Rosemary LaureyRezensionen

Two stories in one. The first story is Hand of a Master. Helen is hired by Luc to catalog his library. On her first night, Luc and Branko, his secretary, stage a BDSM scene in the garden outside her window. She is aroused. Luc and Branko know she watched them. Luc and Helen then proceed to engage an affair. Helen's contract is coming to an end when there is a break-in and the cook is murdered. Who did it? What were they looking for? Will Helen stay with Luc?

The second story is Touch of a Dom. Adele is hired as a cook to replace the murdered cook from Hand of a Master. She is also looking for her father, so the position makes it possible to look for him since it was where her father supposedly went when he left Adele and her mother. Helen and Branko set up a scene for Adele's first night. Unlike Helen, Adele interrupts the scene and wants Branko. The two of them begin an affair. Will Adele find her father? Will she and Branko continue their affair if she stays?

I enjoyed these stories. I liked that they were part of a series. I liked how these characters were in tune with each other. Their relationships were open. They were made for each other. I liked the graphicness of the scenes. They were hot! There were secrets that slowly made their ways out.

I look forward to reading more of this author.

Nice concept, poor execution. Checking up on the author, I see why. She is strictly an erotica writer. So even the fantasy parts and especially the historic elements aren't particularly convincing.

I've read a lot in the WW2 England milieu. This doesn't ring true at all. Her characters and attitudes are off.
Her fantasy tropes are flat as well.

Not interesting unless you like sex with practically a stranger and want to call it love.

This book is one of the first adult romance books I read.

It's based on a popular guy in literary history named Christopher Marlowe and of coarse, he's a vampire. He meets this human girl and they (against the rules) fall in love. In that sense, this book is a bit run-of-the-mill vampire romance, but it's so much more than that when you actually get into it.

The conflict in this book is very intriguing and the premise kept me on my toes. The characters are fantastic and realistic. The love in this story isn't entirely cheesy like most other paranormal romance I've read. The major events in the plot don't feel forced or cheesy either.

Over-all I think this book is pretty solid. I rate 3/5

Reviewed by Victoria
Book provided by Ellora’s Cave
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

Hand of the Master by Madeleine Oh is not part of a series but it could be. I would love to know what happens next with these characters. I chose this book because after reading the summery it stuck with me. I had to know what happens.

Helen is a recent widow making a fresh start at a job in the south of France cataloging a private library. It seems the perfect way to see a different part of the world. She wants to move on from her past.

Luc has a collection he wants cataloged and from the tons of applicants he picked Helen because he knew about her interest in bondage. His partner and personals secretary Branko both think Helen is a perfect person to complete them.

The chemistry between Helen, Luc and Blanko is sizzling hot. The sex scenes were sweltering hot. I am not just sure how these three would work long term because Luc seemed not too happy when Helen spent time with Blanko without him.

This book moved at such a fast pace I would have loved it if the author slowed the pace down and flushed the book out a bit. It seemed rushed in places especially the end. Overall, I enjoyed reading the story. This story pulled me in and did not let go until the very end.

Janet and three other women meet near the Eros statue in Piccadilly Square for a reunion with Timor of Karatash but he does not show. The women go to a small coffee shop for lunch together and to talk of Timor and how he affected their lives and what they expected from him now in Rosemary Laurey’s WAITING AT EROS. Janet has a secret that she does not reveal as the women offer up their stories.

WAITING AT EROS was a quick read. The plot is simple and straight forward. It would have been fun to have each ladies’ time with Timor but enough is given that I could understand what Timor gave to each one.

I got a recommendation for the three books by this author on one of my email lists and it's a good one. The cover style emulation of the Sookie Stackhouse books is duly warranted.

High concept on this is Nazi bad vampires in WW2 England being brought down by various supernatural entities. (Secret history - the supernatural isn't out in the open like it is in a lot of this sort of book.)

I'd recommend these to romance readers - it appears that they will be separate stories with on ongoing plot arc, with different protagonists/ H&H in each book. I ordered the next two about halfway in.

The author didn't hit any false notes with either the English stuff or the WW2 era stuff. Recommended.

Second book of the Brytewood series by Evans. Still fun - romance/paranormal and historical. Again, nice sense of WW2 time period.

Nice strong heroines, completes the immediate story arc for this set of books, although the first book's heroine's brother and another secondary character are clearly set up to be available as story - I hope they get written & published.

The supernatural worldbuilding is pretty good and original in these and seems to me to be based more on original sources than on the huge volume of supernatural stuff out there.

In feel the books belong with what is tagged "urban fantasy" but that's particularly ludicrous here since it is clearly "rural" fantasy.

Lots of fun, recommended.

If these hadn't been free...I'd be upset. But they were free to me, on my Kindle, so I guess I can't complain.

PARADOXES contains two novellas by two authors. They're similar in that they both start with some very grim situation - in one, a girl tied to a tree as a village's sacrifice to a dragon and in the other, a girl sold in slavery to a foreboding traveler - but quickly transform into very sweet, positive, gentle sexual scenarios. Both books had a bait-and-switch quality to me, where I started out reading one book and somehow ended up in another. They are erotic, and feature prominent sex scenes, which are of the "lavish the lady with exquisite care and see to her pleasure above all things," type.

FLY WITH A DRAGON by Rosemary Laurey is the first, much shorter novella about a virgin tied to a tree and left in a sacred grove as a sacrifice to a dragon. Myfanwy was selected because she was nearly the only virgin left in her backwards, medieval-style village - all the other girls took steps to make sure they weren't eligible. She's terrified, but she doesn't need to be: it turns out that dragons are technologically and culturally advanced creatures whose biggest quirk is a strong dislike for body hair. After the fright of her journey to the dragon's home, Myfanwy's only challenge is deciding which luxury to enjoy first: hot water, good food, a comfortable bed, loving sex.

HEART OF A RAVEN by J.C. Wilder maintains its dark atmosphere for a little longer than the first novella. Dani is a vagabond, who has spent her short life traveling aimlessly with her nasty, brutish father and brother. Her life is unspeakably horrible; her father keeps her in chains so she can't run away, and she sleeps on a grass mat under her father's ramshackle wagon even in freezing weather. Meanwhile, her father and brother drink and gamble. When two wealthy travelers stop for a while at the campfire, Dani's father and brother think that they can use loaded dice to cheat the gentleman out of their gold; instead, the travelers win again and again. Broke as he is, Dani's father sells her as a slave to the gentlemen in order to cancel out his debt.

For a short while Dani is uncertain of her fate with her new master Haaken, but soon enough he spots a birthmark on her back singling her out as "the one" who can break his family's curse. Haaken is cursed to spend his days as a raven unless he can "find his true love and learn the importance of love." He tries to break the curse by cheating, thinking it will be enough if he marries Dani and makes sure she lives in luxury, but it turns out that to break the curse he has to make an emotional breakthrough, too.

There are so many problems with this book that I don’t think I can name them all. I’ll just mention a few.
The beginning is confusing. Too many characters are introduced at once.
The descriptions are flat. I don’t see the place or the characters involved.
The characterization is lame, and as a result, the narrative lacks focus. There are so many POVs that even after I finished the book I have trouble deciding who the protagonist was. That’s some sloppy writing. Was there even one protagonist? Two? Five? Eight? The questions remain unanswered. None of the good characters is defined better than the others. All of them are 2-dimentional at best, so I don’t sympathize with anyone. The deeper characterization is reserved for antagonists, who are defined and obviously evil.
But despite the multiple flaws, I read the novel; I finished it. This book one redeeming quality is its story – and it’s a good one. It takes place in England during the WWII. The villains are Nazi vampires. They’re German spies, infiltrating a village outside of London to prepare for an invasion. The good guys are the villagers with some arcane powers: a couple of dragon shifters, a water sprite, a pixie or two, and a shape-shifting fox. Together, they thwart the vampires’ nefarious schemes and rid their village of the blood-sucking infestation. Along the way, they fall in love and get married, at least some of them do.
Everything in this book I’ve seen before, in other books, with better execution. But I want to finish on a positive note: the cover art is really funky: atmospheric and humorous, reflecting what this book was supposed to be. The cover actually inspired me to pick up this book from the library fantasy shelf.

This HUGE book is actually two books in one. It contains Book One and Book Two of Rosemary Laurey's Vampire Series. Though this edition is out-of-print, the two books will be reissued separately this spring.

The first book is KISS ME FOREVER. American Dixie LaPage travels to England after inheriting a home from her long lost great aunts. When she arrives she becomes entangled with an Elizabethan Age vampire named Christopher 'Kit' Marlowe. Yes, he is THE legendary playwright of the same name, and an eye patch-wearing vampire. Dixie and Kit must battle against a coven of dark witches out to destroy them both.

The second book is LOVE ME FOREVER. Dixie and Christopher have moved to Ohio, and they own a store called The Vampire Emporium. Kit's dear friend and fellow vampire Justin Corvus pays them a visit, and he is immediately attracted to one of their human customers Stella Schultz. Stella is a struggling single mom to her son Sam, and they are living in a less-than-desirable neighborhood. Though she is attracted to Justin, Stella is hesitant to fall for him because of being hurt before. Their new relationship is threatened when Justin breaks the vampire colony's laws while defending Stella from her neighborhood's street thugs.

Both of these books were enjoyable - very good character development, detailed descriptions of places and events, and good dialog between characters. I thought it was an original idea to take an actual person from history (Christopher Marlowe) and make him a modern-day vampire. I would definitely recommend reading Rosemary Laurey's Vampire Series.

Cute, sweet, well written. The hero, Mac, is probably one of the more awkward Doms I've seen in bdsm stories, but it works. He actually seems like a really nice guy; steady, stable, no random fits of temper. And Ginny seems like a total sweetheart; mischievous and determined at the same time. This is short, so we pretty much just see the beginning of their relationship, but it's enough to provide a very believable HFN with the possibility of a HEA.

This was a fast and fun read, with an unusual pairing of a middle aged widow and widower. One night of passion has them yearning something more. Nicely done, 3 1/2 stars.½

One of those free e-books, and for value, I received what I paid. If I had not read beforehand what the gist of the short-short story was, I probably would have folded my tent and left after the first few paragraphs. Nevertheless, I persevered to the end. The author's premise was plausible; however, the sentence structure and whatever formula was used to construct the story was uneven and lacking in the kind of rhythm a reader subconsciously expects in a well-crafted story.

I found this book difficult to read. It was a simple enough story and I did enjoy the actual story BUT... it was poorly written. It was like watching a B rate movie. Let me try to explain what I mean...for example, one minute she's in her house and the next she's outside. There's no transition from one place to the next. And in the dialogue someone would say something that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I know I'm not doing a very good job of explaining so, I suggest you read the book to know what I'm saying. I wouldn't recommend the book for any other reason. This is surely not a reread for me and not one that I'll pass on to my reading buddies.

I rate this book 3 stars for the actual story and plot and no stars for the quality of the writing.½

This book includes three stories about vampires, sex, passion, and love. Yorks' story focuses on vampire Jules DeMario and his love interest, Taylor Lawson. Jules is a 300 year old vampire who is bored with his life until Taylor enters it. I did find it unusual that Jules has a "medical problem" that is solved with modern medicine..Laurey's story focuses on DC cop, Vickie Anderson and sexy vampire, Pete Falcon. Pete is a new vampire and is on the job when he encounters Vickie, who is now a distraction. Vickie is on vacation and seeks peace and quiet. Thier encounter is the last thing each need, but they find each other difficult to resist!! Sundstrum's story was a little boring to me. This story focuses on Elizabeth and the handsome vampire, Christopher Dante. Elizabeth is jealous of Dante's attention to her brother's fiancee. She also has a secret that is essential to Dante's life, or lack of life! She is clearly in love with Dante, but does not admit to it. Dante find Elizabeth irresistable and often thins about her, but is also curious about Dominique, Elizabeth's future sister in law.

September, 1940. The plucky citizens of rural England have adapted to wartime life. Everyone uses blackout curtains, rides bicycles to save gasoline and takes in children from the cities or families whose homes have been damaged by bombings. Alice Doyle, the local doctor in the town of Brytewood, in Southeast England, administers what aid she can to the residents of her area. After having been up all night delivering twins, she comes across an injured man in Fletcher's Woods. She doesn't hesitate to bring him home with her, so she can care for him at her clinic.

Too bad the man she helps isn't a man at all, but one of four vampires employed by the Nazis and dropped into the English countryside to attack from the inside. When the ambulance that she has called finally arrives, the man has inexplicably disappeared. Alice's sweet Grandmother, who she lives with, invites the ambulance drivers in for a cup of tea. One of them is a nice young man named Peter Watson. Or he seems nice enough, but when Alice finds out that he is a Conscientious Objector she loses all respect for him. A healthy young man like him should be out there fighting, like her brothers are.

The disappearing man was the first odd occurrence, but there are soon more. Alice and her nurse, Gloria, have their hands full and desperately need some assistance. Their prayers are answered when a first aid assistant is assigned to them. It turns out to be none other than Peter Watson. Alice will have to find a way to work with the man, despite her personal feelings.

The vampires have their plans, and soon they are putting them in action. Fortunately for the citizens of Brytewood, there is some truth to the old folklore tales that everyone has been raised on. Magic still exists in England, though it has long since been dressed in a veil of normalcy. Take Alice's Gran, for instance. She is Pixie, a centuries old magical race and Alice is, too, though her rational mind refuses to believe it. And the old Sergeant in the village is a dragon. He rarely uses his dragon shape now, but he is still in command of his powers and is ready and willing to use them in defence of his beloved country.

If the Nazis think they have a monopoly on the supernatural, they are sadly mistaken. The vampires they have recruited are far from the only creatures in this war and they will find that their task is much harder than they had anticipated. The humans have far more help than they ever realized, but they will need every bit of it to defeat the greatest evil that the world has ever known.

This book is a wonderful combination of historical fiction, romance, fantasy and paranormal. I was immediately interested in the World War II setting and I loved the imaginative use of the folklore of England. I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to reading the next two books in the series, Bloody Awful and Bloody Right. The only complaint I have is that the book should have been proofread more carefully. I received a finished copy and found quite a few typos and context errors that would have been caught by a good proofreader. Otherwise a very entertaining, delightful book!

Closest Adult "Vampire Series" to Twilight that I have found. Strangely, I never thought I would say, but better even. I haven't a clue how I found the series, but I am very glad I did.

The heat of the couples, the thrilling adventure of the stories and the passions of everything in between. A must read series, for those that long for more Vampire Romance.

"This was not, he was convinced, some foppish, effete English vampire. This was one of his Aryan brothers. The brain rhythm was strong and reassuringly familiar. He'd sensed the same in his homeland in the Hartz Mountains. Only one other vampire hailed from that part of Germany. Could it truly be Gerhardt Eiche, or as he no doubt posed himself: Gabriel Oak?" (Page 18)

Georgia Evans' portrayal of Germany's invasion of surrounding European nations by the Nazi party as the backdrop for her novel set in the English countryside, Bloody Good, has a wide cast of characters, including vampires, witches, pixies, and dragons.

Alice Doyle is the village doctor and a pixie who has denied her heritage and her powers to rely upon science and medicine. Peter Watson is a conscientious objector to the war who underwent several years of veterinary training before the war began. Alice's grandmother embraces her pixie heritage and is keenly aware of the "others" living in the town.

In an effort to gain an advantage in the war effort, the Nazi's enlist vampires to blow up secret munitions plants across the English countryside. Evans does a great job of establishing a surreal world in which Nazi's and vampires work together for the same cause, at least until the vampires deem themselves able to take over. Dr. Doyle, her grandmother, and friends work together to uncover the secret Nazi mission and stop the vampires from succeeding in destroying the munitions plant.

"The talk on rabbit-keeping was boring enough to let Peter's mind wander onto more enthralling topics, notably Alice, Dr. Doyle, and the woman he was head over heels in love with. She beat out furry rodents, and even edible furry rodents, any day of the week." (Page 182)

Readers will enjoy the vampire tales, the pixie legends, and other surreal elements of this story, but the real treat is watching Dr. Doyle come into her own powers and accepting her heritage. However, some readers may be put off by the graphic sex scenes in this novel, though there are not too many of them. Some of the depictions in the book were a bit odd, particularly when Peter Watson compares Dr. Doyle to furry rodents. Overall, Bloody Good is a light read for the beach or camping in the woods.

This is the first in a series of novels by Georgia Evans, and readers who enjoy this one, should check out the next installment, Bloody Awful. I know I'm looking forward to the next one.½

Would you keep a five-year-old appointment with an old lover?

What if you weren't the only one?

review can be found on my blog
http://bethshobbies.blogspot.com/

Was an excellent book!

Have read everyone in the series and I love every book!

Absolutely Loved It !! I haven't looked yet but I hope she has written more like this!

We meet all of Dixie's friends, Christopher, Tom, Justin Corvus, Stella, Elizabeth, and Sam. Even Dracula show up! But she had created a world filled with vampires, witches, magic and murder. Each book talks about the different groups. The first one is filled with Christopher and Dixie. The second one is filled with Justin and Stella (who is a vampire mom by the way to Sam). And then the ghouls Angela and Elizabeth (who are really witches!) and how they find out who they are. But all of their lives intertwine.