Tag: Christine Shaw

Second Chance at Forever by Christine Shaw

secondchanceatforeverTitle: Second Chance at Forever
Series: The Reilly Coven, #6
Author: Christine Shaw
Genre: Paranormal/Werewolves/Vampires
Length: Novella (84 pages)
Publisher: Siren-BookStrand, Inc. (May 7th 2015)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 Hearts
Blurb: In 1918, Oakley Reilly was helping out at a clinic in Northern Spain. One day after resting his weary head he discovered a man on the brink of death. He tried everything he could to save the young man from suffering the same fate so many others before him had. But there was nothing he could do for the young man fated by blood to be Oakley’s mate.

Jack Hayes heard what his mate said to him, what he confessed as pain wracked his body in what he knew was death. But when he did die something else happened entirely.

Oakley lived a life after that so full of pain, but in his dreams his mate would beg him to live, if just for another day. He reluctantly agreed every time for every day following that dreadful day.

ISBN: 978-1-63259-321-4

Product Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/second-chance-at-forever

Reviewer: Lisa

Review: Each book in the Reilly Coven collection features a different romantic couple. To enjoy the overall story arc and crossover characters, I would recommend reading the series in sequential order. There is nothing better than a good paranormal romance with two gorgeous men involved.

However this story was a disappointment for me. It starts out pretty good but then it finishes like it is a rush job. It gets to the point that it is confusing.

Oakley had met his mate over ninety years ago and lost him within four hours. He had wanted to get away and see the world, but came home a broken man. His mate had promised him that he would find him, but it got to the point of when was the time to stop wandering.

Jack had left his body and followed Oakley through his life. Until someone special told him how to get back to his mate. Everything was new and their love was what held them together.

Now see when a body dies, the skin melts away and so on. So when you come back to your body I do not see how it can be done. Then everything else just moves too fast for one to really believe. There were misspelled words and words used wrong in sentences.

I love the fact that they love each other, however there was no upset, and no discord with them. They had some danger but none of it connected right. It was meet, sex, and in love. There was no true feeling to this story. I can’t wait to see if the next story improves. I was not happy about how this story turned out.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *

Fated by Blood by Christine Shaw

cs-rc-fatedbyblood-200x300Title: Fated by Blood

Series: The Reilly Coven, 01

Author: Christine Shaw

Genre:  Paranormal/Vampires

Length: Novella (80 pages)

Publisher: Siren Publishing (July 10th, 2013)

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3Hearts

Heat Level:  Explicit

Blurb: Choosing one’s mate is a special occasion. The knowledge that you both have chosen each other to live with and love forever is spectacular. But what happens when that person dies? Robb Reilly experiences this all too well. Being left in a world where he has to care for nine sons without a partner is a hard job, but one he revels in, one he loves. But he cannot cook to save his life.

Seeing an advertisement for a chef wanted in a vampire coven, Smith Reed instantly wants it. It is as though his gut is telling him to get the job. Of course, when he arrives he is in for more than he imagined.

A sexy-as-sin vampire whom he thought to be straight is now his mate. Not a chosen mate. Instead, Robb is his fated mate, the person he was created for. It’s a phenomenon that hasn’t occurred in over a thousand years. And Smith is lucky enough to have one.

But when trouble comes, can being fated by blood save the two mates or not?

Product Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/fated-by-blood

Reviewer: Cat

Review: Robb is a vampire a very old one. He had a chosen female mate and she has died but he hasn’t, which confuses him since mates usually die with each other… They and nine sons all of which they had adopted. Now he has to move on, his focus is his business and his coven of 9 sons. He can’t cook so he hires a chef.

Smith was raised in a vampire coven, was always fascinated with them, and had always secretly wished he could be a true blood mate for one but knows through history lessons that had pretty much died out. Then he arrives on the steps of Robb for his new job as a chef. Everything changes for all the men.

This is a very cute take on Vampires and mates. It is sort of a Cinderella vampire romance; your basic boy is fascinated with vampires and dreams of being ones mate, fate steps in and the rest is history. I loved all ten vampires, each has a unique personality, and you can see all the setting up in this book for the series. There was a bit of action that made it a bit less sparkly, and the sex was pretty hot. The stage is set and I’m ready to see what comes next.

Recommendation: If you like Vampires, sparkly and bad ones, mate bonds, sweet romances with hot sex, you will adore this one!

Sweetly Addictive by Christine Shaw

Title: Sweetly Addictive

Series: Dark Times 04

Author: Christine Shaw

Genre: Paranormal, Shifters

Length: Novella (92pgs)

Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand (26th April 2012)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: After watching all his friends mate, Jay North is beginning to get depressed. Is it so hard to have a mate of his own? Then one night—well, morning—as he drowns another bottle of Jack Daniel’s, his phone rings, his alpha demanding they meet. Upon arrival he is met with the sweetest scent he has ever come across. Chocolates and oranges—his mate’s scent.

After being thrown from his pack, something tells Danny James to go to Texas. He has no idea why, but when he finds himself at the door of the light pack’s alpha, his entire world gets thrown upside down. His mate not only lives in the light pack but also is their enforcer. Yet Danny can’t find it in himself to be happy. He thinks because of his homosexuality he has given up his right to a destined mate of his own.

Can Danny find it in him to be with his mate?

Purchase Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/sweetly-addictive

Review: Jay has been a bit jealous of his friends all meeting their mates and longs for his own. When he is called to his Alpha’s house in the middle of the night he smells the most delicious scent he has ever inhaled and discovers his mate seated with his Alpha. Danny was chased from his old pack for being gay and now he has finally found the pack who accepts gays. He also discovers his mate and learns that he has a connection to the Alpha that he never knew about.

This story has an interesting twist that adds greatly to the storyline for this little novella. Danny has run for his life now after days of hiding out and travelling he has come to the door of the Alpha who might accept him into his pack. He discovers his mate, fights his internal demons, finds out a secret, and proves to his mate that he is an equal. Jay discovers his mate within his Alpha’s home and is over-joyed. It isn’t easy sailing as Danny proves to Jay that he can be just as dominate as he is. Jay also has to come up with a plan to keep his mate safe, and to accept he doesn’t have to be top dog all the time.

Danny and Jay’s relationship is really good.  As we see Danny struggle with what he has been taught all his life, he feels cautious towards Jay, until he gets jealous and teaches Jay a lesson he will never forget. Jay is instantly protective of Danny, with good reason, and is really happy when all the connections between the friends are known (all the couples being related in some way). The relationship between Danny and Jay is a relatively smooth one, without too much angst or danger, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few surprises because there are. I loved the way that the sex was dealt with between them because it turned out to be very give and take, with both of them being able to be both Dominate and submissive, so it leads to some very hot sex scenes between them.

With this one I will recommend it to those who love paranormal, hot sex, D/s, slight BDSM, danger, secrets being discovered, great characters and a happy ever after.

 

The Dom for His Alpha by Christine Shaw

Title: The Dom for His Alpha

Series: Dark Times 01

Author: Christine Shaw

Genre: Shifters, Vampire, Demon, Paranormal, M/M/M

Length: Novella (112pgs)

Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand Publishing (1st March 2012)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Dark faces the fact he will never enjoy the feel of a whip or a flogger on his ass again. The new alpha of the light pack cannot be seen as weak. Until the following morning when Dark answers his door to the sexiest vampire doctor he has ever seen, his mate.

After a day of unbridled passion between the sheets, Kai and Dark get thrust back into reality. When they see a man strapped helpless in a BDSM club, can they rescue him in time, or will they unleash a new threat upon them?

As a lust demon, Harry always knew he would have a mate with a high sex drive, but once he had met “master,” everything had turned pear-shaped. Now with two mates who love him dearly, can they overcome a threat that may be bigger than they realize, and will Dark finally get to submit?

With the supernatural high council present, will the light pack succeed in ridding themselves of the enemy?

Purchase Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/the-dom-for-his-alpha

Review: Dark has just won the Alpha challenge when he comes across his mate Kai. Kai is not all that happy to have found his mate, especially as he lives in New York and the wolf lives in Texas.  But, just as Kai and Dark work things out they find they have another mate, Harry, who is being treated badly in Dark’s BDSM club. Can the three paranormals work things out or will their enemy win?

This is a story that I had high hopes for because the beginning was well written and a lot was explained about this author’s paranormals. But, then it seemed to fall apart not long after Dark and Kai first met. Dark is the new alpha, but he is a submissive and he gets really upset when Kai seems to reject him. So upset, in fact, that he tries to kill himself. Kai suddenly realizes that he doesn’t want to lose his mate and voila they are all lovey dovey. They then rescue Harry from an abusive Master and he fits nicely into a lovey dovey sandwich. Then, suddenly they are threatened by an unknown source for unknown reasons.

In the blurb it says that ‘Dark faces the fact he will never enjoy the feel of a whip or a flogger on his ass again.’ Urm, well unless this book isn’t to this blurb then that is total rubbish, as Dark couldn’t care less who knows that he bottoms and likes a flogging. What does seem to emerge is his past with another Master and how that Master disappeared never to be heard of again, leaving him feeling abandoned. Harry has his own problems to get through including the loss of his powers. Kai is the only one that seems to have no problems other than pressure from the council to do what they want.

There are several very good bits in this book and to be honest this feels more like a novel cut down to be a novella; there are lots of details and information for such a short book and there is a lot going on in the way of plot. It also seems to be quite choppy, switching back and forth between characters. The sex is very hot, the BDSM is well detailed and the characters are quite good (although Dark needs to learn not to cry at the drop of the hat).

I believe that this is this author’s first published m/m (*note:  Ms. Shaw has a full Siren backlist, which includes only M/M romance.  To learn more about her and read reviews of her other works, click here.*) and I have to say the potential is there; it just needs to be smoothed out more. So, all in all, I will recommend this to those who love shifters, demons, vampires, hot sex, angst and a pretty good story-line. I’d also recommend this to those who are fans of Lynn Hagen, Joyee Flynn, Gale Stanley and Stormy Glenn.