Sins of the Heart, Otherkin Trilogy, Book 1 by Eve Silver

Publisher:  HQN, Harlequin Enterprises
Pages:  384

(Release Date:  8-01-10)

From the Cover:

Half-human, half-god, Dagan Krayl is the Underworld’s most powerful soul reaper. When one of his brothers is murdered, Dagan must use every ounce of his power to hunt down those responsible for his brutal death. But he must move swiftly—and carefully—if he’s to have any chance of resurrecting his brother.

Yet that resurrection could wreak havoc on the mortal world. As an Otherkin, Roxy Tam has sworn to protect the human race and it’s her mission to stop Dagan. But when she sees him face to face, she realizes that she has seen him once before—a meeting that changed her life forever.

Neither Dagan nor Roxy expect to join forces for the sake of mankind. Or have their loyalties tested as they struggle against the potent desire that threatens to consume them both….

*****may contain spoilers*****

Legend says that Sutekh in a bid to have the Goddess Aset and her power for himself, killed her husband/brother, Osiris, dismembering his body and scattering the pieces across the lands. Legend also says that Sutekh is the brother of Aset and Osiris, very convoluted. Aset who deeply loved Osiris, found all his parts, save one, his penis which she fashioned from gold, and reanimated the body for one night in which a son was produced, Horus. Now, Aset and Osiris are the enemies of Sutekh with each residing and reigning over their own region of the Underworld, along with the other demigods and gods, including Hades and the lesser demons. And this is where our story begins....


Sutekh, Seth, the Lord of Chaos, one of  the Gods of the Underworld, had four sons by three mortal women. Why? To allow him to have personal emissaries, soul reapers, able to travel between the Topworld and Underworld, as long as they don't partake in the food of the dead. Sons which he created to be loyal to only him, trained to follow his every command. While each is loyal to and in a way loves their father, they are loyal to each other first and foremost.  Dagan, the eldest son and most rebellious, is sent to reap some very deserving souls, murders and rapist.  Sutekh likes to eat the most delectable of the filthiest souls.  When Dagan arrives, he discovers they have a captive, Roxy Tam, and one of the oddest things happens... he doesn't want to kill her and reap her soul... he wants to save, protect her, and insure she has a long happy life.


Roxy Tam is street smart, capable, and unfortunately, willing to try to help her friend Marcia, but Marcia isn't what she appears to be and leads Roxy into a trap for the amusement and need of her sick boyfriend. Together they plan to rape and murder Roxy... that is until Dagan appears on the scene. He reaps their souls for his father to feast upon and sets Roxy free. But in doing so, Roxy accidentally imbibes some of Dagan's blood, binding them together. As the years pass, Roxy has waking and sleeping dreams of the reaper, either ending in love making or soul reaping and it's driving her mad. Dagan warns her off the Daughters of Aset, he can see them in her future, which leads to Roxy running to their arms, hoping for answers, hoping for a place to call home.


When Roxy is sent on a mission to retrieve a kidnapped child, it eventually brings her face to face with the man of her dreams, Dagan Krayl, after eleven long years of separation and with the knowledge that he felt her to fend for herself and with a new gift, the desire for blood. She either wants to kill him or sleep with him... but what will happen when a Daughter of Aset and a Son of Sutekh come together?  Sworn enemies or life long lovers?


Sins of the Heart by Eve Silver is excellent paranormal romance/urban fantasy with elements of mythology, mysticism, and magic. Our story starts where the mythology ends and a new world begins telling the continuing story of Sutekh, Aset, and Osiris. Sutekh has four son, Dagan, Alastor, Mal, and Lokan. All do their father's biding, but Dagan is the most rebellious and the eldest. He feels it's his duty to protect his younger brothers and when he fails, he attempts to go to any lengths to right the injustice.  Roxy Tam has been alone since the age of five and her life would have ended at nineteen if Dagan hadn't intervened. But, he changes her into something else, something otherworldly, Otherkin. He warns her off the Daughters of Aset, the one of the Otherkin, but he leaves her with this burning need, and she runs to the Daughters of Aset to try to understand what is happening to her. Only, they provide even less answers. Roxy struggles through life becoming what she can make of herself, she's proud, feisty, and beautiful. Dagan dreams only of Roxy, the young dark beauty he had to abandon if she was going to survive, but that doesn't keep her from invading his dreams, and soul reapers don't dream. What's the matter with him? He avoids her for eleven long years until the death of one of his brothers brings him face to face with his only weakness and worst nightmare, all rolled up in a tidy little package, Roxy Tam. The question is can he live with her or without her?


Sins of the Heart is a quick little read that hooked me from the beginning with Dagan Krayl torn between duty and beauty. I love stories that contain elements of mythology and mysticism, and since I had prior knowledge of the mythology involved (mythology freak that I am), it made the story that much better for me. [If you go back to my previous post about the Goddess Aset (also know as Isis), you'll understand what I mean.., lol] This one story contains intrigue, denial, double crosses, and gods and goddesses behaving badly. There's a mystery as to what exactly happened to Dagan's youngest brother.... did he sacrifice himself.... is there a way back for him.... will he partake in the food of the dead and remain truly dead, unable to return to Topworld? I waiting to start the next book in the series, requesting it and ready to watch the story unfold. Eve Silver is another new author for me, I've discovered so many in the last year and a half that I've been blogging, and Eve Silver's Otherkin Series is another keeper for me.  I love the simplistic cover art with the strong full bodied hero, it describes the mythology within the story perfectly as well as the kick-ass heroine found within the pages and for which Eve Silver is known. I'll be looking into Ms. Silver's backlist, this is an author I'll be watching. I highly recommend this read to lovers of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and mythology

I received this ebook for review from Harlequin Enterprises and Net Galley.  All opinions I expressed are my own.

Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July from here in the United States to everyone far and wide!

Tinkerbell wishes all of her friends a safe and happy 4th of July..... Woohoo!!

Hugs to all!

Dottie

Bound by Fate, The Bound Series, Book 2 by Amanda Cummings

Publisher:  Red Rose Publishing
Pages:  60

From the Cover:

Can magic and reality work together or will they be dealt a fate worse than death?

In the world of Aldar, Lucan leads a group of warriors to battle the Conjurer that threatened Tavis and Amber in Bound by Magic. With the eminent approach of the coming battle, Lucan and Kira discover something shocking about themselves and their relationship.

Fate has given them a gift. Will Lucan embrace Kira and his fate? Or continue to deny what is in his heart?

Lucan, Tavis' brother and warrior, meets his match is the form, Kira.  She's his perfect match if only he can admit it, to himself and her.  Kira knows she and Lucan fit together like no one she's been with before, if she can only convince him of the truth.  But before Lucan or Kira can see the truth, the Conjurers who are trying to steal the magic of Aldar which would lead to it's death and effectively bottling the Earth realm magic, have to be dealt with first.  The Chosen Ones have to be protected, fate has to be answered to, love will have to wait.

Bound by Fate by Amanda Cummings was fast paced, loads of action, and a good romance to boot once Lucan comes to his senses.  Aldar has Chosen Ones that allow two individuals to harness the excess magic from the Earth and release it to Aldar to keep it alive and magically bound.  Lucan and Kira are two Aldarians that when they come together, Soulmate bound, can produce a Chosen One.  Lucan only can admit the truth when Kira is almost snatched away.

Bound by Fate is a quick, easy read sensually told.  The romance is beyond red hot, especially for the few short pages in which the story is told.  Amy (aka Romance Book Wyrm) tells a good story that heats up the pages.  I recommend it to readers who enjoy a sensual paranormal romance, and I hope to see a few more stories in the series. 

I purchased this ebook on Amazon for my own enjoyment.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Shadow of the Vampire by Meagan Hatfield

Publisher:  HQN, Harlequin Enterprises
Pages:  368

(Release Date:  July 1, 2010)

From the Cover:

Even vampires should never sleep with the enemy.

Vampire princess Alexia Feodorovna has been undead for 125 years, so it's been a while since any man has made her pulse race. Until Declan Black. One look at his bronzed body and a fire like no other consumes her. Then she discovers that he's a dragon lord come to take revenge on the vamps who killed his parents. And claim a crystal said to imbue its owner with incredible powers.

Alexia is ordered to torture and kill the dragon lord. Yet with each reckless encounter, she finds herself consumed by his fiery passion. A passion Declan battles, as well. Will he be able to resist the fire of lust she kindles within him and keep revenge in his heart? Or will he risk everything to quench the burning desire and claim the vampire as his own?

******may contain spoilers******

Alexia has two days to wait for her ascension, Queen of the horde, if she survives.  Her mother and the current Queen, Queen Catija, has been unwell.  She has let her lover and adviser, Lotharus, run her life, her kingdom, and now, when Alexia ascends to the throne, they will marry.  But what Catija doesn't know is that Lotharus has other plans.  He's tired of taking orders from females, lowly creatures not fit to lead let alone command him, and, if the Queen continues to drink his elixir, she won't live to see the wedding and Alexia her ascension.  Lotharus has found the Dark Prince's journals, they say he went mad .... maybe from imbibing in the life blood of his victims and other vampires, a practice Lotharus plans to revive.

Declan Black will be claimed the next King, Dragon Lord, by the council.  His parents were brutally and savagely murdered after days of being tortured when they attempted to take the crystal that has been prophesied to allow the holder to rule over them all.  Dragons and Vampires have long been enemies, but recently the horde has been more vicious, corrupt, and murderous.  He can't believe they have take his parents, he longs for the blood of his enemies to flow through his fingers.  But there is one more thing he has to do before he can rightfully accept the King's throne.  He must finish what his parents attempted.  He must claim the crystal, before the vampires can make use of it.

Shadow of the Vampire by Meagan Hatfield is an excellently told tale of an unusual vampire/shifter love story.  The vampires used to be rule by a mad Dark Prince, but since his overthrow hundreds of years ago, the horde has been calm, grown happy, that is until Catija ascends to the throne.  The old Queen was kind, ruling with a stern, but gentle hand.  Catija has shown bloodthirstiness and her name is more than a little feared.  Lotharus is a new breed of evil and he has become the Queens closest adviser, but he suspects Catija has figured out his dastardly plan.  Lotharus is everything evil, he's brutal, malignant, where he soul once lived, vileness has taken it's place and he's one of the ancients, hard to defeat.  He has outlived his usefulness, and when Alexia ascends to the throne, she'd love to see him receive just what he needs, a long overdue death.  He is very deserving.  Declan is captured by Alexia, and Lotharus demands he be tortured to death as he had his parents, the Dragons have stolen the ancient scrolls and he wants them back.  Dragons are extremely powerful creatures, but with one weakness, silver.  And silver is what the vampires use to torture and kill the creatures.  When Declan sees Alexia, he'd like nothing better than to take her in his claws and rips her to pieces, but everytime she comes near, another passion grips him instead.  The vampires slaughtered his parents, and now, they're going to slaughter him too, he knows it, the silver piercing his body won't let him forget.  But Alexia does the unexpected.  She tries to help Declan.  Can there be more than what he can see to this little vampire?

Shadow of the Vampire is a darkly told paranormal romance/urban fantasy.  Alexia doesn't know what to do.  She knows that Lotharus would like nothing better than to control the horde, massacre everyone he considers his enemy.  And now the Dragon Lord is making Alexia's own body a treacherous place to be, he's the enemy, and all she wants to do is comfort him.  Declan knows that the next time Alexia sneaks into the dungeon, he should kill her, end her life like his parents have been murdered.  But the little vampire wiggles under his scales, and now he can't shake the feel of her body against his.  Shadow of the Vampire is an erotically told little tale with loads of fighting and excitement, legends of the vampire horde, and an intricately woven world between the two societies that I'd like to get to know better.  There is graphic violence and sexuality, so if this bothers you, pick something else to read.  If you enjoy a darkly erotic romance/fantasy as much as I do, I highly recommend Shadow of the Vampire.  It's a quick little read that hooked me immediately and keeps the reader engage within the story, and it has a great cliffhanger ending.  You see, Declan sends of his Dragons in search of.....  Well, it would be kind of unfair to tell you.  You'll just have to pick it up and read to find out.  It's not at all what you expect and it may change all of their lives.

I received this book for review from Harlequin Enterprises and Net Galley.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Bound by Magic, The Bound Series, Book 1 by Amanda Cummings

Publisher:  Red Rose Publishing
Pages:  80

From the Cover:

Can magic and reality work together or will they be dealt a fate worse than death? Two worlds held together by magic, the Earth realm and the realm of Aldar.

Amber Moyer is a Chosen from our world. As the time draws near Samhain, Tavis, from Aldar, seeks her out in dreams. They are soul mates. Together they sustain his realm with the life giving magic of the Earth realm.

But there is evil that seeks Aldar. Will Tavis and Amber be able to overcome the evil? Or suffer the same fate as Amber's mother so many years ago?

Amber's been having a strange week, and the dreams, so erotic as is the mystery man who inhabits them.  She longs to know his name and for the completion she knows only he can provide.  As for the mystery man, an Aldarian, he awaits for the time to draw near, where he and his Chosen one can complete their binding, and become one, Soulmates.  Only things aren't as peaceful as the Aldarians believe them to be.  The Conjures are afoot and waiting for the binding as well....

Bound by Magic by Amanda Cummings is a novella full of eroticism and magic.  Amber has been waiting for something to happen in her life, for her whole life, she just doesn't know what or when it will happen.  But she starting to live for her dreams and the mystery man that fills them.  Tavis, the mystery man, is from a parallel realm where Earth bound magic is funneled.  To keep the balance in both worlds, the magic needs to be evenly meated out.  Without the Chosen ones finding each other, Aldar would cease to exist and the magic of the Earth would devastate itself.  Together, Tavis and Amber can help their worlds and love each other.

Bound by Magic is a quick little read full of erotic moments and sensual magic, but also the imagery used within the story creates an erotic tone, leaving the reader to anticipate what the story provides.  If you like a quick little sensual read where the characters heat up the pages, try Bound by Magic, I can highly recommend it.  And if you're familiar with the blog, Romance Book Wyrm, then you already know the author and what a great storyteller she is.  Here's hoping Amy writes a few more of these magical little tales.

I pick up this book on Amazon for my own enjoyment.  All opinions expressed are my own.