Category Archives: Adult Romance

Book Review of Radiant Desire by Inara Scott

Posted on November 18, 2011 | Leave a comment

Title:  Radiant Desire

Author:  Inara Scott

Release Date:  October 4th 2011

Genre:  Adult Contemporary Fantasy Romance

The object of every man’s fantasy just lost her wings…

Kaia Verde is one of the four Faerie Handmaids of Zafira, Queen of the Fey. To redress an ancient wrong done to Zafira by a human king, the Handmaids make sport of mortal men, seducing and humiliating them. When Kaia sets out to seduce Garrett Jameson, but ends up being the one surrendering to pleasure, Zafira is furious. Kaia’s punishment is simple: make Garrett fall in love with her by the summer solstice, then break his heart, or face eternity without her wings—or her soul. To make the task harder, Zafira tells Kaia she cannot use her faerie magic or charm to lure Garrett into her bed.

…and now she’s losing her heart…

Kaia thinks her task will be relatively easy—as a faerie, she understands lust, and can love be much different? But once she is living among the humans, Kaia discovers the race she once disparaged is far more complex and beautiful than she imagined. She learns before she can break Garrett’s heart, she must find a way to heal it. And eventually, discovers that losing her wings may be a far easier price to pay than losing her heart.

Summary from Goodreads.com

My Review:  Radiant Desire is title from Entangled Publishing that I think could be a great crossover book.  It has a contemporary vibe, but with a fairy tale/paranormal twist.  I never thought I would be one to like a book that even remotely read like a contemporary, but I could not help falling in love with Radiant Desire.  I was hooked from the first page and could not put the book down until I reached its conclusion!

When we start out on this journey we are introduced to Kaia, a handmaid to the Queen of Faerie.  She loves her position in the court and has little concern for humans, except to humiliate them.  Her job is to seduce men to the point where they are out of their mind with desire and then leave them hanging.  She finds pleasure in her job by mocking mortals and takes comfort in her three other handmaids who have the same task.  She is content with her life, until Zafira gives her a special assignment to seduce a specific man, Garrett, and she fails to leave when she is supposed to.  Garrett was meant to be just another assignment, but he awakens feelings and emotions in Kaia she has never felt before and does not know how to control.  She is scared by her reaction to him and the wrath that Zafira will pass down to her now that she has failed.

The characters in this book are really what set it apart for me.  We get to see a full character arc with both Kaia and Garrett.  In the beginning Kaia is a Fae with a cold heart and no love for humans.  After she is forced to become one for a short time and live among them, she starts developing a new appreciation for life and everything that she has been missing in the Faerie court.  As for Garrett, he is not really living either.  He shuts off his emotions and keeps everyone at a distance.  His past has been hard and he does not want to let anyone in, for fear of getting hurt again.  However, once Kaia comes into the picture, all of the barriers he built start to crumble and watching him learn to love again was precious.

I also enjoyed getting to see glimpses of Faerie and what life is like for the Fae there.  It is a world much different from our own and Zafira leads the Fae there with fierce strength, mixed with a little cruelty.  She is not someone I would want as an enemy and she reminds Kaia of that constantly.  It was interesting to see this world interact with our own modern one and watch the Fae creatures try and comprehend how our society works.  Kaia struggles with understanding humans the most when she is forced to immerse in our way of life so fully, but her journey made her more endearing and had me rooting for her.

There was also another secondary story weaved into this one with Garrett’s friends, Rachel and Ted.  I liked learning about them and how their story tied in with Kaia and Garrett’s, but whenever their chapters came about I found myself wanting to return to the main plot line.  I thought they were good characters, but they did not hold my attention nearly as much as Kaia and Garrett did.

Inara also gave us a preview of what is to come in this world.  The other three Handmaidens all had to make a choice at the end of the book that will impact all of their futures.  I am interested to see where Inara will take this next and what lies in store for the other Handmaidens.

Overall, Radiant Desire is a sweet story of two people who find love unexpectedly with a fantasy twist.  The main characters had a beautiful romance and were developed very well.  Inara grabs onto you from the beginning and takes you on a fantastic journey filled with love, loss and what can happen if you let your heart guide you.  If you like paranormal romance or like contemporary but want a little fantasy as well, then I would definitely pick up Radiant Desire.  I know I am already looking forward to the next book and getting to see which Handmaiden we will learn about next.

FTC:  Thank you to the publisher for letting me read this ARC through NetGalley.

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Posted in Adult Contemporary, Adult Fantasy, Adult Romance, Book Review

Blog Tour: Laura Kaye Interview and Giveaway

Posted on November 9, 2011 | 17 Comments

I am so incredibly excited to have Laura Kaye here today! She is the author of North of Need (review here) a steamy contemporary fantasy romance novel that I am in love with! After the interview I have an awesome giveaway, courtesy of the publisher and Laura, so make sure you read all the way through. Now onto the interview.

A Bookworms Haven (ABWH): Can you start out by telling us a little bit about North of Need for those who might not have read it yet?

Laura Kaye (LK): I would love to! And thanks for hosting me here! North of Need is the first in a four-book contemporary fantasy romance series featuring the Anemoi, directional wind gods the Greeks associated with the seasons. North of Need features Owen Winters, son of the Supreme God of the North Wind, whose been in a centuries-long state of self-exile from the Realm of the God until his father calls him back to consider a very tempting proposition. Here’s the blurb:

Her tears called a powerful snow god to life, but only her love can grant the humanity he craves…

Desperate to escape agonizing memories of Christmas past, twenty-nine-year-old widow Megan Snow builds a snow family outside the mountain cabin she once shared with her husband, realizing too late that she’s recreated the very thing she’ll never have.

Called to life by Megan’s tears, snow god Owen Winters appears unconscious on her doorstep in the midst of a raging blizzard. As she nurses him to health, Owen finds unexpected solace in her company and unimagined pleasure in the warmth of her body, and vows to win her heart for a chance at humanity.

Megan is drawn to Owen’s mismatched eyes, otherworldly masculinity, and enthusiasm for the littlest things. But this Christmas miracle comes with an expiration–before the snow melts and the temperature rises, Megan must let go of her widow’s grief and learn to trust love again, or she’ll lose Owen forever.

(ABWH): Do you have a favorite scene from North of Need? My personal favorite involved the igloo and snow cones made of snow, chocolate and Gatorade. ;)

(LK): Oh, yeah, that’s a fave for sure! I think I’d have to add two others. I was completely moved by what Megan and Owen share one night on the mountain at Wisp Ski Resort. All right now, settle down. It’s not what you think. Okay, it is what you think, but it’s also something else!!! LOL And, yes, I’m being purposely cryptic—I get that from Owen! The second is the book’s black moment, when something really, really horrific happens to Owen. Gulp. Sometimes writers just have to do bad things to good characters. *insert evil laugh here*

(ABWH): If you could describe Megan and Owen in just three words each, what would they be?

(LK): Ooh, interesting challenge!

Megan: Widow, Nurturing, Hopeful

Owen: God, Passionate, Playful

(ABWH): If North of Need became a movie who would your dream cast for Megan, Owen and Boreas be? I had to ask about Boreas too because he has a big role to play as well.

(LK): Oh my god! Okay, thinking cap is on! And…survey says:

Megan: Naomi Watts

Owen: Henry Cavill

Boreas: Sean Connery

(ABWH): I am a huge fan of Greek mythology, so I love that your books are based on the Anemoi who are the four wind gods from Greek mythology. Is this a myth you grew up loving or is there another reason you chose it to build this series around?

(LK): I’ve always been interested in Greek mythology, too, but I have to admit, I didn’t start out with a plan to write about the Anemoi. When this story first came to me, it was a cuter, fluffier story about a snow man come to life. Period. Fun, right? Nice, light holiday vibe. But when I went to write the first scene in which Owen is conscious, I couldn’t get it to work that way. He just wouldn’t cooperate. And then he told me quite firmly that was because he wasn’t a snow man, he was a Greek snow god. That set off a day’s worth of research into various cultures’ winter mythologies and led me to the Anemoi, who were a perfect fit and gave me a basis to create a series!

(ABWH): In your biography on your website, you talk about
growing up with a family that loved to tell stories about encounters with the paranormal. Do you have a favorite story or experience you can share with us?

(LK): Oh, my, there are so many to choose from! The most compelling is probably this one: when I was seventeen, I ran an errand for my mom and cut through our back yard to walk to the store in our small town. As I did, I passed my neighbor, an elderly woman named Miss Betty. I said hello, she smiled, and I was pretty pleased to see her because she’d been in the hospital for over a week with a serious illness, and her housemate, her equally elderly sister, Miss Patty, was pretty lost without her. I rushed back to my tell mom the good news that Miss Betty was home and looked fine, and my mom turned me, shocked look on her face, and said, “That can’t be, Laura. Miss Patty just called to tell me Miss Betty died at the hospital this morning.” True story.

(ABWH): Can you give us any hints about the next book, West of Want? I am so excited to read it! If not, can you share what you are working on right now?

(LK): Book 2 in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, West of Want, features Zephyrus Martius, Supreme God of the West Wind, and Ella Raines, a woman adrift in her life after a series of recent losses. He’s the most powerful of the Anemoi, and he’s in a pretty bad emotional place. Things are a bit rockier and darker in book two, but this story is so hot! You are going to love Zeph and Ella! Currently, I’m writing more in the Anemoi series and also in the editing stages in the first book in a dark paranormal mini-series with Harlequin Nocturne entitled In the Service of the King (releases Feb. 2012).

(ABWH): What types of books do you like to read in your free time? Are there any authors/series that you must have when they come out?

(LK): My first and ongoing reading love is paranormal romance. J.R. Ward is my main autobuy author, and I’m totally in love with her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I also read just about everything Sherrilyn Kenyon and Lara Adrian write, too.

(ABWH): Are you a plotter or a panster? Do you plot your stories ahead of writing? Or do you write and see what happens? (Writing “by the seat of your pants”.)

(LK): Total, complete, unapologetic pantser. When I start a story, I usually know parts really well, but all the connective tissue in between? I have no clue about that until the words appear on the screen. Sometimes I’m totally surprised, but it’s really cool too because it’s like experiencing that same process of discovery readers have the first time they read a book.

(ABWH): Do you have anything you would like to add?

(LK): Just a huge thank you for hosting me, and great big thanks and smooches to the readers for reading and bringing my characters to life!

Thank you very much for taking the time to stop by Laura! I cannot wait to read West of Want. Now for the giveaway details. The publisher and Laura have been kind enough to offer up two awesome prizes. First prize is an e-book copy of North of Need by Laura Kaye. This part of the contest is open internationally. Second prize is a set of trading cards for North of Need. This part of the contest is open to US & Canadian residents only. I will choose two winners, the first will get the e-book and the second will get the trading cards. I have put a picture of the trading cards below so you can check out what they look like.

This contest is now closed.


Buy Laura’s Books

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WANT TO WIN NORTH OF NEED? The North of Need Book Launch Blog Tour runs October 25 – November 20. A giveaway everyday!

About Laura Kaye

A multi-published author of paranormal, contemporary and erotic romance, Laura Kaye’s hot, heartfelt stories are all about the universal desire for a place to belong. Laura is the author of the bestselling contemporary romance and award-nominated HEARTS IN DARKNESS and the bestselling and award-winning paranormal romance FOREVER FREED (NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best Paranormal of 2011), as well as an erotic romance novella, JUST GOTTA SAY. Her fourth book, contemporary fantasy romance NORTH OF NEED, is the first in the 4-book Hearts of the Anemoi series. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

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Posted in Adult Contemporary, Adult Fantasy, Adult Romance, Contest, Interviews

Book Review of North of Need by Laura Kaye

Posted on October 19, 2011 | 4 Comments

Title: North of Need

Author: Laura Kaye

Release Date: November 1st, 2011

Genre: Adult Contemporary Fantasy Romance

While attempting to escape the agonizing memories she associates with Christmas, twenty-nine-year-old widow Megan Snow builds a snow family outside the mountain cabin she once shared with her husband and collapses in tears against the snowman at the sight of what she’ll never have.

Called to life by the power of Megan’s tears, snow god Owen Winters appears unconscious on her doorstep in the midst of a raging blizzard. As she nurses him to health, Owen finds unexpected solace in her company and unimagined pleasure in the warmth of her body, and vows to win her heart for a chance at humanity.

Megan is drawn to Owen’s mismatched eyes, otherworldly masculinity, and enthusiasm for the littlest things, and her heart opens enough to believe he’s a Christmas miracle. But this miracle comes with an expiration before the snow melts and the temperature rises, Megan must let go of her widow’s grief and learn to trust love again, or she’ll lose Owen forever.

Summary from Goodreads.com

My Review: If you have followed along with my blog or reviews you have probably figured out by now that I don’t read contemporary. I just don’t like it; my everyday life is ordinary so I want my books to be extraordinary and take me somewhere else! Before all of you contemporary lovers get offended, let me just say that there is nothing wrong with the genre at all. It is just not for me. I bring this up because North of Need did have fantastical elements that I loved, but it read much like a contemporary novel would. I was hesitant going in just because I had heard that about this book, but I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed reading North of Need. I would classify it more as a crossover book between fantasy and contemporary and it had just enough of the supernatural to keep me content.

The mythology in North of Need was fascinating; I remember hearing a little bit about the Anemoi from reading Greek mythology, but I immersed myself back into the subject after reading this book. Laura peppers the mythology through the book at just the right moments so you get just enough information to follow along with who is who and how gods in this world came to be, but you are not overwhelmed with information. I appreciated the balance between the mythology and real life relationships that formed throughout this book.

The main relationship we see develop is between Megan and Owen. Megan is a widow who still mourns her husband two years after his death. She has been living a half-life since he died. Filled with grief, she still carries the burden of his death on her shoulders. I cannot imagine what kind of emotional turmoil she must be feeling when she meets Owen and her heart reacts to his presence. The guilt she feels is overwhelming at times and my heart broke for her. She feels as though she is betraying her husband by wanting another man and is having a hard time moving past that lump in her throat. Laura paints Megan’s pain so well; it is hard to not empathize with her situation. I loved watching Owen learn how to help her heal and realize that she can be happy again.

I knew I loved this book because whenever I picked it up to read it I had a smile on my face. It is a great book to just get lost in for a while. The best words I can use to describe this book are: warm and sexy. The male protagonist is just the sweetest man, err I mean god. He is so careful with Megan, treating her like she is the most precious being on Earth. That love seeps out of the pages and right into your heart. There was not a slow burn with Megan and Owen though; their passion was white hot from the beginning. But lust quickly turned to love, and Owen slowly mended Megan’s broken heart one piece at a time. The fact that it releases in November is perfect since Owen is a god of winter. While reading, I found myself wishing for snow to fall so I could curl up by the fireplace and sink into this world.

Overall, I am in love with this book. I did not go in expecting to enjoy it half as much as I did, but Laura sucked me into the lives of Megan and Owen so fully I could not put the book down. I am so interested to see the other three stories of this series when they are released. If you are like me and don’t read a lot of contemporary but want to just test out the genre, this book would be a great opportunity to do that. Or if you mainly read contemporary but want to have a little fantasy in your life, than North of Need fits that mold as well. It has a little something for lovers of multiple genres and one I will be on the lookout for in the future. I can’t wait to see whose story the next book, West of Want, will bring us.

FTC: Thank you to the publisher for letting me read this ARC through NetGalley.

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Posted in Adult Contemporary, Adult Fantasy, Adult Romance