Mastering Marissa by Cyna Kade

Mastering Marissa by Cyna Kade
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A powerful story that takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster. The author does a wonderful job of pulling you into the story to the point that you can feel Marissa's anger, fear, and frustration as she tries to come to grips with the customs and culture of Darinth. It seems almost excessively cruel in some ways the way that Kytar tricks her first into accepting him as an escort, which leads to him binding her, and then into accepting his collar, withholding key information from her all along so that she acts without really understanding what she's agreeing to or what the consequences will be. It is true, however, that she refuses to believe him when he does try to explain things to her, so perhaps his deceptions are a bit more forgivable.

On the negative side, Marissa ends up turning the corner from defiance to submission fairly suddenly and unexpectedly, her change of heart coming a bit sooner than one would have expected. By that point, however, things had reached the stage where something had to give one way or another - either she had to decide to stop fighting so hard and work to accept and submit, or there was a very real chance that the training would have ended up breaking her. Still, things could have gone on just a bit longer, and the change of heart could have happened a little more gradually so that it wasn't quite as jarring to the flow that had been established. The author's skill at bringing the emotions of the situation alive so vividly well overcomes these few negatives, however, and the story deserves the full five stars as being one of the best in it's class.

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Hidden Currents by Christine Feehan

From afar, Sheriff Jackson Deveau has always loved Elle Drake, the youngest telepath of seven sisters. After a long time away she’s finally returning home to the small coastal village of Sea Haven. But someone has been following Elle, someone who doesn’t want her to make it back. And when Elle fails to arrive, her disappearance strikes fear in the hearts of everyone who loves her. Now it’s left to Jackson to uncover the mystery of Elle’s vanishing, and rescue her from an unseen danger. But Sea Haven is no longer safe for anyone, and it’ll take the powers of all the Drake sisters and their men to survive the coming storm.

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** Warning - this review contains mild (or not so mild) spoilers. **

In many ways, this final volume in the Drake Sisters series is all that you could ask for to tie up a set of books and storylines that have been a magical, heartwarming, and danger-filled ride by turns. By the end of it, all of the sisters have found and committed to their men, most all of the bad guys have been dealt with in one way or another (though perhaps one or two have slipped through the cracks here and there, it's hard to tell), and all of the various storylines are concluded and wrapped up with a big "And they all lived happily ever after" bow. And yet, I at least couldn't help being more than a bit disappointed in some ways at how Ms. Feehan chose to wrap up the series and present Elle and Jackson's story.

Turbulent Sea by Chrisine Feehan

The star: Joley Drake was born with a legacy of unexpected magical gifts, but it was the gift of singing that made her an overnight sensation—a rock and roll goddess trapped by fame, fortune, and ambition. Heated by the flush of success, Joley could have any man she wanted. But there’s only man who can give her what she really needs.

The bodyguard: Ilya Prakenskii, cool, inscrutable, dangerously sexy, and working in the shadow of his infamous reputation—that of a secret Russian hit man on the payroll of a notorious mobster. He’s the last man Joley should get close to, yet when her life is threatened on tour she has nowhere left to turn. But in the seductive safe keep of Ilya’s embrace, is Joley really as secure as she imagines?




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This volume of the Drake Sisters series is definitely a page turner (or button clicker as the case may be). Full of action, suspense, mystery, and scorching hot romance and sex, it is probably one of the most difficult-to-put-down books in the series. The tension level remains high throughout, and there is never a dull moment it seems, with even the occasional down times being fraught with tension and danger. While they may not always or even often be the primary force behind it, Joley and Ilya are right in the heart of the maelstrom most of the time, and their clashes when they come together are just as violent in their own way as the bloodier dangers that surround them.

"Colters' Wife" by Maya Banks

This was originally a free ebook from Maya Banks Website.

Colters’ Wife is an extended epilogue that picks up just a few months from where Colters' Woman left off. Revisit the Colter family just in time for the birth of their first child.

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An ok story, but if you haven't read what comes before it, it's rather like opening a book to read a chapter somewhere toward the end - it doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense. Certainly the immediate situation is easy enough to understand, but it's hard to relate to the characters here if you haven't read about them and gotten to know them already. Definitely read the first book before reading this...I wish I had.

• Colters' Wife on Goodreads
• Maya Banks's website

"Discovering Sofia" by Mel Teshco

Discovering Sofia by Mel Teshco
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I guess I have too much trouble suspending disbelief with this one, because I just couldn't buy it that a woman as supposedly self-doubting and inhibited as Sofia is supposed to be would suddenly out of nowhere decide to stop and pick up a hitchhiker, and then go to a motel and do him in the parking lot where anyone who cared to could see them. It just doesn't really jive with me - it's too abrupt. And the sex wasn't even all that hot. But then maybe I'm just being overly critical, since this short-short kind of story by nature doesn't leave much room for developing a story or characters very much. Still, others have done a better job in the same amount of space I think.

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"Sporting Wood" by Cindy Spencer Pape

Sporting Wood by Cindy Spencer Pape
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A cute story. Thin on characterization, as these type of short stories tend to be, but the characters are given enough personality and individuality to make them more than just sterotypes. The sex is good, but not as sizzling as some. A worthwhile quick read if you're just looking to kill a half hour or so with something steamy.

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Safe Harbor by Christine Feehan

One of seven daughters in a line of extraordinary women, Hannah Drake has been the elusive object of affection for Jonas Harrington for as long as the rugged sheriff can remember. If only the stunning supermodel was driven by a passion other than her career. But Jonas isn t the only one with desires for Hannah.

From the shadows has emerged a vengeful figure who stalks the beauty with one terrifying purpose: to strip her of all she is and destroy her. Only one man was destined as her protector. Now, out of a storm of danger, Jonas must guide the woman he loves from a sinister darkness that threatens not only Hannah, but the entire Drake family.


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Suspense and romance meld together well in this novel. The who-done-it-and-why questions are handled in a way that keep the reader guessing, suspecting, but never quite knowing the answers until they are revealed. With enough intrigue and special ops stuff to satisfy those who like such things, as well as enough sizzle and heat between Jonas and Hannah to satisfy those looking for romance and steam, this entry in the Drake Sisters series is a satisfying one. We also get to learn more about some of the characters that have been seen in previous books, and the stage is well set for the next volume in the series by the time the book is done.