Review: Feral by Sheri Whitefeather

Feral 
~Sheri Whitefeather 

Paperback: 240 pages 
Publisher: Berkley Trade 
Publish Date: December 6, 2011 
ISBN-10: 042524332X 
ISBN-13: 978-0425243329 
ASIN: B005ERITCU

From Goodreads:
Mexico, 1850. One fateful night Noah Diaz is ravished by a bold woman who transforms him into an immortal lion. Now he is a wealthy man who owns an underground sex club where supernatural beings can indulge in no-holds-barred sensual play. Though Noah has scores of willing victims, it is the thrill of the hunt he desires... 


Jenny Lincoln runs a big cat rescue operation that can't stay afloat-until a donor comes through with the condition that she goes to his club. Both Noah and the club at first frighten her but eventually thrill her. It's clear that she is Noah's prey, but once she gets a taste, it is Jenny who wants more...

Jenny Lincoln runs her grandfather's ranch as a big cat rescue, but funding has been slow and she's going to have to shut down...then she gets an anonymous donation with the promise of more money - enough to keep the rescue running.  The only catch is she has to go out with the donor - to his "animal shifter" themed sex club.

Noah Diaz was human, until a vicious attack by a shapeshifter changed his life forever.  A century later, he's running a sex club for shifters and shifter groupies.  He happens to stumble across Jenny's rescue, and his cat side wants to chase her.  Obscenely rich, he offers her the promise of enough money to save her ranch.  Will the straight-laced, innocent Jenny take the bait?

My thoughts:
I'm going to be blunt:  I could not get into this book.  It started off well - Noah wants to date Jenny, he's wanting the thrill of the chase.  She's innocent and not very experienced and Noah thinks she's going to fight her attraction the whole way.  So far, so good, right?  I love when the H/H fight their attraction.

Then things quickly turn around:  She goes to his sex club and sees what it's all about, and the next day she's telling him her sexual fantasies and having phone sex!  Now "the chase" is gone.  They embark on a sexual relationship, there's a "Beauty and the Beast" reenactment, some magic stones, and Noah is now denying his love for Jenny while she's insisting he does love her.

All in all, the characters read as very inconsistent, the plot was weak, and at one point there was a scene involving yogurt and a sex toy that caused me to get up and walk away.  I'm not sure why her cousin Matt was written into the story, he seemed to serve no purpose, and Coyote, Noah's accountant, seemed to have an interesting background but was only used to push the story in the direction the author was going.

My Rating:1 star 
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: The Hunter by Theresa Meyers

The Hunter 
~Theresa Meyers 

Paperback: 352 pages 
Publisher: Zebra 
Publish Date: November 1, 2011 
ISBN-10: 1420121243 
ISBN-13: 978-1420121247 
ASIN: B005CRY85E 

From Goodreads:
They're the Chosen—Winchester, Remington and Colt—brothers trained to hunt down supernatural beings using the latest steam-powered gadgetry. It's a hard legacy to shoulder, and it's about to get a lot more dangerous. . . 

A Devil Of A Job
Colt Jackson has gotten his name on many a wanted poster with success in the family business: hunting supernaturals across the frontier. Lately, though, there's a sulfur stink in the wind and the Darkin population is exploding. A rift in the worlds is appearing. To close it, Colt will have to do the unthinkable and work with a demon to pass arcane boundaries no human alone can cross.

Except when he summons his demon, he doesn't get some horned monstrosity: he gets a curvy redheaded succubus named Lilly, who's willing to make a bargain to become human again. He also gets Lilly's secret expertise on the machinations on the dark side of the rift. And her charm and cleverness help to get them out of what his silver-loaded pistol and mechanical horse can't. Of course, when all hell breaks loose, he might have to sacrifice his soul. But what's adventure without a little risk?

Colt Jackson hunts the supernatural. In Colts world, all the supernatural beings are bad and should go back to hell where they belong. Colt’s friend Marley makes him some weapons to help accomplish that. Colt is on a mission to find the pieces of a special book that will help stop the supernaturals from entering their world. The first part of the book he is looking for is behind a door that only a supernatural being can open. Colt does what he has to do and summons a demon. The demon that comes to him ends up being a beautiful succubus named Lilly who has an agenda of her own. Will they be able to work together to accomplish Colt’s quest?


My thoughts:
I didn’t end up finishing this book. I read almost half though, so I did give it a fair chance. Why didn’t I like it? I was bored and couldn’t get into the story at all. There was also no feeling to the words that were written. This story had definite potential; it could be a good story; unfortunately, it doesn’t have the pull of one. It doesn’t suck you in and make you want more. Instead, I found myself avoiding it, or only reading a few pages at a time. For example, there are some action scenes where Lilly and Colt have to fight other demons in a cave in search of the book. This should be scary, but honestly, I could not have cared less. There isn’t really anything else to say about The Hunter, and I think the fact that there isn’t much to say, says it all.


My Rating:Pam
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: Darn Good Cowboy Christmas by Carolyn Brown

Darn Good Cowboy Christmas
~Carolyn Brown

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 
Publish Date: October 1, 2011 
ISBN-10: 1402261578 
ISBN-13: 978-1402261572
ASIN: B005EU50QK

From Goodreads:
Born and raised in a traveling carnival, all Liz Hanson ever wanted for Christmas was a home that didn't have wheels. After she was old enough to date she added one more item: a sexy cowboy.

She's about given up on Santa ever bringing either one when her father dies and leaves her an ugly house and twenty acres in Texas. Then rancher Raylen O'Donnell walks onto her property...

Lizelle Hanson is a carnie, as she calls herself. She traveled and worked as a fortune teller and belly dancer for most of her life. But what she always wanted was roots; somewhere to call home, a house that has a foundation and not wheels. In fact, that is a Christmas wish that she has; she wants a house and a cowboy. The first part of her wish comes true when her uncle moves out of his house to take care of his father and is going to leave it to her if she still wants to live there after she tries it out for a few months. Liz is ecstatic. She arrives at the house in Texas to find her uncle’s neighbor, Raylen O’Donnell, there. He is the very cowboy that she had a crush on when she used to visit her uncle, and she has been fantasizing about him for years. Could this be the second half of her wish coming true?

My Thoughts:
This is the first book that I haven’t finished since I started reviewing. I definitely gave it a chance though; I read to page 225. Besides just not being interesting, there were a lot of things that bothered me about this book.

First, the shifting of the characters points of view. There was constant shifting with no clear breaks. It gets very confusing, especially if the shift happens within a single paragraph, which it did!

Second, the repeating of thoughts. Liz would think a thought, and then say the thought out loud to someone else. Then she would repeat it later to another character. I get how perhaps the author is trying to show how the third character found out about what she was thinking, but this isn’t the way to do it.

Third, Liz’s character herself. She would ramble a lot, and it just wasn’t attractive to me. Also, everything was handed to her on a silver platter. Where’s the challenge? She wants a house, gets it from her uncle. Wants a job, gets one handed to her right when she moves to town. Wants to decorate her house like the Griswold’s, the neighbors pitch right in to help. It was annoying. I feel like she acted very juvenile too. Here’s Liz talking to Raylen about what kind of Christmas tree she wants.

“I want a real one but Momma reminded me that I’m allergic to cedar and pine trees. Do you think they’ll have one that doesn’t look perfect? I want it to look real even if it’s not.” (p. 181)

I guess I just feel like a grown woman should know what she was allergic to. It wasn’t just that though, it was all things like I listed above.

I can’t imagine the work it takes a write a book, I really can’t. But Darn Good Cowboy Christmas was not worth the read.

My Rating:

 Pam
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Home Sweet Home by Bella Riley

Home Sweet Home
~Bella Riley

Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages 
Publisher: Forever 
Publish Date: October 1, 2011 
ISBN-10: 0446584215 
ISBN-13: 978-0446584210 
ASIN: B004QZ9PB0

From Goodreads:
Ten years and two hundred miles. That's what separates Andi Powell from quiet, secluded Emerald Lake-and that's exactly how she likes it. But now her job brings her back to the hometown she's tried so hard to forget . . . and to Nate Duncan, the man she's never been able to. 

Nate once looked at Andi with love in his eyes. But that was before she left him in the dust to pursue her big-city dreams. Now he's the town's ruggedly handsome mayor with the power to break Andi's career like she broke his heart. As the two clash over the future of Emerald Lake, the sparks that fly between them rekindle a passion neither of them can deny. 

 Andi may have left town looking for the life she thought she wanted. But could everything she needs have been in Emerald Lake all along?

After 10 years, Andi Powell has returned to picturesque Emerald Lake.  Not because she's homesick, but to save her job.  She's got to convince the townsfolk of Emerald Lake that they'd like new vacation condos on the lake for rich out-of-towners.

Nate Duncan was the love of Andi's life, until things went horribly wrong when they were teens.  He's never seriously dated anyone since Andi, and he can't believe she's back in town. Nate is now the town mayor, and while he's having mixed feelings about seeing Andi again, he's wholeheartedly opposed to the condo idea.

When they're together, it's like the years never happened, until reality sets in and they're on opposite sides of the condo issue.  How can they make a relationship work if Andi doesn't want to live in Emerald Lake and Nate doesn't want to leave?

My thoughts:
I just couldn't get into this story.  Andi and Nate were nice enough, but that's part of the problem, I think...they were so nice...no fiery passion or exciting action, and I really couldn't get excited about their story.  Andi's father was a politician who was gone a lot while she and her mother stayed home, and she's terrified this will be her future as well, so she leaves Emerald Lake as soon as she can and doesn't look back.

For about the first third of the story I kept thinking I had already read this book; I actually checked the publish date to make sure this was the book I was supposed to be reviewing.  The quaint lakeside town, the knitting shop on Main Street, the three generations of women, it all felt very familiar.  There was also a storyline involving Andi's grandmother as a young girl and a mysterious stranger she was in love with at that time.  This plot did not interest me at all and I skipped over those portions.

Nate's backstory was very sad and I found myself judging Andi, which may have been part of my issue with enjoying Home Sweet Home.  Was it a sweet story?  Sure.  It just didn't grab and keep my attention.

My Rating:

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Of Wolves and Men by G.A. Hauser

Of Wolves and Men
~G.A. Hauser


Paperback: 212 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publish Date: April 5, 2011
ISBN-10: 146102014X
ISBN-13: 978-1461020141
ASIN: B004VB5J5A

From the author's website:
'Cowboy' Charlie Mosby worked on a horse ranch in Heber, Utah. He loved his work, the owners of the ranch, and his co-workers; wranglers who helped tourists with guided horse tours and trail riding all year round.

But after a chance meeting with a handsome gay man who had helped Charlie change a flat tire on Interstate 80 a month ago, Charlie was beginning to wonder about his sexuality. And if that wasn't confusing enough, strange things were happening on the ranch. Satanic worship? A strange cult ritual? Whatever it was, it wasn't good for the owners or the horses on it.

One night Charlie stumbles upon Roman Burk in the woods, naked, bleeding and shivering in the cold. What Charlie never imagined was who -or what- Roman was. Even though the handsome stranger seemed to vanish at times and reappear as if by magic, Charlie was infatuated by this man.  Roman was fearful of revealing his secret. Most of all to a cowboy who was spending more time hunting him, than loving him.

In this shape-shifting story of sexual bonding and discovery, can both Charlie and Roman find what they're looking for? It's a question of honor; one that has been up for debate since the first time man set his eyes on this formidable predator. It's about the mutual respect of Wolves and Men.

Charlie Mosby is a cowboy; he manages a ranch and has been doing it for several years.  He's friendly with the other employees and lives on the property.  The owners treat him like a son.  He enjoys taking tourists on nature tours on the property.   He's always thought of himself as straight, until last year when he got a flat tire and a stranger stopped to help him change it...and then gave him the best head of his life.  Now he can't stop thinking about that stranger.

While Charlie's out fixing a fence with another worker, they come upon a mutilated deer carcass.  The next night as he's headed out to watch for trouble near the site of the killing, he runs across a shivering, naked man he later learns is named Roman.  He brings him home and they have sex, but Charlie thinks it's a dream.  Charlie finds him again the next day, and Roman attacks him - they have sex on the trail, after which Roman jumps up and runs away. Around the time he's trying to figure out what's going on with Roman, he's noticing a large black bird and a wolf keep keep appearing around the ranch, especially near his cabin.  Eventually he realizes they're both Roman - he shifts uncontrollably into a bird or a wolf.   Roman doesn't understand why he's been cursed, or by who, but he knows Charlie can somehow help him find the answers he seeks.

My thoughts: 
I could not get into this book.

The characters were inconsistent: Charlie seems to be a normal hard-working guy, but as soon as he gets around Roman he's horny and irresponsible; his co-worker Butch seems to be a nice guy then turns into a jealous, unpleasant character. Roman is, in turns, needy and aggressive.

The sex was flat: it was a lot of "let's hurry up and get off before Roman changes into a wolf/bird" or they'd crash into each other and go for it wherever they happened to be at the time.  At the beginning of the book, Charlie brings Roman home and they have sex, even though Charlie was supposed to be taking his turn watching the area where they found the deer; and no one noticed he didn't work his shift.

The mystery portion of the story made no sense: why would this mysterious sect curse Roman into a bird and a wolf and cause him to be constantly horny?  Why does Roman think Charlie can cure him?  We never got an answer to those questions, and  a new mystery surrounding Charlie sprouted up at the end of the book that remained unanswered.

It also bothered me that even though they both mentioned on separate occasions that they should be using condoms, they never did.





My Rating:



Book received from publicist in exchange for an honest review.