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Showing posts with label Rebecca Royce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rebecca Royce. Show all posts
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Review: Paging Doctor Wolf by Rebecca Royce
Paging Doctor Wolf
Author: Rebecca Royce
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Publisher: Decadent
1 Night Stand Series
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Erotica, Novella
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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Trauma surgeon Dr. Dallas Olson is too busy to date. Signing up with Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand service seems like a good plan, but his plans are sidelined when he’s nearly killed by a wolf attack. While still recovering and dealing with unexplainable side effects, he nevertheless agrees to meet the woman Madame Eve found for him.
Looking forward to her 1Night Stand date, werewolf shifter Cara Johnson is disappointed when it’s canceled unexpectedly. When Madame Eve lets her know that the man she should have met has suffered a wolf attack, Cara fears he’ll become a rogue werewolf himself during the next full moon. Unless she finds him and brings him home to her pack before that happens, her Alpha will have no choice but to kill him.
With only days left before the full moon, Cara and Dallas meet. He thinks it’s a one-night stand. She thinks it’s a mission to save his life. Madame Eve has other ideas.
What VampBard’s talking about:
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Paging Doctor Wolf was my first venture into Decadent's 1Night Stand stories. I find myself wanting MORE! This hot little snippet was the perfect unwind story when I found myself with an hour or so of time available. Read in one sitting, this short was in-depth enough to feed my detail-driven psyche as well as satiate my steam-factor requirement.
Dallas, attacked by a pack of rogue wolf shifters in the emergency room in the hospital where he worked as a trauma surgeon, was heading down a precarious road until he was hooked-up with Cara, a shifter wolf ordered by her Alpha to make sure Dallas ended up a member of their pack. Ms. Royce's world-building was awesome. She delivered details regarding the rules of her shifter world, and also imparted the dire situation in a manner, given the length of the story, with deliberate method.
I'd like to go on record saying that this was 1Hot Story. When Dallas and Cara met, not far into the story, the reader was transported into the castle bedroom in a voyeuristic manner. It felt as though I were a fly on the wall. Throughout their encounter, Cara was planting small hints as to what Dallas was feeling. He was out of his element, and she was seemingly the one in control, although Dallas definitely had his moments.
As a reader of other paranormal romance stories, I really enjoyed the fact that the couple was mated during that initial meeting. It showed that sometimes fate does have a role to play in what appears to be a chance meeting, and that there seems to be a bigger plan for all of us.
My only complaints about Paging Doctor Wolf was that it was short. Ms. Royce definitely has enough of a plot potential for at least a novella length story. I was also a little uncomfortable (possibly not used to) the language used during the smokin' hot sex. I was able to get past it because this was 'supposed' to be a one night stand, which ended up turning into (potentially) a lifetime of happiness. I look forward to having the opportunity to catch more of these snippets in the future.
VampBard’s Rating:
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Liked it - recommend (B+)
Purchase Info:
Labels:
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Review of Bar Mate, Mate by the Music & Out of Place Mate by Rebecca Royce
Bar Mate
Mate by the Music
Out of Place Mate
Author: Rebecca Royce
Release Dates: March - April, 2012
Publisher: Decadent Pub.
Decadent’s Edge Series
Shifters & Bikers Series
Genre: Paranormal Romance, short story, Erotica
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the books:
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Bar Mate: Wolf-shifter Yvette Nelson is incredibly bored with her job as a waitress at Gunther’s Bar. Until one night, when a man she’s never met enters the place. He makes her wolf want to come out and play—she has to have him.
Stark just wanted a beer. But Yvette brings out yearnings in him he didn’t even know he had. Together, they’ll find that letting go of inhibitions can open up all kinds of fun times, like a chance at forever.
Mate by the Music: A mission to find his brother sends Scott Quaid to Gunther’s Bar, but a storm has emptied the place of everyone except a beautiful shifter hot enough to dry his damp leathers.
Nancy Elwood has faced the worst of humans and shifters alike and has no intention of ever letting her guard down again, until a handsome biker sweeps in with the rain.
As background music throbs around them, a different type of vibration urges two strong souls to mate with animalistic passion.
Out of Place Mate: Sean Quaid’s brothers don’t think he is very shifter-friendly. He certainly does not seem happy that they have both married and haven’t been showing up to work. Victoria Bensen wants nothing more than to cool him down and get him to stop making such a scene at Gunther’s Bar.
When she drags him to the staging room at the back of the bar, she doesn’t know that it will be Sean bringing down her barriers, not the other way around.
What I’m talking about:
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Once again, I am drawn to the fun pleasure of a short story from Decadent Publishing’s EDGE line. As I’ve mentioned previously, these stories are “slices of life” from a bigger story and meant to be enjoyed for the intensity of the moment.
Today I bring to you three such vignettes that all take place in the same world, and are follow-up stories to Unwanted Mate by Rebecca Royce. Together, they tell the tale of how three brothers find their mates at Gunther’s Bar, home of a shifter wolf pack and owned by the pack’s Alpha, Gunther, hero of the first story. Each story can be read as a stand alone, but together they paint a richer picture - to include Unwanted Mate, which I think is the best of all four stories.
In Bar Mate, we are introduced to the first Quaid brother, Stark. He is a human, aware of the shifter world, but lives on the fringe of the shifter society. When he meets Yvette at Gunther’s bar, sparks explode. I felt at times that the dialogue between Stark and Yvette was a bit odd and awkward... He asks if her boobs are real and she replies "shifters don't get plastic surgery," and then Stark compares her lack of focus to his dog. *shakes head* However, the pair has good chemistry and although the sex has quick... no drawn out foreplay, it was hot.
Unlike in Unwanted Mate, there is no history between Stark and Yvette. They meet, have sex, and wham... are mated. I think that's why I enjoyed the first story more than this one -- the history. I would liked to see the pair again to find out more about Stark. There is innuendo of a history, and I bet it would be good.
The next story, Mate by the Music, features Scott Quaid, brother of Stark, and Nancy Elwood. She is a lone wolf. He's searching for his younger brother (Stark) who's been missing for a week. (We find out he's gotten married and apparently can't do much but have sex right now.) She's tending bar for Yvette on a rainy night and there are no customers.
Once again, the short centers around a female shifter and human male. Once again, it's sex at first site and instant mating. Now that I'm on my third story, I wish I knew more about the mating. Clearly it's for life, but ... The more I read, the more I want this to be a longer book! Plus, I want my male shifters again...
The sex in this one was pretty smoldering. But again, without the (advantage) of any back story, I don't feel like the mating is important or even necessary.
In the fourth vignette of Ms. Royce’s Shifters and Biker’s Series, we meet eldest brother, Sean Quaid. Sean is justifiably upset with his younger brothers who have gone off and gotten married without telling the family. Not only have they abandoned their jobs (the trio own a very lucrative business), but he is worried the females may only be out for money. When Sean meets up with his brothers and their mates at Gunther’s he meets Victoria, who was hired to take over for Yvette.
Right away I like chemistry between Tori and Sean. They are thinking and not just doing. *snicker* Maybe it's because he's an engineer and planner like me ... So I related. I was right with him wondering how could his brothers just run off and let the company fall apart?
Yet he soon gives in to his desires for Tori, and they are quickly in the back room doing exactly what he had given his brothers a hard time over. I liked the story line in this one better than the previous two. Once again, there isn’t a lot of foreplay, but still very sexy.
In the end, I’d say that the bundle of stories together is better than reading just one. However, I feel that a short-length story can excel as a romance, and not just an erotic scene, only when there is indication of history, as in Unwanted Mate. While the three stories highlighted in this review are sexy and fun, the one-night-stand into mating/marriage didn't give me the satisfaction of a romance. These are fun slices of life and ideal to fit in between the tough parts of your day.
My Rating:
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Liked it, but I had some issues - recommend (B)
Purchase Info:
Review of Books in the series:
Monday, May 14, 2012
Quickie Review: Return to the Sea by Rebecca Royce
Return to the Sea
Author: Rebecca Royce
Release Date: Aug. 3, 2011
Publisher: Decadent
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Novella
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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The clock is ticking for Laneigh. Banished from the ocean ten years earlier, Laneigh is shocked to discover all the Mer people living on dry land die within a decade of leaving the sea. With her life ending, she boards a cruise ship, intent on challenging the Mer who destroyed her life. She doesn't expect him to save her—but she has a request she is desperate he honor.
Hearing Laneigh’s name on the wind, Sylarus, son of the Mer king, is powerless to stop himself from seeing her. Defying his father’s edict, he rushes to meet the woman he’s desired his whole life. But when he learns of her impending death, something shifts deep inside Sylarus. He cannot—will not—let her die.
Sylarus and Laneigh face tremendous odds to be together. In the end, they will either change Mer society forever or perish in the attempt. Can true love forgive after a decade of betrayals?
What I’m talking about:
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The story opens with Laneigh standing on a cruise ship, looking out into the ocean depths, knowing that Sylarus is near. When she feels her former lover magically appear behind her, she dreads facing him to tell him what’s been going on for the past decade while she has been banished to dry land. Laneigh is a mermaid and Sylarus’s father, King of the Mer people, has forbid Laneigh to return to the sea. What Sylarus doesn’t know is that it is slowly killing Laneigh, and that Sylarus is a father of a ten-year-old girl.
The two share a past and blame one another for the current situation. However, they still find a way to get past all of the resentment and pain to sex it up “one last time.” Of course it’s been ten lonely years for both - each remaining celibate since their separation. Once they “get a room,” their unbridled passion ignites and raw emotions flood freely into the open.
Return to the Sea is an enjoyable, entertaining read. The book is fun in all the right places and sexy enough to make me blush a little. The first half of the story rocked! I loved reading about Laneigh and Sylarus’s reunion and watching them release their past to make way for the future. They both take chances and it pays off.
However, once the pair returns to the sea with their newly transformed daughter, the story takes a turn. It isn’t bad, but I felt the political ramifications of what occurs and how it comes to be was a bit hokey and contrived.
In the end, the novella-length story is a good one, and I recommend giving it a go. After all, it’s Mer people and it’s smexy!
My Rating:
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Liked it, but I had some issues - recommend (B)
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Quickie Review: Unwanted Mate
Unwanted Mate
Author: Rebecca Royce
Release Date: Feb. 23, 2012
Publisher: Decadent
Decadent's Edge Series
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Short Story (4K word count)
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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For years, shapeshifter Gunther West has known Judy is his mate. His little human isn't so sure. When a tragedy brings her knocking on his door seeking comfort, Gunther is more than ready to provide it. Neither can deny the sparks that fly, but are those sparks enough for forever?
What I’m talking about:
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Want a quickie? Decadent Publishing’s THE EDGE series is just what the doctor ordered! Unwanted Mate is less than novella length - a short story, at only 4,000 words. It’s more of a vignette than plot-driven book.
The tale revolves around an alpha shifter, Gunther, and the human who is destined to be his mate, Judy. They both know the mating is there, yet - she avoids him, and he waits patiently so as not to push her away forever. Gunther’s break happens one night after Judy witnesses a friend die. She comes to him for comfort, knowing she will walk away with much more from the evening than hot sex.
Unwanted Mate is a romantic, sweet, albeit extremely hot encounter between Gunther and Judy. The story is their initial sexual encounter. It's hot, but I wouldn't classify it as erotic. The reader is treated to both Judy and Gunther’s POVs, and we are party to the seeds of romance bound for a happily ever after.
Honestly, the story is so short that it's hard to write much. There was no time for deep character or plot development, but the emotions in and purpose of the story comes through to the reader, regardless of the length. Really, there wasn’t need for much else -- it works. If you want to escape for a few moments (and can get past the names Judy and Gunther), give Unwanted Mate a go.
My Rating:
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Liked it - recommend (B+)
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