Review: Infinite Betrayal by Gayle Donnelly & Robyn Mackenzie

Infinite Betrayal by Gayle Donnelly & Robyn Mackenzie
Series: Infinity Series (# 1)
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Published: March 22, 2011
Page Count:  307 pages
Source: ebook provided by the author

Mina Roarke had always been told she was special. In what way, she never fully understood until circumstances led her down a path of adrenaline-charged danger, blazing sexual heat and ultimate betrayal.

Mathias, a warrior for a secret shifter race known as The Coteri, has been ordered to protect Mina at all costs. Although his oath to protect her is paramount, can he rein in his animal instincts long enough to not claim the one person he’s forbidden to have?

Review: Jealous and Freakn' by Eve Langlais

Jealous and Freakn' by Eve Langlais
Series: Freakn' Shifters Series (# 2)
Release Date: November 18, 2011

Publisher: self-published
Page Count: 469 kb, 228 pages
Source: Contest win at Romancing the Book

What will it take for him to stop thinking of her as a freakn’ sister?

Francine’s loved Mitchell, a wolf like herself, since she first set eyes on him back when they were just kids. However, Mitchell’s never seen her as more than another annoying sister. Determined to make him realize she’s all grown up, she enlists the aide of Alejandro, a gorgeous cat shifter. She never counted on wanting them both.

Alejandro knows Francine is special from the first moment he meets the fiery plump wolf, which is why he suggests she use him to make Mitchell jealous. A great plan, especially if it means he gets to kiss those luscious lips. One taste, though, and he’s addicted, but how does he make her see past the man she loves to realize she’s also meant to be his mate?

For a long time now, Mitchell’s been avoiding Francine, his bratty sister’s friend. However, the little girl he remembers is all grown up, and when he sees her in the arms of another, a need to claim her overrides all his common sense. But, he’s waited too long and fate has decided that he’s going to have to share. Can he bend enough to accept Francine with her other man, or will his freakn’ jealousy send him running?

Review: Holiday Kisses anthology

Holiday Kisses by Alison Kent, Jaci Burton, HelenKay Dimon and Shannon Stacey
Release Date: December 5, 2011
Publisher: Carina Press
Page Count: 103,000 words or 627 KB
Source: NetGalley

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like... Love!

A man gives the gift of trust and receives a second chance at love in return. A woman helps to heal the wounded heart of a soldier. A couple finds that true love knows no distance. And a young widow learns that there can be two great loves in a lifetime. Love, romance and passion come together in this collection of four seasonal shorts.

Anthology includes:

This Time Next Year by Alison Kent
A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton
It's Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon
Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey

Review: Love at First Sight by Vincent Zandri

Love at First Sight by Vincent Zandri
Publisher:  StoneGate Inc
Release Date:  October 27, 2011
Page Count:  217 KB
Source:  Bri Clark (Belle Consulting)

A young U.S. Army officer who’s served in Afghanistan finds himself suffering from intermittent bouts of “hysterical” temporary blindness due to impossible and deadly orders he was forced to obey by high command in the field. When he’s reunited with his fiancée in a military hospital in Germany after being separated for more than year, the couple are encouraged by doctors to travel to Venice, Italy together. There, amongst the canals and the cafes, they try to rekindle their love and fight off their personal demons while trying to comprehend the enormity of the heartbreaking role they now must play in love and war.

Review: Mahu Blood by Neil S. Plakcy

Mahu Blood by Neil S. Plakcy
Series: Mahu Series (# 5)
Release Date: February 2011
Publisher: MLR Press
Page Count: 541 (in Calibre), 312 (paperback)
Source: eBook from author

Two-time Lambda Literary Award finalist Neil Plakcy returns to the Hawaiian Islands with a new mystery about blood ties in a state torn by ethnic tension. Openly gay Honolulu homicide detective Kimo Kanapa’aka must investigate a series of murders that threaten his own family as well as the citizens he struggles to protect.

Billions of dollars are at stake in a fight over who the land of the Aloha State really belongs to. Is it the United States—or the indigenous people of the islands, many of whom feel their sovereign kingdom was overthrown by American businessmen?

At the same time, Kimo and his fire investigator partner, Mike Riccardi, deal with the stress of moving in together to create their own ohana—a Hawaiian term which means family, as well as community.

Review: A Clockwork Christmas: A Steampunk Christmas Anthology

A Clockwork Christmas: A Steampunk Christmas Anthology by Stacy Gail, PG Forte, Jenny Schwartz, JK Coi
Release Date: December 5, 2011
Publisher:  Carina Press
Page Count: 692 KB
Source: Netgalley

Changed forever after tragedy, a woman must draw strength from her husband's love. A man learns that love isn't always what you expect. A thief steals the heart of a vengeful professor. And an American inventor finds love Down Under. Enjoy Victorian Christmas with a clockwork twist in these four steampunk novellas:

Crime Wave in a Corset by Stacy Gail
This Winter Heart by PG Forte
Wanted: One Scoundrel by Jenny Schwartz
Far From Broken by JK Coi

Review: Cabin Fever by Shara Azod and RaeLynn Blue

Cabin Fever by Shara Azod and RaeLynn Blue
Publisher: Mocha Memoirs Press
Release Date:  June 11, 2011
Page Count: 53
Source: ebook provided by the publisher

Uber-busy and highly successful Chanta Nicholson thought she had kept all her secret desires carefully tucked away in her diary. Her husband, Drew, while a good man, wouldn’t condone the type of lovemaking she wanted. She liked it rough and wild, but there was no way conservative, straight-laced Drew would even begin to understand her needs. Drew Nicholson could feel his wife slipping away from, hiding behind her cell phone calls and busy late nights at the office. There wasn’t any way he was going to let Chanta go, not without a serious intervention. He’d read her diary and knew what she needed. Most importantly, he knew how to give it to her. Locked in a cabin tucked away in the Canadian forest, Drew and Chanta can’t just kindle a fire, they must make their love burn like cabin fever.

Review: Light Bringer by Pat Bertram

Light Bringer by Pat Bertram
Published: March 26, 2011
Publisher: Second Wind Publishing LLC
Pages: 306 pages
Source: ebook provided by the author

Becka Johnson had been abandoned on the doorstep of a remote cabin in Chalcedony, Colorado when she was a baby. Now, thirty-seven years later, she has returned to Chalcedony to discover her identity, but she only finds more questions. Who has been looking for her all those years? Why are those same people interested in fellow newcomer Philip Hansen? Who is Philip, and why does her body sing in harmony with his? And what do either of them have to do with a shadow corporation that once operated a secret underground installation in the area?

Review: Prime Defender by Ann Jacobs

Prime Defender by Ann Jacobs
Series: Necessary Roughness (# 4)
Release Date: September 2, 2011
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Page Count: 52 pages (estimated)
Source: ebook provided by the publisher

Big, tough, sexy linebacker Matt Rubin is a killer on the field—but a willing slave in the dungeon to his voluptuous, beautiful Domme.

Keisha loves her buff, gorgeous sex slave. It is the ultimate erotic gratification—having such a strong, intimidating man completely at her sexual command. Then a health crisis forces them to make a temporary switch. The sex slave becomes the Master. Keisha is totally out of her element and they both wonder how they can ever really go back to that perfect love.

Interview & Contest: Natalie-Nicole Bates

Jen: Please help us welcome Natalie-Nicole Bates to Romancing the Book.  Natalie-Nicole, will you share a short bio with us?

Natalie-Nicole: Natalie-Nicole Bates is a book reviewer and author.

Her passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian and Edwardian era photography. Natalie contributes her uncharacteristic love of hockey to being born in Russia.

She currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next book and adding to her collection of 19th century post-mortem photos.

Visit Natalie-Nicole online at www.natalienicolebates.com