Ghillie Dhub by Belladonna Bordeaux

 The Pagan & The Pen Book Reviews

Title: Ghillie Dhub
Author: Belladonna Bordeaux

Author Site: http://belladonnabordeaux.com/default.aspx

Buy Link: http://www.breathlesspress.com/erotic/ghillie-duhb.html

Publisher:  Breathless Press

Genre: paranormal

Length: 46 pgs.
Reviewed by: Gabrielle

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 4

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4

Story: 4

Writing Ability: 4

Overall Card Rating: 

                                                        

About The Book:

Caught! Avery Beck is mortified when she’s called into her boss’s office to answer for writing sexual ditties involving the head-honcho and herself on her blog. Contrite, Avery promises Bossman anything to keep from losing her job. He’s more than willing to take her up on her offer. 

Logan Forrester is one of the most elusive paranormals ever created: the Ghillie Duhb. Avery is his mate. After years of waiting for Avery to mature, he has her exactly where he wants her, playing the part of his dutiful sex slave. 

With the war between the paranormal and the mortal worlds heating up, Logan will pull out all the stops to protect Avery while training her to heel to his every command.

The Review:

Avery’s world is turned upside down when she has to pay for using her boss in her hot stories on her blog. Little does she know that she is his mate and he is now ready to claim her. Can she handle it or will she run?

I enjoyed meeting Logan he may come off as arrogant but we see that he has a heart underneath it all; especially when it comes to those he cares for. Watching Avery and Logan’s relationship begin was a great read. The two make a great couple, always ready to give each other just what is needed.

Not only did I enjoy the characters but this story had a great storyline as well. My only complaint would be that it was to short. I was so engrossed in this story that I read it in one sitting.

This was my first visit to the paranormal world of this author and the Borderlands. I enjoyed my visit and hope that I get to return some time soon. I would love to read more about Duncan. 

Toy Training by Vee Michaels

The Pagan & The Pen Book Reviews

Title: Toy Training
Author: Vee Michaels

Author Site

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Publisher: Breathless Press

Genre: Erotica

Length: 22 pgs.
Reviewed by: Gabrielle

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 3.5

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4

Story: 3.5

Writing Ability: 4

Overall Card Rating: 

                                                  

About The Book:

Product Description

Minerva Richards, a local politician, is a woman who has never had an orgasm. Her friends tease her about her prudish nature but cannot get her to lighten up. One night, after a few margaritas, she loses a bet and has to take a sex toys training class at a local adult store.

Though very uncomfortable surrounded by sexy gadgets, Minerva vows to get through the class, if only to shut her friends up.

There she sees Danny, her dogs' veterinarian, and she's sure she'll die from embarrassment. But as the class moves along, her barriers break down and Minerva finds herself doing things she'd never imagined. Can one two-hour class change her views about sex forever?

The Review:

This book had a great storyline. I loved Minerva and her reluctance to pay up on her bet and go to the class. Her nervous bumbling had me snickering; she certainly has her hands full. Once she sees a familiar face in the class things only become more distressful for Minerva. She continues to make things worse by bringing more attention to herself as the class goes on. When she finally lets herself go and enjoy the class, she really lets go and we get to see a whole new side of Minerva.

Although it was nice seeing Minerva come in to herself, I would have enjoyed a bit more depth of to the characters. Seeing why she is the way she is, or even just the actual bet that took place would have made the story a bit more enjoyable for me.

If you are looking for a quick and witty read this may be the book for you. I enjoyed Minerva and her escapade and I wonder what will come next for her.

Fighting Evil (The Soul Catcher Series, #3) by Mary Abshire

The Pagan & The Pen Book Reviews 

Title: Fighting Evil (The Soul Catcher Series, #3)
Author: Mary Abshire

Author Site

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Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Length: 244 pgs.
Reviewed by: yadkny

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 4

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4.5

Story: 5

Writing Ability: 5

Overall Card Rating: 

                                            

About The Book:
Half-demon Jessie Garrett's battles seem endless. While Jeremy, the demon out to win her heart, teaches her how to fight, Jessie's relationship with her vampire lover, Drake, reaches a breaking point. Adding to her struggles, she must defend her life against a group of vampires who consider her a threat to their existence. Held captive on a remote island with both Drake and Jeremy protecting her, she is tested in ways she's never imagined. Jessie fights back; only her actions do more harm than good. The group offers her a choice, but no matter what she decides, her life will change forever.

The Review:

It's hard trying to lead a normal life and do the right thing when you've got centuries old vampires threatening to end your existence. It's even harder when the two men bound and determined to protect you don't get along – at all.

Jessie remains committed to the training agreement with Jeremy in preparation for the showdown with the VETOV. She's determined to not lose sight of the end goal, which is the fresh start with Drake they both desperately seek. However, between the trainings, paranormal investigations, working the day job, and fending off Jeremy's advances, Jessie quickly becomes exhausted and frustrated. What's left of her relationship with Drake is strained and tested at every turn. Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse as decisions are made that will force Jessie to give up the dream of ever having a normal life.

Ms. Abshire delivers another outstanding hit with this third installment to the Soul Catcher Series!

Jessie's still slightly impulsive, yet shows more maturity in considering the consequences to her decisions before making them. Throughout the story Jessie is consistently tempted, propositioned, and tested. It all leads to an exciting, thrilling, and fast-paced experience for the reader to enjoy. There are several new twists to the storyline that will have your emotions completely strung-out.

The love between Jessie and Drake is intense and undeniable, but the chemistry between Jessie and Jeremy is nevertheless growing stronger. There are positives and negatives to both men that Ms. Abshire fully exploits to keep the reader's from fully committing to either. I might be mostly “Team Drake”, but I won't deny the appeal of “Team Jeremy” either.

Every scene is full either fierce action or poignant moments all leading to a dramatic ending that will leave you hungry for more. There's absolutely no telling where the next in the series will take us and I'm already anxious to get my next Drake fix. This series is a must read for any paranormal romance fan!

Catching an Evil Tail (The Soul Catcher, #2) by Mary Abshire

The Pagan & The Pen Book Reviews

Title: Catching an Evil Tail (The Soul Catcher, #2)
Author: Mary Abshire

Author Site

Buy Link

Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Length: 239 pgs.
Reviewed by: yadkny

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 5

Presentation: 5

Editing: 4.5

Story: 5

Writing Ability: 5

Overall Card Rating: 

                                                                   

About The Book: 
Half-demon Jessie Garrett wants to live a normal life among her friends and keep her soul catching ability a secret, but supernatural creatures keep popping up in her world. Adding to her struggles, her vampire lover remains out of the country, and when he offers no valuable explanation as to why he hasn't returned, she wonders if she should move on without him.


As if Jessie doesn't have enough worries on her mind, the demon yearning to seduce her shows up at her home. She longs to liberate herself from the debt she owes him, and when he asks for her help, she jumps at the chance to make a new deal with him—one that will guarantee her freedom. The only catch? She has to send the soul of a werewolf to hell.


Love, trust, and loyalty are on the line. Torn between her feelings for her vampire boyfriend, a hot Alpha wolf, and a demon vowing to protect her, Jessie must figure out her heart's true desires.

The Review:

There’s a new Jessie in town and this time she’s doing what she wants.

Jessie continues to struggle now more than ever in keeping her abilities a secret. It seems as though she is a magnet for the supernatural and the new people around her both at work and at home are not what they seem, which means not being ‘outed’ becomes harder than ever. Living a normal life is slipping further and further away from her. To add to her frustrations she’s having trust issues with both Dani and Drake. At least with Jeremy she knows the score – most of the time – and when he comes to her for assistance she can’t help but use the opportunity to strike a new deal with him.

Another adventure begins and when new information comes to light, her life will never be the same. Keeping her abilities a secret is now impossible and what’s worse is she may end up losing everything.

A dramatic turn of events in the second installment to The Soul Catcher series. We continue our journey with Jessie weeks after the first story left off and Drake’s speedy return doesn’t look quite so promising anymore. Emotions are running high and it seems like everyone wants a piece of Jessie. She continues to make some tough choices and none of which are without consequence. I have to admit that I really felt for her in this story as more often than not now she receives ultimatums that threaten her or those she cares for. It doesn’t help when people around her are trying to control her in some way or another and Jessie’s rebellious attitude peaks to new levels. This causes her to make decisions without all of the facts or much thought until it’s too late. By the end, nothing is or will be the same.

I really enjoyed a couple of the additional characters and I was left with the feeling that we haven’t heard the last from them. I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to a visit from the hunky werewolf leader, Alan.

Ms. Abshire’s ingenuity is without question, some of the best I’ve seen in a while from an author. The pacing of the story is very well done and provides enough detail to keep the imagery flowing. The action is intense and will have you holding your breath to see what happens next. Of course, you’ll be gasping in delight when it comes to those passionate kisses and sex scenes.

As we boldly journey into the next chapter of Jessie’s chaotic life, it’s unclear as to how everything will turn out. The unpredictability is both scary and exciting. A battle for Jessie’s heart and soul lay ahead and I can’t wait for the showdown!

Reader Advisory: in order to fully enjoy and understand some of the main characters in this story, I highly recommend starting with the first in the series, Claiming the Evil Dead.

B*E*A*S*T of Burden by Rebecca Goings

The Pagan & the Pen Book Reviews

Title: B*E*A*S*T of Burden

Author: Rebecca Goings

Author Site 

Buy Link: 

eBook

Print

Publisher: Champagne Books

Genre: Paranormal/Shape shifting/Contemporary Romance

Length: 218 pgs.

Reviewed By: Madeline Smoot

Ratings For:

Cover: 5

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4

Story: 5

Writing Ability: 5

Overall Card Rating: 

                                             

About the Book: (blurb from author site)

Running for their lives, overcome by desire—can Rogan protect the wife he doesn’t remember from the one man who wants them both dead?

Rogan Wolfe desperately wants to find the wife he doesn’t remember. After kidnapping him two years earlier, B*E*A*S*T* faked Rogan’s death to make it appear as if he’d died in a gruesome car accident. With that knowledge, he is driven to reclaim the life that was so maliciously stolen from him.

Marlie Silver is in shock. Not only has she just found out that her husband is alive and well, she learns that he’s a shifter—able to change his shape into a timber wolf. She’s never gotten over his loss and he’s offering her a second chance. Problem is, he doesn’t remember their life together.

But Rogan is being pursued by Sean Ross, a murderous shifter determined to kill him-and Marlie-at any cost. Can Rogan protect her from the man who wants them both dead? And can a wolf ever stand any chance at all against a Kodiak grizzly?

The Review:

Dangerous and addicting is the only way to describe this book. From the first page, you are roped into the world of sifters and military science experiments. This series is filled with lovable characters that the reader can’t help but follow through every twist and turn.

There is the perfect combination of reunited love and pure adventure as we follow Rogan, Marlie, and Wade on their journey to escape the B*E*A*S*T* organization. Once you read the first sentence, you will not want to put the book down until you discover all of the secrets of this world. While pure paranormal fantasy this book holds enough of reality to be completely believable and that is part of its charm.

Truly one of the best books of the past few years, I can’t wait to get a hold of the next installment.

A Way Back by Linda LaRoque

The Pagan & The Pen Book Reviews

Title: A Way Back
Author: Linda LaRoque 

Author Site

Buy Link
Publisher: Champagne Books

Genre: Romance

Length: 111 pgs.

Reviewed by: Rob's Wife

RATINGS FOR:

Cover:  3.5

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4

Story: 4

Writing Ability: 5

Overall Card Rating: 

                                                    

About The Book: 

Amber Mathis, a Wall Street investment banker, returns to her office after burying her Grandmother. Distraught, tired of the rat race, she's determined to make a career change. In the elevator she falls and rises to find herself in a vintage lift. The date is February 25, 1930, and a man stands on the window ledge ready to jump.

Wellman Hathaway, owner and CEO of Hathaway Bank in New York struggles to pay his depositors half their losses. A woman claiming to be from 2011 appears in his office and involves him in a scheme that forces them into marriage. With Amber's knowledge of the financial history of the 1930s, they travel to the oil fields of Texas to recoup Wellman's funds.

Two people from different centuries are thrown together to survive a difficult time. Will they find more than A Way Back to prosperity?

The Review: 

This story had me hooked from the first page. It was so well written and eloquent in the use of the English language, I was crying along with Amber Mathis as she grieved for her deceased Grandmother, and her turmoil over finding herself in another time period.

The turmoil between Amber and her new husband Wellman, kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. The tension between the two main characters was well written and very believable. I could not put this book down until I had read every last word. I can't wait to read more stories from the very talented Author Linda LaRoque. 

A Wicked Wolf by Brenda Williamson

The Pagan & The Pen Book Reviews

Title: A Wicked Wolf

Author: Brenda Williamson

Author Site 

Buy Link 

Publisher: Red Savage Publishing

Genre: Paranormal/Wolf Shape shifting/ Erotic Romance

Length: 207 pages

Reviewed By: Madeline Smoot

Ratings For:

Cover: 5

Presentation: 5

Editing: 3

Story: 4

Writing Ability: 5

Overall Card Rating: 

                                                  

About the Book: (Blurb from website)

Real Estate agent Randi Brown works the rich crowd, selling high-priced homes. With her parents dead it’s up to her to financially support two teenage siblings and she wants to spread her wings by negotiating a billion dollar land deal. Only the landowner, a business mogul no one has seen in years isn’t interested in selling his mountain to a development corporation, and Randi sets out to change his mind any way possible, even if that means sleeping with the reclusive billionaire.

After two years, since his wife’s brutal murder, Nicholas “Nick” Wolfe prefers to mourn her than get involved in business. So he lives cut off from society on Wolfe Mountain. Through his attorney, he’s offered billions, but no one knows to what extent the value of the land is more than the inhabitants—the Lycans, human wolf-like animal shifters.

When Randi shows up on the mountain one rainy night, Nick tries to fight the desires of the wolf in him to take a mate. Unfortunately, nature has made it impossible to resist the animalistic urges strengthened by the influences of a full moon and the power of lust in this woman’s eyes. Can love know no bounds?

Randi has no idea of where this torrid affair can lead until she learns the gruesome details of a woman’s murder by a creature not quite human. Then she becomes the next target and she discovers how falling in love can lead to a fatal attack from a Lycan. 

The Review:

A Wicked Wolf is the tantalizing story of Randi Brown, a real estate developer, and Nick Wolfe, a billionaire business man and Lycan. The age old scenario of girl meets boy is ratcheted up a few notches when the boy happens to be a shape shifting wolf, under the spell of the full moon, and the girl is a more than willing siren.

Every moment the two main characters are in each other’s presence the sparks fly with one mouthwatering scene after another. I couldn’t get enough of these two characters and the events that surround them. The only flaw in the entire book is that the editing is a bit rough, but that doesn’t detract from the story as a whole.

This book gives the reader a little bit of everything from a heartwarming love story to secrets that must be uncovered. Add to that mix a guy who is the definition of sex on a stick with the stamina to make any woman feel weak in the knees and you have a world class combination. This is a definite must read and I can’t wait to see what else Brenda Williamson releases. 

Layover by DD Symms

PAGAN & THE PEN BOOK REVIEWS

Title: Layover
Author: DD Symms

Author Site

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Publisher: Breathless Press

Genre: Erotic Romance

Length: 27 pgs.
Reviewed by: Lana Sullivan

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 5

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4

Story: 3

Writing Ability: 4

Overall Card Rating:

                                                

About The Book:

Jessie misses her flight connection and is forced to layover in Chicago. Determined to make the most of her night, she gets friendly with fellow passenger Devon. When the hotel assigned to them has only one room available, their evening plans are set. What Jessie isn’t expecting are the phone calls to Devon’s girlfriend, and the kinky twists the fun takes.

The Review:

Layover is well written and easy to read, and the kink adds an interesting twist. The dialogue and lack of emotional depth kept it from really pulling me in, however. There were a few places I wanted to tell the characters to shut up and get busy, but since that was also the D/s-type element, it might be just what another reader loves. I will be looking for more DD Symms stories.

Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

The Pagan & The Pen Book Reviews

Title: Pale Demon
Author: Kim Harrison

Author Site

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Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: paranormal

Length: 439 pgs.
Reviewed by: Gabrielle

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 4

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4

Story: 4

Writing Ability: 5

Overall Card Rating: 

                                               

About The Book:
Condemned and shunned for black magic, Rachel Morgan has three days to get to the annual witches’ conference and clear her name, or be trapped in the demonic ever-after . . . forever after.


But a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car going across the country? Talk about a recipe for certain disaster, even without being the targets for assassination.
For after centuries of torment, a fearsome demon walks in the sunlight—freed at last to slay the innocent and devour their souls. But his ultimate goal is Rachel Morgan, and in the fight for survival that follows, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

The Review:

Once again Kim Harrison takes us into the chaotic world of Rachel Morgan. This time Rachel and her friends are traveling to see the Coven of Moral and Ethical Standards but as we all know things wont be easy for them and many will try to stop them. Can she clear her name before it is to late?

This was a great story. Can you imagine a road trip with your family but only a hundred times worse? I loved seeing all the different relationships and the new directions that they were heading to. This is book is number nine in the series so the characters are already established but we do find out many new and interesting things about them. Making it hard to tell just who is the enemy is now.

There is so much going on in this story and so many characters, yet we still get the little details concerning Rachel and her cohorts. Keeping this story familiar and interesting at the same time.

Reading this story was like visiting with old friends. I enjoyed watching Rachel begin to grow and start to really accept who she is and has become. While many loose ends are tied up in this book not all things are and as we know Rachel will be on another adventure soon and I cannot wait to see where it is that she goes.

Finally, My Love by Kate Richards

The Pagan & The Pen Book Reviews

Title: Finally, My Love
Author: Kate Richards

Author Site

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Publisher: Breathless Press

Genre: Erotic Romance

Length: 23 pgs.
Reviewed by: Gray Dixon

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 4

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4

Story: 4.5

Writing Ability: 4.5

Overall Card Rating: 

                                                     

About The Book:
Amelia Staker meets her Internet lover, John Quincy, for the first time in the flesh. After a year of seeing John only through webcam, she's ready to show him a good time. Without a moment to waste, Amelia is prepared for two weeks with John—alone, with no computer screens between them—until the elevator puts a hold on those plans. Stuck in a darkened cab, their imaginations run hotter than their online trysts. Can this romance translate into a permanent future? Or will she send him packing?

The Review:

Although a very short story, I was completely pulled in and enjoyed the interaction between the two characters, Amelia and John. The anticipation of meeting your “on-line love” for the first time in person was quite authentic. The build-up to what you know is going to happen, read as hot sex, is compelling and when it happens in the stuck elevator, in the dark, is funny at first, but quickly leaves you fanning yourself. Although the ending was predictable, it left me wanting for more.

I would have rated a Top Pick, but there were a few editing errors, so I couldn’t say it was perfect. Also, the predictability of the story left me deflated. This story could be longer and I hope the author takes this idea and expands on it.  

The Cowboy Way by Cat Lovington

PAGAN & THE PEN BOOK REVIEWS

Title: The Cowboy Way
Author: Cat Lovington

Author Site

Buy Link 
Publisher: Carnal Passions

Genre: Contemporary/Erotic Romance/Short Story

Length: 33 pgs.
Reviewed by: Gray Dixon

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 4

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4

Story: 4

Writing Ability: 4

Overall Card Rating: 

                                                  

About The Book: Horny and tired of looking at Chance McCabe from a distance, almost-twenty- year-old Maggie wants nothing more than to break her vow of celibacy with the handsome dude ranch foreman and man of her dreams.

The Review: This short little tale was enjoyable. The scene set-up nicely, the imagery quite vivid, and the characters described. The sexual tension was there, and the sex scene nice.

If I had to name a problem because I didn’t do this as a top pick would for two reasons. The first is the “struggle” the hero had about “deflowering a virgin”. Maybe it has been a while since this happened to me, but he didn’t try real hard upon finding out Maggie, the heroine, was twenty years old and he was twenty-seven. He needed the job, but he succumbed to the sweet, young thing. The story got a little silly for me then. The second problem was the ending. Too contrived. The other ranch hands come to “rescue” the pair were “bad boys” with one almost raping Maggie, but she blackmails him into not saying anything. Really? I think a better ending would have made this short better.

All in all, I did enjoy it only thought some areas were not believable. 

Pagan Elements: N/A

A Duke’s Desire by Liz Cole

The Pagan & The Pen Book Reviews

Title: A Duke’s Desire

Author: Liz Cole

Author Site

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Publisher: Breathless Press

Genre: Historical/Erotic Romance

Length: 43 pgs.

Reviewed by: yadkny

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 4

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4.5

Story: 4

Writing Ability: 3.5

Overall Card Rating: 

                                                  

About The Book: Anna Carrington is no longer a child, but a marriageable young woman who has loved the Duke of Fairmount for years. She has kept her love for him well hidden, sure that even if, by some miracle, he did return her feelings, his dedication to propriety would never allow him to marry his ward. 

Jared St. James is known for his strict adherence to the rules of society and respectability, even though he finds himself lusting after Anna. Having struggled against his desire to his young ward, he decides the only way to right the situation is to marry her off, but will she accept the man he has chosen for her or stake claim to her innocence?

The Review: Ms. Cole has taken the term virgin to a whole other level in this intensely erotic historical romance. Not only is Anna a virgin in the physical sense, but also in the ways of intimacy between a man and a woman. She doesn't know what the anatomically correct names are for certain parts of the body and her curiosity only further inflames the eroticism of the story, as she uninhibitedly explores with her touch. Anna's absolute and complete innocence gives leave for the man that is to be her husband to further encourage her sexuality.

The story itself is nicely paced, but ends all too soon. However, this story is definitely worth the read for any fan of historical, especially, erotic romances. This is my first read by Ms. Cole and a wonderful introduction to her writing style. I will definitely be picking up her future works.

Pagan Elements: N/A 

Just This Night by Juliet Cardin

The Pagan & The Pen Book Reviews

Title: Just This Night
Author: Juliet Cardin

Author Site 

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Publisher: Breathless Press

Genre: Contemporary/Paranormal/Romance

Length: 15 pgs.
Reviewed by: Gray Dixon

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 4

Presentation: 4

Editing: 4

Story: 4.5

Writing Ability: 3.5

Overall Card Rating: 4

About The Book: Genna Cosworth, a five-hundred-year-old witch overcome by loneliness, casts a beauty spell upon herself in an effort to find love—even if it’s just for one night.
Richard Barrentine is a man any woman could fall in love with: tall, dark, and irresistibly handsome. The pair spend a passionate evening together, but when the midnight hour draws near, Genna realizes she cannot live without him.
Desperate, Genna comes to the only conclusion a witch in her position could…she has to freeze time.
But can she live with herself after having brought light and love to her life by plunging the remainder of the world into darkness for an eternity? Perhaps the better question is can Richard give his heart to the woman who, for him, is willing to do just that?

The Review:

What a good All Hallows Eve story. Genna is a witch 300 years old and came to live in the “New World” after leaving England 100 years ago. She left because she was verbally tortured from harsh words saying how ugly she was. Upon finding an incantation in her book of spells that for one night on the auspicious time every 100 years she can find love, she gazes at her new “beautiful body”. She sets out to find the man of her dreams at a local bar and finds him.

The story is short and dragged at the beginning, but once Genna and her new love, Richard, get together, the pace picks up. The sex scene is hot and the ending had a twist. There were a few moments that were predictable, but I still enjoyed the read. There is a lesson to be learned and without giving away the ending, suffice it to say, it was delivered well without preaching.

Add this story to your to be read list.

Pagan Elements: Witches, magic and spells

Lacy: A Bad Girl’s Romance by Chérie De Sues

PAGAN & THE PEN BOOK REVIEWS

Title:  Lacy: A Bad Girl’s Romance
Author: Chérie De Sues 

Author Site

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Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing

Genre: Contemporary/Suspense/Romance/Erotic

Length: 100 pgs.
Reviewed by: Gray Dixon

RATINGS FOR:

Cover: 4

Presentation: 4.5

Editing: 4.5

Story: 4.5

Writing Ability: 4.5

Overall Card Rating: 

                                                  

About The Book:
Lacy Hennessey is the enforcer for the Boston Irish mob after the boss for the Italian mafia kills her father. After so many years of an informal truce between the two families, why has the Italian boss declared war on the Irish? She'll have the time to dwell on the future while on vacation with a new lover in Hawaii. Lacy is hopeful she'll find love for the first time in her life.


Dr. Josh Davenport has fallen for the beautiful, leggy blonde who isn't wired emotionally like other women he's known. As the clues to Lacy's occupation unfold, Josh struggles with his feelings of self-preservation when he learns he could be in the middle of a mob war. Josh is no saint and his past could get him killed if Lacy's boss gets wind of his shady associates.


Back in Boston, Lacy's world begins to crumble around her as secrets reveal a startling truth that could cost her everything she holds dear. In a bold move, Lacy will risk her life, love and legacy to bring about a new era for the Boston Irish mob.

The Review:

The novella by Cherie De Sues is the story of a young woman, named Lacy Hennessey, and her struggle to finally feel emotion and love for another. Her life as the Irish mob enforcer was thrust upon her when her father was brutally murdered. Now, she seeks revenge on the killers. Upon finding the last one in Colorado, she encounters Dr. Josh Davenport at the resort bar, and he becomes her alibi. To cover her tracks, Lacy hooks up with Josh and escapes the cold winter of Colorado for the warm climate of Hawaii for two weeks.

I have to say this was a surprise. The plot and the words describing the scenes and characters captured my interest. I began to read this novella by Ms. De Sues late at night and what a page turner. I couldn’t stop reading, but by two AM I couldn’t continue, much to my dismay. The next morning I couldn’t wait to get back to the drama.

The story leads the heroine on a journey to discover love and find out through a series of events that the people she trusted weren’t telling her the truth all her life. She questions everything including her growing feelings for Josh, who is also concealing secrets from his past. In the end, will she breakthrough and succumb to the love Josh offers?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The only point I have to give is the development of Josh’s character. Very little was in his point of view and when it was, I couldn’t get a good read on him. I would have liked for that to be developed more. Other than that, I can see this storyline flowing into another tale between Lacy and Josh.

Pagan Elements: N/A