Stephanie Turner

As far as YUL goes, this was a pretty interesting book. I can???t say it was totally original but nothing really is. It did put an interesting spin on a love triangle set in a dismal tyrannical future society. There were a lot of similarities to the Hunger Games but I wouldn???t call it a knock off. I will certainly buy the next book.

Hell yes!

Ok so I haven't been super impressed with Showalter's shorts but this one rocked. Not only is B my new favorite girl but there was loin clothes, oil, and hot guys wresteling! Why hasn't that been in more books? There is a God and he is a good one. Read this and read it now.

In a lot of these books the women are very cookie cutter but Nike isn't perfect. She is bigger and actually has muscles. Most men wouldn't give her a second glance but Atlus thinks she is perfect and she is to him. I love that. He found her beautiful and the things that would make her too manly, made him love her more. For a short story it was entertaining. I am thinking that it will help out in the next book too. There were hints.

I love supernatural romance or fantasy romance whatever you want to call them. But I have read so many of them that they sometimes become too predictable. I am always on the lookout for books and series that can hold my interest and throw a couple of curve balls too. So far Showalter has been able to do just that.
This book is predictable is some ways but in others it has an originality that I truly enjoyed. Danika is like so many women. She faces obstacles that are overwhelming but she does everything in her power to be strong and protect herself and the ones she loves. For most of the book she keeps falling short but in the end she finds a strength in her gift that makes her stronger than she could have ever dreamed.

Plus Showalter brings in a wicked question to have ask yourself, ???Can I physically harm the person I care about if pain is pleasurable to that person???? J.R. Ward had a book in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series that asked the same thing. Showalter managed to avoid going so dark and depressing though.
The two series are very similar and I like them both, but Showalter is not nearly as dark or hard core as Ward. You should try them both and see which one you like more.

This series just keeps getting better. Showalter does a great job creating a strong female character that is flawed and venerable too. In some books if the woman is physically strong she loses that vulnerability that makes her relatable. Anya is so many things wrapped into one person. I really like her. And Lucien??????. well he is her opposite in so many ways but they balance each other. I thought it was a nice change from the norm that it was the man with the insecurities about his physical appearance. He is a beautiful contradiction. He is completely confident in his strength and abilities to fight while he is unable to believe that any one could ever find him attractive. Watching the struggle with physical and emotional flaws is both entertaining and uplifting in this book. All of the characters in the book are so intriguing that I can???t wait to read their personal story.

This book has what every girl secretly dreams of even if she doesn???t know it. The reason girls go for the bad boy is because they want to be the one that he loves so much that he can???t help but change his ways for her. That is what you get with this book. Maddox is not only a hardened warrior with a heart of stone but is also holding the demon of violence inside of him. Showalter leads you through the struggle he and Ashlyn must overcome to not only find love but happiness.
I like how strong the male characters are because that protective domineering thing is truly hot but Showalter evens the playing field too. Sometimes it gets to be a little too much ???Me Tarzan, You Jane.??? in these kind of books but the women hold their own ground. They make contributions to solving both the internal and external conflicts of the story.
I really liked this book and have gotten a little addicted to the series. If you like supernatural romance with hot guys, sex, and violence this is the book for you.

First off you don???t have to read this book to understand the series. It isn???t the best book in the series but it was worth a listen. If you are as spellbound by this series as I am, this book will squash the curiosity bug. After I read the first book I wondered about the story that started the avalanche of the Lords beginning. Several questions I had formed about the Lords were answered in this book and I do recommend reading it, but after reading book 1 The Darkest Night. The reason being that if you read The Darkest Fire first you might not fully appreciate the theme of sacrificing for love and how the emotion creates strength rather than weakness. I really like these books and give the series 2 thumbs up.

Dear God! I guess I have been spoilt by books that have halfway realistic dialog, plots, and female characters that are not sniveling crybabies. If weak women, boorish cavemen, and unrealistic plots are what you are craving by all means buy this book. I hated the main character so much in the first 20 minutes I started hoping she would maybe get possessed by a demon. At least that way she would be interesting and less pathetic. But no such luck. And the narrator should have been reading a Whinny the Pooh book not a fantasy romance. It was kind of creepy and really annoying. Don???t waste your time or money.

Ward does a great job of sharing the focus of a book with more than one character. This book really adds a lot of depth to the other angles. I also think that Ward does a great job with the same sex relationships and the dynamics in them. If you are straight laced this book might be a bit much for you but if you like a variety Ward delivers. I had fun reading every part of the book. I am looking forward to the next in the series.

Ward writing style is predictable but in a good way. You know what you are getting when you read one of her books. There is lots of internal struggle and self-loathing with redemption at the end of the tunnel. Don???t get me wrong, this book is worth the read and I enjoyed it. The male characters are strong, protective, hard, and damaged and for the most part so are the female characters in their own way. I like that the men might be doing the whole cave man protective thing that most women outwardly shun but inwardly love but it is the women that end up doing just as much of the saving.

Hard, Sexy, Dark

Though this series is set in the same city as the BDB there are only a passing mention of vampires in this series. I am betting that J.R. will have paths crossing in the future but it hasn???t happened much yet.
This book has the same hard and dark style as her other works but it is original enough to spark interest. The characters are stimulating and freaking sexy. Ward built a great plot and filled it with characters that you get invested in. She sprinkles in just the right amount of sex to make the books naughty but not so much that you start fast forwarding. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the dark side of fantasy romance