Christmas Eve …..

That week seemed to go pretty quick. One minute we are talking about Christmas. And then it’s here. A drink to try tomorrow morning 😉

Just some silly posts 😉

A pretty busy day today. We opened for breakfast, and it seemed the whole of Basingstoke came for breakfast!! I was kept busy with pot wash and helping to take breakfast plates out to guests (You know me, a multitasker)😉

Then lunchtime came, and we didn’t seem to stop to draw breath. Lots to do, and I only had till 3pm (I had a doctors appointment) a day of fine drizzle didn’t seem to keep people away.

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He’s totally cute. Had to bring him down from the library to show you. Taking him back upstairs, before my granddaughter sees him 😉

It’s my anniversary this month.

It’s also my nephews birthday.

Books that are due out this month ?

The only book I’m interested in is J.R. Ward and her Black Dagger Series.

USA Cover UK Cover

But this is a hardback book, so I’ll have to wait till later in the year for the paperback version😝 And that reminds me….. I must review this series soon on my blog.

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Did you enjoy my blog challenge? I did, it gave me things to think about for my blog.

Were there any in there you really liked?

Was there anything in those challenges that you didn’t like?

It’s given me a few ideas on what to do next. And there is always Pinterest to give me more ideas😉

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Weird Quirk of Mine …..

I wear strappy vest tops under T-shirt’s. In the winter, and in the summer, and they are usually tucked into my trousers.

I eat chips with mayonnaise.

I can’t eat a sandwich or salad if tomato has been in or on it. (I can taste the juice) 😛

Do you have a quirk?

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Favourite Comfort Food …..

Has to be ham and chicken pasta in a cheese sauce.

Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake Recipe

METHOD

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Top Things on my Bucket List…..

1. A trip to Africa (a safari)
2. Swim with dolphins
3. See penguins in a natural habitat
4. Meet J.R. Ward (author)
5. Meet Christine Feehan (author)
6. Learn salsa
7. Learn to burlesque

That’s on my bucket list. What’s on yours?

Last Time I Cried …..

I haven’t cried for a while. But my last big cry was the day my mum died😢 watching her slip away was hard. Watching her struggle to survive was harder, so in a way it was a blessing when she went.

When was the last time you cried?

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What makes me happy, always…..

My family and my best friend. Spending time with those special people, always makes me happy.

Music up to a certain extent makes me happy, If I’m at home on my own, I’ll put music on the stereo or my headphones, and I’ll have a mad 15 minutes of dancing, that sometimes works.

Reading, is my escape, so to a certain extent that makes me happy too. Getting a newly anticipated book from an author gives me a happy feeling. And discussing it with my friend (from America, she reads a lot of the same stuff) makes me smile, and when we set each other challenges, that makes me laugh.

What makes you happy? And does it always work?

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5 Favourite Blogs…..

The Reading Cafe www.thereadingcafe.com

Felicity Heaton www.felicityheaton.com

Mine of course 😉 butterfliesandbookshome.wordpress.com

Bailey Bradford baileysplayroom.blogspot.com

Aidy Award aidyaward.com

Do you have a favourite blog? Please share, I’d love to go and have a look.

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Best Physical Features …..

My smile I’ve been told it’s a really nice one.

My hands I use to paint my nails a d wear a few rings, but cooking with food or prepping salads, it makes it difficult to wear them both.

My legs, I do wear a lot of jeans and leggings, but they do look good😂

What’s your best physical feature(s) ?

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A Difficult Time in my Life …..

That was probably the time I lost my daughter. It has left such a whole in my heart and life.

She was born 6 weeks premature. And after tests found out she had only 20% kidney function. Also a cleft palate. (We were lucky that it was only the roof of her mouth, and not the lip too.

It took us a while to get her home, the biggest baby in the premature unit, her temperature wouldn’t stabilise, she wouldn’t feed properly and she would get an infection at the slightest thing.

But we got her home eventually. Then she got a really bad urine infection, and we were rushed up to Great Ormond St. Hospital. It took us almost 3 months to get her home.

This was then our life ……. she’d get infections. We’d have to go to the hospital, I’d stay there with her. She’d get better, we’d come home.

There were other problems …… She had problems walking. She had a learning age of half her age.

As she grew older, her problems increased. She had numerous operations on her palate. She had a kidney transplant. She also had the occasional seizure. And through it all she kept her smile and cheeky disposition.

In August of 2013, she developed a cold, which turned into Pneumonia, double pneumonia, the para-influenza. She was transferred to a London hospital after they performed a technic with an ECMO machine.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO), also known as extracorporeal life support (ECLS), is an extra corporeal technique of providing prolonged cardiac and respiratory support to persons whose heart and lungs are unable to provide an adequate amount of gas exchange or perfusion to sustain life. The technology for ECMO is largely derived from cardiopulmonary bypass, which provides shorter-term support with arrested native circulation.

This intervention has mostly been used on children, but it is seeing more use in adults with cardiac and respiratory failure. ECMO works by removing blood from the person’s body and artificially removing the carbon dioxide and oxygenating red blood cells.  Generally, it is used either post-cardiopulmonary bypass or in late stage treatment of a person with profound heart and/or lung failure, although it is now seeing use as a treatment for cardiac arrest in certain centers, allowing treatment of the underlying cause of arrest while circulation and oxygenation are supported.

She amazed the doctors and nurses with her resilience. Her sense of humour often had us in stitches. But with her being on a breathing machine, it was hard for her to talk. Nether the less she found a way around it.

But in January 2014, she lost the battle, her body couldn’t take it, and she developed sepsis.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. Common signs and symptoms include fever, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, and confusion. There may also be symptoms related to a specific infection, such as a cough with pneumonia, or painful urination with a kidney infection. In the very young, old, and people with a weakened immune system, there may be no symptoms of a specific infection and the body temperature may be low or normal, rather than high. Severe sepsis is sepsis causing poor organ function or insufficient blood flow. Insufficient blood flow may be evident by low blood pressure, high blood lactate, or low urine output. Septic shock is low blood pressure due to sepsis that does not improve after fluid replacement.

She died a week before her 21st birthday.

The death of anyone you love is hard, but the death of a child (and she was the youngest) is not something you should not have to go through.

It’s almost 6 years, and it’s just as fresh as the day it happened. But with time, you smile more, you laugh more, and you remember her without always crying.

So that’s my most difficult time in my life.

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Pet Peeves …..

People chatting in the cinema when the film is on.

People with flip flops on (hate feet)

People who eat with their mouth open (don’t need to see what your eating thanks)

People who cut toe nails anywhere but the bathroom (the amount of times I’ve tread on a clipping going from the bedroom to bathroom.

Toes or toe nails that hang over the end of the flip flops.

Do you have a pet Peeve? If so, what is it?

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10 Favourite Songs ……

1. Cars by Snow Patrol (This is mine and my best friends song) https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=GemKqzILV4w
2. Dancing Queen by ABBA (my daughter’s favourite song) I can’t listen to it, but it’s a favourite. https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s

1. Club Tropicana by Wham (one of my first records I brought) https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=WYX0sjP6Za8

Diamonds by Rhiannon (love this song, it’s a song for the car) https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=4mVo93E9wpU

Faith by George Michael (it’s a catchy tune, and it’s one of my favourites you the artist) https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cs3Pvmmv0E

How long will I love you by Ellie Goulding (I find this one moving, I think of all the people I’ve lost, but also the people here with me still) https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=an4ySOlsUMY

1. Rock DJ by Robbie Williams (another of my daughter’s favourites, we use to do the moves, it makes me smile) https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=BnO3nijfYmU
2. Bring me to life by Evanescence (I listen to this when I’m reading, it’s a powerful tune) https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=3YxaaGgTQYM
3. Bang Bang by Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj (an upbeat tune I dance to) https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDdjwpPM3Y

Saturday Night by Wigfield (And you have to love cheesy pop with actions) 😉https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=8DNQRtmIMxk

My music is an eclectic mix, and if I’m going for a walk, I like fast paced music. If I’m reading then I usually try for a mixture, and if the music matches the words, then I see a film emerging in my mind.

What’s your favourite music to listen to? Your welcome to share😁

I’m hoping these music videos work, if they do it’s a great tool to use. I see future music blogs 😁

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Something I Miss ……

My daughter, every single day. In fact before I full awake, I still expect her to shout out for breakfast or can she play on her phone!!!

The death of a child is so hard. You have these plans for your children. And she’ll never achieve them now.

I miss my childhood….. it seemed such an innocent time, no worries about bills and what’s going on in the world. Playing in the sun all day, snowball fights and building snowmen in the winter.

So that’s the thing(s) I miss the most.

What do you miss?

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Where I want to be in 10 years ….

Well that will make me almost 60!!! So I would have liked to have given up work. But as that probably won’t happen (unless I win the lottery)

A larger library😉 with a separate craft room.

Seeing my son settled into his own place (he’s house sharing at the moment) and happy.

Where my blog is sought after by authors who want me to interview them for my blog, and ask me to read their books😉

Those are a few things I’d like to see in 10 years time. What about you? Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

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My Worst Habits …..

I’m stubborn.

I’m bossy.

I’m a hoarder.

I’ve been told I like to be always right (i’m not in the wrong) 😉

And I don’t like confrontation.

I don’t like to give my opinion (just in case it upsets people)

I’m sure others could tell you more😉what are your worst habits?

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What am I Afraid of? ……

When my kids were younger, I was always afraid of dying and leaving them alone. (Especially my daughter, she had learning difficulties and the mental age far below her actual age)

Use to be scared of spiders, but now they don’t phase me, I grab a glass and capture them, and throw them out without a worry now.

As a kid I was scared of the dark, as I got older, that fear is gone. I can sleep without a light on, I don’t panic if we are away and we have no light. It’s been an ongoing thing, I just pushed myself a little at a time.

I don’t like scary rides. Terrified I’ll fall out. Not sure I’ll ever conquer that one.

I’m not too keen on flying (but that’s a fear I’m overcoming) yes I use a plane to go on holiday, but for a long time, I stayed away and concentrated on keeping the plane up (irrational, yes, but it was something I did) I can actually look out of the plane window now, and I’m hooked, the views I see, are breathtaking.

So what are you scared of?

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Favourite Childhood Book …..

Has to be The Secret Garden by Frances

Frances Burnett Hodgson’s novel The Secret Garden is both intriguing and uplifting. It is regarded as one of the best children’s books written in the twentieth century. 

Mary Lennox, a sickly ten year old girl, adrift in the world after both her mother and father die is sent to Yorkshire to live with an uncle whom she has never met, at his isolated house, Misselthwaite Manor. Initially Mary is seen as a rude, aggressive and selfish child. She dislikes her new home and the people living in it. But now the scene is set for her transformation and the introduction of the author’s engaging theme of rejuvenation and renewal. In exploring the grounds Mary finds the key to the locked garden which is neglected and overrun with weeds. She sets her mind to bringing it back to life. In doing so, Mary finds a purpose and an excitement in her lonely existence. However, apart from the garden, there are other secrets to be revealed at Misselthwaite Manor such as the strange cries in the night and the identity of Colin, a disabled boy, whom she discovers in the hidden bedroom. 

The popularity of this novel bears witness to its universal appeal and its timeless hold on the imagination.

I loved this book as a kid, I don’t know how many times I read it.

What’s your favourite childhood book?

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Dream Job …..

Penguin keeper in a zoo. Or studying penguins in their natural habitat.

Or

Owner of a bookstore (but I don’t know if I could let any go) 😉

What would your dream job be?

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Timeline of my Day ….

most of my days are the same, so I thought I’d do a work day, then a day off (bear in mind, my days off do vary, it’s not the same every day off)

Work Day ……

I get up anywhere between 6.00-6.30, I’ll read before I go out for a walk. I grab a quick coffee and a chat with a friend, then it’s back home to sort myself out for work. Walking to work with my headphones on, I’ll chat to a friend (makes the walk go quicker) if it’s not a delivery day (Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday) then I’ll start prepping my salads straight away. I’ll clean both my fridges, and load up for the evening staff. If it’s quiet I’ll help on potwash or the dessert area (I’ve also been known to put a few burgers on the grill) if the waitresses are busy, I’ll go clear a few tables. Then it’s time to change, clock out and walk home. A quick coffee before i talk to my sister, (or leave her a message) then a phone call to a dear friend. Before you know it, it’s time to make dinner, wash it up, then grab an hour to listen to music or read (and start another review) a phone call, and then it’s time to grab a shower.

Day Off ……

I don’t always get up early on my days off (I’ll be awake) I’ll read in bed before going for a quick walk.

Home and a quick tidy up, then out the door (I’ll either visit my daughters grave, or go into town) my friend and I will meet up in town or hers (we usually watch a scary movie together) I like to pick up her son (we like to catch up, and it gives her a break from the school run) after dropping him off I’ll either pop into shop for dinner or visit my daughter, if I’ve not done it in the morning)

Sunday’s I usually spend with family catching up, or housework🤨then if I’ve got time, I’ll tidy up my blog, catch up with a few reviews. And put the washing away.

So…… that’s a timeline of my day. How do you spend your day?

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So that’s a timeline of my day.

How do you spend your day?

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Whats in my Handbag ….

As you can see I have butterflies all over my bag😉 I have a penguin attached to the bag.

Inside ….. my headphones, my purse, tissues, mints, a coin purse, body spray, a little purse that holds my book store cards. A small torch, several pens, and a note book.

What do you have in yours?

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Favourite Quote …..

I don’t really have a favourite quote. So looking through Pinterest, I started my quest…..

Keep your head high
Your heart light
And set down that
Which is not yours to carry ….

If you want to fly 

You have to give up 

What brings you down ….. 

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”

“Positive thinking is powerful thinking. If you want happiness, fulfillment, success and inner peace, start thinking you have the power to achieve those things. Focus on the bright side of life and expect positive results.

There are a few quotes that I like.

Do you have a favourite quote?

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If I Won The Lottery …..

if I win the lottery, I’d spoil my family, and really close friends…..

There would be a new home for my son.

I’d buy the house I live in now (it’s rented) and redecorate.

I’d see my sisters financially secure.

I’d take the family away for a few holidays.

A few of my favourite charities would get donations.

I’d set up a pension scheme (or a rainy day savings)

What would you do?

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Most Proud Moment …..

Has to be the birth of my children

First born is my son Aaron.

My Daughter Kim came along 5 years later.

There are a few other moments. Including my son graduating from college, and then getting his wings with Thompson (became cabin crew)

My Daughter for completing college, there were also lots of other moments I was proud of my daughter. She had many problems growing up, so most things she did was an achievement.

So that’s a proud moment (or two) 😉

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First Celebrity Crush …..

That had to be George Michael. He was in a pop group called Wham.

Then when they split up, he became a solo artist.

I had all their albums as Wham, and posters on my walls.

As a solo artist I had a few albums and CD’s of George.

So that’s my first celebrity crush.

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Piercings and Tattoos….

My first tattoo was for my 40th birthday. My daughter chose the design (and as you know she loved her butterflies)

My next tattoo was a tribute to my daughter, she had a major illness and she had pulled through, so I had a tattoo as a promise I made to her (I said if she pulled through then I’d have a tattoo)

My third tattoo was in memory of my daughter who sadly died after fighting illness after illness in hospital.

My fourth was an infinity sign, it’s dedicated to someone very special, so no matter where I go, I always carry them with me.

My fifth one incorporates my 40th birthday butterfly tattoo with stars and a ladybird. It signifies my daughter at the top, my family are the stars (they got to ask for a colour) and my mum at the bottom with the ladybird (she loved ladybirds, but couldn’t have a tattoo for medical reasons. My sixth tattoo is a fairy (no real reason, I really liked it on Pinterest) but i added the butterfly landing as a tribute to my daughter)

it’s not my last tattoo, I have a few more planned. So when I get them, I will share them with you.

And I had my bellybutton pierced for my 40th birthday, but it kept catching on my jeans, so I let it close over.

And I have my ears pierced. I have two holes in each ears. I don’t wear earrings very often.

So that’s my piercings and tattoos, do you have any?

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10 Favourite Foods ….

Today’s Blog Challenge is to name 10 Favourite foods …..

Pizza (For me, It has to be pepperoni)Chicken and Bacon Pasta Bake (with lots of cheese) 😋

Bacon sandwich (or a roll) preferably with brown sauce not red.

I love paella, but my favourite had to be a seafood paella (lots of seafood please)

I love chicken, but especially a roasted chicken, it’s my favourite meat, it’s so versatile.

Cinema popcorn …. there is just something about a large bucket of popcorn in the cinema.

I really like salmon, I tend to wrap it in foil and serve in its own juice. Lots of different ways to steam it. Chocolate. Any kind, but I do like a nice bar of dark chocolate. Ice Cream. A nice vanilla is just as good as any flavour. But Pralines and cream is my favourite. a nice Camembert cheese, pop it into the oven, crusty bread. One of my favourite snacks. Cookies, or chocolate covered biscuits. Love a nice selection (usually buy a box for Christmas)

A really good packet of crisps. Plain is my favourite, but I’ll eat most flavours.

Ok, that’s actually 12. But once I started, I got carried away😉

What’s your favourite food?

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3 Personality Traits I’m Proud of ….

LISTENER …… I’m a good listener, if you have something on your mind, I’ll sit and listen, I don’t always give advice. I’ve been told I don’t talk about myself, to be honest I’d rather talk about you. But I think I’ve gotten better over the years. But I’ll always be a better listener than a talker.

HELPFUL ….. If I’ve got it, you can have it. I like to see people smile, I’d rather give than receive.

So that’s my 3 traits that I’m proud of.

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My Guilty Pleasure ….

It’s got to be grabbing time with a good book. I have a few favourite authors. I also have a few favourite books that I grab if I want a good read.

My other guilty pleasure is chocolate. I’ll eat most chocolate bars, but I don’t really like other things mixed in (fruit and nut, or caramel, or things that pop in your mouth)

So that’s my guilty pleasures.

What’s yours?

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Earliest Childhood Memory…..

I’m not sure what age I was, but I clearly remember a flat that I lived in with my mum and dad, my aunt use to visit all the time. And one day I decided to go visit her instead. I stood on tiptoes and let myself out the door. Walked along the walkway to the lift. I couldn’t reach the button to go down, so I walked down the flight of stairs. And onto the pavement. I knew I had to walk across the road, and through the park. Mum always let me play on the swings for five minutes, I think it was so she could catch her breath (she was pushing my new baby sister) now as I’m meant 50, roads weren’t nearly as busy as they are now. But before I could cross the road, I heard my mum’s voice calling out for me. And I saw my aunt running across the park. Apparently I wasn’t suppose to open the door and go for a walk.

My Mum years later told me this story, she’d gone to feed my sister, then change her. After she’d put her down for a nap, she came looking for me. She thought I was playing hide ‘n’ seek, and when she couldn’t find me she rang her sister (my aunt) in a panic.

When I asked how old I was, I was told about 3.

So that’s my earliest memory.

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What does this month have in store for me?

I have a siblings birthday this month.

she’s my baby sister (7 Year’s between us) I was hoping to spend sometime with her this year, but she will be away, so we will celebrate when she gets back.

It’s also my grandson’s birthday (well technically my step grandson)

He turns 18 this year!!! Not sure where the time has gone.

They are off to Los Angeles for his birthday (one of the places he’s wanted to go) so instead of a big birthday party, we’ve all chipped in to send him there.

There aren’t any new releases from any of my favourite authors, but i do have a few review books that I’ve read for The Reading Cafe that are coming out this month. And I’m reading and reviewing from my library two of my favourite series, so I need to get going with those.

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A family Birthday and Fathers Day are in this month.

So what’s up this month book wise??

We have Christine Feehan’s Shadow Rider book (Shadow Warrior) that’s on order at my local book shop 😉

Uk Cover and USA Cover 😊

There is also a few review books from The Reading Cafe (TRC) to be posted (I’ve read them already, I just don’t post them until they come up on their site first)

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it’s Friday. So here’s a drink for you to try 😉 cheers 🥂

Today was a pretty quiet day at work. Weather couldn’t make its mind up, and now I’m listening to the rain. Caught up with a few reviews (a couple of rough drafts) listened to music whilst I washed up and then read for a little while. Hoping this cold and wet weather isn’t in for the weekend.

My walk to work this morning.

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I have to admit, I don’t reheat rice, but the pasta idea sounds good (but I usually pop a plate or lid onto It to create steam)😉

Delivery day and today brings a whole lot of new hassle…. it was really warm today, so we need to put it away as quick as possible….lucky me today, by the time I’d gotten in, half the deliver was put away, and with a few extra staff, I want needed at all 😉do I got to do my jobs straight away.

Weather again was lovely, but it’s on the change (so they say) by the weekend!! I don’t know who to believe somethings.

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R.C. Alvarez – Unchained Desire 

Description:

Chained to a demon queen for hundreds of years, fallen angel Ramiel has given up on his brothers and sisters––and humanity. He has seven days away from hell to replenish his power and that’s all he cares about––right up until his meeting with the much too innocent Kyria. He fell for that act before and it landed him in hell, he won’t be making that mistake again. 

To save her sick father, Kyria knows she must find Ramiel. He’s dark, brooding and everything Kyria should be scared of, but the haunted look in his eyes makes her think there’s more to him. The tattoos and chains don’t frighten her either, but the connection she has with him does. When strange creatures attack her, Ramiel steps in to protect her. Ramiel believes he’s reluctantly helping Kyria, but what neither of them knows is that she may be the one to save them all…

My Review

Reading the back cover of Unchained Desire by R.C. Alvarez, I was really interested to see how this would go… 

Ramiel has been chained to a Demon Queen for centuries, humanity, oh please, the humans are all selfish and self centered. The only family he cares about are his brothers and sisters, and he hasn’t heard or seen them in a while. He is given seven days to replenish his energy (he needs blood) and that’s all he cares about now. 

He wasn’t always this way, but meeting an innocent (who wasn’t so innocent) he was trapped, he now serves a Demon Queen, tortured and chained. But he hopes one day to be released, but he doesn’t know how or if ever. 

Kyria is on the run!! Why?? And why does the tattoo like mark on the back of her neck ache? It’s been like that for the past two weeks. Her father has given her no choice, they have to run. After six years of some semblance of normality, they have to leave the ranch they’ve been living in and run again. Why? The cartel have found Darius (her dad) and Kyria, her mother had been murdered years ago and are after Darius. Her only friend Eli is concerned, but Darius is convinced Eli is part of the cartel (Eli’s father is the head, supposedly) and her dad keeps ranting about demons and keeping her safe. 

In the bar, Ramiel is having a hard time, he feels out of sorts, he knows he should feed, but there is something not right. And he’s proven correct…. in she walks with an innocent and purity that sets his teeth on edge, but also a want (and last time he paid for it dearly) and when she approaches him to help her father (a man that helped put him where he is today) Ramiel tells her that he won’t help. 

Kyria is crushed, her father needs help and she thought this Ramiel works help, but he’s arrogant and rude and really hot, but when he tells Kyria that her dad doesn’t deserve help, she needs to convince him. 

And when a demon attacks Kyria, Ramiel has no choice but to help. But there is a price, and he doesn’t want to pay it. But Kyria could be Ramiel’s saviour, but will he trust her enough? And what secret does Kyria hold? 

Unchained Desire was well written.  Ramiel and Kyria connected and the story really flowed. Very descriptive, I really liked it. 

It was my step granddaughter’s birthday yesterday.

So today we went over to my stepdaughter’s home to celebrate with Grace

Has lots of fun, she’s 5 going on 20!!! 😉 weather managed to stay dry for her grandad and dad to put up her new play house 🏠

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How pretty do these look on the shelves? I’d love to have something like that. But sadly no space in the library 😂

Work today was the usual, and with the weather keeping us on our toes!! We were pretty busy🤨

Pizza and spent time with an awesome friend tonight. 🍕

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I have to apologise, I meant to write on here….. I had organised my blog, and thought I’d schedule May (I then was going to go back and add something) obviously I’d forgotten.

I have a few books to read for TRC (The Reading Cafe) that’s the blog page I guest read and review for.

Nothing out from the authors I read (a blog post coming up about my favourite authors)

And I’m almost coming up to the end of my reading the Dark Series (by Christine Feehan) it’s an ongoing series, but I’ve almost caught up.

May brings Grace’s (my granddaughter) birthday round again…. can’t believe she’s going to be 5!!!!

It would have been my grandads birthday this month also.

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Weather wise it was a lovely day. Walking to and from work with the sun on your back.

On a personal note, I’ve found a post that I found interesting. Behind this smile is a sad person, an angry person. Having people taken away from you never gets any easier, they say time is a great healer ….. it’s not, it doesn’t heal, but you manage, and every once in a while you have a down day. But that’s ok. It’s when those days turn into weeks. When people say “you should be over that by now”

So just be kinder to yourself and to one another.

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The change in the weather has been so dramatic (all we are missing is snow, and then we would have had it all!!) this week.

But on a plus, today I didn’t have to put the delivery away, so I could get on with my job. I prepare the salads for the restaurant.

Washing needed to be done. And the bed needed clean bedding on. Tomorrow I off to see my son 😊let’s hope for better weather.

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Yes I know it’s a Christmas cocktail 🤪 but I like to keep you on your toes😉

I would like to turn this into a bookmark 🤔need to look into that.

Friday is usually a busy day at work, and today was no exception. I have a little fun helping on starters and even the grill, I usually prep and put out the salad bar, I also do desserts to help the waitresses. And throw in washing up on the potwash area, I’ll turn my hand to most things 😉

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Today was my day off. Went to the cemetery, tidied up the grave.

Then went into town to meet a friend.

It’s Tuesday, so it’s delivery day at work. Thank goodness it was only a small one. A little overcast today, but still a warm day.

Day off tomorrow, hoping it’s warm but not too hot. A catch up in the pub seems like a good idea to me 😉🥤

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A Bank Holiday today, most people are off, not restaurants!! We were so busy today, people making the most the weather and an extra day off. Or on their way home from holidaying. But it was lovely walking to and from home to work today.

How did you spend your extra day off today?

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Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” in Psychological Review.  Maslow subsequently extended the idea to include his observations of humans’ innate curiosity. His theories parallel many other theories of human developmental psychology, some of which focus on describing the stages of growth in humans. He then decided to create a classification system which reflected the universal needs of society as its base and then proceeding to more acquired emotions. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is used to study how humans intrinsically partake in behavioral motivation. Maslow used the terms “physiological”, “safety”, “belonging and love”, “social needs” or “esteem”, and “self-actualization” to describe the pattern through which human motivations generally move. This means that in order for motivation to occur at the next level, each level must be satisfied within the individual themselves. Furthermore, this theory is a key foundation in understanding how drive and motivation are correlated when discussing human behavior. Each of these individual levels contains a certain amount of internal sensation that must be met in order for an individual to complete their hierarchy. The goal in Maslow’s theory is to attain the fifth level or stage: self-actualization.

Maslow’s theory was fully expressed in his 1954 book Motivation and Personality. The hierarchy remains a very popular framework in sociology research, management training and secondary and higher psychology instruction. Maslow’s classification hierarchy has been revised over time. The original hierarchy states that a lower level must be completely satisfied and fulfilled before moving onto a higher pursuit. However, today scholars prefer to think of these levels as continuously overlapping each other. This means that the lower levels may take precedence back over the other levels at any point in time.

So what does that mean to someone who doesn’t have a degree??

The pyramid represents what you should have in your life.

The bottom of the pyramid represents the most important part, the foundations as it were. Then going up the pyramid.

So learning to love yourself I think is a pretty important thing. But self love is a difficult thing if you have no self esteem.

So each layer is important, it provides building bricks. Without each layer, the rest would tumble.

That’s my take on the pyramid, do you agree?

Had my sister and nephews over for lunch today. We went up to the cemetery to put flowers on the grave of my daughter and mum (their ashes are scattered together) we sat for a while in the sun ☀️

It was also my son’s birthday. He was away celebrating, but I got to chat to him, so that was nice.

If you print it off, let me know how it turned out 😉

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Dark Lycan … A Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan

Tatijana of the Dragonseekers spent centuries encased in ice with her sister, trapped in limbo between life and death, never speaking to a soul other than those who tormented her. Now, she has been freed from her frozen prison by an unknown descendent. Awakened in human form, Tatijana yearns to explore the modern world in which she now lives-a world with more mysteries than she is prepared for. 

Fenris Dalka has returned to the Carpathian Mountains after a long absence to be with his brother. He is scarred by centuries of battle, and every hard-won victory. But the real reason for his return home could prove deadly if discovered by the wrong man-or woman. Upon his arrival, he is compelled by a beautiful and enigmatic stranger who carries the scent of fresh earth, of forest, of the night itself.

In time Tatijana and Fenris will discover all that unites them-their secrets and pasts, their predators, and the hot flush of passion that stirs their souls. Yet just as surely, seduced into the silvery darkness of a full-moon night, they’ll also discover everything ancient and evil that exists to destroy them.

My Review …..

A very busy day at work today. Saturday is delivery day (we had to hurry to bring it in before it melted.)

The weather was so hot today, the kitchen felt like the inside of an oven 🥵I think I spent a fair amount of time in the freezer 😉

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Today would have been my mums 71st birthday. I would have taken the day off work and spent it with her. Spoiling her and having her tell me off for spending too much.

Instead I worked today, it took my mind off her not being here.

I miss her terribly, I miss her advice and guidance, I miss her voice and her cuddles.

The last two years of her life were hard on her, being so ill, watching her slip away in the final year was hard to watch. But I couldn’t leave her to do it on her own, (I say that like I was the only one, my two sisters visited as much as they could, her older grandchildren would stop by to make her smile and my dad visited her daily) I know she would have been there for me. She was there for me when my daughter passed away. Making that decision as a family to place her in a care home was hard, we all wanted her with us, but it wasn’t safe for anyone.

But I’ll remember her being the wonderful mum she was. Thinking of other before herself. Her laugh and smile kept a smile on my face today.

Happy Birthday Mum 💋

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It’s Friday, so here’s my drink idea. If you try it let me know 😉have you ever been to a house and seen a bookshelf? Have you looked at their books? Wondering if they’d let you borrow a book?

So my nephew is staying the night. He has an interview at the place I work, so to make it easier, he’s staying the night.

The walk home again was nice, sun on my back.

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Thursday comes around pretty quick, delivery day again 🙄

But the walk home was lovely 😎 coat over my arm, enjoying the warm weather. And I had the foresight to put washing out on the line. So I’ll grab a drink then bring it all in.

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Day off today. Managed to read a little, washing on the line. Then spent the rest of the day with my friend.

Lego in the town Center today. Whilst shopping I went into my newly renovated book store ……

children’s are better laid out, and leads onto the teen fiction section. Ignore the random lady in the picture 😉

All laid out differently, still not a huge selection of SciFi reading material. And the chairs are missing …. but freshly painted and new carpet.

Had to take a quick selfie (always a challenge) 😉

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An unusual day today. Did extra hours at work today, it was really busy, so many people wanting to eat out. I don’t work later than 4, so it was interesting to see how it’s different from the day shift. People are still messy😕 how you can make so much mess over a salad card I really don’t understand, and when I bring warm bread rolls out (it looks like vultures descending) they look like they’ve never been fed🙄

Got the day off tomorrow, catching up with a friend and a little housework (and a little bit of reading) 😉

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I’ve done that many a time. In fact I have a few series on my shelves at home waiting for the first book, before I start it 😉 how about you? Do you wait? Or will you read out of order?

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Do you have a favourite book that you can go back to? For me I have a couple 😉 I don’t read them as much as I use to (too many new books to read)

Sunday is housework day. Washing on the line, ran the vacuum round, and changed the sheets on the bed (do love the smell of fresh bedding) read and did a review (that’s on its way) spent time with my dad today.

Hope your Sunday was a good one.

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My son is down for the evening. It’s his birthday next weekend (but he’s away) so we are celebrating it this Saturday. His other half sister couldn’t make it.

he was doing an aptitude test😉 don’t think he did too well.

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It’s Friday ….. So it’s time to share a cocktail recipe 🍹 Cheers

I have so many favourite books. I’ll have to think about compiling a list at some point 🤔

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I don’t drink tea😝 so I don’t know if I can put a teabag in my shoes !!!

I like this one. I had hoped as a child I could find Narnia, but sadly all I found was mothballs 🤪

Weather behaved itself today, and a walk home in the sun was a welcome change.

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Has a nice day off today. Spent it watching a scary movie and lunch with a friend. Weather behaved as well today (not warm enough to discard the coat, but warm on the back)

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An Accidental Date with a Billionaire by Diane Alberts



Back cover ……

Samantha Matthews turned her back on her wealthy family to focus on social work. Those who know her think she’s the heart of kindness. Those who know her really well know she’s in a never-ending battle to make up for the harm her family’s companies inflict on the world. Which is how she finds herself at a charity bachelor auction of all places.

But oops, she was supposed to bid on her bff’s brother as a favor and accidentally bid on the wrong guy. Sue her for not being able to tell one stick-in-the-mud CEO from another.

Backstage, she goes to tell him not to worry about having to go through with a date or anything, but the oafish billionaire cuts her off dismissively. Looks her up and down, hands her a card with his assistant’s contact details, and reminds her that sex is definitely off the table.

Oh, she’ll call the assistant all right and have her make sure he wears jeans and comfortable shoes and to pick her up at seven a.m. The only “hammering” this guy is going to be doing is at Habitat for Humanity.

Too bad he turns out to be nothing like she expected.

My review ……

I’ve read and liked a couple of this author’s previous books, so I happily dived in ….

What a chuckle. Reading the description had me smiling. A billionaire with a superiority complex and a reformed high society female. Samantha definitely gets the thumbs up from me.

Samantha wants nothing to do with the wealthy families she grew up with. Give her the “real” people any day. Sam’s past is full of bad memories and by giving back to certain people, she hopes to be happier in herself.

So “charity” auctions are her past and not what she does now, but she promised her best friend that she’d bid on the brother to help, but Sam’s not concentrating and bids on the wrong guy !!! Oooops!! So she goes back stage to gently let the guy off the hook, and tell him not to worry about their “date”, but before she can get a word out Taylor cuts her rudely short

Taylor hates these things with a passion. He knows how things will go ….. his date will want to be the next “Mrs” Taylor or want a business loan!!!! Neither were acceptable, he’d worked hard for his money and reputation, and wasn’t giving either away. But the young lady bidding on him had set his mind whirling, and meeting her in person had set all kinds of feelings off, but Taylor was trying to meet a deadline and wasn’t in the best head zone to deal with this right now.

So a “date” is set for 9am the next morning, anticipation for Taylor, revenge for Sam. Who gets the better end of the deal ?

Yes we all know how it goes ….. billionaire bad boy shown the error of his ways with the woman who turned her back on family money. But after reading it ….. yes he’s a billionaire (but one with a past which shaped him into what he is now) and why did Samantha turn her back on her family? (It’s not what you think either)

It was a fun read, and I’ll happily recommend it for an afternoon read 😁

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seriously?!?! If I’m gagging, I can’t see me sticking my finger in my ear !!!!!

Delivery day at work (bringing it in when it’s raining is always a challenge) busy day today. It’s the Easter half term, so the restaurant was full of screaming kids!!! Not my idea of fun, but what can you do? (I did suggest closing the doors and hiding) 🤪 can’t believe the mess some people leave behind!!!

Day off tomorrow 🥳 have a few things planned, and I’m hoping the weather behaves tomorrow (but probably not) need to pop into town for a few things.

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thinking this would make a great picture for a wall 🤔

No that’s definitely true 😉

Really wishing I could walk to work without all the weather gear (umbrella just in case it rains, gloves, scarf and hat, just in case it’s cold) But on the plan side, the walk home was a little warmer and less traffic on the roads.

Really wanting some nicer weather now.

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David and Michelle meet and there are a few sparks, but Michelle isn’t interested (as far as she’s concerned David is only looking at the surface) David is thrilled and terrified, why would somebody that brainy and beautiful be interested in someone like him? 

It’s a slow burn romance, and to be honest, it was a nice change. The author concentrated more on building up the story (rather than fill it with needless sex).

So will David find out she’s a witch? And will it make a difference? Michelle is growing fonder of David each day, but she really wants to finish her research (and avoid the ex fiancée) and what will she say when she hears wolves live near Gypsum Creek? 

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A quiet Sunday 😁 time to recharge those batteries, i visited my daughters grave. I did a little bit of food shopping. Then came home for a little housework (just the basics) 😉 then did reading, listened to music and caught up on a few reviews 👩🏻‍💻 would have been nicer if the sun had been out (wanted to read in the garden)

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looks like a drink you could make for the summer 😎

Weather couldn’t make its mind up between wind and cold or just a slight touch of rain and cold 🙄 I think Mother Nature can’t make up her mind as what we need to be wearing. The flowers and trees around don’t really know what they are doing either 🤦🏻‍♀️

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this one actually works 😉

Cold has almost gone (wish I could say the same for the pain in my ribs) and wishing this weather would make its mind up, at the moment it’s cold and wet. Just want a little warm weather (not too much to ask is it?) 🤨

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after a busy day at work (delivery day) I’m back home with books and a long cold drink. Was a little strange being back to work after having a few days off (sick) but you get back into the swing of it pretty quick 😉 and weather wasn’t too nice either, cold and wet for most of the day. So glad to be back in the warm.

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out and about today. Feeling a lot better. It was cold but clear. So I took a few fun photos today. My day off, so it’s back to work tomorrow 🤨

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My Review …..

Resting from a cough and cold today. Managed to do some reading and reviewing, also tidied up my blog and researched a few ideas.

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The mustard is a new one I must admit 😉

Had a rough night last night. My coughing kept me up, so a doctors appt and a few days off work are needed.

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Dark Peril …. A Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan

Uk Cover

Description…….

There’s only one way for Dominic—one of the most powerful of the Carpathian Dragonseekers—to learn the secrets of the enemy: ingest their parasitic vampire blood, infiltrate the camp, and relay the information to the Carpathians before he goes out fighting. There is no more honorable way to end his life.

Solange is among the last of the dying species of the jaguar people—fighting to save the remaining shapeshifters from the hands of her own father, a monster who slaughtered everyone she loved. Wounded and weary, she plans one last battle, hoping to stop the man who has aligned with the vampires, and accepting her deathly fate.

Now, two warriors from different worlds will find each other at the end of their time, and discover a new reason to battle to the death—and against all odds, make it out alive.

USA Cover

My Review…..

Now that’s a handy hint to know.

It was Mother’s Day today in the UK. So I’d like to wish those of you reading these, a Happy Mother’s Day 💐 my son stayed the night last night and we chatted a little before he went to bed.

Sadly I couldn’t wish my mum a Happy Mother’s Day. She passed away last year. So this is my first year without her. It’s funny how you take those little traditions for granted. We’d take mum out for the day, or cook her a meal, spoil her with presents and just spend time with her.

It’s also another year without my daughter. She’d get help in making me breakfast in bed. She’d get all excited about the present she had chosen. The usual arguments between siblings. Then lunch out. So making time with my son is doubly important.

One of my sisters popped down today, she left flowers on the grave. And then we met up for a coffee in town, a little retail therapy 😉 then before you know it, she’s off home.

so make the most of your loved ones, tell them daily how much they mean to you.

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Work was very busy today. Large delivery, not many helpers and the ones who helped were on a go slow 🙄

Weather was lovely today, go they were out in force, I couldn’t keep up with the demands for salad at some point (but to be fair, the ones making the most noise seemed to be the unhappy ones anyway 🙄and the kids were on a pasta binge !!! I definitely couldn’t keep up with that lot😉

After work I’m meeting up with my son for an early Mother’s Day (he’s at work tomorrow) dinner 🍽 we are off for a spot of Italian.

We should have time tomorrow to visit his sister and nanny at the cemetery 💐

It’s Friday, so it’s drink night 😉one of these days I’m going to try one of these drinks😁

Still fighting this cough….. but it’s getting a little better.

Hoping you all have a great weekend💋

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I wholeheartedly agree 😁 but I’ll settle for juice at the moment. I’m fighting the seasons coughs And colds and I have been for the last day or so…. I feel well In myself, so usual aches and pains, no painful sinus, I just have the dreaded cough ….. and it’s annoying (I don’t do poorly at the best of times) so drinking plenty of water and juice. Downside of that, I need the loo a lot more 😉 but it is helping to keep my throat from drying out.

Other than that, a usual Thursday, delivery day, and I got to throw boxes around 😉 I hope your Thursday has been a good one. And if your fighting a cold …. stay hydrated, it does help 💋

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Will definitely be trying that one in the summer.

I do actually have a pair of bookends (I got given them for Xmas as a present) still in their box I’m afraid (I don’t have a lot of room for them) too many books for book ends 😉

Day off today, so grabbed a few bits in town before heading off to see a friend got lunch. Sun was lovely (but apparently short lived as rain is on its way for the weekend) !!!

Busy day at work, delivery and then lots of prepping off food was planned ….. but it wasn’t to be…. but the walk home in the sun made up for the day. And random silly moments made me smile, and catching moments with a special friend in the phone …. always the cherry on my cake 💜

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Glorious weather today the sun was out, a little chilly but a lovely walk to work and back.

a few photos along my walk.

Now I have a library, I want a bigger one 😉looking at swapping it over with the spare bedroom, but that Is a job in the summer (days are longer and warmer) if I do, then I’ll keep you posted 😉

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Dark Slayer …. A Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan. 

Back cover ……

A rumor has persisted in the vampire world of a dark slayer–a woman–who travels with a wolf pack and who destroys any vampire who crosses her path. Mysterious, elusive and seemingly impossible to kill, she is the one hunter who strikes terror into the hearts of the undead.  

She is Ivory Malinov. Her only brethren, the wolves. Long ago betrayed by her people, abandoned by her family, and cast out by everyone she held dear, Ivory has lived a century without companionship or love. She has sustained her sanity by the habit of the hunt and the custom of the feeding. Until the night she picks up the scent of a man, her unexpected salvation. Her lifemate. The curse of all Carpathian women.  

He is Razvan. Branded a criminal, detested and feared, he is a dragonseeker borne of one of the greatest Carpathian lineages, only to be raised as its most despised–and captive–enemy. Fleeing from his lifetime of imprisonment, Razvan now seeks the dawn to end his terrible existence. Instead he has found his deliverance in the Dark Slayer.  

In spirit, in flesh and blood, in love, and in war, Ivory and Razvan are made for each other. For as long as they dare to live. 

My Review……

This was a great story. And one I hadn’t seen coming….. 

Razvan has always been seen as the Carpathian’s greatest enemy (after Xavier the mage) he had been known to impregnate human, and mage women, (Colby, Skyler and Lara that the Carpathian’s know so far)  and after Lara’s past had been known, he had also fed off the women or children. 
But Lara had put a different spin on her fathers character ….. she remembered him as a caring being, loving and protective. It was his grandfather Xavier, Lara’s great grandfather) that had possessed him (and made Razvan impregnate the women) and had fed off the women and children in the hope to become immortal (Xavier was convinced that the Carpathian’s were immortal and wanted that immortality for himself) 

Ivory had a wonderful childhood, parents that had loved and cared about her, five older and caring (although dominant) brothers, all who met her were prepared to protect her, Ivory was well loved and cared for, until one fateful day when her young life was ripped away from her…… 
Now a former beauty (her body a map of horrendous scars) Ivory has honed her body as a weapon, a slayer of the vampire, avoiding all Carpathian’s (she no longer trusted them) she has spent many centuries alone, her only companions a pack of wolves she had converted (by accident) and now remain loyal to her and only her (she wears them as tattoos on her arms and back) 

Razvan is finally free ….. 
He has escaped his grandfather’s clutches and now he only wants to die, he has so many horrid memories that he knows he won’t ever be able to redeem himself, how can he ? He had spent centuries under Xavier’s control, he had offered his soul to keep his young daughter Lara safe. 

Ivory was on a hunt when she is aware of a disturbance, following her senses she comes across a dying figure. And wouldn’t you know it…. after all these centuries alone, she gets “stuck” with a Carpathian!!! Oh Ivory is NOT happy. 

Being tied together through the bonding words, Razvan and Ivory must now work together (she is untrusting of everyone Carpathian and he is wary of everyone) but they find a common ground with battling the vampires. 

Ivory rescues a young boy from a ghoul and vampire, and from there on, we are  introduced to her brothers ….. five Manilov’s they have all turned vampire. (They all believed Ivory died, they were furious with the prince of the Carpathian’s Vlad, Mikhail’s father. How could he let his eldest son kill their beloved sister? So they began to plot and devise a plan to overthrow the Prince.) And she is known to the Carpathian’s now, they need her advice, her skills and her knowledge. But Ivory is finding it hard…… Will she help? Or will she take her wolves and run? 

whenever I see this, I have to have the internal dialogue (Tom Cruise in Top Gun) with the accent …..”I feel the need … the need to Read” 😁😂

So after work today, we celebrated my eldest stepdaughter’s birthday with a family meal.

I got to visit with both my step- granddaughter and step-grandson, Grace is only 4, but a very funny 4year old. And Ryan almost 18, and is learning to drive (so I get to hear all about it😉)

we always end up playing with the snapchat filters 😁 she more adept at playing with my phone than I am, and of course she likes to watch YouTube whilst out and a favourite is baby shark (she does like that tune) 😆

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The amount I read, I should be stress free 😉

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I’ll have to try that hack !!! Hmmmmmm would save on batteries 😉

This would make a great poster for a wall. Or a page to print off and colour.

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Lol 😆 I’ve done that many a time. Either a book or my kindle, and now I have the app on my phone 😉 I’m only ever one click away from a book.

So today was my day off. Lots to do. Caught up with reading, a review and draft of a review. Needed to go shopping and grab a few things (also Easter is looming and I need to get a head start as most of the good Easter eggs start to disappear early😉

On my walk home from the supermarket, I see a little squirrel, I’m trying to juggle bags and grab the phone and it’s always tricky, but trying not to put down the bags I was carrying, I didn’t want to scare it away.

Happy with my snap, but it looked cuter sitting on the edge before it got spooked !!

Anyway …… how was your day ?

Oh oh oh oh ……

Have to share 😉

and there is a julie penguin 😁😁😁only problem is ….. it’s a lucky bag, so you don’t get to choose !!! The hunt is on 🤪

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Lol 😉ok, so the chances in the uk of being attacked by either a brown or black bear or highly unlikely. But it’s a fun fact 😂

Yup, that just about sums up why I read 😁

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Happy Monday people ☕️ Going to change it up a little this week. So putting the day first, then the butterfly, let me know if you like that idea better😁

And ending the day on a book theme (got to love a dragon) I do love my paranormal romances, shifters, vampires and everything in between 😉

Listening to Toxic Game by Christine Feehan. I’ll have to wait till October to read it in paperback 😉

Sun was out today, making a nice walk to work.

Dark Curse ….. Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan.

Back Cover….. 

Born into a world of evil and ice, Dragonseeker Lara Calladine is a child of three species yet belonging to none. She walked her chosen path alone, trusting no one. For beyond the frozen hell of her youth were even greater dangers.
Today, an expert in the study of ice caves, Lara searches for the source of her nightmares. 

Nicolas De La Cruz can help her. Though centuries of hunting and killing have taken their toll, he longs to feel sensual love without the hunger for blood. 

As Lara and Nicolas search the treacherous Carpathian landscape, their tenuous trust shifts into an undeniable passion. But their mysterious pasts share a secret that could destroy them both…

My Review ……

Lara comes across as a loner, happy with her own company, she doesn’t get too close to people, and given her background I’m not surprised….. As a child Lara had been kept a prisoner by her father and grandfather, kept as a food source (both her father and grandfather used her for blood) and they weren’t gentle about either, Carpathian children were meant to be protected and cherished, but Lara had neither. She lived in fear, and after her mother dies brutally at the hands of her grandfather, Lara knows it’s a matter of time before her usefulness comes to an end…..

Nicholas De La Cruz needs to feel something, even if that means he needs to kill, the darkness has almost overcome him, his brothers are finding their mates, but he knows it’s too late. 
We meet Nicholas in Dark Secret (his brother Rafael finds his lifemate Colby) he can’t understand why his brothers don’t lay down the law with their women, his arrogance is worse than Rafael’s (and he was extremely arrogant)

Lara (we find out through past memories) needs to find the ice caves that she was held captive in as a child, she needs to rescue two very special people, she knows they might not be alive, but Lara needs closure. And coming to the Carpathian Mountains she gets a feeling she is close….. 

Nicholas is drawn to a female and he has no notion as to why, only that he needs to feed, and sadly the young woman may die, and his brothers will have to face him as a vampire. 
Drawing her closer he begins to feed, and his mind is bombarded with emotions and colour ….. his lifemate is in his arms, but then another feeling comes into play… pain!! Lara had stabbed him!!! She won’t be used again by anyone!! And she knows all about the males who take blood from unwilling donors (and she is definitely unwilling)

The story then goes on to relay more of Lara’s past, and Nicholas has to find balance, his dominant nature will be put to the test time and time again. 

The book is full of twists and turns, it’s a very dark and sad book. In places I had to put it down and read something a little more lighthearted. 
More of the backstory comes to light, and her father ….. well he has been seen in such a bad light, how could she possibly forgive him and move on ?? (But as his story is next, we should find out from his perspective) 

So now we have Mages, werewolves, vampires and Dragonseekers (a very strong and old line of Carpathian’s) and of course the Carpathian’s. How the author keeps tabs on everything is always a wonder. And I hope she continues this series for a long time. 

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Dark Celebration….. A Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan.

Back cover ….. 

After centuries as the Prince of the Carpathians Mikhail Dubrinsky fears he can’t protect them for long from their greatest threat: the extinction of their species–a fate that has become the wicked prayer of his enemies. To ensure it, they are devising a scheme to slaughter Carpathian females. But even with his own lifemate, Raven, and their daughter, Savannah, vulnerable to the encroaching evil, Mikhail’s hope is not lost…  

In this desperate season, Carpathians from around the world are gathering to join their strengths, their souls, and their powers to bring light to the darkness. But so too are their adversaries uniting–hunters, vampires, demons, and betrayers–bringing untold dangers into the fold of the Carpathian people.  

Now for the first time, born from the uninhibited imagination of Christine Feehan, all the inhabitants of Carpathian legend are reunited for a celebration of sensual adventure, undying passion, and astonishing fantasy–one to remember for a thousand lifetimes. 

My review ….. 

This is a great book.
It’s a catch up book.
It gives us more of what the Carpathians are going through…… but it also gives us a glimpse into previous couples lives. And there quite a few couples we catch up on. We also meet a few newish characters 😉 new in we haven’t really had too much to do with these characters, but they will feature in a few books, and a certain young lady will play heavily in future books. 

So ……. Mikhail is the Prince to the Carpathian people, but his race is dying ….. 
Carpathian women are few and far between, and if they do get pregnant, then most women lose the child before they are even born, and if they are luckily enough to give birth, most don’t survive their first year. But through a lucky meeting with a human woman, Mikhail discovered that certain human women could be converted to the Carpathian race (they had to be psychic) and then hunters were finding their lifemates, but others wouldn’t or couldn’t wait, they killed whilst feeding, thus turning into vampires. 
Along with healers and humans, Mikhail is slowly gaining ground, they still have trouble conceiving children (we find out in later books how this was done) but the future for the Carpathian race doesn’t look nearly so grim. 

The story goes on to tell us about the vampires beginning to form groups, hunting for both human psychic women and to take on and destroy hunters. This was unheard of for centuries (vampires were to bloated on their egos to work together, and if they did, they would willingly sacrifice newly turned vampires) 

They have blood from vampires to study (they are using it to call to each other) and they are sharing knowledge of what the vampires are doing, and we still have the society looking for the Carpathians (they are a group of humans intent in destroying the Carpathian race, they are under the assumption that vampires and Carpathians are one in the same) 

And when Mikhail’s daughter (Savannah) almost loses her own children (premature birth) he knows it’s time to take the fight to the vampires. He won’t lose anymore children. 

This book is full of witty one liners, heart stopping moments and a few raised eyebrows 😀

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Dark Demon ….. by Christine Feehan… A Carpathian Novel.

Back cover ….. 

For as long as she can remember, Natalya has been fighting demons: first in the form of childhood nightmares, then later, immortal creatures that kill and prey on the innocent–including her own twin brother. Whether Carpathian or vampire, she slays those who murder by night, and has no equal–until she is seduced by the very thing she considers her enemy. . .  

A Carpathian who has seen nearly everything in his endless existence, Vikirnoff didn’t think he could be surprised anymore–until he faces a woman who rivals him as a vampire hunter. A formidable and gifted warrior in her own right, Natalya has a nature that is strangely familiar–yet alien–to his own. Who is this mysterious female who fears no one–not even him? Natalya could be the key to the survival of the Carpathians, but all Vikirnoff is certain of is that she is the key to his heart and soul. . .

          my Review…… 

Dark Secret ….. A Carpathian Novel. Christine Feehan. 

Back cover ……. 

Rafael De La Cruz has spent centuries hunting vampires with his brothers, and with each passing year his capacity to feel emotions has grown weaker and weaker until finally there’s barely been a memory left–until only sheer willpower keeps him from turning into the very abomination he hunts. But it’ll take more than will to keep him away from the woman who is meant to be his and his alone. . .  

For five years, rancher Colby Jansen has been the sole protector of her younger half-siblings, and with fierce determination and work she has kept her family together and the ranch operational. Now, the De La Cruz brothers are threatening that stability. They claim that her siblings belong with their father’s family, not with her. Colby vows to fight them-especially the cold and arrogant Rafael De La Cruz. But Rafael is after more than her family-he wants Colby and will not let anything stand between them. After ages of loneliness, the raw desire to possess her overwhelms his very soul, driving him to claim her as his lifemate. . .

My Review……. 

Rafael De La Cruz is almost at the end of his life …… 
He has lived for centuries, fighting both the vampire and the ever growing darkness inside him. With his brothers help and their honour, they continue to live and fight for their prince and the Carpathian people.
Whilst feeding he feels the demon inside him urging him on, to feed, to drain the body he’s feeding from dry, to take a life, and to feel if only briefly…… 

Colby Jensen is holding her sanity together by a thread, her half brother and sister are being fought over, her step father’s family want the siblings to come and live with them in Brazil. Colby isn’t having any of it. Their father had been disowned for loving and having children with someone they didn’t approve of, but now he’s gone, they want her siblings, Colby isn’t having any of it, if her step fathers family want her brother and sister, then they are going to have to fight her for them, but they have money and connections, Colby has nothing. And now hearing the family have their employer helping them, Colby is afraid she will lose them and the Ranch…… 

Standing on a cliff overlooking the ranch his employees are coming to visit, Rafael knows his time is limited, refusing to drain the woman, he wants to go home, here nothing is familiar, he misses Brazil, but he promised his older brother that he would go and sort out the issue with this “Jensen” woman, he would get the children that he had come for, then go home. 
He spots a rider on horseback, the voice carries up to him, stunned he sees the horse and rider in colour !!!! It’s her ….. his lifemate. 

Colby had anticipated meeting the De La Cruz family, what she hadn’t banked on was meeting them whilst being thrown from a horse !!!! 

The De La Cruz brothers (all five of them) are centuries old, they remember carpathian women being meek and mild, in a time where they would stay at home, looking after the children. So meeting his lifemate in this time came as a huge shock to Rafael, Colby wasn’t meek, not was she mild. She’s a very strong willed individual. 

At first I didn’t like Rafael (he’s still not one of my favourite characters) but you have to read past the fact he seems to be a bully (demanding Colby give up her life and move to Brazil, to alter her whole way of thinking) they are from a time when women were home makers. But they do want to protect their women (even though most of the women in these books are more than capable of looking after themselves) they keep the Carpathian hunter from turning into a vampire, the women are the light, keeping the darkness at bay. 

So …… we have a few big battles. We have many battles of will between Rafael and Colby, we do have a few light moments and we also meet a hunter that’s been in a few previous books ( Vikirnoff) 

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Dark Destiny …. A Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan

Uk Cover

Back Cover ……

Her childhood had been a nightmare of violence and pain until she heard his voice calling out to her. Golden and seductive. The voice of an angel.

He had shown her how to survive, taught her to use her unique gifts, trained her in the ancient art of hunting the vampire.

Yet he could not bend her to his will, no matter how great his power.

My review …..

This is one of my favourite stories in the series.

Destiny as a small child was duped by a vampire, seducing her with his beguiling voice, he slaughters her family and takes her as his captive. Abusing her physically and mentally, her captor converted her from mortal to vampire. In one desperate moment, she links mentally with an ancient warrior, he helps her, shapes her into a warrior, honing her skills.

She kills her vampire captor and sets her on a journey to rid the world of this most vile creature, but always she hears her rescuers voice, asking for her name, telling her to call out to him, he can help her with her burden. But Destiny won’t be fooled again. He might have helped her kill the vampires, but she won’t trust anyone ever again.

Nicolae Von Schreider was sent out by the previous prince of the Carpathians (Mikhail’s father) he knew their race was on the brink of extinction, and when his son Mikhail finally brought his people together, he didn’t want the ancients to influence him. So Nicolae and his brother Vikirnoff travelled around the world searching for vampires, knowing their chance of finding their lifemate a near impossible task.

Centuries later, a young girl connects with Nicolae telepathically, in such fear and agony. He can do no more but to aid the young child, helping her to distance her from the brutal bearings and abuse that is being inflicted on her. Commanding her to call to him, he wants only to help her…. but she remains silent, he knows she won’t trust him, so he teaches her the ways of a carpathian hunter.

Years go by and still Nicolae searches for her, it seems by aiding her it gives him a quest of sorts, it keeps the darkness from spreading, but it won’t be long, he can’t hold out for much longer ….

Destiny is now a young woman, in constant pain from the poisonous blood coursing through her veins, from the vampire converting her many years ago. He thought she would give him back his emotions, but Destiny was not his lifemate, so he continued to abuse her, until she manages with Nicolae’s help to kill her tormentor.

The story then goes on to the usual conclusion, but unlike a lot of the dark carpathian novels, it’s not full of sex, Nicolae has to come to terms with Destiny’s past, and so does Destiny. It’s shaped her to be the woman she is today.

And it also shows her that monsters are also in the guise of humans (there are things going on in the book that makes Destiny think that a vampire is behind it all)

We meet some really fun characters, we also meet his brother Vikirnoff (who gets a book) and a really strong female in the shape of Mary-Anne, who we get to see run rings around a carpathian male 😉

But my favourite characters were a pair of geriatric sisters (they were so funny)

USA Cover

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I do a little colouring every now and again. So I thought I’d share a picture I found, if you print it off and colour it in, I’d love to see the results. Send me a picture. 🦋

Good day today, woke up to sunshine. Things planned today. Washing to be caught up on, housework and a visit to the cemetery (need to tidy my daughters grave)

Love these pyjama bottoms (or lounge pants) ? Don’t think I’d wear them outside, but on a lazy Sunday a definitely maybe 😉

Dark Melody ….. Christine Feehan…. A Carpathian Novel

UK cover

Back cover ….. 

Lead guitarist of the Dark Troubadours, Dayan was renowned for his mesmerizing performances. His melodies stilled crowds, beckoned, seduced. And always, he called to her to complete him. Corinne Wentworth stood at the vortex of a gathering storm. Pursued by the fanatics who’d murdered her husband, she was risking her life by keeping more than one secret. Fragile, delicate, vulnerable, she had an indomitable faith that made her fiery surrender to Dayan all the more powerful.

My Review …. 

Dayan is a musician, songs and music flow from his soul. But his soul is being slowly consumed by the darkness, he is close to turning vampire, the only thing keeping him from turning is his family and music. 

Corinne has always been poorly, born with a weak heart she has never been overactive, but she has done plenty with her life, she was happy until the day her world was ripped apart ….. 

Dayan has taken time away from his “family” they are all happily mated except for him, and he is happy for the males in his family (finding their other half, keeps them from turning into a vampire) but it reminds him that he is alone, so travelling with his “human” friend Cullen (we met him in a previous book) they stop for Dayan to play some music. 

Corinne is persuaded to go out for the evening, but she’s not really in the mood. But her best friend Lisa convinces her and they go to the local bar. 

Dayan is (singing/playing guitar) when he senses something …… 
Then he sees HER …. his senses are overloaded … 
Finding his “lifemate” brings out all sorts of emotions, from joy, to sorrow, intense colours bombard him. 
But there is something wrong with his lifemate 🙁

When they finally talk, Dayan is shocked to know she had a weak heart, but that can be solved by converting her from human to Carpathian, but Dayan is in for a bigger shock …… 

I liked this story, it focused more on the characters than the sex side. 
Corinne is a strong character, she doesn’t let her heart problem get in the way of life. She takes care of family and friends, her love of life is brought to life on the page. 

USA Cover

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Dark Descent … A Carpathian Novella… book 9.5 by Christine Feehan

Back cover …..

Dark Descent tells the story of Joie Sanders, a bodyguard, and Traian Trigovise, an ancient hunter, meeting after a battle in a deep cave filled with mystery and wonder. Set in the Carpathian Mountains, Joie, with her brother and sister go caving and come across the ancient warrior beset upon by several vampires. They have no choice but to throw their lot in with the hunter and do their best to escape with their lives from the underground labyrinth filled with ancient traps left behind by a powerful race. 

My Review ..

The first time I read Dark Descent it was on kindle. Then the author updated and added more content, she then put it in a book with another novella (Dark Dream) so, here is my review ……

Joie Sanders is a bodyguard, she enjoys her job and the work it entails.

She likes to explore caves and climb mountains.

Joie can also astral project, connecting with a mystery man, joie enjoys the banter between them, but thinks it’s all in her mind.

Traian is an ancient Carpathian, sent out by his prince several centuries ago to hunt and destroy the vampire.

He gets trapped and caught by vampires, they need his blood, and being chained to ice walls in a cave deep beneath the earth, is not Traian’s idea of a fun. After connecting with Joie he sees in colour and finally feels emotions. But escaping his bonds are easier said than done, they are draining him to the point of death.

Joie is being called to a certain set of caves, unsure as to why, she listens to her inner voice and begins her hunt, she habit sure why these caves, but there is something drawing her there…..

Although it’s a shorter story than the normal Carpathian novels, it’s a need to read, there are a few more details adding to our back story ……

I loved the banter this couple had with each other.

The banter that Joie has with her siblings had me chuckling too 😁

Dark Hunger …. Christine Feehan…. A Dark Carpathian novella

Back Cover …. 

Trapped and caged, immortal seer Riordan’s honor is compromised by his captors. They’re in his mind. They’re in his blood. And not one can withstand his desire for revenge. Then a beautiful woman finds him in his torment. She will release him from his bonds. He will release her from her inhibitions. Both have a voracious appetite that needs to be sated. And tonight their dark hunger will be fed…

my review ….. 

It’s only a novella, but there is lots packed into it…. 

Riordan is part of a large Carpathian family, 5 brothers and a sister (unfortunately she was killed centuries ago) they were sent to Brazil to patrol and keep the human population safe from the vampires. He is the youngest of the brothers. 
He was caught by a human society to study, keeping him virtually starved of blood (they survive on blood) and wrapped in chains (coated with vampire blood) he is a guinea pig to the society, until they perfect their poison to rid the world of the evil vampire (the society are able to tell the difference between Carpathian and vampire) then they will kill Riordan. 
Biding his time, he refuses to call out to his brothers (he doesn’t want them falling into the same trap) waiting for his moment to strike at his captors and escape. 

Juliette is an animal liberator, along with her cousins (Jasmine and Solange) she frees animals that are captured. But that’s not the only thing she frees….. 
Juliette is a shapeshifter (she can turn at will  into a Jaguar) she helps women (other jaguar women) in abusive relationships to escape. 
For centuries the male jaguar shifter have turned from a loving male into a violent and abusive male, no longer treasuring their women and children. They take what they want and the women are chattel. And when the women leave to find other males to be with, they are hunted down and forced to return the the jaguar communities. 

Juliette is rescuing animals from a compound when she stumbles upon a man chained to the wall. 
Hurrying to free him, she doesn’t realise the danger she is putting herself in…. 

Riordan’s only concern is escaping and exacting justice on his captors, so when a female is in the process of freeing him, he seizes his chance, he intents to feed from her and escape, but as he bends to her neck, he notices the colour of her hair, and the blood in her hair, he is seeing in colour for the first time in centuries…..

Juliette feels a sharp pain and then nothing but bliss ….. slowly she turns lethargic, not sure as to what is going on, Juliette tried to escape the bands of steel around her chest. 

The story is the introduction to the De La Cruz family, all are ancients, all are arrogant males, so it’s fun to read about how their views on what a female should do and act, will differ from reality, and as they are getting modern females it won’t go to plan 😉
It also gives us more information on the society that are hunting the Carpathians/vampires, how they are stepping up their efforts, and we get more information on why the Carpathians are having difficulties having children. 

It’s a short story, but it has a lot of detail. 

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I’d love to print this off and put it in my library. Loved the Alice In Wonderland Book.

It’s the weekend, so I hope you have a good one.

Not quite shorts weather 😉 but hoping it’s not too long (but weatherman has been warning us that snow maybe on its way) 🤨

Just for fun I thought I’d post a cocktail. I don’t really drink, but it does look nice 😉, if you make one, let me know 💋cheers 🍹

Too cute not to share

Had a night out with friends tonight. Dinner and drinks. Had a great laugh, roll on next month (trying to make it a regular thing)

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My Review……

A short and sweet story. Could have done with a little more work, had potential for more 🤨

Vivian gets rescued by 4 mercenaries (they call themselves a security team) after she gets kidnapped in Columbia, she’s there on a dig, and is kidnapped by a ruthless band of guerrilla’s.

She doesn’t know who they are, but she’s grateful when they get her back to USA soil. Vivian decides that’s enough excitement for one lifetime and retreats to her aunt’s home. Finding that the aunt has died and left her everything (including the house she remembered fondly as a child) but what Vivian doesn’t bank on, is the rundown and neglected state the house is in.

The four pack members (Lucius the Alpha, Sean, Kyle and Daniel) have been assigned to protect Vivian after the professor confessed he may have taken something and hid it in Vivian’s bag!! The race is on to arrive back in the USA and protect Vivian (preferably without her knowing) but all bets are off once the pack realise she is their mate!!

Usually when I read this type of book, all the males are in agreement and are use to sharing (and in fact are looking for a female to complete their pack) but with this book, none of the males wanted to share (in fact a few fights break out) and Vivian isn’t feeling the pull like the men are (in fact after a wild night, Vivian isn’t sure it’s a good thing)

So when danger comes to their home, will it be too late for Vivian to tell her men that she wants to live the pack life?

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Once they rescued professor Rick who had been captured by LI, he told Lucius he had hidden intel of the cartel LI in Vivian’s back back and they would be after her. The team need to watch after Vivian. But it got complicated. The men were wolf shifters. The pack was solid but when the men start to belief that Vivian is their mate!

Pleasured by the pack (Blue Moon Brides) by Anne Marsh

Back Cover ……

Dre and Landry Breaux do everything together. Fishing, fighting—and loving. A whole lot of loving. When the blue moon leads these Cajun werewolves to their fated mate, however, they’re ready to reform. Now, they’ll fight to keep the woman of their dreams safe from the evils lurking in the Louisiana bayou—and to tempt her into taking a chance on two of the bayou’s sexiest bad boys.

Mary Jane Johnson is no heartbreaker. Running from a troubled past, the bayou captain wants only to be left alone. When she takes a pair of bayou bad boys on board, however, Dre and Landry have her rethinking her need for space. These two big males have promised to take orders—all of her orders. Suddenly, she’s dreaming of getting as close as possible… to both of the Breaux brothers.

My review ….. 

Oh my …..
Reading this, you will need plenty of ice 😉

I do love this series, it keeps springing those surprises on a girl.

And Dre and Landry are a mighty fine surprise.

Their blue moon bride won’t know what has hit her, these boys do EVERYTHING together 😉

They are given the task of retrieving the packs next blue moon bride. And they need to use the owner of the boat to get closer to her. And the twist in this story, is that they are drawn towards Mary and not their intended target.

We still have the vamp angle, and there is still no redeeming quality to these bad guys.

Mary is a great character, she a little bit of a loner. She is happy with her own company, but seeing the Breaux boys together, makes her want more from her solitary life.

The tension between these three makes for a great read. And the twists in this book makes it and even better read than the first.

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Just to make you chuckle 😂 well it’s officially a butterfly 😉

I’m not a wine drinker ….. but I’d happily swap the wine for a fruit cider 😉 then open a book, and dive right in ……

Always a handy hint (I’m always running out of black ink in the printer at home.

That’s a nice sentiment 💜

Still a little wet and very windy today. Made walking to and from work a little harder.

It was my youngest step-daughter’s birthday today. We went for a family meal.

This is my husbands grandaughter, she is such a cheeky monkey, my phone is full of pictures of her taking selfies 😉

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Back cover ….. 

Alex Cross’s first case since joining the FBI has his new colleagues perplexed. Across the country, men and women are kidnapped in broad daylight and then disappear completely. These people are not being taken for ransom, Alex realizes. They are being bought and sold. And it seems The Wolf is the master criminal behind this terrible trade and who is bringing a new reign of terror to organized crime.

Even as he admires the FBI’s vast resources, Alex is impatient with the Bureau’s clumsiness and caution when it is time to move. A lone wolf himself, he has to go out alone to track his new prey and try to rescue some of the victims while they are still alive. As the case boils over, Alex is in hot water at home, too. His ex-fiancée, Christine Johnson, comes back into his life –

My review ….. 

I’ve always like James Patterson. So I couldn’t wait to open up and dive in ….. 

book 9 in a 26 book series. (But they don’t need to be read in order) 

Alex Cross is FBI agent (recently back) and the case he is on has both himself and his colleagues mystified. Both men and women are being kidnapped, and when no ransom or bodies appear, Alex realised that they aren’t being killed, they are in fact being auctioned off. 

It’s a race against time to work out who and where the next victim will be taken. 

We also have Alex being harassed by his ex-fiancé. 

The action is fast paced, you can actually put yourself in the seat with Alex, and work out who the master criminal is. 

Very descriptive, and well thought out.

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Fear Itself  by Jonathan Nasaw 

Back cover …. 

Just as he’s celebrating his last day on the job, FBI agent E L Pender receives a letter from Dorie Bell. Dorie is afraid. Last year she attended a convention for Persons with Specific Phobia Disorder. Since then, a couple of the delegates have died in suspicious circumstances. Carl Polander had acrophobia. Fear of heights. So what would he be doing on the 12th floor of the building the police say he jumped from? Mara Agajanian had haemophobia. Fear of blood. So how could she have cut her own wrists in the bathtub? 

Dorie, who suffers from an irrational fear of masks, wants Pender to look into these cases. She suspects there may be a twisted serial killer on the loose. Someone, who quite literally, enjoys scaring his victims to death. Dorie’s right. But she has no idea just how close to her the killer is…

My review ….. 

That was a great read. 

Not my usual genre. 

There are several characters in this book, and they are in each other’s lives. 

Very descriptive, thinking the author put a lot of time and effort in research. 

FBI agent Pender is celebrating his last day, and the last thing he needs is a new case, but it peaks his interest and he is soon entangled in Doris’s life. 

Dorie hates masks with a passion, in fact they bring on panic attack’s and fainting. 

Joining a group of phobics they meet up. And when Dorie finds out several of the group have died in mysterious circumstances, she needs the FBI to investigate. And when she’s kidnapped and forced to face her fear, she’s worried that Pender won’t find her in time. 

And the killer ……. 

well, he/she really is a piece of work. I did feel sorry for him/her😉at some point, but when he/she gets going with killing his/hers victims with their greatest fears, then I have to say, I changed my mind.

A Novel of the Darkyn …. Night Lost by Lynn Viehl

Back cover ….. 

Abandoned by his fellow Darkyn, Gabriel Seran is in continual torment as a prisoner of the religious zealots known as the Brethren. His only hope for rescue lies in Nicola Jefferson, a thief seeking a holy relic-and connected to Gabriel in more ways than she can possibly imagine…

My review …. 

This is book 4 in a 7 book series. And I don’t think it will spoil it too much. 

Basically Gabriel has been caught by the resident bad guys in the series (The Brethren) he’s been tortured for the whereabouts of his kin, but he won’t give them up (even though he thinks they’ve forsaken him) 

Blinded and walled up for eternity, Gabriel seeks comfort in his dreams. That is where he meets his angel, his only joy (but Gabriel can’t feel real joy or pain anymore) 

They meet in the dream, but he can’t tell her where he is so he can be rescued. He only holds onto life for her (he hopes they can meet before he finally dies) 

The Darkyn are vampires, they no longer drain their prey, but take enough to survive. They all have unusual talents (different from the usual sparkly vamps) 😉

Nicola is a relic hunter, she’s after a particular piece and vengeance for the death of her family. 

She is numb to the real world, her only escape is in her dreams. She meets a green man (yes literally green) she isn’t frightened of him, but she is wary. 

Together they find each other, and hunt for the relic, and are on the run from the brethren. She hopes to finds justice, he hopes to find out why he was never rescued by his kind.

There are a few surprises. And I liked the fact Nicola had no intention of falling for Gabriel (she was just going to rescue him and go) and right up to the end you don’t know if she stays. 

I’m definitely going to read the rest of the series. And the spin off ?!?! Who knows 😉

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The Affair By Lee Child

Back cover ……. 

March 1997. A woman has her throat cut behind a bar in Mississippi. Just down the road is a big army base. Is the murderer a local guy – or is he a soldier?

Jack Reacher, still a major in the military police, is sent in undercover. The county sheriff is a former U.S. Marine – and a stunningly beautiful woman. 

Her investigation is going nowhere. Is the Pentagon stonewalling her? Or doesn’t she really want to find the killer?

Set just six months before the opening of Killing Floor, The Affair marks a turning point in Reacher’s career. If he does what the army wants, will he be able to live with himself? And if he doesn’t, will the army be able to live with him?

My review ….. 

Book 16 in a 22 book series. It’s the jack reacher series. They don’t need to be read in order. 

Jack is an officer in the military police. And he’s asked to go undercover to find out if the murder of a woman is military or civilian. 

He gets no luck with the local police, and the local sheriff is no help. So jack is wondering if she knows more than she’s letting on. 

There is a little chemistry between the sheriff and Jack and it’s an interesting read.

There is enough action to keep me reading,

I like this series, and I’ve read a couple. 

The author has this genre down really well.

So if you like reading an action packed adventure story, then I’ll highly recommend it.

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Dark Symphony …. A Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan

UK Cover

Back cover ……. 

Blinded and scarred in a terrible accident, Antoinetta Scarletti made music that thrilled the world with its beauty and passion. Descended from a long line of psychics, Antoinetta has learned to rely on her other senses to “see” the world around her, but nothing could have prepared her for Byron.

He came to her, drawn by her music, and became her secret obsession. Others fear him, sensing that he is dangerous—a predator—but for Antoinetta he is her ultimate fantasy, her dream lover. He woos her with kisses full of erotic allure, whispering that she is his light, his salvation. Byron has waited an eternity for her, and he will let nothing stand between him and the woman born to be his lifemate..

My review ….. 

Byron has gotten into trouble a few years ago (the problem with the authors books, there aren’t any real timelines, and as Carpathians live for a long time, we don’t have any real reference to when in time) he had mistaken his best friend’s lifemate was a carpathian female and he wanted that connection with her, and when his friend Jacques (dark desire) claimed her, he thought his friend was forcing Shea and wanted to take her away from him, (don’t want to go into to much detail, but Jacques has been captured, tortured and left for dead in a tomb, Shea rescued him, but it wasn’t an easy time for Jacques and Shea) then Byron himself had been caught and held prisoner (but he was rescued before too much had been done to him) 
So he decided to leave and become a hunter like many Carpathians have (their brethren are turning into vampires quicker with each passing year, they have to either find a lifemate or face the dawn, or become the thing they most hate) but Byron wasn’t always a hunter, he was a jewellery maker, (he finds jewels beneath the earth and makes them into beautiful pieces of jewellery) 
He is in Italy when he connects to music and a pianist …… she is his lifemate, and unlike the last time, he will make sure she is his, before he claims her for all time. 

Antonietta is a world famous piano player. She’s also blind, an accident as a child, but that has never stopped her, she is a strong female and rules her family with a firm but fair hand. Connecting with Byron has awakened something within her, but she won’t leave her family, in fact she only intends to have an affair and move on 😉 But there are things about Byron she can’t explain. 

Antonietta has a secret🤫 will she be able to tell Byron? Or will it be the secret keep them apart ? Byron has to convince Antonietta that they will be together forever, whereas Antonietta is only looking for short term 😉 she thinks the age gap will be their downfall (little does she know that Byron is a lot older than her) 

There is a murderer in the Scarlatti family, or someone close to them, things are happening and Antonietta doesn’t know what to do !!! Why is her family being targeted ? 

Now, I have to admit, Byron’s book was never a favourite of mine. I didn’t get the same connection between Byron and Antonietta as I did for the other couples.
But It was good that another layer of the back story has been added, and we see other races join the Carpathians, the jaguar race have always been a secret race, keeping away from the rest of society. The jaguar males have been brought up with the attitude that women were there to serve, to give birth and not much more.  (We meet a few jaguar women in later books that show they don’t all take orders😉) 

Oh ….. and for readers of Christine’s books, if Antonietta surname rings a bell, then it’s because of a different book she wrote (it’s about a cursed family) yes it’s her ancestors, but no you don’t have to read it.

The scarletti curse. 

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Dark Guardian… A Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan

UK cover

Back cover …… 

Jaxon Montgomery is a woman hunted. Trained by the Special Forces, honed by a traumatic childhood, she is a policewoman with an undisputed reputation. She meets her match when she is set up to be murdered by an enemy. Hunted on all sides, she can only turn to the mysterious stranger who seems more dangerous than any other she has ever known.
He ran with the wolves…
Materialized from the mists…
Hijacked the very heavens to his whims…

My review ….. 

Lucian has been actively seeking his lifemate, he knows she is in the world (after a battle with his twin and conversation with his twin’s lifemate who told of her being in this time) 
He knows she suffers, he can’t feel it, but he is aware only because Francesca told him. 

He is weary, he only wanted his brother safe, and then he intended to seek the dawn, well actually, he had fooled his brother for over 400 years, Gabriel thought him vampire, thus keeping both of them from turning, he knew his brothers lifemate lived in Paris, but kept hiding from them both. He wanted his brother to end his existence, he had fought long and hard, and now wanted peace. But with the chance of a lifemate, Lucian has no choice but to find her and see to her happiness. 
He doesn’t think for one moment he will find her, and how will she put up with him ?  How could a modern woman put up with such a dominant male ?!

We see Jaxon at different stages of her life, it’s not been an easy one ….. 
Her father is killed, then her mother and beloved brother. Next comes her adoptive family, in fact anyone that takes an interest in Jaxon meets a nasty end ….. 
so Jaxon can’t afford to form attachments, although her father taught her self defence and the academy taught her more, the continual threat is always hanging over Jaxon. 

When jaxon and Lucian first meet it’s at a shoot out in a warehouse, Jaxon is seriously injured, Lucian rescues her and takes her to his home. 

Lucian is stunned when he finally meets his lifemate ….. he sees bright colours for the first time in more than 1,000 years, emotions bombard him, the thought that he would command her loyalty and just bind her to him (the males have a ritual that they recite, the couple are then tied together for all time) seems ludicrous now to him, he wanted to set and woo her, but the shootout at the warehouse changed that, one thing Lucian is good at …. making plans 😉

The story takes the same route as all her stories, but each story is different, with Lucian and Jaxon it’s about him tempering his need to protect her, he thinks that his lifemate should stay at home, Jaxon has always been a fighter, a protector, as far as she is concerned, it’s a partnership, so when he goes to hunt, he can expect his mate to go along and back him up. 

Out of the two legendary twins, I liked Lucian a little more. His and Jaxon’s story has always been a favourite of mine. The banter between Jaxon and Lucian had me smiling at odd moments as I read it. 

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It was my day off today ……

Did a few things in town. Had lunch with a friend. Wanted to pop up to see my daughter’s grave (really windy last weekend, I wanted to make sure everything was still there) but I didn’t get up there. I’ll go and see her Sunday. Finally the wind died down, but still a cold evening.

Love this ….. there are some days when you’d just like to read until it all goes away ….

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Dark Legend …. A Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan

UK cover

Back cover ….. 

Gabriel wakes deep within the ground, and the first sensation he feels is an  overwhelming hunger for blood that demanded satisfaction. But as he hunted the dark streets of Paris for prey, a voice called to him, soothing, calming, giving him the strength to control his craving.
Francesca Del Ponce was a healer, a woman who radiated goodness as powerfully as the sun did light. But surely his obsession with her would turn him as his twin brother had turned, leaving the world with two monsters instead of one.

My review ….. 

Ever since I heard about the legendary twins Gabriel and Lucian, I wondered if they ever found their mates ? 
And I found the answer out ….. 
No, after 2,000 years of being on the earth, his brother Lucian had succumbed to the call of the dark monster that lived inside all the Carpathian males. He had turned vampire !!! His brother Gabriel had promised his brother that no one else would hunt and kill him, so for over 400 years they had played cat and mouse ….. Lucian giving clues  to his brother as to where he was and where he his next victim would be.
And after one hard battle, Gabriel had managed to capture his brother and keep him underground, merging with him, Gabriel sent them both to sleep, until the time that Gabriel could finally vanquish his brother. 

Francesca is a world renowned glass and quilt maker (but she uses a different name as a disguise) but she is no ordinary female, she is a rare and gifted Carpathian female (now we know that reading previous books, females are rare, and are treasured, so how do we find Francesca without parents or a male in her life?) 
Centuries ago she met her lifemate, but he didn’t even stop to say hello, he strode through her village, stopping only once to briefly survey his surroundings, then his twin caught his attention, and they left the village !!
Heartbroken Francesca escaped during the battle that killed many of her brethren, including her parents, she made her own way in the world, settling in Paris she made a life for herself, healing people, and trying to turn herself into a human !!! (Drinking herbal concoctions and experimenting with animal blood) living half a life, her male out in the world, destroying vampires, and her saving lives. 

We start with Gabriel waking 400 years later, battling a terrible hunger, but something else, a dread…. his brother had somehow woken without Gabriel being aware, he was in Paris and he needed to stop him !! But after 400 years of being underground, Gabriel was worried his own beast would rise, and whilst feeding would kill, and then Gabriel who become the thing he had hunted. 
He stumbles into a young woman, and instantly he feels calm, unbeknown to him, his lifemate is helping him, he is worried that whilst feeding from her, he will kill her and become vampire, but Francesca is all to aware of what and whom she is helping, if she needs to give her life up to help the humans and Carpathians survive, then it’s a risk worth taking. (She has made up her mind to grow old with a human male she is fond of and end her life as a human.)

Taking him back to her home, she offers her life …… 
Gabriel is suddenly aware of feelings and of thoughts, his lifemate is in his arms, and he is draining her …… quickly he stops and replenishes a little of what he took. 

After that, we have to usual back and forth, Francesca has decided to end her life, and not even her mate will stop her decision. Even as he bounds them together with the “marriage” ritual, he is aware she won’t stay, so he does something that he doesn’t want to do, but is desperate for her to stay with him. 
We have vampires that are seeking females to save them, we have an ancient vampire playing games with his brother, and we also have a young abused female who will play in quite a few books and a large role in the future. 

I still enjoy this series, and yes I know what’s coming, but I haven’t read the older books in a while, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed catching up with old friends. 

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Dark Dream …. A Carpathian Novella …. by Christine Feehan

UK anthology cover

Back cover ….. 

She’s known him since she was fifteen. Every night, he is with her: his face, his voice. Tonight, Sara Marten will meet the man who is both angel and demon, salvation and temptation: Falcon—the Carpathian, the banished hero. Tonight, Sara will meet the dark-eyed destroyer destined to be her mate.

My review ….. 

Although a short story it’s still a good read. And we’ve met these characters in a previous book. (I always wondered how they met) it was released as a short story, then the author reissued it with a little more content…..

Sara had seen her family slaughtered by a vampire, she knew they existed. And she knew how persuasive they could be. Constantly on the move, she is always hunted, never making friends, those people would be at risk from the monster that stalks her. 

Falcon was an ancient (anyone over 500 years old was considered an ancient) he had served his princes father. (so that makes him really old) He was sent by the prince into the new world, to hunt and destroy their “turned” brethren. (Carpathians who have given up their souls and have become vampires)
Their prince knew he was sending them to certain death (they don’t know yet that psychic human women can be turned into lifemates) but all had volunteered to go away from their homes to protect the humans. Carpathian females were few and far between, and babies weren’t being born, so the chances of a lifemate, were growing ever slim. 

At 15 Sara finds a diary and begins to read. It’s from Falcon and he talks about his long and lonely life, how he holds onto his honour for his lifemate. He writes all his hopes and dreams. He pours his heart and soul into the book, but knowing she may never read it. She connects to him, she knows all about lifemates through the diary, she even sees him through the pages (Sara can get images from items) and models a likeness into a bust.

Falcon knows his end is near …. he wants to return home, see his prince, and then face the dawn. 

Falcon is ambushed by thugs, but before he can dispense justice, he is aided by a small human, it’s a female, and as soon as she speaks …… both their lives are changed for all time. 

Sara is also trying to look after a group of runaway children that live on the streets. She’s dedicated her life to helping others, she wants to make a better life for these children, she needs to get them off the streets (something is hunting them)

So …….. that’s how Sara and Falcon meet😉 it’s a great little story (it won’t matter if you read it or not, I just wanted to know more about these characters) We catch up with a few of the other couples in previous books.

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Dark Fire …. 
A carpathian Novel
Christine Feehan….. 

UK cover

Back cover …… 

There is Always a price to pay ….
So Darius warned her when she accepted a position with his traveling troupe. And gazing mesmerized at the merciless slash of his mouth, the implacable resolve on his face, the soulless emptiness of his black eyes, Tempest was afraid to ask what it was.  

She had always been different, apart from others. From the moment his arms closed around her, enveloping her in a sorcerer’s spell, Darius seemed to understand her unique gifts. But did his kiss offer the love and belonging she sought, or a danger more potent than his own panthers?  

Somewhere deep inside herself, Tempest realized she knew the answer. She had no choice but to accept the velvet stroke of his tongue, submit to the white-hot heat piercing her skin, welcome an erotic pleasure like no other. . . 

My review …… 

Darius is so close to turning, he fears for his family. He doesn’t think they will be able to defeat him, and he will slaughter all and everyone his path ….. 

A carpathian male loses his emotions and the ability to see in colour after a few hundred years, so Darius is stunned at seeing a young girl with red hair trying to fix a motor that his little group own. But she’s not a girl, she’s a young woman. And when he heard her voice for the first time, emotions and feelings batter his senses. Julian is a carpathian male just recently joined their group (he is Desari’s mate from dark challenge) and he explained that there are human women out in the world capable of restoring the males emotions. He is hungry to learn more about this female, she is his salvation and no one will stop him from making her his !!!! 

Tempest “Rusti” is a mechanic, she’s always on the move after being let down by her mother and the system. Finding this job seems like a miracle, she can travel with this group, saving money until she has enough to set herself up. But after meeting Desari’s brother, she isn’t so sure !!!! There is something that calls to her …. 

The book is full of emotion. It deals with abuse with a sensitive hand. Tempest has had a hard life and is very wary, but she keeps questioning everything around her, and is very suspicious of the band. And once she finds out the truth, she makes a run for it, but that doesn’t go well for her, and Darius is there to save her (in fact she has a penchant for trouble, and he saves her a few times!!) 

The society again raises its head, (a group of humans out to destroy vampires, and carpathians are caught in the crossfire) and Rusti is put in danger. 
Darius thinks she needs a keeper, but she’s fine with being on her own. 
The banter between these two is very funny. And reading the struggle between them makes for an interesting read. 

So we a feisty female who refuses to listen to an ancient warrior, and constantly finds trouble (or trouble just follows her around) 
We have a carpathian who has been a leader without being questioned for centuries, and now a mere mortal female has him tied up in knots !!!! 

This is the book that set me off on my path to paranormal romances. I read it, and I was hooked….. 
Each book in this long series can be read on its own, but to be perfectly honest, I read them in order (there is an underlining story through the whole series) 

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I found this whilst wandering through the internet 😉 and it’s so true ….. 

so I thought I’d share…….

Do civilians even know about the torture we book nerds go through for each and every book we’re obsessed with?

If you’re a reader, chances are you know the struggle of an anticipated book release.  We’re not talking about “oh, yeah, I’m excited for that book to come out” anticipation, we’re talking “OH MY GOD I WOULD SELL MY LITTLE BROTHER’S KIDNEYS TO HAVE THAT BOOK IN MY HANDS RIGHT NOW” anticipation. (Sorry little brothers.)

But no matter what you’re willing to do to get that book, most of the time you just have to wait a year for it to be finished. You’d think that the millions of books you could read in the meantime would at least do something to reduce the anticipation, but it never does. And so we eagerly await each phase of the book’s release…. 

Ha ha…. 

And that’s just waiting for the hard back (I usually wait for the paperback, as it’s cheaper) the paperback is either 6 months later if the following year !!! I do get annoyed, as when I first started reading these loooooong series, they were in paperback in the uk, but now the publishers want you to shell out your hard earned cash (and some people buy BOTH!!) 

Anyway rant over ….. 

Just thought I’d share this readers view 😉

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Dark Challenge…. A Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan

UK cover

Back cover ….. 

Julian Savage was golden. 
Powerful. But tormented. For the brooding hunter walked alone. Always alone, far from his Carpathian kind, alien to even his twin. Like his name, his existence was savage. Until he met the woman he was sworn to protect…. 
When Julian heard Desari sing, rainbows swamped his starving senses. Emotions bombarded his hardened heart. And a dark hunger to possess her flooded his loins, blinding him to the danger stalking him.
And even as Desari enflamed him, she dared to defy him – with mysterious, unparalleled feminine powers. Was Desari more than his perfect mate? Julian had met his match in this woman, but would she drive him to madness…or save his soul?

My review ….. 

Book 5 sees Aidan’s (from dark gold) twin Julian sent on a mission to protect a mortal woman from the society (a group of humans bent on destroying vampires and their brethren the carpathians) she has been targeted because of her strange lifestyle. 

Julian is different from most carpathian males, he is tall, muscular and blond. Carpathian males are usually tall, slender and black haired. 
And his thirst for knowledge sets him on a path that will see him setting a self imposed exile from his twin and the Carpathian Mountains !!!! 

Desari is a singer in a group they sing only at night, and never at large gigs. Their music haunts you, makes you believe it’s written and sung just for you.
But death stalks Desari in the form of vampires and a group of humans wanting to destroy her and her family. And they almost succeed, she is targeted at a concert, mortally wounded, she is given blood and is changed for all time. 

Meeting a strange and fascinating man, she becomes aware of a few things, her body responds to him (she’s never had this reaction before) and he can talk to her in the way only her family and band members can. Who is this man ? And why does he insist she is his light ? And that they will be together. 
But she won’t be taken for granted, and she won’t leave her family. 

They meet at one of her concerts and Julian is stunned …… Desari isn’t human, she’s a carpathian female ?!?! How is this possible ? Their women are few and he would have known her or of her. And so is the rest of her group, how has he never heard of them ? And how have they survived for so long ? What is their story ? 
Julian needs to find answers. 
And what is more …… she’s is his lifemate!!! 
But meeting the female proves interesting, She knows what she is, she doesn’t know of her brethren in the Carpathian Mountains, she only knows her brother’s law ….. and Darius is a law unto himself !!!! 

The society have found Desari, and she becomes a target. Julian can do no more than protect her, but comes up against Darius (her brother) as far as Darius is concerned Julian isn’t a vampire, but he is a powerful being, and he fears for his sisters safety, and needs to be destroyed. He is their leader and protector, and takes his job very seriously. 

Vampires also target Desari (they are under the impression that a female will restore them back to being a carpathian, but once turned, they can never come back)

The story provides some funny moments, and the usual fight scenes. The ongoing struggle with the society that stalks their every move. 
Desari’s struggle to unite her brother and her lifemate (both alpha males, neither backing down) she won’t leave her brother, he has spent centuries protecting them, and as he struggles with his own darkness, Desari won’t abandon him now. 

And what of the dark and terrible secret that Julian hides ? Will it destroy everything and everyone he loves ? 

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Dark magic ….. Christine Feehan…. A carpathian novel

UK Cover

Back cover ….. 

Young Savannah Dubrinsky was a mistress of illusion, a world-famous magician capable of mesmerizing millions. But there was one-Gregori, the Dark One-who held her in terrifying thrall. Whose cold silver eyes and heated sensuality sent shivers of danger, of desire, down her slender spine.
With a dark magic all his own, Gregori-the implacable hunter, the legendary healer, the most powerful of Carpathian males-whispered in Savannah’s mind that he was her destiny. That she had been born to save his immortal soul. And now, here in New Orleans, the hour had finally come to claim her. To make her completely his. In a ritual as old as time . . . and as inescapable as eternity.

My review …….. 

For centuries Gregori has battled the vampire, but he’s also battled the darkness inside himself. The more battles and kills he makes to keep his carpathian brethren safe, the more of his soul he loses. He is the greatest healer they have, and he has dedicated his life to finding the cause of infantile deaths in his race. 
Their beloved females don’t seem to be able to carry children anymore. Most lose them early in the pregnancy, and if they go to full term, most lose the child within its first year of life.
Gregori has worked out that human psychic females can be safe turned into a carpathian, (the other half of a male carpathian soul,) guaranteeing he doesn’t turn into a vampire. 
But Gregori hides a terrible secret…. he made sure that the female child being carried by his best friend Mikhail’s lifemate Raven was to be HIS lifemate!!! He knows dark magic and used all his talents and healing skills to ensure the female would be his light, his other half of his soul, and he’s kept that a secret since the child was born. And through her childhood he has been her guardian, her protector, her shadow….. And now he needs to claim her, he can’t hold out any longer, the darkness calls to him. 

Savannah has always known “the dark one” a family friend, her fathers best friend. But he scares her, he is domineering, arrogant and totally focused. She doesn’t want to be his “mate” she wants a life, she wants her freedom. And escaping from the Carpathian Mountains to become a world famous illusionist seemed like a good idea, Savannah loves her job, but lives a solitary life. She can’t form emotional attachments, another’s touch can’t be tolerated. 

And when her job brings her into contact with a vampire and Gregori, savannah knows her time has run out !!! 

Their journey is an interesting read. Savannah wants freedom and independence, but she knows of the struggles that the Carpathian male face. But why shouldn’t she choose ? She doesn’t want to be put in a cage. 
Gregori thinks he has taken a lifemate meant for another carpathian, he finally faces his doubts, all his confidence and bravado doesn’t make him feel any less guilty, does his need outweigh another of his brethren ? Would savannah actually been his ? 

As always the author brings their world to life. Very descriptive, and very entertaining. 
Love the fight scenes, always full of action.

We also get to meet Gary (he plays a huge role in the ongoing story that appears soon) a human scientist that gets more than he bargains for when he meets up with savannah and Gregori. 

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Dark Gold ….. Carpathian Novel by Christine Feehan

UK cover

So book 3 has us visiting an ancient (anyone classed over 500 years old is an ancient) Aidan. He has also long given up hope of finding his lifemate, but he does his duty to his prince (Mikhail) he left the Carpathian Mountains to travel to America, to find and fight the vampires. 
We’ve met Aidan before and I had wondered if he would get a story. 

Alexandria is a budding artist, but without a job, and she needs one to look after herself and her young brother Josh. Getting an interview with a famous graphic designer for a video game company seems like a dream job. So she plans to meet the owner at a restaurant, taking her drawings, she pulls up at the restaurant, but there is something not right !!!! There is a heavy and ominous feeling, dread and fear skated down her back, quickly going into the restaurant she finds the owner of the company, putting her fear to one side, Alex wins him over with her art, she has a job, and now her and her brother can breathe a sigh of relief. 

The first meeting between Alex and Aidan isn’t one of joy, she thinks he’s a vampire, he thinks she is a mortal who has been turned into an evil vampiress!!!! 
(Alex has been captured by a vampire who recognised her as a strong telepath, and wanted her for his own, but she manages to escape, but not before ingesting some of the vampires blood)
He had been tracking a vampire, and comes across Alex, intending to end her misery, as Aidan goes into kill her. 
Colours and emotions flood his body, he’s found his lifemate, joy courses through his body, but he fears for her life. 

The story goes through a few twists and turns. Alex’s denial at what she has become, she doesn’t want ANYTHING to do with Aidan, believing he is a vampire. He wood her gently and with great patience, but he knows he can’t ever let her go …… 

Great fight scenes and action is throughout this book, along with some big laughs (the owner of the company still wants her to work for him, but also wants her for himself) and Aidan has to cope with jealously. 

Looking forward to the next book.

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A Dark Assassins Novel…. Jade …. book 4 … Valerie Ullmer

Back Cover……

Jade never wanted a mate. She loved being an assassin and she had a family in her fellow assassins, their mates, and little Silas. She truly had everything she needed. But when Ghost assigned her to track the same immortals who tried to kill Xander’s family, she couldn’t refuse. 

But the complication arises when Ghost requests she partner with Noah, a human and ex-special forces soldier. Jade has never worked with a human before, much less one that hated her from the moment he laid eyes on her. But she was a professional and if she could play a part in destroying the immortals who threatened her family, she could accept the human. If only she knew how to fight her attraction to him.

All Noah Hale wanted was to kill the immortals who lured his best friend and fellow ex-Navy SEAL to his death. He had no desire to be teamed with a beautiful tracker who mesmerized him the moment she turned her emerald eyes his way. But in order to stop other soldiers from pursuing the same fate, he needed to swallow his pride and work with a group of immortals he didn’t trust.

As Jade and Noah track the group of shifters through the mountains of Colorado, the danger lurking around every corner threatens everything they both hold close. Will they be able to find a way through, together?

My Review…… 

Jade is a red fox shifter, she loves her “family” of assassins, and their growing family of mates. She has sisters in the mates of Kai, Xander, Seth and Reaper. There isn’t much she wouldn’t do for her family, so when her boss Ghost asks for her help on tracking down some of the Assassins that attacked Xander and Frost (book 3) in the last book, Jade quickly agrees, but there is a proviso, she has to work with a human. 

Noah isn’t too keen on shifters or vampires, his best friend enrolled them into a research program, from there he watched his best friend die a horrid death, he blames the shifter community, so it’s so keen to work with them, but he wants the culprits who killed his friend to pay, and wants that organisation closed down for good. Going to another shifter organisation seemed the only logical solution (you have to fight fire with fire, humans weren’t going to be of any use, it had to be immortals) 
What he didn’t bank on was meeting a gorgeous redhead, a small package perfectly put together, did he want to know her? Hell yes, did he think she was up to the job? Hell no, but Noah was going to find out how efficient Jade was ….. 

Again, the author seemed to take the easy route (Jade knows Noah is her mate, and Noah is happy with it? Didn’t he just admit that he didn’t like or trust shifters?) a little dislike and indecision would have made it a little more believable. 

The story moves at a relatively good pace, we have the good guys, we have the bad guys and then we have the love interest. We catch up with previous characters and couples from previous books. 
We have a few fights. And we have a little soul searching from both sides.

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Usually my day off but had to swap it around. Should be back to normal next week 😉

Do you want to see the day picture first ? Or the butterfly ? 💋

Tempted to give this Life Hack a go. I’m sure it would be cheaper than the lotions I slap on after my shower/bath 😉

😂would love to do that ……. book a get away and just read all weekend 😉

A really windy day today. Watching the trees, and hoping they didn’t blow over !!

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A Dark Assassins Novel…. Xander … book 3 … Valerie Ullmer

Back Cover…..

Half-human, half-shifter.

Xander has secretly yearned for a mate for most of his immortal existence, and yet after three of his friends found exactly what he’s always wanted, he’d come to believe that he’d missed his chance at happiness.

Until he heard her voice.

Frost is a wildlife biologist and tracker and she has been assigned, despite her adamant protests, to lead mercenaries into the mountains of Snowfall, Colorado for the sole purpose of killing immortal shifters. In order to protect those who have no idea the kind of danger they are in, she agrees. As she leads the armed men on a wild chase around the snow-covered pines, she could sense that she was running out of time.

Until she heard his voice.

Xander understands exactly who Frost is the moment he hears her thoughts. With the help of Kane and Gunnar, they eliminate those in her group as they try to keep her safe. But during the fight, she is hurt and all of his protective instincts flare to life. As Xander learns more about her, he realizes that Frost might be the key to the creation of the immortals, both vampire and shifter. 

But when she becomes a target from those who want to destroy the Dark Company and Xander’s family, how far will he go to save her?

My Review…… 

Xander always seemed more open to the idea of a mate. But he’s convinced himself that his has died, or that he just couldn’t be as lucky as Kai (book 1) Reaper (book 2) or even young Seth (book 2.5) he just has to be content with his family…. 

Frost is a tracker and works for a company who takes people out into the wilderness. She’s also a wildlife biologist, she loves her job, it gets her away from people and the town. She prefers her own company or the company of animals.

Being hired to track animals for a group of mercenaries, Frost is against the idea from the start, but leads them around the forest in the hopes of losing them. 

But what she bumps into is a whole lot more …. 

As soon as Xander “connects” with Frost, something inside him settles. He’s found his mate, and she’s in trouble !!! Dispatching the threat around her, he also places her in harms way, and she’s shot!!! 

We have a name for the society that want to end the Dark Company (that’s the name for the vampires and shifters who work under ghost their leader) it’s called Nightfall. It’s a company run by shifters only (they look down on both the humans and vampires with equal distain) 

And the secret that Frost holds… well she isn’t all human that’s for sure ….. is she the key to unlocking the questions about the shifters and vampires ? Was the first shifter born or made ? And what of the vampires ?

Now, I must admit, I was expecting more, and I was a little disappointed with Xander’s book. It felt a little rushed (was it because of Seth’s novella?) and it didn’t flow as well as book one and two. We had the action, some drama, but no real angst, no real indecision as to where they each thought they were their mate. And the interaction with secondary characters felt a little stilted !!!! 

A Dark Assassins Novel…. Seth …. book 2.5 …. Valerie Ullmer

Back Cover……

Immortals have been a part of Seth’s world since he barged into Kai’s life at the age of twelve. And having a group of shifter and vampire assassins he considered family, he thought that he’d seen it all and that nothing would surprise him. But the one night he met Aubrey changed his world, and he’d never been so happy to be wrong.

Aubrey was used to seclusion, even before she had been turned into a vampire. She’d never dreamed of a life outside her tiny little world, but that was until she met Seth. Before she could understand her reactions, she ran from him. But she couldn’t stay away. The more she gets to know him, the stronger the connection between them solidifies.

When Seth tells Aubrey that he is her mate, will she take a chance and keep him forever?

My Review….

A short story involving the youngest member of the Dark Assassins company and family. 
Seth has known about vampires and shifters since he was 12 years old, he’d been unofficially adopted by Kai ( vampire and hero in book 1) then quickly accepted by the rest of the “Dark Company” members.
His parents aren’t exactly maternal, and leave him to his own devices. 
He wants to help Olivia with her research so goes to school with the intentions of helping her. 
Whilst studying at college, Seth is aware that he should make more of an effort to have human friends, he tried one date….. and that was a disaster!!! 

Aubrey has been a vampire for a little while now (she was “turned” by her mothers latest “boyfriend”) after leaving her mother, Aubrey has been on her own, it’s safer for her that way, the only friends she has is Cole (a human male) and a cat called Hades. 
Deciding on a college course is a big deal for Aubrey, the idea of mixing with people terrifies her. 

The story moves pretty quick (Seth knows Aubrey is his mate, and wants them to be together, he also wants her to turn him into a vampire, so they can be together for a long time) Aubrey isn’t sure, and moves at a slower pace.
It’s a novella, so the story has to move along at a quicker pace. 

We catch up with precious couples, we also catch up with other characters from the previous books. 

Must admit, it’s not my favourite in the series so far (is it because it’s a short story ? Maybe) but I’m glad Seth got a story. And a little disappointed that we had no kidnappings or people trying to kill each other 😉

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Forever Wolf ….The legend of all the wolves series …. book 3 ….. Maria Vale

FOREVER WOLF……. Maria Vale

Back cover ……

Born with one blue eye and one green, Eyulf was abandoned as an infant and has never understood why, or what he is…Varya is fiercely loyal to the Great North Pack, which took her in when she was a teenager. While out on patrol, Varya finds Eyulf wounded and starving and saves his life, at great risk to her own.

Legend says his eyes portend the end of the world…or perhaps, the beginning…

With old and new enemies threatening the Great North, Varya knows as soon as she sees his eyes that she must keep Eyulf hidden away from the superstitious wolves who would doom them both. Until the day they must fight to the death for the Pack’s survival, side by side and heart to heart…

The Legend of All Wolves Series:
The Last Wolf (Book 1)
A Wolf Apart (Book 2)
Forever Wolf (Book 3)

My review ……

Reading this I felt I was missing stuff. So I do think you need to read the other books, but saying that, I don’t think it detracts from a really good read. 

It’s a very different read from the usual shifter books I’ve read. The wolves are human, but most live as a wolf, they think as wolves, their hierarchy is very different from what I’ve read. 

Varya is very disconnected from the pack, everything she does is a duty, she is extremely loyal, and there is nothing she won’t do as a “shielder” (a guardian or enforcer) this isn’t her original pack, she moved to this group as a teenager, so is that why she doesn’t connect with anyone ? 

Whilst on patrol, Varya finds an injured wolf, now by rights she should have killed it, or at least inform her pack, but there is something about this white wolf that calls to her, it’s stirred up emotions that Varya didn’t realise she had. 

Eyulf is different from the other wolves, his eyes give him away, one is blue, the other is green, he carries a heavy prophecy on his shoulders, he could start the end of the world, but he could also save it. 

There are many characters from the previous books that we catch up with. And how Varya interacts with them all is very interesting. Most of the book is told from her POV (her point of view) and although not my favourite thing to read, it does give you an insight into Varya and her emotions (or lack of) 

So what does the future have for Varya and Eyulf ? In fact, what does the future hold for the pack and the world? 

A Wolf apart …The legend of all wolves series …. book 2…. Maria Vale

Dark Desire by Christine Feehan… A Carpathian Novel

UK Cover

My review ….. 

Book two sees a much darker and harder hitting book. 

Jacques was in book 1, Mikhail’s younger brother. He is captured, tortured then left for dead in a cellar …… 

7 years later finds a Doctor and surgeon Shea needing to go to the Carpathian Mountains, she has a need to find something!!!! 

2 years ago she mentally connected with a picture, and now she hears a voice, calling to her, she needs to know if the voice is real, or is she slowly going mad ?! She has a blood disorder and is constantly looking for a cure. Will her fathers heritage help, she knows very little about her father as he left both Shea and her mother to fend for themselves, her mother slowly withdrew into her own little world, until she committed suicide and left Shea an orphan. 

When jacques wakens it’s to constant pain and hunger, why hadn’t anyone found him ? Why hasn’t SHE found him ? He calls to her, did she betray him ? Was she the reason he is now trapped and in constant agony ? He knows she draws near, but he has gone a little mad (seven years of torture will do that to anyone) 

When they finally meet, it’s not a pleasant meeting, he plans to punish her, he plans to drain her dry, but his heart and body recognise her as his mate!!! 

Their courtship is fraught with hardship, danger and madness ….. Jacques can’t quite grasp reality m, and tends to slip into a dark place, and can’t stand being on his own, he has to be around Shea at all times …… 

And when his carpathian family finally arrive, it’s not a happy reunion, he feels betrayed that no one looked for him, he thought his brother would search until he was found. 

The betrayer is revealed and a battle ensues. And it’s someone very close to home. 

This book was harder to read, as I liked jacques in the previous book (dark Prince) and what he does to his life mate is a little had to read, considering they are suppose to cherish the lighter side of their soul. 

But I love the book and I have read it more than a few times, and we see his progress in other books in this series. 

USA Cover

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The last wolf ….. The legend of all the wolves …. book 1 …. Maria Vale

Taming the Troublemaker …. Kadie Scott

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Description:
His heart is bound tighter than the bondage he craves…

Determined to put her past behind her, Cassidy Peyton moves to the Big Apple. But New York has a few dark secrets of its own, including Serve, an exclusive BDSM club. It’s a place she isn’t sure she’s ready for, until she sees him watching her. Hot. Intent. Knowing. With eyes that leave her stomach tied in knots, because the loneliness he’s trying to hide matches her own.