Reading Assignment Challenge: Air Bound by Christine Feehan
For as far back as she can remember, Airiana Ridell has always been aware of her extraordinary gift. She can intuit revealing and illuminating "patterns" in the air around her--whether in a spray of mist, in billowing clouds or in the dense swirls of an impenetrable fog. her abilities led to her placement in a secret government training facility when she was a child, but everything changed after her mother was murdered.
Airiana fled the program , but she couldn't outrun the desperate members of a shadowy cabal who want her, who need her, who will kill to get her. Kidnapped and held aboard a ship bound for dangerous seas, her only chance for rescue is Maxim Prakenskii. He has his reasons for helping her, but he isn't about to reveal them to Airiana. Not yet. Not as the two are drawn together as moth to flame. Not when there are so many secrets yet untold that could shatter the quaint community of Sea Haven and all who reside there...
Wow!! This just might be my new all-time favorite Feehan novel...It is for sure my favorite book in the Sea Haven series and it is all due to Maxim. He is a wonderful hero!! I love Airiana, too, but Maxim really stole the show for me. The things he would say to Airianna made me swoon at times and laugh out loud at others. His absolute belief that he was meant to be alone took a hard beating when he kidnapped/rescued Airianna from her farm in Sea Haven. When he saw her courage, strength and trust once he had her aboard a cargo ship in the middle of the ocean his lone-man past was a dead man walking. And watching him interact with the children he rescued from a human trafficking ring was the last nail in his coffin.
This book has a lot of action but throughout it all the strong romantic thread never got lost. It was, for me, the perfect balance and I both couldn't turn the pages fast enough and wanted to slow down to savor every word in the first read of a book that I know I will reread again and again. Maxim grew up without anyone to count on, trusting only himself, and being forced to do horrible things to stay alive. He is most comfortable in the shadows and spends the majority of his time rubbing shoulders with the scum of the earth. When he is given the mission of protecting Airiana, he sees everything he has been missing from his life. Even knowing that three of his brothers have made marriage work, he doesn't think that his future can hold love. But the more he is around Airiana, the more he is intrigued and impressed with her as a beautiful woman who earns his respect when few ever have.
Oh, watching Airiana consistently breach Maxim's defenses without event trying was the best entertainment and Maxim, who is NOT used to being defenseless has no idea what to do in response. And once he decides that she is it for him? Holy hotness, Batman!! I buckled in and enjoyed one of the most romantic stories I have read in some time. And while the romance between him and Airiana was beautiful, watching Maxim take on four children whose lives have been shattered by violence beyond their imagining was also heart wrenching and heartwarming at the same time. It was its own love story of sorts as these four brave souls placed their absolute trust in this man who would die before he let them down. Soul melting stuff!
Reading Assignment Challenge: Wild Cat by Christine Feehan
It was a simple request for Siena Arnotto: deliver a gift to her grandfather's friend. One look at Elijah Lospostos, hard bodied and stripped to the waist, and Siena succumbs to a feline stirring she never felt before--and to Elijah's reckless and pleasurable demands. But when that pulse-throbbing moment ends in the murder of an unexpected intruder, Elijah accuses the shaken and confused Siena of setting him up.
Then Siena discovers the truth of her leopard heritage, of the secrets in her grandfather's inner circle and the sinister plot of revenge that has put her in jeopardy. When Siena's grandfather is assassinated, she realizes the only man she can trust is Elijah. Now, as her leopard rises from within, Siena and Elijah share not only an animal instinct for survival--but a desire so raw and wild it may be the only thing that can save them.
Whew. I'm still now completely sure how I feel about this book...
Siena has spent the majority of her life at boarding schools and university since her beloved grandmother passed away when she was six. Her parents had already died and her beloved nonno feared for her safety--a concern that turned into more of an obsession after not one but two kidnapping attempts. Siena wanted nothing more than to be normal but she always felt apart from others, isolated at school and constantly surrounded by bodyguards. She became determined to learn everything she could about wine making so she could take over her grandfather's vineyards and finally prove that she was worth having around. When her father's right hand man, Paolo, starts to act strangely around her and her grandfather hints broadly that he would like nothing more than for them to share a future, she finds comfort in her university sanctuary. Finally, however she has all the degrees she needs and she heads home to take her place in her grandfather's businesses.
One of the first tasks her grandfather asks of her is to drop off a case of wine to family friend, Elijah Lospostos, for his birthday. Siena remembers Elijah from a couple of dinners she attended while home from school on break. She developed a strong crush on Elijah, whose taste in women was always clearly the opposite of her, leaving her with a compromised sense of self esteem. When she arrives at Elijah's mansion, sparks fly (along with clothes) as they share a quick, violent coupling on his foyer floor. Before Siena can get her wits about her again, Elijah has grabbed a gun, shot an intruder, spat vile, vicious accusations at her, and thrown her, naked, out of his house and his life. Siena, stunned after her first sexual experience leaves her witnessing a murder and being assured that she is the worst sexual partner in the history of sex, fumbles her way home only to be physically assaulted by Paolo, who apparently really expects to marry her and who is infuriated that she slept with another man. When Siena picks her bruised and battered self up to inform her grandfather of Paolo's assault, her grandfather calls her a whore.
In the midst of all of this, Siena is getting ready to go through the Han Vol Dan when her female leopard will emerge. AND, frosting on the cake, her grandfather is shot and she is pretty sure she knows exactly who did it and she has no plans to stick around so he can kill her as she inherits everything her grandfather was involved in and it is quickly becoming clear that much of he activities were both illegal and carefully hidden from Siena's eyes. She now has a large target on her back as many criminals wanting the Arnotto territory need only to take Siena out to gain control. When Siena seeks help from Drake Donovan, a man she has been assured is above board, she runs into Elijah and suddenly the one hope she had is gone. She runs and is promptly grabbed by Paolo putting her in danger once again.
And that is all within the first 56 pages. The action is this book was jam packed and I loved that aspect of it. What I wasn't quite so sure of was the over-the-top dominance exhibited by Elijah. I am all for Alpha males but Elijah was ALPHA-going-on-asshole and while he showed tenderness and sweetness at times, I never did feel that he groveled for the harsh (SO HARSH!!) things he spat at Siena in their first interaction. He pretty much told her that she knew he didn't mean it and she needed to get over it. NOT AN APOLOGY JACKASS! And, there was a lot of him stating that Siena needed to "get this" or "get that" (seriously, at times it seemed that every conversation involved him telling Siena to "get" something through her head). I won't lie, I had been looking forward tremendously to Elijah's story and his behavior really took a lot of enjoyment out of things for me. I am hoping that future rereadings will allow my feelings to mellow but this first read had me feeling uncomfortable and kind of hoping Siena would leave Elijah and hook up with Alonzo instead. Alonzo is very intriguing and I am hoping that his character doesn't turn out to be quite so over the top as Elijah.
Reading Assignment Challenge: My Fair Captain by JL Langley
Talk about a compromising situation!
A storm of political intrigue, murderous mayhem and sexual hungers is brewing on planet Regelence.
Swarthy Intergalactic Navy Captain Nathaniel Hawkins ran from a past he had no intention of ever reliving. But when his Admiral asks him to use his peerage, as an earl and the heir to a dukedom, to investigate a missing weapons stash, he's forced to do just that. As if being undercover on a Regency planet where young men are supposed to remain pure until marriage isn't bad enough, Nate finds himself attracted to the king's unmarried son.
All Prince Aiden Townsend has ever wanted was to be an artist. He has no interest in a marriage of political fortune or becoming a societal paragon. Until he lands in the arms of the mysterious Earl of Deverell. One look at Nate's handsome face has Aiden reconsidering his future. Not only does Nate make a virile subject for Aiden's art, but the great war hero awakens feelings in Aiden he has never felt, feelings he can't ignore.
After a momentous dance at a season ball, Aiden and Nate find themselves exchanging important information and working closely together. They have to fight their growing attraction long enough to find out who stole the weapons and keep themselves from a compromising situation and certain scandal.
Why did I wait so long to begin this series??? I have had this on my Kindle for a very long time and have even begun reading it several times but never got past the first few pages...this time I settled in determined to get into the book far enough to give it a fair shot and I ended up finishing it in one evening. Nate is from Englor where M/M relationships are not encouraged and to protect his paramour he engages in a duel with no intentions of harming anyone, however, when he is shot as he is pulling the trigger, his arm jerks and he ends up killing his opponent. When his family disowns him (the man he shot was his father's best friend's son) he joins the Navy where he climbs the ranks for the next twenty years.
Aiden is an artist and one of five sons of the King of Regelence. Regelence, like Englor, is based on Regency England. One major difference from Englor, is that Regelence not only recognizes M/M relationships, all the offspring of those with titles are genetically engineered to be male with a preference for their own gender. And all of the restrictions that Regency England put on young women are put on young men in Regelence. Until the age of 25 (or until Aiden takes a consort), he is expected to always go about with a chaperon, to stay sexually pure, and to observe the rather strict expectations of society. Aiden is lucky in that his fathers are happy to let him marry for love rather than pressuring him into a relationship for political gain.
When Aiden and his brother cause their castle's computerized butler (think security system that serves) to turn off so they can escape to pursue their own interests without anyone tagging along, they open the door for the theft of weapons. Aiden also lands in trouble when he is caught alone sketching the docks and three men attempt to kidnap him to be raped and sold. His father saves him in time but the incident (along with the theft at the castle) underscores the need for extra protection. They ask the Intergalactic Navy for help in discovering the perpetrators of the crime and Nate is chosen to go undercover. He might not use his title from Englor anymore, but it gives him the perfect excuse to live with Regelence's King and to go about in society looking for the culprit. Nate's adopted son will act as his valet and be of use in interrogating the servants.
Aiden and Nate meet when Aiden falls out of a tree. It is a very cute meet and they are both smitten from then on. Nate is both relieved at the acceptance of same sex relationships and worried about his need to be extra vigilant in not allowing himself and Aiden to be caught in a compromising situation. Nate knows his future lies in the Navy and Aiden's lies in Regelence. Aiden is surprised when something finally interests him as much as his art...in fact images of Nate soon take over all of Aiden's sketchpads. These two quickly begin getting closer and closer together, and when Aiden realizes there is more to Nate's presence than just an Earl visiting they both discuss it like adults and Nate, understanding the help that Aiden can offer, brings him into his confidence and they begin working together.
I loved this book...something about the juxtaposition of science fiction space travel and technology alongside Regency England values, architecture and fashions really made for a fun combination. One of my favorite details were the thumb-print dance cards...the men interested in a dance would scan their thumb and voice record which dance they wished to claim. Aiden and his friends meanwhile had a fun competition to see who could lose/destroy/hide their cards both the fastest and in the most original way in order to avoid the marriage market. Nate "saves" Aiden's card knowing full well what Aiden was trying to do in order to claim a waltz and that is really the turning point where they went from dancing around each other (pun intended) to actually engaging in a relationship they can't deny they want any longer.
This book has some action but is primarily focused on the relationship between Nate and Aiden and their investigation into who has committed the theft and why. The resolution at the end of the book implies that we have only begun to see the tip of a very deep iceberg that will be fleshed out further in later books. I know that there are only three books in the series and neither of them are about the couple I really want to know more about which causes me to worry that at the end of the series I will be left with unanswered questions...however, I loved this book enough that I can't see that stopping me from reading them anyway. As far as I know, JL Langley hasn't published anything since 2012 but that doesn't mean I can't hope that she won't return to the series at some point!
Reading Assignment Challenge: Cat's Lair by Christine Feehan
Cat Benoit has finally escaped the past--and the man who was the source of her nightmares. She's off the grid, underground but watchful, and creating a new life for herself in Texas, far from the torrid dangers of her native New Orleans. She's safe. He'll never find her this time. Cat has to believe that. It's the only thing keeping her sane.
Yet she can't escape the attention of Ridley Cromer, the instructor at the martial arts dojo where Cat take lessons. She arouse the animal in Ridley--and something feral comes to life when their body heat rises. Cat is in no position to let her guard down with anyone, especially someone who could be endangered by her past. But Ridley has secrets of his own--secrets only Cat would understand. If she dares to trust him.
Classic Feehan!! Tough, domineering male fighting to protect his mate against evil so dark and twisted it is almost unimaginable. Sweet, smart female doing everything she must to survive a horrific past that is always waiting to pull her back into the darkness she barely survived. Alpha male finds himself shaking his head trying to figure out how the quiet, small female has come to rule his heart and his life. Manly man retaliates with rules and lots of dominate sexy-times while loving woman simply does what she wants knowing that she is the most important part of his life. This book felt so reminiscent of Burning Wild which up to this point has been my favorite book in this series. Cat's Lair now ties with Burning Wild for my favorite...
I don't want to tell too much of what happens because this is definitely best read with no spoilers! I will say that this has one of the hands down sweetest and best beginnings of any book I have read in a long time. Watching Ridley Cromer carefully, gently, slowly draw Cat out of her shell was pure pleasure! I loved his quiet confidence and his absolute devotion to watching out for her. He knows she is running scared from something and he wants to be the one she trusts in her new future. Seeing Cat slowly let down some of her walls was beautiful--and Ridley's absolute adoration at the sass that slips through Cat's barriers was a hoot. And then...well, that is best read on your own so I am ending my review here. Please just trust that if you haven't read this entry in the Leopard series, you need to go get it RIGHT NOW!
Reading Assignment Challenge: Leopard's Prey by Christine Feehan
From a tough stint in the armed forces to stalking the unknown as a bayou cop, leopard shifter Remy Boudreaux has been served well by his uncanny gifts. And right now, New Orleans could use a homicide detective like Remy.
A serial killer is on the loose, snatching victims from the French Quarter with pitiless rage and unnatural efficiency. But something else is drawing Remy into the twilight--a beautiful jazz singer bathed night after night in a flood of blood red neon.
Sultry, mysterious, and as seductive as her songs, she's luring Remy deeper into the shadows than he ever imagined. And as their passions swell, his keen instinct for survival will be challenged like never before. By a killer--and by a woman.
Bijou is the daughter of one of the most famous rock singers of all time. He could have been a contender for World's Worst Father up to the point of his death four years prior. Bijou has spent much of that time following dreams that weren't hers and she is ready to put her foot down and live the life she wants to live--regardless of her manager's anger, her fan's possible desertion by her switch to jazz and blues, and despite many threats from her father's fans who take obsession to new levels. Add in a tabloid photographer with a personal vendetta against Bijou and a prison thug who is always with her manager and it makes sense that Bijou isn't sure who, if anyone, she can trust.
Remy is dismayed to find a serial killer from four years earlier killing in his city again. When the first victim is someone he has known all his life it becomes personal. The killer is both audacious and torturous in his murders leaving few, if any clues, behind at his macabre death scenes. Remy is determined to stop the killer regardless of what it takes. The problem is an abundance of suspects and a lack of solid evidence.
When Remy finds that Bijou has returned to the bayou, he is quick to lay his claim on the beautiful singer. One of Remy's biggest regrets was not rescuing Bijou from her horrendous childhood with her father and he has carried that regret heavily on his shoulders for sixteen years. Now that he sees the amazing, courageous woman she has grown up to become, he is more determined than ever not to repeat past mistakes and quickly works his way into her life to protect her from the many different people who would harm her.
The plot in this book is jam packed keeping the pacing fast and wild. I loved almost everything about it, even (or perhaps especially) the over-the-top action that takes place at different points throughout the book. One thing that I didn't love was how crazy dominant Remy is with Bijou when her leopard is first emerging. I felt he crossed a line and never quite adequately groveled enough. However, by the end of everything I was still quite satisfied with the HEA. I also am not completely in love with who the serial killer turned out to be...I almost feel that Feehan was trying too hard for the reveal to be a complete surprise for it to be completely believable, but I wasn't so dissatisfied that it affected my overall enjoyment of the book. While it isn't my favorite title by this author, I certainly zoomed through it at breakneck speed and was quite happily immersed in her leopard world for the duration.
Reading Assignment Challenge: Locke and Key by Sandrine Gasq Dion
Werewolf Locke Renfro has spent most of his life hunting and killing rogue werewolves--vicious murderers who take pleasure in causing misery and destroying lives. Including his own when they slaughtered his parents. After a rogue bites his lover, it triggers the process of turning him into a rogue also and Locke must kill the only man he ever thought he'd love. Years later, the fates have finally given him a mate--smart, funny and sexy Mitch Devan. Locke is afraid to seal their bond, though, terrified that it will make Mitch a target of rogues who despise him--who would love nothing better than to murder his soul mate.
Mitch Devon has spent so long waiting for Locke Renfro to claim him as his own that he's not sure everything will work properly wen the time finally arrives. But Locke has slain more than his share of rogues; he is convinced that mating with Mitch will put the human at the top of the rogues' revenge hit list. Mitch isn't sure that would be any worse than his platonic existence with the man he adores. When a simple business trip lands him in grave danger, Mitch finds out exactly how far Locke will go to retrieve the key to his heart.
Loyalties are tested and enemies revealed, as the Skull Blaster team comes together to rescue their own.
The last Assassin/Shifters book I read, Savage Love, felt incredibly convoluted and too busy. I am happy to report that Locke and Key was much more enjoyable as it revolved mainly around the main couple and only towards the end did a lot more of the cast join in the fun.
Locke has not had an easy time of it and when he finds his mate, his past causes him to fear the worst: losing Mitch to the rogues. He keeps Mitch at arms length and refuses to listen to his friends who assure him that keeping Mitch close will keep him safe. What I didn't get is why Locke was so worried--Mitch was made immortal in an earlier book. Wouldn't an immortal man be fairly safe from rogues? Maybe even safer than a werewolf? Regardless, Locke is committed to his keep-Mitch-safe-and-at-arms-length plan.
Mitch is an incredibly patient man. He knows that man he loves him loves him back but he is not allowed to show his love in any way. They aren't even roommates for the longest time. Then Mitch and Locke travel to Boston to refurbish a house that Locke owns and Mitch is finally able to wear down Locke's resistance. They get closer as a couple and Mitch finally gets some of the happiness he has desired for so long. And then it all hits the fan...
The bad guys and the good guys all came out in force in this one (except for the Olympians)...we also added in yet another facet of evilness and the good guys discovered that those leading the rogues were closer than they ever imagined. The end of the book left me with the knowledge that the war between good and evil has gotten even more intense--it feels as if we are not at all close to an end and I have to admit I am wondering if there are any more mythologies or paranormals that might be added into the mix. I am looking forward to the next book in the series--but I worry that not all of the good guys are going to make it out alive. Odds would suggest that we will lose at least one of them before this whole thing is over!
Reading Assignment Challenge: Viper Game by Christine Feehan
GhostWalker Wyatt Fontenot knows the price he paid for the secret military experiments that gave him his special catlike abilities. After all, he left his bayou home a healer and came back a killer. While Wyatt and his GhostWalker brother Gator may have known exactly the sort of game they were getting into, Wyatt never anticipated where it would lead--or to whom.
The swamps hold many mysteries, but few as sinuously seductive as Le Poivre de Cayenne. The woman the locals call Pepper is every bit as enigmatic as the three little girls she's desperately trying to protect. From what, Wyatt is soon to discover. Right now Pepper needs a man like Wyatt. Passionately. But her secrets are about to take them both deeper into the bayou than either imagined--where desire is the deadliest poison of all.
Wyatt feels guilt that he let himself believe he was heartbroken by a woman he thought he loved since he was four...in his desperation to get away from the bayou and all of its bad memories, he allowed himself to get involved with the GhostWalker project--something he should have known better than to do based on his brother's experiences. It is too late to reverse the changes in his body, but it isn't too late to go back to the bayou and help his Nonny. He brings with him friends who are more like brothers after the experiences they have shared. I loved the newest members to be introduced as Ghostwalkers, especially Malachai with his bottomless stomach!!
Nonny has called Wyatt back to the bayou because of some strange doings centered around a plastics plant situated on the site of an old asylum. When Nonny is accosted by a guard while harvesting plants for medicine, she decides to get reinforcements. Wyatt is PISSED that any man dared lay hands on his beloved Nonny and he makes it very clear in a hands on way that the guards will not make that mistake again. It is after this altercation when he returns home that he meets Pepper and one of the three babies she is desperately trying to protect from elimination. The other two are still being held within the confines of the plastic plant which is a front for another of Dr. Peter Whitney's experiments.
There are, as always, a lot of machinations happening on the part of Dr. Whitney, but he seemed to take it a whole nother step further in this book. I was both surprised and not by the revelation about the babys' parentage. This book seemed to take a step back from the start-to-finish, action-packed plot lines of the last couple of books and instead focused a lot of time on the developing relationship between Pepper and Wyatt as Pepper recovered from injuries sustained during their first meeting. I loved the relationship between Wyatt and Pepper up until one particular scene when Wyatt just went WAY TOO FAR in his possessiveness over Pepper. His over the top reaction to a scene that just didn't even seem to be that romantic or sexy really affected my feelings for Wyatt over all, especially as this scene takes place close to the end of the book and he never really is given a chance to recover all the points he loses during that incident. He all but calls Pepper a whore and it really jarred me and colored my overall enjoyment of the HEA. I just don't know that I feel sure he won't jump to outlandish conclusions again in the future and he never grovelled much at all when MAJOR grovelling was called for. I still liked the book, but don't know that it will be one I reread often as so many others in this series are.
