Review: Syndelle's Possession by Jory Strong

*This is an erotica. Please do a pre-mental age check first before you proceed any further.*

Lol, and I do stress on the MENTAL age check.:)

Published Date: July 27th, 2005
Finished Date: October 31st, 2011
Publishers: Ellora's Cave
Format: ebook
Series: The Angelini #2
My Rating: 3/5

Blurb from Goodreads:
Syndelle Coronado. For Brann O'Ciardha, she is a prize beyond measure, a vampire myth made reality. He knows there will be those who will want to kill her when they learn of the old magic carried within her. But the moment Brann tastes Syndelle's blood and feels her hidden power as his companion Rafael mates with her, he resolves to claim her, to possess her. He's waited centuries to find a female such as Syndelle, and he won't let her escape him. She will be his for all time, bound to him and Rafael by her own nature and the laws that govern both vampire and Angelini alike.


While Rafael is the human mate Syndelle has always dreamed of, Brann is the vampire bogeyman of her nightmares. There's no denying the Angelini magic that has chosen them as her mates, and once claimed, they will crave her as desperately as she will crave them. But Syndelle intends to have more from Rafe and Brann than just their lust, she wants their love, and she intends to be viewed as their equal.


Note: This book contains graphic male/male sexual interaction.

My Review

Let's be clear about one thing - I am not a fan of menage or m/m eroticas, so I didn't really enjoy the sex scenes in SYNDELLE'S POSSESSION. And since the sex scenes are a major part of the book, I didn't like the book all that much. Yes, yes, I know the synopsis clearly stated that there will be "graphic male/male sexual interactions", but I didn't really read the synopsis in detail, so I missed that out. Sigh.

Syndelle's parents lost one of their daughters long ago, so they have been overprotective of Syndelle since she was a kid. They've tried giving her the blood of her vamp father's, and that, incidentally, made her The Masada - some person that will be invaluable to any vamp that has her in their possession. Which made them even more protective of her. So Syndelle has led a sheltered life, tho trained in the ways of combat, she isn't a hunter like the rest of her Angelini brothers. That is, until she met Rafael at Bangers, some strip club in LA, and subsequently, Rafe's vamp master, Brann.

Rafe is an unwilling human companion to Brann, and if you're wondering, a vamp companion is sort of like a mate for life. Yeah, they're a couple of bi's.... Anyway, Rafe has been feeling very bitter about being the companion to a vamp, and that same vamp has placed a curse on him that stops him from ever coming again only if it's with Brann. So Rafe's eternal life has been tragic, and when he first met Sydnelle at Bangers, he hid all this under this mask of sardonism, which Syndelle eventually helped erode away.

But all is not well in LA, many prositutes have turned up either mutilated or dead - the females are severly disfigured and raped, the males raped and killed - and Syndelle decides to join arms with Skye (from book 1) and shove this mission up its own ass. But they're not alone in this dangerous endeavour, their mates are getting protective, and well, they are all along for the ride.

I liked the plot and Strong's writing style. Always have, and that's what made me go excavate all her other works. It's not only that she writes hot, steamy sexual scenes, but she can also interweave a wonderful, action-filled storyline with it, which I find sorely lacking in other Eroticas. That's why I only read a select few of 'em. And her plots are never those sub-standard, convenient cheap thrillers that are just there to make a story or back the romance up, but very well-thought of and detailed.

I liked that we got to see some of Skye and what her and her mates are up to, and I kinda liked Syndelle a lot more than Skye from SKYE'S TRAIL. Not that I disliked Skye or anything, but Syndelle was a very sweet and understanding girl that hid such courage. Skye was a little disappointed to see that her sis (ok, big spoiler. Skye was the long lost daughter of Syndelle's family) was such a soft, non-kickass girl, but her impression totally changed as she got to know her more.

Rafe was a jerk to Syndelle at the beginning, plus the fact that he's bi didn't endear him to me (No offense to any bi's reading this. I just feel a little uncomfortable when I read about a bi's sex life in detail). He insulted Syndelle's pride and all, but as I've said, it's all the sardonic facade he keeps on to protect himself from a horrific past, so when the mask is removed and he starts to get tender toward Syndelle, you'd just want to sit there and," Awwwwww."

Lol, but well, as I've said, I'm not a fan of m/m's, so when Brann and Rafe ahem, I just get turned-off.

One good thing came out of being sarcastic (talking about Rafe). He is so witty! I loved all his snark remarks and sarcastic comebacks, they're genius! And hilarious. Lol.

Example: "This is a residence hotel?" Syndelle asked, taking in the despair-coated walls, and the sunken, hopeless nature of the people she saw sitting on their small porches, smoking, or drinking, or simply staring into space.

"Residence hotel. Shithole," Rafe said. "Take your pick." (For some reason, I found this really funny. Might be the exam stress frying my brain.)

Other than the fact that Strong delved too fast into the lust and romance between the trio, I thought that the book was good. Slightly above average. A quick, fast read that menage/ m-m-f lovers will enjoy a lot.

My Rating

Review: Skye's Trail by Jory Strong

*THIS BOOK IS AN EROTICA. PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU ARE OF LEGAL AGE TO READ THIS BOOK AND REVIEW.*

Hah, like anyone listens to that anymore..I'm sixteen and reading eroticas. Pleased to meet you.:)

Anyway, on with the show.

Published Date: October 1st, 2005
Finished Date: October 11th, 2011
Publishers: Ellora's Cave
Format: Paperback
Pages: 225
Series: The Angelini Book 1

Blurb from Goodreads:
For Skye Delano, the hunt and the kill are sometimes inexorably tied together. Her origins shrouded behind an impenetrable wall of mental pain, Skye has survived and evolved into a tracker, a hunter who metes out justice to those who prey on the helpless. Alone but not lonely, she's been content with her life. But now her body is changing and there's an underlying craving that's left her restless. She needs to take a mate - or rather, two mates...

Detective Rico Santana wants and needs Skye - for himself, and to track a couple of kids who have gone missing. In all the centuries that Giovanni Banderali has been alive, he's never desired any woman enough to bind her to him as a companion. That changed the moment he saw Skye. She's a threat to the fledgling vampires he's searching for, but nothing will stop him from claiming her - not even the Angelini blood that flows through her veins. Adversaries, natural enemies - dangerous allies - the bond that links them is stronger than lust, more powerful than love. When an Angelini chooses a mate, no man can resist.

My Review

It's a sin to be such a sexy and talented writer like Strong...

Skye is an Angelini, tho she doesn't know it as of yet, but she knows how to control and utilize her powers to survive and hunt criminals down; Rico is a cop, a hot, sexy, competent and very-aroused-whenever-he-looks-at-or-even-thinks-of-Skye cop; Gian is an age-old vamp who is crazy powerful, and sexually very active. Lol. Yep, that's the 3 protagonists laid out for you.

Goth girls are disappearing around the city, and one of 'em turned up dead and it didn't look like she met with a swift, clean end. The police are working day and night with the case, but when they're still coming up blank, Rico took matters into his own hands and requested the aid of our dear Skye since she has hunting abilities sharper than a hound. And this case brings Skye to the night club, Fangs, which Gian co-owns. And therein brings our three protagonists together.

It's a relatively short story, but NONE of the thrill, erotic, romance and mystery factors are compromised. It's amazing how intricate the crime case is, everything somehow linked up together even when they seemed so unconnected at the beginning. There were many details to consider, but Strong handled them all perfectly, and she left nothing dangling or unanswered in the end, which is amazing.

Even tho Eroticas usually would not have a very developed relationship between the protagonists, I thought that Skye's Trail kinda did have. I felt the affections between Skye, Gian, and Rico grow, and well, of course their lusts for each other did too, but that only made it all the more hot, sweaty and sexy. Ew, gross visuals. Lol, but yes, what was missing in other Eroticas that made me not like them was very much looked into here, that's what made me fall in love with Strong's world all over again.

I loved Skye. Not only is she powerful in her own right, she has this very playful and sexy inner nature that I really liked. She can be very devil-may-care sometimes, but inside, she did care very much about how her mates (Rico and Gian) felt.

Gian and Rico were...Lol, kinda weird sometimes. Not bad weird.. Just weird. You would expect the millenia-old (ok I'm exaggerating) vamp to be the more dominant one right? All "you are my minions, bow before me"?  But surprisingly, I found Rico to be the more domineering one. And he is, I stress, a very human cop. Huh, at the start, Skye somehow got the upperhand when they were doing the S, and sort of reduced Gian to begging for release. Ok, that made him sound weak, which he isn't, but it came close to that.

Still, I loved all of them.

And it really helps that there is a really hot biker woman with silver hair on the book jacket.

Anyway, I don't really have much to say about Eroticas, so 'nuff said for now. But bottomline: I thought that Skye's Trail is a steamy hot Erotica that, if before this you do not like Eroticas, you should try this out first before you condemn this genre.

My Rating

                    

(I would give this a resounding 4.5, but since I don't have an icon for it, I'll stick to 4.)

Patience is a Virtue (#4)

For those of you who haven't seen any of my previous Patience is a Virtue posts yet, this is a kind of a meme of sorts where I post the books that have already been released that I can't wait to start on, but can't cause I'm still reading some other books. FYI, this seems like Waiting on Wednesday, but there's a slight difference. WoW features books which have not been released yet.

Just a few books that caught my eye while I was browsing thru Goodreads, or have been on my TBR list since forever and I suddenly have this insane urge to read it.

First up: Skye's Trail by Jori Strong.

This is the first book in The Angelini series, by the way.

Blurb from Goodreads
For Skye Delano, the hunt and the kill are sometimes inexorably tied together.Her origins shrouded behind an impenetrable wall of mental pain, Skye has survived and evolved into a tracker, a hunter who metes out justice to those who prey on the helpless. Alone but not lonely, she's been content with her life. But now her body is changing and there's an underlying craving that's left her restless. She needs to take a mate-or rather, two mates-Detective Rico Santana wants and needs Skye-for himself, and to track a couple of kids who have gone missing.In all the centuries that Giovanni Banderali has been alive, he's never desired any woman enough to bind her to him as a companion. That changed the moment he saw Skye. She's a threat to the fledgling vampires he's searching for, but nothing will stop him from claiming her-not even the Angelini blood that flows through her veins.Adversaries, natural enemies-dangerous allies-the bond that links them is stronger than lust, more powerful than love. When an Angelini chooses a mate, no man can resist.

Jori Strong write one of the craziest, sexiest, and hottest eroticas out there, so you might want to prepare yourself physically and mentally before you delve any further into any one of her novels' pages.

Been staving off eroticas for awhile cause everytime I read eroticas (save for any of Strong's works), I get pissed off by the lack of plot and character development. Usually I find them shallow and a little too dirty, but I make exceptions when it comes to Strong. Aaand, I do have the usual dose of dirty in me. LOL.

Ahem, moving on.

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Next up: Isle of Night by Veronica Wolff.

First book in The Watchers series.

Blurb from Goodreads:
Is life offering fewer and fewer options? Then join the dead.

When Annelise meets dark and seductive Ronan, he promises her a new life-if she has the courage to chance the unknown. Now, she's whisked away to a mysterious island and pitted against other female recruits to become a Watcher-girls who are partnered with vampires and assist them in their missions. To survive and become a Watcher, Annelise has to beat out every other girl, but she's determined to do so, because to fail doesn't mean dishonor-it means death.

It is current not getting a very good rating on GR, tho(3.87). Ok, it's good, but not as good as those that I usually am desperate to get my hands on or appears on any of my Patience is a Virtue posts. But it sounds intriguing so I'm, well, very intrigued.:) And I think I'm sort of on this vamp/supernatural creatures that go bump in the night books crave now...Oh well. I do have my whims, all right.

(I noticed that the books in this post all have blue covers..Weird. "The girl who believes in coincidences usually are the ones who end up dead." --Forgot who's quote in which book this was from.)

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Third for the day: PineLight by Jillian Peery.

Blurb from GR:
"I loved him - that was my torment. And I was losing him all over again."
Walls crumbled all around me. An undeniable force pulled at my core. I tried to fight it, I tried to deny it the power, but I was weak. I felt pain in my side, and I knew that this dark force was winning. My veins started to burn, and I screamed, but it didn't stop.

The cover is beautiful, and the synopsis sounds great too. Aaaand, it's YA. MY TYPE.

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Next up: Deep Blue Secret by Christie Anderson.

First book in The Water Keepers series.

Blurb from GR:
California teen, Sadie James, thinks her life couldn't get any better. She has great friends, an energetic mother she adores, and the beach practically in her own backyard. But her carefree life is turned upside down when she's rescued by a mysterious and strangely familiar boy who won't even tell her his name.

Each time the boy appears, Sadie's unexplainable attraction to him deepens along with her need to unravel his secrets. The boy is there to protect her. But as wonderful and exciting as it might be to have an irresistible boy with crystal green eyes protecting her every move, every minute of the day...why does Sadie need one?

As Sadie finds answers, she realizes her life isn't as perfect as she thought. Not only is she caught in a world of dangerous secret agents she never knew existed, but it turns out her true identity may be the greatest secret of all.

I LOVE the cover, and the series title! It just shouts out to me, y'know? Water Keepers? Anything to do with the elements or just anyone of 'em would incite a "HELL YEAH!" response in me.

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Wow, today's post is getting long.

Fifth up: A Touch of Crimson by Sylvia Day.

First in the Renegade Angels series.

Blurb from GR:
Adrian Mitchell is a powerful angel leading an elite Special Ops unit of Seraphim. His task is to punish the Fallen-angels who have become vampires-and command a restless pack of indentured lycans. But Adrian has suffered his own punishment for becoming involved with mortals- losing the woman he loves again and again. Now, after nearly two hundred years, he has found her-Shadoe-her soul once more inhabiting a new body, with no memory of him. And this time, he won't let her go.

Reminds me an awful lot of The Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh. And because of that, I've been dying to get started to get this.

BTW, if you haven't read The Guild Hunter series, then do it. Now. I assume that since you are reading this now that you agree with my taste. So now I'm telling you that The Guild Hunter series is my All-Time-Favourite series. Like seriously, top of my list first. Among all the YA, Historical, Romance, Paranormal, Urban, Fantasy, whatever books that I have read, that series is THE top of the list.

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Last but not least: In Total Surrender by Anne Mallory.

Third in the Secrets series.

Blurb from GR:
Andreas Merrick is the king of London's dark underworld, having amassed unimaginable wealth and power...and a fierce reputation that leaves even the bravest men quaking in their boots. Yet one person is maddeningly unintimidated by his fearsome presence: the persistent Miss Phoebe Pace.

Equal parts honey and steel, Phoebe will stop at nothing to find her missing brother and save her family. Though associating with Andreas means peril and scandal, she never expects to experience a passion so intense that it threatens to consume her. But enigmatic Andreas is no ordinary man to love. He brings dangers from all sides -- without and within -- while tempting her beyond her wildest dreams...

This one is more on the May-Read list... I'm not that into pure Romances, but the book sounds promising and it has a whopping 4.23/5 rating on GR now.

(This book ruined my blue cover streak..Oh well, at least the title is blue:D.)

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That's kinda it for today. Sooo, what do you think of the books? Have you read them? What are your views? Reviews? Link to them here? And what are you craving to read now?