Challenge - Read 185/200

2012 Horror & Urban Fantasy Challenge - Read 69/100

2012 Speculative Romance Challenge - Read 44/100

2012 British Books Challenge - Read 33/50

2012 New Author Challenge - Read 99/100

2012 Morganville Vampires Challenge - Read 1/9

2012 Sookie Stackhouse Read-A-Long - Read 2/12 - I have decided to quit this challenge, I didn't enjoy either of the first 2 books so it seems silly to force myself to carry on reading them!

Review: The Obsidian Mirror - Catherine Fisher

Jake's father disappears while working with the obsessive, secretive Oberon Venn - and Jake is certain Venn has murdered him.

But what he finds at the snow-bound Windercombe Abbey is far stranger.

A mysterious black mirror.
A hidden diary of lost secrets.
A tribe of supernatural beings who haunt the woods.
A girl pursued by a wolf of ice.

There are life-threatening choices at every turn. But Jake won't stop til he knows the truth . . .

Chronoptika Series:
The Obsidian Mirror
Titles & release dates for future books in the series are to be confirmed

Visit Catherine Fisher's website for more information

Review:
When Jake's father disappears while working on a secret project with his best friend Oberon Venn Jake becomes convinced that Venn must have killed him. Now Jake is determined to prove that and find a way to make Venn pay but on arriving at Venn's remote estate in Devon he uncovers secrets that will change his life forever. Everything comes back to the mysterious obsidian mirror that Venn is convinced can open pathways into the past. Venn needs Jake's help to find his father who was lost in time when an experiment with the mirror went horribly wrong. But Venn isn't the only one who is obsessed with the mirror and as various strangers close in, each with their own very different motives, Jake finds himself caught in a life and death battle. Which of his new acquaintances can he trust and who is going to figure out the secrets of the mirror first? Is it even possible to find Jake's father and bring him home?

The Obsidian Mirror is a story that you need to devour slowly, the plot is told from multiple perspectives and blends the past, present and future in a way that sometimes leaves you unsure which way is up. It can be confusing to work out what the character's motivations are and why the do the things they do but if you stick with it you will quickly find yourself absorbed in trying to unravel the clues. Just when you think you are on the verge of an important discovery Catherine Fisher will throw something else at you that turns everything on it's head. I love it when a book can surprise me and this one certainly managed that!

Anyone who is interested in time travel or who enjoys reading books with a strong sense of mystery will love The Obsidian Mirror. Add in elements of fantasy with the Shee (or fairies) and even a wolf who tracks time travellers for his mysterious owner and you're in for a treat. I don't want to say much more because this is a book you need to go into with no expectations about the story - I would hate to ruin the journey by giving away a spoiler. Instead I'm going to end this review by saying that this is a great start to a new series and it's one that has me excited to see what happens next to Jake, Venn and the various other characters who surround them. Oh and can someone please send Piers in my direction - I really have a craving for a batch of his cookies!

Source: Received from Hodder in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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.

Paperback / Kindle:

Obsidian Mirror Blog Tour & Guest Post: Choosing the Mirror by Catherine Fisher

To celebrate the release of The Obsidian Mirror on Thursday I'm excited to welcome Catherine Fisher to the blog today to talk about why she chose to use a mirror for such an important role in the story. Before I hand you over to Catherine I want to give you a bit more information about the book, I'll be posting my review later today but in the meantime check out the book cover and synopsis below:

Jake's father disappears while working with the obsessive, secretive Oberon Venn - and Jake is certain Venn has murdered him.

But what he finds at the snow-bound Windercombe Abbey is far stranger.

A mysterious black mirror.
A hidden diary of lost secrets.
A tribe of supernatural beings who haunt the woods.
A girl pursued by a wolf of ice.

There are life-threatening choices at every turn. But Jake won't stop til he knows the truth . . .

Chronoptika Series:
The Obsidian Mirror
Titles & release dates for future books in the series are to be confirmed

Visit Catherine Fisher's website for more information

Now please give a very warm welcome to Catherine and read her guest post to find out just why the Obsidian Mirror is so important to the story!

********************

Choosing the Mirror

by Catherine Fisher

When I was very small there was one book I had that I was intensely curious about and that was Alice Through the Looking Glass.

It was the idea of going through the mirror, into another place where everything was reversed. I used to stand looking into the full-length mirror my mother used, seeing how the familiar room became strange and alien inside there, and thinking that the doors and windows might lead out to other places, gardens, croquet lawns, palaces, fields, just like in the book.

There is nothing weirder than the familiar which has gone just a slightly bit wrong.

Maybe that's why, when I decided to write a time travel novel and needed a device that would allow the characters to travel, I chose a mirror.

Mirrors are magical. They show us ourselves, but backwards. Or we think they do. They are solid, but you can see through them.- or think you can. The whole idea of reflections, copies, images, replicants is conjured up by them. Over the ages they have told the future, the past, been used by evil queens, alchemists, scryers, dreamers. So my Obsidian Mirror is just the latest in a long line of magical mirrors, but this one is black, thin, warped and rather sinister. Through it lie the other places. Over our own shoulders. Behind our own backs.

And the weird thing about mirrors is that we can never see our reflections turn round and enter those places.

********************

What a fabulous guest post Catherine, I don't think I'm ever going to look at a mirror in quite the same way again! It's fascinating to think of stepping into a mirror and going somewhere that is just a slightly twisted version of our own reality. Quite a scary thought actually!

Make sure you check back later today to read my review of The Obsidian Mirror and don't forget to check the rest of the tour stops throughout the week for some more fab posts from Catherine!