Review of Dark Wolf Rising by Rhyannon Byrd

Review of 

Dark Wolf Rising  By Rhyannon Byrd

I was scrolling through the books in the Google Marketplace and found this gem. I knew nothing about the Bloodrunners series when I decided to download this book and give it a try. I was very pleasantly surprised that it is a great standalone read and it has me interested in the rest of the series.

Here is the blurb to give everyone a quick glance:

“Eric Drake, a powerful Dark Wolf, has never trusted himself around human females-preferring to mate only within his pack. That is, until he encounters Chelsea Smart snooping around Silvercrest pack land in search of her missing sister. Secretly, Chelsea thinks Eric is the sexiest man she's ever seen, though she is wary of his potent Alpha energy. Then it's discovered that Chelsea's sister is being held by a pack of vicious Lycans, and Eric heroically leaps into action. Now, Chelsea will risk everything-her body and soul-to surrender to the passion that will mark her as Eric's woman for all eternity...if they survive.”

The story starts out with Eric Drake arriving on the scene to help scoot someone off of pack land. Two young mixed blood wolfs are having real trouble with a lady parked in a van. Chelsea, the lady in the van, isn’t going to leave no matter what. Not only can she not afford to stay in a hotel but she’s on a mission to find her sister. I couldn’t help but enjoy the feeling of awe and pride when she lifts a hand cannon and points it at the hero, Eric. I mean it I loved seeing a strong woman take a stand and stand up to a big macho guy. It was refreshing.

Considering that Eric and Chelsea had to get close real quick it was a really nice read that had me turning pages all night. It is packed with action and really shows what Eric is willing to do to keep his pack safe and protect Chelsea. Eric has issues with his own past and doesn’t know if he is really the right person for Chelsea at first. 

The book flowed wonderfully. I found myself at the end before I knew, and wanted to go back and reread part of it right away. I plan on checking out the other books in this series to see a full picture of the pack and the wolves that Rhyannon Byrd has created for us.

(Read for the 2014 Shifter Challenge hosted by Parajunkee)

RomanceBookWorm Review of Witch Hunt

Great news! The romance review blog RomanceBookWorm released a review of Witch Hunt. It's a great review and I send my thanks to the reviewers, Tomme and Victoria, and to the blog owner, Brandy, for the great review. If you're interested in reading the Witch Hunt review you can check it out here, and while you're there you should take a look at the other great romance books they've reviewed.

Here's a little clip of what one of the review's said:

"I read this book in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down.  The story flows effortlessly and has you anticipating what is on the next page.  The author has written just the right mix of action, suspense and romance to make the book interesting for a wide range of readers."  ~ Tomme

New Moon Madness

Image by Tallia22 from stock.xchng

I've been hard at work revising my latest novel. Revising is a long process for me. Not as long as writing, but it seems that time just drags by while revising. I'm a few chapters away from this last read through, but when I'm not working on this piece another piece is peeking through already, and it seems this crazy new moon is only helping increase my interest in the story.

I love writing paranormal, fantasy and science fiction pieces. I fell in love with the thrill that creating the worlds gives me. Over the last few years paranormal fiction has taken over and I focused on werewolves and witches more than anything. In Witch Hunt Rei is a powerful Earth Witch who runs into a pack of werewolves in Montana. I have a healer in this latest story which is tied to the Witch Hunt world, and a third story idea centered around just the witch culture of the same world.

It may have been the idea of these witches that started to inspire a short story idea for me. A world were werewolves, vampires and other supernatural beasties are not as common in the story line. This story is based around two historically powerful families. Each family passes along their magical power to the next head of the family, and of course the families don't get along so well.

I'm not sure yet where this story is heading but this new moon tonight is pulling me towards starting some sort of outline for the story. If I do get an outline done I'm going to set it aside until I've finished those last few chapters of revision.

Enjoy this Super New Moon!

Legend of the Highland Dragon by Isabel Cooper

For my first book in the 2014 Shifter Challenge hosted by Parajunkee I read Legend of the Highland Dragon by Isabel Cooper. When I found this book I was excited because I love dragons and the idea of a shifter being able to transform into a dragon is awesome.

Taking place in the late 18th century, the story revolves around Mina, a young independent woman working as a secretary in London, and Stephen, a centuries old shape shifter. The two are thrown together when an old enemy surfaces. Mina is working for a scholar in is older years when Stephen first meets her. Stephen begins to call her Cerberus due to her fierce manner in following her employer's orders.

Soon Mina is drug into the occult underground while trying to protect her employer. This leads to Stephen's secret being relieved and the need to keep Mina close at hand. Stephen offers to employ Mina himself to keep her safe from the evil magician that is looking for Stephen's secret.

My thoughts on the book:

The story is well written and drifts more towards a detective style apposed to the romantic style most romance readers are used to. The romance adds a little extra flavor to the story and makes you want to cheer for Mina. Stephen has an air of mystery around him that I don't think is explained very well. Mina finds the answers to these secrets pretty easy and kind of left me wanting to know more about the detective side of the story.

As Stephen searches for the magician he is taken into the back rooms and dark roads of London. He takes Mina with him from time to time when he cannot do something alone. I was really drawn in by the clue hunting and smoky backrooms that created this mystery.

With all that being said, I have to add that this really isn't a book that can be judged by it's cover. Instead of a robust, sword wielding Scottish dragon, I found a gentleman who is by far more capable within the realm of magic. I'm sure Stephen can wield a sword, but I would have loved to have seen it. All in all Legend of the Highland Dragon is a great read for anyone interested in detective stories set in late 18th century London that has a flare of paranormal fun.

Witch Hunt Giveaway

Here's a great chance for two lucky readers to win a copy of Witch Hunt! The giveaway starts today and will end Fed. 3, 2014. The lucky winners will receive their copy by Fed. 10, 2014, just in time for a great Valentine's Day read. (It might just be the prefect gift for that special someone in your life.)

The rules are pretty simple. You just enter your e-mail into the Witch Hunt Giveaway box to your right. That's all! You'll be entered to win a copy, but you can increase your chances of winning by letting other people know about the giveaway, by visiting my author site, by liking the Hunter or Hunted page on Facebook, by tweeting about the contest or by sharing the contest on Facebook. That's five extra chances for you to win!

Happy reading everyone!

Parajunkee's Shifter Challenge for 2014

 

Get ready for it. Here it comes.... it's the Shifter Challenge for 2014! Hosted by Parajunkee.com this reading challenge is an awesome way to get yourself back into a reading routine.  Here are the rules posted up on the site:

"THE RULES:

1. The Shifter Challenge runs from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014
2. The challenge is to read 10 books that have a SHIFTER as a main, or supporting character
3. Books can be in any format and should be at least 100 pages. Short stories do not count. You can also post about rereads.
4. Post about this challenge on your blog stating that you are participating or create a shelf via Goodreads, Booklikes etc. That post or shelf is the link that you will include in the link-up below. The link should be the post link not just your direct blog link. Please be courteous and include a link back to this post.
5. Post your reviews on the Review Post  "

So all you have to do is sign up for the challenge and get to reading. Don't forget to let the reading groups know what you're doing! I'm going to be signing up for this challenge as I'm a big fan of shifter stories. There is also a Vampire Challenge, but I ran myself dry on vampires a few years ago. But that would be a great challenge for any fang lovers out there.

I'm off to find my first shifter book. If you're thinking about joining may I suggest Witch Hunt or you can find a number of Shifter Romances over at Cobblestone Press. They have a shifter line that features books that center around shape shifters. 

Good dreams and happy reading everyone!

First Draft = Step One

Late last night I finished the first draft of my latest novel. While it may be retitled later on I'm calling it Fox Hunt at the moment. When that last sentence was finally typed and I realized I had finally gotten the entire story down I felt a sense of joy and relief. Getting a story down on paper or in a word processor takes the longest for me. For the most part that first draft is the real trail. It's the telling of the story and everything that comes after is just refining the story so that readers can understand.

When I joyfully gave my husband a kiss and told him the story was wrote, he smiled and said, "Cool. So you're almost there." I understood what he was saying completely. After six years of watching my creative process he knows what's next. The horrors of revision and edits. The long nights of "does this sound right" are about to start. Once I do a first pass over the first draft to clean it a little my husband will get a copy. It's at that point that I really get to relax and await his response to the story. I'm always ready to hear what he has to say, and trust me he questions any and everything he doesn't understand.

So last night as I bask in the glory of finishing that first draft I couldn't help but dread the next step. The rewriting, the revisions and the polishing. I love taking that first step towards story telling, but there are many steps left to take. Thankfully, like with many things in life, it's step one that always takes the most time to prepare and finish.

Happy reading everyone and I'll see you again in the new year!