Sexy, single, and even sweeter than the treats he bakes, New York pastry chef Danny Lunden is trying to stay focused on food—not females. With the Rising Star Chef competition approaching, he doesn’t have time to get all steamed up over the gorgeous woman he encounters on the plane to Chicago. Even if she is Eva Jansen—the billionaire heiress in charge of the contest…

Danny assumes that “Eva the Diva” is a spoiled rich girl who doesn’t share his passion for food. But when the two meet up again in an elevator—alone—they share more than just passion. They share a kiss hot enough to start a kitchen fire—and they’re hungry for more. To indulge their new secret craving, Eva and Danny have to break every rule in the cookbook. But—like chocolate and caramel—some ingredients are are so sinfully good together, one scrumptious bite is never enough...

Title: SOME LIKE IT HOT
Author: Louisa Edwards
Series: Rising Start Chef Trilogy, book 2 and Recipe For Love Series, book 5
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Culinary Romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year of release: 2011, November 29
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Received a digital ARC from publisher for review

First line:
So this is what it's like to leave home, Danny mused, narrowly avoiding a collision with a woman who seemed to have forgotten she was pulling a wheeled carry-on case behind her.

Memorable Scenes:
- Danny and Eva's kiss in the elevator > great first kiss scene
- any scene with Claire and Kane > I love those two!
- the love scene where Danny's hands are bandaged > holy hot tamales!
- Eva making her wrongdoings right > have to admit she turned her like-factor up right there in that scene

Eva Jansen is spoiled. There is no other word for it. She is used to getting what she wants, when she wants it and how she wants it. Yet, deep down she's not the diva she shows to everyone. Beneath all the brass, the seemingly selfish actions and the big ego attitude is a caring and sweet woman lurking in the shadow, waiting for the right man to lure her out.

That right man is pastry chef Danny Lunden. He’s a man who has this need to take care of others. It’s engrained in him. He’s calm, levelheaded and reassuring and has a talent for soothing others. So much that he forgets that he sometimes needs reassurance and soothing too. He loves order and control but underneath all that calm there’s a lot of repressed anger and other feelings waiting to come to the surface.

Unfortunately I didn't have the immediate click with Eva and Danny as I did with Jules and Max in the first book. However, they really grew on my along the way because they were definitely a match for each other! When Danny let go a bit of his need to take care of others and think of himself and his own needs first and Eva, though still having a diva attitude, showed her vulnerable and caring side, that’s when I fell for both of them and their romance.

Again the secondary cast was awesome! I loved Max and Jules as secondary characters. (I still have a soft spot for Max!) And the blend of familiar supporting characters and a few new intriguing ones, contributed to my enjoyment of SOME LIKE IT HOT. Of course I also loved that Louisa Edwards continued the secondary romance she started in TOO HOT TO TOUCH. Claire and Kane captured my heart and I truly enjoyed their story, at times even more than Danny and Eva's.

The culinary competition part of the book was also great. I liked it even more than I did the first book of this trilogy because the way the challenges in this book were set up, reminded me even more of my favorite cooking competition shows. For giving me this great mix of romance and culinary type TV-shows, I can only thank and love Louisa Edwards. I love how she combines food and romance. It's clear she has knowledge of food and cooking and a talent for writing romance and heat. I loved the food analogies (both in SOME LIKE IT HOT and in TOO HOT TO TOUCH).

There's also simplicity and subtle humor to her writing that make her books very accessible and easy to go through. The make-out and love scenes are exquisite. Louisa Edwards knows her foodie stuff but she also knows how to write love scenes that will make you forget you're sitting in a chilly room as the heat that radiates from them will warm you up just fine.

So even though it had a slow start and I had to warm up to the main couple I really enjoyed SOME LIKE IT HOT and I can’t wait for the next and final book in this trilogy. Louisa Edwards has become a permanent dish on my reading menu!

Favorite Quotes:
But when she’d seen Lunden standing in the doorway of the plane, long-fingered hands on lean hips like an avenging warrior, all the exhaustion and nervousness and self-doubt went up in a firestorm of excitement and lust. The way the chill of condemnation clashed with the unmistakable glitter of instantaneous hunger and sparkled his eyes to a bright sizzling blue called to the fighter in Eva. She wanted to stoke the fire of that hunger, feed it craftily and carefully until it flamed up and overwhelmed the disapproval.

She made a sound deep in her throat, rough and unashamed, and immediately pure unadulterated high-octane lust flooded his system. He’d been hard since he’s seen her splayed out against the back wall of the elevator, but when she growled like that, the rush of his blood through his body made his c#ck throb so thickly he was momentarily afraid he’d pass out.

"It suits you."
Dazed, wondering if he'd missed something crucial to the conversation while zoning out on the many uses tot which he’d be happy to put her tongue, Danny said, “What does?”
“Danny.”
How did she manage to make the name he’d been called since kindergarten sound like pure, filthy sex?

Kane dipped his spoon into the center, the yolk broke and ran out the white like a river down a mountain. He peeked under the egg to see the shredded beef. It didn’t look like much on its own, but when Kane lifted the spoon to his mouth, he had to work hard not to moan like a kid discovering what his dick was for.

When it comes to competitive cooking, Max Lunden is no stranger to winning…though he’s never been great at working with a team. A master chef—and major hunk—he’s traveled the world, picking up new cooking techniques as well as beautiful women. But when the prodigal chef returns home to his family’s Greenwich Village restaurant, he discovers one too many cooks in the kitchen—and she’s every bit as passionate as he is…

Juliet Cavanaugh used to have a crush on Max when she was just a teenager, hanging out at Lunden & Sons Tavern, hoping to catch a glimpse of the owner’s oldest, and hottest, son. Now a chef herself—competing in the biggest culinary contest in the country—Juliet will be cooking side by side with the one man she’s always admired…and desired. But despite their simmering attraction, Juliet is determined to keep her cool—no matter how hot it gets…

Title: TOO HOT TO TOUCH
Author: Louisa Edwards
Series: Rising Start Chef Trilogy, book 1 and Recipe For Love Series, book 4
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Culinary Romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year of release: 2011, August 2
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Bought via The BookDepository

First line:
Juliet Cavanaugh wrapped her arms around her ribs for warmth and stomped her feet as she walked.

Memorable Scenes:
- Jules and Max against the wall in the upstairs kitchen. First “frisky” scene after their kiss in the pantry > hot as chili peppers :)
- the trivia preliminary round > awesome foodie facts
- Kane Slater > loved the storyline with him and Claire


Juliet “Jules” Cavanaugh is ambitious, smart and practical. After a difficult youth she finds a warm and loving family at her best friend, Danny Lunden’s house. His parents take her in like a daughter and she grows up to be a talented chef. I admired Jules tenacity and her practical look on life.

Max Lunden, Danny’s older brother and Jules secret teenage crush, left that same loving, home to find adventure when his father refuses to let him take the family restaurant to the next step. Max is a wanderer and stubborn. He’s outspoken, impulsive and shameless. I loved his dry sense of humor and his oneliners (both in thought and spoken).

Even though the reader doesn’t get any interaction between Jules and Max when they are younger, I still saw this book as a bit of a reunited lovers thing and I loved how flirty Max was with Jules. His sense of humor and determination to win her affection went through her resistance like a warm knife through butter and I melted right alongside Jules.

The cast of secondary was awesome, impressive and they all immediately conquered their rightful place in the book and in my heart.
Win, Beck, Danny, Claire, Eva and Kane all contributed to my appreciation of this awesome book and its equally awesome author because even though the majority of the secondary cast was formed by more than just supporting characters, they never outshone Jules and Max. I must admit Claire and Kane and their secondary romance almost did but in the end I loved Max and Jules just that tad bit more.

This first book I’ve read by Louisa Edwards made me fall in love with her writing and also had me kicking myself for not reading her work sooner than this. But rest assured, her backlist will be devoured as soon as I’ve read SOME LIKE IT HOT (which is the reason I read TOO HOT TO TOUCH). Louisa Edwards’ writing is fast-paced, filled with heat and humor and I gobbled TOO HOT TO TOUCH up from the first page to the last and then licked my fingers clean.

Favorite Quotes:
Max’s ribcage expanded with joy like phyllo pastry puffed up with honey. For a moment, he was honestly afraid his chest would pop open and spill his heart onto the street.

“Jules, Jules. I seem to remember a Juliet hanging out with you, the two of you following me around, looking to get into trouble. Same girl? I bet it is. A chick on the team. Score. Come on, dish it up. Is she hot now? I bet she’s hot.”
Danny shook his head, amusement relaxing the tense line of his mouth. “Is that all you ever think about?”
“No! Sometimes I think about food. And beer. Scuba diving. Horse races. The color cyan. I’m a complex and multilayered flower, Danny.”

Max was honestly starting to worry that if someone didn’t sit on Winslow, the kid was going to jitter right out of his basketball sneakers.

Rancher Rylie Thorn loves everything about men, but she’s positively phobic about commitment. After growing up in a broken family and witnessing too many failed marriages, Rylie knows "forever" is just not in the cards for her.

Sheriff Clay Wayland has been called in to investigate a rash of crimes in the southeastern corner of Cochise County. But one night when he goes into the field to do some observation, he comes across a sensual woman who’s doing some investigating of her own. Rylie immediately sets his blood on fire and he knows he has to have her. And it isn’t long before Clay begins the job of taming this wildcat and making her his. . .for keeps.

Title: CLAY
Author: Cheyenne McCray
Series: Armed and Dangerous, book 4
Genre: Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year of release: 2011, April 12
Format: Tradesize Paperback
Source: Bought via The BookDepository

First line:
Rylie Thorn pulled at her earlobe as she guided her battered ranch pickup into the parking lot of the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department.

Memorable Scenes:
- chapter 12 in its entirety > both in heat, plot and emotion this was a crucial and memorable chapter

Rylie Thorn is a rancher and from a broken home and dysfunctional family. She’s a wildcat and determined not to follow in her mother's doormat footsteps. She’s stubborn, take-charge and emotionally distant. Though she’s sexually uninhibited she fears intimacy and doesn't believe in love or marriage.

Clay Wayland is the County’s sheriff and his personality matches his job. He’s commanding and goes after what he wants. In this case he wants Rylie.

First sexually tinted scene between Riley and Clay was a bit weird for me (Rylie let’s a stranger – Clay fondle her to a climax outside while peeping Tom-ing her foreman having sex with 2 women) and I had to suspend disbelief to get over it and enjoy the rest of the romance. And yet I think what keeps me coming back to this series is the scorching heat of the sex scenes. In CLAY, unapologetic and in clear, straight language the hot chemistry between Rylie and Clay set the pages on fire.

The plot, which was not the strong point in this installment, revolved around truck thefts along the border. I was hoping it wasn't going to turn out as predictable as I was suspecting from early on in the book and fortunately it wasn’t too predictable but it wasn’t very thrilling either except for the showdown wrap-up scene. The suspense was just less intense than the steaminess in this book.

Cheyenne McCray's writing reels me in. I don't know what hold this series has over me but even though neither book in the series has blown me away so far, any new book released in it never lingers very long on my Mt. TBR. The minute a new release arrives I put it on the TBR shelf but it keeps calling me, enticing me to start reading it and before I know it, I've cracked the spine and started reading...This series is my crack, I tell you! I just can’t stay away from it.

CLAY is another good addition to this very addictive series. The predictability of the suspense was made up for by the scorching sexual chemistry and hot as hell sexy scenes and I'm ready for the next book in the Armed and Dangerous Series. If I may make a suggestion, NOAH would be a great contender and my pick to continue this series with.

Favorite Quotes:
The little wildcat glared at him. She didn’t spit, but she didn’t kill him either. That had to be a win. After a second or two of stripping him down with those hot eyes, she spun and marched out of the control room.

“Fair’s fair.” Rylie gave him a saucy smile, but inside she was a quivering mass of lust. Every cell in her body screamed with need for this man. Nee to have his naked form against hers, need to taste his skin, and need to see if he fit as perfectly inside as he did outside.

“I hate to break this moment, but you think you could unlock these handcuffs?”
“I don’t know.” He propped himself up on both arms and his lips quirked in a grin. “Kinda like you right where I’ve got you.”
“Oh?” Damn but he made her feel all quivery and gooey inside. “What do I have to do to convince you?”
Clay raised an eyebrow. “Of what?”
“That there’ll be hell to pay if you don’t get these things off me now.”
With a soft laugh he rolled off of her, sliding out and leaving her empty without him. “Now supposing I can’t find the key?”
Rylie glared at him. “Supposing I’m gonna kick your ass, cowboy.”

“You are so dead, Clay Wayland,” Rylie muttered as he climbed another set of stairs and she bounced against his back. “Right after I ride you like a wild bronco, I’m gonna kill you.

After a bitter divorce, reporter Kelsey Nichols has erected a border around her heart too strong for any man to cross. She's not ready for a relationship of any kind with any man. But when Kelsey meets Kade she can think of nothing but being in his powerful arms and in his bed.

Intelligence Agent Kade Owen is hot on the trail of a notorious smuggler when the sensual blonde reporter comes into his life. Once he gets a hold of Kelsey, nothing will stop Kade from winning her heart.

Title: KADE
Author: Cheyenne McCray
Series: Armed and Dangerous, book 3
Genre: Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year of release: 2010, October 26
Format: Trade Size Paperback
Source: Bought via The Book Depository

First line:
Kade Owen dragged his hand over his stubbled face as he settled into the plastic airport seat while waiting to board the plane he'd be taking to Tucson.

Memorable Scenes:
Weren’t there any or did I just not write them down…who knows?

Kade Owen is an Intelligence Agent with the U.S. Border Patrol. He's investigating people-smugglers and on the trail of a notorious lead figure in the operation, the key smuggler: El Torero. Kelsey Nichols is a journalist writing a series of articles on illegal immigration along the Mexican border. It turns out she'll be staying with Kade at the family ranch and soon they discover that their individual investigations have common threads and they also discover that there’s instant heat and attraction between them that will turn into a blazing inferno if they don’t keep it contained.

Kade is a widower with a 9 year-old son. He’s charming and a sweet-talker but he’s also ruthless and hard in when it comes to his job. Kade's a talker in bed, not necessarily a dirty talker but he's pretty vocal, which I love in my heroes.

Kelsey didn’t make as big an impression on me as Kade did. She was an overall nice character and I loved how she was with Kade and his son but other than that there aren’t any spectacular memorable moments that come to mind when writing something about her.

There were very many secondary characters and I had to make notes to keep them straight. Some of them were important to the story by way of the suspense of the romance. Others were just walk-ons or mentions that I don’t think we’ll see in future installments of this series. One thing I noticed in LUKE but didn’t mention in that review is that most of the males in these books have 4-letter names. In this book I noticed it again and it made me want to mention it now because I like it and I think that it’s done purposely by Cheyenne McCray and not a coincidental thing. The ones I noted in KADE were: Kade (of course), Juan, John, Jess, Stan, Jake, Paul. From the previous books we have Zack and Luke and the next book’s hero is Clay. Don’t tell me this is a coincidence.

I don't know what it is about the books in the Armed & Dangerous Series but even though the first two books didn't blow me away, I was anxiously waiting for book 3 and pre-ordered it the minute I was able to. I even read it within a week of receiving it and that says a lot, especially if you look at some of the books of series I read that are still on my TBR, some of which have been gathering dust for more than 2 years.

And now after reading KADE I know the next book will be pre-ordered and read as soon as it arrives too because somehow, sneakily, Cheyenne McCray has hooked me with these combinations of erotic romance, sexy cowboys who are in law-enforcement and some excellent suspense plots. (Clay was pre-ordered and read immediately upon receiving it. This series is scarily addictive and I can’t figure out why…)

In ZACK I loved the erotic/romance part and the suspense lacked a bit for me. In LUKE the suspense part was good but I had trouble with the eroticism/romance in the story. At the start of KADE I was hoping the book would deliver in both because I really loved the start. My wish was partially granted as it started strong, fizzled out a little bit in the middle and ended strong again. Even if the suspense was a little predictable it was wrapped up well with a small surprise. The romance was sweet but not overly intense or very erotic. KADE was definitely less erotic than book 2 but in a way that I did enjoy it more than the explicit eroticism of the second book.

Besides suspense and romance KADE had another big plus: a kid (Kade's son) and as known I'm a sucker for children in romance novels, especially the sweet, cute, chatterbox, whirlwind kind of kids. I really loved Trent, he was such an adorable boy and he most certainly contributed to my enjoyment of this installment of the Armed and Dangerous Series.

All in all KADE is a very nice read that didn't blow me away but still it was good enough to keep me hooked to the series. Because yes, CLAY has already been pre-ordered too…What the F is it with these books…? Darned Cheyenne McCray, you and this series are an addiction I just can’t seem to quit!

Favorite Quote:
He brushed his lips over hers. Just a whisper kiss. The light touch of his lips and her feel of his fingers on her skin made her nipples ache. A wave of longing crested, then crashed within her soul. She pressed herself closer to him and heard a soft moan. Coming from her.
The tip of his tongue outlined her bottom lip, a feather caress that sent desire spiraling within. She parted her lips and his tongue met hers, a velvet softness that she savored like golden honey. “You taste so good,” he murmured.
She moved her palm to his face, and for an endless moment she stroked his cheek and gazed into his eyes. “I lose my head with you. I can’t afford that –I can’t afford to lose myself again.”
Kade kissed the corner of her mouth and moved to her earlobe. “If you get lost, I’ll help you find your way back.” He nipped at her lobe. “I need you, Kelsey. I’m not whole without you.”

THE PRICE OF PASSION…
Sold. With one word, Lady Elena Ravenscliffe’s destiny changes forever. Forced into Constantinople’s slave market to pay off her late husband’s debts and save her son, Elena reinvents herself as Jinan—a harem girl adored by the rich lords who bid on her favors. But one man instantly sees through her façade.

…IS COMPLETE SURRENDER
Griffin Summerfield, Marquess of Rothburn, let Elena slip through his fingers years ago. When he recognizes her on the auction block, he pays an outrageous sum to possess her even if it is for a short period of time. But when his deadline looms, Griffin will risk all in a desperate bid to make her his—and his alone…

Title: Surrender of a Lady
Author: Tiffany Clare
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year of release: 2010, September 28
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages
Source: Won an ARC of this book in a Twitter contest held by author

First line:
“What do you mean you’ll work this out? You’ve gambled me away! I’m your wife for heaven’s sake!”

Memorable Scenes:
- Elena’s reunion with her infant son > absolutely heartbreaking!

The heroine of this book, Elena Ravenscliffe, is gambled away by her irresponsible and self-centered husband. She ends up in a harem as a sex slave after being bought at a slave market. As the harem girl Jinan she is forced to grow up from a young, almost naïve girl into a strong, resilient woman of the world.

The hero of this book was a bit of a problem for me. He’s a former opium-addict and from the start I found him a little selfish and I didn’t really click with him to begin with. Sadly this never improved throughout the book.

Though I really enjoyed reading this book, there were also a few things that didn’t quite work for me. First was the hero, but there was also the placement of chapter 3 in relation to chapters 4 through 7 in the chronology. I didn’t understand the reason for not keeping it chronologically and put the events of that chapter after chapter 7. I am sure the author and/or editor must have had a reason for this but it never was clear to me and though this did not lessen the enjoyment of the book, it did take me out of the reading flow a little during that first part of the book.

In this unusual historical romance Tiffany Clare is not afraid to touch subjects like prostitution, drug addiction and kidnapping in a way that was acceptable to me as a reader who is sometimes wary of these subjects. I also liked that she kept non hero/heroine sexual activities from going all the way in detail and mostly off the page, the way she did for example in the scene with Jinan and Amir. I don’t think I could have handled or appreciated a detailed scene at that point.

While I really loved the first part of the book, despite the minor chronology issue, I was a bit less enthusiastic about the start of the second part of the book as in that part I lost the connection with the romance and the characters a bit and I missed some crucial plot information, which once again took me out of the reading flow trying to sort it out in my head. Though I can’t fully condone what Griffin did in the beginning of this second part of the book, on the other hand Jinan had refused to tell him about herself and her past so he had no way of knowing how hurtful his actions were. However, what he does further on is inexcusable. He just seemed totally blind and deaf to Jinan’s feelings and completely unwilling to see the difficulty of the position she was in and in my opinion that just went on too long and Griffin went too far in his hardheadedness.

As much as Griffin made me want to pound my head against the wall, I really loved and admired Jinan for the strong, determined woman she had become, standing her ground and facing a man deaf and blind to her protests, reasoning and dilemma.

I must say that a HEA seemed unattainable and I was constantly wondering how on earth the story was going to have a happy ending. And when the conclusion had started to take form I couldn’t help but feel a bit of trepidation. It was certainly not a HEA the way I was expecting and for me there was not enough groveling from Griffin’s part in the end to justify his redemption. The end left me a bit unsatisfied despite the HEA that was definitely there.

SURRENDER OF A LADY is a wonderful and promising historical romance by debut author Tiffany Clare, with an admirable heroine, an unusual setting and an extraordinary premise. While the harem girl/sex slave trope is not uncommon in historical romance, Tiffany Clare managed to give it a unique twist that left me with absolutely no reason to question her imagination and writing skills. Her newest book is definitely on my order-list.

Quote:
She was only Jinan here. Elena had died long ago when the last shred of decency she once esteemed herself in had been stolen. By the man she’d been forced to marry in the end. Men never brought her love. They brought her misery upon misery. Loneliness.

Back Cover:
After spending four years abroad, Trinity MacKenna has returned home to her family's ranch in southeastern Arizona. Everything in her life is going just the way she planned it—a home in London, a brilliant career, and she's practically engaged to a gorgeous English gentleman. But when Trinity meets Luke, the cowboy turns her perfect world upside down. Everything about him is virile and sexy, dark and dangerous—and definitely not part of Trinity's carefully arranged plans.

From the moment Luke Denver sees the sensual strawberry blond, he knows he's got to have her. Luke is intrigued by Trinity's combination of sophistication and innocence, boldness and shyness. Even when Trinity tells him she's taken, Luke doesn't let that stop him, because he's determined to make her his...no matter the cost.

When trouble of cattle rustling started at the Flying M Ranch, DEA special agent Luke Denver was placed there undercover as ranch foreman Luke Rider. With the arrest of the rustlers and their accomplice at the sheriff’s department they thought the trouble was over but now there seems to be a turf war going on and illegal aliens (UDAs) are smuggling drugs over the border. Luke and his fellow agents have to try and figure out which of the ranchers is in the middle of it all and while investigating he stumbles upon Trinity, Skylar MacKenna’s (owner of the Flying M and Luke’s boss – heroine book 1) little sister. The attraction is explosive and instant. He knows he has to have her and sets out to do just that. Software designer Trinity has returned home for her first visit after living and working abroad for years and while practically engaged she’s having second thoughts about her relationship. When the ultimate specimen of cowboys, Luke Rider, steps into her life, she is confused and frightened by her hefty reaction to him and knows she will not be able to walk away from him with her emotions unscathed.

Luke is a loner. He is has this dark, sexy and dangerous aura but he is also confident, dedicated and a take-charge kind of guy. When he puts his mind to something, he WILL have it. And he’s decided he wants Trinity. Trinity, always standing in her sister Skylar's shadow as the little ugly sister, has transformed from ugly duckling to beautiful swan but this hasn't changed the fact that she's still insecure. Despite her fits of insecurity that hit every now and then she is strong, sexy and confident yet vulnerable. Her feelings for Luke are confusing to say the least because she has an almost fiancé and she is not planning on staying in Arizona for long but the chemistry between them is one that can’t be denied.

When ZACK (book 1 of this series) came out the blurb hooked me and I couldn't wait to read it. However it was a disappointing read because I had trouble with the plot of the book. The content of the book, in my opinion, didn't concur with what had been presented in the blurb. Find the link to my review of ZACK at the end of this review to read my exact thoughts on it. After that first book I still was curious and intrigued enough by Luke's character, and his role in that story, to order LUKE but I wasn't as dying to read it as I had been for ZACK. When it arrived I did put it on the TBR-shelf and in plain sight, instead of on its regular spot on the shelves alphabetized by author, thinking I'd get to it somewhere in the course of 2010. However, a few days before Christmas, every time I looked at my TBR-shelf, this book was calling to me, luring me, enticing me, until I finally decided to pick it up.

As with ZACK I loved the characters, the romance and the love scenes but a few things were off for me, which I will get to later in this review. Still in LUKE I did like the plot a lot better than in ZACK. The strength of LUKE lies in the sizzling chemistry between Luke and Trinity. The scenes with them together sparkled and held my attention firmly. Sadly the scenes with them apart felt a bit flat and these were the points in the book where my attention would wander off. I was tempted to skim these parts and to me this shows again (as with ZACK) that the plot is the least appealing element of the books in this series, even if the plot in LUKE was considerably more my cup of tea than the one in ZACK.

Even though I tended to zone out in some of the plot scenes, it still was a fairly unpredictable plot that was worked out and wrapped up well. And I don't think we've seen the end of things. This thread of the plot arc has been resolved but I am sure another thread of it will be picked up and continued in the next book of the Armed and Dangerous series: CLAY. Even if I wasn't blown away by either ZACK or LUKE I did love revisiting Zack and Skylar and seeing how they were doing after their HEA and I'm sure I haven't seen the last of them and Luke and Trinity either.

I was a bit worried when I read the back cover of this book. Trinity is engaged and Luke doesn't care that she is a woman committed to another man. However, rather soon it's clear that Trinity is not really engaged and she's not sure she wants to continue her relationship with her English boyfriend, even before she meets and kisses Luke. She breaks up with her boyfriend after the kiss and although the way she does this is acceptable, in my opinion, it was not the best way to end a relationship.

No matter how much I loved the hot and explicit love scenes or how much I melted (and had to wipe the drool of my chin) at Luke's sexual confidence and his "liquid-hot Texan drawl" there were a few things that bothered me in the sex scenes. The first is the lack of protection. Despite Luke's insistence of not going "all the way" the first time they are together because they don't have protection at hand, the first time they really go at it there is not even the thought of protection. True, they both realize afterwards that they were stupid enough to forget protection in the heat of the moment, which made it better...until they just forgot again the next time.

The second is a specific sexual act Trinity does that just didn't do it for me...I am not a prude, far from it, but this really put me off and she does it repeatedly during the love scenes and at Luke’s command too.

The third thing was during their first time all-the-way scene. Trinity has her very first experience with anal sex and she goes: "Oh this feels so good!" This just didn’t sit well with me. Luke is a well-endowed man, there's no real preparation and she feels no pain or even discomfort whatsoever? Nope, I did not buy that. So even though there were some really great and hot sex scenes: voyeurism under the tree, hot tub and chaps is all I'm saying, some things just didn't work for me, especially in the second half of the book.

Up till now Cheyenne McCray hasn't been able to wow me with the Armed and Dangerous series as she did with her Magic series but still I liked this book better than I liked ZACK and contrary to my closing sentence in the review for ZACK, after reading LUKE, I am certain I will look out for the books that are to come in this series as some of the secondary characters in LUKE provided some intriguing and enticing tidbits of information for me to be curious to their stories. Even if it didn't wow me, if you like your hero hot, masterful and confident, your suspense set up and played out well and your romance sexy and sizzling and you don't mind some weird nipple play, LUKE will provide some pleasant and heated hours of reading.

Quotes:
With his long black duster swirling around his legs, he looked dark and dangerous, like an Old West gunslinger who'd come to town to track down his prey.

He knew he should have some moral battle inside, but the reaction was too strong, too deep. This woman, oh, yeah, she was his. He had claimed her at Nevaeh's and he was claiming her again, right there under her sister's tree.

"I can satisfy you in more ways than you can imagine." He leaned forward and nuzzled her ear, and then ran his hot tongue along the row of earrings. "Now," he murmured, "back to where we left off." That's all the man had to do -talk in that deep, sensual drawl, and she'd do just about anything for him. Anything at all.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10

My other review(s) in the ARMED AND DANGEROUS series:
Armed and Dangerous: ZACK (book 1)

Jacket Copy:

THE WAR BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL
Jake Macgregor has his hands full. As San Francisco’s leader of the Paranormal Special Forces unit, he and his team are facing a powerful enemy that threatens to bring down the city. With the weight of the world already resting on his broad, chiseled shoulders, the last thing Jake has time for is romance. So why—after a long, hard day’s fight against evil—are his nights filled with dreams of Cassia?

IS ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT HOTTER
Cassia is a D’Anu witch whose birthright ensures power and honor beyond her imagination. It also forbids the one thing Cassia wants the most: the love of mortal Jake Macgregor. When she intervenes in a skirmish to save his life, the consequences are inescapable—even though the magic they make together is too luscious, and potent, to resist…

With DARK MAGIC I have come to the end of a series I started reading almost 2 years ago. Fairly new to the world of paranormal romance I picked the first book (FORBIDDEN MAGIC) purely on intuition while voraciously browsing the Internet in search of fodder for my reading addiction in 2007. Blurb, excerpts and premise of the MAGIC Series caught my attention and Cheyenne McCray has not disappointed me in the course of reading these books.

The ingredients for DARK MAGIC: a Princess of the Elves coming into her great powers and a hunky ex-Marine and leader of the human Paranormal Special Forces form the star-crossed couple in the middle of an epic battle. A magical and physical battle between good and evil. The search for a traitor amongst the Alliance formed by humans, Fae and Elves. Evil getting what is coming to them.

Cassia is the daughter of the Great Guardian, the Queen of the Elves. She started out in this series as a clumsy apprentice to the D’Anu Coven of witches but soon in the series hints as to her being more than meets the eye are given. And now the last book in the series, of which she is the heroine, she reveals her true identity and purpose. Cassia is powerful beyond imagination and her poise and calm are some of her strong points

Jake McGregor has also been a secondary character since the first installment. I fell for him the moment he appeared in book 1. I have this thing for Marines/Special Forces guys and he fits the bill perfectly. But it wasn’t until his own book that the full effect of his personality and character came out. Jake is tough, fearless and unapologetic. I loved how he stood up against Cassia’s mother and showed his feelings for Cassia without holding back.

Even in this last installment of the series Cheyenne McCray manages to catch me off guard with surprising twist and revelations and unknown, newly introduced magical beings. She mixes new elements with the overall plot arc that has been going on 4 books and 1 novella long and she continues the overall story arc without becoming repetitive. My only very, very minor point of criticism is that the first few chapters are slowed down a bit by the extensive setup of Jake and Cassia’s background stories. However, this did not annoy me because it is something that helped me connect even better with the characters and despite the slow pace, the beginning of DARK MAGIC was filled with plenty of action, picking up where we left of in SHADOW MAGIC.

The love story between Jake and Cassia is an added bonus and a great counterpart to the fast-paced action. Both Jake and Cassia are characters that are deepened out excellently. Because of the aforementioned detailed backgrounds Cheyenne McCray provided them, their development for me was the best of all couples featured in this series. I saw dilemmas, internal and external struggles with situations and emotions and it all added to their characters and made me root for them in every way.

Romance is not the main focus of this installment. The focus is on the battle with Darkwolf and discovering whom the traitor is within the Alliance. I was unsure at first as to how the Alliance was going to deal with the practically invincible Darkwolf. The odds were very much against the Alliance throughout the series after all, but Cheyenne McCray hit it right on the mark. Without taking shortcuts or rushing it, she brought the plot to a satisfying end.

The romance arc and the overall story arc are linked together in the way that the outcome of certain romantic elements influence the progression in the story arc but romance is not what drives this book. It’s the action and the character-development. The secondary characters are mostly the ones from previous books with a few additions to them to give this book it’s own unique vibe. I especially liked the character of David Bourne, Jake’s old Marine buddy. Too bad he won’t have his own story, but who knows, maybe he’ll turn up in the Urban Fantasy series (Night Tracker series) Cheyenne McCray has started with a half Drow heroine (Nyx) since that series is set in the same kind of world after all.

DARK MAGIC represents the ending of a wonderful series. Closure to a series that is firmly planted on my keepers’ shelf. I loved every installment but have to say that with this book Cheyenne McCray gave the MAGIC series a truly worthy ending, one that came with an utterly satisfying wrap-up of a plot that had been ongoing since book 1.

Quotes:
A crack split the air like a shot and a wooden table collapsed.
Oh. Crap.
All thoughts of shape-shifting eggplants left his head and he wondered if she was going to toast his nuts like Rhiannon had done to Keir when she'd met the D'Danann warrior. Only maybe Cassia would fry Jake's right off. He almost crossed his legs at the thought.

Hold on Macgregor. Jake ground his teeth. Virgin. Guardian ascending. Transition. Instant death. No sex. Not yet.
His c#ck wouldn't listen to a thing that shot through his mind. Cassia turned, and he sucked in his breath when her gaze met his. She stood maybe five feet away, but a couple of steps in her direction and he'd have her in his arms.
His little head spoke and his big head took a vacation.

Cassia fell under Jake's spell as he kissed her. His was a different kind of magic. A magic of seduction and desire that made her heart pound and her body vibrate with a need she had never experienced before.

Jacket Copy:
WHEN YOU MIX ONE PART BUSINESS
Autumn Adams never planned to follow in her mother's footsteps as Chicago's answer to Martha Stewart--she can't cook, doesn't clean, and would rather play soccer than discuss the joys of white bathtub grout. Then some lunatic starts sending her threats in the mail and Audie finds herself under the protection of simmering, sexy Detective Stacey Quinn, a man determined to examine her every nook, cranny, and ex-boyfriend in his effort to find the stalker. A disarming combination of macho cop and sweet charmer, Quinn is hard to resist. But with Audie's bad luck at finding and holding on to Mr. Right, she think it's best to keep her distance...

WITH ALL PARTS PLEASURE
Quinn soon discovers that the real Audie is an alluring blend of fantasy babe and tender-hearted female all wrapped up in what he can only hope is leopard-print underwear. She's not what he's always pictured for himself, but could she be everything he'll ever need?

THINGS CAN GET DOWNRIGHT DELICIOUS
Digging through Audie's many layers could turn out to be the hottest, craziest, sexiest bit of detective work Quinn has ever attempted...if it doesn't kill him first.

The ingredients for Susan Donovan's KNOCK ME OFF MY FEET are a hunky, Irish police detective and threats by mail to a Martha Stewart-esk columnist who'd much rather spend her time on the soccer field. Furthermore, there is mention of kilts and what is worn beneath them and bagpipes and their possibilities, there’s a bunch of ex-boyfriends who are suspects, an associate with a questionable taste in clothing, lots of bed talk by the otherwise quiet detective, quite some touching and feeling and a smoking hot scene on a porch.

Stacey Quinn is a Chicago PD detective. He is Quinn to his friends and family and if you want to stay on his good side, you'd better not call him Stacey. He is straightforward and direct but not very talkative, however, there are some nice exceptions to the latter, which I will address later in this review. Subtlety is lost on him and he oozes masculinity. He is a confident and sweet man who’s a bit rough around the edges but has a heart of gold.

After her mother’s death, Autumn (Audie) Adams took over her “Homey Helen” column. It is something she does out of guilt towards her mother, although why she felt guilty is beyond me after reading how Audie's family life was while she grew up. Audie is clumsy, disorganized, outspoken and impulsive. She would rather play women soccer than give homemaker tips. She is lonely and sometimes lashes out because of insecurities that come from her messed up childhood but considering her upbringing she turned out pretty well and she too, has a heart of gold.

Audie and Quinn are really sweet together in the way that, despite their immediate attraction, they both take their time to gradually open up to each other. They are opposites in many, many ways, which causes a lot of awkward situations and fun dialogues between them to go along with the fiery and instant chemistry. He is neat, she's messy. He grew up in a warm and close family, she grew up in a dysfunctional one. He is very much in control of everything, she is clumsy. He is the silent type, she is talkative. But I do need to rectify that last one a bit because Quinn can be talkative on a few subjects. One is his family, he can talk a lot about his family when he's gets into his stride and he is also oh so very talkative in bed and I loved that. My dear old heart goes into overdrive when a hero talks the talk during love scenes and Quinn definitely talks the talk and he does it quite well. My favorite talkative hero used to be Butch (J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood) but Quinn has definitely dethroned him.

There are enough secondary characters to provide a nice number of suspects for the suspense thread of the book, but still it is Quinn and Stacey who take center stage in this wonderful contemporary story. Supporting characters like Quinn's partner, Quinn's family and Stacey's friend Griffin are essential for the humor that runs through the book. I especially liked the scene with brotherly talk at the pub with Quinn and his brothers and the banter between Quinn and his partner. Actually, in all the dialogues, no matter in which situation and no matter between which characters, the humor shone through. Sometimes it was subtle and in the background, other times it was laugh-out-loud funny.

Susan Donovan is great with humor and wit. Her writing is easy to grasp and fluent. She fleshes out her characters in a thorough way, making it able to really get to know them and go through all the motions with them. She provides her hero and heroine with extensive backgrounds and although I had some trouble with the pace of the book in the beginning, when it seemed like the book was crawling forth, it is that slow pace that makes it possible for the romance to develop gradually in a realistic way and for the characters to really grow on you as the reader.

Having read some extremely fast-paced paranormal and suspense books right before reading this book, I think I just had to make a little adjustment in order to appreciate the slower pace in the beginning of this book. And rest assured that Susan Donovan does make up for the slow starting pace because what starts as a mellow, slow paced and sweet romance novel changes completely and for the better when Donovan takes it up a notch both with the pace and with the romance. When Quinn and Audie decide to act on their mutual attraction and budding feelings, it really changes the tone and pace of the book. It turns sizzling hot when Quinn starts to get all touchy feely and talkative and when Audie lets her inhibitions and insecurities go. It was an unexpected change that gave the book an extra dimension and which made it shoot a few places up my list.

Susan Donovan sure knows how to write sensual build-up and how to heat things up in the bedroom to such a peak that if I wore glasses, they would've steamed up real good. She proves that explicitness doesn't equal hotness because one of the hottest scenes in the book is one where Quinn and Audie aren't even having sex, though they are talking about it.

In the beginning of the book Donovan tricked me into this comfortable, non-too impressive lull, just to end it with very hot romance and some surprising twists in the suspense plot. She did have me sweating for a bit with the suspense plot because I thought there was going to be an unforgivable plot inconsistency but she saved it just in time to give me the great ending she had been working up to.

KNOCK ME OFF MY FEET is a contemporary romance just the way I like them. Smooth and fluent and filled with fun, chemistry, the right amount of resistance to the attraction and a suspense plot that stays in the background just enough not to make it a romantic suspense. I will definitely be reading more of Susan Donovan's work soon.

Quotes:
Oh, and let's not forget the best part about her life --Stacey Quinn! The intensely sexy cop who kissed her until her spine fused, then disappeared with some lame excuse, then sent her a gift so inexplicably sweet and personal that it made her cry.

He wanted what his parents had and he decided early on that he'd settle for nothing less. He wanted the kind of love that was beautiful and resilient and funny. He wanted passionate love. He wanted love that would challenge him, complete him, make him a better man.

Audie watched him do the one-handed macho T-shirt removal thing and toss it to the chair. And there he stood in front of her, wearing nothing but the kilt and a muscular chest, trim abdomen and strong arms. Audie knew she might very well be drooling, but she didn't care. His body was exquisite--powerful, sprung tight, ready for whatever might be required. (...) He was the most exquisite male specimen she'd ever seen, and beneath the hard-ass cop routine, he was the kindest man she'd ever known.

Jacket copy:
We are the Dolophoni. Diligent. Vigilant. Fierce and inescapable. Servants of the Furies, we are the right hand of justice and no one stands before us.

The son of Warcraft and Hate, Cratus spent eternity battling for the ancient gods who birthed him. He was death to any who crossed him. Until the day he laid down his arms and was banished into exile. Now an ancient enemy has been unleashed and our dreams are his chosen battlefield. The only hope we have is the one god who swears he will never fight again.

As a Dream-Hunter, Delphine has spent eternity protecting mankind from the predators who prey on our unconscious state. But now that her allies have been turned, she knows in order to survive, the Dream-Hunters need a new leader. Someone who can train them to fight their new enemies. Cratus is her only hope. But she is a bitter reminder of why he chose to lay down his arms. Time is running out and if she can't win him to her cause, mankind will be slaughtered and the world we know will soon cease to exist.

The story of Cratus/Jericho and Delphine is one spiked with fate and destiny and the age-old theme of the battle between good and evil. Cratus was Zeus' executioner. As the son of Warcraft and Hate, he had no qualms carrying out Zeus' orders, no matter how harsh. Until one day he forsake his duty and saved an innocent infant from death. This disobedience would cost him dearly because he was banished and cursed to live as the human Jericho without his powers and with nothing to his name. When evil threatens the Greek pantheon and humanity, Jericho is the one both the good guys and the bad guys turn to for an alliance and he is faced with a difficult choice: quench his thirst for vengeance against Zeus and the gods that didn't stick out a finger to help him in the past or do the right thing and fight against evil that will destroy the world and everything in it. While the story unfolds and different surprising things are revealed, it is clear that the line between good and evil is not as black and white as one should think. There are circumstances, bonds, relations and feelings that color pre-conceived perceptions and turn some worlds upside down. Jericho discovers that he is able to love deeply and Delphine discovers that good is not always right and that to have feelings and emotions is difficult and complicated.

Normally I have this template that is the base for all my reviews where I usually start with a short summary of the book, then I describe the characters and I finish with my opinion of the book and possible quotes. With Kenyon's books I always have trouble following that layout and I just start typing away, hoping something decent will come out of my keyboard. With DREAM WARRIOR it's no different.

I have had a hard time squeezing out this review and my struggles were caused by the fact that I just can't seem to get a grip on some of Kenyon's latest work. I enjoy reading the books, but they fail to enthrall me and yet I keep going back for more. After UPON THE MIDNIGHT CLEAR I thought I was cured from the Kenyon addiction, hitting a low point in the series for me, but then she came with ACHERON and blew me away. DREAM CHASER and ONE SILENT NIGHT were nice reads, entertaining and very intriguing in some aspects but by a long shot no mind-blowing reads. And that's exactly how I feel with DREAM WARRIOR. I enjoyed the story, liked the Jericho and Delphine a whole lot more than Styker and Zephyra but still the awe and wow was not there. The heart-pounding feeling I did have with the early Dark Hunter books and which was definitely rekindled with ACHERON is gone. The novella SHADOW OF THE MOON (still to be reviewed) brought back a glimpse of that feeling, but DREAM WARRIOR failed to keep the fire burning. The books seem to have gotten superficial and on autopilot. I miss intensity and connection with the main characters. Typical for this last issue is that my quotes from this book are not from or about either main character. This proves to me my disconnection to the hero and heroine, something I've been struggling with since reading UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR. (Again with the exception of ACHERON).

I liked the main characters better than those of ONE SILENT NIGHT but I missed Kenyon's trademark humor: the witty snappy sarcastic dialogues in the first part of DREAM WARRIOR. The demon Asmodeus luckily did make up for it a bit with his witty sarcastic self-deprecating humor. He was one of the characters I liked the most in the story. The Dogs of War and the storyline surrounding Nick were impressive and definitely triggered my curiosity. The storyline of Jaden and Jared was just as intriguing and the questions it raised were a balancing counterpart for some of the questions from previous books and storylines that were answered in this book.

With Kenyon the line between good and evil is blurry at best. Evil in one book can be good in the next, so I'm expecting a redeeming installment for Noir and/or Azura in the future. Characters you would expect to be on the "good side" switch to the evil side or are just plain vicious not even needing a plan for world domination. I can never peg the teams down for certain because there are a lot of gray areas that make it difficult to pinpoint who is truly on which side.

And still after all the things I said above I'm puzzled because I just know that the next book in this series will be bought and will be read. I'll call it the Kenyon “magic”, that's what keeps me coming back for more, even if it's not always satisfying. There is something in her books that keeps giving me the incentive to keep buying and reading them and for the love of me I can't put my finger on it. I can only speculate that it has to do with her ability to stir my interest with intriguing storylines for the future, making me curious about where those storylines are going to take us. Because even if DREAM WARRIOR wasn't engrossing or intense I still was unable to put the book down and kept reading and I am anxiously anticipating the follow-up of the storylines with Nick and the Dogs of War, with Jared and Jaden and with the mysterious traitor within the Greek Pantheon. These were the storylines that lifted up the second part of the book for me, together with the pace that picked up and a bit more action. I also liked how Kenyon brought some storylines from previous books (DREAM HUNTER, UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, ACHERON, DREAM CHASER and ONE SILENT NIGHT) together in this book and some unanswered questions and unsolved issues were dealt with. This combined with the somewhat better second part of the book earned her an extra half star. I do believe that the last few books in this series are turning out to be less easy to read as stand alones. They seem more tightly linked installments with storylines that are transferred from one book to another, but no so much in sequence. I think it would be hard to follow the storylines and character appearances if the books are read out of order of if some books are skipped. Another reason for me to keep reading and buying every new installment that will be released.

So in conclusion, a nice enough and entertaining read with enough hooks to keep me reeled in but not enough to make me go raving and ranting.

Quotes:
Asmodeus to Delphine
"Oh, hello me lovely, we haven't met." He flashed her a charming smile as he kissed her tenderly on the hand. "Asmodeus, demon extraordinaire, at your service. Any service you may require, especially those that involve nudity and adjoining body parts joining other people's body parts."

Jericho, Ash and Tory
"Why would Jaden send us to you?"
Ash grinned roguishly. " 'Cause I'm a genuinely nice guy who plays a mean guitar."
Tory laughed. "Spoken only by someone who doesn't know what a grump you are in the morning."

I reviewed this book for ROOB at the request of the author



Back Cover:
Darkness will summon her…
Elizabeth Phoenix once used her unique skills as a psychic to help in the Milwaukee Police Department's fight against injustice. But when Liz's foster mother is found viciously murdered—and Liz is discovered unconscious at the scene—her only memory of the crime comes in the form of terrifying dreams...of creatures more horrific than anything Liz has seen in real life. What do these visions mean? And what in the world do they have to do with her former lover, Jimmy Sanducci?

To places she's never been before…
While the police question Jimmy in the murder, Jimmy opens Liz's eyes to a supernatural war that has raged since the dawn of time in which innocent people are hunted by malevolent beings disguised as humans. Only a chosen few have the ability to fight their evil, and Jimmy believes Liz is among them. Now, with her senses heightened, new feelings are rising within Liz—ones that re-ignite her dangerous attraction to Jimmy. But Jimmy has a secret that will rock Liz to her core…and put the survival of the human race in peril.…




Elizabeth "Liz" Phoenix is a young woman with psychic abilities, which have led to her leaving the police force and taking up a bartending job. When a psychic compulsion leads her to her foster mother's house she finds Ruthie Kane dying, her last words causing confusion right before Liz slips into a coma.
Awakened from her coma she finds out ex-lover and foster brother Jimmy Sanducci is the prime suspect and he has some disturbing news about the end of the world and her role in it. This is the start of a journey to stop the end of the world as we know it, a journey during which Liz learns not only things about Ruthie, Sawyer and Jimmy, but also about herself and her destiny in leading the battle of good against evil. The battle between the Federation and the Nephilim.

In ANY GIVEN DOOMSDAY Lori Handeland approaches the age-old theme of "good versus evil" and the battle against supernatural evil out to destroy the world, from a fresh and original angle combining an agreeable writing style with a heroine who will appeal to many urban fantasy reader and I do think that true fans of urban fantasy poured into a multi-installment series (chronicles so to speak), will appreciate it more than I did because it’s a well-written first installment with promises for the rest of the series but for me some things just didn’t click into place enough for me to be overwhelmed by it.

This is clearly the first book in the series with a lot of world building, introducing of creatures and preparing Liz for her future purpose. The way this was done from Liz' point of view complemented the vibe of this first book of The Chronicles of Phoenix. Even though I was intrigued by the whole concept and the story kept me glued to the pages thanks to the action and Liz' character, there were some elements that just weren't my cup of tea. Still these elements didn’t bother me to the point of not liking the book.

The situation with the two men (Jimmy and Sawyer) in Liz' life is complicated and for me as an avid romance reader a slightly uncomfortable one. Knowing this book is classified as an urban fantasy, I wasn't expecting romance as in the paranormal romances I'm used to but in the beginning I was inclined to go that way because of the way Liz' relationship with Jimmy was being described. But then halfway through the book there are some twists in the plot that left me a bit uncomfortable because they were a little contrary to the way Jimmy and Liz' story had been set up. Further developments in the plot and the relationships with between Liz, Sawyer and Jimmy only added to my confusion. I understood the developments were important to Liz' coming into her powers, but that didn't take away the uncomfortable feeling.

I was a bit less enthusiastic about the overall pace and plot-developments in the last part of the book. The pace varied in different parts of the story. The beginning was fast-paced despite the world building and explanations. But in the middle part of the book the pace changed and slowed considerably. The end was fast-paced again but it also seemed a bit rushed and some storylines that were started were left without closure. I understand that in this series the story continues with future books but there were some things, like the Summer-Jimmy story and the exposing of the traitor that caused Ruthie's death, I wanted to be worked out better. Especially that last storyline was rushed and I'm still trying to grasp what exactly was the deal there. I was left with a bit too many questions and loose ends and would have liked to see these storylines wrapped up in this installment.

Because the story is told from Liz' perspective, she is the character the reader gets to know the best. I liked Liz' character in the way she accepts her destiny with realistic reluctance at first and in the end embraces it wholeheartedly but I feel at the end of the book that there are hints at certain things about Liz but they are left untold. I guess and hope this will be done in future books. I did like Liz' sense of humor a lot. She has this dry, sarcastic sense of humor that pops up mostly in situations where she's confronted with things she has trouble handling.

I loved the writing style, which was crisp, snappy and witty. I loved the premise of the series with Liz as a powerful seer to lead the demon killers into battle against the spawn of the fallen angels and humans. I also liked the narrative. While I'm not a fan of first person narrative in this book Lori Handeland made it work for me.

Since this was my first venture into urban fantasy I can't tell if my not being blown away is because I'm not that into the genre or that this was just not the book for me to start this genre with. Time will tell since the excerpt of the next book in this series, DOOMSDAY CAN WAIT, did leave me more than a bit curious how the story is going to proceed.

Back Cover Copy
Ever since Zack Hunter, the ultimate alpha boy, left her ten years ago and broke her heart, Sky MacKenna hasn’t been able to find a man who sets her on fire the way he did. Then he comes striding back into her life–bigger, badder and sexier than before…

ICE agent, Zack Hunter never thought he’d return to his small home town and he never thought he’d set eyes on Sky again. Leaving her behind had been the stupidest thing he had ever done but this time he isn’t going to let her go. And as soon as he lays eyes on Sky he makes it clear that he intends to make her his all over again.

When Sky becomes entangled in the case he’s investigating, Zack can’t help but take the threat personal. As the danger mounts, their passion burns even hotter.

When a case of stolen cattle brings Zack Hunter, former deputy-sheriff turned ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agent back to his home town, he decides to seize the opportunity to look up his ex-girlfriend Skylar MacKenna and try to get back together. He left her ten years ago in a bad way and wants to give their relationship another chance. Skylar is one of the ranchers whose cattle is being stolen and that puts her in the middle of Zack's investigation but after he broke her heart ten years before, Skylar has absolutely no intention of giving him another chance with her.

Zack and Skylar's childhood have been very different. Where Sky's had loving parents and grew up knowing she was loved and supported, Zack had to deal with first an abusive father and later with an equally abusive stepfather. With the latter things escalated when Zack almost beat him to death after he found him beating on his mother. This event was crucial in his decision to break up with Skylar, his girlfriend of 6 months. He doesn't think he's worthy of her love and is afraid of the violence he discovers in himself. Now ten years later he's back and he is determined to show Sky that he's changed and he's willing to commit to her.
Sky was devastated when Zack left and though she has tried to forget him, by dating other men for example, she has never truly succeeded. But when he comes back to Douglas declaring he wants her back, she puts her foot down and refuses to let him lure her into his clutches again. She has suffered a broken heart once and that's more than enough.

But slowly Zack and Sky do pick up where they left of 10 years before and their relationship is rekindled but now at a much more mature level. The romance between them is alternately hot and chilly. From Zack's point of view it's clear he wants to go back to the hot, passionate relationship they once had. Sky however, tries to keep him at a distance because of the way Zack hurt her in the past. Because of this there aren't that many love scenes in the book, especially in the first half. The ones that are fleshed out are definitely scorching but there's a lot of suggestion and thinking about sex instead of the real thing from both Zack and Sky. Sometimes suggestion can make a book very sensual but for me in this one it missed the mark. Many times I thought it was going to somewhere, just to be a little let down when McCray would switch back to the suspense, leaving me hanging there.

Contrary to what I'm used to by Cheyenne McCray, this book just didn't do it for me. I think it has to do with expectations. I was expecting covert operatives dealing with weapon smugglers or drug lords and hot love scenes and instead of weapons or drugs I got a ranch and cattle. Not that this is bad the back cover blurb just didn’t prepare me for it and so ZACK and I started on the wrong foot and to be honest we never got quite on the right foot. Eventually the hot love scenes and the touching and fiery relationship between Zack and Sky made up for some of it and it was the relationship between Zack and Sky that kept me reading on. I liked the book but the mix of romance and suspense just wasn't good enough. It didn't blend together fluently and there was something off that's hard for me to pinpoint. The promise is there in the plot and the romance but McCray didn't deliver it well enough to blow me away like other books by her hand did.

At first there seemed to be two different suspense plots that were linked and the true plot didn't become clear until after halfway through the story but still the plot just couldn't keep me enthralled. A ranch, cattle, cowboys...In this setting it just doesn’t do anything for me. This book once again proved that for me. This setting only appeals to me when strong emotions or hot eroticism is there to balance the scale but unfortunately I missed both in this first installment of the Armed and Dangerous series. The romance on its own had potential but the mixture with the western themed plot didn't come together for me.

In conclusion, I loved the romance separately, loved the love scenes but the western theme and the plot just weren't my cup of tea and even though I was intrigued by Sky's foreman, Luke Rider, who is the hero of the next book, I am very hesitant to invest my time and attention in this series.

Quote:
Just the thought of what she wearing under that scrap of a dress was enough to make him want to throw back his head and let loose a primal chest-beating howl, throw her over his shoulder, and take her home and bury himself inside her.

Back Cover:
While the world carries on unawares, Stryker, who leads an army of demons and vampires, is plotting an all out onslaught against his enemies--which, unfortunately for us, includes the entire human race.

To avenge his sister, Stryker prepares to annihilate the Dark-Hunters. But things go awry when his oldest enemy returns. Enter his ex-wife. Zephyra. Just when he thought nothing could stop him, he's now embroiled in a centuries old war with a shrew who gives new meaning to pain and a shrew who is the only woman he's ever really loved.

They killed his sister and they must die. When Stryker sprouts a plan to kill his enemies Acheron and Nick Gautier it causes major changes in the pecking order of the gods and demons and the main players are going to have to come out of their comfort zone and join forces to survive. The whole plan backfires when Artemis sends his ex-wife Zephyra to kill him and when some people don't turn out to be who we think they were. Now Stryker finds himself having to form an alliance with his greatest enemies in order to save the ones he loves.

I must honestly say that I had quite some trouble getting into the main couple characters in this book. Stryker, for me, just isn't hero material, always having seen him as the really bad guy with no emotional sensibility whatsoever. A cunning, conniving and manipulating man who would kill anyone if he feels like it and if it suits his purposes. He was not a character I could easily sympathize with in the beginning.
One thing I did miss was interaction between Urian and Stryker. I had hoped that in his own book Stryker would come face to face him, but unfortunately this wasn't the case.

Zephyra to me was determined and headstrong but also very vengeful. Of course her urge for revenge is motivated but still I had trouble concurring that with the image of a likeable heroine.

And again, as is becoming repetitive in Kenyon's most recent books with the exception of ACHERON, other (secondary) characters outshined Stryker and Zephyra in the book. I was more intrigued by scenes around Jared, Nick, Savitar, Apollymi and even War and Kessar than I was by the romance between Stryker and Zephyra.

Even though at first I couldn't really relate to either Styker or Zephyra, the dynamics between them was very nice. Neither of them gave each other an inch despite the feelings that were still between them.
As I progressed in the book they did start to grow on me a bit more. Especially in their interactions and their behavior towards each other. I definitely could empathize better with them after Stryker’s motive for leaving Zephyra was given. In that scene I understood them and their feelings so much better than from the spiteful dialogues before where it seemed they were talking at cross-purposes. This scene made me more susceptible to his character, and Zephyra's reaction to it also redeemed her in my eyes.

I find it very difficult to review this book. I can't say it was a bad book but it wasn't mind-blowing material either. I liked a lot of aspects, like the sarcastic interactions, the quick-witted banter, the plot developments and the roles of some secondary characters. But I disliked some other aspects, like the personalities of the hero and heroine and the place of their romance in the book).

Certainly after reading ACHERON I was expecting something intense and rattling but regrettably it just left me with a small feeling of satisfaction of having finished another installment in the Dark-Hunter series and looking forward to the next one.

I absolutely liked the second half of the book better than the first and had both some laugh-out-loud moments and some emotional moments but alas it didn't come close to the Dark-Hunter books I devoured page for page, leaving me wanting more.

The one sure thing about Kenyon's books is that every one leaves you wanting the next one though! In this one it were Jared and the unexpected yet intriguing developments surrounding Nick Gautier that guide me to the next books without any hesitation, despite that the book I have just finished didn't rock my world

Quote:
Stryker and Zephyra:
"I always knew your were good at handling a man's sword, love, but I had no idea that extended to those made of steel, too."
"At least this sword doesn't disappoint. I don't have to worry about it going soft on me."
"I never went soft on you."
"Trust me baby, you weren't that good. I was just a better actress than you were actor."

Back Cover:
Eleven thousand years ago a god was born. Cursed into the body of a human, Acheron endured a lifetime of hatred and spent a lifetime of shame. However, his human death unleashed an unspeakable horror that almost destroyed the earth. Then, brought back against his will, he became the sole defender of mankind.

Only it was never that simple...
For centuries, he has fought for our survival and hidden a past he never wanted revealed. Until a lone woman who refuses to be intimidated by him threatens his very existence.

Now his survival, and ours, depends on her and old enemies reawaken and unite to kill them both.
War has never been more deadly... or more fun

Ever since I finished this book I have been wondering how to set about with the review. Should I review both parts separately? Should I make a summary of the stories?
Would I even be able to write a decent review that portrays my feelings on this book?
I decided to wing it and start typing and I would see what the outcome would be. So here this is me winging it.

Though many readers were anticipating this book something fierce, I didn't catch the fever until the book was actually in my hands and I read the Author's Note by Kenyon in the book. True, Ash has always been a fascinating character in the previous books but for me there was too much mystery surrounding him and I don't connect to characters until I know what makes them tick and why they are as they are. Well, Kenyon delivered big time on this for me. I was touched to the depth of my heart by Acheron's past and by his journey to find that one person he could love and trust unconditionally and I'm so glad he found her in Tory.
I remember when I heard how many pages this book would be, I though it was a lot of pages but now that I’m finished I feel I could have gone on reading Ash’s story endlessly.

After reading part One I understood so much of his comments to the Dark-Hunters and his attitude towards the world in the previous books. I really and truly understand Acheron now. However, I still can't grasp how he dealt with being rejected, abandoned, abused, tortured, degraded and humiliated the way he was in his human life and still came out of it the person he is. Every event, every meeting, every interaction formed Acheron into the man/god he would become in the future.

Unwanted and rejected he still held on to his dignity and took his suffering in stride.
The way he was treated in human life can only eat away at one's humanity but he still bounced back from every form of hurt and betrayal.
How much can a soul take before it gives up?
Well apparently Acheron's can take a lot and still he is compassionate and loyal and always looking out for others, making sure his actions don't hurt them.

I also understood his reluctance to interfere in the Dark Hunters' destinies. He knows firsthand what interference, as well meant as it might be, can do and how it can deteriorate things. Ryssa's POV (point of view) of Ash's youth in the form of her journal in Part One was heartbreaking. Her determination to save him from harm only made things worse, even in the future she inadvertently causes trouble for him, but she was also the first person to show him love.

This book blew me away! Part One was marked by tears with a tiny, tiny hint of the Kenyon humor, Part Two was marked by laugh-out-loud wit and banter Kenyon style, spliced with emotional, heartrending moments. It took me a while to get through Part One but this had nothing to do with the writing style because it was as fast-paced as Part Two and read easily. The delay was because of the many times I had to put it away because I couldn't bear to read about Acheron's suffering and had to get a grip on my emotions. And even in those moments I wanted to go on reading the moment I put it down.

Kenyon found the perfect way to tell Ash's story. In the other books he was the unreachable, untouchable and detached godly leader of the Dark-Hunters, surrounded by mystery and I couldn't quite empathize with him, or get where he was coming from. But in Part One she made him human, both literally and figuratively speaking, less untouchable and I was captivated by the strength in him. This prepared me for how he dealt with Tory in Part Two. The way he accepted and relished her attitude towards him.

Tory was a delightful mix of sarcasm, brains and clumsiness. She was the perfect match for Ash. Any other woman or personality just wouldn't do. The chemistry between them was sensual and endearing. The way they reacted to each other was so much fun to read. I loved the running gag of with the hammer comments and savored how Tory wasn't at all intimidated by Ash. The romance between them made my romantic heart burn with passion.

My opinion of Appolymi has changed totally. She had already started to grow on my in DEVIL MAY CRY, but in Ash's book she truly earned my respect and admiration. I got why she wants to destroy the world and the other Gods so much better now. She will do anything to save her son and those he loves. Her actions haven't always been the most sensible ones but she always had Ash's interest in her mind.

Contrary to my newfound admiration of Appolymi, Artemis has lost any credit she ever could have gotten from me, which already was very, very little. There is no way that goddess can ever redeem herself in my eyes. I understand her actions also made Ash into the man he is now but she is one cold-hearted, selfish, malignant being, not capable of loving anyone else but herself. I don't think she's ready with Tory and Ash but I can't say I'm anticipating her antics. She was the character that irritated me most in this book and she was linked to the one small thing I thought wasn't cleared up in the book and I hope this will be done in future books, preferably in the next, ONE SILENT NIGHT.

Part Two was also kind of a homecoming, seeing all those former Dark-Hunters and other familiar characters (Talon, Zarek, Sunshine, Tabitha, Nick, Julian, Valerius, Wulf) make an appearance. I was thrown back to the feeling I had with the first Dark-Hunter books I read and I loved that feeling.

Where Kenyon didn't enchant me with DEVIL MAY CRY, UPON THE MIDNIGHT CLEAR and DREAM CHASER she has more than made up for it with what I see as one of her best (if not the best one) books yet! This book was so much more than the sum of its two parts. It was the only way to deliver Acheron's story and do him justice.


Quotes:
Ryssa and Acheron:
"Will you not speak to me?"
"And say what, Ryssa? I think my actions speak loudly enough for even a deaf man to hear. But no one ever listens to me either."
"This is so unfair to you."
"Life isn't about being fair," he breathed. "It's not about justice. It's all about endurance and how much we can suffer through."

And an illustration of the relationship between Artemis and Acheron:
She leaned down to kiss his cheek. “You always make me feel so special."
And she always made him feel like shit.

Rating: 10 out of 10