Review ~ Butterfly In Frost by Sylvia Day

Montlake Romance
27 August 2019

My thanks to Midas PR for my copy of this book

Teagan Ransom has finally settled in a place she can call home, spending time with new friends she adores, focusing on a fulfilling job, whilst reconciling the past and laying the groundwork for the future.

That is until Garrett Frost moves in next door. He’s obstinate and too bold, a raging and disruptive force of nature. Teagan recognizes the ghosts that haunt him, the torment driving him. Garrett would be risky in any form, but wounded, he’s far more dangerous. Tegan fears he could pull apart everything she has worked so hard to build, but Garret’s too determined…and too tempting.

Emotional and heartrending, Butterfly in Frost marks a brilliant return by global sensation Sylvia Day, the No.1 international multi-million bestselling author of the Crossfire saga.

What did I think about it...

Teagan Ransom and Garrett Frost are new neighbours but their relationship is far from settled and despite there being an uneasy truce between them, there is, at times, a smouldering attraction which threatens to engulf them. And as the story progresses and we get to learn more about Teagan and Garret so an interesting story starts to emerge. There are some great moments within the story and for those who have read the Crossfire series there are a couple of references towards the characters who featured in this best selling series.

Fans of this author's work will already know that she writes about alpha males and feisty females and Butterfly in Frost is no exception, with the erotic content fairly sizzling on the page, and yet, far from being merely gratuitous sexual encounters, her novels are invariably imbued with heat, heart and passion. Teagan and Garrett are both fascinating characters, each with their own particular brand of angst which the author explores and during the course of the story we find out just how damaged they have both been by life circumstances.

Butterfly in Frost is a quick read, more novella length than novel, but I think that the author says everything she needs to within the space of the story. However, I wouldn't be at all surprised, now that the author has tested the waters with Teagan and Garrett, to see a full length novel, about these two fascinating characters, to emerge at some point in the future.

Read an extract from Butterfly in Frost by clicking here.

About the Author

Sylvia Day is the No.1 New York Times, No.1 USA Today & No.1 international bestselling author of over twenty award-winning novels translated into 41 languages. With tens of millions of copies of her books in print, she is a No.1 bestseller in 28 countries. Sylvia served as the 22nd President of Romance Writers of America and presently serves on the Authors Guild’s Board of Directors. Sylvia’s work has been coveredin Time, Variety, People, The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Associated Press, USA Today, and Entertainment Weekly.

Twitter @SylDay #ButterflyInFrost

@midaspr

Review ~ Smoke In Her Eyes by Anna Belfrage

Troubadour Publishing
March 2019

My thanks to the author for my e-copy of this book

Six months ago, Helle Madsen would have described herself as normal. Now she no longer knows if that terms applies, not after her entire life has been turned upside down by the reappearance of not one, but two, men from her very, very distant past. 

Helle Madsen never believed in mumbo-jumbo stuff like reincarnation—until she came face to face with Jason Morris, a man who purportedly had spent fifty lives looking for her. Coping with being reunited with the lover from her ancient past was one thing. Having Sam Woolf, her vindictive nemesis from that same ancient past join the party was a bit too much. Suddenly, Helle finds herself the reluctant heroine of a far-flung, time-transcending epic story, one in which pain and loss seem to play a very big part. 

This time round, Jason and Helle are determined to make it to the happily ever after. Unfortunately, Sam Woolf will stop at nothing to crush them. That ride into the golden sunset seems awfully far away at times…

What did I think about it..

Those who have read A Torch in his Heart, which is the first book in the darkly romantic Wanderer series, will be entirely familiar with the dangerous love triangle which exists around Sam Woolf,  Helle Masden and Jason Morris, so I'm not going to repeat what has gone before, however, for those who are new to the series, it would be much better if you started at the beginning and followed this daring story of thwarted love and heated passion.

Smoke in her Eyes continues in the same dramatic way as the first book, with so much unease that my heart was in my mouth and that was from just what was happening over the first chapter! The story continues with further developments in the twisted world which exists between these three complex characters whose shared history spans well over three thousand years.

The author keeps us well entertained with this dark story of love and revenge and, as always, the drama explodes in some truly fascinating encounters. However, it is in the relationship between Jason and Helle where much of the passionate heat of the story lies and in Smoke in her Eyes, they both have to overcome some pretty powerful emotions in order to understand just where their relationship is headed. There's jealousy, misunderstanding and suspicion between them, which makes their volatile partnership all the more exciting, and yet it is their erotic and passionate relationship in the bedroom which fairly sizzles on the pages.

The dangerous relationship which Jason and Helle have with their nemesis, Sam Woolf is where the story really gets into some dangerous territory, and as old jealousies explode so the battle for dominance continues with deadly vengeance. Contemplating the destiny of her characters is what this author does really well and she plots their fate with a deft hand and a fine eye for detail. I especially like the way she plays with the readers emotions so that you both love, and loathe, the characters in equal measure. The suspenseful mystery at the centre of the novel is as taut and tight as ever and there's never a moment when the action relaxes into complacency.

Smoke in Her Eyes is a worthy continuation of the Wanderer series and, after reading the tantalising excerpt at the back of this e-copy, I'm already looking forward to Fire in the Skies which is book number 3.

About the Author

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England. 

Smoke In Her Eyes is the second book in her new series, The Wanderer. This time, she steps out of her normal historical context with fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense with paranormal and time-slip ingredients. She has loved writing the series – she hopes her readers will like reading it just as much.

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Twitter @abelfrageauthor

Review ~ A Torch in his Heart by Anna Belfrage

 😻 A Perfect Halloween Read 😻

Wanderer #1
Timelight Press
August 2018
My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

In the long lost ancient past, two men fought over the girl with eyes like the Bosporus under a summer sky. It ended badly. She died. They died. 

Since then, they have all tumbled through time, reborn over and over again. Now they are all here, in the same place, the same time and what began so long ago must finally come to an end. 

Ask Helle Madsen what she thinks about reincarnation and she’ll laugh in your face. Besides, Helle has other stuff to handle, what with her new, exciting job in London and her drop-dead but seriously sinister boss, Sam Woolf. And then one day Jason Morris walks into her life and despite never having clapped eyes on him before, she recognises him immediately. Very weird. Even more weird is the fact that Sam and Jason clearly hate each other’s guts. Helle’s life is about to become extremely complicated and far too exciting.

My thoughts about it..

This is such a real change of direction for one of my favourite historical fiction authors, that I have been quite taken by surprise, not by her writing skill, as that's always on top form, but by her ability to place me very firmly in the present with a compelling, contemporary story, which also has a dark and deeply troubled past. 

Helle Madsen is dominated by Sam Woolf, her manipulative, and it must be said, quite evil boss who, it seems, will stop at nothing to get what he wants. That he wants Helle, with a passion bordering on obsession, is obvious from the start of the novel. However, there is also someone else who wants Helle with an equal passion. Business man, Jason Morris has loved Helle forever, and as their past lives start to explode and combine, so a story of desire, longing and the settling of old hostilities starts to come to life. Ensnared in a never-ending cycle of love, lust and hatred, the three main characters, who dominate the story, have had more than their fair share of anguish to contend with as they hurtle through time. 

Written with this skilful author's trademark fine attention to detail, A Torch in his Heart fairly sizzles with passion. Never one to shy away from intimacy in her novels, this dark and moody paranormal story goes to a whole new level of scorching sexuality. The author’s ability to create passionate romance is unequalled and she certainly doesn’t shy away from eroticism bringing together two of her characters with a sexual explicitness which may not be to everyone’s taste. 

Cleverly combining a modern day story of high octane business wheeling and dealing, alongside that of a darkly oppressive ancient world is, for me, a winning formula, and if the ending is anything to go by, I’m sure Book two in the Wanderer series will be every bit as compelling. Can’t wait..😉

About the Author

Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England. She has recently released the first in a new series, The Wanderer. This time, she steps out of her normal historical context and A Torch in His Heart is with a fast-paced contemporary romantic suspense with paranormal and time-slip ingredients. She has loved writing it – she hopes her readers will like reading it just as much.

Read a guest post by Anna by clicking here

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Facebook

Twitter @abelfrageauthor

Happy Publication Day ~ The Diamond Ring By Primula Bond

Avon
22 May 2014

Fans of Gustav and Serena who have followed this series from the very beginning will not be disappointed in this third and final piece of the trilogy jigsaw puzzle which opens where book two ended. Gustav and Serena are completely wrapped up, quite literally, in each other and their sensuous appeal really knows no bounds, and yet like a blot on their intimate landscape is Gustav's ex wife, Margot, who is determined to do all that she can to sever the unbreakable connection between these two captivating lovers.

In many ways this final piece of the trilogy has a darker edge to it. There are episodes of anger, deception and betrayal and times when the unbreakable bond between Gustav and Serena is tested to its absolute limit. And yet, running through the story like a silken thread is the undeniable passion that they have for each other and the hope that in the end good will overcome pure evil. As always, the author captures the erotic world of opulent desire and takes the reader on a tumultuous journey, from the allure of Paris, through to the exotic world of the Moroccan souk, and with verve and panache skilfully manoeuvres the plot to its dramatic conclusion.

I'm not an avid reader of erotic fiction, not from any prudish sensibility, but more because I have never found an erotic novel with a story to capture my literary imagination. However, I am delighted to write that with this trilogy, I have been completely won over by the author’s passionate storytelling and have been enthralled in Gustav and Serena’s story from beginning to end.

***

My thanks to Avon and Olivia at lightbrigade.co.uk for my e- copy of this book

In conversation with Primula Bond...

I am delighted to welcome to my blog

Primula Bond

author

of

The Unbreakable Trilogy
Book 2

Published 21 November 2013

*~Welcome Primula~*

Where did the original idea for the Unbreakable trilogy come from?

The original idea started with Serena, who, like the Berocca adverts, is me, but on a really good day. Then I closed my eyes and envisaged, in glorious detail, my ideal man firstly in pure looks and then in character and background. Gustav actually started out as a vampire and I have retained the dark, mysterious, wolfish air he has about him. While her past is not remotely like mine, Gustav's bad marriage is based on real life stories I have been told and have wanted to portray in fictional terms, because there really are evil women like Margot out there... The rest followed quite naturally, once they had come to life. The challenge lay in bringing those two characters together in glorious locations, giving them fascinating occupations and plenty of adventure, while keeping it real, ie exploring how two such different people could meet, ignite, overcome threats and sabotage, and (hopefully) live happily ever after.



The Golden Locket is the second book in the trilogy; did you feel more of an obligation to make this book even better than the first?

A really interesting question. I was pretty daunted at the idea of maintaining this story through three volumes, as I think some authors find they are spreading it pretty thin if they're not careful. At first I felt I'd given my all in The Silver Chain and just hoped that I could find enough to put into a second and third volume, let alone make them as good as the first. Also, at the time of writing The Golden Locket, I hadn't yet had the reaction of readers to The Silver Chain, so it was a bit like writing in the dark, or with ear muffs on – no idea how it would be received! But as the story progressed, and more characters and plot lines emerged, I found that, as with real life, there is always more to say. Obviously a writer's job is to condense that into a fictionalised world, so it will be stylised and manipulated to fit the parameters of your plan, but as an avid fan of mystery/thriller TV drama and film, I love the idea of cliffhangers, twists, and unexpected developments. If you leave each chapter/book on some kind of breathless moment, the next chapter/book becomes easier to start. If I'm honest I think that's why I enjoyed writing The Golden Locket and the third book more than writing The Silver Chain, because 'd already set up the main characters and situations, and now all I had to do was send them on their logical way. So, whisper it, but yes, I think The Golden Locket may be better! So what I'm hoping is that, while people really loved The Silver Chain, they will go wild about the sequels!



When writing your novels do you outline the plot first, or do you let the story go wherever it takes you?

A little bit of both. I do write a synopsis, broken down into chapters. I think a lot about it, and it helps me get over the dread of starting a new book, because I have given myself a framework to follow. Obviously then characters and plots will crop up which will deviate from the path, but at least I have some kind plan to keep me on the straight and narrow.



Location is obviously important to your story, how do you decide where in the world to take your characters?


After my first taste of travelling aged 18 (camping in Biarritz), I have loved it ever since. In fiction these locations add to the exoticism and luxury of the story, and is also relevant to the plot, but ultimately I weave that around places I have lived in myself, and/or travelled to. I have lived in London, Venice and Egypt (which I haven't written about this time, owing to current situation, but have shifted some of the action in Book 3 to Morocco instead), and I've visited all the other places such as New York, Paris etc more than once. It's a great excuse to revisit favourite areas, hotels, restaurants etc, pore over guidebooks, maps, etc, and go on the internet to check that I'm still up to date.



Can you give us any clues about what will happen in Book 3 of the trilogy?

We will find Serena and Gustav back in New York after the bumpy ride of The Golden Locket, more committed to each other than ever, but as well as trying to come to terms with what Pierre was trying to do in The Golden Locket, their greatest nemesis of all, his ex wife Margot, will also be sharpening her claws and clinging on for all she's worth, determined to wreck their hard-won happiness, so they both face and intense trauma as the story progresses towards its climax...



And finally –


If The Golden Locket was optioned for a TV drama/ movie, who would you like to play Serena, Gustav and Pierre?

We can but dream! My ultimate fantasy would be sitting in a cinema with a vast box of Maltesers watching those opening credits! My instinct if a film were made would be to swerve the Hollywood hype, be groundbreaking and original, and go for gorgeous unknowns. But to give an idea, I've always had Olivier Martinez, the French actor, in my mind for Gustav, Josh Holloway from 'Lost', or Dominic Zamprogna (from 'General Hospital'). They must have silky dark hair, haunted, Slavic cheek bones, black eyes, and the constant hint of unshavenness. Amanda Seyfried would make a great a red-haired Serena. Pierre would have to be a thicker set, younger version of Gustav, the Puerto Recan actor Sharlim Ortiz perhaps if he put on a little muscle. Polly could be the Swedish actress MyAnna Burring who was in 'Twilight' and also 'Downton Abbey'. Salma Hayek, Diane Lane, Rachel Weicz or Demi Moore could be Margot, the evil but charismatic ex-wife. Tilda Swinton could be Crystal, the enigmatic housekeeper, but she might steal the show!

Primula ~ thank you so much for spending time with us . Jaffa and I wish you continuing success with your writing career and look forward to the third book in the Unbreakable trilogy.  

***

**There is a special one day offer available through Amazon  where you can download a copy of The Silver Chain (Unbreakable #1) for free. *Available 21st November only - so hurry **

Here's the link 

 http://bit.ly/SCEbook

My thoughts on The Golden Locket

This second book in the Unbreakable Trilogy, finds Gustav and Serena in New York, where they remain enamoured of each other. However, Gustav's younger brother, Pierre is now firmly on the scene and seems determined to complicate Gustav and Serena's loved-up life.

There is a real sense of continuity in this second book, and it's great to see the relationship between Gustav and Serena become even stronger. It's also good to see Serena start to gain a little more personality, and as she becomes more self assured, she starts to gain in confidence and becomes more feisty and independent. I enjoyed the photography assignments, which take Serena into some bizarre situations, but she handles these with remarkable panache and quite enviable sexual confidence.

The story retains its irresistible pull. There's some explicit sexual activity, after all this is an erotic novel, but what interests me more is the observation and interaction between the main characters. There are some poignant scenes between Serena and her cousin Polly, whose continuing love affair with Pierre is complicated, and the tantalising glimpses of Gustav's arch nemesis Margot, adds extra spice to the plot. The delicious magic of Gustav and Serena’s relationship weaves throughout the story and the thread of the golden locket binds them closer together.

Overall, this is a good continuation of the story. There are some great moments with well described locations which take the action from the chic of New York, to the carnavale atmosphere of Venice. I am sure that fans of The Silver Chain will be delighted with The Golden Locket.

***

The Silver Chain by Primula Bond

Harper Collins UK AVON
Mischief Books

Serena Folkes is a photographer, and is so intent on capturing a night time shoot with her camera, that she isn't aware of the mysterious stranger who stands in the shadows watching her. This chance meeting with the enigmatic Gustav Levi, will ultimately propel Serena into an altogether different and more adult themed world. Gustav is more than twice Serena’s age, sophisticated, experienced and fabulously rich, and whilst Serena isn't an inexperienced ingénue, she does come across as someone who needs nurturing. Gustav promises to launch Serena’s photographic career in exchange for an agreement that Serena will be his exclusive property ,and as they become bound together by a silver chain, Serena is about to discover that there is more to this enigmatic stranger than first appears.

I'm not a usually reader of erotic fiction, so it’s difficult to judge whether this book is good by the standards of the genre. All I can say is that overall, the book kept my interest, and whilst I tended to skip over some of the more explicit scenes, not from any moral objection, but more because I found them rather tedious. I grew to like both Gustav and Serena, they are incredibly flawed, and yet the author does a great job of showing both their vulnerability and their strengths.

The ending of the book lends itself into the continuation of the story in The Golden Locket.

No doubt this story will appeal to readers of the Fifty Shades trilogy and The Crossfire series by Sylvia Day

My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, Avon for my copy of this book.