Teaser Tuesday

This is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading

• Open your current read and choose a page at random. 
• Share two sentences (or more) from anywhere on the page, being careful to avoid spoilers. 
• Be sure to share the title and author.

This weeks teaser comes from Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost...

The first was a short-haired brunet whose grin made me assume he was the one who’d greeted Vlad with the taunt. He was also handsome in a too-pretty way that made me think with less muscles, a wig, and some makeup, he’d look great in a dress.

Vlad’s scowl vanished into a smile as the brunet’s gaze swung in my direction as though he’d somehow heard that.

“Looks as though she’s put you in your place as well, Bones,” Vlad drawled.

“So it seems,” Bones replied, winking at me. “But while I’ve worn many disguises, I draw the line at a dress.”

Hahahaha!  I loved this!  That must really suck to be in a room full of mind readers. :) 

FYI Leila, Bones is not way too pretty.  I don't have pretty men in my sexy scoundrel harem. ;)

What's your Teaser Tuesday???

Review ~ A Fall of Water

A Fall of Water

By Elizabeth Hunter

5 of 5 stars! 

“No secret stays hidden forever.”

Still grieving from their loss in the far East, Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo discover that for them, all roads really do lead to Rome. But nothing is quite as it seems in the Eternal City. Joined by Carwyn and Tenzin, unexpected clashes greet them almost immediately, and rivalries churn beneath the glittering facade of the old Roman court. They quickly realize that allies might be enemies, and ancient rivals could hold the key to a deadly secret.

Giovanni and Beatrice will be forced to call on old alliances, ancient power, and fierce cunning to survive for the eternity they both desire. Sometimes, finding the end means going back to the beginning. Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water finally meet with devastating results in the conclusion of the Elemental Mysteries.

I was lucky enough to score an ARC from Elizabeth to review for part of the A Fall of Water blog tour.  This is fourth and final installment in the Elemental Mysteries series and I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion.  After the slower pace of  The Force of Wind, I was not sure how it was going to play out.    I was very happy with the faster pace and twisting change of events that left me wanting to see what could possibly happen next.  The conclusion of the mystery we are introduced to at the very beginning of the series is highly satisfying.  I enjoyed every minute of it.  Such range of emotions and shocking events happen but I am so happy how everything played out for all the characters involved.

Speaking of the characters involved we have Carwyn: the Father who wears Hawaiian shirts and has a wicked sense of humor...

"B, I swear, if you call her a cougar to her face, I will buy you a car," Carwyn snickered.  "A house. Maybe an island.  Something ridiculously extravagant, just so long as I can see the look on her face." 

Ben has tremendous growth and is turning out to be quite the enterprising little nephew.  Not only is he very close to B and Gio, but we see him grow closer to certain characters that leave me thinking what a great kid he is, to wanting to know what kind of man he will become?

Also present?  Tenzin, Matt and Dez as well as some important new characters.

I know this is the end of this particular series but I hope Elizabeth gives serious consideration to continuing on with writing books for our favorite side characters.  *ahem* Carwyn, Ben and Tenzin *ahem* ;)

This series has taken us across the world and through many different emotions.  I highly recommend this series to lovers of PNR and anyone just looking for something unique but still has the thrill of a seductive vampire tale.

"How can I leave my heart?"  He ducked down and pressed a kiss to her neck.  "My love?"  His hands drifted over her shoulders.  "My life?  Beatrice, how?"

Please check out my interview with Elizabeth here.

Purchase A Fall of Water :
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords
Createspace

Want more info on Elizabeth Hunter?
Elizabeth Hunter Writes
Elemental Mysteries website
On Goodreads
On Twitter

Review ~ This Same Earth

This Same Earth

By Elizabeth Hunter

My rating ~ 5 for 5

Beatrice De Novo thought she had left the supernatural world behind…for the most part. But when the past becomes the present, will she leave her quiet life in Los Angeles to follow a mystery she thought had abandoned her? Where has Giovanni Vecchio been, and why has he returned? Giovanni has his own questions, and he’s looking to her for answers.

The sequel to A Hidden Fire will reunite Beatrice and Giovanni to continue their search through the past while both wrestle with the future. When the world as you knew it has changed forever, is there any way you can turn back?

This Same Earth is the second book in the Elemental Mysteries series. It is a paranormal romance/mystery for adult readers.

(via Goodreads)

Let me start by saying how I LOVE the way Elizabeth starts this book.  The prologue consists of journal entries from B while she is spending time at Gio's place in Cochamó Valley, Chile.  B and Gio parted ways after working together in A Hidden Fire and have not seen each other since.  Through the journal entries, we can see how things have changed.  But most  importantly, how B has changed.  She is not the same girl we are introduced to in the first installment.  She has tremendous growth in this book and is one awesome chica.  

But Elizabeth is a wonderful storyteller and she brings B and Gio together again.  It's not that easy though.  They are working together again with mixed feelings coming from B.  Gio has some major grovelling to do.

Along with B and Gio, we welcome back great side characters like Carwyn and Tenzin.  The cast of characters that Elizabeth has created are great. Carwyn might be one of my favorite new side characters in a series since Spade, Ian and Vlad (NH and NHW).   We also are introduced to Ben, Gio's "nephew".  I LOVE Ben! 

She held out her hand and Ben took it, bending down to kiss the back in a gallant gesture. She chuckled and looked at Giovanni. “And you think you’re charming?”  

Giovanni rolled his eyes as Ben continued kissing up her arm. He reached over and tugged Ben’s collar, pulling him away from Beatrice, who was still laughing. “Stop it, she’s too old for you.”  

“Well, technically,” Ben said with a smile, “she’s way too young for you, old man.”

This was a great addition to the continuing story arc.  I love this series.  The mystery/adventure aspect is awesome and very different from any traditional PNR I have read.  That alone will  have me coming back for more, as if Gio wasn't enough   *sigh*  Gio is one sexy vampire.

Sinfully Delicious Book Reviews will be participating in A Fall of Water Blog Tour.  I will be posting an interview with Elizabeth Hunter on June 5th and my review for A Fall of Water on June 8th!!!

Teaser Tuesday

This is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading

• Open your current read and choose a page at random. 
• Share two sentences (or more) from anywhere on the page, being careful to avoid spoilers. 
• Be sure to share the title and author.

This weeks teaser comes from Pretty When She Dies by Rhiannon Frater.

Biting her bottom lip, she touched the doorknob. She could feel the beat of the music pulsating through it. Gripping the knob tightly, she tried to turn it, but it resisted. She tried again, and still, it resisted.  

Desperation gripped her, nonsensical but overwhelming. She banged her hands against the door. 

“Please,” she whispered, but did not know what she was asking for.

Frater, Rhiannon (2008-11-24). Pretty When She Dies: A Vampire Novel (pp. 7-8).  . Kindle Edition. 

This book was great!  It's dark and has some pretty intense scenes.  I definitely need dark thrown in my rotation and often.  I'm happy that Rhiannon is continuing the series.  She's currently working on Pretty When She Kills.  I still need to check out As The World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy.  

What is your Teaser Tuesday????

Review Time! ~ A Hidden Fire

A Hidden Fire (Elemental Mysteries #1)

By Elizabeth Hunter 

Rating: 5 for 5 STARS

A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he'd abandoned years before. He never expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract. Now he and Beatrice De Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.

 A Hidden Fire is a paranormal mystery/romance for adult readers. It is the first book in the Elemental Mysteries Series    

(via Goodreads)

"Tell the truth, Giovanni Vecchio." A mischievous look came to her eye. "You have a butler, a cool car, and I've only seen you at night..." 

He froze, tension suddenly evident in the set of his shoulders. Beatrice leaned closer and whispered, "You're Batman, aren't you?"

This debut novel by Elizabeth and the first in the Elemental Mysteries series was published last October. Luckily for you readers who decide to give it a try, This Same Earth (book 2) and The Force of Wind (book 3) are now available.

But back to A Hidden Fire... This is quite a refreshing addition to the paranormal romance genre that has, for me, become kind of stagnant. Elizabeth adds a new twist to the paranormal by what she has created that I find highly entertaining. I won't say what the twist is, you just have to read it for yourself to find out but it’s not something I’ve read before.

The cast of characters she has created are all very likable and I find myself wanting to know more about them. *Ahem Carwyn ahem*

Meet Beatrice De Novo AKA B:
According to Gio ~ Despite her rather common accent, the girl’s voice held a faint quality which told him at least one of her parents was a native Spanish speaker. Her thick, black hair was pulled into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck, and she was dressed in a black button-down shirt and slim skirt. He smiled when he saw the tops of her tall Doc Marten boots almost touching her knees.

Beatrice lives with her grandmother Isadora in Houston while attending college for Library Sciences at Houston University. She has worked part time at the campus library for close to three years when her schedule changes altering the course of her life as she knows it. Hmmm, lucky girl gets switched to Wednesday nights and meets the tall, dark and handsome Dr. Vecchio who just happens to be there on those nights to research a Tibetan manuscript for his colleague Tenzin.

Their first encounter is promising:

He could feel the smile crawl across his face. “I meant no disrespect…I’m sorry, what was your name?”  

“Just call me B,” she said, glancing down at some handwritten notes.  

From where he was standing, Giovanni could see the familiar scrawl of Mrs. Martin’s handwriting.  

“B? As in the second letter of the Latin alphabet?” he asked, walking closer to the desk.  

“No, the Etruscan. I’m wild like that,” she muttered and glanced up. 

Carwyn is one of Gio’s few trusted friends and I adore him completely. Where else do you read about a vampire Priest who has a penchant for wearing Hawaiian shirts?

“I’m coming for a visit,” the priest had informed him. “A proper one.”  

“Out of whiskey or deer?”  

“Neither, Sparky. You’re getting in one of your moods again, I can tell.” Carwyn’s Welsh accent tripped across the phone line.  

“Oh, you can tell from across an ocean? You must be old,” Giovanni quipped in the library as he spoke on the old rotary phone. “I don’t need last rites yet, Father.”  

“No, but you do need a bit of fun. That’s why I’m interrupting my very busy drinking and eating regimen to come for a visit.”

There are parts in this story that involve professional wrestling and B and Carwyn passing notes back and forth in the library that has me cracking up...

Do you like Gio? Check yes or no. He had sketched two small boxes underneath the question with a large arrow pointing to the “yes” box. 

She rolled her eyes and wrote back. How can you be this childish after a thousand years?  

He raised his eyebrows and jotted down. That’s not a yes or no.

Seriously one of my favorite side characters ever and I hope he eventually gets his own story.

Honorable mentions go out to Caspar, Isadora and Tenzin. Other great side characters that are just as involved as the main characters.

Gio and B are working together to track down a mysterious book that once belonged to Gio. If only it was that easy. Who knew tracking down a book could be such a dangerous adventure? From shared whiskey samplers at pubs to private islands in Greece and the valleys of Chile, the plot is paced perfectly. Non-stop mystery that is intriguing, a growing attraction between B and Gio and a satisfying ending. Never once did it drag or make me want to take a break. It's one of those books I just couldn't put down. Though the ending wasn't a major cliffhanger, the story of Gio and B is not finished. I love that Elizabeth is taking her time for personal character development as well as any relationship developments. It’s so much more believable this way, or at least as believable as the paranormal can get! ;)

Carwyn rolled his eyes. “Silly B, love is friendship…just with less clothes, which makes it far more brilliant.”

 A Fall of Water Blog Tour 
Stay tuned for more details!

Waiting on Wednesday

Hosted by Breaking the Spine, a way to share upcoming highly anticipated releases.

My pick this week is Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander.  With a release date of May 22nd, luckily I don't have to wait to long!

 

Nursing school prepared Edie Spence for a lot of things. Burn victims? No problem. Severed limbs? Piece of cake. Vampires? No way in hell. But as the newest nurse on Y4, the secret ward hidden in the bowels of County Hospital, Edie has her hands full with every paranormal patient you can imagine—from vamps and were-things to zombies and beyond… 

Edie’s just trying to learn the ropes so she can get through her latest shift unscathed.  But when a vampire servant turns to dust under her watch, all hell breaks loose. Now she’s haunted by the man’s dying words—Save Anna—and before she knows it, she’s on a mission to rescue some poor girl from the undead. Which involves crashing a vampire den, falling for a zombie, and fighting for her soul. Grey’s Anatomy was never like this… 

Sounds original and intriguing.  Add vampires and zombies to the mix and I get grabby hands!  What's your Waiting on Wednesday?

Teaser Tuesday

This is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading

• Open your current read and choose a page at random. 
• Share two sentences (or more) from anywhere on the page, being careful to avoid spoilers. 
• Be sure to share the title and author.

This weeks teaser comes from Soulless by Gail Carriger.

".... Do you ken?”


Alexia was going to get defensive and angry and explain quite severely that she was practical enough to avoid fisticuffs, especially when she had no brass parasol to protect herself with, but instead she said, “Did you just ask if I kenned?” She could not help grinning.


Lord Maccon looked ashamed of the verbal slip and muttered something about Scotland under his breath.


“You did! I was just kenned!” Miss Tarabotti’s grin widened.

Carriger, Gail (2009-09-04). Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate) (p. 292). Hachette Book Group. Kindle Edition. 

I enjoyed this book! I still need to review it but Alexia is just too funny! Her dialogue really is fantastic as you can guess from above.  And who doesn't like a sexy Alpha thrown in the mix?