Release Day for The Black Rose Chronicles: Torment and Treachery by A.K. Michaels

I had the pleasure of reading an ARC of this book before it was released and it delivered!  You've got action to boot, a crazy and very evil super villain in Basilius, your knight-in-shining armor in Cassius, a god trying to keep balance between good and evil, and the ever-awesome Rose.  And we see a very caring side of Rose that is nice to see in a woman who can really kick some butt and utilize whatever necessary in dire situations.  But I have to say, the author outdid herself with Basilius.  He's downright mean and nasty.  King of Hell is an appropriate term for this guy. But I am still rather fond of the god, Kuan.  He is pretty awesome.

Blurb:

Cassius Allarde, probably the most powerful Vampire in existence, finds out how powerless he is when his newly found mate, Rose, is kidnapped. Out of all of Cassius’ vast capabilities inter-realm travelling isn’t one of them. His anger knows no bounds as he realizes the danger Rose is in, and the lengths they’ll have to go to if she has any chance at survival. 

Kuan, the mysterious man who purports to be a Chinese God, is the only person who can help them. Cassius assembles a rescue team and they head to the one place he never thought he’d venture: Hell. 

Will they reach Rose in time? If they do, will she still be in one piece? Read book 2 in The Black Rose Chronicles to find out. 

Links:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016QET6GM/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-black-rose-chronicles-torment-and-treachery

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27217329-the-black-rose-chronicles-torment-and-treachery

The Dracula Chronicles: Bound by Blood by Shane KP O'Neill

   Three words: scary as hell.  And there is literally a Hell element to it all since Dracula has become some kind of demon or other.  I had trouble reading because it was scary and downright brutal.  There's a lot of death and now that he has morphed into what we would kind of think of as Dracula, there is a huge body count piling up and he could care less.  When it seems he may have been doing a lot for what he felt was the right thing to do, now it's because he wants to do it.  Murder is now in his blood because Lucifer himself is in his blood.  There is no way to keep from hurting those around him unless they are like him.  He has the ability to turn them into what he is, too.
   I personally had a hard time stomaching this one. There's is a certain level of murder and brutality that I just can't take.  Say for instance, on The Walking Dead where Bob was sitting there watching people eat his leg they had just hacked off.  That is too much for me.  And this book has come dangerously close to me putting it down because of too much violence.  It isn't for everyone, that's for sure.  But there is also no denying how well it is written.  It is very well written and holds a certain magnetism to it.  Perhaps it's because of the subject or because the writer was well versed on the subject.  Who knows, but it's there.
 The good news is that after you get about 35% through the book, the violence dies down a bit and you see a lot more of the story line unfolding.  It becomes apparent that even some things still bother the now-immortal Dracula.  Loneliness becomes a big issue as well as revenge.  And toying with Lucifer to get what you want is never a good idea.  He makes this clear throughout the book, not just with Dracula but with various other Catholic Church officials who have signed their souls over to him for one reason or another.  It makes it seem like a very corrupt institution.  While it seems like evil is gaining the upperhand, there is still hope yet that rests in Dracula's half brother, Andrei, and his sons.  They have the power to help bring down the evil Lucifer has brought upon the Earth with the turning of Dracula (and a few others who were turned by Dracula instead of Lucifer).
   All in all it was a very good book, regardless of the violence in it.  But this is not a book for anyone to read who is under the age of 18.  The content is too graphic and violent for younger ages.  Death is Dracula's business now that he walks in the shadows of the night.  He is the spawn of evil itself and O'Neill weaves that evil into a well-told, gruesome tale.

5 out of 5 stars!

Masquerade (Heven and Hell Series Book 1) by Cambria Hebert

 One night when it was dark, Heven was attacked and mauled.  She ended up with permanent scars on one side of her face.  Ugly and large scars.  Obvious to everyone who saw her.  People stared at her, whispered behind their hands.  It changed her.  She had been the popular cheerleader with lots of friends and a social life.  Now she was a recluse.  She shied away from everyone and wore hoodies and her hair down so that it would cover her scars.  She was quiet.  And her social life was almost non-existent.  Her only friends being Cole and Kimber, who went to school with her.  Cole and Kimber were dating and had been for quite a while now, even though they had the occasional breakup.
   Then a new guy shows up.  Sam.  He is tall and super handsome.  It seems to Heven that he is interested in Kimber, who was bent on giving Cole a hard time while they were broken up by making him insanely jealous.  And it works.  They get back together and it becomes very apparent that Sam is more into Heven.  He tells her she is beautiful.  And he is the only one who has ever touched her scars.  It takes Heven a while to really start believing that Sam actually likes her, and wants to be with her.  All the while, he is also trying to keep her from being the victim of another attack.  What she doesn't know is that Sam knows exactly what happened, even though Heven can't remember.
   Sam and Heven are on a tough road.  Through a series of attacks, Heven realizes just how much her life is in danger.  And Sam has a confession to make.  He is a hell hound.  And Heven was attacked by a hell hound.  Sam unknowingly drew attention to Heven by being so interested in her before they ever met.  He accidentally saw her one day and was charmed, pulled in by her.  And because of that, China, the "leader" of their little group of hell hounds attacked Heven.  And she intends on finishing the job.


   The story line in Masquerade is a rather unique one to me.  I have not read too many books that involved hell hounds, especially ones that morph into humans and fall in love.  But Sam and Heven do fall in love.  He always feels like he is undeserving of her love and she feels like she isn't good enough for him because she is so scarred.  But what is truly going on is the fact that she is holding herself back.  Once she starts opening up again, people flock back to her, glad to have her back to "normal".  This creates some tension and jealousy between Heven and Kimber.  It makes Heven start questioning their friendship, but that story must be continued in the next book because it is not completely played out in this one.  There are bigger things going on in this first book.  Like how Sam is appointed Heven's guardian when they find out that she is a Supernatural Treasure and will be in quite a bit of danger.  The two of them together could turn the tide of whether good or evil will reign on Earth.  It is a big responsibility and I cannot wait to see more in the next book!!

*images via Cambria Herbert