Heather Killough-Walden - New Release, Snow King

There are very few  authors that I follow with a vengeance and Heather Killough-Walden is one of them. This isn't the first time that I've written about her work, and I'm sure that it won't be the last. The book that started it all was book one in the King Series, "The Vampire King". Flash forward to present day, and we arrive at the 8th king in the series, "The Winter King".

There's something very comforting in knowing the book you're going to read is going to be stellar, even before you open the cover.

There are 13 kings in the series, which is good for us because that means that we'll be able to enjoy this series through five more installments. (If we go by the information in Goodreads the 9th installment will be "The Demon King") Killough-Walden does not disappoint. This King, who's name is Kristopher Scaul is a powerful Alpha Male as are all of the King that we have met thus far, and they all know that as in the game of chess, their Queen is more powerful and that they will do anything to protect them. The only problem is that they have to find them first. Kristopher finds his queen, her name is Persephone Glacia Nix (Poppy), all he has to do is convince her; easier said than done right?

There was however one thing that made Poppy near and dear to my heart, it seems that Poppy is a Sister! I could be wrong, but that's what I gathered from the following:

“He opened his eyes and swung his head towards the door.  Two women were walking in, one with dark skin and black hair, and the other with lighter skin and multi-hued brown hair.  The latter had her back to him, but her scarf was an extra-long knit number filled with so many colors, it grabbed his attention as much as the words she’d muttered.  He found himself sitting up straighter, his breath held, his attention fixated – waiting for her to turn around.  And then she did. And his world went tumbling." - Snow King by Heather Killough-Walden

I hope that I'm right, but if not, it could never take away from the beauty of this story. Here is an excerpt from "The Winter King"

“If you believe anything I tell you, believe this. You are my queen, therefore, you are my world. You are the most important piece on the chessboard. Everything I do from here on out will be about you. I will eat, sleep, and drink you. I will breathe you. And I will stop breathing without you… If you go, the game is lost.”

Far beyond the easy reaches of the mortal world lies a kingdom of ice and snow. Its glacier mountains reach the horizons of eons, and its cold, hard oceans paint the vastness of its world. It is terribly harsh, and terribly beautiful, and there is only one man capable of ruling from its frozen throne. He has ruled there alone for more than a thousand years.

But the Thirteen Kings are finding their fated queens, and though he’d all but lost hope he would count himself amongst their lucky numbers, the moment she walks into view, his frozen heart and soul are rekindled with by a fire that will melt through anything, even him.

Persephone Glacia Nix – “Poppy” – is a human warlock who has forced herself to fit in with the mortals around her, despite her inherent differences, despite her secret longings, and regardless of the very different way in which she sees the world. Her empathetic nature makes life better for others, but difficult for her. She’s come to accept this as the curse that accompanies the gift of understanding. However, when Kristopher Scaul approaches her on a dark street in a dark city on a cold night and introduces her to a world she at last feels “at home” in, Poppy must finally decide whether to continue faking it in the mortal world – or take her place on a second frozen throne, in the lonely but beautiful Kingdom of Winter."

The Winter King is the eighth anticipated novel in the Big Bad Wolf spinoff series, The Kings, by NYT and USA Today bestselling author Heather Killough-Walden.

Now available at eBook sellers everywhere.

If you haven't had the opportunity to read Heather's other books in the King series PLEASE, PLEASE read them! I promise you you'll be hooked!

Much Love,

Pandora

Double Header - A.L. Simpson and Cynthia Dane A Weekend To Remember

Few and far between are the times when I can just sit my butt down somewhere and dive into my reading and remain there totally uninterrupted. This past weekend was one of those times. I had taken some vacation time from work, you know that work that pays the bills *wink*, and I knew that I was going to partake in one of my top two loves, reading a romance! But instead of reading just one, I was able to power through a fabulous romance and a killer 3 book boxed set! *Color me happy*

Enough of that! Your want the skinny on the books that I read! So here you go!

The first book that read was "Born To Sin" by A.L. Simpson.  I happened to see an ad for this release on my FB page time line. I'll be honest with you, most of the time I ignore the ads, but who can resist a hot hunk of "Man Candy" shirtless, with tattoos, on a motorcycle? Ok, so you say know, someone, who knows someone who could have resisted, well that someone isn't me! *wink* anyhoo, the book was on Kindle Unlimited, so I thought what the heck, I have a subscription, free is free right?

I will tell you this, after the read, if I had to do it all over again and had to pay, I would. This is my first book by A.L. Simpson, but hopefully it won't be my last.

Christina Mandara - "Good As Dead" Is As Good As It Gets!

It's been a good while since I had the chance to indulge myself in the reading of a seriously good paranormal romance. Good As Dead was the PERFECT choice to end my drought! Author Christina Mandara, writer of Erotica, BDSM, Bondage and More as she defines herself, knocked it out of the park with this one! This is the first of Christina's works that I have had the supreme pleasure of reading, but it definitely won't be the last.

LaShawn Vasser's "The Right Side of My Pillow", A Superb Study in Romance

I know, you might get tired of reading about my love affair with my Kindle App, but it is what it is. Don't hate the reader *wink*. Anyhoo, I was running a query looking for a new good read and I see a book titled, "Out Of Nowhere"by LaShawn Vasser. The cover looked inviting, not too over the top, simplistic. I decided to give it a go. I was not disappointed! I will warn you though, the story that was contained between the front and back of that simple cover was thrilling! I knew that she was an author that I was going to keep my eyes on.

So what do I see on Twitter yesterday? I see that LaShawn has a new book thats due to hit the shelves and eReaders on
February 29, 2016, called The Right Side of My Pillow. The cover was stunning!! You know my "One Click Purchase" finger started twitching, but it wasn't available yet. But LaShawn, being the sweetheart that she is sent me an ARC to give a read. Thank you Gurl! You know I love you!!  Needless to say I couldn't put it down. I read it through in one sitting. This love story truly is a romance in the classic sense of the word. As an avid romance reader, my reads of choice vary widely, I don't think that there's a genre out there that I haven't read at least once, and I will tell you, sometimes I just want to read about pure and simple love. Such is the story of Jade (Cricket) and Cole.

Box Sets Are Your Friend! Finding Incredible Authors and Great Reads

There's not a whole lot of explanation that needs to be given for "Box Set". Over the years, it's been applied to various forms of music media as well as literature. So if you're an avid reader you know what I'm talking about. But I want to focus on the eReader Boxed Sets.

I've gotten to the point where I will only purchase hardback or paperback books of authors that I have already deemed my solid "Go To's", or I will purchase the book AFTER I've read it on my eReader and it blew me away. I had to start slowing down purchasing books because frankly, I'm running out of room! Anyway back on course.

I have read many, many boxed sets on my Kindle App. I'm always looking for a good deal, so the first time I came across a boxed set offering (I think it was .99) I was searching for paranormal shifter romances and there it was. This particular set is going to remain nameless, because frankly, it SUCKED! I know, I know, you get what you pay for, right? Not always!

After some time, I've actually become a fan of the Boxed Sets, yeah, some are duds, but if I find one author out of 10 that blows me away, I'm good. My most recent yummy find is "SALACIOUS" by Secret Hungers Presents. Trust me .99 cents goes A LONG WAY with this one!! This was actually the set where I read "Curing Doctor Vincent" by Renea Mason for the first time. She is totally BADASS and in my opinion the star of the set! I'll also admit that I put the rest of the set on hold to read all of the Good Doctor Series.

Snowed In and Falling In Love With Asha King and Renea Mason

The first snow of 2016 and here I sit curled up and content with two new authors under my belt and several delicious reads down. I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend a weekend in a snow storm....ok, well maybe there are a few things that would have been better, but we'll save that for another day and another post.

So, first up Renea Mason and "The Good Doctor" series. What a mind blowing series of reads! Each one was better than the other. This series is a combination of mystery, intrigue, and very well placed mind blowing "Good Good". I thought that I was going to be able to pace myself and take my time with these books, but I couldn't! Once I got started, I had to keep going there was no turning back.

"Elaine Watkins, Public Relations Advisor, is surprised when she receives a summons from the very attractive and enigmatic Dr. Xavier Vincent. She worships the talented physician and company icon responsible for developing the cure that saved her sister's life and isn't immune to his charm. Even though puzzled by his request, she is excited and eager to get started on his latest project.

But Dr. Vincent has other ideas. Instead of discussing cures, drugs and marketing strategies, he asks Elaine to join him in Paris to indulge his unique sexual appetites.

Torn between gratitude for saving her sister, her attraction for the powerful man and compromising her pre-conceived notions of sexuality, she must decide if it's easier to feed his desires or walk away. Until she devises a plan of her own. 

"Make no mistake, Elaine, I am a king. Kings command and conquer. They are brutal and uncompromising. You don't want a king. Face it, you came here expecting a saint." - Dr. Xavier Vincent"  Trust when I say that you will be hooked! There are twists and turns that you just won't see coming. The transition between the books is flawless. Renea draws you in deeper and deeper with each book. Each character continues to evolve and reveal more and more of themselves to the reader. I can't wait for book 3, "Loving Doctor Vincent"

Untitled Love, by Olivia Gaines - A Must For Your #TBRList

I don't think I'll ever get tired of coming across a new author that I just fall in love with. Such is the case with Olivia Gaines. Author of at least 33 distinct works, Olivia is right up there with the best of them.

The first book that I came across of Olivia's was "Thursday's in Savannah". As usual I was scrolling through my eBook search on my Kindle App, and there is was, so I thought I'd give it a go. A few hours later I was left breathless and wanting more!

When I saw that Olivia was releasing the new title "Untitled Love", I was ready! Phone in hand, and my Kindle "Buy Now With One Click" finger was twitching. With my new title in hand, I tucked in with a nice glass of sweet Marsala, my blanket, and I was ready to go. I was not disappointed.

"Orlando Flynn wasn’t beyond calling in the debt Jacquetta Mason owed him to get what he wanted. The love shared between them had always been untitled and he was ready to change it to something more concrete. Orlando knew exactly the label he wanted on his relationship with Jacquetta. He wanted her as his wife."

Not only is "An Untitled Love" full of love, romance, and yest plenty of steamy "good good", but it's full of humor as well. I don't do spoilers, but I will tell you this, there is one character in this book that stole my heart with their sharp tongue and quick wit.