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Showing posts with label Lucani Lovers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lucani Lovers. Show all posts
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Review: Shades of Moonlight by Stephanie Julian
Shades of Moonlight
Author: Stephanie Julian
Release Date: May 17, 2013
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Lucani Lovers #6
ISBN: #978-1419946561
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Erotic
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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Wolf shifter Race Aragon knows Mara Marrucini is meant to be his, in bed and out. And he’s not about to let anyone or anything get in his way of protecting her and her baby. She’d been the prisoner of a madman and has the emotional scars to prove it. Now that she’s free, he’s going to make damn sure she gets to live her life—with him at her side.
Mara adores Race. He’s the first man to make her feel like a woman. To make her feel protected. His touch ignites her desire but she fears for his safety. Her presence in his life puts him in the crosshairs.
But with her son’s life on the line, Mara trusts no one but Race to keep them both safe. And to care for her heart—always.
What B is talking about:
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The first glimpse we’re given of the potential for a relationship between Race and Mara comes at the end of book 5, Grace in Moonlight, which I also recommend. It is a sweet little tidbit about the future mates, and sets up their interactions in Shades of Moonlight nicely. As is common for Ms. Julian’s shifters, Race’s attachment to Mara is evident from the very beginning of her time with the versipelli (“skin shifters”), even if he doesn’t understand it. One my favorite things about this story is that Race doesn’t really care why he feels so strongly for Mara, he simply throws himself into an endearing devotion to her happiness and well-being. Mara similarly trusts Race when she hardly trusts anyone else, and worries that any contact with her will put him in danger.
The ongoing build up to war with the “Malandante” (evil descendants of the Etruscans who care only for money and power) provides plenty of action throughout the series, Shades of Moonlight included. An unwilling former breeder for the Mal, Mara lives in fear for the safety of both herself and her infant son, Arin, and worries that her time with the wolves is a temporary arrangement at best. Arin, meanwhile, has a special gift of his own that throws the shifters, as well as their deities, into a further state of alarm. And if all that wasn’t enough, Race is confronted with a crisis close to home that puts his and Mara’s faith in one another to the test.
I’ve had the privilege of following the Lucani Lovers series for a long time now, and I believe it is a fine addition to the collection of any fan of shifter erotic romance. As a novella-length story, Shades of Moonlight advances the tension between the wolves and the Mal, while telling the story of an unlikely pair of misfits discovering a loving and undeniable bond with one another. Neither Race nor Mara believes they’re good enough for the other, but they can’t resist their mutual attraction, either. It isn’t logical, but it’s extremely romantic and absolutely sexy. While this story can stand alone, it is better when read within the series, as quite a few of the secondary characters already have novels of their own. While fairly simple in its execution, this story has plenty of action and sensuality to make up for it. Sometimes, the best parts of a narrative lie in not having to worry about all the details in favor of simply enjoying the story as it is, and Shades of Moonlight does that and more just fine.
B’s Rating:
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Liked it a lot - recommend (B+)
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
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Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Review: Grace in Moonlight
Grace in MoonlightAuthor: Stephanie Julian
Release Date: July 20, 2011
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Lucani Lovers # 5
ISBN: 978-1419935718
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Erotic
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Author/Publisher
| About the book: |
Kaisie Giliati is the lucani king’s best tracker. He’s used to hunting and capturing his prey with little resistance. He’s also old enough to know exactly what he wants, and the feisty redhead who stirs him like no other is at the top of his list. Too bad she’s the enemy and seemingly impervious to his charms.
Grace Bellasario has a target on her back, two children to protect from their evil father and she’s in love for the first time in her life. With a man who should hate her—a man she has no business craving. But does she ever. Grace doesn’t have a chance in hell of shaking Kaisie off her tail. Now he just needs to keep her alive to live happily ever after…
| What B is talking about: |
Trapped between two worlds, Grace Bellasario has done everything she can, including some truly horrible things, to find a cure to help her ailing son. Born a normal child into the world of the evil Malandante, she’s been shunned by her family as a disgrace, yet she’s still hunted by the Mal who will always consider her to be his.
Kaisie Giliati has plenty to deal with without the redheaded, fiery scientist his pack has taken in. At the age of forty-four, he’s got a grown daughter of his own, is the best tracker the pack has, and has a group of well-meaning friends who think they know what’s best for him. It doesn’t help that they’re probably right.
This is, perhaps, the most mature of the Lucani Lovers novels so far. Kaisie and Grace are both adults with children of their own, and while Grace may question her own self-worth as Kaisie’s mate, she never wavers in her devotion to her children, and later, the pack. Kaisie, likewise, takes his duty to defend his pack, and his loyalty to the Lucani king, seriously. But between Grace’s determination and Kaisie’s increasing restlessness, an explosive collision is bound to happen. Good thing it’s a lot of fun when it does.
Grace in Moonlight may be the sexiest of the series yet. Having experienced considerable hurt and regret throughout their lives, Grace and Kaisie reach more freely for what they want than some of the younger characters have. Grace’s painful past experiences cause her to hesitate at first, but she’s determined to make some good memories of her own, and Kaisie is more than willing to help. He is intuitive and generous, and gives Grace the control she needs to feel safe, even when she hands that control right back to him. The resulting scenes are enthusiastic and intimate, and certainly worthy of a reread or two.
I’ve been fortunate enough to read this series from the beginning, and am happy to say that I think Julian has succeeded in writing the best one yet with Grace in Moonlight. This is a great, quick read filled with enjoyable characters and well-written action that doesn’t disappoint. The relationship between Grace and Kaisie is fierce and sexy and gives the novel as a whole a real sense of heart. The Lucanis have me hooked, and I can’t wait for the next in the series.
| B’s Rating: |
Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Monday, April 25, 2011
Review: Moonlight Temptation
Moonlight TemptationAuthor: Stephanie Julian
Release Date: January 2011
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Lucani Lovers, Book 4
ISBN: #978-1419932885
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Erotica
Format(s): E-book
I received a copy of this book from the PUBLISHER for the purposes of an honest review.
From the author’s website:
Evie Simmons has magical powers she can’t control and her best friend is a 17-year-old werewolf. It’d be hilarious if it weren’t just so damn depressing. Add in the sexy shifter she can’t keep out of her mind and his hot-as-hell friend and it’s a recipe for disaster.
Dr. Dane Dimitriou knows Evie has had a hard time adjusting to her new life in the Etruscan magical community—as difficult as his denial of his feelings for her have been. But he’s got the perfect cure. His best friend, easygoing Ryan Maguire, is the complete opposite of stick-up-his-ass Dane. He can act as a buffer. Dane can get close, but not too close. Yeah, right.
These sexy men may be just what the doctor ordered.
What B is talking about:
Having been kidnapped, experimented on, and then acquiring some dangerous new powers she can’t control, Evangeline Simmons feels like she’s barely hanging on. To top that off, she’s got a serious crush on the Lucani doctor whose first encounter with her was extraordinarily unfortunate. While she’s sure he can’t stand her, her heart seems determined to want only him.
Ryan Maguire and Dane Dimitriou have been friends for years, and know each other better than anyone else ever could. But Dane’s plan to get Ryan to help Evie adjust to her new life, one in which he can deny how hard he’s fallen for her, backfires when both men realize she’s the only woman they’ll ever desire.
Moonlight Temptation was the most enjoyable of the Lucani Lovers series. I really liked Evie, and enjoyed seeing things work out so well for her. She too has had a difficult past and recent trauma, and she reminds me somewhat of Tamra from the first book in the series, Kiss of Moonlight. Rather than allow herself to be incapacitated by what she’s been through, Evie faces her new challenges and confronts her demons, and, ultimately, proves she’s someone others can depend on. Watching Evie get fierce was a lot of fun.
Dane and Ryan were good characters, too. They each have their own issues to contend with, but love each other like brothers. Although both men care for and worry about Evie, they not only recognize that she’s capable of standing on her own if she believes in herself enough, but encourage her to do just that. I very much enjoyed the way their love for Evie took shape throughout the story, and the sexual heat between the three of them definitely warranted a reread. (Or two…of certain passages…ahem.)
While all the novels in the Lucani Lovers series have a certain degree of predictability, they are all enjoyable stories. Likewise, each story is definitely stronger when read as part of the series, rather than independently of one another. Moonlight Temptation was the highlight of the series for me, and solidly contributes to the strength of the series overall. Julian has written a wonderful series, created some engaging characters, and I can honestly say I’m very sorry to have reached the end of it.
B’s Rating:
Enjoyed – Strongly Recommend (A-)
Other books in the series:
Friday, March 25, 2011
Review: Edge of Moonlight
Edge of MoonlightAuthor: Stephanie Julian
Release Date: May, 2010
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Lucani Lovers Series Book 3
ISBN: #978-1419927911
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Erotica
Format(s): Ebook
I received a copy of this book from the PUBLISHER for the purposes of an honest review.
From the author’s website:
Etruscan wolf shifter Kaine Giliati has longed for John Simmons since he willingly agreed to wipe all memory of her from his mind. The pain in her heart is only magnified by terror—the ability to call her wolf appears to have deserted her, as well.
For months after he and his sister escaped a crazed kidnapper, John has been dreaming about a beautiful woman he’s never met but who seems so familiar. A woman he’s shocked to find in a dark bar one night. A woman who agrees to come back to his apartment for raw, passionate sex.
One erotic, stolen night reopens old wounds, uncovers buried memories and sets Kaine and John on a path filled with danger, magic and potential heartbreak.
What B is talking about:
Kaine Gillati is supposed to be one of the strongest of her kind. She is “Sicari”—an elite assassin for the king of the Lucani himself. Now she’s faced with a new discovery about her family that could cost her the only home she’s ever known. John Simmons is determined to protect and shelter his sister and avenge her kidnapping. But when the woman of his dreams becomes real, he learns that nothing is as it seems, and the fight to hold on to her may be his toughest yet.
Edge of Moonlight is another enjoyable installment in the Lucani Lovers series. The stories continue to build on one another as the plot becomes more engaging. Julian stays with what has worked in the other books in the series and uses the conflict, and eventual resolution, Kaine and John face as part of the larger story, while keeping the other characters she’s introduced relevant in the process.
Kaine and John have several very sexy encounters during the course of Edge of Moonlight. Rather than making their sexual discovery one of delicate appreciation turned to passion, or the acceptance of multiple partners, as in the first two novels in the series, these two practically collide with one another in near frenzies, both unable and unwilling to miss any opportunity they find to connect with one another. As soldiers in the midst of their own conflict, the approach works well.
Edge of Moonlight is yet another sound addition to the Lucani Lovers series. Julian sticks to a familiar path in this novel, so there were no surprises, but I think Kaine and John work well as a pair. I was sorry to see Kaine lose so much of her inner fire during the earlier part of the story, but glad to see the spark and steel make a return towards the end. As a continuation of a series I’m becoming attached to, Edge of Moonlight did not disappoint, and I maintain my opinion that the cumulative nature of Julian’s novels is one of their greatest strengths.
B’s Rating:
Liked it a lot - recommend (B+)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Review: Moonlight Menage
Moonlight Ménage
Author: Stephanie Julian
Release Date: March 2010
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Lucani Lovers, Book 2
ISBN: #978-1419927485
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Erotica
Format(s): E-book
I received a copy of this book from the PUBLISHER for the purposes of an honest review.
From the author’s website:
For eight years, Etruscan witch Tira Belludi has longed for the two shifter men who hold her heart. But visions of death and fears for her sanity have forced her to keep her distance.
Nic Rocca and Duke Ducati are brothers in everything but blood and partners who have each other’s backs. They share a home, a job and had planned to share their life with Tira between them…until she saw their future and built a wall around her heart.
Now danger and death stalk Nic and Duke. And Tira must make a choice—grab love while she has the chance or watch Nic die from afar and lose Duke forever.
What B is talking about:
Tira Belludi has inherited the gift of “Praenuntio” (foresight) from her mother, but views it as more of a curse. Nic Rocca and Duke Ducati have loved Tira for years, knew instantly she was their mate, but have all but given up on ever finding happiness together since Tira pulled away from them after she foresaw the death of one of their trio, and the destruction of all that remained of it.
Moonlight Ménage is the second book in Julian’s Lucani Lovers series, and while the sex was hotter, Tira’s evolution left me hoping for a little more. Unlike, Tamra, in Kiss of Moonlight, Tira is overwhelmed and cowed by her circumstances throughout most of the novel. By comparison, Nic and Duke are rich, vibrant characters that bear the weight of the story’s conflict well. I did feel sympathetic to Tira’s situation, but wish she’d fought more resolutely for her heart’s desire earlier on.
As to the sex…while I’ve certainly read naughtier depictions (*blush*), Moonlight Ménage definitely ramps it up a notch. Or two, to be more specific. This is a strictly heterosexual ménage a trios, as Nic and Duke never interact sexually with each other, but share Tira as their mate. They are two straight men sharing a sexual relationship with one woman at the same time. Once they all decide to take what they want despite the fate they’d previously accepted, they have a string of encounters, one after another, to make up for lost time. The terminology Julian uses during these scenes isn’t overly skeevy, nor is it too precious, and allows the imagery she’s created to really come alive. And it is some very nice imagery, I have to say.
The main plot of the series has become more interesting with this novel, as well, although it definitely takes a back seat to the trio’s relationship. When all the characters come together for the battle at the end of their personal journeys, the story itself really takes off, setting the stage for the next novel, while allowing Tira, Nic, and Duke to embrace the happy ending they’ve been striving for.
Moonlight Ménage does a bit of many things quite well, but overall it didn’t leave me breathless. I definitely liked it enough to be excited about the next novel in the series, however, and the sex scenes kept me raptly turning pages the whole way through. The first two novels compliment each other very well, and I strongly feel that this is a case where the individual stories will lead to a captivating, exciting, and sexy series that’s well worth reading.
B’s Rating:
Liked it a lot - recommend (B+)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Review: Kiss of Moonlight
Kiss of Moonlight
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Author: Stephanie Julian
Release Date: October 2009
Publisher: Ellora’s CaveLucani Lovers Series, Book 1
ISBN: #978-1419925399
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Erotica
Format(s): E-book
I received a copy of this book from the PUBLISHER for the purposes of an honest review.
From the author’s website:
Plagued by nightmares. Stalked by kidnappers. Tamra McMillan needs a safe haven. When tattooed bad-ass Kyle Rossini steps into her life, she didn't expect to find a sanctuary from her demons or hot sex. But appearances can be deceiving. His tender touch and the hunger in his eyes brands her his for life.
But otherworldly forces are afoot and death hovers…
Etruscan werewolf Kyle Rossini is a loner. The king’s assassin with a killer’s instincts. The last thing he needs is a mate. Until he meets the one woman who needs him more than he needs his solitude. When Tamra stumbles into his world and his bed, she captures his heart. And nothing will keep him from her.
What B is talking about:
Like any proper Alpha Male, Kyle Rossini keeps mostly to himself, is content to do his job as his king’s assassin, and likes to work on his muscle car in his spare time. An early (and refreshing) deviation from the stereotype comes in the form of Kyle’s fifteen year old daughter, Catene, who decides their new neighbor might be in trouble, and needs checking on.
Tamra McMillan is running from her memories of a horrific attack and has isolated herself in her family’s old, run-down cabin in an attempt to come to terms with it and eventually reenter her former life. She’s looking for a decent night’s sleep and some inner peace, not earth-shattering sex, and certainly not a Lucani (an Etruscan skin-shifter) mate. Of course, things hardly ever go as planned, and Tamra gets more than she could have ever anticipated.
Readers should know that there are vague flashbacks of the attack on Tamra. They aren’t overly explicit, but are mentioned through her memories and as details from the police report, as well as in a general overview of her case Kyle discovers while looking for particulars on Tamra online. I didn’t feel they overwhelmed the story in any way, however, but instead illustrate Tamra’s inner strength in overcoming what happened to her.
Kiss of Moonlight definitely has some predictable moments and repetitions, but they don’t do the book any real harm. Julian injects a lot of originality into familiar tales, which keeps the story fresh and unique. Kiss of Moonlight is the first novel in the Lucani Lovers series, and while lighter faire overall, it’s a sweet and sexy read. I’m very excited to be able to read the other three books in the series and see what these gorgeous shifters are up to next.
B's Rating:
Liked it a lot - recommend (B+)
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