Susannah Sandlin's Penton Legacy - Giving The Black Dagger Brotherhood A Run For It's Money

Listen, you know I have this thing going on with my Kindle where I submit a query, it spins its little Kindle wheels and spits out choices for me. Once again I put in a search for interracial paranormal and one of the titles that it gave me was Absolution by Susannah Sandlin. I was riveted from page one!! This is one of the first PnR that I've ever read that I think is on par with J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood and that's saying something.

For those of you that don't know me, you wouldn't know that J.R. Ward was one of the first PnR writers that I got into. In my opinion she sets the standard for PnR writers. You know have some frame of reference for the gravitas of me saying that Susannah Sandlin's Penton Legacy is on par with J.R. Ward's BDB.

Anyhoo!! My only problem was that Absolution is book two in the Penton Legacy series. So as soon as I finished with book two, I had to turn around and grab book one Redemption. Again, I was not disappointed. Reading book one let me know that Susannah was not just a "One and Done", she's the real deal. And yes I have already downloaded book three in the now five book series, Omega.

So what is it about these books that I enjoyed so much? I enjoyed that they are a fully thought out, well crafted series of stories that only leave you wanting where the author wants to leave you wanting. This PnR has all the steamy "Good Good" that we've come to associate with the romance genre, but the "paranormal part of it is written so beautifully that we forget that it's "para" and it just feels "normal".

Do yourself a HUGE favor and start reading this series if you haven't already. Here's and excerpt from all of the books in the series.

Susannah, thank you for this series! I just downloaded book three and I'm over the moon to see what's going to happen next!! P.S.  - this is purely personal, I have fallen in love with this series, but...could you please put an Africa American female as the love interest in one of them? Please! Please!

Happy Reading All!

Much Love!

PENTON LEGACY #1 REDEMPTION

For vampire Aidan Murphy, life has never been so desperate. The vaccine used to treat a global pandemic has rendered human blood deadly to his kind, leaving them on the brink of starvation and civil war.

In tiny Penton, Alabama, Aidan establishes a peaceful community of vampires and unvaccinated human donors. He dares to hope they can survive—until his estranged brother descends upon Penton and begins killing the humans. Determined to save his town, Aidan kidnaps an unsuspecting human doctor—and finds himself falling in love for the first time in nearly four centuries.

Dr. Krystal Harris thought she was coming to Penton for a job interview, but Aidan Murphy has other plans. Infuriated by his high-handed scheme to imprison her in the small town, Krys can't ignore the attraction between them. But is it love? Or does her dangerous, charismatic captor want only to bend her to his will?

Spending A Little Time With Dianne Duvall's Immortal Guardians

There's no better feeling than stumbling across you next great read, unless it's the joy of finding out that it's only book one on in a series of 10!! I am still doing my happy dance!! My state of euphoria is the direct result of finishing book one in Dianne Duvall's book one in the Immortal Guardians series, Darkness Dawns. The last paranormal action/romance series that grabbed my attention like this, was the Black Dagger Brotherhood  by J.R. Ward.

Darkness Dawns has everything that you could want in a paranormal series, plenty of action, hot immortals, and plenty of steamy Good Good! But the foundations for all of that deliciously decadent icing is a solid story.

There are a few reasons that people choose to read romance. There are those that only want the sexual aspect of the writing, which is fine, but then there are those that enjoy the finished product of  carefully developed writing craft, THAT is what a real die hard romance reader wants. THAT is what makes Dianne's writing special, and THAT is what makes me want to sink my teeth into the next in the series.

Book one, Darkness Dawns, sets the stage for all stories that will come here after.

"Once, Sarah Bingham’s biggest challenge was making her students pay attention in class. Now, after rescuing a wounded stranger, she’s landed in the middle of a battle between corrupt vampires and powerful immortals who also need blood to survive. Roland Warbrook is the most compelling man Sarah has ever laid hands on. But his desire for her is mingled with a hunger he can barely control . . .

In his nine centuries of immortal existence, no woman has tempted Roland as much as Sarah. But asking her to love him is impossible -- when it mean forfeiting the world she’s always known, and the life he would do anything to protect." Dianne Duvall

I am looking forward to continuing on my journey with these beautiful Immortal Guardians.

Also! Dianne has a new book about to drop! Rendezvous With Yesterday from the Gifted Ones Series (Book 2). It's available for pre-order on Amazon.

"Modern-day bounty hunter Bethany Bennett helps her brother track two fugitives to a forest outside of Houston, Texas. But what should have been a routine apprehension of two bail skippers spirals out of control and ends in violence. After Beth and her brother are both seriously injured, a mysterious figure suddenly looms over her. And, when the smoke clears, Beth finds herself not only in another place, but in another time.

As Lord Robert, Earl of Fosterly, attempts to identify and track down the nameless enemy who has been plaguing his lands and people with violence, the most peculiar woman stumbles into his path. Small, vulnerable, yet possessed of a bold, fiery spirit and wicked sense of humor, she persists in dubbing Robert and his men members of something called a medieval reenactment group . . . until she sees his castle and labels herself mad. It seems bounty hunter Bethany Bennett has come to him from the future, bringing with her laughter and chaos, swiftly winning the hearts of his people and inspiring within him a love he thought he would never experience again. But when Robert discovers a way for her to return to her time, will the love they share be enough to keep them together?"

Much Love,

Pandora

Dianne Duvall is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series and The Gifted Ones series. Her books have twice been nominated for RT Reviewers' Choice Awards and are routinely deemed Top Picks by RT Book Reviews, The Romance Reviews, and/or Night Owl Reviews. Reviewers have called Dianne's books "fast-paced and humorous" (Publishers Weekly), "utterly addictive" (RT Book Reviews), "extraordinary" (Long and Short Reviews), and "wonderfully imaginative" (The Romance Reviews).

Dianne's books have all appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and/or Amazon Bestseller lists. The first book in Dianne's new series The Gifted Ones, A Sorceress of His Own, was released on June 2, 2015. A prequel of sorts to Darkness Dawns. A Sorceress of His Own is a medieval romance with paranormal elements that won awards in the Lone Star, Where the Magic Begins, Southern Heat, Picture This, Book of Your Heart and Suzannah national writing competitions. The second book in the series, Rendezvous With Yesterday, will be released in 2016 and is a time travel romance.

In addition to writing romance, Dianne has completed a one-act play (comedy) and teamed up with an award-winning screenwriter to write a spec script for a new situation comedy. Several of her poems have also been published in anthologies.

When she isn’t writing, Dianne is very active in the independent film industry and has even appeared on-screen, crawling out of a moonlit grave and wielding a machete like some of the vampires she loves to create in her books.

Going Back To My PnR Reading Roots With J.R. Ward's, The Story of Son

If I tried to count all the books that I have read in the last 5 years I would probably lose my mind, and that's putting it mildly. I've always had a passion for reading, but life got in the way. Being a full-time wife and a mother of four, working full-time, trying to go back to school and finish my degree...all of it left no time for the relaxation and solace that a great book has always provided.

But then my life changed, my husband at the time decided that he was leaving, leaving me, leaving us. Please don't feel bad about it, I don't any more, but at the time, I was a broken mess. Suddenly I had a need to be able to find a safe place, that safe place was between the pages of books.

One of the first authors that I picked up was J.R. Ward, and the book was from her Fallen Angel series, book one, titled Covet. I will never forget the day. I had left work and was wandering through the Gallery Mall in Center City Philadelphia, while making my way to the train and I stopped at a book store called Books-A-Million. There was this super, super helpful employee whose name sadly escapes me. I told her that I was looking for something good to read. She asked me if I knew what kind of genre that I was interested in and I simply said I have no clue. She looked at me with a glint in here eye and said, "I think I have just the book for you." She showed me the display that contained all of the Fallen Angel books that were out at that time and she hands me the book. She said, "This is book one in the series, the author is AMAZING! Her name is J.R. Ward and I promise you will fall in love with her."

She asked me to stop back by and tell me if I liked it or not. Now this was before my fascination with e-readers so I was still buying paper backs. I made my way to my train, found my seat and started reading. By the time I reached my stop I was hooked!. I think I read through Covet in about two days. Needless to say I made my way back to Books-A-Million and went in search of the young lady that helped me, I didn't think she would remember me but she did. She smiled at me and simply said, "Well...."

She knew I was hooked just as she had said. Well, to make a long story short, I read through that series, then polished off all that had been published the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. (I have also read The Bourbon Kings as well.) So about little less than a week ago I was browsing through my Kindle app and I came across a title of hers that I wasn't familiar with it was called The Story of Son, which was originally published in 2008. It's a stand alone read that was originally included in the Anthology Dead After Dark, which also includes works by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Susan Squires, and Dianna Love.

The Story of Son blew me away...there's something to be said for picking up a read by an author that you know will not fail to pull you into what lies between the pages. Even though I am never with out something to read, there are times when I don't want to start something by an author that I've never read. I want warmth and familiarity, it's like coming home. I curled up on my couch with my blanket and my steaming cup of coffee and let me self be swept away.

All I can say is thank you J.R for always giving me what I need, when I need it. Beautiful story. Maybe there will be a sequel? Just a thought.

Much Love,

Pandora

New Year, New Great Reads

In less than 48 hours the world will be ringing in the new year, readying themselves to write down this years list of glorious resolutions, hopefully this year one of your resolutions will be, "read more". THIS is a resolution that is easy to manage, fun, and will help to expand your horizons.

As you know, I'm a hot and steamy romance kind of gal, but I also enjoy fantasy and fiction. There is a plethora of literature out there so there's definitely something for everyone. Reading expands the mind in a way that very little else can. Through the well written word we can be transported through time, space, and emotion.

With 2016 just a few hours away, I already have a list of favorite authors and books that I'm psyched to start the year with, so here you go!

1. J.R. Ward - One of my all time favorites!! J.R. ward has had me hooked for years. While there is plenty of hot and steamy romance in her writings, romance in not the central focus of her writings. Currently J.R. has three series of books out there, "The Fallen Angels", "The Black Dagger Brotherhood", and "Bourbon Kings".

2. Sherrilyn Kenyon - Another of my serious go to authors. I do have to warn you though, Sherrilyn has several series to choose from and many of them actually intersect with one another. Before you pick up one of her books, do your homework and make sure that you start with book one, not book one of a particular series, but her very first book and then go from there. The "Dark Hunter" series is where you want to start.  Her website has a downloadable reading list booklet to help guide you Sherrilyn Kenyon Reading Guide . I actually printed the list and worked my way through, that's what's worked best for me over the years.

3. Rebekah Weatherspoon - Rebekah was a great find for me in 2015 and I'm looking forward to her 2016 release "Soul to Keep", which will be the newest edition to her "Vampire Sorority Sister" series. I will say that my favorite series from Rebekah thus far is her "Fit Series" 10 thumbs up for this series.

4. LeTeisha Newton - LeTeisha is another bright and shining star in the making, and I'm bringing in February 2016 with her up coming release "One Hour Girl". Yes, LeTeisha has proven herself a force to be reckoned with, but with "One Hour Girl" she is taking the next steps in her evolution. This is not a release that you want to miss! If you already read her work you will be awestruck, if you've never read any of her work you will immediately become I fan.

So there you have it, my top picks to start 2016 off with a bang....pun very much intended.

Much Love and Happy New Year!

Pandora