Filthy Rich Vampire by Geneva Lee

I bought this book for myself.

Author: Geneva Lee
Publisher: Estate Books
Date: May 2022
Pages: 392
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SUMMARY:
Julian Rousseaux has a problem. He’s single, and for the world’s wealthiest vampires, the social season is about to begin. Julian would rather stake himself than participate in the marriage market. But as the eldest, eligible Rousseaux he’s expected to find a wife before the season ends-whether he likes it or not.

When cellist Thea literally stumbles into his life at a gala, he knows she’s the last person he could ever fall in love with. She’s too innocent, too kind, and way too human. But now that she knows about his world, she’s also a walking target. She needs protection. He needs a fake girlfriend to discourage overzealous vampire matchmaking.

So, Julian makes Thea an irresistible offer: pretend to be his lover and he’ll change her life. For one year, they’ll attend the season’s social events together in exchange for his protection and a way out of her mother’s crippling medical debt.

She can’t say no. But the vampire world is impossibly decadent and darker than Thea ever imagined, and Julian’s filthy rich vampire family wants her out of the way. But with each moment they share, new dangers emerge: a desire as forbidden as their stolen touches, an awakening of a long-dead heart, and secrets that could tear them both apart.

My Review
Oh I enjoyed this book. This was a different twist on vampires. I would say about 98% of vampire books that I read, I enjoy them.

Adventure begins with Julian meeting Thea. So much goes on and I’m surprised how Thea could handle everything that was sent her way. One thing after another for her to deal with along with lust between Julian and Thea. Danger lies in many places for her.

The book picks up in the middle as Thea and Julian are thrown into the mist of politics of the vampire world. Julian is not impressed and yet his mother wants him to follow the rules of it all. She even wants to remove Thea from his life. Does she get her chance?

The attraction between Julia and Thea is interesting. There are things that pop up that explain why the attraction was there. I will admit there were some spicy bits in this book such as the opera part. I was not expecting that and how it went down. Warning this book doesn’t have steamy parts 24/7 like some. So if you are looking for steamy all the time, then this book may not be for you.

I liked the story. I liked all the characters who have their own personality and quirks. Thea is cute and musically talented who is also innocent in some aspect. She also has a spot for being sassy/flirty with Julian. She also worries of her mother who is in the hospital.

Julian is a grumpy vampire but also is a tad possessive of Thea. Why is that? You gotta read the book to find out. He also is sooooo wealthy that he doesn’t have to worry about day to day struggles. I get the feeling that Julian struggles with what is right and wrong. Perhaps his human side battles within him?

His mother is one strict bad ass. She is very old and set in her ways and can switch to a killing mode if needed to be. She sounds scary and yet I wonder if you were a friend of hers in a weird way she’d fight for hell for you? That type of thing comes to mind to me.

His father, not much is known about him.

Jacqueline is cool. I like how nice she is to Thea and takes her shopping! Money is no limit. Imagine!! She is professional and kind with Julian even though they have some kind of history.

Julian’s brothers are one of the kind. One of them seems nice as the other seems cocky. Would be interesting to see the author do stories when it’s their turn to get married.

I felt like I needed to express my thoughts on some of the characters. The book does leave at a cliffhanger as I am like..”No!” I may have to buy book number 2 and I just saw there is a book 3 too. I have way too many books to read. I’m hoping more drama, action, and steamy moments in the next book. I’m glad I picked this book up.

Hidden by Shalini Boland Review – Arc

This book…I’m soooooo glad I requested it on Netgalley to read..You bet I’m going to read the next two! It’s all about vampires…vampires..vampires…Vampires are my jam..to those who follow and check this blog you know it’s true. So let’s dive into the book and my thoughts on this interesting story.

I received an E-Arc from the publisher for an honest review!

Author: Shalini Boland
Pages/format: Netgalley Arc
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Summary:
My name is Madison Greene. On my seventeenth birthday, I inherited an old mansion and wealth beyond my wildest dreams. I thought it was a joke, but as I step through the creaking door of the sprawling building, I realize my life in foster care is in the past. I’ve been chosen and my world has changed forever.

But I wasn’t told that Marchwood House hides a secret.

As I explore every inch of the crumbling property, I stumble upon a set of large, dusty boxes in the basement. When I pull back the lid and look down, I find myself staring at the most handsome face I’ve ever seen. High cheekbones, porcelain skin…

And when he wakes up and locks eyes with me, I realize my heart already belongs to him, even though my head is screaming at me to get as far away from Marchwood as possible. Because I know what he really is.

I never planned to fall in love – but it’s too late now. Alexandre has a dark and dangerous past. He needs me and I have to help him. But can a human really save a vampire?

My Review:
So I saw a post online about Hidden and I just had to read it. I think it was a cover reveal? Anyone I saw the author Shalini posting about arcs on Netgalley. You bet I requested it and got them!! I did a happy dance cause it’s about vampires. Okay okay…let’s get myself to calm down, right?

The story held my attention from the beginning to end. I literally read this book in two and half days. There’s suspense, mystery, real life feelings, amazing description of places..you could literally see the places the characters are at. Of course it has vampires in it…we all know vampires have been written many times and in many ways (which is fine with me!) but the author did a great job putting her spin on vampires. I love it! I dare wonder if Jay Kristoff would read this series…*ponders* He did watch Twilight and commented on it..I’m getting sidetracked..back to this awesome book.

The book is told from two perspectives. First is Madison who is a 17 year old teen that has a brother named Ben who is 12. Madison speaks of the current time frame, the year 2023. She and her brother live with foster parents and that eventually changes down the road as you know from the summary up above.

The second viewpoint is told by Alexandre who is 18 years old and is considered to be a man in time. He speaks of his time in the year of 1881. Alexandre has one brother and sister along with parents who he is close with. His story starts with his family and then goes on a trip where vampires end up. I love the spin on how vampires came to be for that part.

So the story goes back and forth between Madison and Alexandre which is great! It might bother some people but for me it was such a nice flow.

Towards the middle of the book Madison and Alexandre meet at the Marchwood House where the book is transformed with both characters speaking on the same page. I hope that makes sense. When they meet it’s scary for both of them..but in time they learn from each other and feelings happen.

I love Madison feisty attitude. She rocks. She also cares for her brother Ben as much as a sister could. She is just awesome. When she inherits the house, she learns more about the world. Something new to her but she dealt with it.

Alexandre what can I say? He craves adventure when he was human. I think his trip made him see the world differently and woke his senses up of learning new things. I love the relationship Alexandre has with his family.

Now the story the viewpoints of Madison and Alexandre who are teens which is fascinating to me. I put myself in their shoes and could see how it would be. It was pretty cool. I do have to say when they say “I love you ” to each other, it made me wonder could hormones be a part of this along with the idea to belonging to someone. To feel seen, to feel loved? Everyone wants that.

I will point out I loved it when Madison took Alexandre clothes shopping and he hated it. Madison made a reference to that even her brother Ben hated clothes shopping. This can be true for some men. I just had to chuckle at that.

Since the majority of the story focuses on Madison and Alexandre, there is another plot to it..I’m trying not to give it away.. Last few chapters at the end has to do with Alexandre’s family and major action happens. Like fight like action and things like that which would be perfect for a film. I can literally see this book as a movie too!

The ending has a cliffhanger..it leaves you wanting to know what is going to happen next.

Will there be peace or revenge?

So I suggest to those who have read tons of vampire books to pick this up to read. Go do it. Read…and let me know what you think.

Onwards to book 2!

More :I spy books of Romantic Woman Contemporary Fiction

Trixie isn’t exactly sure what she was thinking when she stopped her car in the middle of downtown Chicago, scooped up a chicken struggling to cross the road, and drove off… but she does know that she has to find a new home for herself and her new feathered friend. The landlord at her apartment doesn’t allow pets and has caught Trixie in one too many pet-smuggling attempts in the past.
 
Bear likes his quiet life with his close-knit family, who own a flower business, but he’s in for a rude awakening when his meddlesome sisters post an ad to rent the spare room in his simple home, without asking his permission. Still, when Trixie responds to the ad, he agrees to let her move in, despite immediate worries about keeping things platonic.
 
Determined to keep her new room, befriend Bear, and give her rescue chicken the care she deserves, Trixie fights to keep her walls up and resist her romantic feelings for Bear. However, it’s not long before the pair’s proximity and chicken parenting ignite flames that have Trixie and Bear testing the boundaries of their platonic ground rules. They have to figure out how to save a family business, pay for mounting vet bills, and navigate their own emotional baggage if they want to find the love that they all deserve.

For her entire life, Rose Maxwell trained to become the next Prima on the Supernatural Council. Now that she’s stepped down, it’s time for this witch to focus on herself. And not think about her impulsive one-night stand with Damian Adams, a half-Demon Veterinarian who she can’t get out of her head. Neither of them is looking for a relationship. But when Rose is sentenced to community service at Damian’s animal sanctuary it becomes impossible for them to ignore their sparking attraction. A friends-with-benefits, no feelings, no strings arrangement works perfectly for them both.

After a sequence of dead-end jobs, it’s not until Rose tangos with two snarly demons that she thinks she’s finally found her path. However, this puts Damian back on the periphery of a world he thought he left behind. He doesn’t approve of Rose becoming a Hunter, but if there’s one thing he’s learned about the stubborn witch, it was telling her not to do something was one sure-fire way to make sure she did.

Working―and sleeping―together awakens feelings Damian never knew he had…and shouldn’t have. Because thanks to his ex’s hex, if he falls in love, he’ll not only lose his heart―but his humanity.

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family’s winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to Napa Valley and when Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she’ll finally get that smooch. But the grumpy professor isn’t the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly.

One wine-fueled girls’ night later, Hallie can’t shake the sense that she did something reckless—and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.

On sabbatical from his ivy league job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She’s eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt—and so unbelievably beautiful, he can’t focus on anything else. Until he finds an anonymous letter sent by a woman from his past.

Even as Julian wonders about this admirer, he’s sucked further into Hallie’s orbit. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of color in Julian’s grayscale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there’s something so familiar about her… and her very presence is turning his world upside down.

Kate Jenkins doesn’t believe in fate. She believes in a clear vision, meticulous planning, and hard work in order to achieve her culinary dreams. On the cusp of opening her own Parisian restaurant, Bistro Exotique, she isn’t even concerned when her standoffish—and annoyingly sexy—neighbor dismisses her as a crazy American tourist or when she meets the wildly eccentric Garrance, the self-proclaimed Spice Master of Paris, who ominously warns her of the previous owner’s failures.

Confident and optimistic, Kate keeps calm and cooks on. Until a series of unfortunate events derail her plans and her entire staff quits.

Kate is about to throw in the kitchen towel on her lifelong dream when Garrance offers to use her mastery of scents and spices to help her, but it comes at a price: Kate must work with Garrance’s son, Charles, a world-class chef and total jerk. After Kate hesitantly concedes to the deal, she slowly learns to open her heart and mind to new concepts, not quite sure if the magic she’s experiencing comes from Garrance’s spices, from within herself, or from the growing chemistry with Charles. One thing is certain, though: her kitchen is getting increasingly hot.

What do you do when The One is also the one who broke your heart?

Self-proclaimed hot mess Scout Myers is determined to prove she’s finally got her act together. Raised by grandparents who saw her as her wayward mother’s wayward daughter, Scout’s used to being written off. So when the opportunity for a promotion arises at Paws in the City, the talent agency where she works, Scout is desperate to rise to the occasion. With shared custody of her little sister also on the line, Scout can’t afford a single mistake…like suddenly needing a canine stand-in for an important photoshoot. Luckily (or not) she knows the owner of the perfect pup replacement: the estranged husband she walked out on years ago.

On the surface, it appears Lane Halliday’s life has been blissfully drama free without Scout, but she suspects her handsome-as-ever not-quite-ex-husband doth protest too much. Working together even feels like old times—except for all that lingering, unresolved tension. But Scout’s not sure she’s ready to confront the reasons she left Lane, and when their plans to finalize the divorce become very real, Scout starts to wonder whether second chances might be worth a little hot mess.

Review of Honorable Rogue

I received an e-Arc from Netgalley and publisher for an honest review!

Publisher ‏ : ‎ City Owl Press
Date: July 2, 2021
Author: Linda J. Parisi

As a Roman gladiator and slave, vampire Hunter Pierce only knew death and destruction. Never love.

Dr. Victoria Roberts only knew love and safety, never fear or death, until the day her life was shattered with a home invasion that destroyed her world.

Now Hunter and Tori’s worlds collide, with Blood Rogues continuing to menace both human and vampire alike.

Tori is in danger and it’s all Hunter’s fault. To keep watch over the clever scientist, the vampire enlists her to aid in finding a cure for Nirvana, the dangerous poison rogue vampires are using to kill.

When Tori is kidnapped, Hunter faces his corrupt former master and a race against the clock to save his own life.

But can a vampire who has only watched out for himself risk his life, and his immortality, for the love of a human?

Can a woman who has lost everything rebuild her shattered heart with a man who thinks he hasn’t got one?

Only love, trust, and an Honorable Rogue can save them all.

REVIEW

Well this book held my attention! I could not put it down. The story, the history, the characters and how they all interacted with each other. It was good.

The beginning caught my attention as I continued to read and thought this was going to be a typical vibe that I have read before. Boy I was wrong! I have read tons of vampire paranormal romance books and let me tell you that the feeling of reading them for me is always fun! That feeling will always be with me. This book brought that feeling back so yay! Anyways back to the story, Hunter closed himself off because that how he thinks he should be. When Tori comes into the picture, does she break Hunter’s wall down?

Now Tori on the hand is a woman of guts and living life to the fullest but she also has a wall too. She’s a great character. She can hold her ground too. I love that. So you can imagine how Tori felt when she finds out Hunter is an actual vampire.

The two characters do have chemistry with each other. It’s instant lust at first but then further along I think it becomes something more. They compliment each other. They are for each other.

While the story goes there is a danger involved. Someone from Hunter’s past targets Tori. There is a lot of history from Hunter’s past which is not pleasant. I felt bad for Hunter and what he went through. I can understand how he is from that past.

There were some other characters that came into play such as Stacy and Charles which Tori knew. Charles is also a vampire while Stacy is not. Plus some other vampires show up which were pretty cool. I loved how one of the vampires interacted with Tori. Stacy and Tori chatting was so fun too. It was nice to see a variety of characters.

The plot was great — fast paced, exciting, adventure, steamy scenes, dialogue that keeps you entertained and the ending took me by surprise! I thought the author did a great job with this story. I look forward to reading more from her.

Just a Warning: Hunter’s past is dark. Back in the day of Roman Gladiator times things happened

Quote from an E-Arc book I’m reading

“I think Tori’s gotten under that thick skin of yours,” Charles continued. “Not the worst thing in the world you know?”

“She’s dinner,” Hunter declared, trying to hold on to the place deep inside where feelings didn’t matter. And yet?

“Keep lying to yourself” Charles laughed softly.

Review – My Wild Irish Dragon

 

• Author: Ashlyn Chase
• Series: Boston Dragons :Book 2
• Mass Market Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
• Date: September 6, 2016

Dragon shifter Chloe Arish is hell-bent on becoming a Boston firefighter. She uses her Irish charm and fake documents to score an interview, knowing she has to work every bit as hard as a man―harder if she wants their respect.

Born into a legendary Boston firefighting family, phoenix shifter Ryan Fierro can’t possibly let someone best him on the training course or the job. He’d never hear the end of it. When a feisty new recruit comes along who’s determined to do just that, Ryan plots to kick her out―until their sizzling chemistry turns explosive…

My Thoughts:
I managed to snag this book from the book sale.  The cover caught my eye and I recognized the author.  The cover screamed Phoenix to me.  Then I took a peek at the summary to see if my thoughts matched the cover.  Well I was half right!

It took me about two days to read this.  I loved how Chloe stands up for herself and wanting to go for her dream of being a firefighter.   The moment she meets Ryan, sparks fly.   They compete for the same spot and yet somehow they get the funding to be in the same station.   At first Ryan thinks he can overcome Chloe but eventually he wants to treat her right because she’s a woman.  Chloe even told Ryan that she wants to be treated as one of the guys.  Eventually they stick through it.   The other guys from the firehouse give Chloe a hard time but in time they realize she’s got it to be a firefighter.  Ryan kind of wants to protect but then he backs off letting Chloe handle it.

I loved, loved how Chloe and Ryan had to keep their paranormal side a secret.  That was fun to read.  I loved how Chloe knew so much more of the paranormal side than Ryan. I also loved when Chloe found what what Ryan was!  That was so epic.  I was not expecting that at all.   When Ryan explains what he is, she then tells him what she is.  I loved how they share stories.  It is so awesome.   It was really a cute story.

One thing I will point out,  Mother Goddess shows up in this story and she is hilarious!  Sassy!

I”ll be finding the rest of these books to read!