Bender by Gene Gant

Bender

Publisher: Harmony Ink Press

Date of publication: June 16th, 2016

Where you can find Bender: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Nineteen-year-old Mace Danner is a college freshman—and a male prostitute. He specializes as a submissive-for-hire to dominant clients. Mace has never experienced any erotic longings, but his profession satisfies much darker needs. He believes he deserves the abuse because he was responsible for the death of his brother. When ill-treatment at the hands of customers isn’t penance enough, Mace turns to the bottle, hoping to drink away the demons still plaguing him.

RA Dex Hammel doesn’t like the road he sees Mace going down, and he offers his help before it’s too late. There’s no denying the chemistry between the two young men, but a lingering lack of physical desire continues to confuse and upset Mace. He seems set on destroying himself, and Dex might not be able to save him.

My review:

I am going to be nice about this: If you don’t like LGBTQIA books or lifestyle, stop here and hit the back button. I will not publish any rude remarks.

This book made me ugly cry while I was reading it. I wanted to reach through my Kindle and hug Mace and tell him that it was alright and that everything was going to be OK.

Mace is an escort who specializes in BDSM as a submissive. He lets men and women abuse his body. Because he feels this is the only way he can atone for his brother’s death, which Mace believes that he caused. The hurt in those paragraphs came off the pages in waves and hurt my heart.

This is the first book I have read where the main character is asexual. Asexual means that some people do not have sexual feelings. Some asexuals will have sex to please their partners and to feel close to them, but they don’t have the feelings. I had heard of asexuals before but have never read a story featuring one. So it was fascinating to me.

The relationship between Dex and Mace was perfect. It was the first stepping block to getting Mace better. I loved Dex’s character. He was everything a boyfriend should be and then some!!

How many stars will I give Bender? 5

Why? This was a beautifully written book about loss and sexuality. The author packed a lot in the 86 pages and I did want more.

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age Range: Adult

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Exploits: A Glamorous, Dangerous Romance (Sex &Secrets: Book 1) by Clara Grace Walker

Publisher:

Date of publication: July 1st, 2016

Genre: Romance, Mystery

Series: Sex & Secrets

Exploits: A Glamorous, Dangerous Romance – Book 1

Whispers—Book 2

Purchase Links: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis:

What would you do if someone left a dead body in the backseat of your car?

Publicity-shy author Sunny Drysdale is forced to find out. After bumping into celebrity impersonator Boyd Bradford at a wedding reception the night before, and seeing him leave with rival author Darla Arnold, Sunny knows exactly who to blame for his appearance in her car. She’s suffered countless dirty tricks at Darla’s hands, and Sunny is determined this one will be the last. Her plan to return the body to Darla is thwarted, however, when she is flagged down, corpse still in car, by handsome police Chief Jeremy Jennings.

How can you love someone if you can’t trust them?

Jeremy is torn by his attraction to Sunny. If life has taught him anything, it’s that relationships are a trap. Worse still, he has two main suspects in Boyd Bradford’s disappearance, and Sunny Drysdale is one of them. With counterfeit bills popping up all over town and Boyd rumored to be a mob hit, Sunny is either in way over her head, or a beautiful, but devious criminal. His head says she’s only using their romance to distract him. His heart is determined not to care. Telling himself his interest in Sunny is only about solving his case; Jeremy loses himself to the passion simmering between them.

Will these two ever be honest with one another, and give in to the desire tempting them both? Or is their romance doomed to a catastrophic end?

This book was a hot mess. I didn’t know what to expect from one chapter to the next. Usually, I can’t stand that in a book, but this one worked.

I wasn’t fond of Sunny’s character at first. She was too innocent and too much of a goody two shoes. When the missing man turns up in the back seat of her car, what does she do, she puts the body in a freezer. Seriously??? I put my Kindle down and said: “Why???“. I loved the name she came up for him, the Boydsicle. Every time I saw it, I giggled a little bit.

Sunny has some serious issues going on. Her parents died right after telling her they were disappointed in her and her aunt (who raised her) is pushy. But the main one was that she was hung up on a guy who took her virginity at 17 and told her that she wasn’t good enough for him to have sex with again, 9 years later. I remember thinking, “Girl, you need a therapist.”

Darla was a biatch. She was the one who put the body in Sunny’s car, and she kept leaking “information” about him being missing to a reporter, and she was sleeping with every guy in the book except Leo and Jeremy. Darla hates Sunny. She thinks that Sunny is better than her, and she tries to outdo her in everything. I liked her, and her scenes in the book (especially the ones in the shoe store and the dress shop) were hilarious.

Jeremy was OK. I didn’t have a connection with him as I did with Sunny and Darla. I liked his plan to get Sunny info about Boyd’s whereabouts. He was going to sleep with her. Good police work, Chief (oh yeah, he’s a police chief).

There were sparks between him and Sunny but to begin a relationship on lies is not good. The sex scenes were fantastic!!

There are so many other characters in this book that if I wrote about each of them, this blog would be long and tedious, so I decided to highlight the main three above. This book read exactly like a soap opera. I was expecting to see the words “Yesterday on Exploits” pop up between chapters with a recap.

The ending was somewhat confusing, but the storylines (I think 4??) were brought together and resolved in a way that satisfied me.

I would recommend Exploits to anyone over 21. There is sex, violence, and language. There are also scenes of drug use.

Rebellious (True Brothers MC: Book 2) by Gillian Archer

Publisher: Loveswept

Date of publication: September 13th, 2016

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Adult Fiction, Erotica, Sociology, Abuse, Romantic Suspense, Mystery, Crime, Catergory Romance, Action

Series: True Brothers MC series

Ruthless – Book 1

Rebellious – Book 2

Resilient—Book 3 (review here)

Rough Ride—Book 4 (review here)

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Indigo | Kobo

Goodreads Synopsis:

Every rebel needs a cause—and a woman to believe in. Discover why Heidi McLaughlin raves that “the sexy, alluring bad boys of the True Brothers MC will make your mouth water” in this smoldering novel from the author of Ruthless.

The black-leather-clad biker who just roared up on his Harley doesn’t resemble any single father Emily Clark has ever known. But as she watches “Reb” bonding with his son, Emily realizes there’s a lot more to this bad boy than his alpha-male attitude or his sinful good looks. And when Reb takes an interest in her, there’s no way she can resist his surprisingly tender touch. The one thing Emily won’t give up is her hard-won independence.

As president of the True Brothers MC, Reb owes a sacred debt of loyalty to the club, but his first priority is making sure that his son grows up right. Pursuing an unexpected affair with Emily is a close second. Then a violent stalker threatens her life, and this unconventional guardian angel really turns up the heat. Nobody messes with Reb, or anyone under his protection. Trouble is, how’s he supposed to defend Emily when she insists on going it alone? He’s willing to put his life on the line for her. Now, maybe, he needs to open his heart.

I devoured this book!!! I went to bed early last night and decided to read Rebellious. I finished it in under 2 hours. I was that engrossed by it.

I was “eh” about Emily’s character. It was her obsession with Reb’s penis and its piercing. Now having a piercing at the top of the penis is awesome, and I am glad that the author highlighted it. But to have Emily obsess over it got on my nerves. Then she spills it to all the MC ladies at Jessica’s bridal shower. WTH.

On the subject of Emily, the storyline of her stalker sucked. I don’t even know why it was there except to show how vulnerable/innocent/unworldly she was and how protective/crazy Reb is. I figured out who was damaging her car and who vandalized Reb’s house halfway through the book. It didn’t take away from the book, but it could have been left out.

I liked Reb. He was hot, tattooed, a devoted father, and extremely protective of his family. He happens to dabble in criminal activity on the side. The author didn’t attempt to make it like they were just a bunch of guys getting together and riding motorcycles. Plus, as Emily pointed out on many occasions, he was hung and fantastic in bed.

I do like that there is zero instalove in this book. Zero. Zilch. Nada. There was lust but no Instalove. I mean, about a month into their relationship (another thing I liked, is the book had months/dates at the beginning of each chapter), “I love you” was said, but there were no immediate plans for marriage or kids. Just two people enjoying each other’s company and bodies.

The ending was what I expected but it still was good. Everyone got what was coming to them.

I would recommend Rebellious to anyone over 21. There is explicit sex, graphic violence, and language.

If you enjoyed reading Rebellious, you will enjoy reading these books:

The Silver Thread (Annika Brisby: Book 2) by Emigh Cannaday

Publisher: Black Feather Publishing

Date of publication: November 3rd, 2012

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Fairies, Fae, Paranormal, Elves, Adult, Magic, Vampires, Urban Fantasy, Fiction

Series: Annika Brisby

The Flame and The Arrow – Book 1 (review here)

The Silver Thread – Book 2

The Scarlet Tanager – Book 3 (review here)

The Darkest of Dreams—Book 4 (review here)

Song of the Samodiva—Book 5 (review here)

Purchase Links: Amazon | Audible

Goodreads Synopsis:

“You know, my parents didn’t give me much advice about relationships, but my mother told me that we should never go to bed upset with one another.” Talvi reached am arm out to invite Annika to curl up against his chest.

“Aww, that’s a sweet thing to say,” she said as she cozied up in the crook of his arm. “What did your dad tell you?”

“He said to make sure the sofa was comfortable, just in case.”

Talvi Marinossian has slain maenads and fought off vampire attacks, but nothing has prepared him for getting involved with one of these forbidden ‘Modern Girls’. When he finally tracks down Annika it’s obvious that she’s changed since her recent adventure in his homeland. It’s also clear that she’s not ready to embrace the next chapter in her life. He tries to persuade her to open up to him, but she finds it difficult since he won’t even explain how he earns a living, why he has a secret cell phone, or the reason he keeps another woman’s handkerchief in his pocket.

Instead of relying on Talvi to help her adjust, Annika delves into her music and her job, and it isn’t long before the new lovers find themselves completely out of sync with one another. Just when they start to find their rhythm, Talvi is called away on business and whisks Annika off to Paris for what is supposed to be a working vacation. But one bad decision leads to another, and the chaos that ensues may cost someone their life.

I can’t even begin to tell you guys how excited I was when Emigh approached me to review The Silver Thread. I was fangirl excited. I squeed like a young girl at a One Direction concert when I saw the email from her. I had reviewed The Flame and The Arrow and enjoyed reading them, so I had high expectations for this book.

I wasn’t disappointed.

The story begins with Talvi and Chivanni at Talvi’s family’s house. They are discussing trying to find Annika after she is pulled through the portal. Talvi is also mourning the loss of his sister, Yuri, well, what he considers a loss. Yuri was turned into a vampire by Konstantin.

After about 3 months of searching, Talvi finds Annika in Portland. She was living with her brother Charlie and his best friend, James. She had been depressed. The only thing she was doing was playing with her band, drinking, and going to bed. That’s it. When Talvi shows up, it’s like a switch has been thrown. She was thrown out of her depression.

This is where the book turned good. Instead of having an adventure, the author chose to examine Talvi and Annika’s relationship. Sure, they were married, but they were strangers. When they started living together, they found out that they were different. I hated that Annika came off as jealous for a few chapters.

Talvi was not good at communicating outside the bedroom. He never talked to Annika unless it was to be a smartass. I didn’t blame Annika when she starts questioning her relationship with Talvi.

I wished that Annika could figure out who she wanted. It drove me nuts when she was seesawing back and forth between Talvi and Finn. Her time with Finn in Paris was, interesting. I am glad the author went the way she did with the storyline.

The sex was as good in the first book. Just as toe-curling and just as hot!!!

I will say that I was a little disappointed that Yuri only made one appearance. Also that she seemed to change from the first book. I got very sad about that.

The ending was great, and I didn’t see the twist coming. It came out of the left field and left it wide open for a 3rd book.

I would recommend The Silver Threat to anyone over 21. There is graphic sex, violence, and language. There are also scenes of drug use.

If you enjoyed reading The Silver Thread, you will enjoy these books:

My Song for You (Pushing Limits: Book 2) by Stina Lindenblatt

My Song for You: A Pushing Limits Novel by [Lindenblatt, Stina]

Publisher: Loveswept

Date of publication: September 6, 2016

Genre: Romance, Music, Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Musicians, Contemporary, Children, Disability, Fiction, Family

Series: Pushing Limits

This One Moment—Book 1

My Song for You—Book 2

I Need You Tonight—Book 3 (review here)

Purchase Links: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a poignant romance from the author of This One Moment (“Hot, intense, and filled with emotion.”—Rachel Harris), the rock stars of Pushing Limits have hit the big time. But fame gets tough when love presents a fork in the road.

At twenty-one, Jared Leigh had been prepared to give up the life of a touring musician to be a father after getting his girlfriend pregnant. When she told him that she’d gotten an abortion, Jared was devastated. Now at least he has the groupies to keep him company—until a blast from the past rocks his world.

Callie Talbert hasn’t seen her sister’s ex since high school. But after Callie bumps into Jared while she’s grocery shopping with four-year-old Logan, there’s a spark that wasn’t there before. Jared quickly realizes that her deaf “son” is the same age his own child would have been. When Jared demands to know more about Logan, Callie panics. There are things she just can’t tell him. Besides, Jared’s a bad-boy rocker, not a dependable father figure. He’ll move on to his next gig soon enough . . . right?

Trouble is, Jared refuses to be pushed away, and the more quality time he spends with Logan, the more he’s captivated by the woman Callie has become. When the truth is revealed, Jared only hopes that the three of them have what it takes to become a real family.

I started reading this book and judging it. Yes, I judged a book by its cover and by the synopsis. Now, I am going to avenge myself. Read this book. It is that good.

I didn’t like Jared’s character in the beginning. I thought because he was a rock star, he was all about money and girls. The first chapter painted him like that. After he bumped into Callie and Logan, he started to change. I could see him falling in love with Callie. I could see the promise of what a great father he would be to Logan.

I didn’t like Callie. She lost her entire family in a freak accident when Logan was 1 year old, which is sad. Keeping Jared in the dark about his son was wrong. She wasn’t thinking straight and had been listening to her sister. The same sister who told Jared she had an abortion. But not telling him when he got in her life was wrong.

The romance between Callie and Jared was a slow burn, and it was delicious to read. The sex wasn’t that bad, either.

My only complaint is that it’s book 2 in a series. It can be read as a standalone book.

I would recommend My Song for You to anyone over 21. There is explicit sex, language, and mild violence.

If you enjoyed reading My Song for You, then you will enjoy these books:

And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich

And the Trees Crept In by [Kurtagich, Dawn]

Publisher: Little, Brown Book for Young Readers

Date of publication: September 6th, 2016

Genre: Horror, Young Adult, Mystery, Fantasy, Paranormal, Fiction, Thriller, Supernatural, Suspense

Goodreads Synopsis:

Stay away from the woods…

When Silla and Nori arrive at their aunt’s home, it’s immediately clear that the manor is cursed. The endless creaking of the house at night and the eerie stillness of the woods surrounding them would be enough of a sign, but there are secrets too—questions that Silla can’t ignore: Why does it seem that, ever since they arrived, the trees have been creeping closer? Who is the beautiful boy who’s appeared from the woods? And who is the tall man with no eyes who Nori plays with in the basement at night… a man no one else can see?

I stayed up until 1 am to finish reading this book. I had to finish this book because it had such a grip on me. It scared me to death and fascinated me at the same time. It was good when I can’t sleep after finishing a book because it creeped me out.

This book is written in such a different fashion it is hard to explain. In one chapter, you are reading in 1st person, and then you could be reading in 3rd person. I don’t like it when the book jumps around like that, but it worked in this case. There were also excerpts from Silla’s diary that were creepy. I got the chills from reading it.

This book also fucks with your mind. I won’t go into it, but, baby, things are not what they seem in this book!!!

Like I said above, this book is a mind fuck. The huge twist at the end threw me for a loop. I didn’t even see it coming. Not a hint, nothing.

I would recommend And the Trees Crept In to anyone over 21. It is a clean book with no violence and mild language.

If you enjoyed And the Trees Crept In, you will enjoy these books:

Destined for a King (The Bastard Brotherhood: Book 1) by Ashlynn Macnamara

Destined for a King: The Bastard Brotherhood by [Macnamara, Ashlyn]

Publisher: Loveswept

Date of publication: September 6th, 2016

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Historical, Fantasy Romance, Adult, Historical Fiction, Paranormal Romance, High Fantasy, Medieval

Series: The Bastard Brotherhood

Destined For a King—Book 1

Claimed by the Commander—Book 2

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Indigo | Kobo | Apple Books

Goodreads Synopsis:

Bestselling author Ashlyn Macnamara, hailed by Jennifer McQuiston as “a born storyteller,” introduces the strapping, audacious outlaws of the Bastard Brotherhood in this enchanting tale of forbidden love between supposedly sworn enemies.

Though she is intended for the king, Calista Thorne picks up a crossbow to defend her ancestral home, Blackbriar Keep, from a gang of landless knights. She even manages to sink a poison-tipped arrow into their commander, who survives long enough to conquer the Keep and claim Calista for his own. Now, with her father’s life at stake, Calista must nurse the brigand back to health, and the strangest thing happens: She finds herself fascinated by his tautly muscled body, and enthralled by his hotly whispered demands.

Ever since his father’s death, the fearsome warrior they call Torch has been consumed by his quest for revenge. Taking Blackbriar Keep is the first step in that plan, and—by the three gods—it won’t be the last. But after taking one look into Calista’s smoldering gray eyes, Torch discovers a passion nobler than retribution. He will fulfill his destiny and take her from the usurper king, even in his weakened state. For with Calista’s love, no man has ever felt more powerful.

I was excited about this book when I saw the synopsis. “Oh wow, Jolie, it’s a Middle Age romance, and it is going to ROCK,” I thought.

Talk about setting myself up for a huge disappointment.

Destined for a King did have a great start. The book starts when Blackbriar Keep is overtaken by Torch and his knights. Calista, Lord Thorne’s daughter, and only child, manages to shoot Torch in his leg with an arrow and wounds him. After announcing to the keep (and her parents) that he will marry her, Torch passes out. Turns out that the arrow was tipped with kingsbane and poisoned him. Torch’s second in command orders Calista to heal Torch. He threatens her with this: If Torch doesn’t live, neither will she or her parents. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Calista is promised to the King, Magnus Vandal. Also, Torch claims that he is the long-lost heir to the throne, Josse Vandal.

Got that. Good. Because after all that is revealed, the book gets confusing.

I was not fond of Calista at all. She was headstrong and prone to doing things that got her and others in trouble. Like sneaking out of the keep to see her old tutor, Brother Tanctrid. She asked him about what happened with the King and Torch. I still don’t understand how she did it, with the keep being as defended as it was.

Then there is Calista’s mother. She drove me nuts. Always reminding her that she was “destined for a king” but never saying why. What got me was when she told Calista, “remember why I named you,” and then NEVER WENT INTO THE REASON!!!! WTH. Why did she name Calista her name? WHY? Inquiring minds want to know over here.

Calista gets attacked by Brother Tanctrid after she wakes him from his trance. I thought he would end up being a vampire with all the talk about blood. It isn’t blood that he wants. Calista is affected by his attack, but not in the way you would think.

There is Instalove too. Calista goes from hating Torch to being in love with him within 4 days. Excuse me while I gag. I hate Instalove. At least give it a week or so to develop. The sex scenes were great and delicious.

The ending was good, too, leaving the book open for other books in the series.

I would recommend Destined for a King to anyone over 21. There is sex and mild violence.

Into Aether (The Trinity Key: Book 1) by L.M. Fry

Into Aether: A Teen Steampunk Novel (The Trinity Key Trilogy of the Aether Series Book 1) by [Fry, L.M.]

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Date of Publication: March 26th, 2016

Genre: Science Fiction, Steampunk, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Series: The Trinity Key

The Obsidian Star—Book 0.5

Into Aether – Book 1

Escape Aether – Book 2 (review here)

Save Aether – Book 3 (review here)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Colorado teen Theodora (Theo) will do anything to find her missing mom, including travel into the hidden and mysterious Victorian subculture of Aether. She takes a ride with airship pirates to a floating island full of strange automatons and even stranger people.
After a century-old feud reignites, she uncovers the alarming truth about her family’s past. Finding her mother is more important than ever.

Ahhhhh…..steampunk!!!! Ahhhhh……Celtic mythology. Ahhhh…..a mix of both!!!

As you can see, I was pumped about reading a steampunk/Celtic mythology novel. Super duper pumped about reading this book, and it didn’t let me down.

Theodora (or Theo as she liked to be called) was the perfect heroine, and I loved her. She was the perfect combination of sass, sarcasm, angst, and innocence all rolled into one. I liked that she didn’t even blink when strange things started to happen to her. That whole cross-country flight/train ride/airship ride/floating island would have freaked me out. But not her, and I admired that.

The steampunk part of the book didn’t happen until halfway through. I was in nerd heaven after that. Automans, half machine/half human people, odd way of talking, a freaking AIRSHIP!!!

The romance aspect was cute too. Theo was hilarious in fighting her feelings for Victor, and when she gave in, well, I laughed. It was cute.

The Danu storyline was also great, along with the Order storyline. Lazarus was a creep, and he got what he deserved.

The ending was a surprise to me. It was not a cliffhanger, but it left the book open for another.

I would recommend Into Aether to anyone over 13. There is no sex, minimal violence, and mild language.

If you enjoyed reading Into Aether, you will enjoy reading these books:

The Last Pilgrim (Tommy Bergmann: Book 1) by Gard Sveen

The Last Pilgrim (Tommy Bergmann Book 1) by [Sveen, Gard]

Publisher: AmazonCrossing

Date of publication: August 23rd, 2016

Genre: Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Fiction, Historical, Historical Fiction, War, European Literature, Scandinavian Literature, Spy Thriller, Espionage, Adult Fiction

Series: Tommy Bergmann

The Last Pilgrim – Book 1

Hell Is Open—Book 2

Blod i dans—Book 3

Bjornen—Book 4

Drommenes gud—Book 5

Goodreads Synopsis:

Young, lovely Norwegian Agnes Gerner is waging a dangerous and secret fight. Outwardly, she is a devoted Nazi sympathizer engaged to a prominent businessman. In fact, she is part of an underground resistance doing everything to win the war against the Germans. The only hope she has of being reunited with the man she truly loves—who serves under the code name “Pilgrim”—is if the Nazis are defeated. Of course, there’s no guarantee that she’ll be alive when that happens…

Many years later, three sets of remains are found in a popular Oslo forest—two adults and a child. Despite his boss’s call to not spend extra time on the old case, Detective Tommy Bergmann cannot help but dig deeper, especially as he uncovers connections to a more recent murder. As he unravels the secrets of the past, it becomes clear that everything is permissible in war—and that only those who reject love can come out victorious.

My review:

I wouldn’t say I liked this book when I first started reading it. I had a lot of problems keeping my attention focused on it. Once I got past the first few chapters, I started to like the book.

I didn’t expect that I would like Tommy Bergmann by the end of the book. In the beginning, I detested him. He admitted that he beat his girlfriend over their 12-year relationship. He did have an awesome work ethic, and his remorse for his past behavior came across the pages. Even though he is a fictional character, I wanted to slip him a card to a psychologist. When he had a chance with another woman, he called it off because of his issues with his ex-girlfriend.

Agnes annoyed the ever-living out of me. I can’t put a finger on it, but I read her chapters with a bad taste in my mouth. I did find it fascinating how female spies were regarded during World War 2. Agnes proved them wrong. Her scenes with The Pilgrim also didn’t ring true to me. I figured out that he wanted a piece of ass and a place to crash, and she fell in love with him.

I liked the dual storylines. The author kept them apart and devoted entire chapters to Tommy and Agnes. I got confused was the beginning of the book when Kaj and the detective were killed. I got confused in the 2003 chapters when Tommy came to the crime scene. And then when he was called the woods when they found the bones.

The author did a great job keeping the killers under wraps until the end. He took me on a multi-country jaunt to find out how those two cases were connected. I did figure out the 1942 storyline about halfway through the book. But the 2003 storyline (and how they connected) did take me by surprise, and I was a little shocked by the ending.

I would recommend The Last Pilgrim to anyone over 21. There is sex and lots of violence.

If you liked The Last Pilgrim, you will enjoy these books:

Shadow Falling (The Scorpius Syndrome: Book 2) by Rebecca Zanetti

Publisher: Zebra

Date of publication: August 30th, 2016

Genre: Romance, Dystopia, Romantic Suspense, Post Apocolyptic, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Suspense

Series: Scorpius Syndrome

Scorpius Rising—Book 0.5

Mercury Striking—Book 1

Shadow Falling—Book 2

Justice Ascending—Book 3

Storm Gathering—Book 4

Blaze Erupting—Book 4.5

Winter Igniting—Book 5

Knight Awakening—Book 6

On the Hunt—In the Scorpius Syndrome Universe

Purchase Links: Amazon | Audible | AbeBooks

Goodreads Synopsis:

Before the Scorpius Syndrome tore through North America and nearly wiped out the population, Vivienne Wellington was the FBI’s best profiler. The bacteria got her anyway. But she survived. She recovered. And when she woke up from a drug-nightmare of captivity, her trust in her fellow man had gone from shaky at best to nonexistent. Her mysterious rescuer wants to convince her he’s the exception. But no matter how tempting he is, with his angel’s eyes and devil’s tongue, Vinnie knows she shouldn’t trust him.

If the FBI were still around they would rate Raze Shadow as one of the bad guys. His military training can’t wipe out his association with the Mercenaries, the most feared gang in a thousand miles. His loyalties are compromised. He won’t even tell Vinnie his real name. But there’s no FBI in the new America of fear and firepower, only instinct and risk. And the way his arms wrap around her tells its own story. Whatever else Raze is concealing, he can’t hide his desire . . .

Oh. My. God.

I LOVED this book. Forget that it is the 2nd book in a series. Forget it. This book is that awesome.

Raze, oh, where do I start with him? He is so bad that he’s good and oozed sex appeal. What appealed to me about him was that he was 100% devoted to his family and those he considers family. Even when he got sick with the Scorpius Syndrome, he was still a badass.

Vinnie (or Vivienne) Kennedy was a mess when she was introduced. She is dealing with the aftermath of her kidnapping by the President. She was also infected with Scorpius Syndrome, and her brain was all wonky. She is seeing hallucinations of her dead schizophrenic stepmother, and she believes that she can read minds (or can she??). She doesn’t have a filter. I laughed out loud when she told Jax, Lynn, and Trace that Raze had a huge erection because she wouldn’t have sex with him.

President Atherton and Vice President Lake were creepy. I got chills when I read their scenes. I can’t wait to see them get what they are due.

The main storyline was great, but I called what would happen with it. Not that it took away from the story in any way. I liked the 2nd storyline, and the way the author wrapped that up was great. The 3rd storyline annoyed me for some reason. The Reverend was sneaky. I don’t understand why Jax didn’t shoot him the first time Vinnie told him he was up to something. But then again, I can see why he didn’t.

The ending was great and left open for Trace and Sami’s story. Which I can’t wait to read. I have to read the first book, and I will be all set.

I would recommend Shadow Falling to anyone over 21. There is sex, language, and violence.

If you enjoyed Shadow Falling, you will enjoy these books:

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