We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Five!
1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Five is brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights.
The Bundle contains 6 novellas, including 2 novellas from 1001 Dark Nights Discovery Authors, Angel Payne and Michelle St. James!
This is one hot bundle.
Grab your copy today!
From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling authors Julie Kenner, Lexi Blake, Larissa Ione, and Elisabeth Naughton, and introducing Angel Payne and Michelle St. James…
Six Dark Tales. Six Sensual Stories. Six Page Turners.
Every Dark Nights tale is breathtakingly sexy and magically romantic.
CARESS OF PLEASURE: I’d thought that he was mine, the dark, arresting man who commanded not only my body but my heart. Dante had swept into my life, and I’d succumbed to the burn of passion in his arms. I’d believed we had a love that would last forever, but he’d shattered my dreams and broken me into pieces when he’d walked away.
ADORED: Mitch Bradford knows he’s not good for any woman—especially not his best friend’s sister. Laurel Daley knows what she wants, and her sights are set on Mitch. She knows he just needs a little polish to make some woman the perfect lover. She intends to be that woman, but first she has to show him how good it could be.
HADES: Cataclysm was kicked out of Heaven and is now a fallen angel. All she wants is to redeem herself and get back where she belongs. When she gets trapped in Hades’s Underworld prison domain with only Hades to help her, Cat finds that where she belongs might be in the place she least expected…
RAVAGED: Ari has one singular focus: revenge. His guardian brothers all think he’s dead, but he is alive and chipping away at Zeus’s Sirens every chance he can. When he abducts the wrong female and his identity is finally exposed, it will take the courage of one woman willing to stand up to a warrior who’s become a savage to rein Ari in.
NAUGHTY LITTLE GIFT: From the moment Mishella Santelle locks eyes with Cassian Court, she can see the man beneath the power…the bruised soul for whom hers has been destined. When six months of her life are bargained to Cassian in a multimillion dollar contract, Mishella is helpless against the reaction of her body and soul to this man.
THE SENTINEL: Determined to maintain the friendship that has been her rock since childhood, Diana Barrett resigns herself to keeping her distance from Leo Gage. Leo has worshipped Diana Barrett since they were kids, but she can never know that. When Diana witnesses a murder, she goes to the only person who has ever made her feel safe. Now Leo and Diana are on the run.
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Experience the 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Five Here…
Bundle Review
Several new to me authors in this sultry romance bundle. Some of the novellas were introductions into storylines while others offered an inside look at supporting characters from well-known series. There’s a good mix of paranormal, BDSM, and erotic tales that any romance reader would enjoy.
Caress of Pleasure by Julie Kenner
I’m a huge J Kenner fan, but I’ve never read any of her paranormal romances. Caress of Pleasure was the perfect introduction to her otherworldly works; I instantly loved the idea of the Phoenix Brotherhood – where they came from, who they are, and what they do. A phoenix rising from the ashes, being reborn, and given another chance at life is a perfect metaphor to live by because being able to right wrongs and reunite with those one loves can turn a lonely existence into one worth living.
Thirteen years ago, Dante Storm and Brenna Hart shared an intense and passionate love that fiercely burned until Dante destroyed that bond because he allowed his eyes/head instead of his heart to decide their fate. Now, Dante needs Brenna’s help and those locked up feelings that they’ve both tried to ignore since he left come rising to the surface, forcing them to confront the past and find a way to move forward either as second chance lovers or old flames that simply burned out.
Because Dante and Brenna’s story is told in a novella, there’s not a lot of time to shed light on their past because the present is what needs to be dealt with in the amount of space provided. Even with minimal space, Julie Kenner sets up Dante and Brenna’s back story nicely, allowing readers to get a clear picture of what occurred and why neither of them has been able to let the other go.
While Caress of Pleasure is paranormal; it doesn’t overpower the story line; it’s there to illustrate what the couple is up against and to move the plot forward, but at the forefront of the text is the love that still exists between Dante and Brenna, and the ups and downs they go through in order to see if what’s between them is worth reigniting, even with the hurt, anger, and mistrust that still surrounds them.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4 Poison Apples
Adored by Lexi Blake
Laurel Daley may work for Mitch Bradford and may also want him to be her Dom, but she refuses to allow him to treat her like dirt or make her question her choice to be a submissive simply because Mitch can’t get his head out of his ass and let go of the baggage of his past.
I’m always intrigued by strong willed women who crave to submit and to be dominated behind closed doors. That dichotomy, at first, seems illogical, but when looked at more closely, it’s ultimately a freeing experience because in a D/s relationship, submission is actually a very powerful position to have, and Laurel proves that when she goes to war against the stubborn man who owns her heart but feels unworthy of it.
As much as I adored Laurel’s feistiness and the banter between her and Mitch, I seriously disliked Mitch for much of the story. Intellectually, his actions and issues made complete sense to me, but his treatment of Laurel, even when he was willing to try, didn’t impress me at all. I have to say he does redeem himself in some ways, and he is the man that Laurel wants, but it was still hard for me to forgive his previous actions.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
3/3.5 Poison Apples
Hades by Larissa Ione
Picturing a blue mohawked, ripped Hades with a sarcastic and devious personality 100 percent works for me! He’s one badass Lord of the Dead, and the fact that he appears to have quite a few contradictory attributes only makes me like him more!
Larissa Ione’s depiction of Hades ensures his status as Jailer of the Baddies because he knows how to do his job even while living a rather imprisoned life due to Azagoth’s punishment of Hades’ actions. But her portrayal of Hades also makes him have multiple sides to his personality…he has a wicked sense of humor, witty comebacks, and even a bit of a conscience that illustrates just how unique a character he is.
Cataclysm is also an interesting character because even as an Unfallen, she’s repentant for her actions and willingly remains with incomplete powers for a chance to get her wings back. Cat’s name has significance because it indicates that bad things occur when she’s involved, and while her name was given as a punishment of her crimes, she never waivers from the kind of angel she’s always been. She may be a bit naïve of people’s true intentions, but she acknowledges her wrong doings and tries to make amends, even if she only further complicates the situation.
I can’t believe this was my first read by Larissa Ione! I love paranormal romance, but I haven’t read much lately, which is why now, I want more!
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 Poison Apples
Ravaged by Elizabeth Naughton
“Duty crumbles to ashes in the fires of love.”
Aristokles, one of the original Argonauts, lives and breathes this idea, and because of it, it has destroyed his life, and now he’s forced to live without his soul mate, without his son, and cursed to walk alone in life and hide his existence from everyone, especially Zeus and his sirens.
Daphne’s a Siren in training and to prove her worth to Zeus and Athena, she must find and kill Ari so that he can longer murder her chosen people. But Daphne’s task becomes complicated when the Ari she meets and learns about is nothing like the ravenous killer he has been portrayed to be, forcing her to decide whose side she’s on and whether her desire to be a siren overpowers her need to do what’s right in order to protect those who need it.
Ravaged was my first read by Elizabeth Naughton and I love the world she’s created in her Eternal Guardians’ series. Ari and Daphne are strong willed characters who have faced a lot of devastation in their past, which has, in a way, tainted their outlook on life, especially Ari’s view. But even though their pasts have definitely shaped how they see themselves, their attraction to one another…their protecting natures…their determination also forces them to take action and to attempt to right the wrongs that have been done to them and those they love.
Now, I need to go back to the beginning of the series and be introduced to all of the Naughton’s characters because all of them are fascinating and I want to hear their stories to get a full view of everything they have faced, leading up to Ravaged.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4 Poison Apples
Naughty Little Gift by Angel Payne
An unlikely connection between a cultured New York billionaire and a sheltered, innocent woman from a faraway island with its own archaic rules and customs.
An extravagant deal that gives the corporate wizard a way to free the beauty from her parents’ wrath and mistreatment and attempt to work her out of his system in the six months he has her.
A desire that burns between them that refuses to be stifled regardless of his secrets and her fears.
A bond that could either heal or destroy.
A decision to be made by both of them if the risk is worth it.
Naughty Little Gift is a unique story that is set in the 21st Century, but the island of Arcadia is still based in old practices and a lot of the customs and language of contemporary society do not fit well with the faraway land. I will say that it took me a bit to get used to the colloquial language that Mishella uses, but Payne wrote the scenes in such a way that it was made clear what was being said.
Mishella Santelle is an amazing woman who doesn’t see how much of a gift she truly is because she has never been treated well by her parents. Her desire for Cassian scares the hell out of her because she has only known him for two days, six encounters, but when he offers her a chance to be free, he allows her to blossom and see the world for all that it has to offer.
There’s a learning curve at play for both Mishella and Cassian because they do not know each other well at all and the ghosts of Cassian’s past refuse to leave, which puts a great divide between them, but Ella is tenacious in her desire to set Cassian free from the hell he’s been living, and even though it’s too soon to tell if she will be successful, readers cannot deny that she possesses the tools to do just that – because she fights with her heart and soul when she believes in something and the bond she’s formed with Cassian is one that she doesn’t want to give up if she can help it.
Cassian Court remains quite the elusive hero throughout the story. Mishella has bewitched him, forcing him to uncharacteristically seek her company and make deals that do nothing for his businesses. He thinks that he’ll easily be able to give Ella up once her six months contract expires, but despite his torment and the memories that threaten to consume him, she makes him feel alive in so many ways, but now he needs to figure out if what they have is worth unearthing the past and dealing with everything that went wrong.
I cannot wait for Pretty Perfect Toy. There’s still so much of Cassian’s past that readers need to understand in order to figure out if he and Ella can make a relationship work. Angel Payne builds the storyline well and develops the connection between her hero and heroine perfectly because, at first, it is all about lust and sexual desires, but it turns into more as they spend more time together, so hopefully, they will be able to work through the pain and angst and find a way to live in the present and not the past.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 Poison Apples
The Sentinel by Michelle St. James
The Sentinel introduces readers to Michelle St. James’ mob world, but it only gives a small glimpse because the focus is more on the relationship between Diana Barrett and Leo Gage – the second in command – and what he’s willing to do to protect Diana when she witnesses a murder and must go on the run to save her life.
The short read explores Diana and Leo’s past and how they’ve always been in each other’s’ lives as best friends, regardless of the fact that they both want something more. As Leo ensures Diana’s safety, truths are revealed and true feelings are acted on, changing everything about their relationship and leaving them to figure out where they go from here.
I liked Diana and Leo’s story, but I wish I would have been given a bit more of their backstory. It was hard to understand how close they were and why Leo felt like he wasn’t good enough for Diana, and while I could definitely tell that the attraction was there between them, I still wanted to know where it began.
I’ll definitely be checking out the follow-up to The Sentinel because I need to know what ends up happening, not only between Diana and Leo, but also with what they’re facing when the story ends.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
3/3.5 Poison Apples
About the 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Five Authors
About Julie Kenner
Julie Kenner (aka J. Kenner and J.K. Beck) is the New York Times, USA Today,Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journalbestselling author of over forty novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.
Praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations,” J.K. writes a range of stories including super sexy romances, paranormal romance, chick lit suspense and paranormal mommy lit. Her foray into the latter, Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner, is in development as a feature film with 1492 Pictures.
Her most recent trilogy of erotic romances, The Stark Trilogy (as J. Kenner), reached as high as #2 on the New York Times list and is published in over twenty countries.
J.K. lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and several cats.
About Lexi Blake
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. She began writing at a young age concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.
About Larissa Ione
Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.
About Elisabath Naughton
Elisabeth Naughton is a New York Timesand USA Today bestselling author. From Elisabeth: “I was never one of those people who knew they wanted to be an author at the age of six. I didn’t have imaginary friends. I didn’t write stories in my journal or entertain my relatives by firelight after Thanksgiving dinner. For the most part, I was just a normal, everyday kid. I liked to read, but I wasn’t exceptional at it. And when my teachers complimented me on my writing abilities, I brushed them off. I did, however, always have a penchant for the unique and absurd. And as my mother told me all throughout my childhood, I should have been an actress—I was a drama queen before my time.
“Years ago, my husband bought me Scarlett: The Sequel to Gone With The Wind. If you ever saw the book, you know it’s a long one. I sat and read that thing from cover to cover, and dreamed of one day being a writer. But I didn’t actually try my hand at writing until years later when I quit my teaching job to stay home with my kids. And my husband? After that week of reading where I neglected him and everything else until I finished Scarlett, he vowed never to buy me another book again. Little did he know I’d one day end up sitting at a keyboard all day drafting my own stories.
“My writing journey has not been easy. I didn’t just sit down one day, decide I was going to write a book and voila! sell my very first attempt. As most authors will probably agree, the path to publication is filled with hours of work, pulling all-nighters I thought I’d given up in college, sacrifices, rejections, but a love I discovered along the way I just can’t live without. Instead of a big, thick book to read by lamplight (I do read much smaller ones when I get the chance), I’ve traded in my reading obsession for a laptop. And I’ve never been happier.
“I’m one of the lucky ones. I have a wonderful family and fabulous husband who put up with my writing—and obsessive personality—even when life is chaotic. More than once my kids have been late to swimming or baseball because I needed just five more minutes to finish a scene. Their support and encouragement mean the world to me. I also have amazing friends and a support network I couldn’t survive without. So to all of you out there who have encouraged me along the way, sent me emails and fan letters, phone calls and congratulations, I just want to say, thank you. You make this whole writing gig that much more enjoyable. I truly wouldn’t be here without you.”
About Angel Payne
USA Today bestselling romance author Angel Payne has been reading and writing her entire life, though her love for romances began in junior high, when writing with friends on “swap stories” they’d trade between classes. Needless to say, those stories involved lots of angst, groping, drama, and French kissing.
She began getting a paycheck for her writing in her twenties, writing record reviews for a Beverly Hills-based dance music magazine. Some years, various entertainment industry gigs, and a number of years in the hospitality industry later, Angel returned to the thing she loves the most: creating character-based romantic fiction. Along the way, she also graduated with two degrees from Chapman University in Southern California, taking departmental honors for English, before writing five historical romances for Kensington and Bantam/Doubleday/Dell.
Angel found a true home in writing contemporary-based romances featuring high heat, memorable alpha men, and the women who tame them. She has numerous book series to her credit, including the Kinky Truth series, the Cimarron saga, the Secrets of Stone series (with Victoria Blue), and the popular W.I.L.D. Boys of Special Forces series, as well as several stand-alone titles. The C Suite series launches in 2016.
Angel still lives in Southern California, where she is married to her soul mate and lives on a street that looks like Brigadoon, with their awesome daughter and Lady Claire, the dog with impeccable manners. When not writing, she enjoys reading, pop culture, alt rock, cute shoes, enjoying the outdoors, and being a gym rat.
Find Angel on her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
About Michelle St. James
Michelle St. James is a pen name for critically acclaimed YA author Michelle Zink. Her first series, Prophecy of the Sisters (YA), was one of Booklist’s Top Ten Debut novels. Her work has also been an Indie Next selection and has appeared on prestigious lists such as the Lonestar List, New York Public Library’s Stuff for the Teen Age, and Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best. Her books have been published in over thirty countries and translated into over twenty languages. She lives in New York with too many teenagers and too many cats.
Find Michelle on her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
About Lauren Blakely
Fairest Of All Book Reviews 