Lauren Dane
Celebration
of the Dead
Author:
Lauren Dane
Series
Connection: Witches Knot 5
ISBN:
9781419915819
Genre:
Paranormal/ Vampires
5
Hearts
It
is almost time for El Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead and what a better
way to celebrate then by reading a book that celebrates the popular Mexican
holiday. I know this book is from last year, but author Lauren Dane does a
great job of explaining the Mexican holiday, as well as tells a fantastic story
with action paced adventures, sexy vampires, great food and fabulously erotic
love scenes, it is well worth the read.
Celebration
for the Dead is the final book of the Witches Knot series available through
Ellora's Cave. It tells the story of a vampire hunter and a vampire who find
love while they hunt for rouge vampires.
Both
Melanie (Minx) Rodriguez and Connor Bell are familiar characters in the
previous books in the series and while it wouldn't hurt to read the rest of the
books to get to know the supporting cast, it isn't necessary if you are just looking
for a good read with the holiday theme.
Melanie
is very familiar with vampires. As a young child her grandparents and brother
were killed by vampires. After killing her family, Melanie was then kidnapped
by the vampires and taken back to their nest to feed from, until she escaped.
Hating vampires and what they did to her family set the course of Melanie's
life. She joined a team of vampire hunters and now spends her days killing
them.
Every
Nov. 2, Melanie returns to her grandparents home in Mexico and celebrates El
Dia de los Muertos with the local community. This year is no different, except
along the way she hopes to kill a vampire or two.
Connor
Bell is an Oathkeeper leader. His job is to find the Oathbreakers and destroy
them. In one of the previous Witches Knot books he meets Melanie and her team
of hunters and an attraction forms, but before they can act on their feelings
Conner leaves Melanie. Now looking to get her back he follows her to Mexico
intent on winning her once and for all. All he has to do is convince her and
keep her from getting herself killed while she tracks down the Oathbreakers.
Description:
Vampire
Hunter Minx Rodriguez decides to mix a little business with pleasure when she
heads to Mexico to celebrate El Dia de los Muertos. She's hot on the trail of
the vampire who not only took her hostage and tortured her but also killed her
friends and family.
Connor
Bell finds himself in love with a Vampire Hunter who's skipped town without
notice — much like he did to her just two weeks before. He heads to
Mexico to find her and make things right.
Even
as they work through their problems and plan a feast to celebrate the lives of
those they've lost to the Oathbreakers, the threat remains. A Hunter's job is
never done and there's a job to do in Mexico. The question remains as to
whether Minx and Connor can survive what'll be asked of them both.
Making
Chase
Author:
Lauren Dane
Series:
Chase Brothers
5 Hearts
Description:
Tate Murphy
is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. She grew up a million miles away
from the easy life Matt Chase has had. She's spent her life pulling herself and
her siblings up and out of that trailer by the railroad tracks and she hasn't
looked back. Matt Chase is a dream of a guy and she's certainly not going to
turn down a short fling with one of the most handsome men she's ever seen!
Matt Chase
has watched each one of his brothers find love and he knows he's ready for that
too. It's all a matter of finding the woman who captures his heart. He's
certainly sampled his fair share of them but none has moved him the way Tate
Murphy does when he goes to her shop to thank her for some cookies and a thank
you note.
But as Matt
gets to know Tate and appreciate her strength and unique beauty, he also
realizes she's got some big self esteem issues about her past. To build a
future, he's got to find a way past some big road blocks.
My View:
This is the
fourth book in the Chase Brothers' series and I was sorry to see the boys go.
This was my favorite book of all. Matt and Tate are a great couple together.
Tate is a strong compassionate woman who really needs a knight in shinning
armor and that is just the man she brings out in Matt. The love scenes are not
only passionate, but real. You can feel everything that Tate is going through
and feel for her. If there ever was a hero it was Matt, even if you take away
the fact that he's a fireman. This guy shows that he's more than just a pretty
face.
Chased
Author:
Lauren Dane
Series:
Chase Brothers
ISBN:
1-59998-436-9
5 Hearts
Description:
Liv Davis
had just about given up on her happily ever after. Burned by love more than
once, she's beginning to think Mr. Right wasn't in the cards for her.
Marc Chase
is a confirmed bachelor and lover of women—lots of them. He's determined
not to fall head over heels the way his brothers have. Until he kisses Olivia
Davis and realizes head over heels may not be such a bad thing after all!
Can Liv
open her scarred heart for this younger ladies man? She loves Marc more than
she can begin to admit but she's terrified of being rejected again. Marc faces
a challenge greater than he's ever faced before. Making a woman believe he's
more than just a great bedmate—making her believe he's in it for good.
In the end
it will all come down to two days in a hotel and a bet. Can they both win?
My View:
The third
book in the Chase Brothers' series and its only getting better. This book is a
little different from the previous books to the series as it doesn't have a
suspense driven plot. The book deals with the relationship between the two lead
characters and the growing feelings between the them. Liv needs a man she can't
walk all over and Marc fits the bill to a "T". This is love story
you'll enjoy if you like strong vibrant women.
Taking
Chase
Author:
Lauren Dane
Series:
Chase Brothers
ISBN:
1-59998-301-X
2 Hearts
Description:
Cassie
Gambol is on the run. In what seems like another lifetime, her ex-husband
nearly ended her life and effectively ended her successful career as a vascular
surgeon. But even though the justice system found him guilty of attempted
murder, he fled while awaiting sentencing and Carly Sunderland became Cassie
Gambol.
Fleeing Los
Angeles, she heads to small and off the map Petal, Georgia to start her life
again.
Shane
Chase, a man who's held himself away from commitment since his fiancee dumped
him several years before knows the beautiful newcomer is hiding something. He's
wildly attracted to her strength and her underlying vulnerability as well.
But the
last thing Cassie wants is another big, overwhelming man who wants to control
her life. A battle begins between Shane, who knows what he wants and Cassie,
who knows she needs to do everything she can to keep a distance between herself
and the very handsome sheriff.
But Cassie's
ex is back and he wants her dead.
My View:
To be
perfectly honest I didn't like this book all that well. It wasn't the story
itself, but Shane Chase that did me in. Personally I thought that Cassie was
too good for him. He wasn't a likable character to me in the first book, and I
didn't like him much in the second. That being said, I like series books, so
this book was a necessary read to go on with the rest of the books. It wasn't
bad in the fact that the secondary characters were all great. I love Shane's
mother, with her big hair and all. She makes up for some of the loss with
Shane's character.
Giving
Chase
Author:
Lauren Dane
Series:
Chase Brothers
ISBN:
1-59998-113-0
5 Hearts
Description:
Some small
towns grow really good looking men! This is the case with the four Chase
brothers. The home grown hotties are on the wishlist of every single woman in
town and Maggie Wright is no exception.
Maggie has
finally had it with the men she's been dating but a spilled plate of chili
cheese fries drops Shane Chase right into her lap. The sheriff is hot stuff but
was burned by a former fiancˇe and is quite happy to play the field.
After
Shane's skittishness sends him out the door, Maggie realizes that Kyle Chase
has had his eye on her from the start. Now that Shane has messed up, Kyle has
no intention of letting anything stop him from wooing her right into his bed.
Despite
Maggie's happiness and growing love with Kyle, a dark shadow threatens
everything—she's got a stalker and he's not happy at all. In the end,
Maggie will need her wits, strength and the love of her man to get her out
alive.
My View:
This wasn't
my favorite Chase Brothers' series book, but Kyle was definely my favorite
Chase brother. I think I could fall in love with this guy. Who girl wouldn't?
He was sensitive, sweet, in love with Maggie from the start and even stepped
aside when he thought his big brother wanted her. When Maggie and Kyle finally
do get together the writer is able to build in such deep emotional bonds
between the couple that you feel everything as if you were living in the little
town of Petal, Georgia along with them.
This story
had a great suspenseful plot. Well worth the time to sit down and read it.