Review: A Vampire’s Hunger

I received this book for free from Netgalley in order to prepare an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


Review: A Vampire’s HungerA Vampire's Hunger (Vampire's Promise, #4) by Carla Susan Smith
Series: Vampire's Promise #4
Published by Lyrical Press on October 25th 2016
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 400
Goodreads
four-stars

FINAL DECISION:  This is an enjoyable adventure.  There is not much romance development but that doesn’t bother me because there is a lot of plot development in this book.  I hope there is more to come because I have more questions.

THE STORY:  Rowen and Gabriel’s story continues. Rowen goes deeper into the vampire world in this book.  At the end of Book 3, Rowen and Gabriel’s friend Aleksei comes to her apartment injured and desperate for blood to save his life.  Rowen violates all the rules when she gives her blood to Aleksei despite being bonded with Gabriel.  Rowen also must deal with impulsive decision to force Gabriel to protect her friend’s baby which might result in the severing of Rowan and Gabriel’s relationship and her own demon who intends to claim her for himself.  This book also focuses on the Original Vampire Ryiel who joins Rowen and Gabriel as old enemies emerge.

OPINION:  I have enjoyed each of these book more than the last.  In this book, the characters continue to develop in their relationships.  As more characters become prominent in the stories, they enrich the book and it overarching storyline.

Gabriel and Rowen have some bumps in this book, but their connection feels more grounded and deep as their disagreements are worked out.  This book manages to resolve most of the lingering challenges to Gabriel and Rowen’s relationship — but there is still much to learn about their friends so I hope there are more books to come.

Rowen still has her impetuous streak, but she is learning some caution and has some calculated chances rather than just jumping in.  This book requires much trust between Gabriel and Rowen and it is nice to see them handle some difficult circumstances.  There are challenges — especially for the possessive Gabriel, but they are working through their problems.

I was most intrigued in this book with the story of Ryiel.  I really want to know his full story even if we have to flash forward in time.

In conclusion, I thought this was a great addition to the series.

WORTH MENTIONING:  This book does not resolve all the questions raised.

CONNECTED BOOKS:  A VAMPIRE’S HUNGER is the fourth book in the Vampire’s Promise series.  This series is better when the books are read in order because there are continuing storylines.

STAR RATING:  I give this book 4 stars.

four-stars

Review: Lessons in Pleasure

I received this book for free from Netgalley in order to prepare an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


Review: Lessons in PleasureLessons In Pleasure by Victoria Dahl
Published by Lyrical Press on May 10th 2016
Genres: Historical
Goodreads
three-stars

“Sarah Rose Hood was in love with her husband. She was almost sure of it.”

FINAL DECISION:  An enjoyable read, LESSONS IN PLEASURE is the story of a new husband and wife exploring their sexuality together.  The historical context gives some twists to the story that makes it especially intriguing.

THE STORY:  Sarah Rose Hood married with hopes of companionship and care. She cares for her husband, James Hood.  James is a young barrister with a seat in the House of Commons.  The two have been marrried for two months.  Just as the two begin more deeply exploring their sexual relationship, Sarah begins having fears about a secret she kept from her husband.

OPINION:  This was an enjoyable read.  Sarah and James are a sweet couple together. The story is really about Sarah’s innocence and the historical ignorance about women’s sexuality.  This novella is sexy and I really do enjoy books about married couples finding deeper levels of intimacy between them both emotionally and physically.  This novella hits all those points.

A very enjoyable one time read that brings a different historical perspective.

My only complaint is that the format doesn’t really allow much time to get to know these characters.  The focus is on the situation and thus I never really completely connected with the characters in a way that would make this novella one I would want to pick up again and again.

WORTH MENTIONING:  This is a very short novella.

CONNECTED BOOKS:  LESSONS IN PLEASURE is a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3 stars.

three-stars