Review: A Demon Does it Better by Linda Wisdom

A Demon Does it Better by: Linda Wisdom
Source: NetGalley
(Sourcebooks Casablanca 2012, 352 pages)

Blurb:
After more than a century, Doctor Lili Carter, witch healer extraordinaire, has returned to San Francisco and taken a job at Crying Souls Hospital and Asylum, where something peculiar and wicked his happening. Patients are disappearing, and Lil wants to know why.
AND DOUBLY DANGEROUS FOR A DEMON...
Lili finds herself undeniably attracted to perhaps the most mysterious patient of all-a demented but seriously sexy demon named Jared. What's behind the gorgeous chameleon demon's late-night escapades?
Before long, Lili and Jared are investigating each other-and creating a whole new kind of magic.

Review:
This being the sixth book in the series, but the first that I have read by this particular author, I am going to give a lot of leeway in this review. The background information that would have been recognized and appreciated in a book that had been read from the beginning of a series was lost on me. I may eventually pick up the first one to see if I appreciate the story more after learning about the world from the start. 
That being said, the author did do a good job of catching the reader up on the ins and outs of how this world works. I enjoyed the story overall between Lili and Jared and thought that it was a sweet romance that happened within the circumstances. 
My main problem with this book is the believability of those circumstances. Yes, yes it's paranormal romance and not believable to begin with. However, I couldn't help thinking through most of the story that the characters didn't really do as much as they could have with the situation. I felt that Lili could have explored other avenues on ways to help Jarod and the other patients but she seemed to be content to go about her job and moan a little on the side about what she was missing and what he may be suffering. I felt like I was more involved with the situation than perhaps she was. 
If you are looking for a light-hearted romance with a world you can pick up on pretty quickly then this is a good one for you. It would probably be something good to read on a plane.

Sexual Content: m/f


At A Glance:
1= Could not finish the book

2= A struggle to read to the finish

3=Meh. Average with all the elements I like in a book but nothing notable

4= I ended it with a smile on my face

5=Excellent. I want to read everything this author has ever written and when I
finish all the books on my wishlist I will reread it.

Challenges: 

Review: The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark

The Demon Lover by: Juliet Dark
Source: NetGalley
(Ballantine Books 2011, 448 pages)

Blurb:
Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of her having written the bestselling book The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she’s found herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.
But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: Her incubus is not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the demon, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this supernatural lover from her heart.
Review:
It has taken a while for me to write this review because I have a lot of mixed feelings about the book. When I picked the book I was under the mistaken impression that it was a young adult book. It seems that a lot of readers have had a similar impression. The cover was probably a bad choice since it really does not go along with the flavor of the book at all and gives the impression of an innocent story despite the title of the book. This book is more along the line of an urban fantasy / paranormal romance with some erotica thrown in. Some of the scenes are very sexually graphic but I think they balance out with the story eventually.
The world Juliet Dark was able to build was very imaginative. I liked how she wasn't afraid of letting her characters become scary or unlikable even if they seemed to be something else early on. One of the main problems I had with this book though was how Callie seemed to take all of the discoveries she made with such an amazingly calm attitude. Despite learning about a whole new world that she had seemingly wished for all her life with her obsession about Myths and fairy tales, she never showed any excitement or amazement or fear or any O-M-G-IS-THIS-REALLY-HAPPENING moments. She took it all in stride. As if to say, "Oh yeah. I knew that would happen.Can we move on now?"
The romance was sweet and my urge to throw my nook across the room when I finished the book was probably just a side effect of wanting to find out how their story ends and not necessarily a reflection on the book as a whole. Needless to say, I'll be keeping my eye out for the next in the series.  

Sexual Content: m/f


At A Glance:
1= Could not finish the book

2= A struggle to read to the finish

3=Meh. Average with all the elements I like in a book but nothing notable

4= I ended it with a smile on my face (kind of)

5=Excellent. I want to read everything this author has ever written and when I
finish all the books on my wishlist I will reread it.

Challenges: 

Review: Sins of the Highlander by Connie Mason

Sins of the Highlander by: Connie Mason
 Source: NetGalley
 (Sourcebooks Casablanca 2012 ,352 pages)



Blurb:
ABDUCTION
Never had Elspeth Stewart imagined her wedding would be interrupted by a dark-haired stranger charging in on a black stallion, scooping her into his arms, and carrying her off across the wild Scottish highlands. Pressed against his hard chest and nestled between his strong thighs, she ought to have feared for her life. But her captor silenced all protests with a soul-searing kiss, giving Elspeth a glimpse of the pain behind his passion—a pain only she could ease.
OBSESSION
"Mad Rob" MacLaren thought stealing his rival's bride-to-be was the perfect revenge. But Rob never reckoned that this beautiful, innocent lass would awaken the part of him he thought dead and buried with his wife. Against all reason, he longed to introduce the luscious Elspeth to the pleasures of the flesh, to make her his, and only his, forever.
With two clans against them burning for battle, they must find a way to join together—body, breath, and soul. Or both will be made to pay for the...
SINS OF THE HIGHLANDER

Review:
I really enjoyed this book. It had a bit of everything I enjoy in a romance novel. A little bit of the paranormal, a little bit of the helpless female, a little bit of the alpha male who needs a woman to help him heal. Yes, it's been done before. It's nothing new. But when it's done well, oh boy! It becomes one of those stories that lurks in the back of your mind and reminds you of that gushy feeling you get when you finish a good romance. Definitely worth the read.
   
Sexual Content: m/f


At A Glance:
1= Could not finish the book

2= A struggle to read to the finish

3=Meh. Average with all the elements I like in a book but nothing notable

4= I ended it with a smile on my face

5=Excellent. I want to read everything this author has ever written and when I
finish all the books on my wishlist I will reread it.

Challenges: 

Review: Kiss of Twilight by Loribelle Hunt

 Kiss of Twilight by: Loribelle Hunt
 Source: Galley from Carina Press
 (Carina Press, 2011, 88,000 words)



Blurb:
Dupree Jackson is everything a senior soldier of the Order of Templar should be. Cold. Unbreakable. A master at arms in the fight against demons. But as a hybrid, Dupree is beginning to lose himself to the demon half of his soul. One woman has the power to save him. If he lets her. Kara Stone wants two things in life: to be merged with a demon so that she can become a full member of the Order; and Dupree Jackson. She knows they are meant to be together, if only Dupree would love her back.
Though his desire for Kara is undeniable, Dupree's need to protect her is stronger. Not wanting to see her merge, to face the internal struggle he deals with every day, he refuses to bond with her. But when Kara becomes a target and uncovers a dark secret about her past, Dupree may no longer have a choice...

Review:
This book took a while for me to get into and understand what was going on with the characters. After about 100 pages I FINALLY felt like I understood how the world Dupree and Kara lived in actually worked and how the characters related to one another. I wouldn't say the book was slow to start because there was enough action to keep me entertained but I think I may have understood their world better if I has read the first book Kiss of Darkness.
The romance between Dupree and Kara was mediocre and didn't really have much of a sizzle. The main plot for the book was Dupree not wanting Kara to merge with a demon. I didn't feel like that was enough conflict for all the issues it created between them. There were several times while I was reading that I just wanted to tell the characters to grow up, get over it, and find a demon couples therapist. Oh wait...that was touched on but it didn't really help. The problem created so much hemming and hawing from Dupree that the strong characteristics that Kara had no longer held any weight when she kept putting up with the whining.I felt little affection for the main characters but eventually enjoyed the world that was created enough that I will give the author another try and hunt down the first book. Maybe it will make me appreciate this relationship a little more.

   
Sexual Content: m/f


At A Glance:
1= Could not finish the book

2= A struggle to read to the finish

3=Meh. Average with all the elements I like in a book but nothing notable

4= I ended it with a smile on my face

5=Excellent. I want to read everything this author has ever written and when I
finish all the books on my wishlist I will reread it.

Challenges:

2012 Paranormal Romance Reading Challenge

2012 Paranormal Romance Reading Challenge Hosted by Tales From the Crypt

Rules:

• Starts January 1, 2012 and ends December 31, 2012
• Anyone can join
• You don’t have to have a blog to participate.
• Non-Bloggers feel free to share your list of books in the comment section of the monthly link up post.
• Reviews though not required are always nice.
• Audio, E-books, Bound and re-reads all count
• There is no need to come up with your list of books in advance.
• Challenge crossovers ok
• Create a sign up post and link up in the linky below.

Levels:

Level 1 – Read 1-5 Paranormal Romances
Level 2 – Read 6-10 Paranormal Romances
Level 3 – Read 11-20 Paranormal Romances
Level 4 – Read 21+ Paranormal Romances

I am going to do Level 4 – Read 21+ Paranormal Romances. It's my favorite genre.