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Phantom Lover by Tamaria Soana

2/13/2014

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Can true love transcend life and death?

 Olivia Shaw-Clayton’s life revolves around her job ever since her husband was
 killed eight months ago in Iraq. She slaves away at her desk in hopes of
 numbing the pain of her loss and the guilt of longing to fall asleep once again
 to be joined by her phantom lover.


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Title: Phantom Lover
Author: Tamaria Soana
Publisher: Crimson Frost Books
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Short Story
Reviewed by Maven


  
 
Heat Level – 4 Flames – Sizzling Hot
3.5 Stars – Good




Olivia’s life changed when her husband and soul mate was killed in Iraq. Now she thinks she’s going crazy because she is having mind-blowing sex with a phantom lover.



Phantom Lover sizzles with sexual interaction and it had some touching moments that allowed me to connect with the heroine. It was however a short, short story (around 5,000 words) which contributed to my wish for the story to be a tad longer, simply to keep it from feeling rushed. I imagine reading a review that their short was too short is probably irritating and can become the monkey on the back of authors when it comes to such small word counts, but Ms. Soana did manage to include some back story and I appreciated that. Without it, I would have been  disappointed and would have felt I didn’t know the hero at all.



Summing it up I thought the premise of the book was good with the soul mates and can true love conquer death angle, yet I’m not quite sure the ending of the story was what I was expecting. I’m on the fence, wavering on how the story concluded. On one level the finale can be considered as happy, and on the other it’s sad. Is having a mixed emotion about an ending to a book a bad thing or a good thing? I don’t know. The readers will need to decide.


 
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Deja Vu by Vallory Vance

11/19/2013

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Darcey St. Claire is never surprised when a man is attracted to her. In fact, her style revolves around that assumption. From her short skirts to her thigh-high boots to her flirty laugh, Darcey flits along the edge of provocation to sell the overpriced services of the Hayden Court Hotel and afford her the spot as top
Sales Manager. So the lustful looks Vincent Guidry cast in her direction didn't faze her. It was the feeling of déjà vu creeping up her spine that made her run at breakneck speed away from the handsome former quarterback. And she wouldn't  have ever sought him out again. Not for herself. But there was someone else to consider…


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Title: Déjà Vu
Author: Vallory Vance
Publisher: Self 
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Length: (Approximately 114 pages)
Reviewed by Maven



3 Flames – Crackling Hot
3.5 Stars – Good


  
To be honest, the beginning of
Déjà Vu threw me off a bit, jumping from two short paragraphs about someone then moving to another character quickly. That beginning might have best been written
as a prologue instead of a chapter start with such a quick point of view change taking place.


As I read I was also jarred from the story, mainly due to the formatting issues. As someone who reads a lot, I am use to particular formats, so when one chapter ends and the next chapter begins on the same page it does distract somewhat. I expect to see chapter breaks end on one page and the next
chapter to start on its own page. Quick seems to be the standing theme of my review, but the story flow is done at a quick pace.


Overall I did like the story itself as well as the setting. It’s a contemporary romance with some spicy moments. The chemistry between the characters is present and accounted for, but I would have liked to know a little bit more about them regarding their past.


While there were a few issues with the book, I did see a lot of talent. I’m sure Ms. Vance will have a bright writing future ahead of her.


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Against the Odds - A Love Story by J. Adams

11/9/2013

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Tired if dealing with an unfaithful husband after seven
years  of marriage, Raine Edmunds finally gets a divorce. Wanting to start over, she  leaves her successful modeling career behind and goes to a ranch near Roswell,  New Mexico to stay with her best friend. The ranch is the perfect place for her  to take stock of her life and all she's accomplished. 

Then Raine meets  Hayden, her friend's brother-in-law, and the opposite of all the other men she  has ever known. As their friendship blossoms, so does her love of ranch life.  She discovers that what she wants most-what her heart
truly desires-is right in  front of her.

Everything about Raine and Hayden's love is against the odds. Now they must prove to each other and to themselves that no matter what  trials assail them, their love will be strong
enough to overcome any  obstacle.

 
 

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Title: Against the Odds
Author: Jewel Adams
Publisher: Jewel of the West
Genre: Interracial Romance
Novel
Reviewed by: Maven


 
2 Flames – Hissing Warm
3.5 Stars – Good



Against the Odds is a sweet interracial romance about a former model and a cowboy. 

I liked the character of Raine, the premises of the book, and the way it was written, like reading a letter or personal memoir. However taking the story as a whole there were some slow moments and a lack of intensity. Due to that and some editing and formatting errors, as a reader I never felt completely gripped by the story. Something was missing. I’m not saying it was a horrible book, or a bad one, it just needed a bit more oomph and polish.

While the story starts out with the heroine tossing divorce papers on her husband’s desk,
Against
the Odds
does take a turn and lean toward the sweeter side of romance with a nice ending.

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