Brandy’s Blog

Blurb:

Her Magick is destined but true love forbidden.

After beautiful Sylver Kyllienne Brady meets death at the hands of her boyfriend, Roland Parks, she transcends into Summerland. There, she reunites with her mother and finds her soul mate, Zander. Pulled back to the earthly plane, she must embark on a journey of discovery. She uncovers a truth. She is the descendent of a long lineage of powerful Witches. She must learn to control her power, protect the family’s Amulet and Book of Shadows. Sylver has no idea what awaits her. And, this is only part of her discovery.

Lives unravel as secrets are discovered and mysteries unfold.

Everything changes when she meets Zander Emmett –a vampire. Zander is gorgeous, exotic, sexy and unbelievably wealthy. He is also the one person a witch, such as Sylver, must avoid. Their love is forbidden but their souls draw them together like a magnet. Their bodies ignite, passion soars and their souls are left discovering, not only each other, but their destiny. His life holds secrets and enticing mysteries of his own that propel the parallels of their worlds to climaxing heights.

Will their colliding worlds separate them? Will Sylver embrace her destiny? Will realizing what is expected of her and falling soul-fully in love with Zander – the vampire she is forbidden to love just leave her breathless?

Or, will she forever be Shattered Into Beautiful?

Review:

I am going to start off with telling you that I was given a copy of this for review.  That being said, I don’t know where to begin.  I am Sylver.  For all intents and purposes, I am her.  I understand her pain and I understand what drives her.  The brutality she suffered was mine as well.  I am Sylver. 

I understood Sylver’s link to Zander.  The power that draws you into eyes that mesmerize you into forgetting your pain and accepting the destiny stretching out in front of you.  The depth of their connection spans time and space.  It is a bond that cannot be broken or be denied.  Forbidden is not relevant.

Betrayal is a guarantee when happiness and family is involved.  It seems to be the thing that keeps the balance for all of us.  I actually had to stop reading to email Mel.  I had to let her know how deep this book moved me.  I know everyone sees each book differently and I respect that but this book touched me in a way I wasn’t expecting. 

I have faced death in ways that can’t be measured.  I have fought my own demons and still had them come back for more.  I am Sylver.  Thank you, Mel.  You are showing us that just because evil comes into your life and takes your final breath, doesn’t mean it is the end.  You can be reborn.

Rated 5 Kisses

Blurb:

The bad guys are licking their wounds leaving Claire and James to enjoy what promises to be a merry Christmas. Until a traitor among them delivers Stephen and Claire into enemy hands.

Past lovers, obligations and rivalries compete, all the while the bond between Claire and James grows and Claire is pulled further toward the vampire side. James is growing dependent upon her to feed his humanity, and the boundary that separates them is no longer clear.

A potential husband and a job working for the Court threaten to take Claire’s newfound control over her life from her and stick her firmly under someone else’s thumb. She must try to keep her wits about herself enough to figure out what she wants before the ability to decide is gone forever, and try not to get any of her loved ones killed in the process.

Review:

This is a series that keeps it coming!  Claire and James are bonded and the relationship is developing quicker than either had planned.  Claire moves in with James and struggles to maintain her humanity with the development of their connection.  Being “marked” is usually done through bites but it seems like these two have developed a “psychic mark” that allows them to blend together.

Betrayal is the name of this game and I have to tell you that I was lead to believe one thing and it turned in a completely different direction!  Love when that happens.  Stephen’s character is growing by leaps and bounds and I am anxious to see if he finds the love he is looking for.

Stoked to discover what happens to this dynamic family in the third book, Secrets!!

Rated 4 Kisses

I read ALL of the comments on here. Good, bad and amazing. Imagine my surprise when the lovely Jhobell Kristyl at Book Maven’s Picks nominated me for the Sunshine Award!!!

The rules (according to her site) are:

• Include the award’s logo in a post or on your blog. (Did that) 🙂

• Answer 10 questions about yourself. (Not a fan of talking about me, but I will do it!)

• Must nominate 10 other bloggers.  (How do I pick just 10?!?)

• Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs.  Let them know that they are awesome and being nominated!
  

• Share the love and link the person who nominated you.

My questions:

• Favorite food:  Pizza.  I would have it ten times a week if my husband and boys didn’t complain so much!

• Favorite season:  Winter.  I love how crisp and clean everything is.

• Favorite song:  I love music.  I am an ecclectic and listen to just about everything but right now I am sitting here listening to Cowboys and Angels by Dustin Lynch.  I saw him in concert a few weeks ago and this song was about his grandparents.  I was writing a story in my head to go with the lyrics and it struck a chord.

• Favorite drink:  I love hurricanes.  They are fabulous when you are out with the girls but I like the captain and diet coke any other time.

• Favorite color:  Mine is actually three.  I like black, pink and red.  Any variation or combination works for me.

• Favorite Hobby:  Reading.  It is truly an obsession with me.  I read two to four books a day on average and never leave home without my kindle or a print book somewhere on me.

• Favorite date activity:  I love to go to the movies and then to starbucks to talk about what happened.

• Favorite Snack:  Chocolate.  Doesn’t matter what as long as its chocolate.

• Favorite Movie:  The Princess Bride.  To me it is the perfect romance. 🙂 

• Favorite Temptation:  My husband, William.  He is my perfect romance hero.  After 13 years together, I can’t imagine my personal romance getting any better but he surprises me daily. 

My nominees in no particular ranking:

• Puretextuality.com

• A Tasty Read

• saywhatsavannahmae

• Bookend 2 Bookend

• Tam’s Two Cents

• Girls ❤ Books

• Tears of Crimson

• Toot’s Book Reviews

• Save Your Money for Books!

• Unwrapping Romance

Congratulations to these amazing bloggers for all their amazing reviews, kind thoughts and inspiration in the blogging world!  I am excited I can share the Sunshine Award with them!  A special thank you to Jhobell Kristyl for sharing this award with me.  It is beyond humbling and I am grateful!

Brandy

 

Blurb:

All she wanted was to disappear…

Claire Martin is an empath. She’s lived her entire life as a slave to a constant barrage of emotions that weren’t hers. Off to college, she hopes simply to blend with the crowd where she can best hide her curse. Within her first few weeks at school Claire meets Stephen Andrews, a small, fragile looking boy who changes her life forever. 



Stephen, a boy with a secret of his own, instantly recognizes Claire for what she is. It is through Stephen’s aid that Claire meets James, a vampire with a talent of his own. As soon as they touch, their abilities connect in a way that has not occurred in over three hundred years forming a bond that cannot be broken.

Review:

Very nice to read a story of vampires and humans that is not a Twilight repeat!  Claire has the power of an empath and I can tell you that  I would not want it.  Feeling every emotion that comes from a person has got to be difficult. 

This is the first in a trilogy and I can’t wait to get started on the next one.  Stephen has developed into a character that I would love to see have his own spinoff.  I want spoil the excitement of discovering his secret but I was not expecting it. 

James on the other hand, yummy!  I was a little shocked at the instant connection between the two main characters but as you dig into the story, you can feel the love that resonates from the pages. 

Rated 4 Kisses

 

Blurb:

Sara’s been preparing for this moment her whole life—she just never believed it would actually happen. With her bug-out bag and emergency food already in her truck, her only goal is to get to her family’s hidden bunker and wait out the pandemic that’s hit every major cruise ship port in the US. But her plan quickly falls apart. She’s out of gas, her route to the bunker is now a two-lane parking lot with no alternative in sight, and her only weapon is a pocketknife. For an experienced prepper, she’s made every rookie mistake.

Dane believes he’s safe in his cabin, off the beaten path and in the woods with his own source for water, electricity and an endless supply of food to hunt. After finding Sara stranded and alone, he’s suddenly not only providing for and protecting himself, but also the girl who wandered out of the woods and into his life. When looters come looking to take what he has, Sara and Dane’s only option is to make a run for their last hope—the bunker.

Can Sara and Dane find safety in each other’s arms and will they survive long enough to escape to a future together?

Review:

What a great story!  Heather always knows how to wrap you up in a story!  Sara is the type of person I would like to be.  Always prepared and ready for anything.  When the worst actually happens, Sara believes she is prepared and heads to the safety of her familys bunker.  What she doesn’t take into consideration is that she didn’t fill her gas tank and the highway is a parking lot.

Dane realizes something is going on when he sees the news and heads back to his cabin in the woods.  He wasn’t expecting to find a lost woman there.  Taking Sara back to his cabin is the right thing to do.  Sara knows the fate of her family is in her hands.  Trust is not an option.

LOVE it!  This is a short read and I have to say it really makes you wonder.  I would love to have more from this couple!  Enjoy!

Rated 4 Bookworms

Blurb:

Zoricah, the draconian demigoddess, has limited time to uncover a series of killings before one of her own meets the same fate. Determined not to let that happen, Zoricah has no other choice but to ask for the help of her race’s archenemy.

Tardieh, the Vampire King, has long learnt not to trust the Dragons but when the flames of passion ignite between him and Zoricah, he finds himself torn between overwhelming sexual heat and his centuries-old distrust.

Together they have to overcome their own prejudices before it is too late for their races and their love.

Review:

Wow! Talk about hot! And I’m not just talking about the dragon fire!

Zoricah, demigoddess, leader of the dracos, is on a mission to stop the maniac who is abducting and killing women of all kinds – draco and vampires alike. In her efforts, she tracks down Tardieh, king of the vampires, to enlist his help. Two hundred years ago, she saved his life, and she’s banking on that debt, but dracos and vampires are sworn enemies, and he harbors suspicions that Zoricah is the one behind his father’s murder.

Miscommunications aside, they unite to save draco Drew’s twin sister. When they find her, Deirdre is pregnant with some hybrid being that is slowly killing her, just as the other women were before they died from the monster inside of them.

The two join forces with their small groups of elite fighters and track down the man responsible. At least, they think they do. The tension between the two groups is believable and suspenseful. It adds a dynamic that really enhances the story.

This book was fantastic. The romance was steamy, the story was gripping, and the whole thing was bursting at the seams with creativity. I have to admit, I was worried when I saw there was a short glossary at the beginning of the story. But Ms. Phoenix is wonderful at inserting short explanations in with the made-up words so I never once had to look back at the glossary. And her lore is amazing. She has created a world where I would definitely like to live!!

There are surprises at every turn in this book, and it will keep you wanting more. Including the cliff-hanger epilogue!

I’m giving this book 5 Zs. I’m certain you will enjoy it as much as I did!