Posts Tagged ‘Kathy Love’

Pooooor silly, sweet and sinfully sexy Sebastian…all befuddled because he can’t stop thinking about the off-beat waitress that now works for him. Not his usual cup of tea (he prefers the super-model types), the klutzy, overly pale (even for a vampire) messy haired, bespeckeled female has definitely caught his attention.

"Nadine, I appreciate your decision, but I’m not sure she’s cut out for a job here. I mean look at Greta." He gestured to the leggy blonde, , leaning on the end of the bar chatting with Crystal, a curvy brunette. "And Crystal. Our cocktail waitresses are part of the allure of the place. They are supposed to be a draw for the patrons."

"Give her a chance. This is where she needs to be," Nadine said, certainty in her husky voice.

Sebastian studied his right-hand woman and friend. Finally, he nodded. Nadine was a good judge of character, another trait of werewolves. Animal instincts and all that. And he’d trusted her for years with all his hiring. It didn’t make much sense to question her now.

Still, while there was something that intrigued him about the vampiress, there was something that made him uncomfortable as well. His gut told him he should bypass Nadine’s opinion and give the little waitress her walking papers.

Wilhelmina Weiss (Mina) is an unskilled, bashful and easily frightened "young" vampire. She gets hired to work at his bar, but with the intention of putting Sebastian (and his fangs) permanently out of business. Hateful of her kind, she joins a "Society for Preternaturals" that focuses on integrating with humans. Their goal: to stop all of their normal (yet unacceptable) behaviors that would frighten humans. Sebastian, known for being a wild child and glutton for sexy human females (and their blood) MUST be stopped!

As she botches multiple sabotage attempts (did I mention she was unskilled especially in the paranormal aspect), Sebastian quickly realizes what his new waitress is trying to do.

Suddenly her irritation with his cavalier behavior was too much. For the first time since she’d met him, Wilhelmina did something clumsy that she fully intended. As she picked up another glass, she clanked the stem against Becky’s full cocktail. The glass soared over and pink liquid splashed down the front of Sebastian’s pale blue designer shirt.

Sebastian jumped up as what appeared to be a Mai Tai with extra cherries soaked into the material of his shirt and the crotch of his trousers.

The women in the booth handed him their drink napkins as he attempted to pat away the worse of the spill.

"Oh no," Wilhelmina said, "I’m so sorry."

Sebastian looked up from the wet splotches to see something akin to a smirk on Wilhelmina’s lips. As soon as she realized he was looking, the smile faded into an expression of innocent dismay.

But Sebastian knew what he’d seen.

Despite his aggravation towards her treachery, he is even more astonished that a female could actually NOT want him. Also grasping that she is yet another self-loathing vampire, he is determined to find out what her problem is and makes a deal with her. No biting any humans for one month, if she allows him to teach her how to be (and love being) a vampire.

Inevitably, their close proximity forces them to open their eyes and see beyond the exterior shell protecting an innermost being that one cannot help but to love. But they struggle…boy do they struggle…

One of my favorite parts (when Mina sees Sebastian with another woman, not realizing it his interior designer):

"I want to end the deal," she said flatly.

No. No way. But he didn’t say that. "Why?"

She looked up at him, misery clear in her blue eyes. He was the one making her this unhappy. The idea killed him.

"Baby," he murmured, touching her cheek. "Tell me what’s going on, please."

She closed her eyes, then straightened her spine against his soft, rich voice. Then she met his gaze directly. "If you are meeting women, mortal women, then how do I know you aren’t biting them? There’s no way for me to know. You could have bitten evert woman every night since we made the deal. I’d be none the wiser. And – I just can’t…I just can’t do," she gestured to them, "this. The deal is done."

Sebastian digested her words. "You’re jealous, aren’t you?"

She didn’t answer, but she was sure her miserable expression said enough.

Despite her obvious angst, the idea made him feel like giving a triumphant whoop.

"Why are you smiling?"

He tried to be sober, but he couldn’t.

"It’s cruel to enjoy someone else’s distress," she informed him primly.

"Oh baby," he said sincerely, "I’m only enjoying it because this is a major breakthrough."

She eyed him as if she thought he was mad.

"If you are jealous, then you must like me a little bit."

"Yes," she admitted, with a begrudging roll of her eyes.

"I’m really glad about that. Because I have to admit, I like you a little bit too."

See? Fun!! Kathy Love is all about the preternaturals residing in a human world. They do human activities (some…a touch more on the "animalistic" side *blush*), they interact with the mortals, they go watch live bands, get into fistfights, have insecurities, hug and cry, but yet they have that powerful ethereal aspect that we crave so much!

And…it’s yet another provocative installment, but again, the author makes you work for the "prize".

Never fear however, as she has the ability to turn a simple *kiss* scene into a steam inducing, mind blowing, highly satisfying moment, so it’s all good

He made a noise somewhere between a chuckle and a groan as his mouth caught her again.

Go slow, he told himself and managed to maintain gentle, brushing kisses. Velvet against velvet. He continued his tender onslaught until the need inside him swelled to the point that he had to touch more if her.

She groaned as if she was reading his mind and moved closer to him.

"Are you okay?" Sebastian asked, his lips not fully leaving hers, even though he didn’t sense fear.

"I want…more."

"I want to give you more."

My one embarrassing moment? When a major twist in the end smacked me in the forehead…I shoulda seen it coming, and am quite distressed actually that I didn’t, not even one time, clue in. How? Was I that enthralled with Sebastian that I saw nothing else? Not even one of the numerous clues that she dropped throughout the chapters (and one extra clue that I had simply because I’m a latecomer to the series).

Looking back…I’m just…it’s shameful really . I find that I do that alot. While people are busy picking apart a storyline to discern what’s to come, I nonchalantly bumble along for the ride with no concern as to what I might run into. But it does make for some impact when the realization hits, so that’s always fun!

First off…how clever are these book titles?? I just figured out that the neat little play on words actually hints at what the story will be about. Fangs for the Memories (book one) was about a vampire who gets amnesia…get it?

This book clued me in because Christian (the evil vampire brother from book#1), gets his conscience back in this story by attempting to become more human.

Due to devastating circumstances in book 1, Christian is determined to get a sense of his humanity back. He decides to move away from his luxuries, live closely amongst the human population (a trailer park seemed appropriate), and connect with others. Determined not to bite, he restricts his feedings to bagged blood, and even feeding is restricted to small portion sizes. He drinks just enough to allow him to “live” while diminishing his powers, essentially forcing him to become more human – even his fangs fail him, no longer reacting to stimuli. Fangs But No Fangs…get it? He’s a vampire, but not really…sorta.

As he lives his new life in a run-down trailer home, he become friends with his pretty neighbor, Jolee.

“I haven’t had many friends,” he admitted. None, to be exact. “I suppose I don’t know how to react at times. But I think you could help me.”

Hadn’t he just told himself that he needed to stay near this woman to protect her? Now he was the one asking for help. From a mortal. He waited for the rush of disdain for himself. For being weak and pitiful. But the flood never came. he only felt hopeful, and maybe a little uncertain.

Owner of a local karaoke bar, she too, is escaping her past, and her family’s questionable moral character.

Crushing on each other, Christian resists his feelings for her.  Considering his destructive past, he doesn’t feel he deserves to be happy. He runs hot and cold throughout the entire novel, rudely rebuffing Jolee just as she considers getting to know him…

Here she’d been thinking her neighbor seemed attracted to her, and he essentially told her how unattractive he found her. Man, was she that clueless?

…yet always coming to her rescue (whether it be saving her from her knife wielding brother to helping her bartend, for free, at her bar).

Cooler heads do not prevail in this book. The passion is hot (and Kathy Love is a genius at teasing but not quite giving it up until later, especially in this installment), and their potential is promising.

Quick excerpt from a quick shopping trip for condoms (not necessary considering he’s a vampire, but if you’re gonna play the part of a human, you gotta go all the way, before going all the way )

“Do you have a favorite?” he finally asked.

“No,” she said , then smiled slightly. “But even if I did, it wouldn’t matter, because you’ve only got one choice, big boy.”

She pulled a box labeled ‘Maximum” off the hook and handed it to him.

A-hem *blush*…no further explanation necessary

But as these things go, the whole “Hey, by the way, I’m a vampire…no, I’m not crazy, I’m really a vampire” section puts their whole relationship in a tailspin (I always love that part!). Especially considering the fact that his “fangs” no longer show up at will. Now how’s he gonna prove anything without those?

So this is yet another satisfying read from Kathy Love, with passion, but mostly, an amazing sense of self discovery and connecting.

She infuses Christian with quirky yet endearing qualities (such as his strange fascination with – completely useless to him – infomercial gadgets), and opens up their world with charming secondary characters.

By the way, my favorite brother, Sebastian, we don’t get much of until the end, but when he did show up, his reactions were hilarious.

“See.” Sebastian shook his head. “Loon. Total loon.”

I think his book is next. Ok, so let me try and figure out what it’s gonna be about by the title alone:

“I Only Have Fangs For You”

…well that’s obvious enough, he’s gonna find his one and only mate….wait, maybe there’s more to it? Okay off I go to immerse myself in his wonderful-ness.

I had heard about Kathy Love through her “Young Brothers” books and immediately collected the series. Strangely enough, I read her “Bourbon Trilogy” first (and LOVED it). I’ve decided to tackle the Young brothers this week, and just finished book 1. Great start, quite funny (Sebastian is especially a hoot…I have a yet another crush…what’s new?), and I really enjoyed the premise of the story.

It is about a New Yorker male (Rhys Young) who is the typical hunky yet brooding, dark and angry, single vampire. In a bar one night, he is intrigued by an adorable non-New Yorker female (Jane) who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Having had a bad day on her new venture in New York, she wanders into a seedy bar, drinks too many tequila shots, and is eventually accosted in a back alley, by a recently released prisoner. Rhys, with all of his paranormal abilities is aware of the potential trouble brewing, and steps in to save her.

Rhys, having a sordid past and enemies of his own to contend with, is attacked by his biggest enemy, his brother Christian.

Sebastian (their other brother… *swoon*… woops sorry about that) finds both Jane and Rhys in that back alley, face down and out for the count. Picking up on a connection between the two, he brings them home, and devises a scheme to play matchmaker (considering Rhys is sorely in need for love).

Rhys awakes, and displays a case of selective amnesia. Suddenly, he is back to his old fun loving, and happy self. He thinks that his residence in present day New York is actually his Victorian era, England home and believes that Jane is his chosen bride to be. Oh yeah, and he doesn’t remember that he’s a vampire.

‘I would be careful, brother. I do not intend to share my woman.”

Heat sizzled through Jane’s belly at his possessiveness. But she immediately admonished herself. She shouldn’t be enjoying herself. She had no idea what was going on – and Rhys was clearly not acting normal.

“Especially since she is now, very likely anyway, my wife and thus your sister.” Rhys added, smiling down at her as if he was quite pleased with that idea.

Not normal at all.

Sebastian turned to stare at Jane.

She gave him a weak smile.

Sebastian frowned at his brother, and Jane changed her initial opinion. He could look as intense as Rhys. “Rhys, what the hell are you talking about?”

“This is Jane Harrison.” Rhys came to stand beside her. “The lady to which I have been betrothed.”

When Sebastian just stared at him. Rhys clarified, “From America.”

When his brother still didn’t speak, Rhys turned to her. “I am sorry. Sebastian is often considered the gregarious member of the family. But apparently today he is – ”

“Freaked out,” Sebastian suggested.

His brother Sebastian (also a vampire… *swoon*… hee hee! Can’t help it ) has his work cut out for him, as he tries to help the two fall in love, and keep them both in the dark over Rhys true nature (all the while, convincing Jane to stay and be paid to be Rhys’s caretaker). You know…it’s all part of the “plan”. Of course, it’s not that hard to convince Jane to stay awhile, considering she moved to New York to find a job, and Rhys is damn sexy!

Lots of silly and fun moments with Sebastian’s spontaneous excuses…

But now Sebastian had the peculiarities of being a vampire to deal with. Being a vampire was easy. Being a vampire who didn’t know he was a vampire; that might be tricky. Rhys could end his existence with one short stroll in the sunshine. Or if his hunger wasn’t appeased regularly, Jane could die from one overzealous chomp.

…Rhys’s demands to “ready a carriage” when he wants to go out, (here’s an example scene where he makes this strange request from his modern New York bouncer type employee):

“Mick,” Rhys repeated. “You work for us.”

Mick did raise his eyebrows in response.

“Thank God, man.” Rhys walked over and clapped the giant on the arm. “Ready me a carriage. Immediately.”

At that, Mick’s brows shot up even farther, an almost laughable expression of perplexity coming over his stoic features.

Sebastian stepped forward. “No. Don’t ready – a carriage, Mick.”

and Jane’s flabbergasted confusion over the strange situation in which she has landed herself.

Oh and by the way…this book is also intensely passionate…yup…HOT…

Open your eyes. Watch me. Watch me love you.

and there’s some angst too, but I’ll let you get to that part on your own

Well….It’s time to say goodbye to one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I have had. I can console myself with the knowledge that I can read these again, but there is nothing like the “first time” experience when reading a series that is this fulfilling, and this trilogy is full of delicious angst!

The third installation was the guiltiest of all guilty pleasures! The intimate moments so enticingly detailed, I lost myself completely to it. The scenes are thick with emotion, passion & seduction.

The third book concludes with the final best friend of the lovely female trio that first vacationed together in New Orleans (the practical, logical and cautious “Jo”), and the sexy, yet devious demon that irritated us in the 2nd installment, “Maksim” (oh yum!!)…I thought I was a vampire girl, but this one…hrmmm…

Maksim is a seductive bad boy Demon leader of the Eighth Circle of Hell (always taking advantage of his latest sexcapades – human females NOT usually his preference).

He stared at his now silent phone, looking at it as if the small device was something he’d never seen before.

What he was doing was wrong.

Then he snapped the phone shut. Of course it was wrong. He was a demon, damn it. Demons were not known for the their good deeds and mortal fortitude. He was the ruler of the Eighth Circle of Hell. Not Dudley-Do-Right.

Slipping the phone into his pocket, he smiled and headed back to the street. She’d come around. They always did. It wasn’t as if she wouldn’t enjoy herself once he got what he wanted. She’d love every minute of it.

He’d show her the best time of her life. And surely, that made up for the uncertainty she was feeling now.

So, see, in a strange way, he was doing a good deed.

He is on Earth trying to locate his missing half demon/half human sister Ellina. He has no real leads on what could have happened to her, but the last note he found from her had Vittorio’s name on it (the Lampir brother from the second book), so he is sticking around in case something pops up.

He has briefly met “Jo” a few times in the past, and finds himself disconcertingly intrigued by her (but can’t figure out why would he be interested in a mere human. It must be because she doesn’t seem the least bit interested in him. Nothing better than the chase…). As he gets to know Jo, he begins experiencing feelings that he is not familiar with (feelings of compassion, and worry). Little does he know that Jo also finds him somewhat captivating, but deceptions from her recent past leave her highly reluctant to trust anyone (even her best girlfriends) with her troubles.

Helpless. Yet another feeling that, being a demon, Maksim was not familiar with. Okay, he did feel helpless about his sister-and her disappearance. But not helpless like this.

He stared down at Jo as she pressed her face against his chest and cried like her heart was breaking. And he felt very helpless-and overwhelmed.

He tightened his arms around her, each racking shake of her slight body pulling painfully at something in his chest.

One of the scenes that absolutely made my head spin (loved it, as it was unmistakably steamy) was the bar scene when Maksim decided to stake his claim. The scene involved Jo at a bar with her friends (after a fight with Maksim), and an interested guy approaching her:

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

Maksim couldn’t  stop himself from turning on the stool to face the two of them, Now this he wanted to hear.

“No, I don’t”

Technically that was true, Maksim supposed, but that didn’t  matter at the moment. Her words still made him see red.

He hooked a hand under her elbow and tugged. She slid around on the stool like the seat spun on its own. Her dark eyes snapped open wide and her lips rounded into a perfect “o’.

“The hell you don’t”

Maksim pulled her against him, she was only half on her stool and mostly leaning on him.

And he kissed her soundly.

Oh boy! There is SO much more to this scene…I was captivated, and this is one (of the many) scenes that I decided to re-read to fully enjoy the moment more than once! Intoxicating!

 My favorite situations (other that the passionately intimate ones) involved the simple, pure friendship shared between two individuals that were both leery of letting themselves go. There were many of these poignant, and exquisitely realistic moments, and I have each one ear-marked to quote, but I would end up giving away too much of this wonderful story. It must be read completely to be properly appreciated.

Can their new friendship withstand a foundation of hidden truths?

This novel will lead you through a beautiful story of friendship, passion, and personal growth (and even a few scary moments – ghosts are creepy too!)  that will swell your heart, bring tears to your eyes, and have you smiling all at the same time!

I have spent each evening reading this week, and have finished a few books that I will be reviewing shortly. I just love the latest J.R. Ward book “Lover Avenged”, and am almost done. All that waiting for her upcoming release, and when it finally comes out, I get through it much too quickly…

However, I have plenty of good reading material right after this one! Some new Kathy Love books have arrived, the latest Charlaine Harris installment, Amanda Ashley, and a bunch from Caridad Piñeiro to entertain me!

• Any Way You Want It (read my review here)
• I Want You To Want Me (read my review here)
• Demon Can’t Help It (read my review here)
• What A Demon Wants (guess it’s not a Trilogy anymore And this particular book merges somewhat with The Young Brothers series – remember Jude?)

Have you ever read a book (or series) that you enjoy so much that if, by chance, you wake up at 4am, you find yourself reaching for the book, instead of trying to get back to sleep? It’s my favorite time to read. The house is dark and silent except for the faint glow of my book-light, I’m cozy and bundled up, and it’s just me and my stories (and occasionally the faint sound of snoring, but a good nudge usually fixes that!)  It might explain why I’ve been feeling sleep deprived these days, but it’s well worth it.

I did find myself finishing this book during the wee hours, after I was supposed to be asleep for the night. Again, a very fun read, intensely romantic, but much more paranormal activity in this 2nd installment.

This story focuses on Vittorio (Ren’s younger half brother), and Maggie’s free-spirited best friend, Erika. Despite Vittorio being of a very serious nature (somewhat sullen and moody), Erika finds herself incredibly attracted to him. He is standoffish, seemingly uninterested, and even somewhat rude, but she continues to subtly pursue him.

While we find out, from Vittorio’s point of view, that he is incredibly attracted to Erika, he fears getting too close to her, as he has realized that many of the women from his past have died. Considering his unconventional relationship with his controlling, malevolent mother (and the creepy kind of “love” she feels for him), he is emotionally scarred, and fears she might be behind the deaths of his female friends.

While the angsty theme from the first book seems to have spilled over into this one (the vampire male feeling “cursed” and therefore distancing himself from a women to protect her), he does have plenty of basis to go on, in regards to his concerns.

Of course, all of this apprehension generates an air of anguish (which I personally love – I am a roller coaster fan, so emotional love roller coasters, at least in books, are just as thrilling to me as the real thing).

In this installment, not only do we deal with Vittorio’s personal demons, we get the real thing too! Demons, lampir style vampiric activity, psychics, and the devious villains are all present and important in this book. Therefore, the romantic atmosphere and unfolding “distressed” love story that was prevalent and unceasing in the first book, is on occasion, interrupted here (we are snapped out of the romantic haze, to deal with the villainous masterminding).

For those who love the action and danger, this book definitely has some fear factor action. I am a hopeless romantic, however,  it was necessary to have the danger and villains in this story (turmoil can’t always only be about feelings, or it will get boring at some point – I mean, it IS a vampire book!) What a pain in the butt their mother was (as her sons refer to her: she’s “bat-shit crazy”) Talk about the mother-in-law from hell…

Here are some of my favorite parts:

Vittorio and Erika were preparing to eat supper together, in her apartment, and Erika had just come home from a very scary ordeal. Vittorio wanted her to feel “normal” and despite his inability to truly “eat” food, he faked it for her.

He shook the food onto the plate, regarding the cooked meat warily, as if it might attack him.

“Some rice?”

He took the container and ladled out just a bit.

Erika frowned. “Are you sure you got enough?”

He eyed the small mound, knowing it was going to sit in his gut like twenty pounds of wet cement. “No, this is fine. I’m not terribly hungry.”

LOVED LOVED LOVED the scene where they discussed the songs they’ve always wanted to make love to. Considering her song choice is actually one of my favorites, this scene was really touching. I suggest, when reading this part of the book, to slow down, and hear the song in your head (or play it for real) to get the full effect…

“umm, ‘Love Song’ by The Cure.”

“Very eighties,” he said, his lips just fractions of an inch from hers, then his eyes glanced off to the side briefly as if he was committing that information to memory. His hand left her face, moving to capture her hand.

“Where are we going?” she asked as she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

He started humming the tune of the song she just named. He sang a few lyrics, the ones about being alone with her making him feel young again. She nearly laughed at that, thinking making him young again couldn’t be too hard. But she pushed that thought aside. He wanted her and she wasn’t going to look for trouble.

Vittorio was now singing the lyrics about being alone with her making him feel whole again. He had a lovely, deep singing voice and she liked the idea that she was making him whole. She had a feeling he needed someone to help him with that.

awwww…that whole scene is priceless! LOVED IT!

Oh! oh! and then this one – I told you the WHOLE chapter was amazing. This book, was on a roll here:

After a few moments-or maybe many, time lost all meaning-he lifted his head from where it rested on her chest.

“I think I changed my mind,” he whispered, and she frowned at him, not following. Then a stark, sharp jolt of fear filled her. What had he changed his mind about? Her? This situation?

But she managed to sound calm as she asked, “About what?”

“About my favorite song.”

She tried not to sink into the mattress with relief, although her heart still thudded in her chest-and not just from their impassioned lovemaking.

“What is your favorite song now?”

He dropped his head back to her chest, and didn’t answer for a moment. Then he raised his head again, lightly resting his chin on her chest.

“It’s the beat of your heart.”

Oh I totally melted! There are no words….

Ya gotta read it. I am waiting patiently for the 3rd book of this trilogy to arrive in the mail. I can’t wait!

Despite being loaded with books after the book fair at the Romantic Times Convention, I realize in my excitement, I managed to forget or skip some very important purchases (that would help complete my already started series), sooo… I just had to get more! With all of the new releases going on right now, I definitely need to get a proper bookshelf! Here are a few of the books I purchased over the weekend, and more on the way (in the mail).

Latest purchases:

Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 7)  by J.R. Ward (been anxiously awaiting this one)

A Bite to Remember (Argeneau Vampires, Book 5) by Lynsay Sands (I am still trying to fill in the blanks with this series before I start it). A few books left to buy, and then it’s complete.

The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks (this one wasn’t even on my wish list, but my husband found it for me while I was browsing the romance section, and insisted I read it! I must admit, it does look intriguing, so it has become a part of my collection. What a sweet husband! He’s actually the one who found me the Adrian Phoenix books that I enjoyed so much).

Coming (hopefully within the next day or so):

Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9) / Southern Vampire Series) by Charlaine Harris – It feels like I’ve been waiting forever for this one

Demon Can’t Help It by Kathy Love (I just finished part two of the Bourbon Street Trilogy last night, and am loving it!)

I Only Have Fangs for You (The Young Brothers, Book 3) by Kathy Love

So as you can see, lots of good reading ahead! I wish I could read full time…stupid work! I need to cut down on my work hours so I can read more! (tee hee!!)…wait a minute, shouldn’t I be working right now? Why yes I should be….shhhhhh…I was never here!