Archive for July, 2010

I want to welcome buddy blogger Cecile to share her review of Joey W. Hill’s vampire Series, which sadly I have not read.

The Mark of The Vampire Queen

Description: “Full servant.” With his new title, Jacob must attend to Lady Lyssa’s every need, venturing into a world of passion darker than he’s ever known. As a vampire hunter he wasn’t prepared to embrace a world where humans are sexual commodities, but he has adapted. Now he finds the integrity of his soul challenged as he serves his Mistress’s needs as fully as he services her desires. He loves her, though other servants warn against giving her his soul. Everyone knows that Vampires have no regard for humans, so why would a Vampiress bother treating a mere sex toy with respect? But Jacob knows a human servant is far more than that. His Mistress needs a warrior, a friend and a lover. A man who will serve her in all ways, even if he has to betray the priceless treasure of her love.
I obtained this information from Borders.

This is my own personal copy and this review is for my own viewing pleasure.

First off let me say that I loved The Vampire Queen’s Servant. This is part two in Jacob’s quest to win his masters heart and soul. I will not say that you must read the first one… but to understand the world that Ms. Hill has created for these two and what they have gone through to get there, you really should read the first one.

Okay… moving forward…
The romance between Jacob and Lady Lyssa is very breathtaking. Their relationship blossoms into the fullest it possibly can. Jacob has received his third mark; which means that he has bound himself to his Master until death. Imagine saying our wedding, you say: till death do us part… now imagine if that were true, your spouse died, you died with him/her. This book does not deter away from the BDSM parts of Ms Hill’s style. Her writing style just simply amazes me. To read her books (the two that I have) will throw you in a world of her very own. Be prepared to go on a journey you will sure to be enthralled in.
Lady Lyssa is slowly dying and Jacob will do everything in his power to stop that from happening. Along with her sickness, there is the meeting coming before the Council. Lady Lyssa is trying to pave a better future for the vampires. One of her goals is to address the issue of permanent asylum for the fugitives in her territory. And the other is to push for them to become more civilized by only needing to kill one human a year for them to maintain their strength. But some vampires do not agree with her thinking and want to over throw the Council. and her. So the plot thickens…
I will tell you this though, this story left me wanting more… It’s in the ending, but I am not quiet sure where and that is my problem. I am not sure if her being of two heritages got me, or that she shifted, or that the love did not go the way I wanted it too (yea, I am selfish like that) or what… but something was missing for me. Maybe the power struggle… the grand ending. I will struggle with this and it will bother me… Because I love this woman’s writing!!
I love what has become of Jacob and his Master. The journey he goes to get there. If there is a man out there like Jacob… oh please let yourself be known! This man will do anything, everything and back again for his woman. OMG… Jacob remains my Sex on a Stick man.

There are two more books after this one, but they are stand alone. The characters flow in and out of them… but they are stand alone.

The Vampire’s Claim is the third book. Here for details. It came out in March 2009.
The Beloved Vampire is the forth book. Here for details. It came out in August 2009.
Vampire Mistress is the fifth book. Here for details. It comes out in May 2010…. This one is Jacob’s brother’s story… Oh yea… I am waiting!!!!

To read my review of The Vampire Queen’s Servant, please go —>>> here.

To learn more about Ms. Joey W. Hill, please visit her website —>>> here.

The last in my series by Joey W. Hill, a bit late, but I am still excited to share.

Branded Sanctuary

Book VII of the Nature of Desire Series (best read after Ice Queen/Mirror of My Soul, where Brendan and Chloe are introduced as secondary characters)

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Chloe has always been a creature of joy and laughter. However, since a brutal attack nearly a year ago, the trauma she experienced from the event has gotten worse. Much worse, such that she has started hiding from her life, even putting up walls between herself and those she cares about most. However, during a panic attack one night, she impulsively calls a number that’s been hiding under her lamp all these months. She met Brendan at her boss’s wedding. With confidence and seduction, he easily steps into the role of helping her manage her fear. By the end of the long call, they’ve indulged in some serious flirtation and mindblowing phone sex – and she’s feeling emotions and needs she’s buried for too long.

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However, the problem is that Brendan is the perfect male submissive – and Chloe isn’t wired for the D/s lifestyle. While their attraction is undeniable, Chloe doesn’t know if she can be everything Brendan needs. Whereas Brendan believes that, once he helps her overcome her fears, he must let her go. As a submissive, he’d never ask her to be something she’s not – even if it will break both of their hearts to turn away from how they feel about each other.

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Branded Sanctuary by Joey W. Hill

Review by Terry Kate

4/5 whips for me 5/5 for the story

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I cried.  I did I read the book and I cried.  I felt for Chloe.  Her trauma was real, the struggle she had, the walling up of the emotions.  It is skillfully crafted and and I know I am an empathetic reader, but I certainly felt her embarrassment at moments as well as her pain.  Which also takes talent to evoke in a reader.  The story differs from the other works in the series in that Chloe is not a dominant to Brendan’s submissive.  It is not a classically BDSM story.

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Maybe that is where the story lost me.  Brendan is like the uber-slave extraordinaire.  Thousands and thousands of dollars are bid on him for one night, but what he will be happy with is outside this life-style?  I am not sure I totally buy it.  So though I like both characters and I adore Chloe’s struggle not to lash out at Brendan with all the pain she has locked up inside after her devastating experience, the fit between them does not feel as perfect as those between the couples in earlier books.  Their story did make me interested in reading the two stories in the series  had skipped.  And which are recommended to be read before this one.  Hey I never claimed to be one to follow the rules…

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The story is touching, the romance between Chloe and Brendan is sweet, the emotional level that Joey Hill raises the book to is as usually unmatched.  Is this my fave in the series, no.  Will I revisit and re-read it? Yes.  It is a hard to put down read that takes us through a dark time in a woman’s life and the journey is what makes this a powerful read.  Oh and if anyone has read the two books I skipped please comment and share your thoughts on those!

- Terry Kate

When his father dies, Thomas is forced to abandon a burgeoning art career in New York. As difficult as it was to give up his lifelong dream, it’s nothing next to walking away from the man he loves. Marcus taught him to embrace who he is, a sexual submissive who responds to the touch of only one Master. But why would the sophisticated Marcus need some farm kid from the South?

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Then Marcus shows up and offers him a way to continue his art career and help his family. There’s only one hitch – he asks Thomas to spend a week with him in the Berkshires. Thomas knows he should refuse. But he’s never been able to say no to his Master.

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Rough Canvas by Joey W.  Hill

Review by Terry Kate

5/5 Whips

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Sometimes a story comes along that moves you, and reaches deeper then the everyday read.  It could be that this is the right time in your life to find this book, or the story hits your soft spot, sometimes the book is just that good.  For me Rough Canvas is all three.  I love the depth of the the relationship between the two heros, which we are dropped into at the deep-end.  The boys in this M/M romance have a history that get revealed in bits and pieces, flashbacks, and third party accounts.

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Unlike the other titles in this series there is not the build to emotional overload with Marcus and Thomas.   The reader gets the feeling of being caught in a wave – wading in an ocean.  There were waves before we did not see, there will be waves after, but the times we are treading water with the ups and downs of this homosexual relationship are all encompassing.   Faced with family opposition, human insecurities and unpleasant histories Marcus and Thomas have a great deal that could come between them, and does.  What pulls at my guts in the story is how connected Joey Hill makes us feel to the characters pain.  The element of family obligation pulling at Thomas, his personal desire, and struggle not to disappoint the ones he loves is all absorbing.

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I decided I had to read it one more time before I wrote the review.  Not that I have not read it more then a dozen times, but I wanted one more peek.  I cried, it made my chest hurt, and it is hot hot hot.  The emotions Rough Canvas evokes lends the intimate moments double the pleasure, double the fun because it is not just reading sex.  The erotic scenes are varied and engaging, there was no part of this book I skim or speed through even in the re-reading which is a high compliment in deed.  Who can resist a hero, seemingly so perfect who deep down needs you and you alone?  We all want to be needed and loved.  Watching Thomas and Marcus make that journey makes this a great read.

- PS – It really does totally work as a stand-alone.

Find out more about the title at Joey Hill’s Website -http://www.storywitch.com