Ravenheart (A Crossbreed Novel #2) by Dannika Dark

Author’s Synopsis

Two weeks after joining Keystone, Raven Black is ready to take on the world as a criminal hunter for hire. If only her partner wasn’t a bloodsucking Vampire with a penchant for getting under her skin. Despite her lavish surroundings, Raven misses the freedom of life without rules. And Keystone’s next assignment is about to test her self-control in more ways than one.

Dead bodies are popping up in the human district, and all signs point to a Breed serial killer. In order to catch him, Raven and Christian embark on a mission that takes their partnership into uncharted waters. Lives are at stake. Can Raven trust her instincts, or will she fall into a web spun from lies and deceit?

Time is running out in this pulse-pounding tale of dark secrets, murder, and forbidden desires.

My Views

I am hooked. This series just gets better which is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Dark’s work. Raven is a strong female lead who is not only capable of exploring her own emotions but is happy to share them with us. Christian is funny, charming, and annoying in equal quantities and I can’t wait to hear more from him. No spoilers, just wow. Best read via audiobook with Nicole Poole.

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The Story of Son by J. R. Ward

Author’s Synopsis

Held captive by a dark, seductive vampire with an unworldly hunger, the beautiful Claire Stroughton fears her life as a lawyer has irrevocably taken a turn for the worse. But when this deeply sensual-and highly dangerous-vampire convinces Claire that his desire for her is stronger than his lust for blood, she is compelled to give everything up to him, body and soul…

My Views

This delicious romance is reminiscent of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast but in this story, the beast’s betrayal is not of his own doing. This story is set in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world but is not actually a part of their story and that works just fine because anyone can read this, but if you are a fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, then you will love this book twice over.

Claire is a sweet character, but she’s also brimming with strength and Ward writes strong female leads like no other. Without giving any spoilers away I will just say that Son is one of the sweetest characters ever to be portrayed as a beast. This book is a tearjerker and completely addictive.

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Cursed City (Shadow Detective #1) by William Massa

Author’s Synopsis

My name is Mike Raven, and the weird and supernatural are my life. Monsters murdered my parents when I was eight. Turns out my folks were paranormal investigators and Hell always settles its debts. Naturally I decided to join the family business. For two decades I’ve studied the occult and traveled the world hunting nightmares. Vampires. Shifters. Demons. Wraiths. I’ve faced them all. But my greatest challenge still lay ahead…

From the moment Celeste stepped into my office, I knew she was in trouble. Black magic trouble. Her father had promised her soul to a powerful demon on the day she was born. Now, twenty-one years later, the forces of darkness were gathering to collect their long-awaited prize. Guess who’s about to pick a fight with the Devil himself?

My Views

This story is all action to the point where I was feeling a little exhausted at Raven’s exertions. The plot is good and the demon action and fight scenes are just right so I followed Raven to some seriously dangerous places. The hint of a possible romance in the future had me intrigued, if he can possibly stop fighting demons for long enough to date.

This book is the beginning of a very interesting series and it reminds me a little of the series with good old Sam and Dean in but with less humour and hotness. Don’t let the lack of humour stop you because there’s a darkness in this series that’s just waiting to be explored.

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Broken Melody: A Twisted Vampire Tale by Jospeh Kiel

Author’s Synopsis

Carefree student Melody Freeman has just woken up with a hangover from hell, no memory of the night before and two bite marks on her neck. With a nagging desire to find out just what she got up to last night, she again hits the city with her best friend Rachel to retrace their steps.

What follows soon descends towards another night of forgotten debauchery until Melody learns the truth: last night she was infected… by a vampire. Worse still, a group of vampire slayers have captured her and when the sun comes up the next morning and fangs sprout from her mouth, Melody will be executed.

But that is unless she can undo the transformation by finding the very vampire that infected her and killing him. Melody and Rachel set out on the hunt into the forbidden corners of Meridian on the ultimate all-nighter. It will be a night of warped challenges and perversions, filled with sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll. A twisted race against time before she turns…
My Views

This full-action book is refreshingly British. Melody isn’t the kind of character you want to fully identify with but secretly you get her, you’ve been her, and you still hanker after her zest for life. Kiel has created a seedy underground world within a fictional, albeit typically British, city and filled it with mysterious paranormal creatures and regular human lowlifes. The story is a journey where Melody’s life remains precariously balanced but that doesn’t stop her on her quest.

This novel is darkly funny, intriguing, and strangely emotional. The cover really suits the book and I hope Kiel creates some kind of series out of this standalone story because the characters are desperate to come out to play.

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Rape Van by Tim Miller

Andy and Bridget have learned the secret to a successful relationship, and that is to support each other’s hobbies. The couple have been supporting each other’s sadistic pastimes for years and it looks like it’s time to pay only the police are nowhere in sight.

This is another great slasher horror from Miller. The concept is simple and brilliant but the characters are what really makes the book. Seeing life from a serial killer’s point of view is always an interesting perspective but couple that with a little devious double-crossing and add a really messed up child and you have a recipe for entertainment.

Break out the popcorn but hold the sauce, this book contains Miller’s fabulous gore-factor.

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All The Lies (Mindf*ck Series #4) by S. T. Abby

As Lana and Jake unravel the twisted lies the town has been hiding under things heat up. It’s an emotional rollercoaster for the reader and I was definitely not immune to it. The cliff-hanger I’ve come to associate with Abby’s work left me reeling from the emotional overload.

Abby has created a masterpiece that takes us all to the dark side as we root for the serial killer to finish what she started. This is possibly the most addictive and compelling series that I’ve ever read and I read a lot.

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Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

Grace thinks she’s found the dream man and is eager to begin her dream life. She doesn’t see what’s in store for her and she doesn’t hesitate to hand her life over to someone who will crush it irrevocably. The question is can she protect Millie from what’s coming?

This thriller was sickeningly tense. I found it an uncomfortable read which is exactly what I want from a thriller. Jack’s control was frustrating as were any attempts of Grace’s to save herself. The book disturbed me.

Paris kept the pace slow and smooth throughout the whole book which really helped to keep the tension and the non-linear construction meant that we were teased with the truth finding out details in slow, well thought out chunks.

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A Werewolf’s Struggle by Amber Taylor

Sara is back and her life has changed dramatically, so has Sam’s. Having been through horrifically traumatic events neither teenager escapes without mental and physical scars. Sara ends up living in the werewolf commune with her uncle but Sam still roams the wild woods, killing as he goes.

This book is not for young or sensitive readers. It is full of adult themes and definitely explores the darker side of the paranormal genre. Sara’s character doesn’t seem to get a break and reading her story can be exhausting as she travels from one bad situation to the next with Sam right behind her. Sam’s character is broken but Sara’s feelings for him constantly swing between love and hate which confuses her even more.

If you are looking for a paranormal story with an edge and a large dash of horror, then this is for you. The psychologically disturbing events and gory descriptions are as far removed from the multitude of paranormal romances on the shelves now as they can get.

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Suicide Hotline by Tim Miller

This is a collection of mini stories linked with an overall story. It is a unique concept and begins immediately by entering a place that most of us don’t even know exists let alone find the courage to explore. The book begins on a dark note and continues on that theme but it is also surprisingly upbeat. Miller doesn’t dwell on the darkness by insinuating what’s out there and he doesn’t embellish it with regular horror jargon, he simply tells the story in a simple factual way. This allows the reader to be entertained while also being shocked, stunned, and sickened to the perfect degree.

I particularly liked the way Miller builds levels of frustration within his characters and identifying with their problems makes their Suicide Hotline solution all the more horrifying. I recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humour, love of horror, and the ability to enjoy textual gore but if you’re really hard-core, then grab the audio version.

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Pretty Girls By Karin Slaughter

When Claire’s husband is brutally killed in front of her she doesn’t think she will ever feel right again. He looked after her for twenty years with complete dedication and she no longer remembers how to be strong without him. It isn’t until she inadvertently discovers his biggest secret that her whole world really does fall apart. Claire’s entire life has been a lie and all she wants is her big sister, Lydia, who she cast out twenty years before.

This book really delves into some seriously twisted crimes with an honest, clear view. The author doesn’t embellish the story with the gory details but slips just enough into the plot to keep the reader just a little bit scared. She intersperses the tense and suspenseful moments with a journal full of highly emotional confessions and letters from Claire’s father written for her missing sister.

This is a spectacular thriller in that the plot is brilliantly woven, and the two lead females have such fully developed characters that we are immersed into the story so completely. This has been my first Karin Slaughter book and I am glad to say it will not be my last.

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