Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Jack and Djinn (The Houri Legends, #1) by Jasinda Wilder

Jack and Djinn (The Houri Legends, #1)Jack and Djinn by Jasinda Wilder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Miriam’s life is in shambles. Her abusive boyfriend Ben will not let her go and she is not sure how much more of him she can take. She is reaching her limit and cannot take another slap or punch to the face. But she has no family to speak of her father died when she was a girl and her mother left her alone when she was a teenager. Miriam has nowhere else to go. So she endures the abuse, she does not believe she deserves any better.

One night when Ben is in one of his drunken rages and beating her in a parking lot she meets Jack. The complete opposite of Ben, Jack is sweet, brave, and very hot and he is completely unafraid of Ben. Jack rescues Miriam and they begin a tentative friendship. She is too afraid to leave Ben he will not let her go without a fight. The more time she spends with Jack the more she fears for his life. Things between Miriam and Jack burn hot in many ways. Miriam is finding that she has strange powers of strength and magic hidden deep within in her body. She begins to let it out but is unable to control it entirely, Ben thinks she is a freak; she continuously awes Jack as he learns more about Miriam. Which one will she chose? The man she is used to but knows will always hurt her, or the man who wants nothing more than to love and take care of her?

It has been a long time since I have read a paranormal romance, this one came to me one day when I was play around on Facebook and Jasinda was looking for bloggers. I love Jasinda’s writing and it had been awhile since I had read one of her books so I said why not. I am so glad I did. Miriam is a great character. Some may feel she is weak but to me she is exactly the opposite. I know a few woman who have been in abusive relationships and it is very easy for an outsider to say, “Just leave him.” Miriam didn’t have any self-worth going back to her mother abandoning her as a teenager and being turned away by her aunt when she asked for help. Those kind of things take a toll on a person’s self-esteem.

When Miriam met Jack sparks flew, she can’t believe that men like Jack really exist. I enjoyed progression of their cautious relationship it was well written. I was frustrated with Jack when he pleaded with Miriam to leave Ben even if she didn’t go to Jack he just wanted her safe. Jack was a fantastic character and his family especially Gramps were a joy to read. I particularly liked the Irish heritage of his family, Jasinda did a great job making the background characters believe able. Ben was a real piece of work, seemed to me that he had some major issues he chose not to deal with but instead took out on Miriam with his fists.

Detective Carson Hale was also a great character. He drew me in from the beginning and I definitely can’t wait for his story. The book bounces back and forth between the present and the past so that we can follow Detective Carson as he tries to figure out an unusual murder. The murder shows all signs of being connected to Miriam and Jack somehow.

Miriam is a Djinn her power is the element of fire, she slowly begins to realize she has powers of magic and fire but has no idea how to use them or how she got them. Thankfully, all is revealed in the end, no cliffhanger here. A nice bonus was the sneak peak at the next book, which features Carson and Leila the mysterious bartender we meet in Jack and Djinn.

An emotional journey of an abused, confused and shattered young woman who doesn’t think she is worthy of love and respect. If you like, you love stories with lots of desire, fire and a little mystery you will love this book.




View all my reviews

Dangerous Temptations by Brooke Cumberland

DTBanner




6c0d2-synopsis

One night was all it took…
One night to ruin everything I thought I knew.
From the outside, I had the perfect lifestyle.
Wealthy fiancé, blossoming career, amazing friends.
I wasn’t looking to get married yet, but when William—“Manhattan’s royalty”—charmed his way into my life, I couldn’t deny the security and comfort that overcame me.
To society, I was the girl only after his money. I was the party-goer who managed to seduce a man twice my age to have the lifestyle some could only dream of. I was every magazine’s cliché of what a gold-digging whore was.
I wanted to prove them wrong—that our love was real and that I wasn’t that girl.
But then everything changed.
One wrong decision. One unfaithful night. One haunting reality.
Perhaps they were right.
The media didn’t see it coming…and neither did I.
**This is a stand alone romance suspense novel with no cliffhanger. HEA depends on who you ask.**
Recommended for readers 18 and up due to strong language and explicit sexual content.

DTTeaser1

1de41-excerpt
“How long do you plan to act like this?” His question shocked me, my body jerking in response.
“Act like what?” I turned around, narrowing my brows in disapproval.
“That you despise me,” he said bluntly.
I thought about his question for a moment, realizing this was probably just as hard on him as it was on me, but he was the one acting like an arrogant jerk.
“I wouldn’t have to if you’d stop trying to cross boundaries with me when you know it’s inappropriate.”
“Inappropriate?” He laughed, pissing me off more. “Good god, it’s like you’re a Stepford Wife.”
“You know what I mean.”
“You mean…that I’m tempting you? That I’m giving you something more to desire?” He took a step toward me, caging me in with his arms around me. I stepped back as far as I could before hitting the back of the sink. “If you didn’t feel it too, there’d be no issue. But I know for a fact you do.”
I swallowed, hating that he was right, but it didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t.
“Just because your technique—“ I waved a finger between us, “—normally works for other girls, doesn’t mean it’s going to work on me.”
He furrowed his brows and asked, “And what technique would that be?”
“Getting what you want, who you want.” I pushed against his chest, needing the space. “You’re not used to girls saying ‘no’ to you. You use your name, your father’s popularity to gain respect, and truthfully, it’s a little pathetic,” I snapped, the courage I’d felt quickly left as his eyes darkened, getting more intense.
He leaned into me and shot back, “Do you see any other girls here?”
“Give it time.” I held my ground as best I could. His face that close to mine was making it almost impossible to think straight.
He laughed in my face, a deep, throaty laugh that came out as if he was amused by my antics. “If it’s on the Internet, it must be true, right?”
I had looked him up late last night when sleep wouldn’t come to me. Although I tried, wanting—needing—to forget that whole day, it just wasn’t happening. Most of the stories were from his teenage and early college years, there hadn’t been anything recent, but I used it against him anyway.
“Isn’t that the way the game works?”
“I don’t know what game you’re playing, sweetheart, but I know what you felt when you kissed me. You feel what I feel and there’s no denying that.”
His eyes looked into mine, confident and tense as I stared back. “It doesn’t matter, Alex. It’s never going to lead to anything, so you should just stop trying.”
“And what if I don’t?”
“You’re just wasting your time.”
“I’m willing to bet I’m not, but if you want to be delusional, fine with me.” He pressed his chest against me and brought his face closer to mine. “I wasn’t sorry for what we did, Mac. I’ll never be sorry for that. I’m only sorry you felt guilty about it afterward.”
“If you cared about me at all like you claim, you’d back off, Alex.”
He huffed in an amused laughter. “That’s one thing you should learn about me, Mac. I don’t back off on something I want.” He gripped my chin with his thumb. “I was trying to get you out of my mind, and I failed miserably. The only thing I want from you isyou. I don’t need to parade you around like a little trophy wife or show you off to my friends. Once you see that, you’ll change your mind.” He dropped his hand and stepped back, walking away with the last word. It didn’t matter anyway, I had nothing left to say.

Read the first chapter here

Check out the Dangerous Temptations Pinterest Board


DTTeaser2


c5ce0-buy2blinks

Amazon US Amazon UKB&N iTunes


9d0d2-about2bthe2bauthor



Brooke Cumberland is a USA Today Bestselling author who's a stay-at-home mom and writes full-time. She lives in the frozen tundra of Packer Nation with her husband, 4 year old wild child, and two teenage stepsons. When she's not writing, you can find her reading love stories, listening to music that inspires her, and laughing with her family. Brooke is addicted to Starbucks coffee, leggings, and anything sweet. She found her passion for telling stories during winter break one year in grad school--and she hasn't stopped since.

Hosted By: