Book Review: Blu (Violet Chain, #3) by J Kahele

Synopsis

Pearl has lived under the hard hand of a vicious man for years and when she finally makes her escape, she is hit by a car and wakes up in the hospital. She doesn’t remember anything from the night before, except for the comforting touch, of a beautiful man named, Christopher Blu.

Blu learns that Pearls life has been a circle of degradation, hurt and pain and he wants so bad to help her through it, that it completely envelopes his life. He cares for her and there is a mutual attraction between the two. But he's not sure if what he feels for her is real, or if it is just his compassion for a woman who has been so brutally scarred by her life.

This book is intended for mature audiences only.

Review

“What are you doing? We don’t stop here.”

Rita / Camille, on the issue of stopping a car dead in the road whilst another is coming in the opposite direction. – Mulholland Drive, 2001

Each of the Violet Chain books have upped the ante in terms of drama and sexual liaisons. Blu is strikingly different from its predecessors, so much so that it can be viewed as a standalone piece. But reading the other stories first will serve to make reading Blu a more enriched experience.

My initial interest as a male reader tipped unsurprisingly towards Pearl, who in a well constructed sequence is found to be the victim of a car accident, but that is only the start. With the chapter focus on a specific character, readers can get to know both Pearl and Christopher (the eponymous Blu of the title) with ease.

"Pearl feels like a real character to me." 

That is not to say Pearl’s back story is easy to stomach, but it is certainly an interesting take in a hot romance genre, and I especially loved these scenes, even though I felt a lot of empathy for Pearl as a character.

Like all of Miss Kahele’s female protagonists, they are strong willed and courageous, but never one trick ponies, nor do they lapse into cliche. It’s easy to overlook flaws in men and women when we read such characters in books, but Pearl feels like a real character to me and so I think this is possibly the author’s best work to date.

Some readers may find the profanity and very strong sex scenes offputting. In another way, one can consider this story as packaged – for mature audiences only.

Miss Kahele knows how to reward her fanbase, and Blu is no exception, offering a sneak peak at book four in the series. What I really like about the Violet Chain series is how certain characters appear again and again – it is storytelling at its most seamless and takes an author of merit to pull it off. 

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Book Review: Zaryk (Twisted Epiphany, #1) by C A Jonelle

What a fantastic, adrenaline pumped ride this book is. From the opening pages, I felt I was going to enjoy this tale about a rock band called Twisted Epiphany (great name, and top of the cool pile for me) and it's clear we are in for a fast paced novel. Despite the length, it never lets up, and whilst Zaryk Gage Hunter is our MC, there are others like Lyndsay, plus Z's brothers Zayne and Zayden that light up the tale.

Most interesting is the chapter focus from each character's viewpoint. If you read the book too quickly, you would be forgiven for wondering which character is narrating. But as the reader becomes accustomed to the author's style, it's an easy, engaging read.

Although the story opens with a (grass) hockey related scene, featuring Zaryk's super cute sister Zoey (as an ex ice hockey player I was immediately invested in the story!) it immediately hits us with a something that was truly a surprise to me. I think the author was brave to write the scene so well, and I give her kudos for that.

Zaryk is a young guy, and I can recall at that age what hormones were doing to me. So although I found some of Zaryk's behaviour questionable, I couldn't help but agree that I did some of those things too. He's a player, knows his band is going places, and laps up the attention from the girls around him.

The story, whilst certainly a red on the hot scale, has a central plot line running through it that just compels you to read. It is this that I enjoyed more than the (very many) sex scenes in the book. They are well written and believable. The consequences of certain liaisons are well done too, and
I congratulate the author again on her descriptive narrative, It's excellent.

This is book one, and I wonder where it goes next. Will Zaryk ever calm down? he seems very highly strung and those around him - especially in the band, seem unable to control him, even though they say they are there for him, that's nice in theory, the practice turns out rather differently.

I also enjoyed some of the truly funny moments in the story, that, amongst the high drama of the tale, I wasn't expecting. I raise a glass to Amberlynn in this case.

Certainly read this book. The author has a clear handle on her story, and the cover - so often lacking true cohesion with the tale inside, is brilliant and gives you a believeable Zaryk.


I rate this story very highly, and believe you will too!

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~ Synopsis ~

**Not intended for those under 18. Contains mature content.** 

One fatal moment tears Zaryk’s life apart and he struggles to cope with his loss and grief. Years later, with his band ‘Twisted Epiphany’ on the cusp of success, Zaryk is finding the answers in partying and alcohol. Enter Lyndsay, a shy college girl who gives Zaryk hope that there can be happy endings in life. But one night of passion ruins his dreams of something more meaningful and spoils their friendship. Misunderstandings drive them apart and Zaryk is soon lost in a different world as ‘Twisted Epiphany’ become ever more famous. Will he get the chance to tell Lyndsay how he feels? Or will Zaryk’s stardom and Lyndsay’s insecurities keep them apart? 

A story of passion, love, loss and the pressures of fame, ‘Zaryk’ is the first in the ‘Twisted Epiphany’ series that follows Zaryk, Zayne, Zayden, Deklan and Kreed as they take their band from small town success to world-wide phenomenon. 

~ About This Author ~

C.A. Jonelle lives in a small town in Ohio with her husband, daughter, two dogs, one cat, and six fish. She's been reading for as long as she can remember.

 She wrote several hundred poems in high school and started writing stories while in her late twenties. She loves a good romance book with a tattooed and pierced rock star who is plagued by the reality of life. When she's not reading or writing, you can find her spending time with her family and friends, or just catching up on her favorite shows such as Hell's Kitchen or Devious Maids.

 She's currently working on the next book in the five part Twisted Epiphany series that is slated to come out in 2015. 

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Excerpts

Excerpt One:

(This one is intended for an audience of 18 or older. If you are unable to use it I understand. :))

She pushes her lips against mine. She bites my lower lip and my mind goes haywire. The wheels are disengaging and my brain threatens to completely shut down. That one little move drives me crazy.

I lace my fingers with hers and I lead her over to the desk, spinning her around so she’s facing away from me. My hands lightly skim down her arms, making their way to that glorious ass. I grab each cheek and squeeze. Her head falls back against my chest as she sighs.

I place a hand on her back and bend her forward. “Zaryk? What are …?”

Leaning over her I whisper, “Shhh, don’t think, just feel.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt Two:

I growl loudly, echoing in the night air. “I’m not going to chase after you Lyndsay!”

Stopping, she turns to face me with a startled expression on her gorgeous face.

“What is it? Is he the reason you can’t get over Kendall and me?” I move closer to her.

“Yes.” Her answer is barely a whisper.

My heart drops into the pit of my stomach. The thought of anyone hurting her touches a nerve … a big nerve. I inch closer until I’m directly in front of her. Reaching up, I glide my fingers against her neck, rubbing my thumb along her jawline. She lifts her gaze to mine.

“Tell me how he hurt you. I want to understand where this fear is coming from.”

She twists her face out of my hands and I drop them to my side. Tears are glistening in her eyes. I can’t stand to see her like this and I can’t stand how she’s making me feel right now. I can feel the fire building deep inside me. Deklan appears at the exit.

Lyndsay turns to go back inside. I’m fed up with this shit, but I don’t want to lose her. I make one last attempt and grab her arm and turn her toward me. “If you leave, you might as well take my heart with you. I won’t need it anymore, because it won’t bother to beat without you.”

Deklan freezes and watches us, his face full of concern.

I let go of her arm and she turns back toward the building. She disappears and I feel a big part of me die inside.

Book Review: Coming Around by Tom Benson

Any collection of short story erotica can only work if it is well written. Some stories that contain sexual elements can be poorly executed and it's not like I shy away from such content. Fortunately the author Tom Benson shows he is an authority at constructing each tale and knowing when to move the reader onto the next story.

Each story has something for everyone. It's also easy to be dismissive, and say to ourselves that we would never engage such things, and I am not saying that we should or will. I was reminded of the staggering success of the film 'Silence of the Lambs'. People aren't cannibals or killers in the main, yet people went in their droves. Why? If it repulses us, what is the motivation to put ourselves through the story?

It's fair to say that one would need an open mind perhaps the size of a bus to enjoy each story. Whilst there is a lot of fun to be had in each tale, I think most enjoyable thing for me was in the unpredictable outcome of each story.

The first two are probably the best in the entire collection, but again, there is something for everyone here, even if they won't admit it.

Sometimes it is fun to read a book that truly doesn't hold back on its subject matter. Would we act on any of the scenarios in the book? Almost certainly not, but that's the skill of the author. Tom Benson gives the reader a realistic setting for each story where it actually 'could' happen.


Whilst certainly not for under 18s, if you like a seriously spicy set of stories, you cannot go wrong with this!

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