donderdag 30 april 2015

Julie Kenner – The Givency Code - Read for #LLC2015

The first book in the Code-breaking series, published June 1, 2005.
Genre: romantic suspense
Cover: fun

The Givenchy Code photo n140799_zpsbsbrccip.jpg

A mind-bending code spawned from the mind of a madman...or maybe just a jealous ex.
A desperate race through the cathedrals and hotels of New York City...with a teeny bit of time for shopping, it's true.
An astonishing truth concealed for years, unveiled at last...with more than a little help from a supercute new guy.
As if a recent breakup, scrounging for rent money, and lusting after designer shoes weren't enough to make graduate student Melanie Prescott's life challenging, suddenly she's practically lving The Da Vinci Code. A mysterious stranger is sending obscure codes and clues her way and she soon dicovers she has to solve them in order to stay alive. With stakes like that, her dissertation on "the derivation and primary characteristics of codes and ciphers used by prevailing nations during wartime" is looking a little less important that it was yesterday. Right now she's just worrying about living to see tomorrow. The only bright spot in the whole freakish nightmare is Matthew Stryker, the six-foot tall, dark, and handsome stranger who's determined to protect her. Well, that and the millions of dollars that will be her reward if she survives this deadly game. And she'd better survive. Because that's a heck of a lot of money to be able to spend on shoes and handbags and sunglasses and dresses, and, well, it's hard to be fashionable when you're dead.

Join bestselling author Julie Kenner on a heel-breaking adventure in code-breaking that will bring out the math geek and the fashionista in you.


I’ve never read the Da Vinci Code, or seen the movie, so I have no idea how much of this is similar. Melanie does compare herself a few times to Jennifer Garner, the heroine in the tv series Alias, and I did watch and enjoy that one years ago.

Melanie is a smart girl, with a flair for math and a passion for fashion, especially shoes. She is doing odd jobs to pay for college and is just walking a few dogs when her ex-boyfriend finds her. She has no intention whatsoever to hook back up with him, but he has just given her a pair of Givenchy shoes, so what is a girl to do when he asks her out?
Especially when a handsome man gives her an envelope, in the middle of the street, and said ex takes it with him to make sure she shows up.

Later in his apartment, Melanie finds a letter in code, something that is a big hobby of her. But when she deciphers it, it is a message saying: Play or Die, with an address beneath it.
She doesn’t know what it means, but she certainly does not intend to follow up on it. Unable to sleep, with her ex-boyfriend snoring as he does (yep, she remembers why she broke up with him), she settles herself in the bathtub. But the next morning she doesn’t only hurt everywhere, she finds Todd murdered in the bed …

As the phone line is dead, she runs outside the apartment building to call the police, only to stumble into the handsome man who delivered the envelope to her. And he tells her no police, she will have to play the game, or else …
Scared out of her wits, Melanie escapes and runs back to her own place. Where an other stranger is waiting for her. She doesn’t trust him and tries to run again, but he finally manage to convince her he is there to help and protect her. They have been drafted to play an internet game in real life, and as he has failed to protect one woman before, as he did not believe the message, he is not ready to lose her as well. He is a previous Marine, so he should be able to protect her from the assassin. The game is simple, you are either an assassin, a target or a protector. And the target has to follow the clues to the treasure, while evading the assassin, to win the game. Melanie used to play the game until she got bored with it, as she won every time. Stryker never played it, although he did sign up for it as his friend kept urging him to, but he was deployed again before he had time to try it.
The assassin, he loves the game, and he loves it even more in real life. This is what he was born to do! He will win the game, as he always does, no matter what role he plays. But he likes being the assassin best.

And so Melanie and Stryker are sent on a treasure hunt through Manhattan, deciphering clues and following leads. Narrowly getting out alive a few times. And all this because a dead millionaire is playing games from behind the grave …


I really enjoyed this book a lot. Even though I am not a geek, so the math and code went way over my head, and I am not interested in fashion at all. I liked Melanie, she is no airhead and her family live was not wonderful and easy, and she is so very smart. But she is also afraid to stick her head out and really go for what she wants. And Stryker sees that, and encourages her to just go for it. They make a great couple, and they work very well together. At first Stryker sees Melanie as just a job, his to protect, and being a bodyguard is his current business. But she grows on him, and when you just escaped a certain death, you really want to celebrate being alive …

But will their relationship continue when the danger is over?

It is a fun book, and I think if you like math or fashion or both you will enjoy this as well.

8 stars.



Autobuy author
Banner 2015 photo BannerLLC2015versie5_zps31bfcccb.jpg

Read for #LLC2015
For more info look: http://www.loveletterconvention.com/en/

buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

© 2015 Reviews by Aurian

woensdag 29 april 2015

J.K. Beck – When Wicked Craves – Read for #LLC2015

The third book in the Shadow Keepers series, published October 26, 2010.
Genre: paranormal romance
Cover: love it

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Petra Lang is cursed never to love. One touch of her skin unleashes the vilest demons. Sentenced to death by the Shadow authorities, who fear she'll turn her curse against them, Petra is rescued by vampire advocate Nicholas Montegue. As their bodies merge and transform into mist, Petra feels an erotic longing.
Nicholas risked his own life to save Petra, yet he knows he can never give in to the explosive attraction he feels for her. But the deep yearning they share tempts them. Together, they must find a way to lift the curse. For only a love this strong has the power to overcome such monstrous evil.


Petra Lang is sentenced to death by the Shadow Alliance. Not because she kept herself and her curse a secret from them, not because she created a monster just by touching Serge, but because there is a prophecy stating that she will be the end of the Alliance.
Nicholas doesn’t intend to let her die, he needs her help to safe his friend Serge, the vampire she turned into a monster. They have captured him, but he is growing stronger every day. And if he escapes, he will wreak havoc on the city …
Petra doesn’t know a cure, she has been searching for a cure for her curse all her life and has found nothing, not even a rumour. The only way to kill the Beast, is to kill her… and she is not ready for that. She is grateful for Nick for saving her life from prison, at great risk to himself and to Sara who was his accomplice, but she just doesn’t know how to help him.
And so Nick decides to take her to Paris, to see an old friend turned enemy, an alchemist who might help them. Of course the Shadow authorities won’t give up that easily, and they are after Petra and her brother Kiril. When Tariq finds proof that Sara was behind some of it, he throws her in prison, but before he can have a Truth Seer “interrogate” her, her boss interferes, and no one crosses him …

But when Nick does find out the cure, will he be able to kill Petra? Just like that? Or will his feelings for her be stronger? There can never be a physical relationship between her, one touch of her skin, and he will turn into a monster, only during the Blue Moon is her curse lifted (enough to become pregnant and give the curse to her daughter in turn, like it has been going on for hundreds of years). But Petra is determined never to become pregnant, and have the curse end with her. But she does long for a man’s touch more than anything else …

And then the monster that Serge has become escapes, takes his prison guards’ abilities as his own, and starts killing council members … just as prophesied… getting stronger and stronger with each kill …

But someone has to be behind it all, someone is managing the Beast …


This world just gets better and better. I was intrigued by Petra earlier, and I am very glad she got her own story. Petra is a witch, but she doesn’t know how to use her powers, her brother Kiril has always been there to protect her, take care of her. But she is a very good private detective, and that is how they encountered the Shadow world and its inhabitants.

Petra is strong, having lived without touch for all of her life. Raised with her brother by a loveless aunt, always kept hidden. And now there is Nick, and this forbidden attraction between them. But the Blue Moon is almost there, making her safe to touch, to finally know what it means to make love to a man. But when the sun rises, can they live with what they can’t have for perhaps years to come? Or is there really a cure for her to be found in Paris?

The plot was so good, and I really enjoyed that some of those Councillors got killed. Unfortunately, the vampire and werewolf leaders are still there to rule their people. And they want Petra dead. Just so they can stay in power for a few hundred years more. They have been killing women with the curse for hundreds of years, wiping out entire bloodlines and families in the process.

It was just such a good story, and I am glad there are a few more books in this world. As Julie Kenner told in her interview with me recently, she has received the rights to these books back, and is re-publishing them under her own name. If you haven’t tried it yet, it is really worth your while, but keep in mind I did not like the first book, but fell in love with the second one.

9 stars.



Autobuy author
Banner 2015 photo BannerLLC2015versie5_zps31bfcccb.jpg

Read for #LLC2015
For more info look: http://www.loveletterconvention.com/en/

buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

© 2015 Reviews by Aurian

dinsdag 28 april 2015

Susan Mallery – Sizzling – Read for #LLC2015

The third book in the Buchanans series, published January 1, 2007.
Genre: contemporary romance
Cover: don’t like this at all. My book cover is different. Not much to look at either.

Sizzling photo n207231_zpsq1wu1bel.jpg

A spiteful article about the former pitcher and current playboy questions his talent in the bedroom. And the newspaper's just the first bad news. Reid's grandmother Gloria's broken hip means she needs constant care--but Reid hired Nurses 1 and 2 for their bedside manner with him. So for Number 3 he chooses Lori Johnson, the first candidate who seems immune to his brand of charm.
Lori's never wasted her time with amoebas like Reid Buchanan. So why are her well-fortified defenses starting to crumble under the force of his sexy smile--and the kindness he shows her at every turn? There's only one explanation for the feelings flaring between them--chemistry. Chemistry so hot, it's sizzling!


I know this is the third book in the series, but as I don’t have the others, I dove right in it. I really liked the family dynamics, and you get updates on the previous couples without spoiling their way to romance. But, I did not like this book very much, mainly because the hero of the story really is the worthless man Lori thinks he is. Even though he is so very handsome and wealthy and a great former pitcher. There is nothing to him, nothing inside worth loving in my opinion.
He feels sorry for himself as some reporter tells her story, and that he is bad in bed. His manager has disappointed some kids in his name, as he does not want anything to do with that part of his career (he doesn’t care about his fans at all) and he has no clue what to do with himself now that his career his over. Something he caused himself while skiing drunk.

So yes, Lori changes him, makes him work and make an effort to right things, but I just don’t feel it. She is so in love and lust with him (and too afraid to believe in the possibility of a relationship), buy why is totally beyond me. He is just not a good man, he is shallow and totally self absorbed.

What I did like was his cranky grandmother, and how Lori worked with her. I liked the parts with Lori and her perfect gorgeous sister, who is dying of leukemia. What I did not like, was how that ended. What I did not like, is Lori’s mother and how she keeps talking Lori down. Even though she presumably is trying to do better and is sorry for the past.

I kept reading in the hope that it would be better, and because I liked the secondary story lines. But Susan Mallery did not manage to make me like these main characters at all. I have one more book by her, but for now, I am not rushing to read that one.
I need to be able to like the main characters, admire them even, and I just did not in this book.

5 stars out of 10.



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Read for #LLC2015
For more info look: http://www.loveletterconvention.com/en/

buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

© 2015 Reviews by Aurian

maandag 27 april 2015

ARC-review: Gini Koch – Alien Separation

Book 11 in the Katherine 'Kitty' Katt series, to be published May 5, 2015.
Genre: science fiction romance
Cover: very good, perhaps the best in the series, I love it.

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Life’s never easy…
The Mastermind has finally been identified, but before Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini can take him down, they, their daughter Jamie, Charles Reynolds, Paul Gower, Christopher White, and several others are zapped out of their solar system and into another.
Landing in scattered groups on various areas of Beta Eight in the Alpha Centauri system means getting the team back together will be a major issue. But it’s only one of the challenges they’ll face. Kitty and Company have to forge alliances with the wide variety of sentient natives on the planet while plotting to create a civil war and overthrow the king – who just may be a clone of one of their bitterest enemies, Ronaldo Al Dejahl.
Of course, to do this, they have to overcome an assortment of dangerous obstacles, protect a group of refugees, take mind reading lessons, and seek out unexpected new allies as they journey to the Centerpoint of the World.
And once they reach the All Seeing Mountain, new issues and surprises await. Because there’s more than a small war going on – they’re in the midst of the Alpha Centauri Civil War!


Kitty has just returned from her adventure in a parallel world (where she was married to Chuckie!), and is about to brief the team on her adventures, and be briefed on what happened while she was away. But first, she has to tell Chuckie the truth about the Mastermind. With the way everybody has been tiptoeing around him since they found out, he must be suspecting something is amiss. He isn’t the smartest guy on the planet for no reason.
But before they can start plotting and planning, their help is needed with Jeff’s wayward niece, who was secretly dating the mastermind, and has recently disappeared! So now they need to come up with a reasonable excuse to visit their political enemy …
And then it happens, just like in Star Trek, Kitty, Jeff, Jamie, and some of their closest friends are beamed out of the room and into outer space … And it is not a smooth ride either! It feels like they are fighting for control over the device, which might be the reason they all end up scattered over the planet. Kitty, Christopher and Chuckie end up closest together, in the Purple Land, with Kitty and Chuckie hanging in a tree. And then Christopher comes to rescue them, sitting astride a giant flying grasshopper … And then the fun starts.
Getting out of the tree, on the back of two other Katyhoppers, and trying to find the rest of the team. But first they will have to stay safe from the planet’s predators … like the scary flying snakipedes…
Lucky for Kitty, she still has her magical purse, and Bruno and a lot of poofs have come with her.

The next morning they set out on a search for the others, starting in the Brown Land, where they find Jeff, who is being looked at by the locals as a God. Kitty, Chuckie and Christopher apparently are Gods as well, and Kitty quickly bonds with two more animal species. Something that looks like a dog-pig, and a battlecat. The local residents are all looking like different earth rodents, but then human sized.

And on they journey for the All-Seeing-Mountain, when they are found by the flyboys, flying on some kind of big bird. But the happy reunion is disturbed when a large swarm of snakipedes is following their trail and they have to find a safe place for their fellow travellers and their animals, fast. Because even though Kitty finds enough weapons for the men and a machine gun in her purse, they can’t kill them all in time.


The group they travel with gets bigger and bigger when they keep finding their friends and the new friends those friends made. Different lands, different colors, different inhabitants, but they are mostly sentient and friendly. The adventures and new discoveries keep coming, but war is getting closer and closer upon them, and they will have to fight the King, before the planet is ravaged by other planets who are at war.
And at the All-Seeing-Mountain it is Kitty who realizes what has happened on this planet before, and who is the Father-of-the-Gods who told the people about them …


I really don’t want to spoil anything for you, as this book is just a giant adventure. Perhaps I have told you a few minor details, but believe me, there is much more to discover and enjoy in this book. I loved every page for it, and was really sorry to read the last page. I am already looking forward to the next book, as this one was truly awesome.


How to review a Gini Koch book? That is the question I always ask myself, as it is one of the most difficult things to do. So much happens, so many characters to keep track off, so many new developments I don’t want to spoil.
I think Gini Koch deserves to be in the Guinness Book of Records as author with the most awesome imagination alive, and the ability to keep her readers glued to the pages and never wanting the book to end.

11 stars.



Autobuy authorLove this book

buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

© 2015 Reviews by Aurian

zondag 26 april 2015

Nancy Warren – Final Score – Read for #LLC2015

The third book in the Last Bachelor Standing series, published May 20, 2014.
Genre: contemporary romance
Cover: if my contractor looked like that, I would keep rebuilding my house!

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Welcome to Last Bachelor Standing! How long can three sexy single men hold out?

The last man holding out is firefighter Dylan Cross - strong, tantalizingly hot, with a reckless streak a mile long. He's also Mr. June in the firefighter calendar. But while Dylan will risk his life without a moment's thought, he would never risk his bachelorhood....
Dylan made a deal to help Cassie Price renovate her new home. But having a mouthwatering Mr. June fixing up her place is more temptation than Cassie can resist. And really, doesn't she deserve a little fiery fun now and then? But keeping her cool with this sexy confirmed bachelor is almost impossible...and if she's not careful, she'll find herself playing for keeps!


Cassie Price just bought herself a home, a fixer-upper. A good investment according to her parents and her broker. But now she doesn’t know where to start! Her friend Adam is busy with his own home renovation and his upcoming marriage, but he recommends his friend Dylan Cross. Dylan is on suspension for three months after ignoring a direct order from his boss and endangering not only himself, but two other firefighters as well. Sure, he saved a man, but he needed saving in return! He is just too reckless.
As a hobby, Dylan buys houses to renovate and sell again, and at the moment he is free to work for Cassie. It is just the house he would have bought himself, and their ideas about what the house needs and what Cassie wants, are very much alike. They work well together, until they suddenly start seeing each other with different eyes, and their relationship is awkward for a while. But when they do become lovers, life is perfect. They certainly burn up the sheets!

Until Cassie finds out that Dylan is not willing to move forward, he just likes the status quo. Cassie wants more from him. And so Dylan has to find out more about himself and his motives, why is he endangering himself, does he want to end up like his father? A dead hero? Or is that why he doesn’t want a relationship, he doesn’t want to leave a grieving widow behind?

Adam and Serena are in trouble though. Adam never got over his scare of almost losing Serena to a serial killer and he has become over protective, having her followed by his coworkers, and adding tracking devices to her car and purse. Serena can’t live with that, she refuses to marry a stalker.


Like the other two books, I really liked this third one. I like Cassie, she is a strong woman, she has a job she loves, and she knows what she wants. She is grateful for Dylan for helping her renovate her home, but she deserves more than he is willing to give.
I really liked how the three women in this series became friends, Serena and Cassie already are friends, but they embrace Clare in their midst as well, and I love their conversations about their men.
Max, Adam and Dylan are still practicing for Badges on Ice, determined to win the cup this year. And of course they also talk about their relationships.
Dylan and Cassie certainly burn up the sheets, a lot more than the previous couples. They fit really well together. And after Dylan rescues a little kitten out of a tree, that kitten becomes a fun secondary character as well.

Nancy, can I have a poster of this Mister June please?

I love Nancy Warren’s writing style, her sense of humor and her wonderful characters. So far, I really like them all, and can’t decide on a favourite. If you want to try her books, you can’t go wrong with this series.

9 stars.



Autobuy authorLove this book

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Read for #LLC2015
For more info look: http://www.loveletterconvention.com/en/

buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

© 2015 Reviews by Aurian


zaterdag 25 april 2015

Recommendations from Karin for April 2015.

In order to bring some more variety to my blog, I have asked some of my bookish friends to tell about the books they have in the past month, and to give us a recommendation. Today’s post is made by Karin from Austria.

Karin:

I have read 9 new books this month and numerous old and beloved ones. From the new ones I enjoyed most:

Louisiana Longshot by Jana Deleon

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It was a hell of a long shot.... CIA assassin Fortune Redding is about to undertake her most difficult mission ever - in Sinful, Louisiana. With a leak at the CIA and a price placed on her head by one of the world's largest arms dealers, Fortune has to go off-grid, but she never expected to be this far out of her element. Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian in a small bayou town seems worse than death to Fortune, but she's determined to fly below the radar until her boss finds the leak and puts the arms dealer out of play. Unfortunately, she hasn't even unpacked a suitcase before her newly inherited dog digs up a human bone in her backyard. Thrust into the middle of a bayou murder mystery, Fortune teams up with a couple of seemingly sweet old ladies whose looks completely belie their hold on the little town. To top things off, the handsome local deputy is asking her too many questions. If she's not careful, this investigation might blow her cover and get her killed. Armed with her considerable skills and a group of elderly ladies the locals dub The Geritol Mafia, Fortune has no choice but to solve the murder before it's too late.


I really think this is one of the funniest books that I have read in a long time. The heroine is most likeable, there is a hint of a budding romance (really, a very tiny hint), but what makes this book so unique is the supporting characters – especially the ladies Ida Belle and Gertie. Everything is grossly exaggerated (or so I like to think having no direct experience with Southern Belles) but the whole book made me feel better after I had read it.
It is by the way the first in a series but I have not continued with the books so far.

As for almost the rest of my recommendations I want to once again toot the horn for Loretta Chase. I’m afraid I have done so before but I can’t resist. Just the other day I downloaded an anthology that was put together from two previous anthologies – but it was announced on Amazon and on Chase’s website that these are not new publishings.
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this little gemstone – especially the first novella (short story) “Lord Lovedon’s Duel”.
Never before have I read a historical romance that featured a drunk bridesmaid who challenges a peer to a duel because he made her sister cry on her wedding day. Here and now I want to state that I don’t think it plausible for one minute that something like this could have happened – but still: even in this short story Chase succeeded in writing a believable romance, added her brilliant humour and in general made me feel good after I had finished the book.

The second story is very nice to read to, but I already knew it. The topic – a peer in dire need of money has to marry an heiress – is nothing new of course. The way it was treated here is nothing unique either but it was good to read.

And to finish this long post I would like to recommend one of my beloved older books. It’s

Finders Keepers by Linnea Sinclair

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Independent trader Trilby Elliot is making some not-quite-legal modifications to her starfreighter, when an unexpected visitor falls out of space. Literally. He's crashed onto the uninhabited planet of Avanar in a crippled 'Sko fighter-the last place you'd expect to find a Zafharin military officer because the 'Sko and the Zafharin have been at war as long as Trilby can remember.
Rhis Vanur is your typically arrogant Zafharin. But to Trilby's surprise, he doesn't look down on her or her slapdash ship. Still, Trilby's learned the hard way that even though she found Rhis, she can't keep him. She's just a low-budget jump jockey as far as men like him are concerned. She's not falling for his offer to help...until Port Rumor reports her best friend missing and Trilby learns that the 'Sko are hunting both her and Rhis. Now they're in it together for better, for worse-or till death blasts them to oblivion....


This is science fiction and yet not. It’s the story of “The Prince and the Pauper” in the far away future. It’s a story about THE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING – a trope I normally hate, and I mean: REALLY HATE.
And yet it’s one of the books I return to time and again. I don’t know – is it the heroine who has carved out her spot despite the circumstances she grew up, who is so likeable.
What about the hero (he wears a moustache; this is something I don’t appreciate normally but I forgive him for this sign of bad taste) who has hidden behind several layers of icy walls to hide that he has been hurt one time too many?
Is it once again the supporting characters whom I thought were not only supportive but also at times funny, logical or empathic?
I don’t really know – maybe it’s the sum of everything I have mentioned and so much more that this book has become one of my favourites?
Maybe you want to give it a try?

Until next time – after the LLC – where no doubt we will have lots of fun!

Karin photo Karin 2_zps9oybhsee.png

Aurian: Thanks for the recommendation Karin! I have actually recently read Lord Lovedon’s duel, not a storyline you forget indeed. I know Freya likes Linnea Sinclair as well, but I still have not read a book by her. I will borrow one from Freya soon!
But Karin, you read a cozy mystery! And I am glad you enjoyed it, putting it on my wishlist 



© 2015 Reviews by Aurian


vrijdag 24 april 2015

J.D. Robb – Innocent in Death

Book 24 in the In Death series, published February 20, 2007.
Genre: futuristic romantic suspence
Cover: fits the series.
Re-read for the third time.

Innocent in Death

When history teacher Craig Foster is found dead in his classroom, his young wife is devastated, and his family, friends and colleagues all shocked. The two ten-year-old students who discovered his body may be traumatised for life.
Eve Dallas, of course, is more hardened to murder cases. And this is clearly a murder case – Foster’s thermos flask of hot chocolate tainted with deadly ricin. It’s Eve’s job to get a feel of all the potential suspects – and find out why someone would have done this to a man who seemed so inoffensive, so pleasant, so innocent.
But Magdelana Percell – now there’s someone Eve can picture as a murder victim. Possibly at Eve’s own hands. An old flame of her billionaire husband Roarke, she’s turned up in New York, and she’s anything but innocent. Unfortunately, Roarke seems blind to Magdelana’s manipulation, but not blind at all to her shapely figure and flirtatious ways. Eve’s so unnerved by the situation, that for once she’s finding it difficult to concentrate on her investigation. Still, she’ll have to put aside her personal heartbreak, for a while at least – because another man has just turned up dead …


Eve and Roarke are just home from a nice beach vacation, which they really deserved after witnessing Mavis give birth to her beautiful baby daughter. Eve is supposed to join him for dinner with some business relations that night. Something she really hates, but cannot always get out of. Having just caught a new case, where a young history teacher is murdered in his own classroom, she is late. No time to dress up, she has to hurry to the posh restaurant in her work clothes. Luckily, they are clean this time.
Then a stunningly beautiful woman in a red dress approaches Roarke, a woman from his past. Now that is nothing new to Eve, as Roarke certainly wasn’t a monk before they met. But this is different, as for just a tiny moment, Roarke looked at this woman the way he only ever looks at her. And when she finds out more about Magdelana, she is really frightened. Roarke is baffled by her jealousy, doesn’t understand it, and certainly will not give in to it. Magdelana is just an old friend, and he can meet her when he wants to. But he also notices this really hurts Eve, and he hates that. And for once, Summerset agrees with Eve, which pisses Roarke off even more.
Is this their first really big fight? Or a break between them?

It puts Eve of her stride with her work, she cannot seem to find the motive that killed Craig. But she does find another teacher, Reed Williams, with a questionable morality. He hits on other staff, teachers and parents for sex, so he is a prime suspect as Craig has warned him of repeatedly. Things get more difficult and twisted, when Oliver Straffo defends the man. It was his daughter who discovered the body, his wife who had an affair with Reed. And he wants to defend the man? Of course he doesn’t know about the affair (yet).
But then Williams gets killed in the school swimming pool, and Eve needs to find another suspect. She is looking very hard at the school principal, and would like to nail her for claiming rape when it certainly was not the case, but it still feels off. And when she finally finds out who the murderer has to be, no one wants to believe her. The truth is just to horrible. But she will have to find more evidence, and bit by bit she comes closer. But will she be in time to prevent the next murder to happen?


A great book again. Both on the private life of Eve and Roarke, as the case. I really cried along with Eve, how could Roarke not see what was happening? He knows Magdelana is a con artist, she knows how to net her mark, of course she wants him back now he is so mega rich. But when his eyes finally do open, he gets even with her, for putting his marriage at risk and causing Eve pain.
And then the case, two teachers murdered, but what is the motive? It is not in their private life, at least not with Craig. And when Eve suspects this person has killed before, it gets even more horrible. A family torn apart, and a father who has to choose: his wife, or his child.

9,5 stars.



Autobuy author

buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

© 2015 Reviews by Aurian

donderdag 23 april 2015

Interview with Julie Kenner for LLC 2015

Hi, we are Aurian and Freya, and today we have Julie Kenner visiting us here in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

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Of course you want to know, what is LLC 2015? It is short for Autoren Love Letter Convention 2015, which means a Romance Writers Convention, and it takes place in Berlin, Germany, on May 2 and 3, 2015. There are lots of German authors attending of course, but there are also some really nice (and famous!) authors from America, Canada, England and Australia.

Julie Kenner is one of the American romance authors attending. We had a blast in the previous 3 years, and to add to the advance fun of the event, we have decided to do some interviews with the authors we will be meeting. Some of them are attending for the first time; others had a great time in a previous year and are coming again! So if you have the opportunity to visit Berlin for some sightseeing, why not attend the convention as well? Or let your family do the sightseeing, and you do the convention.

Our guest today is Julie Kenner, author of many books in different genres, from fun paranormal romance and urban fantasy to erotic (paranormal) romance. I have enjoyed her fun Aphrodite series lately, and her hot paranormal romance series written as J.K. Beck.

Aurian: Welcome to Utrecht, Julie. Would you like something hot to drink in this cold weather? Hot chocolate with whipped cream, tea or coffee? And of course some Dutch cookies.

Julie: Oooh!!! Hot chocolate with whipped cream sounds fab (maybe with a splash of Peppermint Schnapps?) ...and cookies for sure!
I’m really looking forward to meeting y’all in person!

(Aurian adds a splash or two of Peppermint Schnapps to Julies hot chocolate)

Freya: Can you tell our readers who might not yet know you or your books, a little about yourself? Something that is not in your official bio (which is at the bottom of this post).

Julie: Let’s see, I’ve climbed the Great Wall of China, have a fear of sharks but still love to SCUBA dive, got lost in Stockholm when I was 13, and my lowest grade in high school was in gymnastics.

LLC questions

Aurian: Could you tell us why you are attending a convention in Europe? Have you been in Berlin before? Were you surprised at being invited to a convention this far away?

Julie: I have never been to Berlin and I’m so excited to finally see it! (I’ve visited the Black Forest (age 11) and Munich (age 23). I’ve been invited for a few years, but this is the first time it really felt like it made sense to go since my erotic romances have a pretty strong German following! And the timing worked out family and deadline-wise!

Freya: Berlin is a beautiful city with a rich history. Are you planning to do some sightseeing before or after the convention, or touring the country? Or is this convention part of a larger booktour through Europe?

Julie: This is just the Berlin trip (my family and I are coming back to Europe in June). But I do plan to do as much sightseeing as possible in the city and environs. I absolutely love to travel, and to just wander around cities soaking in the atmosphere.

Aurian: If you could see only one monument/famous building/historical place in Berlin while you are there, what place would you absolutely have to see?

Julie: Probably the Berlin Wall and the Checkpoint Charlie museum. Folks tell me they’re not to be missed.

Freya: Have you been to Europe before? Perhaps even visited Holland? If not, would you like to?

Julie: I’ve been to Europe a number of times. When I was 11, my grandmother took me to Switzerland, and we used that as a base to visit the Black Forest, Austria, Italy, Liechtenstein, and France. Later, when I was 13 she took me to Scandinavia (Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and Helsinki). When I was 23, I went with her again to see Switzerland again (Lausanne and Zermatt, primarily), and that same year I backpacked through Europe for seven weeks doing Zurich, a cruise down the Rhine, Florence, Salzburg, Paris, London, Ireland and Scotland. Later, my husband and I spent time in Ireland, Paris and the South of France. And I explored different areas of Paris and Versailles a year or so later when I took my mother, who’d never been to Europe. (I’ve also been to China, but you only asked about Europe, LOL!)
More recently, I went to Edinburgh for a bookfest, and then to London for fun. This June, my family and I are going to Amsterdam (yes! Holland!) for 4 days, then for a week each in Paris and London.
See? When I said I loved to travel, I wasn’t kidding!

(Freya: If you need tips for sightseeing in Holland, or a tourguide, just let us know!)

Book questions

Aurian: You write books under three different pennames, Julie Kenner, J. Kenner and J.K. Beck. I understand J. Kenner is for the more erotic ones. Do you want those different names yourself, or is it your publisher who asks that?

Julie: J.K. Beck has been retired, and those books have been republished digitally as J. Kenner books. That is the only name that the publisher asked for because at that time it made sense to have a “reboot” when I started writing paranormals that were waaaaay darker and waaaaaay sexier than my demon hunting soccer mom books.

I write as J. Kenner now for the same publisher, and so far all of the J. Kenner books have been erotic romance. My publisher was fine with me publishing as Julie Kenner, but about the time I sold Release Me, I had just gotten my rights back to the demon hunting soccer mom series and was getting them ready to indie publish. Those books have no on-screen sex, and I have a number of readers who are in middle school. I didn’t want to hide my identity, but I did want a line of demarcation, and so I told my publisher that I wanted to publish as J. In retrospect, it probably wasn’t something I needed to worry about, especially since the Julie/J thing has become very transparent!

Aurian:I really enjoy your J.K. Becks books at the moment, so I hope they will find some new fans!

Freya: How does it feel that Carpe Demon has been optioned for television? Do you have any say in what happens with the story?

Julie: It’s very cool! Though I am not holding my breath. Hollywood can be fickle and a lot of things get optioned and never made. Carpe Demon was under option to 1492 Pictures for over ten years, and sadly the movie never made it to the screen. To be honest, though, I’m more excited about the possibility of a TV show, as I think it fits the material much better! And no, I don’t have much input (to be completely honest, I don’t have time to have much input! My writing schedule is full up and overflowing!)

Aurian: I have read and enjoyed Aphrodite’s Passion. The Protectors are great-great-great-grandchildren of the old Greek Gods, and are superheroes. How much fun did you have coming up with all the different super powers? I love that you gave Hale a flaw, an allergy that makes him loose control of his invisibility power.

Julie: Thanks! All of those books were so much fun to write! And yes, it really was a blast coming up with all the superpowers and weaving them into the characters’ backgrounds and the overall plot. (Of course, the most fun was Elmer, the ferret!)

Freya: For your book “Silent Confessions”, did you do a lot of research into Victorian erotica, just like your heroine? Or was it already a topic of interest for you?

Julie: I had read some, and had an interest in rare books, but nothing like my heroine in that story! So I did research into actual Victorian erotica when I planned and wrote the story. I wrote it back in 2002 (it was originally published in 2003) and that was before the Internet was as robust as it is. Most of the books I used were books that I found in Archer City, which is a town where author Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove) used to have several bookstores. I think they’ve since been closed, but the town used to be considered a “book town” because of all the used and rare bookstores!

Thanks for the interview Julie! We do look forward to meeting you in Berlin.
How about you reader, have you read any of Julie’s books? And which one is your favourite? Or do you have them still on your wishlist?

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Where to find Julie Kenner?
website: http://juliekenner.com/
twitter: https://twitter.com/juliekenner or @juliekenner
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JulieKennerBooks

- bio -

J. Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and International bestselling author of over seventy novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.
Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal mommy lit.
Her foray into the latter, Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner, has been consistently in development in Hollywood since prior to publication. Most recently, it has been optioned by Warner Brothers Television for development as series on the CW Network with Alloy Entertainment producing.
JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swoon for him.” A four time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy).
Her books have sold well over a million copies and are published in over twenty countries.
In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.

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© 2015 Reviews by Aurian