Awakening by Elene Sallinger

I actually did not expect to like this one as much as I thought I would. This was a really surprising and erotic read- ahem, especially towards the end. Holy wow, Evan. But beyond that, Awakening by Elene Sallinger is essentially a story about Claire's journey to find herself as well as her freedom to love and desire. I've read plenty of BDSM books before but this was the first time that I've come across such a different kind of book. It was more emotional and heartbreaking because Claire never realized what she wanted or needed out of a man. After coming out of an "abusive" relationship, she has become a rather 'skittish' woman. But thanks to Evan, the second main character of this book, she was able to change and re-discover herself all over again.

Hmm, where do I begin? Although Evan was essential to Claire's development as a character, I was rather frustrated with him at times. Instead of trying to move on, he was stuck between the past and the present because he was never over the death of his wife. Yes, it was sad, but he was always feeling guilty and angry over his newfound feelings for Claire. This, of course, made me want to hit him over the head because he was hurting her. But besides that, Evan was really the perfect man for Claire. Instead of getting straight to the sex, they actually spent a lot of time getting to know each other before doing the deed. They were friends before they became lovers. And oh, you will be surprised at how smoking hot they are together.

In the end, I'm glad that he was able to help her throughout her self-discovery because it made him realize his true feelings for her. Claire was already falling in love with him but it broke her heart, and mine, when he rejected those feelings. Besides being emotional, Awakening was an inspirational and deeply moving read. For those of you who are fond of this genre or anything erotic romance-related, I definitely recommend and urge you to check out this book. You won't be disappointed!

Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Elene Sallinger for providing and giving me permission to read this ARC.

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Master Undone by Lisa Renee Jones

Told through the point of view of Rebecca's "Master", this is Mark Compton's story after the events of Being Me.

I have been looking forward to being inside Mark's head since he was first introduced to both Rebecca and Sara. As the owner of the gallery they both work at, Mark is sexy, confident, and extremely magnetic- personality-wise. You can literally feel the power he holds and the control that he exerts. That is... until he finds out the shocking revelation of where Rebecca has been all this time. Mark is left broken and unsure. Not only does he question his own self, he questions the foundation of his relationship with Rebecca and the control he holds so dear.

Crystal is introduced in this novella and I'm sure she will be an important character to Mark and maybe even Sara and Chris from here on out. I'm not sure how I feel about her relationship with Mark at the moment- especially when it comes to their one night together. While it is very passionate, it also feels very cheap. Yes, they are both control freaks and I think that she may be the one for him. However, I just don't understand her motives and there is something about her that I can't pinpoint on. I do like the side that she brings out in Mark. He's not as controlling or dominant in front of her; he seems much more human and vulnerable.

All in all, I thought this was a pretty good read and I look forward to the next Inside Out series by Lisa Renee Jones! Thank you to Gallery, Treshold, Pocket Books via NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Being Me by Lisa Renee Jones

You know that feeling when you finish a book and you feel as if someone had just punch a hole straight through your gut? Well, that's exactly how I felt when I finished Being Me.

To be honest, this was my favorite book out of the entire series. It had suspense, plenty of romance, steamy scenes, betrayal, and even a few revelations. Not only will Rebecca's "Master" be revealed in this book, readers will also get some sense of what happened to her and where she is now. But even so, while Rebecca is indeed at the forefront of the entire mystery, this sequel was more about the dynamics between Sara and Chris Merit's relationship.

The lines between love and need will soon blur for Sara and Chris. Only through trust and commitment will these two truly be able to accept one another.

Despite Chris having demons of his own, Sara also has secrets as well. Not only does it shake the foundation of their relationship, their bond also grows stronger too. Sara grows as a person and I love her for it. She makes her demands known to Chris, telling him that she wants more than what he can currently offer. Although her path almost mirrors Rebecca's in a way, Sara has Chris in her life to protect, cherish, and love her. Even though that love may end up breaking them both in the end... You can tell that their love for one another is real. The pain and need just burns right through the pages! It’s obvious that both Sara and Chris still have lots of issues in their relationship. Hopefully they will find a way to compromise and work things out. We also still have not learned the true extent of why Chris is so tortured and broken. I can't wait to find out in Revealing Us!

Getting a glimpse of Mark Compton's life was quite intriguing. Rebecca's connection with both Chris and Mark will be revealed in this book… and I'm just going to say: I knew it! If you've read Rebecca's Lost Journals, you will most likely be able to confirm who her Master is while reading Being Me. Overall, this was a fantastic sequel to If I Were You that will definitely leave you salivating for more! Ah, September will be a long wait from now.

Thank you to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC!

View all my reviews Rating: ★★★★★

Blind Obsession by Ella Frank

“I love you. That is the beginning, that is the end. That is everything.”

Hours after finishing Blind Obsession, I am honestly still thinking about it. I don't think I have read something that has impacted and effected me so much in such a long time. There were a couple of times where I just broke down and started crying because it was just so damn tragic. It felt as if someone had unintentionally punched a hole straight through my heart and now I'm left with bags under my eyes and an aching heart. Of course, life must go on, but for the time being... I'm stuck, just like Phillipe.

Blind Obsession is the first erotic romance by Ella Frank and now she's officially on my auto-buy list. I can't even begin to describe how emotionally invested I was in this book. I've thought about it every single waking moment while reading it and now I'm still left thinking about it afterwards. It does not have a happy ending; that's expected because I don't think it can end any other way. Don't let that deter you from reading this book because you will miss out on something that's truly great and life changing. The sexy meter for this book is incredibly high and I loved that. Like Gemma and Chantel, Phillipe absolutely captivated me. The writing is so sensual, seductive, and just breathtaking. I don't even know where to begin when it comes to the sex scenes. Holy crap.

“She is no longer here, but he won't let her go. So, where does that leave me? Well, that's easy. I'm left alone.”

Phillipe Tibideau is one of the most tortured and heartbreaking heroes I have ever read about. Just thinking about what he went through and subsequently lost brings tears to my eyes. The pain, anguish, and torture of having lost your one and only soulmate and having to ultimately live with that fact is just excruciating. How on earth can you move on? Well, that's exactly it. He can't, and so he's trapped in an endless cycle of losing Chantel all over again.

“You've fucking destroyed me. First, she did, and now, you are.”

By adding Gemma Harris into the mix, and it essentially becomes a tragedy of three between Phillipe and Chantel. Gemma was supposed to be "the outsider" to the story. The one who was supposed to interview Phillipe, report what exactly happened between the tragic story of he and Chantel Rosenberg, and then leave. That doesn't exactly happen and Gemma herself is pulled into a mindblowing affair between one who is long gone and the other living but broken. I don't think I can ever forget that scene by the river between Phillipe and Chantel. Every single thing has been building up to that one moment in time and what we are left with afterwards will haunt you forever and break your heart.

I'm not going to go into details because you have to read this magificent story for yourself. Let's just say that by the end of this book, you will never be the same again. You might need a box of tissues for this one because I can almost guantee that you'll shed a fair amount of tears. This book almost reminded me of If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones because like Chris, Phillipe was also an artist. Like Sara and Rebecca, Gemma felt a connection to Chantel. Those kinds of things. I absolutely recommend this book. Both powerful and sad, I don't think I will ever be able to forget this in a long time.

Rating: ★★★★★

Blood Flows Deep in the Empire Tour Stop: N. Isabelle Blanco Interview

Hello and welcome to my first blog tour! I am especially honored to host one for author, N. Isabelle Blanco. She has released other great erotic romance reads such as the amazingly hot Allure series. You can't believe how excited I am to read the next Szolites book featuring Zeniel and Evesse, Blood Stained Tranquility.

Summary

Dyletri, God of Fertility, has locked away his powers. No woman is allowed to touch him, not until he can return his long-dead lover back to life. All he has to do is sacrifice one human girl, a girl who unlocks his powers and rips his dormant lust right out of his body. Trapped by his promise, Dyletri has no choice but to watch Ismini die, no matter how much he wants her.

Yet the darkness of his calling is spiraling within him, demanding he claim the human as his. If he goes back on his promise, the energy of the Fates will cause untold destruction in the Universe. That doesn’t change how Dyletri’s begun exhibiting symptoms that point to more than just lust. How does he allow Ismini to die when she’s come to own him from the inside out?

Desire and torment spiral into something much darker than obsession, more turbulent than an addiction, and something much more brutal than a mere soul-mating. As a war is being rekindled right under his nose, Dyletri will have to come to terms with a destiny eleven thousand years in the making. He thought he’d known what path his future would take, but he’d been wrong. Now the one woman he truly loves might pay the price for his decision.

Blood Flows Deep in the Empire is the first in a series that will pit free-will against Destiny, Destiny against Fate, and love against brutal desire. Everyone likes to think they have a choice as to who they end up with, but as they rise to face the greatest threat they’ve ever known, even the Gods will learn they have to bend to Destiny’s whim to survive.

Q&A with N. Isabelle Blanco

Blood Flows Deep in the Empire is your first paranormal romance novel. What was your inspiration for it?

I’d have to say that it was born out of a mix between my love for mythology, ancient history, and romance stories. In actuality, Dyletri, Ismini, Dimithinia and Crius first popped into my heads when I was 17. It happened out of the blue and at the time I only wrote stories as a hobby. I had no plans to become a writer, and wouldn’t make that decision for another 7 years. Still, their stories continued to expand and morph in my head, seemingly on their own. Almost as if it was meant to be.

Which character in the book most resembles you?

This question made me laugh. Those close to me would tell you that all the characters have bits and pieces of me, but if I were to be honest, I’d have to say that the only character I knowingly and willingly allowed to become my personality twin is Nylicia, the Watcher of Destinies. Her personality, her struggle (which will be further explored in the future books) and even her looks, while not identical, come pretty close to my own.

Are you a fan of any particular author that inspires your current writing?

The list of author’s that I read and love is actually really, really long. I have thousands of books between my paper library and my e-book collection. I’d have to say that my writing is influenced by almost anything paranormal, erotic, or just plain hot. Movies and various subjects I study also play into it. But in reality, most of my writing is coming out of my imagination. It’s fun and scary at the same time to sit back and watch what that beast is capable of.

Have you always wanted to write erotic romance novels? Is there a specific genre, besides the one you are in right now, that you want to write in?

I actually studied and worked in many different field before I hit the age of 24 and decided to bring Dyletri and Ismini’s story to life. Many people have asked me if I’d like to write a different genre. That’s not a question I can honestly answer right now. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that you never know where life takes you. So who knows what else I’ll be writing years from now?
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And that brings me to the end of the blog tour! Thank you to both N. Isabelle Blanco and The Writer's Coffee Shop for letting me host for an author that I both admire and adore.

Blood Flows Deep in the Empire will be available Thursday, March 7th and you can purchase it here. You can read my review for the book here. Please look forward to the next Szolites book in the series, Blood Stained Tranquility, which will most likely be released in 2014.

Author Bio

N. Isabelle Blanco, the woman who would come to be known as “Nyddi,” was born in Queens, New York. By age three, due to an odd fascination with studying her mother’s handwriting, she’d already begun to read and write. By the time she reached kindergarten, she was reading at a second-grade level, not to mention talking up a storm and showing off her extensive vocabulary. Her obsession with words and reading ended up bleeding into every aspect of her life. As she got older, romance novels took the reins of her obsession, leading her to devour every romance story she could find.

Thanks to the world of Japanese Anime, N. Isabelle was introduced to the wonderful universe of Fanfiction. She would come to write fanfics on and off again as a hobby for the next ten years, but it wasn’t until the Twilight phenomenon came along that she began dedicating hard hours to writing. For the next year and a half, she amassed a following that, by her own admission, she would never be able to live without. It is those fans that encouraged her to step beyond the fanfic realm and take her talent out into the publishing world.

N. Isabelle’s first ebook novel, Destructively Alluring, came out in July of 2012, followed by Addictive Lunacy in September, and Allure Magnified in November of 2012. The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House has recently signed her first print novel, the highly anticipated first book in the Szolite series. Blood Flows Deep in the Empire is scheduled to be released in March of 2013 and will be available in both print and ebook formats.

Where you can find N. Isabelle Blanco 

Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Writers Coffee's Shop 

Consequences by Aleatha Romig

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Consequences by Aleatha Romig is a dark psychological thriller but with a somewhat twisted romance. It is an intense and emotional read full of secrets and revenge. I can absolutely guarantee that it will completely blow your mind. You might even hate it one moment and love it the next—Oh yes, I am talking about you Anthony Rawlings. I can’t even comprehend how many times I wanted to kill him for what he did to Claire. It will leave you angry, confused, disgusted, scared, emotionally drained, and wanting more. Not everything is as it seems. Love or revenge, which one would you choose?
Not only did this book leave me in emotional turmoil over the last few days, I was not able to stop thinking about it. I hated Anthony for what he did to Claire—all the emotional and physical abuse made me sick. How could anyone come to love this monster? But as I started to progress through the book and into it's sequel, Truth , I started to sympathize for him. It's that kind of story-telling that makes me want to applaud Aleatha Romig for her genius. There is no such thing as black or white, just areas that are gray. Claire made me so angry because while she was kidnapped, she never tried to escape. She just listened to Anthony and followed his directions and rules. How anyone could remain sane in his company will forever be a complete mystery to me.

“You are free to choose, but you are not free to alter the consequences of your decisions.” ― Ezra Taft Benson

The most surprising thing that came out of this is that Anthony begins to realize that he loves Claire. Wait, what?! That's right. He falls in love with Claire, slowly but surely, and she does as well. What's so heartbreaking about this is that while this may remain true, Anthony has been keeping a huge secret. A secret that will forever shatter Claire's love and belief in him forever. The ending of the book completely blew me away. The betrayal was just astounding! Even though Consequences was not my favorite book in the series (Truth is!), it was still an absolutely amazing book. All the ratings and reviews were completely justified and now I understand why. As a result of reading this series, I am now an fan of Aleatha Romig! Overall, this was a fantastic book. Highly recommended!

Rating: ★★★★★

Painted Faces by L.H. Cosway

“We all paint on a face to show the world," Nicholas replies philosophically. "For some of us, that's quite literal.”

Painted Faces by L.H. Cosway has to be one of the best book that I've read in 2013 so far. I'm absolutely in love with everything – the characters, romance, plot, everything. I never thought that I would find someone like Nicholas to be sexy... but he really is. He is the embodiment of a man who knows what he wants, possessive of Freda, and at the same time, a very broken man. I am instantly reminded of Chris Merit from If I Were You . As readers, we watch the relationship between Freda and Nicholas grow from next door neighbors to best friends, and finally best friends to lovers. Freda knew from the very beginning that if she gave her heart to Nicholas, he would somehow break it in the end. I don't think I've cried so much over a book ever since The Sweet Gum Tree . But regardless of that, Painted Faces was a wonderful and unique romance that I'm glad to have the pleasure to read. Freda and Nicholas are by far my favorite characters and couple!

Freda, also known as Fred, is our heroine. She doesn't have a filter and some of the things that blurts out of her mouth are sometimes funny and at most offensive. But Nicholas finds her charming and hilarious from their first encounter.

“He recalls their first meeting, she'd been soaked from the rain and frustrated, but she'd still shone for him that day, and made him laugh. That's what caught him, he thinks to himself, her unending humour, how she could render the world both light and dark with a simple joke.”

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I would say Nicholas fell in love with Freda, without realizing it, the moment he met her – slowly if not surely. To him, she was different – she was the pureness and light in his life. Freda is also very shy and insecure about herself. She has low self-esteem and my heart just broke every time she mentions something offhandedly about her image. Nicholas, of course, tells her that she is beautiful and I do believe that he means that she is beautiful inside and out to him.

Nicholas Turner is our hero who also happens to be a world traveling cabaret performer. The big surprise is that he's a performer who dresses up as a woman while doing his act – he is a drag queen known as the name Vivica Blue. Rest assured, he is 100% straight and I just find that fascinating. The reason why he still does this is his deep dark secret and I will do him the honor of not saying it in my review. Please read to find out! Nicholas is such a character. His reason for being the way he is just so sad. He sufferes from being very happy in one moment and very sad the next. I say it's due to being both lonely and depressed.

“You'll always be my friend, won't you Fred? Don't let me fuck this up. I need you in my life now. I need the golden eyed girl who can make me smile.”

The moment Freda realizes that she is in love with Nicholas was just so heartbreaking. Every moment that she has been with him has slowly solidify her love and feelings for him. Freda knows that Nicholas will break her heart and it's undeniable. Their two nights in Edinburgh was one of the sexiest and heart-wrenching moment in the entire book.

“I love him because he makes me laugh when I don't feel like laughing. I love him because he challenges my view of what a man is. I love him because I know I shouldn't love him and that he'll break my heart. I love him because he's a complete and total anomaly. I love him because I want to kill the sadness inside him more than I want anything else in the world.”

I loved these two characters so much and I wanted them to find a happy ending together. The question is, will Nicholas throw Freda's love away or will he accept it in the end? Painted Faces by L.H. Cosway was indeed an unconventional love story between two beings who are broken – Nicholas was more literal. It was lovely, sensual, and very beautiful. I don't think I can ever forget this story and the meaning behind it. Who are we, as society, to judge other people based on appearances? There is more than meets the eye and never judge a book by it's cover has never been more apparent to me. Highly recommended!

Rating: ★★★★★

Blood Flows Deep in the Empire by N. Isabelle Blanco

I honestly never expected how erotic this read was because Dyletri was one dirty talking man. I can't explain how dynamic his relationship with Ismini was. I guess you can call it lust at first sight because they were attracted to each other from the beginning and it became love in the end. Blood Flows Deep in the Empire is the first paranormal erotic romance from debut author N. Isabelle Blanco and it was seriously hot, sexy and I just loved Dyletri talking dirty to Ismini. Their sex scenes though—they were incredibly erotic and steamy. It reminded me of Larissa Ione's Demonica series – which was another reason why I liked it. All of the other gods were snarky and very sarcastic towards each other so that was interesting to read.

Ismini was a very likeable heroine and there were moments where I sympathized with her. She was about to be sacrificed by her own mate in order for him to save some other woman. If Ismini is not sacrificed by a certain date, then the Fates would wreak havoc on the universe. Not a pretty scenario at all. Thankfully, she had two very good friends with her: Eve and Soleria. These girls were fiesty and very upfront of what they thought was right and wrong. Ismini, Eve, and Soleria were described as very attractive women and I'm sure that's true because Dyletri, Zeniel, and Ian only have eyes for them.

In the end, Blood Flows Deep in the Empire was a very enjoyable read and I look forward to more from this author! Not to mention, Dyletri and Ismini's mating ritual simply burned up the pages. Anyway, I am excitedly waiting for the following books: Eve and Zeniel/Mavrak (God of Tranquility/Vengeance), Crius (God of the Underworld) and Dimithinia, Nylicia (Watcher of Destinies) and Cy (I'm pretty sure he's a seer or someone who sees the future), and Soleria and Ian (God of the Hunt).

*This ARC was generously provided by the author and publisher for an honest review*

Rating: ★★★★☆