Review: Angel Thief by Jenny Schwartz

Description:

She's breaking the rules. Again.
An archivist in the heavenly library, Sara must follow protocol when it comes to curating the knowledge of the universe. But "liberating" an ancient text from the collection of a human—an Australian drug lord—could save a boy's life. Sara has no way of knowing that one of the man's other treasures is a sexy-as-sin djinni, bound by a wish to guard the estate.
He's only following orders.
Filip is compelled to turn over intruders, even celestial ones, to his master. When he catches Sara in the library, he isn't above indulging in some sensual kisses with her, or using her to trick the mobster into wasting a wish. It's what he must do to preserve his facade of freedom and protect his heart.
But the kidnapping of the drug lord's daughter forces Sara and Filip to work together—bringing out the hero that lurks within the soul of the djinni, and the passion within the angel.

Review:

One of the best aspects of Angel Thief is that it jumps right into the action, no elaborate schemes to draw out the introduction of characters- what you see is what you get. And who wouldn't want this image seared into memory?

     He wore jeans, zipped but unbuttoned, and nothing else. The bones of his face were dominant angles, the nose aquiline, the wide mouth made for sin. Blue eyes were astonishingly bright against the darkness of his gleaming wet hair and skin.

Yum-my! Makes a girl want a djinni all for herself.

Angel Thief isn't all sex and sin, although Filip and Sara are white hot, the lore for this world was well explained and easy to understand. Lilith, Adam's first wife, mated with demons and produced 77 offspring that are the djinn and it would seem that only one has succeeded in breaking the curse. Since the djinn did not have freedom all that often they tried to make up for lost time whenever the opportunity presented itself by causing mischief and chaos. We only get the chance to meet one of the 76 and it would be interesting to meet up with some more. Maybe other books?

Aside from a few minor word usage issues this was a brisk, fun and adventurous read. The novella length was perfect and the romance was sweet with just the right touch of naughty.

You can find more information about this book and others in the Carina Press line-up by clicking here.

*This book was reviewed by Anna Dougherty for Bite Club.
*This book was obtained via NetGalley for review purposes.

Review: Silver Bound by Ella Drake

Description:

Sheriff Guy Trident doesn't have much to do with off-worlders; he has his hands full keeping his own planet safe. But he'll do anything, go anywhere to save Jewel Quinn. She broke his heart years ago when she left to marry a Terraloft aristocrat. Now she's run away from her husband, only to fall into the clutches of slavers.

Posing as a wealthy playboy, Guy arrives at Zuthuru Station to learn he's too late: Jewel's memories have been erased. She's been tipped in silver, a process that leaves nothing behind except her body, sexually bound to pleasuring her master. Unwilling to give up hope, Guy buys her.
Jewel fights to reclaim herself, recalling a different connection to the handsome sheriff, remembering the frightened eyes of a young boy and the events that made her run. Together she and Guy search for her cure, plan her son's rescue from her ruthless ex, and test if they have any kind of future...before the past catches up to them.

Review:

Silver Bound isn't necessarily a paranormal romance, or even paranormal anything, but it landed on my radar for its science fiction setting and storyline. I would classify this story as a space western romance, a little bit Jayne Castle-ish only hotter, and I would love to read more from this world. Rangetown and Trident Ranch would both make excellent tie-ins for continuing stories- maybe with Brice or some of the other space marshals, and maybe we could even re-visit Guy and Jewel.

And let's not forget the steamy sex scenes between Guy and Jewel. I've always heard that writing a sex scene can be difficult and I've read many a book where sex is just an epic fail...not the case here! Detailed without being ridiculous, visual with frying your brain- some of these scenes were out of this world (pun intended). Guy and Jewel have genuine feelings for each other and those emotions come through in each and every scene.

Silver Bound is a fairly quick read and good for a lazy afternoon or stealing a quick moment away from all your obligations. And who knows, you might be inspired *wink*

You can find out more about Silver Bound and Carina Press here.

*I got this ebook from NetGalley for review purposes.
*Reviewed by Anna Dougherty for Bite Club.

Guest: Karalynn Lee with contest

Hey, Biters!  I'm excited to introduce you to author Karalynn Lee today.  She's got a novella out with Carina Press, DEMON'S FALL, and I really enjoyed the read.  It's about angels and demons, and her world is amazing, and I love, love LOVE the cover.  We reviewed the story here.  She'll give away an electronic copy to one lucky commenter, so show her some love in the comments!  [Winner announced Sunday.]  Without further ado, here's Karalynn.

Unexpected angels

I once figured that I would never write a story about angels, since the angel trend these days tends to occur in paranormal books set in contemporary-ish settings.  I can only seem to write fantasy and science fiction that doesn't hold even a hint of the modern world.  But then I started thinking of entire fantasy series with their own take on angels:

Sharon Shinn's Samaria is a world where angels control the weather with their unearthly voices.  They've grown arrogant at the apex of society, and some women have become angel-seekers, hoping to share an angel's bed and bear his child in order to share that luxury.  Shinn likes to explore the intersection between angels and normal folk, often with strong-minded women who don't, in fact, want anything to do with angels.

The Saga of Recluce, by L.E. Modesitt, Jr., introduces "angels" who come from the stars via spacecraft to crash on a populated world where order and chaos manifest as powers.  They adapt to this low-tech planet and establish a matriarchal society whose effects reverberate across the realms and through centuries -- and those women are damn good with a sword.

Meredith Ann Pierce's angels are actually darkangels who gather souls at the bidding of a witch and yet manage to captivate all the same.  Ariel, a slave, is abducted by one of them to serve the darkangels' doomed brides.  I was continually thrilled by the inventiveness of The Darkangel Trilogy, from sailing upon a sea of dust to the gathering of gargoyles.

Even the computer game Planescape: Torment has a caged angel -- "one who soars on the wings of morning and with his hands, is the architect of horizons."  (Mmm.)  So you never know where you'll find an interesting angel.

Yes, one showed up in my writing as well.  Mine finds herself in the marketplace of Hell, sold to a demon who at first considers her a curiosity.  She's startled that he's not the utter bastard she expected all demons to be, while he becomes entangled in the quest that brought her to that forsaken place.  They learn that there's more at stake than a girl's soul, or even their own hearts.

If you like fairy tales, Biblical prophecy with a twist, and demons who aren't one-dimensionally evil along with your angels, you may want to give Demon's Fall a try.  You can read an excerpt at my website <http://karalynnlee.com/demons_fall_excerpt?ref=biteclub> .

Tell me about your favorite angels, or just drop a note!  One commenter will win a copy of Demon’s Fall.
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You can find more of Karalynn's writing at her website, karalynnlee.com.  Her latest release, Demon's Fall, is available as an electronic novella from Carina Press.

She was an angel at the gates of Hell.

When Kenan, an incubus, finds a caged angel for sale in the Hellsgate marketplace, he sees her as a challenge. Certain that his skills in seduction will work as well on a heavenly creature as they do on mortal women, he buys Jahel, intent on having her soul as a novelty in his collection.

Knowing he must gain Jahel's trust if she is to come to his bed willingly, Kenan treats her more as his guest than as his slave. When she reveals what brought her to the mouth of Hell in the first place -- retrieving the soul of a young girl she was guarding -- he even offers to help her complete her mission.

Though he has promised Jahel freedom, Kenan soon realizes she has captured his heart instead. And as their passion for one another grows, they find themselves caught in a struggle between Heaven and Hell, one that will lead them to the very edge of the apocalypse...