Back Cover:
Carol Juan never really believed in her grandmother's old world tales of dragons and legends...

...Until she was set upon by a wildly sensual man sporting a blazing red mane -and nothing else. He is Seth, a fire dragon summoned into this world by a dangerous mage who is seeking to ignite his own evil ends by devouring Seth's fiery powers. What the fire dragon seeks is a life mate, a human female who can help him explore the pleasures of the flesh.

Seth inflames more in Carol than the untapped magic surging inside her -and only she can save him from the mysterious mage who is guarded by an equally sinister cabal. Arousing Carol's latent Dragon Master powers is only the beginning. Now she must risk her own life to save the fire dragon lost in her world -the man she has come to love and desire.


When Seth is summoned by an imprisoned Dragon Master to do his bidding, practical and non-believer Carol Juan's own Dragon Master powers are unlocked and Seth is called to her instead. Higher powers have brought Seth and Carol together to prevent the unleashing of an ancient evil power onto the world. They don't always see eye to eye but there's definitely something more and powerful between them and they know they have to band together in order to succeed in saving the world and the people they love.

Carol is a workaholic. She's tough, successful, smart but also compassionate, she doesn't believe in all the magical mumbo jumbo her grandmother tries to fill her head with even if her best friend is a silver dragon married to a golden dragon and she can count a black dragon and a Japanese god among her friends. She simply doesn't believe in the supernatural. She likes things that are tangible and can be logically explained. At least she does until Seth comes into her life and unlocks her own supernatural powers she never knew she possessed.

Seth is a fire dragon, the most powerful of all dragons. He is protective, solitary-minded and outspoken. He has something candid and endearing in his behavior and his perception of the human world that is so unknown to him. For Seth all human sensations are new. The concept of subtlety is unknown to him, he is direct and blunt and speaks his mind the way he sees things. Through his eyes I saw everyday things we all take for granted come to life.

I followed Seth in his discovery of the human world and his mate and I followed Carol in her discovery of the powers she never wanted to believe in and her acceptance of them inside herself. With the recognition of her newfound power that gives her control over others she also discovers that the tight control she had on her own life and emotions has disintegrated.

The supporting cast of characters consists of all the primary characters from the previous books, some important secondary characters from the previous books and a few new secondary characters. Special and important roles are reserved for Lisa, Caleb and Malcolm. I loved the bantering between the male dragons, especially when Caleb was present. It had a high entertainment level. So did Axel, the funny demon-god from book 1, whenever he made an appearance in the book with his quirky sense of humor. I'm still hoping for his book one day.

Some of the characters are not who or what they seem to be. The fine line between good and evil and the alliances made are not cut-and-dry clear. Different motives and interests are weaved into the intricate plot and what made the characters well-rounded and far from shallow was that they weren't all the stereotypes of good or evil. With every advance into the book small facts were revealed to show that not all bad guys are true evil and not all good guys are without selfish interests. Right and wrong aren't unconditionally attached to respectively good and bad.

Once more I was captivated by another one of Allyson James' dragon stories. I just couldn't tear myself away from the book and wanted to keep reading on and on. I instantly relived the vibe of the first two books in this series. I had no trouble picking up where I had left off with Lisa, Caleb, Malcolm and Saba. Again ancient oriental mythology, culture, and historical traditions are embedded into the story and merged with the plot, creating a romance novel of paranormal fiction that is full and rich. The plot was original, masterful and set up in a great way. Gradually unfolding and revealing linked subplots that were interlaced with the main story-arc.

With THE DRAGON MASTER Allyson James has expanded her world of dragons with another intricate and intriguing layer, enchanting me further with magical storytelling and masterful world building.

Quotes:
He'd been a beautiful dragon, and he was a beautiful man. The universe had decided to stuff that dragon beauty into an ideal human body, and Carol couldn't find fault with the universe's choice.

Carol: "The male solution to everything is to kill it. A woman's strength is her ability to step back and think about it first. We know there are more solutions to problems than just one."

Back Cover:
SLEEPWALKING CAN BE DANGEROUS…
Shea Caldwell fears sleep. As a child, she’d suffered greatly from sleepwalking, never knowing where she’d wander or what she might do. Her sleep disorder had worsened until one terrible night when she’d done something that could never be forgiven. She’s lived with the guilt ever since – only now her somnambulism is back.

ONLY HE CAN SAVE HER…
Derek Oneiros is a Dream Wreaker, a spirit of the night that bestows dreams on sleeping humans. By day, he works with the beautiful Dr. Caldwell. By night, he watches over her as she sleeps. When an evil Somnambulist invades her dreams, the only way for Derek to save her from total possession is to possess her himself.

BUT WILL IT BE ON TIME?
It’s a struggle for power, with Shea caught in the middle. The Somnambulist’s control over her is growing. Can Derek’s love save her? Or will she forever be a tool for the evil of the night?

Research scientist Shea Caldwell is succesful and happy, until a sleeping disorder from her past comes back to haunt her. She doesn't want to believe her childhood problems are back but when her sleepwalking puts her on the trail of someone threathening her professional life she hires Derek Oneiros, security specialist, to investigate the matter, not knowing he is a Dream Wreaker who can also solve her sleeping problems. Derek and Shea know each other professionally and are attracted to each other but obstacles and misunderstandings keep them apart until the chemistry between them can't be denied any longer.

This second book I've read of Kimberly Dean, which is also the second book in the Dream Wreakers series, has left me with ambivalent feelings. I am not highly enthusiastic, but I did like the book. There were parts that were intriguing and read like clockwork, especially the ones concerning the suspense plot, the sleepwalking and the concept of the Dream Wreakers and dreams. I was truly fascinated by the way Ms Dean weaves mythology and the science of sleep and dreams into these books. She is also able to mix seemingly separate subplots together towards one mutual conclusion.
The first part of the book was a bit too slow-paced, dragging on a bit. This changed when Shea and Derek really joined forces to fight the problems haunting Shea and when some of Derek's brothers joined in the action. In the main characters there was definitely attraction and sexual tension but for me it lacked intensity in the emotions between them. The intensity just wasn't there enough for me, maybe this is because I'm a spoiled reader with some favorite authors who crack the intensity up to a very high level. Another thing that struck me was that the book is put out as an erotic romance and although the love scenes were wonderfully written, hot and fitting the story, enriching it, for me they were no more explicit than in the average historical or paranomal romances written lately.
I can say that I really liked the book, the plot and the worldbuilding but it didn't blow me away. It was a nice, average read for me, as with book 1. It did again leave me curious about the other Dream Wreakers' stories because the bantering and bond between the Oneiros brothers, especially the antipoles Derek ("The Machine") and Zane ("the Screw-Up") was great to read.

In conclusion, I like Kimberly Dean's worldbuilding and storytelling, but I miss something in her main couples to keep me enthralled to their romance.

Back Cover:
...All signs point North for not-so-Saint-Nick...
In a rare moment of recklessness, mild-mannered accountant Holly North lets her best friend guilt her into filling in as Mistress Christmas at Sugar Plums, a Christmas-themed strip club. Fearing she’ll be recognized—or worse, considered a fraud—she dons a velvet mask along with the Mrs. Claus-meets-dominatrix costume. She’s shocked at how deliciously wicked anonymity feels.
Detective Nick West is determined to discover how his friend was supposedly robbed after a lap dance at Sugar Plums. His visions of revenge vanish faster than a flying sleigh upon his first peek at Mistress Christmas—a leggy brunette with smoky eyes and a lush mouth begging for hours beneath the mistletoe.

Their attraction flares hotter than a fireplace on a cold winter evening, and Nick is only too happy to oblige when Holly blurts out her one Christmas wish...For a naughty secret Santa to sweep her away for a night of anonymous sexual pleasure.

When accountant Holly North decides to help her friend and client out and fill in for her regular stripper Mistress Christmas at the gentleman’s club her friend owns, she doesn't know Mistress Christmas is going to be under investigation by detective Nick West. His friend was drugged and robbed by the stripper during after a lap dance and Nick wants to catch her in the act. Instead he catches Holly who makes him a tempting offer: to indulge themselves in one night of unadulterated pleasure. What starts as a one-night stand between strangers ends in a love for life between two soul mates.

Even though it was rather short (117 pages) I enjoyed the story. It was a nice mix of erotica, romance and a tiny plot. Main thing was the one night stand between Holly and Nick and the development of their feelings during that night. It was light and breezy and too short for depth or real character development but Ms, James does know how to write erotic scenes that ignite the pages and make you tingly all over. She alternates light, witty banter and sexy innuendo with intensity and genuine feelings. While hero and heroine explore each other, the reader gets to know them a bit better.
There are very few secondary characters and they weren't necessary for the story since it mainly concentrated on Holly and Nick.
Lorelei James's MISTRESS CHRISTMAS gave me exactly what I was looking for on Christmas Day: A light, quick and sexy Christmas read with a happy ending.

I really liked this first taste of Lorelei James' writing. She writes tasteful but steaming hot erotica and I can't wait to read her longer stories (on the sexy McKay cowboys) I've been collecting for a while now.

Back cover:
Nothing matches Lora Leigh's latest entry in the series about genetically altered Breeds with feline DNA--and the humans who awaken their desire...

There's trouble at Sanctuary. Someone has been slipping secure information to a pharmaceutical company. Now it's up to Ria Rodriguez to pose as a clerk and uncover the leak. And she has no idea of the danger she's about to encounter.

Years ago Mercury Warrant--who, according to his file, is one of the greatest Breeds ever created--thought he lost his mate, and he's had to live with the idea that he'll never know true bonding. Then he's tapped to protect the mysterious Ria--and finds himself falling in love.

But Ria is a woman of many secrets, and she fears being consumed by her feelings for Mercury. Little does she know that she has every right to be afraid. Because the woman believed to be Mercury's true mate is back from the grave, and she's not about to let Ria--or anyone else--get in her way...

Gloria "Ria" Rodriquez, is not who or what she seems to be. As the Vanderales' paper pusher she is sent to Sanctuary as a clerk to find out if the funding of Sanctuary should be continued. But in reality she is there to investigate the traitor who has been leaking information in order to get rich. But there's so much more to her than meets the eye. She is extremely smart, loyal and a self-sufficient loner with sharp instincts. She tries to accommodate people so they will let her do want she's hired to do, but she's also a loner. Hurt early in life she has abandonment issues and when her boundaries are crossed she can turn from complacent into a fierce opponent to reckon with.

Mercury is assigned to look out for Ria's safety and his savage, sexy and straightforward character and behavior work as a catalyst on Ria's feelings. He is blunt and a true predator in a very sexy way. He is the epitome of the animalistic Breed the Genetic Council sought to create. He is the most primal, feral Breed I've encountered in the series so far. The one who comes closest to the Feline genes he was infused with. But his primal instincts, the beast inside has been subdued after he went berserk after losing his intended mate in the Labs. Ria is the one to trigger his inner beast into revealing itself, in a way I never saw coming.

Merc's previous mating makes it hard for Ria to give into her feelings for him. Like Mercury she also has always felt like an outsider without a place to belong, without someone to turn to and lean on. They both find what they search for, the sense of belonging in each other.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing battle to protect the Breeds' freedom and their secrets a search for a traitor leaking those secrets leads to a love story that is unique in all its aspects. There are a lot of complications blocking the way. Complications Ria and Mercury have to overcome first and nothing is accomplished without sacrifices and battles.

The secondary characters are almost all familiar characters from previous books. Callan Lyons, Dane Vanderale, Jonas Wyatt and Dr. Ely Morrey play significant and crucial roles as supporting characters, both to the plot and to Ria and Mercury's romance.
A lot of interesting information on the First Leo, his family, Dane and Jonas is disclosed in this book. This information has definitely whetted my appetite for much more. I think this is just the tip of the iceberg and I can't wait to see what will come of this in the end.

Again Lora Leigh hooked me with a tempting prologue that held a promise for the rest of the book. She definitely made good on that promise.
This installment of the Breeds series proved that the mating heat is irrevocably tied to the animal inside the Breeds. Without the animal's freedom there is not mating heat. It took me a while to understand this with all the other things going on in the book, but once I did I understood Mercury and Ria's journey and why their relationship had to develop the way it did. Their passion, even without the mating heat, seemed fiercer, more intense.
Because of the interesting and surprising developments where the mating heat is concerned this book had a different vibe than the other Breed books. In those books the mating heat was the compelling force bringing the couple together. In this book emotions and feelings between Ria and Mercury started without mating heat being in the picture, making it more complicated but not less inevitable or less strong. Lora Leigh enables the reader to follow the slow awakening of Mercury's inner beast out of the confinement it was placed in a long time ago. This awakening, seen through the small but enticing bits that portray the animal's point of view, follows the progression of Mercury's feelings for Ria.

From start to finish this book had my heart pounding like a jackhammer. When it wasn't the sexual tension or the amazingly hot love scenes between Mercury and Ria, it was the thrilling suspense of the plot or the revelations surrounding the Vanderales. I also got more knowledge of the rules of Breed Law, with which Lora Leigh adds another layer to the world of the Breeds. In this book Lora Leigh built the tension and emotions up in a tremendous way. Feeding me the emotions slowly, giving me bits and pieces of the plot, which gradually unfolded, and finishing with a conclusion that was the culminating point in the book. I've said it before and I'll keep repeating myself as long as she keeps writing books like these. She manages to give every book its own unique feel and still it attributes to the series as a whole.

I loved this book right from the beginning and then a certain turn of events happened and I was speechless with the emotional impact this had on Ria and on me as a reader. I almost actually felt her pain, her suffering, I felt her shatter into millions of pieces and then she turned it around, got a grip and literally fought for her man and I was in her corner cheering her on and at the same time in awe of Lora Leigh's writing talent. The way she described these events and emotions in the last third of the book was amazing. It was an emotional hurricane coming off the pages.
The second part of this book was the most intense and emotional part of it and probably of the entire series I've read so far. For me only DAWN'S AWAKENING as a whole reached the same intensity. The second half of MERCURY'S WAR took me into the eye of an emotional twister and when I emerged from it I was emotionally torn apart but simultaneously thoroughly satisfied with another superb book from one of my favorite authors in one of my favorite series. The balance of all the parts was mixed perfectly together: emotions, characters, romance, eroticism and plot were stirred and out came an overwhelming story of love, acceptance, loyalty, betrayal and commitment.

With every book more and more is revealed of this intriguing world. You'd think with this many installments repetitiveness and predictability are dangers that lie around the corner but the contrary is true as each book is better (with a few minor exceptions). Every installment in this series adds to the quality of it with its own unique plotline in the interlinked story arc that winds itself through the books, with its own couple who display different degrees of mating and reactions to the mating heat, with its erotic scenes that never miss their mark together with the intense emotions that come along with them. With each book she expands the Breed world and adds to the reader's knowledge of it. At the same time she comes up with not only new, intriguing revelations that shed a different light on everything you already knew but she also raises new mysteries and new questions you want answers to. For me the best ones in the series up till now are DAWN'S AWAKENING and MERCURY'S WAR, both as regards the emotionally strong characters and the intriguing plots. But I'm also utterly convinced there are some stories scheduled or in the making (Cassie, Jonas, Cabal) that will rival with my favorite ones.

Lora Leigh and her Breeds provide the ultimate reading pleasure, satisfying needs that arose from the moment I read the very first sentence of the first story I read in this series. Every installment after that has only fed the addiction, the need for more, the craving for those alpha Breeds and their stubborn mates who have the ability to set the pages on fire and rattle my emotions to the fullest.

Quotes:
If she kept twitching her ass like that he was going to f**k it. So help him God, he was going to take her to her knees, hike that plain brown skirt to her hips, and show her the folly of teasing a fully grown, hungry male Lion Breed.

"You're not serious, Mercury. Breed males don't wait for their mates to make the first move. When did you lose your senses?"
"When you screwed up my mind and my soul with every emotion I swore I'd never feel for a woman," he snarled back at her. "When I realized you'll walk away before you'll fight for any damn thing you want. A man has his pride, and a Breed has even more. You want it, mate? Come and get it."

Back Cover:
THE ONE THING HE CANNOT REVEAL

For years, Melisande Fleming has loved Lord Vale from afar . . . watching him seduce a succession of lovers, and once, catching a glimpse of heartbreaking depths beneath his roguish veneer. When he’s jilted on his wedding day, she boldly offers to be his.

TO THE ONE WOMAN HE MOST DESIRES

Vale gladly weds Melisande, if only to produce an heir. But he’s pleasantly surprised: A shy and proper Lady by day, she’s a wanton at night, giving him her body—though not her heart.

IS HIS DEEPEST NEED . . . 

Determined to learn her secrets, this sinner starts to woo his seductive new wife—while hiding the nightmares from his soldiering days in the Colonies that still haunt him. Yet when a deadly betrayal from the past threatens to tear them apart, Lord Vale must bare his soul to the woman he married...or risk losing her forever.

When his bride-to-be leaves the Viscount Vale --Jasper Renshaw-- at the altar, Melisande Fleming steps in and offers to marry him instead. While Jasper thinks Melisande does this out of desperation of being left on the shelf, Melisande is motivated by a secret love she's felt for Jasper for many years and she decides to seize her chance. While in the background the search for the traitor of Spinner's Falls continues and Jasper has to deal with the trauma after the massacre in the Colonies, Melisande fights to never let Jasper know how much she loves him. Her attempt to keep her feelings hidden from Jasper fails and Jasper soon discovers how much more there is to Melisande, than just her accommodating nature. In the course of their marriage Jasper's feelings for Melisande grow too, resulting a strong and happy marriage that conquers all their secrets and troubles.

Jasper is a realist with a quirky sense of humor, he's a foot-in-mouth kind of man, saying exactly what he wants when he wants, even if it sometimes gets him into trouble.
Melisande is a loyal, plain and intelligent woman who doesn't hesitate to do what she needs to get what she wants when she sets her mind to it. She is resolute and tenacious. She is not without a past and secrets of her own, that I knew from the beginning of the story but the revelation of her secrets still took me a bit by surprise.

Melisande and Jasper are total opposites, as Hoyt likes to write her main characters. While Melisande unnoticeably blends into the crowd never the center of attention, Jasper is flamboyant, lively, ever-present and noticed by everyone. Wherever he goes or is he's the center of attention. These differences are displayed in both their appearances and their personalities.
Jasper and Melisande's romance is an unconventional one. Their initial marriage of convenience gradually grows into a heart-felt and loving relationship with mutual admiration and respect where both of them give and receive equally.

Melisande may seem timid and colorless but underneath the plain exterior is a vibrant, bold and sensual woman and when that woman comes out Jasper is unable to resist her. Just as Melisande, Jasper is a multi-layered character. Outwardly and initially he is flamboyant, assertive and cheerful but deep down there's a trauma that influences his emotional state which he has to deal with. Deep down he has to face feelings of guilt and inadequacy over what happened to his regiment after they were betrayed in the War. This makes him rude and unsubtle sometimes, especially during his wedding night. I thought Samuel (hero of book 1 in this series) was boorish and disgraceful at times but in this particular scene Jasper outdid him. There is an explanation for Jasper's behavior to be found in his post-war trauma, but still it was a scene I really did not like and certainly not what I'm used to by Elizabeth Hoyt. Luckily it was just this small scene that made me frown and I was utterly pleased with the rest of the book.

All the elements I love in Elizabeth Hoyt's writing were present in this second installment of the Legend of the Four Soldiers series. In this book the humor and banter I missed a little in the previous book was back in full force. The dialogues between Melisande and Jasper, but also dialogues between the servants and the hilarious scenes with Melisande's little terrier, Mouse, and Jasper fighting for male dominance all caused lots of smiles on my face and provided me with the necessary lightness as opposed to intensity of the emotions and the seriousness of the plot.

This plot, involving the search for the traitor that sold the regiment out to the French and the Indians in the Colonial War, is continued from the first book. At a certain point I thought the mystery of the traitor had been solved but only a small element of it has been cleared and I'm curious to know more, which no doubt will happen in the next book.

There's also a small side story, a secondary romance, going on between Melisande's lady's maid Sally and Jasper's valet Pynch. It's very subtle, but it's absolutely there and I enjoyed reading it.
I also enjoyed the small fairytale at the beginning of every chapter. By now they are an ever-recurring element in Elizabeth Hoyt's historicals and like all the others, this one, called LAUGHING JACK, also contains parallels with the main story. In fact in this book I got three stories for the price of one, which is never a bad deal.

The love scenes are explicit, unembellished and sensual and, with the exception of the wedding night scene, they were all trademark Elizabeth Hoyt. They blend effortlessly into the time period and the story, fitting the characters, their development and Hoyt's overall writing style that is raw, blunt and outspoken. The imperfection of Elizabeth Hoyt's characters never fails to endear me. They take their flaws and make the best of it. The fact that they are flawed and don't let this frustrate them is something I adore every time I read her books.

Again this was an Elizabeth Hoyt book that entertained me and stirred my emotions. For me it was the perfect fusion of strong characters, a compelling romance and an intriguing plot. I'll be waiting for the next book in this series with bated breath.

Quote:
And at that moment he knew he was lost. Lost and blind and going down for the third time without any hope for salvation and he didn't give a damn. He would give anything to unravel this woman. He wanted to search out her innermost secrets and bare her soul. And when he knew her secrets, knew what she kept hidden away in her heart, he would guard it and her with his life. She was his, to protect and to hold.

Back Cover:
While the world carries on unawares, Stryker, who leads an army of demons and vampires, is plotting an all out onslaught against his enemies--which, unfortunately for us, includes the entire human race.

To avenge his sister, Stryker prepares to annihilate the Dark-Hunters. But things go awry when his oldest enemy returns. Enter his ex-wife. Zephyra. Just when he thought nothing could stop him, he's now embroiled in a centuries old war with a shrew who gives new meaning to pain and a shrew who is the only woman he's ever really loved.

They killed his sister and they must die. When Stryker sprouts a plan to kill his enemies Acheron and Nick Gautier it causes major changes in the pecking order of the gods and demons and the main players are going to have to come out of their comfort zone and join forces to survive. The whole plan backfires when Artemis sends his ex-wife Zephyra to kill him and when some people don't turn out to be who we think they were. Now Stryker finds himself having to form an alliance with his greatest enemies in order to save the ones he loves.

I must honestly say that I had quite some trouble getting into the main couple characters in this book. Stryker, for me, just isn't hero material, always having seen him as the really bad guy with no emotional sensibility whatsoever. A cunning, conniving and manipulating man who would kill anyone if he feels like it and if it suits his purposes. He was not a character I could easily sympathize with in the beginning.
One thing I did miss was interaction between Urian and Stryker. I had hoped that in his own book Stryker would come face to face him, but unfortunately this wasn't the case.

Zephyra to me was determined and headstrong but also very vengeful. Of course her urge for revenge is motivated but still I had trouble concurring that with the image of a likeable heroine.

And again, as is becoming repetitive in Kenyon's most recent books with the exception of ACHERON, other (secondary) characters outshined Stryker and Zephyra in the book. I was more intrigued by scenes around Jared, Nick, Savitar, Apollymi and even War and Kessar than I was by the romance between Stryker and Zephyra.

Even though at first I couldn't really relate to either Styker or Zephyra, the dynamics between them was very nice. Neither of them gave each other an inch despite the feelings that were still between them.
As I progressed in the book they did start to grow on me a bit more. Especially in their interactions and their behavior towards each other. I definitely could empathize better with them after Stryker’s motive for leaving Zephyra was given. In that scene I understood them and their feelings so much better than from the spiteful dialogues before where it seemed they were talking at cross-purposes. This scene made me more susceptible to his character, and Zephyra's reaction to it also redeemed her in my eyes.

I find it very difficult to review this book. I can't say it was a bad book but it wasn't mind-blowing material either. I liked a lot of aspects, like the sarcastic interactions, the quick-witted banter, the plot developments and the roles of some secondary characters. But I disliked some other aspects, like the personalities of the hero and heroine and the place of their romance in the book).

Certainly after reading ACHERON I was expecting something intense and rattling but regrettably it just left me with a small feeling of satisfaction of having finished another installment in the Dark-Hunter series and looking forward to the next one.

I absolutely liked the second half of the book better than the first and had both some laugh-out-loud moments and some emotional moments but alas it didn't come close to the Dark-Hunter books I devoured page for page, leaving me wanting more.

The one sure thing about Kenyon's books is that every one leaves you wanting the next one though! In this one it were Jared and the unexpected yet intriguing developments surrounding Nick Gautier that guide me to the next books without any hesitation, despite that the book I have just finished didn't rock my world

Quote:
Stryker and Zephyra:
"I always knew your were good at handling a man's sword, love, but I had no idea that extended to those made of steel, too."
"At least this sword doesn't disappoint. I don't have to worry about it going soft on me."
"I never went soft on you."
"Trust me baby, you weren't that good. I was just a better actress than you were actor."

BEWARE! This review may contain some mild spoilers if you haven’t read the previous McCloud books.







Back Cover:
THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST

Covert operations are what Val Janos is all about. The man is mysterious and sinister, and lethally hot. Only Tamara can understand the strange intensity that drives him to win at all costs—and only she can match it.
Val has one weak spot: Imre, the frail old man who befriended him when he was a scared, hungry kid abandoned on the streets of Budapest. But Daddy Novak knows about Imre, and Imre’s head is on the block if Val doesn’t deliver Tam up to Novak’s tender mercies . . .
A white-hot passion explodes when Tam and Val get too close. They both have too much to be afraid of, too much to hide. And now, for the first time, too much to lose . . .

Tam Steele, a criminal who is making a living as a designer of (literally) killer jewelry, does everything she can to give her three-year-old adoptive daughter, Rachel, an orphan rescued from black market organ harvesters, a seemingly normal life. Little does she know her past is going to catch up with her. Mafia boss Daddy Novak wants revenge for the loss of his son and coerces Val Janos into delivering Tam to him in exchange for the life of Val's former mentor and foster father Imre. But Novak's former lackey and psychopath Georg Luksch, has hired Val to bring Tam to him so he can live happily ever after with her in his distorted reality where he believes Tam belongs to him. Val however decides to betray both "clients" and tries to help Tam and Rachel escape this nightmare. Under constant threat Tam and Val discover that it's not easy staying out of the clutches of two mobsters out for blood and at the same time deal with the growing emotional bond between the two of them.

Tam Steele does her name proud. Nothing gets to her. She is sharp, sarcastic and despite her disguises what you see is what you get with her. She has no weaknesses, no mercy, and no compassion. At least that's what she wants people to think. Since one of her rare selfless missions ended her up with battered and abused Rachel, she's not so sure anymore. And when she starts falling for the man sent after her by men from her past, that's when things get even more messed up.

Val Janos is the ultimate operative in covert operations. He can blend into any circumstance and has the looks to wrap any woman around his finger. Until he's hired to bring in Tam Steele by one mafia kingpin and threatened by another to deliver her to him. He throws caution overboard and goes for the woman he wants with all he has in him. Val is tough, tenacious, enigmatic, gorgeous and intriguing. He is the perfect match for Tam.

Tam blew me away. She really did. I actually and honestly didn't like her in the first two books of the series. I started liking her a little bit in Davy's book (OUT OF CONTROL) and the deal was sealed when I read the end of EXTREME DANGER, the book before this one. Of all the McKenna heroines she is the toughest one and she has to be the most complex one. She is strong and vulnerable at the same time. Covering her vulnerability with lashing out, detachment and sarcasm. She is a true contradiction. One the outside she's tough and emotionless. But inside, especially with her daughter, she's a compassionate woman yearning for a kindred spirit. Her feelings towards Rachel and how she cares for Rachel, broke my heart from the beginning and in those moments I saw the Tam who was hidden deep inside, the Tam she would only let come out in the darkest of the night, when no one would see or hear her fall apart.

In a review of a previous McCloud book I said I was curious as to who would be the man to tame Tamara and Val satisfied this curiosity fully and exceeded my expectations. But make no mistake; Tam is by no means tamed. No one man is able to do that. Rachel made a start in thawing Tam's ice-cold heart, leaving her susceptible to Val's attack on her defenses. Val is the one who delivers the deciding blow to Tam's robot bitch persona with his gentleness and his patience, showing her that there is a man out there who can handle her. He certainly is a man strong enough, both mentally and physically, to attract Tam's attention and hold it, as no man has ever been able to. He has managed to capture her heart but he also accentuates and stimulates the kick-ass, tough-as-nails woman Tam will always be.

Tam and Val are so much alike it's scary and at the same time it's the only way to create a HEA of for Tam. She couldn't make do with a sugary, docile man. She needed a strong man, not willing to take her crap and powerful enough to chase away the ghosts haunting her. Their pasts have parallels and their common enemies connect their present. They are both hardened by life and disappointed by people who should've protected them. And, before falling for each other, they're both convinced that the part inside them for love and tenderness was broken long ago, but it wasn't. It was just hidden, waiting for the right person.

Secondary characters were either the bad guys and their subordinates or the McCloud Crowd, as Tam lovingly calls them.
Where in the previous books the bad guys were usually pairs divided into the strong driving character and the other more subservient one doing the dirty jobs. In this one two former secondary bad guys who were in the background, work independently from each other, each with their own agenda but both out for either Tam’s or Val's blood.
It was wonderful to catch some glimpses of the McClouds, their wives, and their babies and of course Seth and Nick. There roles weren't big but when they were needed they were there and came through with flying colors for Tam, Rachel and Val.

With the previous two books Shannon McKenna lured me into thinking I knew where she was going with the story, because I'm familiar with her books and the way she plots now. Still out of nowhere she hit me with twists and turns I never saw coming. She set up a plot of which I in the beginning I was wondering where it was going. How was she going to get this together, it seemed impossible and if possible it would surely be an unbelievable plot? But she made me swallow my doubting thoughts because bit by bit it became clear and she blew me away with character-developments that were too out there to be real, but pulled it of. She ambushed me with love scenes that are in-your-face-real, raw and sensual that they leave no room for mushy romance, only bone-deep passion. She took my breath away with the nerve racking suspense and nail biting action scenes and she sealed the deal with a tear-inducing conclusion that was right up my romantic alley but still did justice to the tough Tam I've come to know and love.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, could have prepared me for Tam's story. Everything came together. Loose ends from previous books were tied together and I have a distinct feeling this part of the McCloud-saga, has come to a conclusion with Tam's HEA. Despite the raw, dark, primal vibe this book had McKenna has delivered again! There isn't a thing she can't tackle and do well in this series. Because if there was one character least likely to have an HEA, it was Tam. The way McKenna pulled this of was nothing but genial.

She gave me a heart wrenching and believable story that was Tam-worthy from the first to the last page. It did her justice and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. She kept me riveted to the pages with a first class erotic romantic suspense story that threw me wide open. Every scene is emotionally charged to the fullest, occasionally not even giving me time to breathe before being plunged into the next wave of emotions. With each book in this series McKenna manages to amaze me more. When you think you've read her best, with the next book she takes it up another notch and leaves you wondering what else she's going to overwhelm you with the next time.

With ULTIMATE WEAPON Shannon McKenna does what she does best, mixing emotions with eroticism and suspense to make your heart stop. I hope she'll keep doing it for a long time.

Quotes:
The McCloud Crowd men folk were relatively intelligent, as men went, but they were all alpha dogs to the last woof, and as such, they all had that fog of testosterone obscuring their brains. Which made them prone to the usual arrogant, posturing male bullshit, for which she had no time or patience.

She wanted the life-giving elixir of his kisses, she wanted to wander through the boundless wilderness of him, to get lost in him. She wanted to devour him, soak him up, drink him in. She wanted to be devoured.

38, married, addicted to TV shows and reading romance novels. My absolute favorite genres within romance fiction are contemporary romance and romantic suspense, but I don't shy away from historical, paranormal or historical romance either. Even the occasional (urban) fantasy romance makes it to my Mount TBR. This is my corner of the world wide web where I let you know what books I'm reading, buying and reviewing.

DECEMBER
Mistletoe and the Lost Stiletto (Liz Fielding, req.)
Promises in the Dark (Stephanie Tyler, ARC)
Waiting for Wednesday (Mari Carr, ebk)
Sex On The Slopes (Susan Lyons, ROOB ARC)
No Place to Run (Maya Banks, ARC)
Falling, Freestyle (Vivian Arend, e-ARC)
Never Have I Ever (Alisha Rai, e-ARC)
Sweet Thursday (Mari Carr, ebk)
Friday I Love You (Mari Carr, ebk)
Saturday Night Special (Mari Carr, ebk)


NOVEMBER
Undeniably Yours (Shannon Stacey, eARC NetGalley)
A Midnight Clear (Kristi Astor, ARC)
Doing Logan (Rhian Cahill, e-novella)
The Icing on the Cake (Alison Kent, req. )
The Duke's Temptation (Jillian Hunter, FVBR Review)
Lipstick on his Collar (Inez Kelley, e-ARC)
Deadly Intent (Kylie Brant, FVBR Review)


OCTOBER
Hard to Hold (Julie Leto, req.)
Surrender of a Lady (Tiffany Clare, won ARC)
Hurt Me So Good (Joely Sue Burkhart, e-ARC)
Holding Out for a Hero (HelenKay Dimon)
Scoundrel (Zoe Archer, ARC)
Shaken (Dee Tenorio, e-ARC)
Wolf Tracks (Vivian Arend, e-ARC)
Lie With Me (Stephanie Tyler, ARC)
Impulsive (HelenKay Dimon, ARC)
Inside Out (Lauren Dane, ARC)
Come Monday (Mari Carr, ebk)
Just Right (Erin Nicholas, ebk)
Ruby Tuesday (Mari Carr, ebk)


SEPTEMBER
The Darkest Hour (Maya Banks, ARC)
The Morning After (J.K. Coi, e-novella)
Singapore Fling (Rhian Cahill, e-novella)
Trey (Cat Johnson, e-novella)
Jack (Cat Johnson, e-novella)
Simply Irresistible (Jill Shalvis, FVBR Review)
No Matter What (Erin Nicholas, ebk)
Southern Comfort (Eve Cassidy, ebk novella)
One Night in Bangkok (Rhian Cahill, e-novella)
Atlantis Betrayed (Alyssa Day, FVBR Review)
Personal Research (Cari Quinn, e-novella)
Taken by Midnight (Lara Adrian, ARC)
Second Chances (Lauren Dane, eARC, NetGalley)


AUGUST
Whirlpool (Vivian Arend, eARC)
Naked Dragon (Annette Blair)
Coming Clean (Inez Kelley, eARC NetGalley)
A Proper Seduction (HelenKay Dimon, ebk)
Shadows at Midnight (Elizabeth Jennings, FVBR Review)
Alien Revealed (Lilly Cain, NetGalley)
Texas Tangle (Leah Braemel, NetGalley)
Atlantis Redeemed (Alyssa Day)
Bedeviled Angel (Annette Blair, FVBR Review)
Consent to the Cowboy (Abby Wood, NetGalley)
Visions of Heat (Nalini Singh)
Warrior (Zoe Archer, eARC)

JULY
Insatiable (Lauren Dane, eARC)
Raising Kane (Lorelei James, ebk)
Trinity (Lauren Dane, ebk)
Revelation (Lauren Dane, eARC)
Captured by Desire (Kira Morgan, FVBR Review)
Tidal Wave (Vivian Arend, ebk)
Unspeakable (Laura Griffin, ROOB req.)
The Forbidden Rose (Joanna Bourne, FVBR Review)
The Darkest Lie (Gena Showalter, NetGalley)
Corralled (Lorelei James, ARC)
Full Disclosure (Cari Quinn, ebk)
A Little Bit Wild (Victoria Dahl, ARC)
A Hollywood Affair (Sally Royer-Derr, req.)
Ex Appeal (Cari Quinn, req.)

JUNE
The Missing (Shiloh Walker, ARC)
Tempting the Marquess (Sara Lindsey, FVBR Review)
Talk Dirty To Me (Tory Richards, ebk) - NOT REVIEWED
Promise Me Tonight (Sara Lindsey)
Locked and Loaded (Samantha Cayto, ebk) - NOT REVIEWED
Nothing But Sex (Fran Lee, ebk) - NOT REVIEWED
Jinxed (Inez Kelley, ebk)
Driven (Jayne Rylon, ebk) - NOT REVIEWED
Drilled (Regina Carlysly, ebk) - NOT REVIEWED
Liberty Starr (Rebecca E. Grant, ROOB e-ARC)
Veiled Seduction (Alisha Rai, req.)
Veiled Desire (Alisha Rai)
Bloodgate Guardian (Joely Sue Burkhart, eARC)
MAY
Criminal Instinct (Kelly Lynn Parra, eARC)Exclusively Yours (Shannon Stacey, eARC)Song of Seduction (Carry Lofty, ROOB eARC)Coin Operated (Ginny Glass, ROOB eARC)Stick Shift (Lissa Matthews, ebk)When Marrying a Scoundrel (Kathryn Smith, e-ARC)Under the Gun (HelenKay Dimon, cat)Straight Up (Deirdre Martin, FVBR Review)Skin Tight (Ava Gray, e-ARC)Seducing the Highlander (Emma Wildes, ARC FV)Desire Me (Robyn DeHart, FVBR Review) Lover Mine (J.R. Ward)
APRIL
Mistress by Mistake (Maggie Robinson)Rocky Mountain Haven (Vivian Arend, ebk)Dead Again (Tracey Cooper-Posey, eARC)Rocky Mountain Heat (Vivian Arend, ebk)The Darkest Passion (Gena Showalter, eARC)Coming Undone (Stephanie Tyler, cat)Relentless (Lauren Dane)Patience (Lisa Valdez)Rule's Bride (Kat Martin, ROOB eARC)Atlantis Unmasked (Alyssa Day)Seduce Me (Robyn DeHart)
MARCH
Something About You (Julie James)Rampant (Saskia Walker, ARC)Random (Craig Robertson, ARC)Instant Temptation (Jill Shalvis, ARC)Instant Gratification (Jill Shalvis)Reese's Bride (Kat Martin, ROOB req.)Instant Attraction (Jill Shalvis)Wolf Games (Vivian Arend, eARC)Sinful Surrender (Beverley Kendall, req.)Wolf Flight (Vivian Arend, ebk)Wolf Signs (Vivian Arend, ebk) Glory in Death (J.D. Robb)
FEBRUARY
Original Sin (Allison Brennan, req.)
No Reservations (Megan Hart and Lauren Dane)
Taking Care of Business (Megan Hart and Lauren Dane)
Broken (Shiloh Walker, ARC)
Coming Undone (Lauren Dane)
Fragile (Shiloh Walker)
JANUARY
Hold on Tight (Stephanie Tyler, ARC)Cam's Holiday (Ciana Stone, ebk)Sin on Skin (Mari Freeman, ebk)Assume the Positions (Mari Carr, ebk)Hot to Trot (Desiree Holt, ebk)Blood Ties (Lori G. Armstrong)Winters' Thaw (Dalton Diaz, ebk)Crossroads (Moira Rogers, eARC)Too Hot to Hold (Stephanie Tyler)Slow Heat (Jill Shalvis, ARC)Beauty of Sunset (Lynne Connolly, ebk)Shades of Midnight (Lara Adrian)Play It Again, Sam (Samantha Kane, ebk)