Lauren Dawes : April 2013

Review: Prescription for Love by Brandi Kennedy

I’ve been watching author Brandi Kennedy’s writing career very carefully since she wrote To Love a Selkie. Her second book Fat Chance cemented her firmly in place as my favourite contemporary romance writer. And now she has done it again. Prescription for Love is the second book in her Kingsley Series. The Kingsley’s are a large family with Eva and Adam heading the family. They have five children ranging in age from 30-17. The eldest of these children is Cameron Kingsley, and Prescription for Love is her story.

We’re introduced to the beautiful yet cynical Cameron—a thirty-year-old wedding planner who doesn’t believe in love. Hard to believe, right? Cameron is still suffering with the trauma she endured when she was in college. Mentally and physically scarred from the ordeal, she finds it hard to trust people—especially men.

Asked to plan her little brother Drew’s wedding to Cassaundra, Cameron is more than happy to help until Cass asks her to invite one final person, insisting she hand deliver the invitation herself. Unable to say no to the request, Cameron finds herself facing perhaps the only man who can break through her hard, guarded exterior.

Mackenzie Caswell is a widower with one young son to raise on his own. Not a stranger to the dating scene, he is overly cautious about mentioning his son or his dead wife to his dates as they tend to pick up and run at the mention of either. But Cameron is different. Somehow on their first date, she makes him open up about both of those topics, even challenging him to call her the next day to see if she was still interested in him. I loved the flirtatious banter and easy conversation between these two characters. It seems so natural for both of them, but their journey is not always a happy one.

We follow Cameron and Mac through their relationship where Mac finds out about Cameron’s dark past, and helps her find closure. We see Cameron opening up and learning to trust again, learning to love. Prescription for Love is a story about getting hurt, but still having the guts to keep going. It’s about betrayal and grief, love and trust. It’s about finding out who you really are and what you really want and going for it even if it terrifies you.

I look forward to reading future books from Brandi Kennedy.

About the author:

Brandi Kennedy is a freelance writer, novelist and poet. A woman of varied interests, she loves photography, music of all kinds, knitting, crochet, and of course, mothering her two young daughters. Currently, she finds her home in the heart of Knoxville, Tennessee, among the mountains and the members of her extended family.

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Review: Close Obsession by Anna Zaires

Close Obsession is the second book in the Krinar Chronicles by Anna Zaires. The story picks up where the first one left off: Mia has been taken to the major K centre, Lenkarda, in Costa Rica by her two-thousand-year-old alien lover, Korum. (Take that for an age difference Edward and Bella!) Apprehensive about being away from New York, Mia begins to wonder whether Korum will ever take her back to NYU and her former quiet life as a psychology student.

As with the first book, I loved the use of alien technology and the idea of vegetarianism as a normal way of life. Zaires also gives us a peek into the incredibly long history of the Krinar in regards to their origins, building on the unbelievably detailed accounts of how humans came into being in the first volume, Close Liaisons. I love how tangled our history was with theirs especially in regards to the Romans and gladiatorial events.

I loved Korum in Close Liaisons, and learning more about him Close Obsession made me love him even more. There’s something so sexy about a dominating male that I can’t resist, and although his methods and reasons may seem ruthless and unnecessary, he was really wrestling with his own demons, making him a ‘real’ person to me. I think people who are so arrogant and dominating find it hard to accept perceived ‘weaknesses’ in their personalities, so I liked seeing him struggle with his own feelings for Mia.

Their relationship, one-sided in the first book, has developed into something more than just sex for Korum. He’s left reeling as he realises the strength of his feelings for Mia. Although she cannot understand it, he does everything in his power to make her see just how beautiful and perfect she is to him. He goes out of his way to make a good impression with her parents and sister, he cares for her tenderly, feeds her, clothes her. Although sometimes misguided, it’s ultimately his love for her driving his world.

For Mia, real emotions developed in the first book, leaving her feeling conflicted for she both hated him and loved him at the same time. Korum has become even more possessive of Mia, and although she struggles with his feeling of entitlement, she eventually accepts it for the way it is: The Krinar are simply possessive, protective and predatory. When they consider something is theirs, they make damn sure everyone else knows about it.

Just quietly, I’d let Korum possess me any day. ;)

A lot of other reviews have talked about everything I have above, but have forgotten one element of the book that needs to be recognised: the intriguing sections at the end of some chapters by a mysterious K whose identity doesn’t get revealed—even at the end when you think you’ve figured it all out. All the way through, I thought about who it could possibly be. I think I have it figured, but now just have to wait until the next book to see if I’m right.

A wonderfully creative imagination coming together with a vivid writing style creates a believable world I loved reading about. I can’t wait to get another fix of Mia and Korum’s story when I read the third installment: Close Remembrance.

About the author:

Anna Zaires fell in love with books at the age of five, when her grandmother taught her to read. She wrote her first story shortly thereafter. Since then, she has always lived partially in a fantasy world where the only limits were those of her imagination. Currently residing in New York City, Anna is happily married to the man of her dreams and closely collaborates with him in the writing of the Krinar Chronicles.

You can learn more about the Krinar Chronicles and get news on upcoming releases at:

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Kingsley Kraze!

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Review: Fat Chance by Brandi Kennedy

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Review: Close Liaisons by Anna Zaires

A dark and edgy romance that will appeal to fans of erotic and turbulent relationships . . .

In the near future, the Krinar rule the Earth. An advanced race from another galaxy, they are still a mystery to us - and we are completely at their mercy.

Shy and innocent, Mia Stalis is a college student in New York City who has led a very normal life. Like most people, she's never had any interactions with the invaders - until one fateful day in the park changes everything. Having caught Korum's eye, she must now contend with a powerful, dangerously seductive Krinar who wants to possess her and will stop at nothing to make her his own.

How far would you go to regain your freedom? How much would you sacrifice to help your people? What choice will you make when you begin to fall for your enemy?

I didn’t really know what to expect when I read Close Liaisons by Anna Zaires. All I knew was I wanted to read it. Close Liaisons is set in a time in the not too distant future where Earth as we know has changed irrevocably. An alien race from Krinar has come to Earth to coexist with humans. Little is known about this alien species, although a number of rumours whisper about vampirism. Despite the ‘invasion’ as some humans called it, the ‘Ks’ actually bring with them advanced technology and a desire to improve the health of the planet for humans by restricting the number of farms producing meat. Now a predominately vegetarian society, humans are reaping the benefits from a healthier diet.

I really enjoyed the world Zaires created for this future Earth. Although many things remained the same for Mia—a psychology student at NYU—her life is turned upside down when she meets the compelling yet predatory Korum. Identified by his muscular body, golden skin and amber eyes, Mia finds herself unable to escape his notice. Korum is intrigued by the human girl, making it his business to make her his own.

This domineering, pompous, egotistical male takes over Mia’s life to the point where it almost becomes abusive. He controls when she can leave his apartment, when she can see her friends and even what kind of clothes she can wear. Korum’s mercurial treatment of Mia left me hating him and loving him, but I was glad to see Mia not just rolling over and taking it. She did try to fight for her freedom, but Korum’s will and desire was simply too strong.

Their physical relationship is a turbulent one. Korum strip Mia of her innocence in perhaps the most realistic loss-of-virginity scenes. There were no tears of wonderment and joy as she was taken by this male. Pain, hatred, the desire to escape—this is what Mia felt. Zaires took the act and made it a reality, not a fluffed up version other books make it out to be.

There was one thing that could not be ignored. The sex between Mia and Korum was hot. Zaire’s had me turning the pages, the words consuming me. Everybody loves to get lost in the passion between two characters you both love and hate for different reasons. My only small comment would be the use of vocabulary when describing the male and female body. Sometimes it was too clinical which was slightly off putting. However in saying that, I was glad certain words were not included that are sometimes used to describe female anatomy.

Loved it and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

About the author:

Anna Zaires fell in love with books at the age of five, when her grandmother taught her to read. She wrote her first story shortly thereafter. Since then, she has always lived partially in a fantasy world where the only limits were those of her imagination. Currently residing in New York City, Anna is happily married to the man of her dreams and closely collaborates with him in the writing of the Krinar Chronicles.
You can learn more about the Krinar Chronicles and get news on upcoming releases at:

Website

Facebook

Twitter