Night's Master Review

Kathy McKenna has had enough of the war between the vampires and werewolves, so she has moved to a small town in the Midwest called Oak Hollow. She bought a log house and opened a used and new bookstore that she runs all by herself.

Business is lacking but after a visit from a vampire named Rafe Cordova, sales pick up a little. Rafe has made his attraction for Kathy well known, and he isn’t shy about asking her out. But the last thing Kathy wants to do is to get into a relationship with a vampire!

Rafe continues to visit Kathy in the hopes of winning her over. In the mean time the town is full of paranormal beings, just the sort of thing Kathy was trying to get away from. The war is still brewing and now there are hunters who will stop at nothing to eradicate the world of paranormal beings.

Kathy finds her life in danger because of her association with Rafe. Will everyone make it out alive or will Kathy become another casualty in this brutal war?

NIGHT’S MASTER by Amanda Ashley was the first book that I’ve read by this extremely talented author. I was hooked from the first page and immensely impressed with the writing. The dialogue flows brilliantly, the romance is hot, the danger is scary, and the suspense is exciting.

While I normally shy away from longer books, this one being a heavy 364 pages, I didn’t want the book to end. There were no boring spots where I yawn and yearn to skip over nonsense. NIGHT’S MASTER is perfection from the beginning to the end. Overall I adored and loved everything about this book and can’t wait to read all of Amanda Ashley’s backlist books!

Blog Roll Title

FYI: My blog comes up as Enchanted by Books on my blog roll because it was newly added. If my name is already on your blog roll it will still read What I Am Reading, unless you delete and re -add it. If you chose to re- add it so it reads with the correct name, I would be SO greatful! Thanks!

Introducing My Revamped Blog!

Well my blog has been overhauled! What do you think of the new name and new look?!! I am completely in love with it. I love the name and the picture is perfect! Thank you Carolyn and Wendy for all of your help with this complicated computer stuff!

Name My Blog Contest

CONTEST CLOSED! CAROLYN IS THE WINNER! THANKS EVERYONE!

I need a new name for my blog. Something with the word reviews in it or something about books. For instance some names I love that are already taken though, Bitten by Books and Literary Escapism. It doesn't have to have the word reviews in it but it would be nice. So please help me.

The best name wins their choice of a $10 Amazon or B&N Giftcard direct to your email. I want the name to be one I can really use on my blog, so please be advised I will be using the name you suggest. Please make it something fantastic because I am drawing a blank on a name!

All of my blogger friends and authors are elgible to enter. This contest is open to anyone who can think up a name for my blog for me! So go ahead and enter. Give me multiple names, anything. Help!

One More Bite Contest

Contest at this link to win Jennifer Rardin's new book One More Bite, book 5 in her series. Hurry over and enter!!!

Evermore Review

Ever Bloom has been given a second chance at life but she doesn’t think she deserves it. She is the sole survivor of a car accident that killed her parents and little sister. Now Ever has moved in with her aunt in California and is going to a new school. Since the tragic deaths, Ever has acquired a psychic gift that she doesn’t particularly like. She has the ability to read people’s minds, see their auras, and a simple touch tells her a person’s darkest secrets.

Ever was once a popular cheerleader when she lived in Oregon but ever since the accident and her new gifts, she has become a loner and hides under baggy clothes, sunglasses, and an IPOD. The music helps to silence the noise of hearing everyone’s thoughts. She’s become an outcast and only has two good friends while all the popular girls make fun of Ever on a daily basis. But when a gorgeous new boy named Damen Auguste enrolls in her school, Ever has a new reason for getting up in the morning.

Damen is very unusual and has a lot of secrets but the one that he is open with is his fondness for Ever. The whole world stops when Damen talks to her and the connection between them is undeniable. Even though Ever’s friend Haven has already called dibs on Damen, Ever can’t help but feel oddly attracted to him. There are several other girls in Damen’s life but somehow he always ends up gazing at Ever and making her feel like she’s never felt before. Can Ever and Damen have a relationship together or will his secrets cause problems for them? What is Damen’s dark secret and will Ever still want him when she discovers the truth?

Evermore is the first book in a new Young Adult Series called The Immortals. The writing is eloquent, the characters come alive, and the romance is heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. There are many similarities to compare Evermore to Twilight but I enjoyed Evermore immensely more. The first person point of view is intimate and the narration by Ever is strong with emotions and feeling. She is confused and going through a lot and the reader can feel her angst come through in her passages.

I read Evermore in less then two days and could not put it down all weekend. I read for hours at a time and was completely addicted to the writing from the first page. I would without a doubt recommend Evermore to readers who are looking for a book that will captivate them from the first word to the last. The next book in this series, Blue Moon will be out in August 2009. Overall, Evermore is a superb novel that left me breathless, satisfied, and yearning for more.

Pre order Evermore on Amazon

Visit Alyson Noel's Website

Man of the House Review

Lincoln Menner is every woman’s dream husband. He cooks healthy meals from scratch, he cleans the house thoroughly on a daily basis, and he takes great care of his wife and daughter. His wife, Josephine Menner works as a hospital administrator which means she is hardly ever home and can be away for days at a time. Lincoln doesn’t mind being a stay at home dad and he takes pride in being the one to care for his family. That is until the family moves from NY to Florida and things completely change.

The kitchen and the entire house are being renovated and this does not make for comfortable living. But instead of staying elsewhere during the remodel, the Menner family continues to live in their mangled home. One of the workers, Rod, is a manly man and Lincoln starts to wonder if he has become too girly with baking, PTA, and all the motherly things he does. Lincoln decides that he wants to be like Rod and completely transforms both inside and out from house husband to super fit and undoating husband.

After one too many pressure cooker meals, Lincoln’s daughter Violet has had enough. Where has her wonderful father gone to? The sweet caring father that she’s loved all of her life has now become a construction worker type who hangs out at Hooters and drinks beer! Will Violet and Josephine be able to convince Lincoln that he was a better person before his transformation?

In the mean time Violet’s teacher is starting to notice Lincoln. She doesn’t care that he is married and begins the steps into landing her man. Will Lincoln fall for the teacher’s charm or will the old Lincoln return and put an end to this odd woman’s obsession?

Several hurricanes are coming through Florida and Lincoln isn’t even worried anymore. Normally he would be running around making sure everything is safe and secure but now he doesn’t even seem to care. Will the Menners make it through the hurricane safely and will Lincoln return to his former self?

Man of the House is a hilarious, compulsive read that I thoroughly inhaled in two sittings. The first book with the Menner family was Househusband but Man of the House can be read as a stand alone story. Although the book is fiction, it is primarily an autobiographical take on Ad Hudler’s life. There are four different points of view with each chapter alternating perspective told by the mother, father, daughter and teacher.

I found the writing to flow easily and the storyline kept my interest. Watching Lincoln transform was funny and touching at the same time. After devoting fourteen years to being at his family’s every beck and call, he’s finally decided he doesn’t like who he’s become. Following Lincoln down his journey to self discovery was a great trip and I can’t wait to read the next book by Ad Hudler.

Visit Ad Hudler's Website
Buy Man of the House on Amazon

I Shot You Babe Cover

Check out Leslie Langtry's next book! She has the cutest covers for this series. I Shot You Babe is due out in July. I couldn't find any info on Amazon yet but I know it's part of her series.

Fragile Excerpt

Excerpt:

Sometimes the last thing you want is exactly what you need…

“Okay, you wanna be literal? Devon, are you avoiding me?”

Damn, where in the hell is an interruption when you need one? she thought irritably. A sardonic little voice in her head said, Chicken. To that voice, Devon thought back, Damn right.

She’d meant it when she told Luke Rafferty he was a complication she didn’t need in her life. She’d meant it even though she wished she wasn’t such a fricking coward. Devon just didn’t know if she was ready to handle the ups and downs that came with anything more than a casual friendship. Casual friendships–that was all she had. And it was damn lonely, too.

Then you need to do something about it.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she looked Luke square in the eye and said, “Yeah, I’ve been dodging you.”

He blinked, a little taken aback by her honest response. “Do I take that to mean you changed your mind?” he asked, his gray eyes narrowing on her face.

“I don’t know. Yes. No–” Devon blew out a breath, feeling like a fool. And a coward. Damn it, she liked this guy. He was funny, he made her smile and the way he was with kids just totally melted her heart. But she was too much a coward to do anything about it. Shuffling her feet, she shoved her hands into the pockets of her blazer and said, “Yes, I’d changed my mind. Then I changed it back. Right now I’m kind of caught in the in between.”

Luke reached up, brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. His hand lingered and Devon could have sworn electricity jumped between them, just from that simple touch. He felt it, too. She could see it in the way his eyes darkened, the way he hissed in a breath. His body changed, too, tensing and from the corner of her eyes, she could see his other hand close into a fist. The hand that had brushed her hair back from her face slid backward, curving around her neck.

“We really shouldn’t keep ignoring this, Devon. It’s not going away.”

Read more…

Phantasm Cover

Due out June 2, 2009. I can't wait! I love this series.

Writing Contest Entry

Here's another entry I did in the writing contest.


Sweet Escape
by Rachael D.


The cool winter air chills her face and makes her already tired body ache with pain. She's almost there but it's a hard journey. She had no choice but to escape from the imprisonment that she has been locked up in for months. When the opportunity to run away arose, she took advantage and escaped through the woods.

Armed with only a hooded sweatshirt and her wits, she makes the trench through the forest. The branches on the trees scrape her skin, her heart beats rapidly with adrenaline, and her eyes tear with all of the sadness she feels inside.

She lifts the opening on the bottom of the fence and crawls across the muddy ground until she reaches the other side, freedom. All she sees is open land with plenty of opportunities.

She runs through the grass, ecstatic with excitement. She views a small farm house in the distance and a huge tree on the property. As she runs, her lungs burn, her body is soaked in sweat but she carries on. Finally she arrives to the farm house and asks to use their phone.

Freedom is so close, she can taste it.

Within an hour she will be captured and back in the imprisonment she escaped from, but for now she will dream of freedom and its possibilities.

If she only knew what awaited her maybe she wouldn't have run away.

Writing Contest Entry

Here is another entry I did in this writing contest. This is my entry from last time. I didn't win but I think I did a great job on this one. Again, I was writing something in 250 words to the theme of the picture. The picture was taken by Jason Evans, the person who hosts the contest.



Remember Me
by Rachael D.


He picks up the shovel and throws more dirt onto her coffin. The coffin is covered with pink roses, her favorite. The sun is setting in the sky and he feels the crisp wind of autumn. Everyone is crying and his heart aches with the pain of saying goodbye. She’s gone and he won’t ever hear her laughter again.

More dirt is thrown onto the coffin. He sees her parents crying. Her little brother is here. You can tell he doesn’t realize his sister lies in that coffin. He walks over to her brother and lays a comforting hand on his shoulder. The little boy looks up at him with his big blue eyes and says, "She is here with us. Remember her." He hands him a letter and he trembles inside with pain. He can hear her voice, reading it to him, calming him.

"Remember me when the sun sets at dawn. Remember me when autumn turns the leaves vibrant hues of yellow and red. Remember me when you look up into the sky searching for answers. Remember me when your heart aches and you are sad. I will ease your pain and make you smile."

“Remember me when life lets you down and you are disappointed. Remember me when you hear the leaves rustle in the wind. Remember me when you hear laughter. Remember me and never forget, for I have loved you before I was born and will forever love you even after death."

Writing Contest Entry

There's a writing contest at this link that Jason Evans runs. He takes a picture and asks writers to write something with the picture in mind, up to 250 words. The prizes are Amazon giftcards and stuff like that. I do it for the recognition though. I just would love to say I won a writing contest. This is my fourth time entering his contests and I am yet to win. I thought I'd post my entry for this year here for you guys to see. Also I am posting my previous entries. Everything but my first year entry which I don't think was that good at all. If you want to go to his blog and leave comments under my entry that would be nice, or you can do it here. Only other writing contestants and Jason Evans decide on who win, but I'd still love to hear your opinion on my entry. Thanks.




Your Time Has Come
By Rachael D.


"You have arrived."

"Arrived? Where the hell am I? What is this place?"

"My son, do not ask such silly questions. This is the hereafter. This is your new life. Take a look around. Find your family."


"My family? You mean my wife?"

"No. I mean your family who preceded you in death. Every one of them. Your great grandparents. Your grandparents. Your parents. Your siblings. Your first love. Your best friend from high school. They are all here. But your heart must be open to this for you to be reunited with your family."


"How would you like me to be open to this? I don’t even understand what’s going on. I was buying water from a 7-11 and I wake up and I’m going up a friggin escalator that never ends! And then I reach the top and I see you waiting for me. You greet me like you know me and I have no idea who you even are."

"I am the greeter if you’d like to call me that. Sort of like at Wal-Mart but I don’t get paid for my services. What I do is out of love for humanity."

"Ok "greeter" I would like to talk to your manager if you don’t mind! "

"My son, you have failed my test. Count to three and wake up."

"What? What are you talking about? Am I dead or not? What the hell is going on here?"

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"What the hell?"

A Red Hot Valentine's Day Review

A Red Hot Valentine’s day is an erotica anthology comprised of four authors’ stories revolving around Valentine’s Day. In TORN DESIRES by LACY DANE, a widow named Sophia is trying for the affections of a prominent man, Lord Quinton, but he has other plans. He has no desire to make her his new wife and has called a matchmaker to bring him more suitable women. Along with the matchmaker comes the woman’s friend, a very good looking man named Alistair. Alistair decides if Lord Quinton won’t take Sophia as his wife and treat her right, then maybe he will. Together they have a sexy love affair that leads Sophia to having to decide between the two men.

In GET THERE by MEGAN HART a couple is dealing with counting the weeks before Valentine’s Day when they will finally be together in their new house. They send each other stories about themselves as different characters and different scenarios to bide the time until they can be together again. Will everything go smoothly with the house closings so Edie and Ty can have a joyous reunion?

HELL IS WHERE THE HEART IS by JACKIE KESSLER is the story of Jezebel the succubus and Daunuan the incubus and a flashback to when they first met in Hell. The story alternates in narration and goes from present tense to flashbacks. In the present tense, both sex demons are working on a job but their close proximity to each other is driving Daunuan insane with lust. He decides to pay Jezebel a visit and maybe have a little fun while he’s at it. In the flashbacks, Jezebel first meets Daunuan in Hell in their natural bodies. There is an immediate attraction that results in a lot of fun sexual encounters. Their chemistry is hot and undeniable, and Jezebel swears Daunuan will forever be etched in her heart and soul for all of time.

BY VALENTINE’S DAY BY JESS MICHAELS is a story about long awaited love between two people who thought they’d never end up together. Charlotte has loved Colin since she was a child but somehow they never ended up together. Now she is widowed and about to marry another man when Colin shows up at her door acting like a man who has lost his mind. He puts the moves on her in her study, with the maids in the next room, and before Charlotte can even ask him a question, he is making love to her. Will Colin be able to win Charlotte’s heart away from her soon to be husband?

A Red Hot Valentine’s Day consists of two historical, one paranormal and one contemporary romance erotica story. Out of all of the stories my favorite was Jackie Kessler’s since it involved Jezebel and Daunuan from her series. The stories weren’t as steamy as I thought they might be but they were still enjoyable to read.

TORN DESIRES by LACY DANE shocked me and was extremely kinky. GET THERE by MEGAN HART felt like it could be part of a novel and should be continued in a bigger book, great writer!

HELL IS WHERE THE HEART IS by JACKIE KESSLER made me yearn for the next book in her series and I adored every word, absolutely delicious. BY VALENTINE’S DAY BY JESS MICHAELS was the most charming and made me smile. Overall, A Red Hot Valentine’s Day is a romantic and sexy anthology that definitely put me in the mood for Valentine’s Day.

Night Huntress Review

The D’Artigo Sisters have battled demons and vampires before but ever since Trillian went missing the stakes are higher. They must find all of the spirit seals before the demons and this means they will be battling a lot of Other World beings to get to them first. Delilah, a werecat, is the narrator of Night Huntress and gives her perspective of the war between the two worlds. Delilah’s boyfriend Chase has been very distant lately but when she finds out the truth behind his cold shoulder, she is in for a real awakening. Will Delilah be able to forgive Chase or will this mean the end of their relationship?

Karvanak is back and after another spirit seal. But this time he knows how to get to the sisters on a more sinister level. He kidnaps someone from their group of friends thinking they will give up the seal in return for his hostage. But the sisters are not bargaining with a demon and will handle the situation in their own way, even if it means finding a way to kill Karvanak with just their two hands.

Camille misses Trillian and is still searching for answers on where he could be. She comes across someone who could possibly answer all of her questions but ends up desperately wanting to know more and why. Plus the girls’ father is also still missing and there hasn’t been any word on where he could be either.

Together, the sisters along with their husbands, boyfriend, and close friends, all team together to capture the seals and to save their friend before there is another casualty on their hands. Will this mission end in disaster or will it have a happy ending?

Night Huntress is the fifth book in the Otherworld Series and the second one told from Delilah’s point of view. I was hoping the story would continue right where the last one left off, with the group looking for Trillian, but very little is revealed about him in this book. The first 100 pages were rather slow reading for me with very little happening. The story did pick up after that and I would have enjoyed the surprises, if it wasn’t already revealed to me, on the back cover. There is a way to summarize things without revealing who, what and why and I was very annoyed that the back cover summary had such detailed spoilers.

I am a huge fan of Yasmine Galenorn’s books and I did enjoy Night Huntress despite the spoilers. The fight scenes were raw and I was rooting for the sisters to win the battle in the end. The creativity and imagination of Galenorn in these novels is endless. She has crafted a unique world that has captured my heart. I adore this series and I eagerly await the next book, Demon Mistress, Menolly’s story.