Sex Winner!

hee, ok, really the winner of the Sierra Dean giveaway but hey, her guest post was about sex. :P

Anyway, there were only 2 entries so random,.org had an easy time picking the winner, which is jackie b central texas! Congrats!

Send me an email at bewasbook AT gmail DOT com and let me know what format you want the book in.

Review of Treats in a Plain Brown Wrapper by Cassandre Dayne

Publisher: Rebel Ink Press, LLC

Release Date: Nov. 2, 2010

Purchasing Info:  Amazon


Book Blurb:

It's fascinating how everything yummy seems to come in plain brown wrapping. Indistinguishable. Just like the naughty little toys that Trista Rogers orders for research for the erotic books she's writing. Hand delivered goodies brought right to her door from her fantasy lover in chocolate brown - the UPS man. The dark cocoa hunk, Al Weatherby, has been on Trista's hit list since he took over her route. Sometimes she orders from the internet just to tease him with her long red hair, creamy skin and naughty clothing. Sadly, she's never tried anything with him. Until one blustery fall day that is. Asking him to join her for a frosty drink, their afternoon together quickly turns erotic. They both know they want more. Or do they?

As Trista plans another sinfully delicious event, another driver appears. Nearly devastated, Trista has no idea what happened to her fantasy man in brown. Fortunately, she quickly learns that the best surprises come in six foot something discrete brown boxes delivered right to her doorstep. And Al has brought his own special basket of toys this time to help Trista round out her research. With copious rounds of hot sex, a little voyeurism, and bodacious amounts of experimentation, come see why the best treats always come in plain brown wrapping.

My Thoughts:

This is a steamy, quick erotic story that will change your view of the UPS driver in your neighborhood. I wish mine were so yummy! "Treats in a Plain Brown Wrapper" is spicy & hot; a story that couples should read together. There's some light bondage and they explore, oh boy do they explore!, some of the sex toys that Trista has bought over the years. Don't make the mistake that I did and read it in a coffee shop. I almost spit out my iced coffee a time or two and I will never, ever look at a chocolate cruller in the same way again. :D 

The story starts when Trista has finally worked up the courage to make a move on her hunky delivery man, Al. She's delightfully surprised to find that not only is he interested, he's very, VERY interested. He wastes no time taking control of the situation, to the enjoyment and pleasure of both of them. Though written primarily as an erotic story, its also sweet and romantic. The story ends on a hopeful noted that there may be a HEA in the future for the two of them. 

Dayne wrote likable characters and mostly credible story lines. There are some copy editing issues and in my experience, it's unlikely that she would have had the same UPS driver for 5 years. But, if you just want a quick, hot story and aren't concerned about accuracy, then this will fit the bill. One thing I really liked is that the story doesn't take itself seriously, it has some nice humorous bits.

"I know you're still on duty but how about a cock..a Coke?"

 And,

 "Trista licked her lips wanting to explore his yummy, thick chocolate stick."

While I smirked and laughed throughout the story at Trista and Al's antics (as well as needed a cold drink), the final line of the novel made me laugh out loud. Overall, she nicely captured the joys of attraction, love and affection while also producing some sensual scenes. "Treats in a Plain Brown Wrapper" was a fun, hot story.

I received the PDF from the author for review. The review first appeared at Book Lovers Inc.

"Still Missing" Book Release E-vent

Tribute Books is having an online party for the paperback release of "Still Missing" by Chevy Stevens (Bea will have a review up on Monday May 23rd). It has been nominated for an International Thriller Writers award for “Best First Novel.” Join them for a live chat with Chevy Stevens, where she will be answering reader questions and sharing stories about herself and her work.      

  
The Book:

On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a 32-year-old realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever-patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she's about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.

Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent as the captive of a psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist, is a second narrative recounting events following her escape—her struggle to piece her shattered life back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.

Still Missing is that rare debut find--a shocking, visceral, brutal and beautifully crafted debut novel.

There will be gift bags for 10 lucky winners. You can RSVP to:  stillmissing@booktrib.com.  See you there.

No Need to Feud, We Have a Winner!

The winner of "Range Feud" by JA Campbell is...........................Donna!

Send me an email at beasbooknook at gmail dot com and let me know what digital format you want, Nook, Kindle, etc; you can look here to see what your options are.

Interview with RT Award winning author DB Reynolds & A Giveaway

Today I'm delighted to have D. B. Reynolds here with me. I first met D.B. at the Kelley Armstrong board; yes, she's another published writer who started out in the OWG there. I first encountered her in the debate area. Let me tell you, the woman can debate. Though we tend to agree on subjects, even when I disagree with her, she can make me see her perspective. There's no question that she can effectively use words to make her point. It's no wonder she took up writing.

D.B. has 5 books published so far, a stand alone called "Heart of the Wolf", and 4 books in her "Vampires in America" series.

 


D.B. has a website with a blog, and can be found on facebook, and she just recently joined twitter. Look her up and say hi, then curl up with one of her books. But leave a light on.

BEA: Donna, thank you for taking the time to come by and talk with me. And congratulations on your novel “Jabril” winning the RT Reviewer’s Choice Award. That is wonderful news! You must have been so excited. Did you have any idea prior to nomination that it might happen? 

D.B.:  I didn’t. In fact, I didn’t even know I was nominated until a fellow writer posted about it on one of my writing loops. I was so excited. And then I couldn’t believe it when I actually won. I just sort of floated down the hall to let my husband know that he was now married to an award-winning author!

 

BEA:  “Jabril” was the second book in your “Vampires in America” series, you just released “Sophia” the fourth book and are working on the fifth book, “Duncan”. How many more will there be? Is there a definite end?

D.B.: My current contract is for eight books, which is what I originally designed the series to be. Eight books for the eight Vampire Lords of North America. But if my readers, and my publisher, want it go on, I could easily see the series expanding.

 

BEA: Do you have any say in the cover models or designs of your books? They have been pretty wonderful. 

D.B.: I’ve been so fortunate in my covers on two fronts. First, my publisher gives me quite a bit of input into my covers, which is something very few publishers give their authors. I abuse it terribly and sometimes drive both my publisher and the artist crazy. But secondly, I’ve been lucky to work with a wonderful and talented artist, Patricia Lazarus. She patiently puts up with my PITB e-mails and always comes up with something beautiful.

BEA: Can you please tell me a bit about yourself?

D.B.: Me? Well ... I’m a writer. I started out in academia, but soon fled the backstabbing and politics of the university for the sound stages of Hollywood where at least you get paid very well for putting up with the backstabbing and politics! I was a sound editor for several years, and received two Emmy nominations, before my wonderful husband made it possible for me to quit the daytime job altogether and try to write full time. Or close enough anyway. He wanted some of my newly free time for himself, too.

BEA: What’s a typical day of writing for you? Are you a planner or do you wing it?

D.B.:  I’m a planner all the way. I do detailed outlines with character sketches, all the major plot points and first drafts of many major scenes before I actually start writing the book.  I also maintain an overall calendar for the series, as well as a day by day calendar for each book as I write it, so I can be sure my characters are moving in sync.  And a series bible, too.  Like I said, planner all the way!

BEA: What prompted you to start writing? Would you continue to write if you were no longer published?

D.B.: I’ve always loved books. When I was a child, my mom or dad would take me to the library every week and I’d check out as many books as the library would let me, which was like nine or ten books. By the time I was in high school, I knew I wanted to write, because I wanted to create worlds and characters like those I’d been reading forever. And I was pretty sure I could do it, too.  I’d probably write even if I wasn’t published, but my goal would always be to GET published. Because I want to share my stories. 

BEA: What is your favorite part of writing? What is your least favorite part?

D.B.: My favorite part of writing is the writing itself. I’m not one of those tortured writers who has to force herself to sit down and squeeze out a book. Nor do I mind that it’s a solitary endeavour. I’m a very solitary person and I love writing, so it’s the best of all worlds for me.  My least favorite part is having to delete scenes I’ve worked so hard on. Sometimes my editor just doesn’t like the scene, or thinks it slows the narrative. Or sometimes the book comes in too long. It breaks my heart to chop up what I’ve written!

BEA: Do you think that the paranormal is waning in publishing, changing, or holding strong?

D.B.: I think there will always be a market for good paranormal stories. Paranormal, Sci Fi and Fantasy are the ultimate escapist literature and most people read for just that reason, because it takes them away from their lives and into a whole new world.

BEA: Currently your stories are paranormal romance, do you see yourself writing straight up paranormal stories? Do you think you might try a different genre sometime?

 

D.B.: My books straddle the line between paranormal romance and urban fantasy.  I like having a strong relationship angle in my stories, even when the relationship is not the central part of the plot. I could see myself writing stories with less of a relationship angle, but I don’t think I’d want to leave it out entirely. It makes the story more personal. As for a different genre, I’d love to try romantic suspense/thriller, or even a straight up suspense/thriller with just a touch of romance.

BEA: Who are some of your influences? Some of your favorite writers?

D.B.:  I don’t know that I have influences other than the wonderful writers I’ve read all my life. Every time I read a book I learn something about writing. My favorite writers would be a very long list, but just a few of them are Adrian Phoenix, Kelley Armstrong, Kresley Cole, Nalini Singh, Gwen Hunter, Rob Thurman, Ilona Andrews, John Sandford, Scott Turow, Dan Abnett ...  I could go on and it’s an ever evolving and growing list.

 

BEA: Was there someone who was, or is, particularly helpful to you? Was there someone who inspired you in your writing? In what way(s)?

D.B.: Amy Stout, who had been an editor at all the major Sci Fi publishing houses for years before she and her family moved to California, gave my writing a major boost at a very critical point in my career. She was the first true professional who told me I actually could write and that my stories had merit. I also have to credit Kelley Armstrong, because she created the Online Writers Group, which is still my main writing group. I met both of my critique partners, Michelle Muto and Steve McHugh, in the OWG, and I don’t know what I’d do without them.

 

BEA: You have been active in the Online Writers Group on Kelley Armstrong’s discussion board. Do you think that helped your writing? Did it help you make contacts in the publishing world?

 

D.B.: The OWG definitely helped my writing. There are a lot of talented and skillful writers there, not to mention various experts whom I’ve tapped for help over the years. And as I mentioned above, I met both of my critique partners through the OWG. 

BEA: You have an account on facebook and a very active blog. Do you think that social media is important for an author to be involved in? Do you see yourself getting more involved? Do you think you might start your own message board someday? 

D.B.: Social media is critical for an author these days. It’s a way to get word out about new books, signings, reviews, and interviews like this one! It lets me connect with my readers in a way I never could have before. Right now, I have a blog and Facebook, but within the next month I’ll be going live on Twitter, too. (she is there now - @DBReynoldsWrite ) It’s one more way to connect with my existing readers and maybe make some new ones. I don’t have any plans for a message board, but I wouldn’t rule it out for the future.

 

BEA: Do you prefer to read paper books or ebooks? Why?

D.B.: I bought myself a Kindle for the holidays. I give the best gifts!! And I love it. I resisted e-books until my own books went Kindle, but now I’m completely hooked. I love the ease of reading it, I love the ease of buying new books—which is great for Amazon, but not so great for my book budget. Yikes! But if given a choice between a print or e-book, I’ll choose the e-book.  And that’s something I never thought I’d say.

BEA: If you could be a character in a book, which one would it be, and what part would you play? (Romantic lead, sidekick, etc)

D.B.: Hmmmm. I want to be the lucky, beautiful woman who gets the gorgeous, hunky, immortal warrior/vampire/werewolf as her devoted lover.  I love the idea of having someone that powerful as my protector. Why do you think I write the stories I do?

BEA: Anything that you want to add or say to your readers?

D.B.: I always thank my readers from the bottom of my heart. I get so many e-mails and blog and Facebook posts telling me how much they love my stories and my characters. And it means so much to me to hear that.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

D.B. has generously offered a signed copy of either Sophia or Rajmund, and it's open internationally.    

Just leave a comment here on either the interview or my review of Sophia and a way to contact you. (see the giveaway policy here)

Giveaway runs through midnight EST of Monday May 23, 2011

Review of Sophia by DB Reynolds

Publisher: ImaJinn Books


Release date: April 3, 2011
Series: #4 in the Vampires in America series


More Info: Amazon

Book Blurb:

The Pacific Northwest . . . home to lush forests and constant rain, to lumberjacks and computer geeks, especially those of the vampire kind. 

Sophia, beautiful and deadly, has spent the last hundred years dancing her way through the balmy nights and hot-blooded men of South America. But when her Sire sends an urgent summons, Sophia rushes home to Vancouver only to find he has disappeared, leaving nothing behind but three dead vampires and a letter with Sophia’s name on it. 

Colin Murphy, a former Navy SEAL, came to the Northwest seeking a quiet place to heal the scars earned in more than a decade at war. But when someone starts killing local vampires and torturing their mates, Colin takes on the mantle of a warrior once again as he sets out to find the killers and do whatever it takes to stop them, even if that means hunting with vampires. 


 Following her Sire’s trail of death to a small town in northern Washington, Sophia unexpectedly discovers the heat of a South American night in Colin’s arms. But too soon Sophia and Colin find themselves in a race to uncover the killers before the next dead vampire becomes Sophia herself.

My Thoughts:

I like this series more and more with each book. It has wonderful word building, fascinating characters that you love or hate but you definitely feel something for them, and a balanced mix of action, quiet scenes, romance, sex and mystery. The stories have some of the familiar elements of vampire books but Reynolds definitely has her own take on vampire lore. This is not a cookie cutter PNR series. The vampire world, as well as events in previous books, is carefully detailed but there's never an info-dump. 

Vampire lord Raphael and his human mate Cyn thread throughout the series and tie each of the books together. My one main complaint about this book, in fact, was that large chunks of the story were devoted to Raphael, the murder of his people, and his relationship with Cyn. While much of this served to further the overall story of both the book and the series, it did feel to me as if Colin and Sophia got short-changed. 

Despite that, what we do see of Sophia and Colin in enjoyable. They had been lovers years ago, but Colin was unaware that Sophia was a vampire. Their love affair ended when she died in a bombing. So he thought. It's not enough of a shock discovering that she's alive, oh no, to make it more interesting she is, and was, a vampire. He is understandably angry and confused but he manages to work with her on discovering the perpetrators responsible for killing two local vampires and attacking the mate of another.


Sophia is a more "human" vampire than Raphael, similar to Rajmund. Most of the time, she does not come across as scary and arrogant but can pass for human. That's not to say that she can't be the scary, arrogant bloodsucker when she needs to be, but she doesn't feel the need to act that way all of the time. I found this made her more likable and relatable; Reynolds' vampires are not warm and fuzzy, they are the top of the food chain and you always know it. However, they are not cookie cutter, each one is a clearly a separate character with a separate personality. Not all authors pull that off but Reynolds does it very well.


Colin is strong, loyal, funny, compassionate and determined to do the right thing. He is coasting, somewhat, in his job as local law enforcement but when he needs to, he doesn't hesitate to get out there and do his job. That doesn't always make him popular with the locals or his friends but, despite the pain it causes him, he does it anyway. He's someone you would want on your side and that you could count on.

Both Sophia and Colin feel very real, like people you might actually know. This added to the appeal of the book for me and I expect that I will be re-reading this one. If you haven't read the series, and you like dark scary vampires mixed with romance, sex and mysteries, you really need to check them out.


Paperback was received from the author for review.

Sex...More Sex....Most Sexks, Sierra Dean's Guide to Romances (And A Giveaway)

Now that I have your attention... :D



Sierra Dean, whose debut UF novel, "Something Secret This Way Comes" was released Tuesday, the 10th, very kindly agreed to come and stop by for a bit today. We were chatting on Twitter and I threw some ideas her way for guest posts for different blogs. One of my ideas was about classifying romances and eroticas and where to draw the line. Her book has some romance and sex though it's not primarily a romance. We chose this as the topic for her visit here and I promised, heck I threatened, to use her joking description as the title.  As you can see, I did. :P

The Author - Sierra Dean is a reformed historian. She was born and raised in the Canadian prairies and is allowed annual exit visas in order to continue her quest of steadily conquering the world one city at a time. Making the best of the cold Canadian winters, Sierra indulges in her less global interests: drinking too much tea and writing urban fantasy.  Ever since she was a young girl she has loved the idea of the supernatural coexisting with the mundane. As an adult, however, the idea evolved from the notion of fairies in flower beds, to imagining that the rugged-looking guy at the garage might secretly be a werewolf. She has used her overactive imagination to create her own version of the world, where vampire, werewolves, fairies, gods and monsters all walk among us, and she’ll continue to travel as much as possible until she finds it for real. She’s also a book lover (of course!), obsessive collector of OPI nailpolish and the owner of way too many pairs of shoes.

The book ~          

Some secrets are dangerous. This Secret is deadly.

Secret McQueen, Book 1

For Secret McQueen, her life feels like the punch line for a terrible joke. Abandoned at birth by her werewolf mother, hired as a teen by the vampire council of New York City to kill rogues, Secret is a part of both worlds, but belongs to neither. At twenty-two, she has carved out as close to a normal life as a bounty hunter can.

When an enemy from her past returns with her death on his mind, she is forced to call on every ounce of her mixed heritage to save herself—and everyone else in the city she calls home. As if the fate of the world wasn’t enough to deal with, there’s Lucas Rain, King of the East Coast werewolves, who seems to believe he and Secret are fated to be together. Too bad Secret also feels a connection with Desmond, Lucas’s second-in-command…

 Product Warnings

This book contains a sarcastic, kick-ass bounty hunter; a metaphysical love triangle with two sexy werewolves; a demanding vampire council; and a spicy seasoning of sex and violence.

 ********************************************************************************

The following is from my internal dialogue right after getting a contract offer on my first novel:

            “Oh my GOD, this is the most exciting thing EVER. I have to text every human I’ve ever met! I have to call my mom! OH MY GOD THERE’S SEX IN THIS BOOK AND MY MOM IS GOING TO READ IT!”

Yes, my inner soliloquist is prone to dramatics. I probably wouldn’t be a novelist otherwise. Point being, one of the key aspects of any romance novel is the sex factor. Be it sweet, subtle and understated; naughty and R-rated; or “Holy crap, did she just say what I think she just said?”, sex is a part of romance in fiction just as it is in life.

So when it comes to sex in fiction, what’s the difference between sexy and smutty? (I loves me some good smut, so please don’t think I’m using the phrase as an insult) When does a book go from being “wow” to being “do I need the morning after pill with that chapter?”

I wish I could say I remember my first sex scene in a novel, but I genuinely can’t. For some people it probably sticks out in their minds, but sadly, I’m such a romance fiction whore I’ve read too many sex scenes at this point to remember them all. I’ve read everything from the tameness of a Patricia Briggs love scene all the way up to the recent Alisha Rai novella Never Have I Ever which left me needing a cold shower and a cigarette (and I don’t even smoke). I love it all.

Let’s break it down into three categories, shall we? (I like lists!)

1. Sex – aka “Romance 1.0” we’ll call this the base level. Boy meets girl, boy lusts for girl, boy and girl share a tryst that lasts roughly a paragraph, and if you’re too fast a reader you might miss it. Or sometimes the author is so subtle about what’s happening, you’re not entirely sure if they had sex or just fooled around a little. This is typical of YA fiction, where you have to be careful just how much you show and tell.
2. More Sex – aka “erotic Romance” this time you get the fun descriptions, the heat level is amped up considerably, and you’re never left doubting what just happened between the couple. “More Sex” is where most romance novels available for mass market would be categorized according to my insane system.
3. MOST SEXKS – aka “smut” more commonly, and appropriately, known as erotica. This is the carnal category, where descriptions of the acts can eclipse all other plot points. The sex, typically, is the plot. Which is not to say these books are without plot, because that’s not my intended message. But with categories 1 and 2, the sex is a stepping stone along the way. With category 3, the story wouldn’t function the same way without the sex. Characters in erotica are just as developed, interesting and well-written as any of those in the first two categories, they just get to have crazier sex than their counterparts.

With those categories in mind, we can begin to see where our choice romances fit into the list. I’m not really picky, I’ll take a good book in any of those categories, as long as the love feels genuine. Give me a hot couple and I want them to want each other. But fictional couples are like real couples. Sometimes it would be disingenuous for a beloved fictional couple to rip each other’s clothes off and go at it doggy style in the kitchen. And similarly, not every reader is going to want a primal free for all in EVERY book.

I remember reading Jeaniene Frost’s One Foot in the Grave on a public transit bus and I think I turned a hundred shades of red when someone sat next to me. Similarly, I won’t let myself read certain authors when I’m at work because the content gets me a little too flustered to function properly, and I look a little weird when I abruptly cover up my Kindle.

So here’s my general rule of thumb:

If the descriptions are so graphic a Catholic priest would suggest you spend a month in confession to absolve yourself of the impure thoughts… don’t read it on the bus.

By and large I guess my favorite books are the ones where the love scenes are hot, but don’t feel unnatural, and where the sex seems realistic and not overly corny. I can’t handle love scenes where the men wax poetic and say the most cheesy things to their heroine. It takes me out of the moment.

What about everyone else? Do you prefer your love scenes safe and PG, or do you want them so hot you’re afraid to touch your Kindle? (oh my, yes! :D  ~ Bea) Or, like in life, does it depend on the mood and the characters involved?

And for a chance to win a copy of my debut novel Something Secret This Way Comes, give me your recommendations for the most memorable love scenes you’ve ever read, be they G or NC-17 (R rated for US readers).

********************************************************************************

Sierra has generously offered up an ebook copy of "Something Secret This Way Comes"  to one lucky commenter. 

 To enter, leave a comment telling us your recommendations for the most memorable love scene that you've ever read, in any book. The scene can be G-rated, completely safe for work and kids or all the way up to just short of X-rated (I reserve the right to edit comments).

Don't forget to leave a way to contact you (see the giveaway policy here)

The giveaway runs through midnight EST of Thursday May 19th, 2011.  Because of Blogger's maintenance issues Wednesday evening through Friday afternoon, this post had a delayed publication. As a result, I'm extending the giveaway through midnight EST Friday May 20,2011.

Review of Something Secret This Way Comes by Sierra Dean

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Release Date: May 10, 2011

Series: #1 in the Secret McQueen books

More Info: Amazon

Book Blurb:
 
Some secrets are dangerous. This Secret is deadly.

Secret McQueen, Book 1

For Secret McQueen, her life feels like the punch line for a terrible joke. Abandoned at birth by her werewolf mother, hired as a teen by the vampire council of New York City to kill rogues, Secret is a part of both worlds, but belongs to neither. At twenty-two, she has carved out as close to a normal life as a bounty hunter can.


When an enemy from her past returns with her death on his mind, she is forced to call on every ounce of her mixed heritage to save herself—and everyone else in the city she calls home. As if the fate of the world wasn’t enough to deal with, there’s Lucas Rain, King of the East Coast werewolves, who seems to believe he and Secret are fated to be together. Too bad Secret also feels a connection with Desmond, Lucas’s second-in-command…

 Product Warnings

This book contains a sarcastic, kick-ass bounty hunter; a metaphysical love triangle with two sexy werewolves; a demanding vampire council; and a spicy seasoning of sex and violence.

My Thoughts:

The writing wasn't anything spectacular and the plot was nothing unusual, but the concepts and characters introduced caught and kept my interest.  Dean has created an interesting mythology and social structure for her supernaturals. This despite using some of my least favorite tropes - 1) the destined mates, 2) the three way triangle, and 3) a hero, or heroine if you prefer, who is ALL THAT, with a destiny she can't imagine. So, you might expect I wouldn't like the book.

You'd be wrong. The cover blurb drew me in, the tropes irritated me, but it's the world and the characters that held me. Sierra Dean's character building is very good. Secret McQueen is 22 years old but has seen so much and had so much turmoil that many others in her position would likely call it quits. With a foot in  the werewolf world and a foot in the vampire world, all she's trying to do is keep her footing. Life is never that simple.

She identifies herself as a vampire and ignores her wolf half, denying that werewolves are even people. She is really quite ignorant concerning werewolves, something that Desmond, Lucas's second, remarks on:

"It's true, then, what Lucas said. You really are ignorant of the ways of your own people."  I bristled. 'Wolves are not people.'

She very quickly gets a crash course in werewolf customs, including soul bonding, otherwise known as destined mates, one of Bea's top 5 least favorite tropes. Soul bonding, to be fair, is more than just destined mates, it isn't even always about sex. The werewolf king Lucas explains it thus:

"...There is a call put out by the beasts inside of us that is meant for a select few to hear. It was how I chose Desmond to be my second. His wolf answered the call of my own when we were still very young, before either of us had even been turned. The call is the reason you felt me on the patio tonight."

When Secret is around either Lucas or Desmond, she "tastes" them, a certain flavor fills her mouth - Lucas tastes like cinnamon and Desmond like lime. This reminded me very much of Tony in the Salzi books C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp who identifies emotions by associating them with other smells - fear smells like burnt coffee, etc.  It's unusual, though not completely unexpected, for there to be a three way soul bonding. Since Lucas and Desmond are soul bonded to each other, Secret's bond is to both men. Both men are accepting of this but the practicalities of making it work are another matter. There was one scene where I wanted to smack Secret for being sleazy:

"Is it ok to sleep with someone and say my metaphysical connection to him made me do it? Ok, that's actually a pretty good excuse." 

Umm, no, it's not. For me, that's a cop out, a failure to take responsibility for your own actions. It also reminded me uncomfortably of Laurell K Hamilton Anita Blake and the aurdeur (a metaphysical thing where she constantly hungers for sex and it's ok for her to sleep with any guy she wants. Bugs the crap out of me no end.)

At first I found Secret to be arrogant, cocky and full of herself. And she is, but she is also funny, determined, loyal to her friends (what ones she has), impulsive, and smart. She starts out stereotypical but Dean develops her and fills her out. We see her relationships with Holden, her handler from the vampire council, Mercedes, a local detective, and Keaty, her friend and associate, and her developing relationships with Lucas and Desmond. Secret learns a lot about herself in the story and some of those discoveries are not pleasant (family can be such a pain, lol).

It doesn't take long before Secret's new life with Lucas and the wolves collides with her job as a hunter for the Vampire Council and that's when the action really kicks in. The story has just about everything you could want - spooky vampires, hunky werewolves, humans who, for the most part, are unaware that monsters exist, romance, sex, treachery, intrigue, fight scenes, etc. Dean makes it all work together and I flew through the last 2/3 of the book.

The cliffhanger at the end had me going "What? Wait, no! You can't do that." I am looking forward to the next book, the prequel and the Christmas short story (which Sierra was talking about on twitter and I teased her about since she was writing it in April). While there is a lot that isn't new, Dean makes it fresh and interesting. It's worth your while to pick up this book and read it. If I could enjoy it despite some of my least favorite tropes and the occasional dry writing, chances are good that you will too.

I received the ebook from the author for review.