ARC REVIEW: Bound by Night by Larissa Ione

Bound by Night

(MoonBound Clan Vampires #1)

by: Larissa Ione

4 HEARTS

From Goodreads

The first installment in a sexy new paranormal romance series by Larissa Ione, author of the bestselling Demonica series!

A WOMAN OUT FOR BLOOD
Nicole Martin was only eight years old when the vampire slaves rose up in rebellion and killed her family. Now she devotes her life to finding a vaccine against vampirism, hoping to wipe out her memories—along with every bloodsucker on the planet. But there’s one thing she cannot destroy: her searing, undeniable attraction for the one man she should hate and fear the most . . .

A VAMPIRE OUT FOR REVENGE
A member of the renegade vampire MoonBound Clan, Riker is haunted by demons of his own. When he recognizes Nicole and remembers how her family enslaved his loved ones, his heart burns for vengeance. But when he kidnaps Nicole and holds her in a secret lair, his mortal enemy becomes his soul obsession, his greatest temptation, and, perhaps, his only salvation—a hot-blooded lover who could heal him with her touch . . . or bury him forever.

Whenever I hear about a new book from Larissa Ione, I am all over it in an instant. When I got this ARC, I was ecstatic. And as always, she did not disappoint.

At first—like, first few pages--I really wasn’t a fan of Riker. He seemed too emotionally hard. But like the word master she is, Larissa quickly had me falling for him. He was hard because he had to be, because he had been emotionally destroyed. His past was not only haunting him, it was torturing him underneath the surface. But as he spent time with Nicole, she started taking him apart piece by piece and putting him back together as a whole man. Oh he fought tooth and nail, pushed her away harshly, but he never abandoned her. He protected her, he fought for her, and oh man did he love her. He may never have wanted to admit it, but she was the most important person to him and she showed him another way to live—not forgetting or for revenge—but to heal and move on and finally allow himself to be happy.

Nicole was actually quite interesting to me. She had a traumatic even in her childhood that forever changed who she was. She hated vampires, but not enough to want to kill them. She simply wanted to give humanity an edge in co-existing with them. She spent her life learning all about them. Then when the unthinkable happens, she’s literally thrown into a world she had always feared. Her reactions to everything that happened was spot on. Her personality made her choices and suggestions believable given her situation. She thought on her feet, she was determined, and her knowledge of vampires not only healed Riker, but helped the clan as a whole. She was invaluable, and she proved it over and over again. She loved Riker with her entire soul despite her past, but she wasn’t so blinded by it that she was going to fool herself into being second best to him. She was proud of who she was and who she’d become, and in the end, that very essence captured the heart of the most amazing man.

The world Larissa created in this book has tones of futuristic qualities, but is not so far forward that you have to imagine it. This world is so realistic in itself, that I actually felt like I was living in this time—a time so close to ours that it felt real. The emotions and decisions made by the characters felt real and definitely gave me a sense of foreboding for the future. I enjoyed this world and these character immensely and am definitely eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Bravo, Larissa. Another winner in my book.

Hotness Rating
 3.5 out of 5

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Night Embrace 
(Dark-Hunter #3)

by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Carrington MacDuffie (Narrator)

5 HEARTS

The Blurbs

Dear Reader,

Life is great for me. I have my chicory coffee, my warm beignets, and my best friend on the cell phone. Once the sun goes down, I am the baddest thing prowling the night: I command the elements, and I know no fear. For centuries, I've protected the innocent and watched over the mankind, making sure they are safe in a world where nothing is ever certain. All I want in return is a hot babe in a red dress, who wants nothing more from me then one night.

Instead, I get a runaway Mardi Gras float that tries to turn me into roadkill and a beautiful woman who saves my life but can't remember where she put my pants. Flamboyant and extravagant, Sunshine Runningwolf should be the perfect woman for me. She wants nothing past tonight, no ties, no long-term commitments.

But every time I look at her, I start yearning for dreams that I buried centuries ago. With her unconventional ways and ability to baffle me, Sunshine is the one person I find myself needing. But for me to love her would mean her death. I am cursed never to know peace or happiness— not so long as my enemy waits in the night to destroy us both.

—Talon of the Morrigantes

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Night Embrace spins the story of Talon, an ancient Celtic warrior who killed the son of the god Camulus. Camulus cursed Talon, decreeing death for everyone he loved. Now a Dark-Hunter in modern-day New Orleans, Talon meets Sunshine, who is key to ending his curse once and for all - not to mention helping him to save New Orleans from an ancient god bent on total destruction...

Audiobook Review

Wow oh wow! Night Embrace totally rocked! This book was absolutely fabulous and I have nothing negative to say about it.

First let's talk about Talon. Or Speirr if you want to go by is birth name. And let me tell you, from what the book said he's got quite a spear if you know what I'm saying. Even as a boy Talon was very fierce. As a Dark-hunter he is even more so. Fierce and beautifully brutal in battle. Yet, in his heart he was such a poet. He had some beautifully seductive words to say to Sunshine.

“I’ve always been a firm believer in seizing the moment. In taking what I want when I want it. And right now, Sunshine, I want you. I want to taste every inch of your body. To feel your breath on my neck while I make love to you. To take my tongue and explore every part of you until you beg me to stop.”

And speaking of Sunshine can I just say what a vibrant character she was? As an artist she totally appealed to me. Even her flightiness was something that endeared her to me. She was cute, funny, loyal, inquisitive, had a good heart (as shown by her actions toward the Dark-Hunter Zarek) and stuck to her guns. I love how she hacked away at Talon's resolve trying to get him to open up.

“What’s this?” “Until you come clean with me, you can take the sofa.” “You’re kidding.” “Oh no. Not even a little. I’m not going to let you back into my bed until you let me inside your head.”

There were tons of supporting characters in the book. Among them, of course, was the ever present Acheron. He took up more page time in Night Embrace than he did in Night Pleasures and I really enjoyed the deepening of his storyline. We also saw some of Valerius, the grandson and namesake of one of the villains from Night Pleasures. When he came into the picture I yelled at the book. Kyrian and Julian weren't too happy to see him either as you can imagine. There was also the afore mentioned Zarek. I couldn't help but feel for him. His last scene in the book took me by surprise. Another person that made her regular appearance was Selena.

The sex was frequent and hot. Talon and Sunshine worked amazing well together. The connection between them was soul deep. Sometimes authors have a hard time making me believe that the hero and heroine truly belong together. Not so for these two. Kenyon did a perfect job with their relationship. It was very easy to feel the bond between them.

The world building in this book wasn't as intricate as it was in the last book which I was thankful for. I think it helped that I read Night Pleasures before Night Embrace however Night Embrace can stand alone.

Brilliant world building? Check. Awesome and intriguing characters? Check. Sexy hero? Check. Steamy sex scenes? Check. This book has it all so find a copy of it somewhere and READ IT!

Hotness Rating

4 out of 5

See my review of Night Pleasures (Dark-Hunter #2) HERE

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Night Pleasures 

(Dark-Hunter #2)

by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Carrington MacDuffie (Narrator)

4 HEARTS

The Blurbs

Dear Reader,

Have you ever wanted to know what it's like to be immortal? To journey through the night stalking the evil that preys on humans? To have unlimited wealth, unlimited power? That is my existence, and it is dark and dangerous. I play hero to thousands, but am known to none. And I love every minute of it.

Or so I thought until one night when I woke up handcuffed to my worst nightmare: a conservative woman in a button-down shirt. Or in Amanda's case, buttoned all the way up to her chin. She's smart, sexy, witty, and wants nothing to do with the paranormal-in other words, me.

My attraction to Amanda Devereaux goes against everything I stand for. Not to mention the last time I fell in love it cost me not only my human life, but also my very soul. Yet every time I look at her, I find myself wanting to try again. Wanting to believe that love and loyalty do exist.

Even more disturbing, I find myself wondering if there's any way a woman like Amanda can love a man whose battle scars run deep, and whose heart was damaged by a betrayal so savage that he's not sure it will ever beat again.

Kyrian of Thrace

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In Night Pleasures, Kyrian of Thrace - an immortal who protects humans from vampires - wakes up one morning handcuffed to the one thing that can scare him: a conservative woman in a button-down shirt. But Amanda Devereaux turns out to be his perfect partner for hunting down a deadly foe, and for helping him to regain his soul - and learn that love doesn't have to bite.

Audiobook Review

This is the first Dark-Hunter book that I've read and I really did enjoy it. All the different elements that are embedded in the storyline, like the Greek mythology and the different versions of vampires, just simply amaze me and I applaud Sherrilyn Kenyon for coming up with these ideas.

One of my favorite parts of the story was in the beginning of the book. Amanda had been having a bad day at work and Kyrian "came to her rescue" in a thoroughly satisfying way. It was one of those moments that all women who have been dumped would love to have happen. That's all I'll say about it.

Since for me this was an audiobook it was little hard to understand and retain all the intricate details. A lot of information to set up the world was given to us and at times it could be overwhelming. In truth it felt like I almost needed to take notes in order to keep track of all the intricate details and it was kind of frustrating. I understand the necessity of world building but it was too much for me.

Kyrian and Amanda made a great couple. Right from the very beginning you could tell that there was a connection between them. I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks of Kyrian's past. I liked being able to see what made him the Dark-Hunter that he was. What he went through because of Theone's treacherous behavior was horrifying. I even came up with the perfect theme song for that relationship: Bruno Mars's Grenade.


I was happy with the HEA ending however it was a little cliched. I could see the little surprise coming but it was nice to read anyways.

To sum up this review I have to say that I'm jumping on the bandwagon with everybody else. This series is something that you're definitely going to want to get into!

P.S. Though this is labeled as Dark-Hunter #2 it is the first official Dark-Hunter book that has a Dark-Hunter in it.

Hotness Rating

3.5 out of 5