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Showing posts with label Regan Hastings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Regan Hastings. Show all posts
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Sunday Snippets #115
Visions of ChainsAuthor: Regan Hastings
Awakening Novel #3
Publisher: Signet
Released: June 5, 2012
REVIEW HERE
"The bullet's still in her shoulder, Finn." The man who'd called Deidre "bitch" spoke softly. "We've gotta get it out."
"Deidre will get it out, Mike."
"Me?" She turned her head around to look up at him. "She needs a doctor."
"No," Shauna muttered. "No doctors. Have to report bullet wounds. Might as well take me straight to jail, do not pass Go, do not collect two hundred dollars."
"Damn it, Shauna, this isn't a game." Deidre glared at her friend, then softened her tone because she'd already been shot. SHe didn't need to be yelled at. "You need a transfusion and antibiotics."
"We've got emergency medical equipment here," Joe said, walking up to stand alongside Finn. "We take care of our own."
"Just one big crazy family, how nice," Deidre snapped.
"You can get the bullet out, Deidre," Finn told her, going down on his haunches. He met her gaze an said, "Use your magic. Pull the metal from her shoulder. It will be less invasive than one of us using forceps to dig around in her flesh."
"Oh, God," Shauna moaned.
Deidre swallowed hard at that image and knew she'd have to try. She couldn't let Shauna suffer even more pain. Not if she could help it. "Fine. Just tell me what to do."
"You already know," Finn said. "Just do what you did outside. Direct your power with your mind."
"This is crazy," Mike muttered. "Just because she can throw guns doesn't mean she -"
Finn shot him a look that had the man shutting up fast. Deidre didn't blame him. Even with his features calm and blank, Finn was intimidating. A look of fury from him was bound to strike fear into the heart of anybody with a brain.
"Okay, just ... back off," she said, looking at all of them in turn. "Shauna, I'm going to try to get the bullet out, okay?"
"Do it, Dee." She closed her eyes, and bit down hard on her bottom lip.
Hands sweaty, throat dry as dust, Deidre was half afraid she would have that meltdown she'd been joking about a few minutes ago. But like Finn had pointed out, there was no time for it now. She'd do that later. Indulge in a rant or a crying fit and then she'd demand some answers from the man kneeling right beside her.
Taking a deep breath, she laid her hands over Shauna's wound and felt the cold stickiness of congealing blood against her palms. She tried not to think about the fact that it was her friend's blood and instead concentrated on calling up that sparkling sense of power she had felt earlier.
She thought it would be hard.
It wasn't.
As soon as she reached for it, her magic was there. As if it had been hidden away in a locked chest for years and now was just eager to be used. To be needed. She smiled to herself as the shimmer of something wondrous spread from her heart, down her arms to her hands and then to her fingertips. Focusing on the shape and size of the bullet within her friend's body, Deidre pulled on it with her mind.
She felt it move. Felt it sliding from tissue and muscle to edge past bone. While Shauna whimpered, Deidre concentrated, calling it forth, drawing on her magic, on the amazing thing she was doing until-
The bullet popped free and landed in Deidre's palm. It glittered in the candlelight, a shiny, blood-streaked brass piece of metal, smashed at the tip from its contact with Shauna's body. Astounding that something so small could do so much damage.
"Good job," Joe said and edged her out of the way. "I'll take over now."
He motioned to Mike to break open the medical supplies and then spared a smile for Shauna. "I'll have you stitched up in no time, cutie."
"Oh, God," Shauna moaned. "I've seen how you sew."
"Everybody's a critic..."
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Review: Visions of Chains by Regan Hastings
Visions of Chains
Author: Regan Hastings
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Signet
Awakening Series #3
ISBN: #978-0451237309
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format(s): Paperback (364 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
|
Every witch has a destined mate, an Eternal who will serve as her guardian and complete her powers. Once the first of the coven’s powers are awakened, the witches must race against time to join with their Eternals and protect the relics that will prevent the destruction of the world….
Deidre Sterling is tired of being used. Her mother, the president of the United States, uses her as a prop for the television cameras. And men pursue her only for political gain. Determined to stand for something, Deidre throws herself into causes like the fight for witches’ rights, but ends up stepping into the line of fire.
Finn has waited eight centuries for his mate – united they will be a powerful weapon. Unfortunately, Deidre wants nothing to do with him. Even after gunfire awakens her powers and a kiss from Finn engulfs them in flames, she refuses to take the final step. But as the world burns and her duty becomes clear, she realizes that some passions are worth paying the ultimate price for…
What G & U are talking about:
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The third installment in the Awakening series, Visions of Chains was better than its predecessor, Visions of Skyfire. Gikany and Una enjoyed this latest installment in this intriguing world.
Deidre Sterling is a fascinating character. Despite her position as the daughter of the President, she strives to be her own person. However, she is sadly accustomed to people using her to gain something: power, money, access to the president, etc. Not surprisingly, she has few friends and fewer lovers. Deidre seems content to work for the Rights for Witches (RFW), a group dedicated to stopping the imprisonment and execution of women who are accused of witchcraft.
As you may imagine, betrayal is a huge plot device in Visions of Chains. There are a few unexpected twists, but each are due to acts of betrayal. No one is immune to it either, sad to say. This is, however, a world that has returned to an era of the witch-hunts, and one where people live in fear of what they don’t understand. Betrayal and secret keeping (especially if you are a witch) are a way of life. Gikany and Una were amazed at both how trusting and untrusting Deidre could be.
It is, therefore, not surprising when Deidre rejects the idea of the Mating ritual. Even though she holds the key to saving the world, she does not want to be tied to Finn, her intended eternal. In return, Finn does not want her… just needs her for the time being. After a while, it becomes agonizing that they refuse to complete the Mating. Una felt as if they were wasting time. Their final mission was, surprisingly, fairly simple. However, betrayal once again threw a huge snag into it all.
Although slow in a few moments, Visions of Chains is a very passionate and intriguing story. The realizations made by both Deidre and Finn and the mystery of the big bad are gripping.
The Awakening series continues to be an enjoyable read. Gikany and Una liked Visions of Chains and hope you might too.
Their Rating:
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Liked it - recommend (B+)
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
Visions of Magic: Awakening Series 1
Labels:
3.5 stars,
Awakening Series,
G-U Review,
paranormal romance,
Regan Hastings,
Signet
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comments
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Sunday Snippet #87
Visions of Skyfire
Author: Regan Hastings
Signet
October 4, 2011
He yawned hugely, stretched his arms over his chest – the better to display his impressive rippling muscles, no doubt. Then he gave her a grin and reached down to stroke himself. His very impressive cock leaped to attention. “I got something for you right here, babe. You coming back to bed or what? ‘Cuz if you don’t want it, there’s plenty others who do.”
No respect, she thought in a sudden fury. This insignificant male thought to bring her to heel? To threaten her with his pathetic human whores? Irritation spiked. Just another pitiful symbol of how badly her day was going, this male was, as the humans often said, the last straw.
In her mind’s eye, Kellyn indulged a whim and imagined the man’s eyes exploding. She could see his skin peel from his bones. Hear him whimpering, pleading for mercy.
Some of what she was thinking must have shown on her face because he immediately shifted gears. “C’mon, baby. Let me take you on another ride. Let me show you something new.”
Slowly, that flash of irritation drained away. Nothing to be gained by killing him now. If she did, she’d have to change hotels and then be forced to spend who knew how many hours finding another lover. And the next one might not be so well endowed. No, she wasn’t finished with this one yet.
Still, he needed to learn just who was in charge around here.
Kellyn lifted her right arm, pointed at him and clenched her fist. Instantly, the insolent male’s eyes bugged and his mouth dropped open. He lifted both hands to his throat and clawed at whatever was closing off his airway. Desperate, his eyes snapped to her as his skin mottled and his choking, gurgling groans sang into the room like the sweetest of music.
Slowly, she walked toward him, taking her time. She dropped her robe and felt the chill kiss of the air on her skin as she stopped alongside him. She flicked her fingers at his neck and he wheezed in his first easy breath since Kellyn had closed off his throat. Gasping, choking, he bent over at the waist, gulping in air.
As he did, she ran her fingertips down his spine, over the curve of his behind, until she cupped his balls in the palm of her hand.
He went absolutely still.
To make sure she had his attention, she gave a single, hard squeeze. He whimpered, but didn’t move. Smart boy.
“Show me what you’ve got, then,” she said, leaning in until she could lick the top of his ear. “But do yourself a favor and don’t speak again.”
Carefully, he turned his head, looked into her eyes and gave her a sharp nod. When she released him, he followed her into the bedroom like a well-trained puppy.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Review: Visions of Skyfire
Visions of Skyfire
Author: Regan Hastings
Release Date: October 4, 2011
Publisher: Signet
Awakening Novel #2
ISBN: #978-0451234971
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format(s): Paperback (384 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
|
Every witch has a destined mate, an Eternal who will serve as her guardian and complete her powers. Once the coven has awakened, the witches must race against time to join with their Eternals and protect the relics that will prevent the destruction of the world…
The Awakening is upon Teresa Santiago. Despite training for this moment since she was a child, Teresa is unprepared for the vastness of her power or for her attraction to Rune, her Eternal protector and destined mate.
United by purpose—and passion—Teresa and Rune must locate one of the missing artifacts before its power unleashes the forces of darkness on the world. His strength and her ability to summon lightning should be enough to protect them from the government agents charged with imprisoning witches. But their enemies are both mortal and magical—and danger follows Teresa at every turn.
In this ultimate battle between good and evil, only through sacrifice will love conquer all…
What G & U are talking about:
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Gikany and Una jumped at the chance to read something different. The world of witches described in Visions of Skyfire sounded really intriguing. We found this alternate urban fantasy compelling; the world and mythology is really interesting. However, we found the characters to be a bit…redundant and trite.
Gikany read the first book, Visions of Magic, however, Una did not. That being said, Una did not feel as if anything was truly missing. She was able to immerse herself into the world easily; understanding the political atmosphere and the new world order. Gikany found that reading Visions of Magic allowed her to appreciate some of the finer nuances of the second book. She was able to understand the subplots that wove through this novel.
The world is rich and interesting in this Awakening series, harking back to the long ago witch trials. In this world, magic has awakened and witch-hunts have once again begun, uniting to the world against a common foe, ironically enough. The story takes place against this backdrop. Our hero, Rune the Eternal, and heroine, Teresa, were paired by the Gods themselves, to bind themselves together and tasked with finding one of the pieces of a relic hidden to protect the world hundreds of years before. The original coven of witches created and used the relic in a ceremony, which ended in ruin nearly destroying the world.
This is where the author lost us. Her attempts to illustrate the unimaginable betrayal Rune felt at the hands of Teresa’s previous incarnations and Teresa’s badly bruised heart from loving the wrong man became repetitive and annoying. Rune believed he was never going to trust her, and Teresa believed she was never going to love him, but they had no problem with performing a Mating Ritual that would bind them together for eternity. It got old. We feel it detracted a bit from the overall enjoyment of the world and the adventure.
Even with this issue, we feel that Visions of Skyfire was a great adventure. We look forward to the next book in this exciting new Awakening series.
Their Rating:
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Liked it, but I had some issues - recommend (B)
Books in the Series:
Visions of Skyfire: Awakening Novel 2
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