Soulbound (Darkest London #6) by Kristen Callihan

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Once two souls are joined...

When Adam's soul mate rejected him, there was more at stake than his heart. After seven hundred years of searching, his true match would have ended the curse that keeps his spirit in chains. But beautiful, stubborn Eliza May fled—and now Adam is doomed to an eternity of anguish, his only hope for salvation gone...

Their hearts will beat together forever...

No matter how devilishly irresistible Adam was, Eliza couldn't stand the thought of relinquishing her freedom forever. So she escaped. But she soon discovers she is being hunted—by someone far more dangerous. The only man who can help is the one man she vowed never to see again. Now Adam's kindness is an unexpected refuge, and Eliza finds that some vows are made to be broken...

Soulbound is the sixth in the Darkest London series and if you have any worries about picking this up out of order, let me assure you that you needn’t be concerned. I myself am quite a bit behind as I'd only read the first one, Firelight. Normally, I don’t like to read a series out of order but I just couldn’t resist breaking my rule when it came to Soulbound. It’s so fascinating and imaginative that it’s hard not to get into it from the get go.

Eliza is on the verge of death after an attak when Adam comes along and saves her. Instead of freeing her, he keeps her chained to him because he believes that he has finally met his soulmate after centuries on his own. This arrangement hardly endears him towards her, instead resulting in bitterness. Who wouldn't be? She is ultimately rescued by her “aunt” Mab who is a powerful fae queen. Once she is rescued, Adam doesn’t see her for many years until one day, Eliza comes across him chained in a cell at her aunt’s house. He is now her aunt's personal plaything. How things have turned! Despite her hatred of him, Eliza can’t help but feel pity for Adam.

Between visits to Adam and interactions with her aunt, Eliza suspects that she isn't as free as she thought but instead is a pawn used by her aunt Mab and also Mellan, a man from her embarrassing past with whom she has some gruesome history. It’s up to Eliza to decide whether she should trust the unholy alliance of Mab and Mellan or trust Adam, the very man she grew to hate. At first it may seem she’s choosing between the lesser of two evils but she's also considering who will treat her as an equal. She chooses Adam and as you can guess, all hell breaks loose.

It’s valid to be outraged by how Adam kept Eliza. And later she reveals a very personal reason for why it hurt her to her core. What made my day was Adam's personal back story. His partnership with Eliza and their developing romance offer a surprising role reversal in regards to typical male female roles in romances. I liked that I didn’t expect it and that it levelled the playing field between the two of them. Their regard for each other grows stronger through the pages and I was delighted that they were experiencing some kind of happiness however brief it may appear to be.

Reading Soulbound was a nice reminder of how fantastic Callihan’s writing is. This is the same author who also wrote the excellent new adult romance The Hook Up. In the Darkest London series, she effortlessly draws you in with these amazing images, creative story arcs and connections. The language sets you back in time. This is a world where strong women govern their own minds and hearts, demanding a say in their own fates. And don’t get me started on how sexy the intimate encounters are! Sometimes the buildup is all you need. If anything, Soulbound has made me want to read the previous books so that I can revisit this paranormal world full of history, spells, intrigue and deals. Yes, you should read this too!

~ Bel

The Hook Up (Game On #1) by Kristen Callihan

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The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone, and above all… No falling in love.

Anna Jones just wants to finish college and figure out her life. Falling for star quarterback Drew Baylor is certainly not on her to do list. Confident and charming, he lives in the limelight and is way too gorgeous for his own good. If only she could ignore his heated stares and stop thinking about doing hot and dirty things with him. Easy right?

Too bad he’s committed to making her break every rule…

Football has been good to Drew. It’s given him recognition, two National Championships, and the Heisman. But what he really craves is sexy yet prickly Anna Jones. Her cutting humor and blatant disregard for his fame turns him on like nothing else. But there’s one problem: she's shut him down. Completely.

That is until a chance encounter leads to the hottest sex of their lives, along with the possibility of something great. Unfortunately, Anna wants it to remain a hook up. Now it’s up to Drew to tempt her with more: more sex, more satisfaction, more time with him. Until she’s truly hooked. It's a good thing Drew knows all about winning.

All’s fair in love and football…Game on.

New Adult/Contemporary Romance with a HEA - Recommended for readers 17 and older.

Look at this cover and you'll know immediately why I was encouraged to read this. If you're wanting a sizzling hot read, look no further because The Hook Up will have you squealing and biting down on your knuckles.

Anna and Drew first run into each other in their Philosophy class. They’re complete strangers who take no note of each other until Anna speaks and then Drew is mesmerized. Their physical attraction is instantaneous. Hell, by the time the prologue was done, I was mesmerized! Callihan doesn’t waste any time when it comes down to the action. Honestly, some of the scenes were so freaking hot, like your ereader could short-circuit and it's hard to contain yourself, they're so unbelievably hot!

These two kind of start their unconventional relationship backwards. It’s totally physical at first but then as much as Anna tries to maintain some control to keep it as just that, there’s no escaping Drew's charisma. And Drew is turned upside down by this girl who wants absolutely nothing to do with him or his celebrity status. Being with her is most certainly not some challenge for him to win. He genuinely wants to get to know who Anna is behind all that armor. So being “magic-time buddies” is not going to suffice for him. Now he just has to convince her.

It’s interesting how Drew is the one who is open to their possibility as a couple whereas Anna is the hold out. Her main hesitation is being in Drew’s spotlight. She prefers to fly under the radar. Being his girlfriend would mean being helpless to constant and invasive scrutiny, a terrifying thought that opens up old wounds for her. She doesn’t give in to Drew easily but he chips away at her skepticism slowly. There are many hurdles they have to jump over. When it seems that one success is gained, another event comes along to test them. Watching their friendship mature from where they began is truly a delightful thing to witness. And it’s smokin' all the way!

The Hook Up surprised me. It came as a recommendation promising passion and intensity. I definitely got that. I was quite fervent about getting back to it any time I was away from it. What I did not expect was the depth of the characters including the supporting players. As their story continued, I got to see Anna and Drew more than just what they had appeared to be at the beginning. Their problems aren’t resolved easily when a monumental event occurs that throws them off and makes them question everything. By the time I got to the end of the book, so much had transpired between them. 

Callihan has started a very impressive and exhilarating series that I’m very eager to read more of. And I'd like to thank her for rekindling my love of Siouxie and The Banshees. (You'll get it when you read it.) The second book, The Friend Zone featuring Drew’s teammate Gray, comes out in 2015. In the meantime, Anna and Drew have something that I just can’t get enough of so I’ll make do with re-reading The Hook Up just to placate myself. If you haven't gotten the hint yet, YES, you must read it!

~ Bel 

Kristen Callihan also pens the wildly successful Darkest London series, Firelight being the first. Connect with her: 

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Waiting on Wednesday (31)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.



By Sophie Jordan
Publication Date:  September 11, 2012

(From GoodReads)
Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the "prince" of their pride. But she resisted long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian's sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory.

The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there's no guarantee they'll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning....

Loyalties are tested and sacrifices made in the explosive conclusion to Sophie Jordan's Firelight trilogy.

Interview with Kristen Callihan author of Firelight (Paranormal Romance 18+)

Yesterday, I shared my review of the fabulous new paranormal romance novel, Firelight. Today I am so glad to have Kristen Callihan join us to chat more about her book, her writing inspirations and the exciting sequels she has planned! 

Kristen Callihan

On your blog you mention that Firelight is a retelling of Beauty and The Beast. You also drew upon an old Norwegian folktale and threw some paranormal into the mix. How did all of this come about?

The story of Firelight came to me while my daughter was watching Disney's Beauty and The Beast. But I'm half Norwegian so I grew up with the story of East of the Sun and West of the Moon, the inspiration for the beauty and the beast tale. In that story, the heroine plays a much more dynamic role, which I appreciated. So I took elements of both tales. As for the paranormal aspect, paranormal is one of my first loves. I like the idea that there is more to this world than meets the eye. It seemed logical to wrote a beauty and the beast tale – which usually involves curses – paranormal activity should be included.

Firelight is set in Victorian England. What is alluring about that time period for you?

Shallow answer: I LOVE the dresses! But Victorian England is also so wonderfully atmospheric. The fog, the darkness and despair, and yet with all of that, it was a time of great growth, both technological and societal. In that way, the Victorian era is much like our own, and I love writing for a time in which I can relate. Also, there is something very sexy about this outward facade of staid, respectable behavior, and a hidden world of debauchery. Victorians loved their bawdy sex; they just hid it well!

Miranda and her sisters are not typical of how women were expected to behave back then. They’re quite outspoken and independent. Miranda in particular has harbored a big secret all her life, engaged in theft, and now her less than ideal father is marrying her off. Yet she still feels loyalty towards him. Where do you think she finds the ability to be compassionate even though she’s had such hardships?

You're right; they don't fit the ideal Victorian woman mold. But then there were a lot of real women of Victorian age who didn't. Life was probably harder for those women, but thank God for their independent spirit, or we women would never have gotten anywhere.

As for Miranda's loyalty to her father, yeah, that's a tough one, because looking at it from the outside, one wants to say, fry him, he's a jerk! Lol. But the truth for many of us is that we want and crave our parent's love, even if they treat us badly. It's very hard to step away from a destructive pattern like that, especially for Miranda, who feels guilty over ruining her family's fortune.

Her compassion for Archer comes from her experiences in feeling like an outsider. She sees herself in him, and understands the pain of feeling alone in the world. Had she a sheltered childhood, she might have been more inclined to believe the gossip surrounding him.

One of the best things about Firelight is the sexual tension between Miranda and Lord Archer that plays out for a good duration of the book. How much fun did you have toying with the reader like that?

Thanks! I'm glad it worked for you. The truth is, I was toying with myself. Which is to say, I have to have fun with a story. It was fun for me to keep twisting the sexual tension between them tighter and tighter. But I also knew that it had to play out like that because this is a story of trust and secrets. Miranda couldn't get busy with Archer early on because she would know what he was hiding. This was a risk, because some readers like getting the sexual payoff early, but that was the way this particular story needed to be told.

Their verbal sparring is so good and it clearly demonstrates how highly Lord Archer thinks of his wife – also something not typical of men in that era. Was it exhausting or even challenging to keep their momentum going?

With Archer, he's lived too long and complicated a life to be drawn into social conventions – something that appeals to me about paranormals as well! As for their sparring, this was actually the easiest part of the whole story. When I start writing a couple, it is their verbal foreplay that comes to me first. Dialogue is never a problem for me. I always hear my couples, and if I don't, then I know I'm in trouble.

I don't mind insta-lust – people are often immediately attracted to each other physically. But love is another matter. Love develops with connections. And connections are often discovered by people talking to one another.

By the way, does your husband ever read some of those scenes and go, “you wrote that!”?

Yes, sometimes. :) But he tends to avoid reading any sexy scenes. They make him blush. Lol.

You’ve got quite a busy year with the Darkest London series. Aside from Firelight, you also have Ember, the prequel to Firelight and then in August you have Moonglow. Can you give us a little sneak peak about the 2 books?

Ember is a short story about what happens to Miranda and Archer between the time they first meet and when Archer returned to England to claim his bride. The idea behind this story is to get to understand what makes Miranda tick a little bit better, and to learn why Archer could not stay away from her, even though he knows he really ought to. Ember isn't a love story, but the beginning of one.

Moonglow is very much a love story between Daisy, Miranda's sister, and Ian, a rather charming yet irreverent hero. Both Daisy and Ian hide behind a facade of light indifference, and it's been fun for me to see them get underneath each other's skin. In Firelight, Archer IS the mystery, but if you've read that story, you know well who/what Ian is. So then, Moonglow, while being a mystery, is more a battle between good and evil as Daisy and Ian delve deeper into a world run by lycans – werewolves who hide in plain sight amongst proper Victorian London society.

After that, it's Book 3, Winterblaze, which is is Poppy's story, and then Book 4 (untitled as of yet), which will feature characters who first make an appearance in Moonglow. These books will come out in 2013.

We BiblioJunkies have the mentality of 16 year-olds so now we move on to silly questions. Which fictional character would you love to go on a date with? And whom would you challenge to a sword fight?

Let's see, I mentioned before that I'd love to go out with Han Solo, but perhaps I need to branch out more? The problem is that depending on what I'm reading, I'll end up thinking, yeah, that guy. I mean there are SO many options, how is a girl to choose? ;-)

Sword fighting. It's funny you ask because one of the scenes that really, really killed me to cut is a sword fighting scene between Archer and Miranda. But my publisher had a word count limit and something needed to go. Still weep a bit about that one. As for whom I'd fight? Someone really bad, because I don't know how to fence at all!

If  Lord Archer were to bring you your favorite dessert, what would it be?

Something with chocolate in it. A rich, dense chocolate cake would be nice. That or a salted caramel bar. Dessert... yum ...

Finally, what do you enjoy most about writing romance? And do you think you’ll ever venture into the YA arena?

I love writing about that heady rush of emotion that occurs when one falls in love. I love the adventure of it, because after all, falling in love is one of the greatest adventures we have in our lives.

Hmm... well, I'll never say never, but the thing about writing YA is that I feel a writer has to have an inherent skill for it. It is an extremely hard genre to do well, because you have to have  a YA voice. You have to get into the mindset of a teenager and yet not be patronizing. I am in awe of my writer friends who write YA and do it so effortlessly. I don't think I have a good YA voice. But who knows? Perhaps if a good story hits me, I'll find that voice through my character.

Thank you Kristen for spending some time with us and congratulations on the book! And thank you readers for stopping by. To learn more about Kristen and The Darkest London series visit her website KristenCallihan.com and follow her on Twitter @Kris10Callihan.

Cheers!
~ Bel

Firelight by Kristen Callihan (Paranormal Romance, Non-YA, 18 yrs+)

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London, 1881

Once the flames are ignited …

Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family’s fortune decimated and forced her to wed London’s most nefarious nobleman.

They will burn for eternity…

Lord Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it’s selfish to take Miranda as his wife. Yet he can’t help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn’t felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask.

Set in Victorian England, Firelight is an impeccable story fraught with mystery, deception and enough sexual tension to leave the pages smoldering. With that backdrop and a sinister paranormal element looming overhead our heroic couple, Miranda and Lord Archer, are perfectly matched in this remarkable debut from Kristen Callihan.

Creating a special connection between characters is tricky especially when it’s instant despite its extraordinary circumstances. What makes it work in Firelight is how well the characters play off each other. Their exchanges are often heated and it’s clear that there’s a spark in Miranda that inspires Lord Archer’s admiration and longing for her. Miranda, in spite of her husband's handicap, is not reviled by him. Instead she is drawn to him and after observing how others react to him, she yearns to protect him. She also clearly loves to goad him as much as he does her. And have I mentioned the sexual tension?? It’s so palpable that I thought of shaking the book to knock some sense into the two of them.

Another thing I liked is that Miranda isn’t some delicate little thing that easily panics. She’s quick-witted and self-assured enough that she is not afraid to unleash her inner bad ass. Part of that is due to her extraordinary ability that she keeps hidden from everyone, including Lord Archer. Comprehending that his bizarre appearance easily makes him the scapegoat for the murders, she takes it upon herself to do her own investigation and clear his name.

Lord Archer for his part is chivalrous but also forward thinking. He has no wish to tame the exquisite Miranda. He struggles feeling at once selfish for taking her as his wife and finding solace in her presence. Because of his "curse" he keeps her at bay unwilling for her to discover the truth of his condition. It's amazing to think of this strapping aristocrat as vulnerable. Still, whether around her or not, he is all consumed by her, at one point he muses, 

“Did the rest of the world not realize what excruciating pleasure simply holding a woman could inflict upon a man?”

That. Is. Swoon-worthy. Also swoon-worthy: the alleyways. Seriously, what is up with alleys and brick walls for hot interludes for all ages? (City of Fallen Angels being another example)

I believe you get the point. Secrets aside, Firelight also has a terrific cast of characters that includes Miranda's sisters, Daisy and Poppy. Miranda isn't the only one with an independent mind and her sisters are quite entertaining. Lord Archer's adversaries are many and some shadier than others like the Marquis of Northrup, Ian Ranulf, whose motives are very, very suspicious.

Firelight is so much fun and the paranormal aspect heightened the excitement. Kristen Callihan does a superb job developing the story from both angles bringing it to a satisfying finish. Firelight is part of the Darkest London series which also features Ember, the prequel available as an eBook, and Moonglow, out later this year that will feature Miranda's sister, Daisy, and the Marquis of Northrup. If you're a fan of romance and the supernatural, you'll like Firelight.

~ Bel

Vanish by Sophie Jordan

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Description from the book:

“To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable:  She betrayed the most closely guarded secret of her kind.  Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing that she might never see Will again – and worse, because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for bot h her sake and her family’s.  Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate.  Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on – that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both.  Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again.  When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?”

Wow!  I am seriously shaking my head because I cannot believe I’m already done reading Vanish (in one day) and have been left with a hell of a cliffhanger.

Vanish starts in the immediate frantic moments following Jacinda’s flight from Chapparal, after she has saved Will’s life and in the process revealed herself to be a Draki.  She, her sister Tamra and her mother are taken back to the pride by Cassian.  Life is no picnic for her and her mother once they’re back home but things have turned for Tamra who’s viewed differently now.

While reading, I was reminded why I really like Jacinda.  She has such a strong sense of self and she displays such impressive maturity.  As an example, with Tamra’s new found acceptance within the pride, Jacinda is genuinely happy for her.  She’s incredibly thoughtful about how her decisions are going to impact her family.  Their safety and happiness are of equal priority to her as her own happiness with Will and she strives for nothing less.

I had to resist the urge to skip paragraphs because I was so eager as the story was unfolding. In Vanish we also learn more about Will and Cassian – Cassian especially is a pleasant surprise as his true intentions surface.  A couple of scenes had me a bit giddy.  Boy does Jacinda does have a task on her hand to figure out whom she’s meant to be with!     

She’s not perfect though.  There's duty to the pride and then there's following her heart and she manages a few slip ups that result in some devastating consequences all around.  There are some very dramatic moments where the characters’ true natures come to life.  All of this culminates in an ending that implies the proverbial “calm before the storm”.

I absolutely enjoyed reading Vanish.  I'm just upset that it's over already and I have to wait for more.  Sophie Jordan, I am dying over here!

~ Bel