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?
__________________________________________________________________

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