Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye

Laura Kaye’s novella Hearts in Darkness simply blew me away! I found this book while researching her website for a review of her paranormal romance, Forever Freed (another fantastic must read!) I saw the cover for Hearts in Darkness and immediately clicked on it because, well, it’s so damn hot, who wouldn’t? I was surprised to see it was a contemporary romance and not paranormal, but after reading the excerpt I was hooked. The novella was a quick read, but it felt like I had read a full length novel because of the emotional connection I felt with the characters. At no point did the story feel rushed like so many novellas can.

Caden is a surprising character, with his tattoos and piercings, you’d expect a tough alpha male type, but his personality and his past make him someone you’d love to snuggle up to and take care of. While we learn a lot about Caden throughout the story and not as much about Makenna, she is still a well-developed character with whom she’s easy to identify. Their time alone in the dark elevator is filled with witty banter, sensual physical romance, and emotionally intimate conversations. The story keeps you intrigued and entertained throughout and disappointed that it’s over at the end.

Hearts in Darkness is a must read for any fan of romance. Think you can’t judge a book by its cover? You’re right, this book is so much better than the cover and that cover is pretty close to perfect! Well, just to be sure, I think I’ll go look at the cover again.  Mmmm, yep, perfect!

Forever Freed by Laura Kaye

Laura Kaye’s Forever Freed is unlike any vampire romance I’ve read to date. With characters that grab you from the start this is a book that will stay with you long after you finish. Lucien Demarco is a vampire, over a century old, with a tortured soul that is crying out for the happiness that he lost so long ago. When Samantha and her very special daughter Ollie come into his life you can feel the hope in Lucien grow as his feelings for these humans, his girls, are written out on the pages. Lucien’s family is filled with interesting characters that I would love to read more about. The family dynamic is so special and the care and support they give to Lucien, Ollie, and Samantha has such a genuine feel you can’t help but love them all.

Forever Freed had me emotionally drawn in from the very beginning. Many times throughout the book the author had my heart racing, my eyes tearing, and my stomach fluttering.  Laura Kaye has been added to my auto-buy list!

Love Bleeds by Maggie James

Love Bleeds, the first book in the Only After Dark series, is an alluring story of family, passion, danger, and rock ‘n’ roll. With a band made up of vampires and humans playing seductively, sexy music, (think Stewart Townsend in Queen of the Damned singing love songs - YUM!) James takes the vampire romance genre in a completely different direction with this story. These powerful and sexy vampires live along side human band mates acting as a family unit. Sure the vampires are more powerful and can be a bit scary to the humans, but they still interact like any other family would.  Joe is such a fascinating character that I loved, then hated, then loved again. He’s one emotionally screwed-up vampire when it comes to relationships, but isn’t ashamed of his vampire nature. His best friend, Philip, seems to have a death wish until he meets Kat’s best friend, Nina. Nina’s and Philip’s relationship is a sweet and loving story. Kat’s and Joe’s relationship is as rocky as they come but was so entertaining to read. Their sexual chemistry jumps off the page and had me fanning myself numerous times. There are a lot of story lines going on in the back ground with the other characters that really set up a nice world for the author to continue this fabulous series. I want to hear more about the other characters she introduced us to. Love Bleeds is a must read and the Only After Dark series is certainly one to keep your eye on in the future!

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From http://maggiejames.net/

There's no such thing as vampires...
Straight-laced Katarina Renót is well educated, logical and doesn't believe vampires truly exist. But when a well deserved holiday in Europe turns into a torrid game of cat and mouse with a handsome stranger and her best friend is exhibiting signs of being allergic to daylight-Kat doesn't think her life can get any stranger.

Every man has a weakness...Even an immortal...
Joseph Markus is an arrogant, wealthy entrepreneur who spends his free time as the raspy lead singer for the rock band "Slang" and seducing beautiful women. After decades of mourning the tragic death of the only woman he ever loved, vying to save his best friend from an unrelenting death wish- now he is accused of being a murderer.

An undeniable twist of fate...
Kat learns her Prince Charming is actually the "Prince of Darkness" and though she can't resist falling for this sultry vampire, she still lives in denial. But when the lines are drawn, and Kat finds herself caught in the middle of a deadly plot for revenge she has only one choice--trust the seductive vampire who has captured her heart. Despite his own arrogance, Joe finds himself inexplicably drawn to Kat. Her stubborn will to resist his seductive charms coupled with her endearing naiveté prove to be more than he bargained for and Joe soon realizes he is in way over his head. But will love be enough to save their immortal souls from the grips of a twisted obsession?