Kayden/Simon by Alexandra Ivy and Laura Wright - Review

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Author: Alexandra Ivy and Laura Wright

Publication Date:  9 August, 2016

Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts

Series:  Bayou Heat, books 21 and 22

Genre:  Paranormal Romance, Shifter

Age Recommendation: 18 and up

Rating: 4 stars

~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~ 

Book Description:

ENEMY TO LOVER
Kayden is obsessed with revenge after his parents disappeared when he was just a cub. Now the gorgeous Hunter has discovered the man responsible for betraying them - Joshua Ford - and it’s time for payback. Beginning with the kidnapping of Joshua’s daughter, Bianca. But last thing he expects is to be confronted with the horrifying realization that Bianca is his mate. Will he put revenge before his chance for eternal happiness?

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Sexy male model, Simon refuses to give up his exciting life in New York City to return to the slow heat of the Wildlands. For a decade, many pantera have tried to capture the rogue Diplomat and bring him home, but all have failed. Now it’s Tryst’s turn. The hard, brilliant, and gorgeous, Hunter is the ultimate tracker. But can the admitted beast-girl of the Wildlands capture her prey without losing her heart in the process?

My Review:

I always enjoy coming back to the world of the Pantera and this time was no different.  In fact I think i can safely say that Kayden and Simon's stories easily became two of my favorite stories in the entire series.  I haven't felt this good about the couples since the first few stories when we were just becoming a part of the world of the Pantera.  Since Raphael and Parish.

After so many stories, we are up to 22 now, even just novellas it is easy to start to get lost in the world being built.  To lose the connection you made when you first began to read the series, to have things start to feel stale and replayed.  That isn't  the case with this release.  I will admit that mid way through the series I started to feel a bit bogged down by it all, never enough to stop reading them though because I truly love this world, but these two stories felt new and refreshing.  Yes, the back story is still there...the Pantera are still fighting against Christopher and his terrible actions against the Pantera, but we only got a small glimpse of that battle in Kayden  and Simon's stories.  These two books revolved almost strictly around the relationship between the two couples and I think it was much like a palate cleaner.  The will leave you feeling satisfied while still wanting more.  They will leave you invested but refreshed.  

Something else that I find keeps happening to me more and more as we get deeper into the series is that I want longer stories.  I could have had a full length story about Simon and Tryst and still wanted more I think.  I am particularly in love with their story, I am not at all let down by the story itself but wow, how amazing would it have been if they had 400+ pages instead of 75?  I am all anxious just thinking about it, and anxious in a very good way.

If you are a fan of the Bayou Heat series you will not be disappointed in these two stories!  If you are new...once again the authors and 1,001 Dark Nights pull off a perfect opener to a new world in the middle of its own story.  They give you a beautiful glimpse into something new to you with out spoiling the story for you.  You can safely read this novella with out having read the previous books but you will want to and if you decide you do want to make sure you go back to the beginning.  The Pantera have been on a wild ride for 22 books now, every book has built upon the ones that have come before it, you most definitely want to start at the beginning.  These are great books because you can pick them up anytime you need a quick read and walk away feeling like you got the entire story, perfect for your busy summer days when you just need some downtime.  If you are a fan of shifter books this series is a must read!  

~ HAPPY READING ~ 

I'm not exactly sure when I fell in love with books. Probably on my mother's knee listening to her read Dr. Seuss to me. I do remember that I was barely old enough to cross the street by myself when I discovered the delights of the local library. Could anything be more wonderful than spending summer days surrounded by stacks of Nancy Drew mysteries? Over the years I fell in love with Victoria Holt, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and J.R.R. Tolkien just to name a few. I read poetry, essays, biographies, and plays. In fact, I read anything I could get my hands on.

Years later (no, I'm not admitting how many) I'm still an avid reader, and my tastes are still as varied as they were in my youth, which I suppose helps to explain why I enjoy writing regency historicals under the name of Deborah Raleigh, as well as my contemporary paranormals as Alexandra Ivy. For now that is enough to keep me busy, but who knows what the future might hold!

I do have a few other loves in my life besides reading and writing, the most important being my unbelievably patient husband, David, and my two sons, Chance and Alexander. Without their constant support and belief in me, I never could have been able to follow my dreams. They are truly my heroes.

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Unlike many of my peers in the writing world, I wasn’t a writer or a reader until I left high school. During my youth I was into theater, song and dance, commercials and boys. I loved romance surely, but I had never read a romance novel until my late teens. With that said, I remember the day I did like it was a moment ago – my aunt gave me the Jude Deveraux novel, Knight in Shining Armor and I couldn’t put it down until the very last word. Then I went straight to the library and got another – then another until I’d read everything she’d ever written. After that, it was McNaught, Howard, Schone, Kleypas, and the Silhouette line, Desire. I instantly loved those emotional, sexy reads, so much so that I began to carve out ideas for my own stories, themes that were unique to me and moved me. In 1997 I enrolled in UCLA extension writing classes, met my mentor and critique partners and since have never stopped writing. I was committed then and I still am now; the need to tell my own romantic stories a full on obsession. My first manuscript was rejected, and though the second one was as well the editor who’d rejected it wanted to see something else from me. I had something (note to authors; always keep working, even after you’ve sent in a proposal) and sent it right away. The day I got the call telling me Desire wanted to buy Cinderella and the Playboy was the best day of my life. That is until I married my husband, and had my two beautiful children. But I must say, writing is much like motherhood – tough, grueling, surprising, delicious and for me, a dream come true.

I was born and raised in Minnesota. It’s where my love of all things green, wet and grown in the ground comes from. As you read above, before writing I was an actor, singer and dancer, specifically a BALLROOM dancer – an instructor and competitor as well. That work took me to many places like New York, Ohio and Wisconsin. I live in Los Angeles now, but I’m always thinking about greener pastures – literally.

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Ice/Reaux by Alexandra Ivy and Laura Wright - Review

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Author: Alexandra Ivy and Laura Wright

Publication Date:  18 January 2016

Publisher: Self-Published

Series:  Bayou Heat, book 20

Genre:  Paranormal Romance, Shifter

Age Recommendation: 18 and Up

Rating: 4 Stars

~ I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~ 

Book Description:

ICE
Cammy, a beautiful, talented Hunter, has always taken her future for granted. She will mate with her best friend Rage and live happily ever after. But her perfect future explodes, quite literally. Rage has chosen another mate, and the Pantera’s enemies have struck at the very heart of the Wildlands. Now she is forced to partner with Ice, the aloof, always mysterious Hunter, to retrieve one of their own. Together they must track down the humans who attacked them, and uncover a secret that threatens the survival of the Pantera.

Can she find a way to work with the gorgeous male who stirs her most primitive emotions? And, more importantly, is a happily-ever-after still possible?

REAUX
Taken from her home when she was only 17 and forced to breed, Karen finally has her freedom back. But the chains of captivity still hold the beautiful human mother close, and when she starts to break down emotionally, she knows she needs help.
Unfortunately the only Healer she wants is the very one she can’t have.

All of his life, Reaux has been labeled a wicked mistake. With his body constantly sending out a sexual musk, he’s irresistible to females. So, the brooding Healer keeps to himself. Until he meets Karen. She needs him desperately. Not for sex, though. Just for healing.

But how can he do the work he’s meant to do, if he’s falling in love with his patient?


My Review:

I always enjoy these novella's from Alexandra Ivy and Laura Wright and these two Ice and Reaux or no exception.  The stories while novella length, we are now into the 20th book in the series, (each novella is considered a book when counting)  create a novel+ length series that will have you anxiously awaiting each new 'book'.  

This is a series that you must start from the beginning, every new book builds on past stories...the romantic relationships are different in each one but the underlying story, the story of the Pantera and their enemies is a story that is constantly moving forward and changing with each story.  

The thing that I did find different about these two stories is that while I felt that the story was complete, I don't feel like I was let down or missed anything, I wanted more of each of these relationships.  Usually I walk away from the books simply anxious to get my hands on the next one, but with these two couples I want more time with them.  I wanted both of them, in particular Reaux and Karen, to have their own full length novels.  

I think one of the reasons when it comes to Reaux's book is that not only did we get a good amount of time with the couple but we also got a lot more time with past characters than we normally do and I wanted more of them as well.  I loved seeing more of the relationship with the community as opposed to just the couple.  There was simply something that felt a bit different about Reaux's story than any of the previous 19 books and even though I can't put an exact finger on it, I liked it.  

The action between Pantera and the ever nefarious Christopher and his 'group' is heating up...while the Pantera begin to call home their 'brothers and sisters' for protection they are still sending out 'troops' into the 'human' world to hunt down Christopher's labs, employees, and hopefully one day the elusive Christopher himself.  There is as always that insta-love that comes with Shifters, the fight to understand one another in the relationships with out hurting the other.  There are more twists and turn, more suspense, and anxiousness of what could possibly come next.  I found that in this book there were more heart breaking moments, and yet there were also more powerfully profound and happy moments as well.  

I am always thrilled to see how these two authors bring their stories together to make this complex and intriguing story thrive after so many books.  They manage to stick to a formula and yet make each new book and romance a fresh adventure for the reader.  This is a great series for any Paranormal Romance fans.  Each story is novella length so they can be nice quick reads and if you are starting at the beginning you don't have to feel overwhelmed at there being 20 books. I do HIGHLY suggest that if you have not read this series before that you start with book one, Raphael/Parish . This would be a great series to read this weekend if you, like me, are in the path of Snowmageddon 2016...of course it would be a good series to read no matter when, but trust me getting lost in the world of the Pantera is so much better than looking out your snow covered windows...those Pantera will keep you nice and cozy inside your house!  

~ HAPPY READING ~

About Alexandra Ivy:

I'm not exactly sure when I fell in love with books. Probably on my mother's knee listening to her read Dr. Seuss to me. I do remember that I was barely old enough to cross the street by myself when I discovered the delights of the local library. Could anything be more wonderful than spending summer days surrounded by stacks of Nancy Drew mysteries? Over the years I fell in love with Victoria Holt, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and J.R.R. Tolkien just to name a few. I read poetry, essays, biographies, and plays. In fact, I read anything I could get my hands on. 

Years later (no, I'm not admitting how many) I'm still an avid reader, and my tastes are still as varied as they were in my youth, which I suppose helps to explain why I enjoy writing regency historicals under the name of Deborah Raleigh, as well as my contemporary paranormals as Alexandra Ivy. For now that is enough to keep me busy, but who knows what the future might hold!

I do have a few other loves in my life besides reading and writing, the most important being my unbelievably patient husband, David, and my two sons, Chance and Alexander. Without their constant support and belief in me, I never could have been able to follow my dreams. They are truly my heroes.

Website ~ GoodReads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

About Laura Wright:

Unlike many of my peers in the writing world, I wasn’t a writer or a reader until I left high school. During my youth I was into theater, song and dance, commercials and boys. I loved romance surely, but I had never read a romance novel until my late teens. With that said, I remember the day I did like it was a moment ago – my aunt gave me the Jude Deveraux novel, Knight in Shining Armor and I couldn’t put it down until the very last word. Then I went straight to the library and got another – then another until I’d read everything she’d ever written. After that, it was McNaught, Howard, Schone, Kleypas, and the Silhouette line, Desire. I instantly loved those emotional, sexy reads, so much so that I began to carve out ideas for my own stories, themes that were unique to me and moved me. In 1997 I enrolled in UCLA extension writing classes, met my mentor and critique partners and since have never stopped writing. I was committed then and I still am now; the need to tell my own romantic stories a full on obsession. My first manuscript was rejected, and though the second one was as well the editor who’d rejected it wanted to see something else from me. I had something (note to authors; always keep working, even after you’ve sent in a proposal) and sent it right away. The day I got the call telling me Desire wanted to buy Cinderella and the Playboy was the best day of my life. That is until I married my husband, and had my two beautiful children. But I must say, writing is much like motherhood – tough, grueling, surprising, delicious and for me, a dream come true.

I was born and raised in Minnesota. It’s where my love of all things green, wet and grown in the ground comes from. As you read above, before writing I was an actor, singer and dancer, specifically a BALLROOM dancer – an instructor and competitor as well. That work took me to many places like New York, Ohio and Wisconsin. I live in Los Angeles now, but I’m always thinking about greener pastures – literally.

Website ~ GoodReads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter