Tag: Anya Bast

What I Read Last Week

Posted January 16, 2012 by Tracy in Features | 7 Comments

Well it was another stressful week at work but I survived which was a good thing. 

We had a nice weekend as I headed out to my mom’s to help here with some computer stuff and then yesterday I got to see my grown & married nephew who lives in Pennsylvania.  Yay!  The local family got together for lunch and we had a great time just talking and catching up.  Here’s a picture that I took of my nephew and my youngest.  (I’d actually had one taken of him and me but apparently it turned out really blurry. I’ll have to take another before he heads home to PA.)

Don’t forget to enter the 2 contests I’ve got going.  One for a box of historical novels and one for a box of fantasy/UF.  The links are on the sidebar.

I read a really long novel at the beginning of last week and after that really felt the need to read a bunch of shorts.  Here’s what I devoured this week:

I started off the week with Season of the Shadow by Bobbi Groover.  This is an american historical that I read for The Book Binge and I really liked it but for a few items. The story was about a man (boy, really, as he was only 17) who was kidnapped, kept chained in a madhouse and treated like an animal for 6 years before he managed to escape with his life and most of his sanity.  He’s back in his hometown to destroy the person who did it all to him, his cousin.  He also is still madly in love with his first love but he thinks she might have had something to do with his abduction as well.  The man is confused and hurt emotionally but determined to get his life back from the man who stole it.  The book was very good but I did have a problem with the length which was 690 pdf pages.  Just too long imho.  I’ll let you know when my review posts at TBB. 4 out of 5

Here is where my short reading began:

First up was A Wedding Story by Dee Tenorio.  Ruth Ann and Bobby have been prankster enemies since they were young kids.  Ruth Ann isn’t thrilled when at her sisters wedding reception she is not only sat next to Bobby but they are at the kids’ table.  Ruth Ann and Bobby decide to make the most of it and decide to dance but that’s when things at the reception start going awry and when Bobby and Ruth Ann are left alone they realize that maybe they don’t hate each other as much as Ruth Ann thought.  Really cute and funny story. 3.5 out of 5 (free on Kindle)

Holding Out For A Hero by Stacey Joy Netzel was a short about a woman who is having a really crappy day.  When she’s at lunch, however, she sees something happen that makes her start looking at life a little differently and it changes everything.  A great story that has a little bit of a hopeful romance in it.   I did kind of a mini review that you can read here if you’re interested.  4 out of 5 (free on Kindle)

Next up was Fury by Anya Bast. This is part of her Otherkin series which is looks like there are only 2 of.  The story is about a woman who is in a “pack” of shifters but there are mostly wolven shifters.  She is a cougar but the elders want to make her their queen.  She runs but her mate comes looking for her.  This was an ok read.  I didn’t love the characters but the story was a good one and of course the sex was hot as is the norm with Bast’s books. 3 out of 5 (free on Kindle)

Without Mercy by Belinda Boring followed Darcy as she runs an errand for a pack bbq with the her future sister-in-law and best friend.  A crazed man who is on a mission ends up accosting the two and all hell breaks loose.  It was a sad story but it was so short that I just needed more.  More of the after effects of the whole situation, etc.  Maybe we were supposed to get that in future books but I never like being left hanging.  3 out of 5 (free on Kindle)

Four Kisses by Bonnie Dee was the story of two people who meet when they are 13 and share a kiss.  The pair meet about every 3 or 4 years due to odd circumstances and always share some form of a kiss.  It was a very sweet story and I really liked the whole scenario.  You can read my mini review here. 4.5 out of 5
So ended my short binge. lol

A Rose is A Rose by Jet Mykles tells the story of Carson who is in his early twenties.  He is a man used to be taken care of and when his “boyfriend” doesn’t want to take it to the next level it crushes Carson.  He finds out that he was just one of many who is man was seeing.  Carson befriends the owner of his building who is a shy manly man named Eddie.  Carson isn’t used to not being taken care of but Eddie helps him out with food and stuff but Carson knows that Eddie isn’t gay.  Of course Eddie will be gay for Carson as he just finds him beautiful and fascinating.  I really liked this book a lot.  Carson’s character was great but I just didn’t love the romance.  The story was told in third person but we never got to see things from Eddie’s pov.  When Carson decides that he needs to do things on his own we never get to see how that effects Eddie which I would have loved.  Overall a good story but I did have some issues with it. 3.5 out of 5

My next read was My Summer of Wes by Missy Welsh. Mal is friendless and lives in a vanilla world with no excitement until his new neighbors move in across the street. Wes is the neighbors son and though older than Mal they hit it off immediately.  Wes is gay and even though Mal has been called names and been accused of being gay for the past four years he is certain that he’s not.  Until Mal and Wes start spending more time together and Mal starts to see the truth in himself.  The story was very sweet with very little conflict.  The sex scenes were hot and I just loved Wes to pieces.  4 out of 5

A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare is the first in the Spindle Cove series and I finally read it!  It was really good and I’m so glad I did.  Bram was hurt in the war and is looking to regain his position in the field.  He contacts Sir Lewis in Spindle Cove and heads there with the hopes that he will get what he wants.  Sir Lewis not only turns him down but makes him an Earl (via the king) and then asks him to get a militia ready in a month.  Bram is pissed but Sir Lewis’s daughter Susanna is a nice distraction.  Distraction being the key as he can’t seem to keep his mind on his work due to thinking of Susanna constantly.  It was a cute book about the inhabitants of Spindle Cove and how they come together to try to make their local field day the best there is.  Susanna and Bram’s relationship was wonderful and just thinking of the book makes me smile. 4.25 out of 5

Last on the list was my read for the monthly TBR challenge and that was An Army Ranger’s Return by Soraya Lane.  Pen pal’s Jessica and Ryan have written to each other constantly and now Ryan is returning home.  Jessica is nervous about what will happen and what DOES happen is not what she expects at all.  I’d tell you more but then I wouldn’t have to write my review for Wednesdays post. lol  

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
crickets chirping

Happy Reading!!

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What I Read Last Week

Posted May 23, 2011 by Tracy in Features | 11 Comments

I can’t believe how fast this school year has flown by. Of course while it’s happening it doesn’t seem like it’s going by quickly but now that it’s the end – wow. My oldest daughter’s last day of 7th grade is on Thursday – how the hell did that happen? Seriously, wasn’t I just posting pictures of the first day of school and wondering how she’d grown so fast? It’s crazy. My youngest is quite put out by the fact that her sister’s last day is this week because she doesn’t get out of school until the 10th of June. I can just imagine how fun it will be to try and get her up every morning when her sister gets to sleep. Ug. lol

Diet and exercise – I was bad this week and didn’t do any exercise routine at all. I did, however, go on a 90 minute hike on Saturday morning with my youngest and not only was it great exercise but it was fun and a beautiful day to boot. Here are a couple of shots I got with my phone. There was a lovely small waterfall at the top of the trail and I thought I had gotten a picture of it but apparently I had accidentally switched my phone to video mode and I got a jumble of nothing instead. 🙂
I did lose 1.8 pounds this week which brings my total lost to 4 pounds. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Yeah, I just keep telling myself that.

I read a lot this past week. Mostly because I was sick for 2 days and when I’m home, in bed, with what felt like the Bubonic plague, there’s nothing to do but read. I hated being sick but it was nice to have quiet alone time. It’s amazing how much I can read when the kids aren’t around. lol I also read quite a few shorter books so it seemed like I read more. 🙂

First up was Mate Hunt by Amber Kell. This is book one in the Dragonmen series. It was the story of Joriah who is sent to a mate hunt on the dragonworld so that he can A)find a mate and B)get away from his brother who supposedly wants him dead. Joriah ends up finding not one but 2 mates. This story had some good potential but it was so short the world and emotions weren’t explored fully. 3.25 out of 5

Next up was The Clearing by Heather Davis. I read YA novels that often but I got this one at RT and I’m so glad I did. It was the story of Amy who goes to live with her great aunt in a small town after she has some abuse issues with her ex-boyfriend. She ends up meeting Henry in a clearing near her aunts house and they become friends and start to fall in love. But Henry’s not exactly in the 21st century. On Henry’s side of the clearing it’s still 1944. The story tells of their friendship, their sweet romance and the difficult choices that have to be made by both Amy and Henry. It was a really great book though I have to admit the last chapter threw me a bit. I understood why the author wrote it the way she did…except for one aspect of it that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around and thought about for days afterward. A really good read. 4 out of 5

My next read was Dark Enchantment by Anya Bast. This is book 3 in the Dark Magick series and it was pretty darned good. The story was about Charlotte, a human accountant, and Kieran who is from the Seelie court. Kieran bonds with Charlotte to get her to Piefferburg so that the dark fae can delve into the memories of her ancestors. A good story just like the first two in the series. You can read my review on The Book Binge here. 4 out of 5

After that I picked up Lord Langley is Back in Town by Elizabeth Boyle. This is the story of Lord Langley who is back in town. lol Kidding, ok, he IS back in town but he’s trying to clear his name and falling in love at the same time. I’ll post my review on Wednesday.

Feral Craving by Jenika Snow was a short story about a woman who is looking for something in her life but doesn’t have a clue what that might be. She gets invited to a weekend party by her friend and during the weekend meets Killian and has a wonderful night – but on the second night he seems quite different. Maybe because there are two men who just look alike? It was good erotic read but not too in depth with the characters 3 out of 5

A Lot Like Love by Julie James was my next read and it was a good one. The story of an FBI agent who gets roped into playing boyfriend to a rich woman so that he can get the bad guy and she can get her brother out of prison. It was a great story and I really liked it. It had James’s humor as well as some great romantic moments. 4 out of 5

Love Ahead, Expect Delays by Astrid Amara was my next read. This was the story of a man who has to drive his grandmothers Geo Spectrum to her from Seattle to Colorado at Hanukah. He invites his boyfriend who’s not thrilled about the Geo but agrees to go. It was a story of everything that can go wrong, will go wrong which normally isn’t my favorite thing to read but Amara really did a great job of working Austin and Zach’s relationship issues into the story along with great humor. 4 out of 5

Next was Ice Cream on the Side by Wren Boudreau. Architect Dylan meets Michael Gilmore and start a relationship but there are some strange things happening. First a dead body shows up…and it’s a guy that Dylan dated. Then another friend of Dylan’s dies and Michael almost gets killed. Now they just have to figure out who wants everyone out of Dylan’s life. A cute story. 3.75 out of 5

Anchor by Jorrie Spencer was next. I bought this one not realizing that there were a few other stories in front of it in the series but once I started reading I didn’t feel like I needed to read those others to know what was going on. Yes, there were a few times where previous knowledge of the town, etc. would have helped but not too much. This was the story Mala who had been having stories about wolves since she was a child. She always thought that they were just dreams but then she finds out that everything was real. She ends up in Wolf Town trying to help find an evil wolf shifter and falling in love with the alpha, Angus. I liked the dream portion of this story as well as the interactions with the different people that Mala had but the I felt the romance part of the story was definitely on the light side. 3.25 out of 5

My Tracy’s TBR Challenge read for the week was The Perfect Stranger by Anne Gracie. Yes, I’m slowly making my way through this series – just 1 more book to go. This was Faith’s story and I really liked it. It was definitely on the darker side compared to the previous books but really good. Faith had eloped with a man and married him but after a month finds out that the wedding was a sham and that he was already married with 5 children! She runs from him but ends up pretty much living on the streets until she runs into an ex-soldier. The ex-soldier, Nick, says he’ll marry Faith in name only but once they’re married she’ll go straight back to England (they’re in France) so that he can complete his journey. Faith agrees but then reneges and ends up traveling with Nick and of course, eventually falling in love. It was a sweet story and quite emotional at times. The resolution to Nick’s issues was a bit out there for my liking but the book was good overall. 4 out of 5

Pack Rogue by Crissy Smith is a novella that is book 4 in the Were Chronicles series. This was the meeting and mating of Kiley – a rogue/were/P.I. – and a visiting Alpha, Austin. The series itself deals with the were’s possibly coming out to the humans but the stories are SO short that we really never get total resolution at the end of the books. The romances are short and sweet but the rest of the story needs more too it imho. 3 out of 5

Last on the list was St. Nacho’s by Z.A. Maxfield. This was a great book about Cooper is trying to outrace his demons by hitting the road on his motorcycle – which he’s been doing for three years. He stops in Santo Ignacio, California and ends up working for his room and board…and falling in love with Shawn, the deaf busboy at Nacho’s. But his past calls and he has to head back to help a friend and ex-lover deal with similar demons. It was great read and I can’t wait to read the next in the series. Too bad I have books 1 & 3 only. lol I’ll get #2 soon and work on that. 4 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted this past week:
Hidden Embers by Tessa Adams
Devil’s Own by Veronica Wolff
Dark Enchantment by Anya Bast

Happy Reading!

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Guest Review: Dark Enchantment by Anya Bast

Posted May 23, 2011 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Tracy’s review of Dark Enchantment (Dark Magick #3) by Anya Bast

Seduced in a dream by a handsome, rugged man, Charlotte Bennett decides to let pleasure and desire lead the way-only to discover her “safe night of passion has dangerous repercussions.

Charlotte is drawn by compulsion to Piefferberg, the containment area that the Fae live in. That happens when Unseelie Fae, Kieran, uses his magic to try to save his people.

You see back thousands of years ago Charlotte’s ancestor had a hand in hiding a piece of the key that will open the book of bindings – the one book that has the spell that can break the warding around Piefferberg where the Fae have been imprisoned since the 1500’s. The Unseelie court wants to use Charlotte’s memories to get to those of her ancestors so that they can find out where the third and final piece of the key is.

There are, however, people who don’t want Charlotte’s brain “harvested” for memories and are trying to kill her. Though Charlotte is pissed off at Kieran for being dragged into the whole situation – because she loathes and fears the Fae – she has to depend on him for her safety and protection.

While protecting Charlotte Kieran discovers that she’s not at all as he first thought. Though she first dressed as a dowdy woman there was an incredible body under all of those dark colors. Kieran also discovers that Charlotte has an incredibly strong spirit and is more open-minded than he believed. But Kieran can’t fall in love with Charlotte because he is cursed. He is cursed to never know love and if he does fall in love then he will die. If he is loved in return then that woman will die also. Sometimes, though, life happens despite the curses and then the consequences have to be faced.

This is the third book in the Dark Magick series and it was a good one. I’ve really liked the world that Bast has drawn in this series with the Fae, the Phaendir (druids who hate the Fae) and the humans. She always shows us all three worlds and I love how they all come together to make a great story.

Of course I knew from the get go that Kieran and Charlotte were going to fall in love because, ya know, he was cursed to not know it and this was a romance so it was logical that it would happen anyway. Lol The part I couldn’t figure out was the curse. How they were going to break it, IF they were going to break it and how exactly they were going to deal with not only falling in love with each other but knowing that because of their love they were now going to die. It was well done and I really enjoyed the whole situation. Parts were very happy and light and others very sad and emotional and I loved having that in story. I can’t wait to see what happens next in the series.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Series
Wicked Enchantment (Dark Magick, Book 1)Cruel Enchantment (Dark Magick, Book 2)Dark Enchantment (Dark Magick, Book 3)

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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What I Read Last Week

Posted May 16, 2011 by Tracy in Features | 10 Comments

It was a pretty good week here in Tracyland. No complaints which is always a good thing.
Diet and exercise – exercised twice and lost no weight. I’d be upset about that but seeing as with PMS I usually gain 3 so I’m pretty happy with staying even. lol Total lost still 2.2 pounds.
Hubby and I went to an auction at my work and I ended up with an iPod shuffle (for only the price of a $1.00 raffle ticket – woohoo!) Anyone have one? Can you put audio books on those or do they shuffle the chapters? lol Just curious.
Good reading week this past week:
My first read for the week was Man from Tennessee by Jennifer Greene. This was a reunion story between a married couple that’s been separated for 5 years. I’ll post my review on Friday. 🙂
Next up was Claimed by Desire by KayAnna Kirby. This was the story of a woman who had a one night stand with the hopes that more could come from it but when she woke in the morning the man was gone. Now she’s pregnant and runs the man again. He wants them to be together but she’s resisting. You can read my review here. 2 out of 5
My next read was actually a re-read of a book that hasn’t come out yet. How can you do that, you might ask. Well it was Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh and it comes out at the end of the month. When Holly first sent it to me in March to read and review for The Book Binge I gobbled that sucker up and loved it! I know, I didn’t tell you – I’m so mean. I wanted to give it a couple of months and then re-read and see if I felt the same about the book now that I’d read it and it was just as good if not better the second time around. This is Hawke’s story. He’s the alpha of the SnowDancer wolf changeling pack and he and the Psy, Sienna, have been circling each other for years. She was way too young before but he’s finally made his move. Along with the awesome romance we get lots of political Psy/Changeling conflict and it was just SO.GOOD. Excellent book. 5 out of 5
Rinse and Repeat by Amberly Smith was the story of Peat the repeater who is trying to save the life of Jake and finds himself falling in love. It’s a great story and one I’d recommend. You can read my review here. 3.75 out of 5
Devil’s Own by Veronica Wolff is book 2 in the Clan MacAlpin series and I really liked this book. The story was about Aidan who was kidnapped 13 years prior and worked as a slave until he escaped. Now he’s at home and trying to find the man who kidnapped him. But he needs assistance and finds it in a neighbor, Elspeth, who helps him learn to read while he works on her family farm to pay for the lessons. This was a very sweet romance that I really enjoyed. There was definitely some intense moments with Aidan and kidnappers but for the most part just a nice romance. 4.25 out of 5 (read for The Book Binge)
I haven’t read any Yaoi Manga for a while – bad Tracy! I only had one – Stallion by Kosen. While I really liked the graphics I didn’t really like the stories all that much. The Stallion story was the best of the three but very abbreviated. There was a lot of advertising in the book– one including what looked like a full grown man and a boy of about 12 – ewww. 2 out of 5
One of my Tracy’s TBR Challenge reads for the week was Cruel Enchantment by Anya Bast. This is book 2 in the Dark Magick series and it was a good one. The story was about Emmaline who is Seelie but had escaped imprisonment when the rest of the Fae was walled and warded into their own area. She was an assassin back then and had accidentally killed Aeric’s love. Aeric hates Emmaline and wants to kill her but when he has the chance he finds himself changing his mind. I really liked this story it had a lot of ins and outs that made the story that much better. At first I didn’t see the romance as Aeric started falling for Emmaline but in the end I was happy to see them together. 4 out of 5
Last for the week was another Tracy’s TBR Challenge read that I read for Wendy’s TBR Challenge – the Kept Woman by Susan Donovan. This was a pretend engagement story (the theme for May) and it was a good one. I’ll post my review on Wednesday.
My Book Binge reviews that posted this past week:
Happy Reading!

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Guest Review: Wicked Enchantment by Anya Bast

Posted August 19, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 1 Comment

Genres: Paranormal Romance
Tracy’s review of Wicked Enchantment (Dark Magic #1) by Anya Bast

When you’re a half incubus, your reputation precedes you…

All eyes are on Gabriel Mac Braire the day he makes his first appearance in the Seelie Court, including those of Aislinn Finvarra. Despite deep bitterness over her last failed relationship, Aislinn cannot help but be curious about the half incubus who is known to possess dark magick, both lethal and sexual in nature. Rumors abound of the women who have become enslaved to his irresistible charms.

So when the Summer Queen of the fae orders Aislinn herself to act as his guide in the court, she is understandably on guard. She’s fallen under the spell of far less persuasive men before. In addition, Gabriel might be more than he seems and his true mission is far from innocent.

This time, Aislinn must protect not only her heart, but her very life…

Despite everyone else’s enchantment with Gabriel when he enters the Seelie Court to gain entrance, Aislinn isn’t all that impressed. She is actually quite perturbed at having to be his guide for the week he’s to be in residence until the Summer Queen makes her decision. But there proves to be much more to Gabriel than Aislinn thought and she’s soon doubting whether she can keep her feelings for him pure and innocent.

Gabriel, at the Seelie Court on the Shadow King’s mission, is supposed to talk Aislinn in to moving to the Unseelie Court of her own free will. You see, Aislinn has Unseelie blood in her – though no one knows but her and her friend Bella who was previously banished from the Seelie Court. Aislinn is bored in the Summer Queen’s court but she’s not sure she wants to take a chance and head to the other court after all the horrible things she’s heard about it.

While Aislinn is making her decision, love is forming between Gabriel and Aislinn. People, both within the Fae boundaries and outside of them, are plotting Aislinn’s death and one of her good friends is spying on her. Aislinn has more trouble than she knows what to do with and she’s not sure who she can trust.

I tried to read this book several times and couldn’t get through the first chapter because there just seemed like so much information. But after talking to Holly she assured me that once I got past the first few chapters, where there was a bunch of world-building and other information, that it flowed more easily. Well I’m glad that I forged on this time because it ended up being a very good book.

I liked Aislinn’s character and that’s always a plus in paranormal and fantasy romance for me. She was strong but not exactly but kicking strong that I was turned off by her. She was pretty centered even in the face of everything that was thrown at her about her life, who she was and the future she was dealing with, and I admired that. She did get a bit wishy washy with Gabriel at times but things were in such an uproar that I had to forgive her those times.

Gabriel was a great character too and I thought he brought a great balance to the story as well as Aislinn’s character. Kind of dark to her light.

Overall it was a well told story and I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Series:
Wicked Enchantment (Dark Magick, Book 1)Cruel Enchantment (Dark Magick, Book 2)

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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