wo species, bitter enemies, are determined to destroy each other, until they realize they need one another to survive a major catastrophe.

As they race through a nebulous space anomaly in the midst of battle, the Terrans and Seneecians are blown through a wormhole to crash land on an uncharted world. A half world. A world containing the remains of a long-dead civilization.

Lt. Kelen Chambliss knows she has no reason to trust the furred, humanoid creatures, but she and her crew members cannot survive without their help, and the Seneecians cannot survive without theirs. Neither can she ignore the fearsome-looking one called Kyber, with his wicked talons and piercing green eyes.

As they slowly come to realize there is no escape or forthcoming rescue from the barren planet, Kelen learns there is much about the enemy she never knew. Including the fact that Kyber's formidable appearance hides a strong, brave, and caring heart.

 

Review

 

What is here in this book is very good. It is a really interesting world with an enemies to lovers theme.

 

The love comes a little fast and easy but its a high stress survival situation. I like the details of the planet, the hero and heroine are wonderful, and the breakdown of milterary command and how much what mattered before doesn't matter at all now is great.

 

But then the book ends with the group in peril. It is kinda a happy for now but not one I can trust.

 

I was annoyed. I hate serials which this feels like.

 

Sand Castle


Linda Mooney



Genre: Contemporary Romance/Holiday
Publisher: Music And Press
Date of Publication: January 2, 2014
Number of pages: 40
Word Count: 10,700
Cover Artist: Linda Mooney

 

 

Terrie Myers didn't believe life would give her a second chance at love. She had managed to survive cancer, but she had lost the man she thought she loved.

Returning to her parents' vacation house on the Texas gulf coast, she never expected to fall for the man living in the bungalow next door. Sadly, he was already married. Still, she couldn't help the way she felt, or deny the joy of living he gave her.

With Christmas hours away, can the magic of the season make dreams come true?

I won this book during the Fairy Tale Magic Blog Hop back in September on the author's website.  I got an ebook of my choice from the author's backlist. I was already gearing up for the Christmas season and a book about second chances at Christmas time spoke to me.

This was a short read, only 40 pages, so things have to happen quickly. Surprisingly there is quite a bit of content in these few pages. My biggest complaint was that I didn't really feel the couples initial connection. I did feel their loss, their angst, and the climax was very well handled. If you are looking for something short, sweet and a bit sappy (hey, come on, it's Christmas!) then this would be a good book to grab.  I gave it 3 stars.

I won this book during the Fairy Tale Magic Blog Hop back in September on the author's website. I got an ebook of my choice from the author's backlist. I was already gearing up for the Christmas season and a book about second chances at Christmas time spoke to me.

This was a short read, only 40 pages, so things have to happen quickly. Surprisingly there is quite a bit of content in these few pages. My biggest complaint was that I didn't really feel the couples initial connection. I did feel their loss, their angst, and the climax was very well handled. If you are looking for something short, sweet and a bit sappy (hey, come on, it's Christmas!) then this would be a good book to grab. I gave it 3 stars.

Kickass Women Warriors Reign in Paranormal and Romance Suspense. I enjoy reading about a women who can protect herself.

 

I like weapons too. I fenced for years so I have a particular love of edged weapons through archery also appeals.

 

Great woman archers can be found in The Battle Lord's Lady, The Scottish Selkie, and The Bride.

 

Here is a fencer! The Courtesan by Julia Justiss.

 

Some swords women: The Sword Dancer, 

Guardian of Honor,  Magic Bites, and Dagger-Star.

 

Ah, knives: The Lion's Lady, Blade Dancer and Big Bad Beast.

 

Fine ladies of the gun: Creed, Gunmetal Magic, Never a Gentleman  and  Sexy/Dangerous. 

 

Female brawlers, boxers, and martial artists enjoy the advantage of surprise: martial arts in The China Bride and .Captive Star Fisticuffs: Kinked, Bear Meets Girl and Battered Not Broken.

 

Then, there are the magic as a weapon divas: Kiss of a Demon King and Soul Kissed (Shadow Kissed).

 

My very favorite though is the Dagmar "The Beast" in What a Dragon Should Know, she uses her brain and sometimes her war dog. 

 

Here is a great list of well known Deadly Women of Romance that if you haven't read you should.

 

1. Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress) Jeaniene Frost:  Cat, Vampire Hunter

2. Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1) by Patricia Brigg: The ever scrappy Mercy

3. Magic Burns (Kate Daniels) by Iiona Andrews. Kate takes a licking and keeps on ticking

4. Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter) by Nalini  Singh. Elena takes on an Arch Angel.

5. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta  Chase. Ms Jessica Trent and her gun.

6. Dragon Bound (A Novel of the Elder Races) by Thea Harrison. Pia--Spry. You can't catch her.

7. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb. The one and only Eve Dallas

8. Harvard's Education by Suzanee Brockmann. P.J!

10. I could go all day listing every Shelly Laurenston/GA Aiken's heroine. 

 

 

Here is a great list of lesser known Deadly Women of Romance that if you haven't read you should.

 

1. The Challenge (Rystani Warrior 1): Volume 1 by Susan Kearney Secret Service agent Tessa Camen 

2. Heart of a Traitor (Heart and Soul) by  Angela Verdenius. I highly recommend the entire Science Fiction Romance series. Disgraced ex-sniper Oriel 

3. The Warrior Prince (Dragon Lords) by Michelle Pillow. Another great Pia.

4. Moon's Fury (Tales of the Sazi) by Adams, C. T. and Clamp, Cathy. Cara Salinas, Alpha Wolf.

5. Heart Journey by Robin Owens. Helena, a renowned cartographer and explorer

6. Skinwalker (Jane Yellowrock, Book 1) by Faith Hunter. Vampire hunter

7. To Catch a Bride (Berkley Sensation) by Anne Gracie.  Ayisha, so full of secrets. 

8. Sam's Creed (Hell's Eight) by Sarah McCarty. Isabella, the gunslinger.

9.The Protector by Madeline Hunter Anna de Leon, Commander

10. A Brother's Price by Wen Spencer. The princess has a brace of pistols. 

 

Do you have recommendations? Please let me know! I would love more contemporary deadly women especially. 

 

If you would like to vote for the best of the best, go to the Goodreads List: Deadly Women: Best Romance Heroines Who Can Defend Themselves.

 

If you would love to see some amazing images of deadly women from history today, and film check out my Pinterest Board: Kickass Heroines of Romance. 

 

An onna-bugeisha, one of the female warriors of the upper social classes in feudal Japan. Would she make a great heroine in a Romance Novel? 

 

 

 

I'm sad to say that I didn't like this book, at all. Here were some of the thoughts that I had while reading it:

(1) The genocidal backdrop didn't exactly put me in the mood for romance. Yes, I know the "Cleaners" had a "lifetime of conditioning" against the Mutahs, but that still doesn't make me cool with the genocidal behavior. It would have been better if we had known earlier on about the Blood attacks, and how Yulen's people thought Bloods/Mutahs were the same. At least that would have been a better excuse for the attacks in the beginning of the book than a "lifetime of conditioning." In the beginning it seemed as if they hated the Mutahs solely for their mutations, while that was only really part of the reason. But, since we didn't find this out until close to the end, the attacks on Atty's compound seemed purely genocidal in nature, and it was hard to get invested in a romance born from that atmosphere.

(2) Yulen becoming so intrigued/smitten with Atty from the get-go didn't seem to make much sense, and therefore, it was hard (or, impossible) to get invested in his character and their relationship. So, a guy who went through such lengths as to be scarred in order to save one of his men, because "he wasn't going to risk losing another man," could so quickly fall for a girl who just killed sixteen of his men? Why did he fall in love with her so quickly, and more importantly, how did he?

(3) Of course, conveniently, Atty doesn't have any of the disfiguring kinds of Mutah traits.

(4) "Like two halves of a whole, they each slowly slid off their horses." Oh boy, so mawkish. The whole romance in general was oversentimental, really.

(5) It sure doesn't take long for Atty to start calling Yulen "Yul," and ask if he has a wife. Again, the relationship between the two happens so fast with no real development.

(6) Mary Sue much?
“Why do I get the feeling she’ll never cease to amaze us?”
“She cooks.  She can shoot the eye out of a flea at a hundred paces.  And she’s a one-woman ammunition depot.  The only thing she isn’t is a lusty wench in bed, but I guess you already have plans on what to do about that one, right?”

(7) All the plot points seemed pretty forced. For example, did anyone reading this actually think that Atty might lose her powers after losing her virginity?

At the end of the day, this is a romance book, with a very poorly developed romance. I didn't feel anything stronger than apathy about the relationship between Yulen/Atty, and therefore, I felt very detached from the entire story. None of the fantasy or world-building elements were interesting enough as to save the book elsewhere. The characters were one-dimensional. I'm struggling to try and think of one positive thing about this book, but just can't seem to do it. I did manage to finish it, so, there's that, I guess.