Review: The Scarlet Dagger by Krystle Jones

Title: The Scarlet Dagger
Series: The Red Sector Chronicles, Book 1
Author: Krystle Jones
Published: October 2011
Tour: No
Format: Ebook provided by author for review

The strength of Sloane’s heart is about to be put to the ultimate test.

After the Eclipse – the night vampires began openly slaughtering human victims – everything changed. Out of fear, the government salvaged what remained of the human population and enclosed them in massive, security-laden cities called White Sectors, while marking the vampire infested territory as Red Sectors.

When seventeen-year-old Sloane McAllister’s twin brother disappears, she seems to be the only one who thinks he isn’t dead, and vows to stop at nothing to find him. Gathering her courage, she braves the Red Sector to search for clues to his whereabouts. By chance, she encounters Aden, a handsome, charismatic vampire with a hidden agenda. He turns Sloane against her will, and whisks her away to his underground city. Enemies quickly become friends as Sloane struggles against her attraction to Aden, and resists her growing loyalties to the creatures that ruined her life. But the vampires themselves are the least of her problems. The city is harboring a devastating secret, one that could change the tide of the war and threaten to destroy everything Sloane has come to believe in.

Three years ago, during an eclipse, the world changed forever. Vampires attacked and about a third of humans were killed. The land is now divided by sectors, and not all of them are deemed safe. Government as we know it ceased to exist, and a new government popped up in its place. The White Sector is clear of vampires, and a new sovereign is in charge. That new sovereign is Sloane’s mother, and that means everyone’s eyes are on Sloane, which makes her plan to cross to the Red Sector to save her twin brother a bit difficult. But Sloane is no ordinary seventeen year old. She’s a hunter, a member of the Black Cross Guild, and they are identified by the tattoos of black crosses on their wrist.

While she is in the Red Sector she is attacked and changed into a vampire. Sloane learns that vampires aren’t just mindless killing machines, they are people with thoughts, hearts, and feelings. And a hidden society underground. And furthermore, she carries the mark of The Creator. Oh yeah, things are about to get real for Sloane.

The world that Krystle Jones created is a terrific post-apocalyptic lover’s fantasy. The vampire society underground is, in many ways, much better than how the humans are living above ground. It was absolutely so cool to read about all the different aspects. There is housing, entertainment, law, hospitals. It’s really a sight to behold. Every time something new was introduced I was absolutely in awe.

And that’s not only the amenities – the vampires inhabiting it are terrific too. She’s created characters to adore and fall in love with… or despise. Of course there is Aden, the vampire who turned Sloane. There are times you wonder whether you can trust him or not. He certainly seems trustworthy, but the man has some secrets, that’s for sure. I really loved him throughout the entire story.

There are other characters I really liked. Angel, for one. She is bubbly and fun, and not at all what you’d expect. And she turns out to be a true friend to Sloane, in many ways. I really enjoyed reading about her. Rook is another vampire who intrigued me. I won’t blow the secret about Rook, but I definitely want to see more of him. Whatever makes him tick has got to be one heck of a story!

As for romance, don’t expect too much of it in this story. There is a bit, and there’s potential for more, but it’s definitely not a PNR. If you want good ol Urban Fantasy action and mystery, then this is definitely the story for you. The author has proven she has a terrific imagination and the story will keep you turning pages until the end. There is a bit of treachery, wahoo! And surprises are around every corner. I definitely recommend this story to vampire lovers! And once you learn the meaning behind the title, The Scarlet Dagger, it definitely adds a game changer to the vampire/vampire hunter story.

Book 2, Dark Horizons, was just published last month - but definitely be sure to read the books in order!

Find Krystle Jones Online

Website

Facebook

Goodreads

Review: The Scarlet Dagger by Krystle Jones

Title: The Scarlet Dagger
Series: The Red Sector Chronicles, Book 1
Author: Krystle Jones
Published: October 2011
Tour: No
Format: Ebook provided by author for review

The strength of Sloane’s heart is about to be put to the ultimate test.

After the Eclipse – the night vampires began openly slaughtering human victims – everything changed. Out of fear, the government salvaged what remained of the human population and enclosed them in massive, security-laden cities called White Sectors, while marking the vampire infested territory as Red Sectors.

When seventeen-year-old Sloane McAllister’s twin brother disappears, she seems to be the only one who thinks he isn’t dead, and vows to stop at nothing to find him. Gathering her courage, she braves the Red Sector to search for clues to his whereabouts. By chance, she encounters Aden, a handsome, charismatic vampire with a hidden agenda. He turns Sloane against her will, and whisks her away to his underground city. Enemies quickly become friends as Sloane struggles against her attraction to Aden, and resists her growing loyalties to the creatures that ruined her life. But the vampires themselves are the least of her problems. The city is harboring a devastating secret, one that could change the tide of the war and threaten to destroy everything Sloane has come to believe in.

Three years ago, during an eclipse, the world changed forever. Vampires attacked and about a third of humans were killed. The land is now divided by sectors, and not all of them are deemed safe. Government as we know it ceased to exist, and a new government popped up in its place. The White Sector is clear of vampires, and a new sovereign is in charge. That new sovereign is Sloane’s mother, and that means everyone’s eyes are on Sloane, which makes her plan to cross to the Red Sector to save her twin brother a bit difficult. But Sloane is no ordinary seventeen year old. She’s a hunter, a member of the Black Cross Guild, and they are identified by the tattoos of black crosses on their wrist.

While she is in the Red Sector she is attacked and changed into a vampire. Sloane learns that vampires aren’t just mindless killing machines, they are people with thoughts, hearts, and feelings. And a hidden society underground. And furthermore, she carries the mark of The Creator. Oh yeah, things are about to get real for Sloane.

The world that Krystle Jones created is a terrific post-apocalyptic lover’s fantasy. The vampire society underground is, in many ways, much better than how the humans are living above ground. It was absolutely so cool to read about all the different aspects. There is housing, entertainment, law, hospitals. It’s really a sight to behold. Every time something new was introduced I was absolutely in awe.

And that’s not only the amenities – the vampires inhabiting it are terrific too. She’s created characters to adore and fall in love with… or despise. Of course there is Aden, the vampire who turned Sloane. There are times you wonder whether you can trust him or not. He certainly seems trustworthy, but the man has some secrets, that’s for sure. I really loved him throughout the entire story.

There are other characters I really liked. Angel, for one. She is bubbly and fun, and not at all what you’d expect. And she turns out to be a true friend to Sloane, in many ways. I really enjoyed reading about her. Rook is another vampire who intrigued me. I won’t blow the secret about Rook, but I definitely want to see more of him. Whatever makes him tick has got to be one heck of a story!

As for romance, don’t expect too much of it in this story. There is a bit, and there’s potential for more, but it’s definitely not a PNR. If you want good ol Urban Fantasy action and mystery, then this is definitely the story for you. The author has proven she has a terrific imagination and the story will keep you turning pages until the end. There is a bit of treachery, wahoo! And surprises are around every corner. I definitely recommend this story to vampire lovers! And once you learn the meaning behind the title, The Scarlet Dagger, it definitely adds a game changer to the vampire/vampire hunter story.

Book 2, Dark Horizons, was just published last month - but definitely be sure to read the books in order!

Find Krystle Jones Online

Website

Facebook

Goodreads

Review/Giveaway: Doctor Doctor by Kassandra Cox

Title: Doctor, Doctor
Series: Doctor's Orders
Author: Kassandra Cox
Published: November 2012, Horny Devil Publishing
Tour: No
Format: Ebook provided by author for review

Dr Mc-Sexy Joel is successful, gorgeous and desperately unimpressed by the women throwing themselves at him. As stuffy patient advocates go, Mia is the exception to that expectation. When a deliciously enticing submissive lands unexpectedly at her dominant feet, sparks fly as they explore the razor sharp edges of a forbidden seduction.

Mia is a Domme who is tired of half hearted thrill seekers. She yearns for a real submissive man. She’s had a troubled past, but that doesn’t stop her. She is a strong woman who has risen above the things that have happened, and they don’t define her. Sure, they may influence certain aspects of her life, but no person is just their history.

So when she happens upon Dr. Joel while on a consulting case at work in the hospital, things change. She senses in him a submissive side that sets her on fire. And she ain’t the only one. It was exciting to see their first couple interactions together, to watch how she realized he could be the one she has been looking for. He certainly seems to fit the part of “dreamboat” well.

While the story was quite interesting, there is quite a bit about Mia and her past, and how it affects her now. It includes a lot of introspection on that from her. It was a slow start for me, but when it heated up – it really heated up fast and hard. That’s what really made the story a good read for me.

I’m not a big fan of the topping woman stories in general, but Kassandra Cox wrote this well. The story of Mia’s history ended up serving her well, because I felt like I really knew her and wasn’t getting just an erotica story. In fact, I’d estimate that the sex only makes up about a quarter of this story.

Once again, the folks at Horny Devil Publishing have a great story on their hands. If you are into Domme stories with more than just a couple hot scenes, I think you might like this story. It was a first for me, and I’m sure I will be on the lookout to read more.

Find Kassandra Cox Online

Goodreads

Website

Twitter

Facebook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review/Giveaway: Doctor Doctor by Kassandra Cox

Title: Doctor, Doctor
Series: Doctor's Orders
Author: Kassandra Cox
Published: November 2012, Horny Devil Publishing
Tour: No
Format: Ebook provided by author for review

Dr Mc-Sexy Joel is successful, gorgeous and desperately unimpressed by the women throwing themselves at him. As stuffy patient advocates go, Mia is the exception to that expectation. When a deliciously enticing submissive lands unexpectedly at her dominant feet, sparks fly as they explore the razor sharp edges of a forbidden seduction.

Mia is a Domme who is tired of half hearted thrill seekers. She yearns for a real submissive man. She’s had a troubled past, but that doesn’t stop her. She is a strong woman who has risen above the things that have happened, and they don’t define her. Sure, they may influence certain aspects of her life, but no person is just their history.

So when she happens upon Dr. Joel while on a consulting case at work in the hospital, things change. She senses in him a submissive side that sets her on fire. And she ain’t the only one. It was exciting to see their first couple interactions together, to watch how she realized he could be the one she has been looking for. He certainly seems to fit the part of “dreamboat” well.

While the story was quite interesting, there is quite a bit about Mia and her past, and how it affects her now. It includes a lot of introspection on that from her. It was a slow start for me, but when it heated up – it really heated up fast and hard. That’s what really made the story a good read for me.

I’m not a big fan of the topping woman stories in general, but Kassandra Cox wrote this well. The story of Mia’s history ended up serving her well, because I felt like I really knew her and wasn’t getting just an erotica story. In fact, I’d estimate that the sex only makes up about a quarter of this story.

Once again, the folks at Horny Devil Publishing have a great story on their hands. If you are into Domme stories with more than just a couple hot scenes, I think you might like this story. It was a first for me, and I’m sure I will be on the lookout to read more.

Find Kassandra Cox Online

Goodreads

Website

Twitter

Facebook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: On The Rocks by Elizabeth Morgan

Title: On The Rocks
Series: Part of The Edge, from Decadent Publishing
Author: Elizabeth Morgan
Published: November 2012, Decadent Publishing
Tour: No
Format: Ebook provided by author for review

“On the Rocks” is the hottest club on South Padre Island, and Meghan’s new workplace.

If the warped mermaid uniform isn’t enough, the fact that she can’t stop thinking about the club’s singer, Zenzie, is. Everything about the female gets Meghan hot, but when she finally gets her shot with the temptress, it turns out Zenzie isn’t as perfect, or as human, as Meghan thought.

While I don’t normally read f-f books, the cover of this one was hot and the story sounded intriguing. Wow! That’s putting it lightly!

Right away you are thrown into the store as Meghan begins her new job at On The Rocks. She has an instant attraction to Zenzie, another employee. And it seems the attraction is mutual. Neither woman is shy, and it certainly counts when it needs to.

A couple of steaming hot sex scenes later and I am totally shocked by a turn of events that I really didn’t see coming!! Maybe I didn’t read the blurb well enough, but more likely the surprise is just that awesome. It totally made me put this book into my erotic horror collection – a genre I don’t get to read much of, unfortunately.

All in all, at roughly twenty pages you definitely can’t go wrong with this book. It is quite different. The sex scenes were hot, and there are enough surprises to keep you entertained. Loved it!

Find Elizabeth Morgan Online

Website
Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook

Review: On The Rocks by Elizabeth Morgan

Title: On The Rocks
Series: Part of The Edge, from Decadent Publishing
Author: Elizabeth Morgan
Published: November 2012, Decadent Publishing
Tour: No
Format: Ebook provided by author for review

“On the Rocks” is the hottest club on South Padre Island, and Meghan’s new workplace.

If the warped mermaid uniform isn’t enough, the fact that she can’t stop thinking about the club’s singer, Zenzie, is. Everything about the female gets Meghan hot, but when she finally gets her shot with the temptress, it turns out Zenzie isn’t as perfect, or as human, as Meghan thought.

While I don’t normally read f-f books, the cover of this one was hot and the story sounded intriguing. Wow! That’s putting it lightly!

Right away you are thrown into the store as Meghan begins her new job at On The Rocks. She has an instant attraction to Zenzie, another employee. And it seems the attraction is mutual. Neither woman is shy, and it certainly counts when it needs to.

A couple of steaming hot sex scenes later and I am totally shocked by a turn of events that I really didn’t see coming!! Maybe I didn’t read the blurb well enough, but more likely the surprise is just that awesome. It totally made me put this book into my erotic horror collection – a genre I don’t get to read much of, unfortunately.

All in all, at roughly twenty pages you definitely can’t go wrong with this book. It is quite different. The sex scenes were hot, and there are enough surprises to keep you entertained. Loved it!

Find Elizabeth Morgan Online

Website
Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook

Blogger On Blogger Interview/Giveaway: Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf

I interview a lot of authors, we all do.  And it is really a lot of fun.  But who is it behind those interviews?  You!!!  So now I want to interview you!  I plan on running this post every Thursday - but will probably end it in February after all previously scheduled posts.  There are some occasions I will post a day early or late, if I already have too many posts on a given date, or a holiday.  I have another weekly feature in mind to replace it with, while running these Blogger Interviews on a part time basis. 

This week I have Melissa from  Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf!

And I also have an INTERNATIONAL SWAG GIVEAWAY!  Giveaway will run through Sunday, and I'll pick a winner on Monday! 

**************************

Hey Melissa!  How’s it going?

Things are great LizJ Thanks so much for having me on Fictional Candy & Happy New Year!!

Can you tell the readers a little something about your website, Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf?

My site is a very eclectic blog as the name would indicate.  I read everything from Childrens to Adult  -  Classics to Paranormal, Chick Lit to Literary Fiction, etc.  The only thing you won’t see on the blog are horror or erotica because those genres just aren’t for me. What I post reflects the wide range that I read and you’ll find a little bit of everything there including reviews, guest posts, interviews and giveaways!

How did you get into book blogging?

I somehow stumbled upon some book blogs after I started a personal blog in January of 2011 and I realized that there was this whole wonderful community out there sharing a love of books.  For about six months I visited and commented on other blogs while working on my personal blog…but by the middle of the year I knew that I wanted to be more active in the book blogging community so Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf was born and my personal blog sadly fell by the wayside.

What would you say your favorite part of book blogging is?

The best part of book blogging is definitely meeting and getting to know so many of the great people that participate in this community!

I see you have a reading challenge for the new year, Witches and Witchcraft.  Obviously, its about witches.  Is there anything else you can tell us?  ( how do we join, is it new, is it hard to host a challenge?)

I started this challenge at the end of 2011 because I was looking for challenges to join and saw so many out there (Paranormal, Vampire etc. ) but none that were Witch/Witchcraft/Magick specific...so I started my own. In 2012 we had over 250 participants linking up over 265 reviews.  I comment on every sign up post and read and comment on every review...so it did end up being a lot more work than I anticipated…but I love it!!

For anyone interested in joining…it’s a very low commitment challenge (the minimum is only one book) and though reviewing isn’t required there is a giveaway for those that link up reviews.  You can read more about it and sign up here.

What kind of advice would you give to someone just starting out in the book blogging world?

I would definitely recommend two things….

1. Get organized before you start..i.e. know what type of blog you want to have, what type of content, etc. and do your research before leaping in.
2. Do not accept too many review copies. You want to make sure to leave yourself time to read “for fun.”   (I didn’t understand that reading for review wasn’t “for fun” until I was knee deep in review books!)  NetGalley…is the worst culprit here. I made the mistake when I started of assuming that I would not be approved for most of the titles I requested and I requested way too many…for books that I had only a marginal interest in…and then almost all of them were approved! (omg, I can't agree enough with this, as my backlog of request will attest to!)

If you were a superhero, what would your name be, and what is your power?

I’d be the Dishwasher Lady.  My husband always complains that he puts a glass, dish etc. on the counter, turns around to get something from the refrigerator, turns back and the item is GONE!  I’ve already put it in the dishwasher in an attempt to keep the kitchen clean!

(And now I totally need you to come to my house!)

If you could take a vacation anywhere in the world for free, where would you go?

I so want to visit Ireland!  My husband and I are hoping to take a belated Honeymoon this year and Ireland is tops on our list.  (Morocco would be my second choice…yes…everything about me is rather eclectic!)

How about a little this or that?

Summer or Winter? Autumn? LOL To be honest I love all the seasons…I couldn’t live anywhere there wasn’t variety!

Chocolate or sour? Oh I’m bad…I like both!

Vampire bite or Werewolf bite? VampireJ

Mansion or cabin? Cabin…as long as it had indoor plumbing!

If you could be a character in any book, which character would you be?

This is such a tough one!  I don’t know that I can narrow it down to a specific character…or that I’d want to…they always face such tough challenges that make the books interesting but would be hard to face in real life.  I’d definitely want to be a witch though!

Do you have any other book blogs that you’d like to give shout outs to, and recommend to us?

Goodness…there are so many wonderful blogs that I’ve discovered over the past two years, it’s hard to narrow it down, but a few of my favorites are:

Books and Movies

Candace’s Book Blog

Kimba the “Caffeinated Book Reviewer”

My Shelf Confessions

Supernatural Snark

Tales of Whimsy

Tina’s Book Reviews

Thanks, Melissa, for chatting with me today!!

Thanks so much for having me, LizJ

Follow me via GFC!

RSS feed | E-mail

Follow me on Twitter!

Join me on Goodreads!

Follow me on Facebook!

Follow me on Google+ !

Follow me on Networked Blogs!

Follow me on Pinterest!

Follow me on Tumblr!

Follow me on Formspring!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blogger On Blogger Interview/Giveaway: Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf

I interview a lot of authors, we all do.  And it is really a lot of fun.  But who is it behind those interviews?  You!!!  So now I want to interview you!  I plan on running this post every Thursday - but will probably end it in February after all previously scheduled posts.  There are some occasions I will post a day early or late, if I already have too many posts on a given date, or a holiday.  I have another weekly feature in mind to replace it with, while running these Blogger Interviews on a part time basis. 

This week I have Melissa from  Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf!

And I also have an INTERNATIONAL SWAG GIVEAWAY!  Giveaway will run through Sunday, and I'll pick a winner on Monday! 

**************************

Hey Melissa!  How’s it going?

Things are great LizJ Thanks so much for having me on Fictional Candy & Happy New Year!!

Can you tell the readers a little something about your website, Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf?

My site is a very eclectic blog as the name would indicate.  I read everything from Childrens to Adult  -  Classics to Paranormal, Chick Lit to Literary Fiction, etc.  The only thing you won’t see on the blog are horror or erotica because those genres just aren’t for me. What I post reflects the wide range that I read and you’ll find a little bit of everything there including reviews, guest posts, interviews and giveaways!

How did you get into book blogging?

I somehow stumbled upon some book blogs after I started a personal blog in January of 2011 and I realized that there was this whole wonderful community out there sharing a love of books.  For about six months I visited and commented on other blogs while working on my personal blog…but by the middle of the year I knew that I wanted to be more active in the book blogging community so Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf was born and my personal blog sadly fell by the wayside.

What would you say your favorite part of book blogging is?

The best part of book blogging is definitely meeting and getting to know so many of the great people that participate in this community!

I see you have a reading challenge for the new year, Witches and Witchcraft.  Obviously, its about witches.  Is there anything else you can tell us?  ( how do we join, is it new, is it hard to host a challenge?)

I started this challenge at the end of 2011 because I was looking for challenges to join and saw so many out there (Paranormal, Vampire etc. ) but none that were Witch/Witchcraft/Magick specific...so I started my own. In 2012 we had over 250 participants linking up over 265 reviews.  I comment on every sign up post and read and comment on every review...so it did end up being a lot more work than I anticipated…but I love it!!

For anyone interested in joining…it’s a very low commitment challenge (the minimum is only one book) and though reviewing isn’t required there is a giveaway for those that link up reviews.  You can read more about it and sign up here.

What kind of advice would you give to someone just starting out in the book blogging world?

I would definitely recommend two things….

1. Get organized before you start..i.e. know what type of blog you want to have, what type of content, etc. and do your research before leaping in.
2. Do not accept too many review copies. You want to make sure to leave yourself time to read “for fun.”   (I didn’t understand that reading for review wasn’t “for fun” until I was knee deep in review books!)  NetGalley…is the worst culprit here. I made the mistake when I started of assuming that I would not be approved for most of the titles I requested and I requested way too many…for books that I had only a marginal interest in…and then almost all of them were approved! (omg, I can't agree enough with this, as my backlog of request will attest to!)

If you were a superhero, what would your name be, and what is your power?

I’d be the Dishwasher Lady.  My husband always complains that he puts a glass, dish etc. on the counter, turns around to get something from the refrigerator, turns back and the item is GONE!  I’ve already put it in the dishwasher in an attempt to keep the kitchen clean!

(And now I totally need you to come to my house!)

If you could take a vacation anywhere in the world for free, where would you go?

I so want to visit Ireland!  My husband and I are hoping to take a belated Honeymoon this year and Ireland is tops on our list.  (Morocco would be my second choice…yes…everything about me is rather eclectic!)

How about a little this or that?

Summer or Winter? Autumn? LOL To be honest I love all the seasons…I couldn’t live anywhere there wasn’t variety!

Chocolate or sour? Oh I’m bad…I like both!

Vampire bite or Werewolf bite? VampireJ

Mansion or cabin? Cabin…as long as it had indoor plumbing!

If you could be a character in any book, which character would you be?

This is such a tough one!  I don’t know that I can narrow it down to a specific character…or that I’d want to…they always face such tough challenges that make the books interesting but would be hard to face in real life.  I’d definitely want to be a witch though!

Do you have any other book blogs that you’d like to give shout outs to, and recommend to us?

Goodness…there are so many wonderful blogs that I’ve discovered over the past two years, it’s hard to narrow it down, but a few of my favorites are:

Books and Movies

Candace’s Book Blog

Kimba the “Caffeinated Book Reviewer”

My Shelf Confessions

Supernatural Snark

Tales of Whimsy

Tina’s Book Reviews

Thanks, Melissa, for chatting with me today!!

Thanks so much for having me, LizJ

Follow me via GFC!

RSS feed | E-mail

Follow me on Twitter!

Join me on Goodreads!

Follow me on Facebook!

Follow me on Google+ !

Follow me on Networked Blogs!

Follow me on Pinterest!

Follow me on Tumblr!

Follow me on Formspring!

a Rafflecopter giveaway