Dragon Blood (Hurog, #2) by Patricia Briggs

Dragon Blood by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating: Heated-Hot





      With this second installment of the Hurog series we follow Ward as he is caught by the snare that we thought he escaped in the 1st book. Ward is able to escape seemingly impossible situations because he is surrounded by loyal friends and mystical creatures that know of his reputation.

       This book had a lot of talk/act of homosexuality(not explicit), which is not my cup of tea.(as well as pedophile acts not described but referenced) We are pulled into torture sessions and murder, deceit and love. How can a story have all of this in one book? This was an action packed sprint and then it was just over. I was disappointed with the abrupt ending and felt cheated after all the horrible evil done. This is not one of Briggs books I would read again or recommend to anyone unless they were already a Patricia Briggs follower.

Dragon Bones (Hurog, #1) by Patricia Briggs

Dragon Bones by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating: Heated-Slightly Hot


Riding into a war that's heating up on the border, Ward, the new lord of Herzog, is sure he's on the fast track to glory. But soon his mission takes a deadly turn. For he has seen a pile of magical dragon bones hidden deep beneath Hurog Keep. The bones could prove to be dangerous in the wrong hands, and Ward is certain his enemies will stop at nothing to possess them.



I will start by saying this is not my favorite series by Ms. Briggs. I enjoyed this book and thought it was worth reading if you have nothing else to read. Our hero is a strong and competent young man but due to some bad choices his home is stripped away from him. Due to a survival instinct taken to far our hero has to prove himself to earn back what is his already. I personally did not like the relationships of the king and queen as we dealt with adultery and homosexuality. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a historical highlander book with lots of mystic tales and magic.

Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5) by Richelle Mead

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating: Heated - Barely Hot


Salvation has its price.

The words stunned Adrian for a moment, but he kept going. "You're lying. What you're describing is impossible. There's no way to save a Strigoi. When they're gone, they're gone. They're dead. Undead. Forever."

Robert's next words weren't directed at Adrian. They were spoken to me. "That which is dead doesn't always stay dead...."

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s — and to her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. It's graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives outside of the Academy’s cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.

But Rose can't forget what she learned on her journey—whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic inextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose's prayers, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what—and who—matters most to her. In the end, is true love really worth the price?

Fall in love with Rose and Dimitri all over again in Spirit Bound, the eagerly awaited fifth novel in Richelle Mead's enthralling Vampire Academy series.



**Strong Language- multiple GD's and F words**



The 5th installment of the Vampire Academy Series was quite a roller coaster. While things were accomplished in this installment that you hoped for there was heartbreak around the corner. When beginning this series I was hoping that the foul language would diminish with the story becoming more popular, unfortunately that was not the case. There was an almost sex scene that was not overly detailed with an unexpected ending.......

The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig

The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating: Heated-Hot


After years abroad, Robert, Duke of Dovedale, has returned to England to avenge the murder of his mentor. To uncover the murderer's identity, he must infiltrate the infamous, secret Hellfire Club. But the Duke has no idea that an even more difficult challenge awaits him-in a mistaken, romantic-minded young lady.



Charlotte Lansdowne wistfully remembers the Robert of her childhood as a valiant hero among men. Too aware of his own flaws, Robert tries to dissuade Charlotte from her delusions, even as he finds himself drawn to her. When Charlotte takes up a bit of espionage-investigating a plot to kidnap the King-Robert soon realizes that she is more than the perfect partner in crime.



Caught in a dangerous game full of deadly spies and secret rites, Robert and Charlotte must work together to reveal the villain...and confront their true love.



Once again Ms. Willig is going for a darker plot. This is my least favorite in the series. Charlotte and Dovedale had terrible communication skills and that was quite frustrating. Most of the previous books have had the heroine being equally quick witted and self sufficient but not in this books. Disappointing but love still prevailed and we ended happy.

The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig

The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sensuality Rating: Heated - Hot


"Pride and Prejudice lives on" (USA Today) in Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series, which has been hailed for its addictive blend of history, romance, and adventure. In The Orchid Affair, Willig introduces her strongest heroine yet. Laura Grey, a veteran governess, joins the Selwick Spy School expecting to find elaborate disguises and thrilling exploits in service to the spy known as the Pink Carnation. She hardly expects her first assignment to be serving as governess for the children of Andre Jaouen, right-hand man to Bonaparte's minister of police. Jaouen and his arch rival, Gaston Delaroche, are investigating a suspected Royalist plot to unseat Bonaparte, and Laura's mission is to report any suspicious findings.



At first the job is as lively as Latin textbooks and knitting, but Laura begins to notice strange behavior from Jaouen-secret meetings and odd comings and goings. As Laura edges herself closer to her employer, she makes a shocking discovery and is surprised to learn that she has far more in common with Jaouen than she originally thought...



As their plots begin to unravel, Laura and Jaouen are forced on the run with the children, and with the help of the Pink Carnation they escape to the countryside, traveling as husband and wife. But Delaroche will stop at nothing to take down his nemesis. With his men hot on their trail, can Laura and Jaouen seal the fate of Europe before it's too late?





While I truly enjoyed this book I was very disappointed by the choice Andre and Laura made to consummate their relationship without being married or intending to be. I can reason it out in my mind why an author takes to step to put a love scene when the couple is married but this would have been so much better had the H/h had all the sexual tension and kissing instead of leaping in bed with each other. While the love scene was very mild it mentioned the "N" word and it made me cringe!!!!!! Had there been only kissing or a marriage I would have given this book a 4-5 star. My favorite is still the previous "The Mischief of the Mistletoe: A Pink Carnation Christmas"