"Entice Me at Twilight" is book 4 in Shayla Black's Doomsday Brethren story. For those not familiar with the books, the Brethren are a group of good w...more"Entice Me at Twilight" is book 4 in Shayla Black's Doomsday Brethren story. For those not familiar with the books, the Brethren are a group of good wizards who have banded together to fight off the evil sorcerer Matthias --and to keep a powerful book, called the Doomsday Diary, away from him.
Simon is a member of the Brethren. As our story begins, he is preparing to attend his human half-brother's wedding. He is attracted to the bride, Felicia. But he doesn't realize that she feels only deep friendship for Mason, her groom. Quickly, it's revealed that Felicia is "an Untouchable," a special human born once every 1000 years who nullifies magic. She doesn't know what she is or anything about magickind. The only thing she knows that makes her different is her ability to smell a lie.
Anyway, Matthias has his sights set on Felicia. He wants to use her to open the tomb of Morgan Le Fay and resurrect her. So, Simon whisks her away from the wedding to protect her. They fight their attraction to each other, mostly because they both care about Mason's feelings. But soon, even that is not enough to keep them apart. What does serve as a barrier between them are Felicia's serious emotional problems. She is so afraid of letting someone in that she has cut herself off from love. It's frustrating to watch Simon put himself out there for her, over and over, while she continues to hold on to her insecurities.
We're told Felicia's problems stem from her sister's suicide. That just didn't hold up for me. It would have been easier for me to accept loyalty to Mason as a stumbling block... but maybe that's just me. I liked the book, though not quite as much as Possess Me at Midnight. The teaser at the end makes it look like the next book will be Lucien's, so I am looking forward to that.
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Also in this book, we lost a member of the Brethren to a gruesome death. Not only was I upset by the loss, but I didn't feel like it got nearly enough attention. I felt like this should have been made a much bigger deal than it was.
"Fated" is a novella in Shayla Black's Doomsday Brethren series, available only in ebook form. Based on my reading, it seems like the events here are...more"Fated" is a novella in Shayla Black's Doomsday Brethren series, available only in ebook form. Based on my reading, it seems like the events here are happening in the same time frame as the second half of Seduce Me in Shadow. And it introduces three men who will join the Brethren: Tynan, Ronan, and Raiden. (In case you're not up to speed on the series, the Brethren is a group of wizards in modern-day England who have banded together to fight off a super-powerful evil wizard, and his minions, and to keep him away from a powerful tome called the Doomsday Diary.)
Like all wizards, Ronan has to have frequent, er, relations with members of the opposite sex to maintain his powers. But he has grown weary of bed hopping and has fixated on a human bartender named Kari. Unfortunately, there is a curse on his family, which prevents the men from taking a mate. So he's afraid if he mates with her, she'll die.
It's a short little story (only 88 pages), but I enjoyed it. You can read about Ronan's twin brother Raiden and his love in Haunted by Your Touch. 4 stars. (less)
Shayla Black continues her Doomsday Brethren with the second full length novel, "Seduce Me in Shadow." This story picks up where Tempt Me with Darknes...moreShayla Black continues her Doomsday Brethren with the second full length novel, "Seduce Me in Shadow." This story picks up where Tempt Me with Darkness left off. We have a band of wizards who call themselves the Doomsday Brethren. Their mission is to defeat a powerful evil wizard named Matthias and keep him away from a powerful book called the Doomsday Diary.
Caden MacTavish is still human, but has reached the age of transitioning into a wizard. He rejects magic and wants no part of the wizard community. He has lived in the US for a dozen years and has served as a Marine. But his brother Lucien has gone mad, since Matthias kidnapped his mate Anka. So Caden came back to England to try to help. Brethren leader Bram sends him undercover to a local Enquirer-type magazine, where a woman has been writing stories about magickind. She has an unnamed witch source that may be Anka.
This reporter, Sydney, is Caden's mate. He fights it. But their attraction can't be denied... especially when Sydney's friend gives her the Doomsday Diary. She tells Sydney to write her sexual fantasies in the book and, of course, they come true. Her articles quickly attract the attention of the bad guys too, so Caden is working to protect her, find Anka, and get his hands on the book... while keeping the truth about his magical knowledge and their potential as a mated couple, to himself.
I wanted to shake some sense into Caden more than once. And while I appreciate Sydney's honor and directness, she was not always smart about her safety. Their chemistry was great. But I found myself just as interested in the side stories surrounding Lucian. I was shocked with Sabelle's sacrifice and even more blown away with what eventually happened with Anka. And what the heck is really going on with Shock?
I can't wait to read Ice & Sabelle's story next. 4 stars.
What is it about the tortured hero book in a paranormal romance series? Those installments are always my favorites (ie. Dance With The Devil, Lover Aw...moreWhat is it about the tortured hero book in a paranormal romance series? Those installments are always my favorites (ie. Dance With The Devil, Lover Awakened.) "Possess Me at Midnight" features the Doomsday Brethren's very own tortured hero, Ice. And as a result, it is the best book in the series yet.
A little backstory: the Doomsday Brethren are a group of British wizards who have banded together to fight a very powerful and evil foe named Matthias. And they are protecting a powerful book called the Doomsday Diary that Matthias wants to use to further his agenda. Ice hates Matthias more than most. 200 years ago, Matthias tortured and killed his little sister. It nearly drove him crazy.
Since joining the Brethren, Ice has fallen for Sabelle. She is the sister of the group's leader, Bram. And she is attracted to Ice too. But there is bad blood between Ice and Bram and she knows it. Bram is badly injured in a fight with Matthias and as the enemy approaches, Ice is tasked to protect the unconscious Bram, Sabelle and the diary. As much as he is in love with her, Ice doesn't think he has a chance with the beautiful witch, nor does he think he deserves her. But over and over, he protects her. He proves his worth. And they fall in love.
The sex scenes are hot and the action is great. The side characters are interesting --and the drama surrounding Lucien, Anka and Shock continues. I can't wait to learn more about where Shock's allegiance truly lies and whether Anka has a future with either man. I guess only time will tell. 4 1/2 stars.
I am a big fan of Jeaniene Frost. Her Cat & Bones series is one of my favorites. So her name on the cover was a good enough reason for me to try t...moreI am a big fan of Jeaniene Frost. Her Cat & Bones series is one of my favorites. So her name on the cover was a good enough reason for me to try the anthology "Haunted by Your Touch."
Her contribution, "Night's Darkest Embrace," is a departure from her usual vampire fare. This novella features a partial demon, Mara. She journeys to the demon realm of Nocturna to avenge the death of her cousin. But while she searches for answers, she crosses paths with Rafael, the leader of Nocturna. She has been attracted to him for years, but knows that he keeps secrets about himself and his connection to the full blooded demons (who killed her cousin.) So she convinces him to bring her to his home on the pretext of sex. While there, she plans to search for answers. The only problem is, her feeling for him are too real to fake.
The chemistry between Mara and Rafe is off the charts. And Frost can write the heck out of her love scenes. There was a lot of world building in this short story, so you have to pay attention. But I really enjoyed it. When all was said and done, I was left wondering how Rafe managed to be a good guy with the lineage he has... but that lingering question wasn't enough to take away from my enjoyment of the story.
The second novella, "Mated," is part of Shayla Black's ongoing Doomsday series. I've never read any of those books, but after this short story, I will definitely give them a try. Raiden is a wizard who has lived a life more interested in loving than fighting. But he is now part of the Doomsday brethren... a group of seven guys who fight evil. He is in love with Tabby and got her pregnant (presumably in some earlier book in the series), but he doesn't think he can give her the life she deserves, so he refuses to mate with her. He thinks he has put her out of his life, but an evil wizard kills her family and now Tabby is in terrible danger. Raiden needs to keep her safe, but can he fight his feelings now that he has her with him again?
I liked this story. Obviously, there is a lot of backstory, but it was fairly easy to jump in as a new reader. For some reason, I felt like the story was a little foreign. We had words like "knickers" and "bloody" floating around, but maybe it's supposed to be set in Britain or something. Maybe that, too, will be explained by other books in the series.
The last novella was "The Darkest Temptation," by Sharie Kohler. It was the shortest of the three and I really liked this one too. Lily has been attacked by a Lycan and she thinks that killing Luc (who she is told is the pack Alpha) will keep her from changing. Luc catches her and can't quite bring himself to kill her. The two have great chemistry from the start and I wish I had more of their story to read. My next stop will be to check out Kohler's Moon Chaser books.
A great anthology. I enjoyed all three stories and discovered two new authors. 4 1/2 stars. (less)
"Tempt Me With Darkness" is the first book in Shayla Black's Doomsday Brethren story. It features Marrok, who was a knight for King Arthur, when he sl...more"Tempt Me With Darkness" is the first book in Shayla Black's Doomsday Brethren story. It features Marrok, who was a knight for King Arthur, when he slept with the witch Morganna. After he loved her, he left her. And in her rage, she cursed him to an immortality without the ability to ever find satisfaction.
15 centuries later, he sees a woman in a dream that reminds him of Morganna. The very next day, he meets Olivia, the woman from that dream. He thinks she is Morganna in disguise, but she is actually a descendant of the le Fey line. There is a strong attraction between Marrok and Olivia and they quickly consummate their relationship and become mated. We learn that the book Morganna used to curse Marrok is very powerful. A really twisted and powerful wizard, Matthias, has been revived by his followers after a long absence. And he wants the so-called Doomsday Book to use for his own ends.
A good wizard, Bram, takes it upon himself to form the so-called Doomsday Brethren, a group of wizards devoted to protecting the book and fighting Matthias. The Brethren also take on the cause of protecting Olivia --as she may be the key to using the powerful book.
The dynamic between Marrok and Olivia is kind of sad as it plays out. Each is filled with fear that they are unloveable and that causes them to doubt each other's feelings and motivations. But with part of the book's mythology, witches and wizards gain energy from sex, so there is a built-in hot factor throughout. The love scenes were steamy and frequent... though not overwhelming in relationship to the plot. It takes a long time for our couple to get past their baggage, but the story surrounding them was interesting and the sex was hot enough to keep me reading.
I liked the concept of the series and will definitely check out Seduce Me in Shadow. 4 stars. (less)
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