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Three Reasons You Should Read This New Adult Vampire Romance:
Blood Kiss by J.R. Ward is a great look into a different side of the Black Dagger Brotherhood that feels a little more like urban fantasy and lighter on the romance.
The Black Dagger Brotherhood characters and their mates make some appearances, but this is really about a whole new cast of characters that are younger and in training.
We get our first look at Paradise – a young female that has entered the training program – and I loved her character so much.
Paradise, blooded daughter of the king’s First Advisor, is ready to break free from the restrictive life of an aristocratic female. Her strategy? Join the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s training center program and learn to fight for herself, think for herself…be herself. It’s a good plan, until everything goes wrong. The schooling is unfathomably difficult, the other recruits feel more like enemies than allies, and it’s very clear that the Brother in charge, Butch O’Neal, a.k.a. the Dhestroyer, is having serious problems in his own life.
And that’s before she falls in love with a fellow classmate. Craeg, a common civilian, is nothing her father would ever want for her, but everything she could ask for in a male. As an act of violence threatens to tear apart the entire program, and the erotic pull between them grows irresistible, Paradise is tested in ways she never anticipated—and left wondering whether she’s strong enough to claim her own power…on the field, and off.
Blood Kiss by J.R. Ward is a new look into the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a younger look as Ward takes us into the training academy with a class of new recruits. And included in these recruits, for the first time, are females, some from important families. I liked this twist and modernization of the brotherhood, especially after many of them fought alongside powerful females in their own books.
The new trainees are introduced as they complete an incredibly difficult obstacle-style course to see who can make the cut – and who can’t. They form some bonds along the way, and they find some rivals. The initiation is brutal, and knowing what the brotherhood has to face, I can understand why.
The romance between the trainees is a little sweeter and more innocent than what was typical in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, but it was still very intense and surrounded by a very major life and death situation. I really enjoyed most things about the story, but it isn’t really a new entry point for readers that haven’t read the original series. There is a lot of background that you will need to know to fully understand what is going on.
Protecting her was his duty. Falling in love was forbidden. Loving her was all that mattered, even if it meant he would be exiled for all eternity.
Claudia Emerson’s life is about to change. It seems like a tragic coincidence when her good friend, who shares the same first and last name, dies in a car accident. Grief brings tumultuous dreams—but these are more than simple dreams. In sleep, Claudia travels to another world called Crossroads. There, she meets Michael, a Nephilim–half angel, half human. Meeting him and being there changes her forever. It marks her as special, and that may not be a good thing. Now fallen angels and demons are after her, and it is up to Michael and the other Nephilim to protect her. Her dreams become a nightmare as secrets are revealed about who she really is and the true identities of the people she loves most.
International Bestselling, Award-Winning Author Mary Ting writes soulful, spellbinding stories that excite the imagination and captivate readers all over the world. Her books run a wide range of genres: science fiction, fantasy, and swoon worthy stories. Her storytelling talents have won her a devoted legion of fans and garnered critical praise.
Mary was born in Seoul Korea and resides in Southern California with her husband, two children, and two dogs—Mochi and Mocha. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Becoming an author was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother. After realizing she wanted to become a full-time author, she retired from teaching after twenty years.
He might be one of the best riders in the world, but she’ll give him the buck of his life.
WOULD YOU RATHER… Go through your entire life without ever falling in love? OR… Have a rough-and-tumble cowboy stomp all over your heart with his sharpened spurs before riding off into the sunset like John f***ing Wayne?
Yeah, that happened. And frankly, I knew better. All cowboys are trouble. I’ve grown up around them my entire life, so I know how they operate. I’ve broken some of the toughest horses in the business. But for some reason, I found this thoroughbred impossible to resist.
A lot of good it did me too. Nothing but tears and comfort eating in the aftermath.
Suddenly, after a year away with no phone calls or texts to show for it, he’s back. He thinks we can pick up where we left off. But I’ve got news for him: His eight seconds with me are already up.
Little do I know, there’s a reason why he’s come back. And it’s the absolute last thing I expect.
“Does every cowboy on the goddamn planet want between your legs?”
I don’t know how or why, but I just knew I was going to have to do some sort of explaining regarding my conversation with Landon. But am I really obligated to? I don’t think I owe anyone, even Trace, any explanations at all.
With ire fueling my movements, I spin around, eyes full of warning. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
A muscle pops in Trace’s jaw. “Who was that guy?”
I’m surprised I’m actually willing to appease him by answering. “Someone I used to date. Which falls under the category of none of your business.”
Eyes narrowing to slits, he mutters, “none of my business,” as he backs me up against the concrete wall of the darkened hallway between the bathrooms and the concession stand. When he eventually has me trapped between his arms, he presses his fists against the wall and shifts all his weight onto one foot.
“I think I at least have the right to be annoyed by the fact that he couldn’t stop eye-fucking you as you walked away. Wouldn’t you say, Quinn?”
Oh, the nerve of this man!
My chin goes up in the air. “That doesn’t give you the right to be angry with me.”
“Whoever said I was angry with you?” he asks through clenched teeth. “I’m angry at him for looking at you that way. For ever having had the right to. Or maybe I’m just angry at myself for caring in the first place.”
How he always manages to make my anger pull an abrupt U-turn I’ll never know. Something about his unpracticed, candid reactions just get to me. Even if I don’t like what he’s saying, I’d rather be disappointed with the truth than be happy with a lie.
But this particular truth doesn’t disappoint me at all.
The fact that he’s jealous of Landon coils tightly around my chest, making it feel like all my insides are being squished together.
“Why do you care?” I find myself unwisely asking.
“Because, goddammit. If you’re going to ride any cowboy this summer, it’s going to damn well be me.”
Melanie grew up in the Midwest, but she loves living in the Southeast (where the beaches are!) now with her husband and daughter.
Melanie’s other passion is traveling and seeing the world. With anthropology degrees under their belts, she and her husband have made it their goal in life to see as many archaeological sites around the world as possible.
She has a horrible food addiction to pasta and candy (not together…ew). And she gets sad when her wine rack is empty. At the end of the day, she is a true romantic at heart. She loves writing the cheesy and corny of romantic comedies, and the sassy and sexy of suspense. She aims to make her readers swoon, laugh out loud, maybe sweat a little, and above all, fall in love. Go visit Melanie’s website and sign up for her newsletter to stay updated on release dates, teasers, and other details for all of her projects!
