Category Archives: Amanda Bonilla

Stacking the Shelves #30
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Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Vampire et Indésirable (Queen Betsy, 8) – MaryJanice Davidson

Soixante-quinze mille loups-garous enragés !
Voilà ce qui attend Betsy lorsqu’elle ramène à sa meute le corps de son amie Anthonia. Celle-ci est morte sous ses ordres et Betsy, rongée par la culpabilité, ignore quel accueil lui réservent les loups. Mais alors que Sinclair et elle essaient de faire bonne figure auprès de leurs hôtes, des messages les alertent du comportement étrange de sa demi-soeur. La fille du diable révèle son véritable visage… et se prépare à leur faire vivre un enfer.
 
Un grand merci à Zendastark!!!
Something secret this way comes (Secret McQueen, 1) – Sierra Dean
For Secret McQueen, her life feels like the punch line for a terrible joke. Abandoned at birth by her werewolf mother, hired as a teen by the vampire council of New York City to kill rogues, Secret is a part of both worlds, but belongs to neither. At twenty-two, she has carved out as close to a normal life as a bounty hunter can.

When an enemy from her past returns with her death on his mind, she is forced to call on every ounce of her mixed heritage to save herself—and everyone else in the city she calls home. As if the fate of the world wasn’t enough to deal with, there’s Lucas Rain, King of the East Coast werewolves, who seems to believe he and Secret are fated to be together. Too bad Secret also feels a connection with Desmond, Lucas’s second-in-command…

 The trouble with Fate (Mystwalker, 1) – Leigh Evans

My name is Hedi Peacock and I have a secret. I’m not human, and I have the pointy Fae ears and Were inner-bitch to prove it. As fairy tales go, my childhood was damn near perfect, all fur and magic until a werewolf killed my father and the Fae executed my mother. I’ve never forgiven either side. Especially Robson Trowbridge. He was a part-time werewolf, a full-time bastard, and the first and only boy I ever loved. That is, until he became the prime suspect in my father’s death…

Today I’m a half-breed barista working at a fancy coffee house, living with my loopy Aunt Lou and a temperamental amulet named Merry, and wondering where in the world I’m going in life. A pretty normal existence, considering. But when a pack of Weres decides to kidnap my aunt and force me to steal another amulet, the only one who can help me is the last person I ever thought I’d turn to: Robson Trowbridge. And he’s as annoyingly beautiful as I remember. That’s the trouble with fate: Sometimes it barks. Other times it bites. And the rest of the time it just breaks your heart. Again… 

Crave the Darkness (Shaede Assassin, 3) – Amanda Bonilla

Nothing comes easy for Darian. Her heightened powers make her indispensable to the Shaede Nation, but dangerous missions have driven her lover, Tyler, to his breaking point. Darian must salvage their bond, but a new assignment to protect Anya—a fellow Shaede and the first of their kind to become pregnant in centuries—stands in their way.

It doesn’t help that the two Shaedes are longtime rivals and share nothing besides mutual hatred. But when it becomes clear that someone—or something—is bent on destroying the expectant mother and her unborn child, Darian must put her feelings aside and track down Anya’s would-be assassin.

As she probes into Anya’s past, Darian digs up long-buried secrets—and a connection between Tyler and the mission that could destroy everything between them… 

 


Guest Post: Amanda Bonilla and Giveaway
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Amanda Bonilla is the author of the Urban Fantasy series: Shaede Assassin. The three first books of the series are When Shadows Call (June 5th,2012), Shaedes of Gray (December 6th, 2011), Blood Before Sunrise (July 3rd, 2012)
Amanda Bonilla est l’auteure de la série Urban Fantasy Shaede Assassin. Les trois premiers lives de la série sont When Shadows Call (5 Juin 2012), Shaedes of Gray (6 Décembre 2011), Blood Before Sunrise (3 Juillet 2012)
Do Alpha Females Have a Place in Romance?
Thanks so much to Between Dreams and Reality for having me as a guest today!
When it comes to romance, I think that most readers start a book or series with a few preconceived notions. One of those being that the story will feature an alpha male, coupled with a female counterpart who is fiery, but ultimately has no choice than to bend to the alpha’s will. He’s strong, charming, protective (sometimes overly so), and nothing or no one will stand in his way when it comes to claiming the heroine as his own. But what happens when a story breaks out of the typical male/female roles? Can an alpha female successfully star in a romance novel?
I don’t believe that male characters get to have the monopoly on emotional baggage. Women, especially the alpha-female can be introverted. She can be a deeply damaged character with a horrible past. An alpha female can be living with the burden of guilt, a history of bad decisions, or addiction just like a damaged hero can. An alpha female isn’t always touchy-feely. And sometimes, just sometimes, she buries her feelings and pushes people away out of fear of opening up to someone. I think it’s great to see a story with an emotionally stable male MC who has to chisel his way through the tough shell of a woman. 
Sex scenes with an alpha female can be just as great as scenes with an alpha male. The alpha female isn’t a cold-hearted harpy who, once she gets her jollies—and instructs her bedmate in the ways to satisfy her with all the personality of a pit-bull—promptly kicks her man out of bed and sends him on his way. Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. An alpha female isn’t bossy in bed. And so far, I’ve yet to see a movie or read a book with an alpha female who kicks her love interest to the bricks after an hour or two of hot sex. She might not show it…but deep down, she wants love and affection. She just isn’t ready to accept that she’s worthy of love. 
But that’s where the stable male MC comes in. In a traditional alpha male romance, it’s the heroine’s job to assure him that he’s worthy of her adoration and affection. She wants nothing more than to “fix” him. When we reverse the roles, the male MC gets to show his tender side by slowly winning the love of the alpha female and proving to her that she is worthy of his adoration and affection. He fixes her.
Perhaps it’s due to our roles as wives and mothers, that women are inherently perceived as care-givers and nurturers. Because of this perception, it’s unthinkable that a woman could be a scattered, emotional wreck of a creature that has closed herself off from all emotional connection. It’s unthinkable that a woman could make countless mistakes in her life that she regrets because women aren’t allowed to make mistakes. Too many people depend on us for us to be anything less than perfect. But more now than ever, men are taking on the roles as care-givers in their homes. They’re stay-at-home dads who take the kids to soccer and their doctor’s appointments. They cook dinner, kiss boo-boos, and offer emotional support to their bread-winner wives who work fifty or more hours a week to support their families. 
Despite my desire to see more alpha-females in romance, I can’t deny that I also love to read stories with dynamic alpha-male characters. But I do believe that’s there is room for both archetypes in genre fiction. Particularly, romance. What do you think? Do you prefer the damaged alpha male or would you like to see more role reversal in romance?
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Les femelles Alpha ont-elles leur place en Romance ?
Merci à Between Dreams and Reality de m’avoir en tant qu’invité aujourd’hui !
Quand on parle de romance, je pense que la plupart des lecteurs commencent un livre ou une série avec des idées préconçues. La première est que l’histoire mettra en avant un alpha mâle, en couple avec son homologue, une femelle fougueuse, mais qui n’a finalement pas d’autre choix que de se soumettre au bon vouloir de l’alpha. Il est fort, charmant, protecteur (parfois un peu trop), et rien ni personne ne peut se mettre en travers de son chemin quand il veut clamer l’héroïne en tant que sienne. Mais que se passe-t-il quand une histoire change les rôles traditionnels mâle/femelle ? Une femme alpha peut-elle parfaitement briller dans un roman de romance ?
Je ne crois pas que les personnages mâles doivent avoir le monopole des bagages émotionnels. Les femmes, surtout les femelles alphas peuvent être introverties.  Elle peut être complètement endommagée avec un passé terrible. Une femelle alpha peut vivre avec le fardeau de la culpabilité, de mauvaises décisions, ou d’addictions comme un héro endommagé pourrait le faire. Une femelle alpha n’est pas toujours très sentimentale. Et parfois, seulement parfois, elle enfouit ses sentiments et rejette les gens de peur de s’ouvrir à quelqu’un. Je pense que c’est bien de voir une histoire avec un mâle émotionnellement stable qui se fraie un chemin à travers la carapace d’une femme.
Les scènes de sexe avec une femelle alpha peuvent être aussi bien que celles avec un mâle alpha. L’alpha femelle n’est pas une harpie sans cœur qui, une fois qu’elle obtient ce qu’elle veut – et explique à son amant comment la satisfaire avec la personnalité d’un pit-bull – le jette hors de son lit et le vire de chez elle. Non. Non, non, non. Une femelle alpha n’est pas tyrannique au lit. Loin de là, je n’ai pas encore vu un film ou lu un livre avec une femelle alpha qui oublie son intérêt avec une heure ou deux de super sexe. Elle pourrait bien ne pas le montrer… mais au plus profond d’elle-même, elle cherche l’amour et l’affection. Elle n’est seulement pas prête à accepter qu’elle mérite l’amour.
Mais c’est là que l’homme stable entre en scène. Dans une traditionnelle romance avec un alpha mâle, c’est le travail de l’héroïne de s’assurer qu’il mérite son adoration et affection. Elle ne veut rien de plus que de le « réparer ». Quand on échange les rôles, le mâle doit montrer son coté tendre en gagnant petit à petit le cœur de la femelle alpha et en luiprouvant qu’elle mérite son adoration et affection. Il la répare.
Peut-être que c’est dû à nos rôles de femmes et de mères, que les femmes sont toujours perçues comme affectives et nourricières. Avec cette perception, c’est impensable d’avoir une femme perdue, une épave émotionnelle qui s’est fermée à toutes relations affectives. C’est impensable d’avoir une femme qui puisse faire un nombre incalculable d’erreurs dans sa vie qu’elle regrette à présent car les femmes n’ont pas le droit de faire des erreurs. Trop de personnes dépendent de nous pour que l’on puisse être autre chose que parfaites. Mais plus que tout de nos jours, les hommes prennent le rôle affectueux chez eux. Ils deviennent des hommes au foyer qui emmènent les enfants au foot et aux rendez-vous chez le médecin. Ils cuisinent, font des bisous sur les bobos, et offrent le support émotionnel à leurs femmes qui rapportent le gagne pain à la maison après cinquante ou plus d’heures par semaine pour aider leur famille.
En dépit de mon désir de voir plus de femelle alpha en romance, je ne peux pas nier que j’adore lire des histoires avec de dynamiques mâle alphas. Mais je crois qu’il y a assez de place pour chaque archétype en fiction. Surtout en romance. Qu’en pensez-vous ? Préférez-vous une mâle alpha endommagé ou voudriez vous voir ce rôle inversé en romance ?
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Amanda Bonilla lives in rural Idaho with her husband and two kids. She’s a part-time pet wrangler, a full-time sun worshipper, and only goes out into the cold when coerced. She loves the outdoors, black clothes, pink appliances and thinks junk food should be a recognized food group. In the summer, she can be found sitting by the lake, enjoying the view from her dock.
Author’s website: http://www.amandabonilla.com

Synopsis: “She needed a bargaining chip and this was it. Raif’s daughter’s life for hers. And he knew damn good and well I was right. Just like he’d assured me the night I’d killed Azriel, this was far from over. His daughter was alive, I knew it. And I was going to find her.”

For months Darian and her Shaede guardian Raif have searched for the Oracle who attempted to overthrow the Shaede Nation—and kill Darian in the bargain. But now that they’ve finally found the half-crazed Oracle, for their efforts they are granted a possibility too painful for Raif to imagine, and too enticing for Darian to ignore.

Darian is determined to reunite Raif and the daughter he thought was dead, but her mission quickly proves dangerous when her lover Tyler is almost killed. And when a brooding and mysterious Fae warrior offers his guidance—at an extraordinary price—Darian finds herself willing to risk everything. As her single-minded hunt turns into an obsession, and she and Tyler grow further apart, Darian finds herself caught between the man she loves like a brother, and the man whose love she can’t live without…

Thanks to Amanda Bonilla for this wonderful post. You can win a paperback copy of Blood Before Sunrise (Shaede Assassin, 2). International if bookdepository ships to you. The giveaway ends on October 1st.

Merci à Amanda Bonilla pour ce merveilleux post. Vous pouvez gagner une copie de Blood Before Sunrise (Shaede Assassin, 2). Le concours est international si Bookdepository livre chez vous. Le concours se termine le 1er Octobre.


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When Shadows Call by Amanda Bonilla
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Shaede Assassin, Book 0.5

Synopsis: The envy of 1900s society, Darian is the rich, beautiful wife of a prominent Californian doctor—but her life is far from perfect. For years, Darian has suffered at the hand of her cruel husband and yearned for an escape—one that she knows to be all but impossible.

But when an enigmatic stranger comes to call, Darian finds herself charmed by his seductive smile and the inexplicable connection she feels. And when he makes her a thrilling—yet frightening—proposition, Darian must decide if she’s strong enough to abandon the mortal world she knows and answer the shadow’s call…

Review: Do you know I love the Amanda Bonilla books? Yes, really! This series is just amazing, so it was impossible for me to not buy this little novella as soon as it was out. Well I even throw myself on it. I was very impatient to learn more about Darian, well ok, I think I always want to know more about her. But who canblame me?
We already had some notions about her past by her memories in the two first books but it’s true that it was a pleasure to have everything in details here. Our heart is broken when we see the battered woman she was, the free woman she becomes. And when we see the person she hasmanaged to be, we can only imagine what she had enduredto get there. This novel helps us to understand her feelings and her choices now, yes, because she had a very difficult life.
I’m happy to have discovered this book after reading the two others, It allowed me to put everything in perspective and to understand what was happening. Because this story has totally turned the life of our heroine upside down, and made the person we meet in the two first books.
The author has a real talent to convey the feelings of the characters and I find myself hooked by the story by requesting more and more. How could it be different? It’s impossible! It was a wonderful novella and I can only recommend this series, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Some fabulous ideas, a fluid writing style, many touching characters, so what are you waiting for?

When Shadows Call d’Amanda Bonilla (VO)
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Shaede Assassin, Tome 0.5

Résumé (traduction personnelle) : Dans une société du XVIIIe siècle, Darian est la femme riche et belle du célèbre docteur Californien – mais sa vie est loin d’être parfaite. Depuis des années Darian souffre sous la main de son mari cruel et cherche à s’échapper – chose qu’elle sait impossible.

Mais quand un énigmatique étranger se présente, Darian se retrouve charmée par ce séduisant sourire et par l’incompréhensible connexion qu’elle ressent. Et quand il lui propose un magnifique – bien qu’effrayant – choix, Darian pourrait bien décider qu’elle est assez forte pour abandonner le monde mortel qu’elle connait et répondre à l’appel de l’ombre…

Avis : Vous savez comme j’adore Amanda Bonilla ? Si, si littéralement !! Cette série est un véritable coup de cœur pour moi, alors comment ne pas acheter le préquel de la série quand il est sorti ? Je me suis plutôt jetée dessus, oui. J’avais hâte d’en apprendre plus sur Darian, bon d’accord, je crois que j’ai toujours hâte d’en savoir plus sur elle en fait lol. Mais qui peut m’en vouloir ?
On avait déjà abordé dans les livres sa vie passée par quelques souvenirs mais c’est vrai qu’avoir ici en détail ce qu’il s’est passé était un vrai régal. Notre cœur se brise quand on voit la femme battue qu’elle était, la femme libre qu’elle est devenue et rien que de voir la personne qu’elle a réussi à se forger, on ne peut que s’imaginer tout ce qu’elle a enduré pour en arriver là. Ce tome nous aide à mieux comprendre les sentiments et les choix qu’elle fait à présent car, oui, elle n’a vraiment pas eu une vie facile.
Je suis contente d’avoir pu découvrir ce livre après avoir lu les deux premiers, ça m’a permis de mettre les choses en perspective et de mieux comprendre tout ce qu’il se passait. Car cette histoire a totalement changé la vie de notre héroïne, et a fait d’elle ce qu’elle est dans les deux premiers romans.
L’auteure a un réel talent pour faire passer les sentiments des personnages et je me prends au jeu à chaque fois en en demandant toujours plus. Comment en être autrement ? C’est impossible ! C’était une magnifique novella et je ne peux que recommander cette série au plus haut point, je suis sûre que vous ne serez pas déçus. Des idées fabuleuses, un style fluide, des personnages attachants, alors qu’est-ce que vous attendez ?

Stacking the Shelves #11
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Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Les traductions sont personnelles

 Under Wraps (Underworld Dectection Agency Chronicles, 1) – Hannah Jayne
Sick of wrongful-death lawsuits every time a full moon comes around?
Call the Underworld Detection Agency. 

As a human immune to magic, Sophie Lawson can help everyone from banshee to zombie transition into normal, everyday San Francisco life. With a handsome werewolf as her UDA boss and a fashionista vampire for a roommate, Sophie knows everything there is to know about the undead, the unseen, and the uncanny. . .
Until a rash of gruesome murders has demons and mortals running for cover, and Sophie finds herself playing sidekick to detective Parker Hayes. Dodging raging bloodsuckers, bad-tempered fairies, and love-struck trolls is one thing. But when Sophie discovers Parker isn’t what he seems, she’s got only one chance to figure out whom to trust. Because an evil hiding in plain sight is closing in. . .and about to make one wisecracking human its means to ultimate power. . .

Fatigué d’être accusé de poursuites pour morts injustifiées à chaque pleine lune?
Appelez L’Agence de Détection de L’Underworld.
En tant qu’humaine immunisée contre la magie, Sophie Lawson peut aider tout le monde des Banshees à la transition d’un zombie dans la vie de San Francisco. Avec un charmant loup-garou en tant que patron et un vampire fashionista pour colocataire, Sophie connait que tout ce qu’il y a à savoir sur les morts, les invisibles et les personnes étranges…
Jusqu’à ce qu’une série de meurtres se répande et que démons et humains fuient se mettre à l’abri. Sophie se retrouve alors à jouer à l’acolyte détective Parker Hayes. Esquiver des suceurs de sang en colère, des faes mal lunés, et un troll follement amoureux est une chose. Mais quand Sophie découvre que Parker n’est pas celui qu’il semble être, il ne lui reste qu’une chance pour savoir en qui elle peut avoir confiance. Comme un démon se cachant à la vue de tous se rapproche petit à petit… et s’apprête à faire d’un humain son but pour le pouvoir ultime.

 

Grave Memory (Alex Craft, 3) – Kalayna Price


When the dead need to talk, Alex Craft is always ready to listen…

As a Grave Witch, Alex solves murders by raising the dead—an ability that comes at a cost, and after her last few cases, that cost is compounding. But her magic isn’t the only thing causing havoc in her life. While she’s always been on friendly terms with Death himself, things have recently become a whole lot more close and personal. Then there’s her sometime partner, agent Falin Andrews, who is under the glamour of the Winter Queen. To top everything off, her best friend has been forever changed by her time spent captive in Faerie.

But the personal takes a backseat to the professional when a mysterious suicide occurs in Nekros City and Alex is hired to investigate. The shade she raises has no memory of the days leading up to his brutal ending, so despite the very public apparent suicide, this is murder. But what kind of magic can overcome the human will to survive? And why does the shade lack the memory of his death? Searching for the answer might mean Alex won’t have a life to remember at all…


Quand les morts parlent, Alex Craft est toujours prête à écouter…
En tant que sorcière des tombes, Alex résout les meurtres en relevant les morts – un don qui vient avec un prix, et après quelques affaires, le prix s’en fait ressentir. Mais sa magie n’est la seule chose qui pose un problème dans sa vie. Alors qu’elle a toujours eu des liens amicaux avec la Mort elle-même, les choses sont devenues beaucoup plus personnelles. Ensuite, il y a aussi son partenaire occasionnel, l’agent Falin Andrews, qui est influencé par le glamour de la Reine de l’Hiver. Pour couronner le tout, sa meilleure amie a été changée par son temps passé captive en Fairie.
Mais le personnel se retrouve en arrière plan par rapport au professionnel quand un suicide mystérieux se déroule à Nekros City et qu’Alex est engagée pour enquêter. L’ombre qu’elle relève n’a pas de souvenirs des jours qui ont précédés sa fin brutale, d’après donc le suicide apparent, c’est un meurtre. Quel genre de magie peut surpasser l’envie de survivre des humains ? Et pourquoi l’ombre n’a-t-elle aucuns souvenirs de sa mort ? En cherchant une réponse, Alex pourrait bien ne pas avoir de vie à se souvenir.

 

La Compagne de l’Archange (Guild hunter, 3) – Nalini Singh
Nalini Singh steps back into the shadows of her “heartbreakingly original”* world where angels rule, vampires serve, and the innocent can pay the greatest price of all…

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new evil…

A vampire has attacked a girls’ school—the assault one of sheer, vicious madness—and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders.

The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear.

An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed…

« Après les mésaventures de Pékin et une longue convalescence, me voici enfin prête à regagner Manhattan en compagnie de mon Archange. Mais les éléments se déchaînent aux quatre coins du monde, provoquant des désastres sans précédent qui font trembler le Cadre. Si l’on en croit la légende, il semble qu’un Ancien se réveille, et croyez-moi, ça n’augure rien de bon ! »


Blood Before Sunrise (Shaede Assassin, 2) – Amanda Bonilla


“She needed a bargaining chip and this was it. Raif’s daughter’s life for hers. And he knew damn good and well I was right. Just like he’d assured me the night I’d killed Azriel, this was far from over. His daughter was alive, I knew it. And I was going to find her.”


For months Darian and her Shaede guardian Raif have searched for the Oracle who attempted to overthrow the Shaede Nation—and kill Darian in the bargain. But now that they’ve finally found the half-crazed Oracle, for their efforts they are granted a possibility too painful for Raif to imagine, and too enticing for Darian to ignore.

Darian is determined to reunite Raif and the daughter he thought was dead, but her mission quickly proves dangerous when her lover Tyler is almost killed. And when a brooding and mysterious Fae warrior offers his guidance—at an extraordinary price—Darian finds herself willing to risk everything. As her single-minded hunt turns into an obsession, and she and Tyler grow further apart, Darian finds herself caught between the man she loves like a brother, and the man whose love she can’t live without…

“Elle avait besoin d’un échange, et voilà ce qu’il en était. La vie de la fille de Raif contre la sienne. Et il savait parfaitement que j’avais raison. Comme quand il m’avait assuré la nuit où j’avais tué Azriel, que c’était loin d’être fini. Sa fille était vivante, je le savais. Et je vais la retrouver.”


Depuis des mois, Darian et son gardien le Shaede Raif, recherchent l’Oracle qui a tenté de renverser la Nation Shaede – et de tuer Darian par la même occasion. Mais maintenant qu’ils ont finalement trouvés l’Oracle à moitié folle, leurs efforts sont récompensés par une proposition trop difficile pour Raif et trop alléchante pour que Darian l’ignore.

Darian est déterminée à réunir Raif et sa fille qu’il pensait morte, mais sa mission devient très vite dangereuse quand son amant Tyler se fait presque tuer. Et quand un guerrier Fae mystérieux et maussade lui offre d’être son guide – pour un prix extraordinaire – Darian se voit tout risquer. Tandis que sa quête se tourne en obsession, et qu’elle et Tyler s’éloignent de plus en plus, Darian se retrouve entre l’homme qu’elle aime comme un frère, et l’homme sans qui elle ne pourrait pas vivre…

 

Stacking the Shelves #9
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 When Shadows Call (Shaede Assassin, 0.5) – Amanda Bonilla


The envy of 1900s society, Darian is the rich, beautiful wife of a prominent Californian doctor—but her life is far from perfect. For years, Darian has suffered at the hand of her cruel husband and yearned for an escape—one that she knows to be all but impossible.

But when an enigmatic stranger comes to call, Darian finds herself charmed by his seductive smile and the inexplicable connection she feels. And when he makes her a thrilling—yet frightening—proposition, Darian must decide if she’s strong enough to abandon the mortal world she knows and answer the shadow’s call…

Dans une société du XVIIIème sièvle, Darian est la femme riche et belle du célèbre docteur Californien – mais sa vie est loin d’être parfaite. Depuis des années Darian souffre sous la main de son mari cruel et cherche à s’échapper – chose qu’elle sait impossible.
Mais quand un énigmatique étranger se présente, Darian se retrouve charmée par ce séduisant sourire et par l’incompréhensible connexion qu’elle ressent. Et quand il lui propose un magnifique – bien qu’effrayant – choix, Darian pourrait bien décidé qu’elle est assez forte pour abandonner le monde mortel qu’elle connait et répondre à l’appel de l’ombre…
 Mords-moi/Bite me (Demon Underground, 1) – Parker Blue
Eighteen-year-old Valentine Shapiro got a raw deal in the parent lottery. Her father was part incubus demon, and her mother’s never forgiven her for that. Thrown out of the house by her mother, Val does the only thing that seems to make any sense—she takes aim at the town vampires. A stake a day keeps the demon at bay. Soon enough, she finds herself deep in the underbelly of the city, discovering the secrets of the Demon Underground with the help of her faithful hellhound, Fang, and fighting to save those she loves. Whether they love her back or not.
Née d’un père démon et d’une mère humaine, Val est unique en son genre et a parfois du mal à jongler avec ses deux natures. Jeune fille banale le jour, tueuse redoutable la nuit, pas facile de s’intégrer, même au sein de sa propre famille !

Alors quand celle-ci lui tourne le dos, Val n’hésite pas à s’engager, avec son chien Croc, aux côtés de Dan, un coéquipier qui ne la laisse pas indifférente, dans la lutte menée par le Service des Crimes Obscurs. Leur mission : démanteler un réseau de vampires et trouver ce que cache l’étrange Association Sang-Neuf.

Mais lorsque sa sœur disparaît, Val est prête à tout pour découvrir la vérité, au risque d’en apprendre peut-être trop…

Est-elle vraiment un être à part, comme on le lui a toujours affirmé ? Pourra-t-elle encore contrôler le démon qu’elle dissimule quand ceux qu’elle aime sont en danger ?


Archangel’s Blade (Guild Hunter, 4) – Nalini Singh

The severed head marked by a distinctive tattoo on its cheek should have been a Guild case, but dark instincts honed over hundreds of years of life compel the vampire Dmitri to take control. There is something twisted about this death, something that whispers of centuries long past…but Dmitri’s need to discover the truth is nothing to the vicious strength of his response to the hunter assigned to decipher the tattoo.

Savaged in a brutal attack that almost killed her, Honor is nowhere near ready to come face to face with the seductive vampire who is an archangel’s right hand and who wears his cruelty as boldly as his lethal sensuality…the same vampire who has been her secret obsession since the day she was old enough to understand the inexplicable, violent emotions he aroused in her.

As desire turns into a dangerous compulsion that might destroy them both, it becomes clear the past will not stay buried. Something is hunting and it will not stop until it brings a blood-soaked nightmare to life once more…

La tête coupée marquée d’un tatouage distinctif sur une joue aurait du être une affaire de la Guilde, mais des instincts noirs gagnés par des centaines d’années oblige Dmitri a prendre le contrôle de l’enquête. Il y a quelque chose qui ne va pas au sujet de cette mort, quelle chose qui chuchote au sujet des siècles passés… mais le besoin de Dmitri de découvrir la vérité, n’est rien comparé à la force vicieuse du chasseur en charge de la détermination du tatouage.
Ravagée par une attaque brutale qui l’a presque tuée, Honor n’est pas prête à faire face à ce séduisant vampire qui se trouve être le bras droit d’un archange et qui est aussi sensuel que mortel… Ce même vampire qui est devenu son obsession depuis le jour où elle a été assez âgée pour comprendre les inexplicables et violentes émotions qu’il suscitait.
Tandis que le désire se transforme en compulsion qui pourrait bien les détruire tous les deux, il devient clair que le passé ne peut rester enfoui. Quelque chose est en chasse et il ne s’arrêtera pas avant d’avoir ramené un cauchemar à la vie.

Die for me (revenants, 1) – Amy Plum

In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.

When Kate Mercier’s parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life–and memories–behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.

Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate’s guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he’s a revenant–an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

Ma vie a toujours été délicieusement, magnifiquement normale. Mais il a suffi d’un instant pour que tout bascule. Soudainement, ma sœur Georgina et moi-même étions orphelines. On a rangé nos vies dans un garde-meuble et on a déménagé à Paris pour vivre avec nos grand-parents. Je savais que mon cœur brisé, ma vie brisée ne reviendraient jamais à la normale. Puis j’ai rencontré Vincent.

Mystérieux, sexy, au charme déconcertant, Vincent Delacroix est apparu de nulle part et m’a fait perdre pied. D’un seul coup, mon cœur était en danger d’être brisé à nouveau. Mais j’étais prête à laisser faire. Bien sûr, rien n’est jamais aussi simple. Car Vincent n’est pas un humain normal. Il a une destinée terrifiante, une destinée qui met sa vie en danger chaque jour. Il a aussi des ennemis… immortels, des ennemis meurtriers qui sont déterminés à le détruire lui et ceux de son espèce.

Alors que je lutte pour rapiécer les fragments de ma vie, puis-je risquer de mettre mon cœur -ainsi que ma vie et celle de ma famille- en jeu pour donner une chance à l’amour ?

Shaedes of Gray (Shaede Assassin, 1) – Amanda Bonilla



In the shadows of the night, Darian has lived alone for almost a century. Made and abandoned by her former love, Darian is the last of her kind-an immortal Shaede who can slip into darkness as easily as breathing. With no one else to rely on, she has taught herself how to survive, using her unique skills to become a deadly assassin.

When Darian’s next mark turns out to be Xander Peck, King of the Shaede Nation, her whole worldview is thrown into question. Darian begins to wonder if she’s taken on more than her conscience will allow. But a good assassin never leaves a job unfinished…

Dans les ombres de la nuit, Darian vit seule depuis presque un siècle. Créée et abandonnée par son amant, Darian est la dernière de son espèce, une immortelle Shaede qui peut se fondre dans l’ombre aussi facilement qu’elle respire. N’ayant personne sur qui s’appuyer, elle a appris toute seule comment survivre, utilisant son seul don pour devenir un assassin. 

Quand la prochaine cible de Darian se révèle être Xander Peck, le roi de la nation Shaede, tout son monde est remis en question. Darian commence à se demander si ça lui demandera plus que sa conscience ne peut lui permettre. Mais un bon assassin ne laisse jamais un travail inaccompli.

Blood Before Sunrise by Amanda Bonilla
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Shaede Assassin, Book 2

Synopsis: “She needed a bargaining chip and this was it. Raif’s daughter’s life for hers. And he knew damn good and well I was right. Just like he’d assured me the night I’d killed Azriel, this was far from over. His daughter was alive, I knew it. And I was going to find her.”

For months Darian and her Shaede guardian Raif have searched for the Oracle who attempted to overthrow the Shaede Nation—and kill Darian in the bargain. But now that they’ve finally found the half-crazed Oracle, for their efforts they are granted a possibility too painful for Raif to imagine, and too enticing for Darian to ignore.

Darian is determined to reunite Raif and the daughter he thought was dead, but her mission quickly proves dangerous when her lover Tyler is almost killed. And when a brooding and mysterious Fae warrior offers his guidance—at an extraordinary price—Darian finds herself willing to risk everything. As her single-minded hunt turns into an obsession, and she and Tyler grow further apart, Darian finds herself caught between the man she loves like a brother, and the man whose love she can’t live without…

Review: I really loved the first volume and I was more than curious to have the possibility to get into this new book. I confess I was a little anxious to be disappointed as it’s always a little complicated to surpass a book we really enjoyed. But WOW, I loved this one as well, it’s just amazing. When I think that I doubted about it, what nonsense!
This second volume perfectly follows the first one. Indeed, we find Darian who investigates about the Oracle, Delilah, as she left after the big battle in book 1. But everything is more complicated and when they finally find her, she claims to everyone that she knows where Brakae, the Raif’s daughter, is. Of course Darian is immediately intrigued by these words, despite Raif tells her to not care about that. But you know how is Darian, she is so stubborn, and it’s not Raif who will change her mind about this new quest, nor anyone else. However, everything is turned upside down when many persons try to prevent her about a new real danger and when Tyler is weakened and very moody all the time.
It was so pleasant to see Darian with our little Jinn, as she always was alone before. We understand that this relation will also be complicated between an overprotective Tyler and a shaede a little too independent for her own good. It was really surprising to see the efforts that they both try to do to make their relationship work, but it’s also a difficult situation. I confess I asked myself a lot of questions all along the book about Tyler because I didn’t understand what was going on. It’s heartbreaking to see him so possessive and jealous, but he will also do everything to help and protect Darian.
Amanda Bonilla was able to beautifully recreate the feelings of the characters throughout the book, love as sorrow. It’s difficult for Darian to know what she really wants to do and in the same time it’s impossible for her to be totally opened to Tyler as she is afraid about the follow events, for protecting him as well. But she doesn’t realize that the consequences of her acts are terrible. The reactions of Tyler and Darian broke my heart all along the story. It was so sad to see what it generates on their relationship. But our heroin needs all these events to really understand how it is to have someone in her life, a thing she is not used to have. It’s difficult for her to learn but we know she couldn’t leave her Djinn as he is now a real part of her life. But when she knows she could help Raif, another person she cares about, she is ready to put everything in peril. We totally understand the choices of each character but it’s difficult to assist to all these events without saying anything.
Many things happen in this novel and Darian will end up with more responsibilities than she would have thought at first, or even us. I confess that everything was a real surprise; I didn’t expect that at all. The author succeeded in this challenge to make of this story a wonderful book, really! I was hooked by the book from the start, and it was quite complicated to not read the whole volume at once. The writing style is very fluid and perfectly rhythmic with no dead time. The fights are one more time perfectly described and we’re each time in the center of the action.
It’s always really easy to relate ourselves to Darian from the start as always. We perfectly feel the complexity of her feelings. She has evolved a lot since the first volume and she is now more vulnerable. It’s the reason why we can easily understand her acts. 
It’s been a while since I hadn’t read a book with a lump in my throat, a book that broke my heart like that. What a wonderful story! This novel is just awesome and if you enjoyed the first one I’m sure you’ll love this one. If you haven’t started the series yet, what are you waiting for? It’s so pleasant to have a book like that, a book so different from others.
To conclude, as I said, this book was really beautiful and now I really want to accelerate the time to read book 3.