Book Review: Shades of Moonlight by Karen L. McKee

This story contains a dark, rich mystery of spirit possession in an exotic culture. 
Shades of Moonlight
by Karen L. McKee

• File Size: 932 KB
• Print Length: 344 pages
• Publisher: Twisted Root Publishing (December 5, 2010)
• ASIN: B004FEFB60

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Adventure
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0  (4.0 for the story but minus for the lead female character who was annoying for me.)

Book Description
Publication Date: December 5, 2010
When Kalla Jervis, folklorist, arrives in Burma as part of a team of archeologists researching the end of an ancient civilization she expects problems translating the ancient Burmese language. Then she meets her translator, tall, dark and dangerous Simon Renault, a man who both infuriates and attracts her. When dark dreams haunt Kalla’s nights, they hint at a terrible secret that entwines the fates of Kalla and Simon and all of Burma.

Karen L. McKee once again delivers a rich story that evokes the mysteries of an exotic culture. Shades of Moonlight is a fantastic paranormal romance that wraps together past, present and future in one of the most mysterious of Asian cultures. Readers will love the fast-paced story of unforgettable characters caught in the strangeness of a world few westerners have visited.

Review:
Kalla is a folklorist working with other archaeologists to help develop the history of a place through the stories the people tell. She joins a team in Burma where she hopes to rekindle her college romance with the leader of the team, Alex. She and Alex couldn’t make their relationship work due to their competing, controlling natures. Kalla is still fixated on being in control because she thinks it is the only way to protect herself from being hurt by those she loves, like her dad, sister and Alex. She is really intent on winning Alex back because she thinks it will make her dying father happy. Kalla is not prepared to deal with the tall, dark, too handsome and clearly dangerous translator, Simon, who greets her.

Simon is a man of two countries and two beings. When Simon found himself being overwhelmed by a strong, ancient warrior “Nat”, his mother helped him learn control. Simon’s spirit “guest” gleans onto Kalla as his long lost mate causing Simon to have to contend with the spirit’s lustful powers as well as his own interests in Kalla. Simon knows that his spirit-man can be very dark and dangerous so it is a real battle to control him. It is even harder trying to tone the urges down when Kalla makes it clear she is a woman who takes charge and is not a woman to be ‘handled’ or controlled easily.

There is a dark, rich mystery that flows from the past of Pagan, Burma to the people of the present. Some of the players are locals, who want to protect the secrets and treasures of the land while others would exploit them. Kalla and Simon have no ulterior motives towards the country or its secrets but they get caught up in the battle because their own inner spirits and personal histories have brought them to this situation.

Mei, the other translator, is a lovely, gentle-spirited local woman who shows a distinct opposite to Kalla’s stubborn will, yet Mei has her own strengths. There are some romance conflicts and jealousies in the story with Kalla and Mei wanting Alex, Alex wanting Mei and Simon wanting Kalla.

I truly enjoyed the rich history and found the aspect of the folklorist fascinating. The plotline is interesting as well although the spirit possession is rather creepy and scary. What made the story difficult and long for me was Kalla’s character. I would say that her control issues resulted from a lack of confidence and lack of self acceptance which I found very annoying in a woman of her age and with her skills. Unfortunately Kalla’s stubborn control and refusal to trust or accept help from others was dragged out throughout the story in not a good way and adding unnecessary length. It caused her to make stupid decisions and act in idiotic ways which seemed forced at times to help the plot but lessened my enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this story to those who would enjoy the history and rich tone fitting a dark, exotic culture. The reader just has to be prepared for the involvement of spirit possession and prepared to deal with a control freak female lead.

I received this as part of a Romance StoryBundle a couple months ago. There are three StoryBundles available now offering multiple stories for one low price. I am soooo tempted!

Book Review: Simply Irresistible by Kristine Grayson

This is a fun story with good characters- the nice ones and the evil ones.

Simply Irresistible

by Kristine Grayson

• File Size: 641 KB
• Print Length: 326 pages
• Publisher: WMG Publishing (March 3, 2011)
• ASIN: B004QZ9XYY

Genre: Paranormal Romance
My rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: March 3, 2011
Dexter Grant, the inspiration for the greatest superhero of all time, lives in reduced circumstances. Now he runs a pet store in Portland, Oregon, and privately calls himself a Kitten Superhero because he saves stray animals. He aspires to something greater, but his magic has been restricted—by the Fates.
The Fates, three women who control the magical universe. Only they’ve lost their position, and they’re on the run. They’ve turned to an old friend for help, but that friend is dead. Her niece, Vivian Kineally, runs her estate. Vivian, who doesn’t even know magic exists. Vivian, who loves comic books. Vivian, who also happens to be psychic.
The Fates steer Vivian to Dexter Grant. They want his help. He’s not willing to give it. But now that he’s met Vivian, he’s not willing to give her up either. Dexter Grant must save the Fates—and discover his own fate, all at the same time.
Book One of the Fates Trilogy.

Review:
Vivian is a physic who has always lived a bit apart because of her ability to read the thoughts of others. She has always struggled with her ‘gift’ because most people wouldn’t believe her or they would consider her a freak. Only her beloved Aunt Euginia, assured her it was okay to be different and it would work out. Aunt Eugenia had tried to get Vivian to visit her but Vivian was too busy being independent. Suddenly Aunt Eugenia is murdered and Vivian comes to Portland to administer her estate.

Vivian has boxes of books and papers Eugenia instructed her to read but, before she has time to look at them, Vivian's life is disrupted by frantic knocking. The Fates demand entrance to her apartment claiming they are being stalked and they need Vivian’s help. The Fates are distressed to discover that Vivian doesn’t know who they are and she hasn’t been mentored or prepared for her magical abilities. The Fates have given up their own magical powers and someone really is trying to get to them. There is no time for training but they have to call on Vivian’s skills telling her what to do to protect them, at least temporarily. They send Vivian off to find Dexter Grant who they hope will help them.

Dexter is a mage who has been warned and threatened by the Fates to the point that he lives a stoic, humble life, running a pet store to save stray animals instead of saving humans from bad guys like he would like to. He doesn’t understand why it is wrong to help especially since it wasn’t his fault that some young observers wrote comic stories about his superhero good deeds.

Dexter immediately senses that Vivian is ‘the one he has waited for’. He doesn’t really want to help the Fates but he does want the chance to keep Vivian around. That means getting the Fates out of her hair and then protecting Vivian by uncovering and stopping the evil mage who is seeking to kill the Fates. Dexter has a menagerie of animals to care for as well as hidden dwellings to be revealed.

I discovered quickly that this is a tongue-in-cheek, fun story. Vivian and Dexter are lovely, kind, generous characters and it is a turn of the tables to have the Fates powerless, helpless and pretty much clueless in a modern world setting. The vengeful mage and her bumbling son make for dastardly, nasty villains.

The story has plenty of action, suspense and humor to keep the reader engaged. The writing is an easy style making for a quick read. This story reminded me that I enjoy Kristine Grayson’s light style of mixing fantasy, mythical characters with modern day, real life characters. I would like to read more in this series especially since there are a few loose ends at the conclusion of book one.

I received this title for review as part of the Romance books from StoryBundle - a great bargain based on the five books I have read so far!

Book Review: Thunder Mountain by Dean Wesley Smith

This was a surprising, easy time travel with some great western history.

Thunder Mountain
by Dean Wesley Smith

• File Size: 367 KB
• Print Length: 195 pages
• Publisher: WMG Publishing, Inc. (January 16, 2014)
• ASIN: B00HWMCTW6

Genre: Time Travel
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Offered a free trip into a remote Idaho wilderness that she loves and studies, Professor Dawn Edwards can’t refuse. On the trip she meets Professor Madison Rogers, and they fall for each other before they even reach their destination.

But living in the Old West proves to be a brutal task. Somehow, Dawn must survive to rescue herself, her friends, and the man she loves.

A science fiction novel of the old west and true love.

Review:
Professor Dawn Edwards is beautiful and smart but her time is dedicated to her love of studying people as they lived in history. She made a summer visit hiking into a remote location in Thunder Mountain, Idaho, where she was fascinated by the ghost town cemetery. She is working on her next book about the area in the early 1900s. Two fellow historians, Bonnie and Duster, invite her to join them on another trip to Silver City and then to Thunder Mountain. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to return for another look. She is surprised to learn that another history professor, Professor Madison Rogers, is joining them.

Madison is as handsome as they come, but he has spent his time studying mining history. He is beginning to think there might be more but he hasn’t taken time to find more. He is glad to join his friends on a trip to study two historic mining towns.

Dawn and Madison are immediately smitten with each other. Not only do they have the joy of going on an historical expedition but they are pleased to be together. They are in for another wonderful surprise when Bonnie and Duster show them to a cave that serves as a station to time travel. The four travel back to the early 1900s so they get to study history up front and personal. As exciting as it is they discover that living in the past is much harder than they had imagined.

The romance between Dawn and Madison is warm and primarily private. The time travel is creative and the history detail is rich and engaging. This story and reading pace moves along quickly. This is an entertaining story and I recommend it to readers who enjoy a fun time travel to the old west with romantic element.

I received this title for review through StoryBundle.

Book Review: Blind Man's Bluff (Stone Gap Mountain) by Kay Stockham

This engaging story of blindness is more than just a romance.
Blind Man's Bluff (Stone Gap Mountain)
by Kay Stockham

• File Size: 705 KB
• Print Length: 357 pages
• Publisher: Kindred Spirits Publishing (September 21, 2012)
• ASIN: B009F73G2S

Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: September 21, 2012
Can you love someone and still be free?
Emma Wyatt agrees to tutor a recently blinded, embittered soldier because of the $50,000 paycheck his brother offers. Blind herself, Emma dreams of independence and freedom. She wants to own a large kennel and live away from her overprotective family. But when she's attracted to her student, she fears falling for him means giving up her dreams.

Can you protect someone when you cannot see?
Good soldiers show no weakness. Ian MacGregor holds his battle with claustrophobia close to his chest, unsuccessfully trying to cope on his own. He’s lost in the dark and struggling to accept his fate. Ian knows duty, honor, serving his country. But his desire for Emma is overshadowed by the danger lurking around them. Emma would be better off with someone else. Someone sighted.
Someone able to protect her from the person determined to keep them apart.

BLIND MAN'S BLUFF is the first full-length novel in the Stone Gap Mountain Series. Be sure to check out SECRETS OF A SUMMER NIGHT, a Stone Gap Mountain Novella, for the first look at this exciting new contemporary series.

Review:
Ian MacGregor was a soldier dedicated to protection. When he loses his sight during a rescue he becomes bitter and tries to drown himself in booze. His brother, Duncan, who owns a successful security firm, and several of Ian’s friends are trying to help Ian come to terms with his disability.

Emma was blinded at age fourteen. After a few months struggling in rehabilitation Emma took charge of her life and learned to be the best blind person she could be. Fourteen years later she is living successfully, working as a bartender in her father’s bar, while kenneling and caring for a handful of dogs. She is trying to save money to set up a dog kennel and become independent, which is her dream.

Duncan asks Emma’s uncle, a psychiatrist, and close family friend, to talk to Ian. The doctor recommends that Duncan hire Emma to help Ian. Initially reluctant, Duncan changes his mind after watching Emma in action and realizing that she has experienced all that Ian has to face and learn.

Emma takes the job even though Ian tries to scare her off with sexual advances. Emma and her dogs move onto Ian’s property after a fire destroys her home. This puts them in continual proximity that feeds the attraction between them. Ian isn’t ready for help and Emma has to take a strong stand, telling the other men in the house to stop waiting on and enabling Ian. Emma challenges Ian and finds creative ways to show him he can relearn activities as a blind person. She also finds a way to help him face his private nightmare of claustrophobia.

As Ian begins to gain confidence there are unexplained disruptions in Emma’s routines. Duncan and Ian begin to suspect a young man whom Emma has agreed to help. The men seek to protect Emma as they try to locate the teen when he goes missing.

I enjoyed the strong pacing of the story, the well developed characters, the underlying suspense and the plot surprises. Focusing on the difficulties of coping with blindness is an interesting plot bonus and dogs always add a bit of interest.  There is good conflict and tension between these strong characters as they face fears and insecurities. I liked that the there is plenty of action and story to enjoy in addition to the solid romance. I recommend this to readers who enjoy a romance presented in a strong, engaging story. I would enjoy reading more books in this series and by this author.

I received this book for review through StoryBundle.

Book Review: Sonata for a Scoundrel by Anthea Lawson

This is an engaging story with lovely prose.
Sonata for a Scoundrel
by Anthea Lawson

• File Size: 562 KB
• Print Length: 271 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0615885942
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Fiddlehead Press (November 12, 2013)
• ASIN: B00FJNPJMW

Genre: Historical Romance
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: November 12, 2013
* 2014 RITA Award Finalist!*
The Muse...
Clara Becker is a supremely gifted composer - a talent of little to use to a woman in 1830s Europe. Her compositions only have worth when they are published under her brother's name, yet this deception barely enables them to scrape out a living in the poorest quarter of London.

Meets the Master...
Darien Reynard, the most celebrated musician in Europe, pursues success with a single-minded intensity. When he comes across Becker's compositions, he knows that this music will secure his place in history. Darien tracks the composer down and, with some difficulty, convinces the man to tour with him. Mr. Becker agrees, but with the most unusual condition that he bring along his sister...

Set against the glittering backdrop of 19th century celebrity, Sonata for a Scoundrel is the newest full-length historical romance novel from RITA-nominated author Anthea Lawson.

Review:
Clara Becker composes beautiful music but has to publish it under the name of her brother, Nicolas. Only her brother and their father know the truth. Even the composition sales are not enough as they struggle to pay bills.

Then the “maestro”, Darien Reynard, the premier violin musician in Europe, seeks out Becker. He is intent on having the composer collaborate with him on tour and in preparation of an upcoming music duel. Darien is preparing to face another violinist who wants to claim the position and title of Maestro. Darien makes a financially tempting offer but Nicholas has to insist on his sister coming along on the tour.

Nicholas is a gifted pianist but finds it difficult to hide behind his sister. They know they must keep up the pretext or it would be disaster for all of them. He is distressed that some of the new compositions are more emotional than most men might write and Darien’s rival makes a point of belittling them. The pressure of the tour and secrets weigh heavily on him and feed his tendency towards depression, or melancholy as they term it.

Darien is drawn to beautiful Clara but Nicholas has made it clear that he must not dally with her or the Beckers will leave the tour. Darien spends weeks trying to ignore her. One night Nicholas fails to appear for a performance and Darien learns that Clara plays with even more emotion than Nicholas. There is a special and powerful blending of energy and music when they play together.

As the date of the musical duel draws near Nicholas drinks more and becomes more distressed and fragile. Darien and Clara work together more and begin to see each other in secret. Darien begins to suspect there is more to Clara’s musical abilities than the siblings are sharing. Can Clara help keep Nicholas on track for the most important night of Darien’s career? What will happen to Clara after the duel is over?

The characters are well developed and the tensions are natural in the storyline. This writing contains wonderful prose, including phrases that fit with the musical theme.

Instead he studied her as though she were an unexpected dissonance in the score of his life; different, possibly unpleasant, yet unmistakably interesting. Location 718.

The musical theme and touring creates a lovely, rich backdrop to the romance. The romantic encounters were a bit drawn out but the rest of the story makes it worthwhile. I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging story to its triumphant ending. I also liked the informative author’s notes. I recommend this to readers who like strong romance set in an interesting historical time and circumstance.

I received this as part of a review bundle from Story Bundle - check out the deals available 4/30 to 5/21.