Steaming by Vanessa Barger

Title:  Steaming

Author:    Vanessa Barger

Publisher:  Decadent Publishing Company, LLC  

Publication Date:    March 2011

ISBN:   9781936394920   

Genre YA Steampunk

Length:   42,000 words

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Heat Level:    1

Other: A few kisses

Reviewer:  Suki

My name is Cornelius Latimer, and I have fallen in love. The object of my affection isn’t tall and blonde with all the right curves. It isn’t even human. My love belches smoke and breathes fire. My world runs on steam and hard metal, and I am a master of both. My Uncle, Rufus Harrison, has funded my expeditions. He’s gifted me with a lab containing all the parts and space I could possibly need. For weeks I have been toiling over my journals, crafting my biggest and best creation yet. It’s heady, this feeling of power. But I made a fatal error. I told a friend about my machine. And now someone who should not know, does. I should tear everything apart, but I can’t.

Steaming from Vanessa Barger was a surprising page turner. I say surprising because it took me a while to get through the first few pages, honestly there was a moment when I didn’t think I could read more, not because it wasn’t well written, it just wasn’t my style of writing. But once I got about a chapter in, WOW the adventure begins and NEVER EVER stopped until the very end. Cornelius is naïve, young, insecure and a bit of a loner. He prefers his gadgets and inventions to the people of London.

UNTIL…until that fateful night at the ball when a beauty catches his eyes and he is smitten. But as you can imagine, things don’t go as planned. The Time Keeper is the perfect steampunk villain and tBea is the perfect Steampunk heroine/co hero.

I was genuinely drawn into the characters and the plot. I enjoyed entering the world Ms Barger created and couldn’t be more pleased that I didn’t let my initial feeling stop me from reading what was a very enjoyable read. The steampunk aspect wasn’t over played in the story,  many steampunk books forget that the plot must be there for the steampunk to work. This book set in nearly any time period would have worked, the story was that strong. The author left the door open for a sequel, one that I will buy on its release day.

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The Demon Side by Heaven Liegh Eldeen

Title: The Demon Side (Book One of the Demon Side Series)

Author: Heaven Liegh Eldeen

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Publication Date: October 21, 2011

ISBN: 978-1-61333-142-2

Genre: New adult/YA, paranormal romance, fantasy romance

Length: 127 pages

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Heat Level: Sweet/Sensual

Reviewer: TJ

Date: November 6, 2011

Every kid has problems. Every kid has even more problems when they move to a new home. But when a kid with problems moves to a new home that has a Demon living inside it—look out!

Etta’s world is about to spin out of control when she encounters her new roommate—and Rahovart, that ancient trickster, is in for a few surprises too. So don’t mind all the crashing and rumbling; that’s just the normal noise Angels and Demons make when they’re fighting an epic war in the attic.

One thing’s for sure: Etta and Rahovart will have to go through Hell to Heaven and back again before that old Victorian home in Quantico Town finally quiets down…

The Demon side is a fantastic beginning to a new series. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a copy because I was interviewing the author. The story at times is sadly intense and Etta is an amazing heroine. She is strong and sweet, damaged and delightful and I cannot wait to see how this young woman is going to grow in the coming adventures. Rahovart is a truly complex hero with his multifaceted personality that seems to fascinate and surprise himself as much as it does the readers. I found this to be a raw read that left me wanting more. The emotions in this piece are so intense, entertaining and left me hypersensitive in a good way. The lead characters secure a deep connection with each other and I quickly became invested in the outcome of their interactions. The supporting cast was just as well developed and I cannot wait to read the follow up to this story.

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Thin Ice by JT Marie

Title:  Thin Ice

Author:  J T Marie

Publisher:  JMS Books

Publication Date:  2011

ISBN:  978-1-61152-114-6

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult

Length: 15 pages

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Heat Level: Sweet

Reviewer:  Starla Kaye

Date: 9-29-11

The story was a bit roughly written, but that didn’t keep me from getting emotionally tangled up with the characters. Jessie and David both touched my heart. The author clearly understands how traumatic the teen years and first loves can be. My biggest compliment is that she made me cry.

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Crushed Sugar by Kimber An

Title: Crushed Sugar

(Book One of the Ophelia Dawson Chronicles)

Author: Kimber An

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Publication Date: 3-24-2011

ISBN: 978-1-936394-90-6

Genre: YA, Paranormal romance

Length: 57 pages

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Heat Level: Sweet

Reviewer: TJ

Date: May 25, 2011

Be careful what you wish for.

Ophelia's had a wicked crush on Martin since they were kids, but she was always just his geeky little friend. Then, on the first day of her junior year, he's suddenly and wildly attracted to her. She can't imagine what's changed, but shocking her small school's social order fills her with vindication for insults suffered.

Ophelia meets Adrian right after and true love extinguishes the wicked crush. In secret, he gives her courage against a specter threat.

Tristan is pale and hungry, and draws Martin's immediate ire. He knows things about Ophelia which she assumes are delusions brought on by an aggravated illness like her own, diabetes. When battle breaks out between his ancient race and new blood, even the courage of her secret love might be crushed.

I found this to be a very enjoyable prequel to Sugar Rush and it answered a lot of questions for me as to why someone as intelligent as Ophelia would ever be with a bully like Martin. It also left me wanting many more answers and a longing for another chapter in Ophelia’s chronicles. The young heroine and her sister are extremely likable and easy to relate to. I loved the fact the twins had such different personalities and that Ophelia was on the nerdy side. My only issue was that for a young adult novel some of the language and situations seemed a little too mature for younger readers. I look forward to seeing what else Kimber An can create and share with us.

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Sugar Rush by Kimber An

Title:  Sugar Rush

Author: Kimber An

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Publication Date: 3-21-2010

ISBN: 978-1-936394-37-1

Genre: YA, Paranormal romance

Length: 226 pages

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Heat Level: Sweet

Reviewer: TJ

Date: May 27, 2011

Running and screaming will have to wait. A blood-sucking dead guy may be a vampire to you, but he's an alien/human hybrid to Ophelia and she really must examine his olfactory nerve under a microscope first.

Ophelia longs to be free, free of diabetes, free of her ex-boyfriend, free to live. Something transformed Martin and made her his drug. If he has his way, she'll never achieve the freedom to learn his true nature and origin.

Adrian's the new guy in school. He faked his identity to get close to Ophelia, knowing the monsters who took his diabetic sister would try to take Ophelia, too. Then, he'd have them. But, he knew better than to get too close.

Oh, yeah, he did. Seriously.

I loved the fact that the heroine is such a Trekkie, as it is not only unusual to find a nerdy female lead but even harder to find a die-hard geek like Ophelia. With her health issues and her weird boyfriend problems it wasn’t hard to feel sympathy for her. Bianca her twin is over the top fun and a great complement to her sister’s serious character. My only issue is that for such an intelligent girl it takes Ophelia an awful long time to figure out who her secret admirer is so the story dragged a little for me. I enjoyed the unique paranormal aspect and the over all tone of the story. The descriptions and the location added to my satisfaction, as did the supporting characters. Martin might have been totally creepy but he was extremely well written. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Ophelia. I recommend this one for anybody looking for a rare take on vampires and shapeshifters.

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Trick to Treat by Kimberlee R. Mendoza

Title:  Trick to Treat

Author:  Kimberlee R. Mendoza

Publisher:  The Wild Rose Press

Publication Date:  2008

Genre: Contemporary/Halloween

Length:  34 pgs

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Heat Level: Sweet

Reviewer:  S. K. Fero

Date: 9-29-10

Ah, high school. Hormones going nuts, trying to fit in, and first “love.” Good memories and bad memories. This short story brings back all of those things.

Sarah Bradley is frustrated by wanting to belong with the “in” crowd and constantly being shunned, until she finally gets a chance at Halloween. Not only does she get a chance for what she thinks she wants, but also she gets a brush with young love.

Matthew Tyler is just doing what is expected of him by the “in” crowd he belongs to. Just another dare for Halloween. But while doing so, he meets someone special.

This is a nicely written story that reminds us all of high school days, good or bad.

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The Demon's Princess by Jessie Colter

Title: The Demon’s Princess

Author: Jessie Colter         

Publisher: Wild Horse Press

Publication Date:

ISBN: 978-1-4528-8914-6

Genre: Y/A Paranormal Romance

Length: Novel

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Heat Level: Sweet

Reviewer: Sky

Date: 9/28/10

Imagine waking up in 1896 to find that you’re still Lucinda, just with a different last name and an entirely different life. You’re now a debutante, a Southern belle, with a couple of very interesting suitors and your expectations have changed.

That’s the premise for this very entertaining young adult romance by Jessie Coulter. Her character must grow up very fast, since she’s now a marriageable young lady and has to adapt to the completely different rules of society at that time and in that place.

I really enjoyed The Demon’s Princess. The characters have a depth not always found in y/a paranormals. Lucinda is a mature young lady who has a practical and a passionate side in romance. And having to make a choice between the two – or three – very interesting and extremely sexy guys in front of her will take her the rest of the way to adulthood. 

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Woman of Honor by Nicole Zoltack

Title: Woman of Honor
Author: Nicole Zoltack
Publisher: Desert Breeze Publishing
Publication Date: March 2009
ISBN: 1-936000-03-2 or 978-1-936000-03-6
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: novel
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Heat Level: sweet
Date: December 2009

Woman of Honor is the first in the Kingdom of Arnhem series and tells of a young girl’s desire to honor her brother’s memory by becoming a knight. The tale outlines the story of Aislinn’s adventures from a child of seven to adulthood in the twelfth century. There are glimpses of mythic creatures and such, but the book primarily focuses on Aislinn and her personal struggles as she strives to become worthy of the title Lady Knight.

Woman of Honor has all the best elements of an epic adventure – danger, self-discovery, unrequited love, true romance, and noble expectations. I found Ms. Zoltack’s world intriguing. The writing style and storyline flow nicely and the characters work well. Caelan, Geoffrey, Aislinn and many of the other knights-in-training demonstrate the attributes necessary for true honor. Although I occasionally struggled to suspend disbelief early in the novel - some tasks seemed impossible both physically and mentally for a child of seven or eight - the majority of Ms. Zoltack’s novel proved a delightful read. I left the story with a few unanswered questions about shadow warriors and Alce, but if I did not there would be no reason to read the next installment in the series. Woman of Honor provides a refreshing escape from the standard, making it a novel worth enjoying more than once.

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