REVIEW ~ Irrevocably Shattered by S.C. Ellen

Irrevocably Shattered by S.C. Ellen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 STARS

This was a tough one to rate. Couldn't rank it a four star. And it wasn't a two star either because this book wasn't a terrible read. I'll begin with the reasons why I couldn't rate it a four:

1. The pace. This book started out with a lot of action. We're given a strong, emotional opening and all of a sudden the action comes to a screeching halt. I also felt as if some of the scenes in the book didn't really move the story forward. This is why I just couldn't seem to really get into this book. And until well past the half-way point, I felt as if the story was predictable. The H saves the h from a bad guy. H and h fight their attraction to each other. Wash, rinse, repeat until the story finally began to propel forward.

2. I couldn't connect with the characters. I tried SO hard. I really, really tried to care about the H and h but despite the effort, it just didn't happen. Maybe this issue was from all the bloodshed and ruthlessness that comes in a story line containing a mafia setting. Mafia romance isn't something that I normally read, so maybe it's all on me.




3. It wasn't clear why the h despised the H early in the story. h even admitted that H was a mystery to her...therefore, how could she instantly decide that she hated him? There was really no reason for h to keep fighting her attraction to H. It's almost as if this was built into the story line solely to build tension, but the angst/resistance just fell flat for me.

The reasons I couldn't give the book a two star:

1. The book was well written. Pushing aside the slow pace, H did go through a bit of a change...this is character development. Good job.

2. The cover art was great. The graphics on the inner matter of the book were good too. There were no grammar/editing issues. The writing wasn't juvenile. (many new authors often struggle with this.) It was apparent this author put time, money and pride into producing a good product for her readers. Good job and thank you, S.C. Ellen.

3. We get a sweet happy ever after ending.



I do think the S.C. Ellen has talent, but I probably wouldn't chose another mafia romance title.

I voluntarily read this book for the purpose of a review.

Love It or Hate It, Taboo Is Here To Stay

Boy meets girl at work or school or a bar. Boy and girl like each other and date for a while. Eventually, girl and boy get married. Isn't that the way romance typically blossoms?

Yeah, maybe in the 1950's.

There's an old saying, 'The only thing that never changes is change itself.' While I couldn't agree more, the writing world is no exception.

Have readers grown bored with boy meets girl in the bar, school or work place? Some Romance authors have been drifting from the regular love recipe to sate their readers' changing appetites. Often times, the recipe doesn't contain sugar and spice: There's a healthy heaping of taboo. 

Taboo Tropes are anything but cliche, yet these days it's as common as tattoos and Chinese takeout. 

Photo Credit: Marina Voitik 

Step Romance Is Stepping Up!

Whether it repulses or excites you, stories about falling in love with a step parent or sibling are all the rage. Many authors have hit major bestseller's lists with this taboo trope. There isn't much of a mystery as to why this type of story is easy to pull off.

Think about it: The relationship between the two characters already exists. Step relatives often share the same home...same bathroom...maybe even the same bedroom. They've been in vulnerable situations together. And they've seen each other in their underwear, eaten meals together and might share a parent. It's an added bonus if the step daddy-o is a silver fox with six pack abs. 😁

There's an existing bond, but no biological link to consider the relationship incestuous. And an author has all the room they need to let their imaginations run wild.

Captive Romance 

Ahhh, this trope has picked up major steam in recent years. The scenario: Hero is betrothed to marry heroine, but heroine isn't cool with the idea. So, hero captures his bride-to-be and a terrible struggle ensues. Heroine hates him, but hero eventually wears heroine down with money, lavish gifts, sex and attention until heroine finally falls for captive. (I have a guilty admission that I have enjoyed stories containing this trope.)

Readers of forced fantasy and power exchange eat up these stories! 

Photo Credit: Motiz Bechert

Stockholm Syndrome

This is probably the most complex trope to write. In my opinion, it takes special writing talent to make your reader want a monstrous, murderous villain to end up in a loving relationship with his innocent, virginal victim. 😈

Scenario: A mean, scary, deadly (and of course, good looking) assassin attacks and stalks a female. Female is horrified by him at first, but as the story progresses, the assassin's obsession and possessiveness grows on the female. She begins to sympathize with her stalker. After all, his psychotic tenancies aren't his fault. 

After stalker drags female victim to his secret lair prison and keeps her under 24 hour surveillance, he meets all of her needs. He showers her with gifts. He touches her in ways no man has before. A dark and thrilling side of the victim is awakened and then she finds she can't live without the adrenaline fueled love making he's introduced. Oh, the victim is all the stalker can think about. He's never craved anyone like her. He'll NEVER let her go without killing her cat, or threatening the lives of her family and friends. 

Sounds like true love, right?

Actually, in the modern literary world, this could be love! Readers can't get enough of the darker side of romance. Don't believe me? Check the Amazon rankings for stories of this nature. If you read the reviews for these titles, you'll find a mixture of emotions from fans. Some will be horrified. Others will be downright in LOVE with the book. And who knows? Maybe you'll be inspired to write your own taboo romance.

Thrall by Carrie Harris

Thrall
Supernaturals of Las Vegas
Book One
Carrie Harris

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Inked Entertainment
Date of Publication: 3/7/2020
ASIN: B084RGTXNF

Number of pages: 234

Word Count: 52,000

Cover Artist: Inked Entertainment

Tagline: Undeniable attraction. Blood magic. Vampire politics. Murder...Just another day in Las Vegas.

Book Description:

Liss Lorensson is a thrall–born to be a servant of the vampire crown prince.

Gregor Valdemar is a vampire prince who chafes under the strict rule of his sire and longs for a different life.

When the two finally meet on Liss’s 21st birthday, sparks fly. But blood magic, murder, and political intrigue stand in the way of their growing romance. Vampire seduction meets the power of the blood in this first volume of the Supernaturals of Las Vegas series.

Amazon

Excerpt

Liss Lorensson fastened a length of pearls around her neck and tried not to think about biting. It would happen right there, at the sensitive juncture where the shoulder met the neck, just under the slightly uneven orbs that distinguished real pearls from fake baubles made in factories. She was resigned to getting bitten—it was part of her new job, after all—but after all of the time she’d spent preparing for this night, it had gotten built up in her mind. Anyone who knew her would say that Liss Lorensson was never nervous or underprepared for anything. She’d practically sprung from the womb with a to-do list, according to her mother. But now, she felt both of those things, and she didn’t quite know how to deal with it.

She settled the pearls into place, eyeing her reflection, ignoring the minute tremor of her hand. No one who saw her would guess at her agitation. Her face was a perfect, pale oval with the kind of complexion that usually only comes with Photoshop. Makeup accentuated the cold intensity of her icy blue eyes. Her long blonde hair was twisted back into a chignon, not a strand out of place. A shimmery silk dress gave her an air of understated yet virginal elegance, topped off with a pair of silver, strappy heels. She usually skipped heels, since at 5’10” they often made her taller than her dates, and most men didn’t like that sort of thing. But Gregor was tall, so she’d been practicing with these particular shoes for weeks now. She could do anything in them now without stumbling—walk, dance, sneak into locked rooms, or engage in hand to hand combat.

Even so, all the preparation felt insufficient. Only a few days earlier, she’d graduated from her small private college with a dual degree in finance and political science, summa cum laude. She’d moved out of her dormitory the next day, ignoring the protests of casual friends who didn’t know anything about the world she came from. Today was her 21st birthday, and they’d begged her to stay so they could take her out on the town. A small part of her was curious to know what that would be like, to drink until her head swam, to pick up some boy she didn’t care about and do as she liked with him. She’d never done anything like that. There had never been time. She’d been taking a huge load of classes in order to graduate early and return home for her presentation tonight.

Her eyes fell on the stack of textbooks on the divan. She’d moved back to her family’s penthouse in a hurry, and her normally immaculate bedroom was still in disarray. The marble floor was dotted with half unpacked suitcases and boxes of dorm essentials she’d need to donate or move to storage. Normally, she was on top of that kind of thing, but there hadn’t been time for that either. She hadn’t even had time to process the fact that she was no longer a college student. As of tonight, she’d take her place with her family, thralls to Gregor Valdemar, prince of the vampire kingdom of Las Vegas. Each vampire was allowed four thralls, who protected their masters during the day and served them at night. She’d help her father run the Renaissance Casino and Hotel, one of the biggest resorts on the Strip. No one knew it was owned by the undead. One vampire in particular—Gregor. Her new master, as of tonight.

She’d seen him a few times from a distance, but vampires weren’t allowed to associate with thrall minors, so they’d never spoken in person. But she had pictures, of course, and plenty of stories about him from her parents and her older brother Tait. He seemed to be a good boss and patron from what she could gather. At least she wasn’t stuck with one of those anachronistic morons who couldn’t or wouldn’t change with the times, the kind that made their thralls dress up in white powdered wigs and corsets just because it reminded them of the good old days. In order to be successful, one needed to stay current, and Gregor seemed like he managed that. He’d financed her college education, for starters, and had sent her a note of admiration when she’d won a particularly exclusive finance and economics prize. She’d kept the note, reading it over and over again in the hopes of getting a glimpse at the mind behind it. But it simply said, “Congratulations on winning the Stepford Prize. I hear it is particularly competitive. Gregor.” It was handwritten in neat, small print. There was nothing to be gleaned from that except for the notability of him sending it at all. For him to take a few moments to celebrate her accomplishments before she’d even reached the age of maturity seemed to bode well for their working relationship.

Who was she kidding? She grimaced at herself in the mirror. She wanted him to like her. She wanted to like him.

About the Author:

Carrie Harris is a geek-of-all-trades who writes genre fiction for all ages. If it has monsters, mayhem, or murder in it, she’s all in. Because all authors are required to have a history of weird jobs, she worked as an autopsy coordinator and in a lab full of brains in jars. Now she’s a full time writer in Utah, where she lives with her ninja-doctor husband and three teenage children. Carrie has done a variety of cool things like organizing WriteOnCon (an online writers conference) and serving as the president of the Class of 2k11 (an author marketing group), and her book BAD TASTE IN BOYS was named a Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. If you bring any of this up to her, she will blush a ridiculous amount. As you read this, she is probably drinking something caffeinated and talking to people that only exist in her head.

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Website: http://carrieharrisbooks.com

Blog: http://carrieharrisbooks.blogspot.com/

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Carrieharrisbooks/          

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Photographs by James Garcia

Photographs
James Garcia Jr

Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: James Garcia Jr

Date of Publication: March 3, 2020

ISBN: 9781655811678

ASIN: B083H87YJ6

Number of pages: 390

Word Count: 84,798

Cover Artist: Maria Zannini

Tagline: One night, two exceptional women meet; one black, one white. Both carry broken hearts and one has been dead sixty years.

Book Description:

One night, two exceptional women meet; one black, one white. Both carry broken hearts and one has been dead for sixty years.

In 1956, film actress Allison Belle abandoned the glamour of Hollywood for Fresno, California, and an idyllic new life.

In 1959, she disappeared altogether.

Sixty years later, real estate agent Joanna Johnson steps unsuspectingly into the old Belle house and a story long forgotten.

A devastating personal event opens a hidden door into the actress’s world. The mystery behind what broke Allison’s heart and what ultimately happened to her is revealed slowly by a series of long lost photographs the agent uncovers; the relationship she builds with the actress’s ninety year old husband; and through a series of “dreams” she has where she relives the moments captured by each photograph - herself a participant in them.

The closer Joanna gets to the truth, the closer she gets to suffering the same fate.

Amazon     Smashwords

Excerpt:

“In these daydreams and dreams that I have glimpsed, I have seen the best of a woman who was so pleased to have left her past life.” She held out her hands and motioned around her. “She loved this place and everything about it. I have seen her happier doing yardwork than she appears in any red-carpet premiere photo on the Internet, and I’ve seen many of those. I have heard her laugh and shared sweet moments with her.”

“So, what happened to her?” John asked.

Joanna grew silent. “I wish I knew.” She sighed and thought it over. “I believe her last moments were spent in isolation. Richard appears in fewer and fewer of the memories toward the end. I’m not sure why. He’s in Hollywood now, so perhaps the pull of that life tugged him back. One of the last moments I spent with her, for lack of a better explanation, she was sitting by this window.” Joanna turned and pointed behind her.

“What was she doing?” John asked.

Joanna stared at the spot. “Nothing. Well, drinking. Drinking pretty heavily, actually. In the end, I think it was all she had.” She turned back around, and her gaze settled on the pool. She lifted a hand to her face.

“What is it?” Shelly asked.

“The first night I stayed here, I found an old bottle of Scotch in a cabinet that would not open to me. When it finally did, that’s when I found the first photo. It was her booze. I had entirely too much of it and ended up in the pool.”

“Why?” Shelly asked.

“I think I was trying to kill myself.”

“Oh, my God,” Shelly said. “Because of your engagement?”

Joanna shook her head. “No. I think it was Ally. I saw an outline of somebody standing on the ledge of the pool. When I came up for air, she was gone. But she had been there. I really don’t understand it myself.” Both faces were glued to hers. “I found the previous renter.”

“The zoo guy?” John asked.

“Director Eggars,” Shelly added.

Joanna nodded. She looked into Shelly’s eyes. “He really didn’t want to talk to me once I told him about the house. Know what he said to me?”

Shelly shook her head.

“He said, ‘Please don’t tell me you ended up in that pool.’” Joanna looked from one to the other and back at the pool. “His wife ended up in the pool, too. I get the feeling it had happened more than once. That last time, he got her and their kids out of here and never came back.”

“Is the pool haunted?” John asked, turning around to face it.

“I don’t think it’s the pool,” Joanna answered. “But I wonder if Ally tried to kill herself and every woman who stays here feels the same compulsion. Perhaps that’s what she was staring at when I sat with her. Maybe she was preparing herself…” She grew silent while she contemplated this.

“Maybe she didn’t try,” John said. “I know it sounds creepy, but maybe she succeeded.”

“John!” Shelly recoiled.

“I told you it was creepy,” he defended himself.

“It would explain much,” Joanna said. “Except what happened to the body.”

About the Author:

James Garcia Jr. was born in Hanford, California. He moved up the road to Kingsburg with his family as a child. After graduating KHS, he attended Reedley College where he met his wife. The family still makes its home in Kingsburg which is typically the setting of his fiction.

He was the 1994 winner of the Writers International Network/Writers Inter-Age Network writing contest in the horror category. He is the author of the Dance on Fire edgy vampire series and the stand-alone paranormal, Seeing Ghosts.

During the day, he is a manager at Sun-Maid Growers of California.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/JamesGarciaJrFanPage/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/danceauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danceauthor38/

Website: https://jamesgarciajr.jimdofree.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3483458.James_Garcia_Jr_

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Blog Tour Never Date A Vampire by Marilyn Vix

Never Date A Vampire
Beware of Vampires
Book One
Marilyn Vix

Genre: paranormal romance
Publisher: Shadowcat Publishing
Date of Publication: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 9781393015406

ASIN: B07ZHQHLNP
Word Count: 20K

Cover Artist: Melody Simmons of eBookindiecovers

Tagline: What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay there. But date a vampire, and you may never leave. Cass finds herself in a mess. Can a vampire save her?

Book Description:

A trip to Las Vegas can be the most fun of your life.

But what if you know witches? Warlocks?       

What other creatures could there be in the Las Vegas paranormal underground?

Cassandra Sanders has witnessed a messy witch divorce. Things have blown apart behind her as her friends fought with a warlock. She rides to the Stratosphere with her witch and warlock friends thinking that the worst is behind her. Throw in an Elvis impersonator, and you already have a good time ahead. But she wonders, what about her? She’s all-alone in Las Vegas. What could go wrong if she played some blackjack?

The meeting of a mysterious stranger doesn’t alarm Cass. After a casual drink, she seems to start to lose her will. Is she losing her mind? Drawn to him, she knows that maybe, this was too good to be true. He was too perfect. But in the world of the paranormal underground, where witches and warlocks played, what else should she be afraid of? Will she find out when she reaches his hotel room?

Experience what Cass finds out about the Las Vegas paranormal underground in this new series by Marilyn Vix, a sequel to the Beware of Warlocks series.

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/yhkIV_DEfV4

Amazon     Kobo     Apple

Excerpt from Chapter 1: Never Date A Vampire

Before I had more time to dwell on his charm, he asked, “Well, have you eaten yet?”

I nodded. “I already ate upstairs.”

“At the Top of the World?” I nodded again as he continued, fascinated by his voice and the accent I still couldn’t place. He was saying something about the view or the lights, but it was hard to follow when I couldn’t take my eyes off his mouth. His lips. His voice was a strong rhythm mesmerizing my brain. He stopped talking and I watched as a slow smile formed. I blinked and looked into his amazing eyes. “We could get out of here and explore the Strip.”

I shook my head, mumbling, “Sure.”

“Let’s go, then.” He finished the rest of his martini. I just left the rest of my drink. We moved out of the seating area. He stopped at the bar, dropping a bill onto the counter. It must have been a big bill, because the guy gave him a big thank you. My Bond-like date waved at him.

As I walked next to him, I realized I still didn’t know his name. As if he read my mind, he answered, “By the way, my name is Dante.”

“I’m Cassandra. Cassie for short.”

“Glad to know you, Cassie.”

He put his arm around my waist and guided me up the stairs to the front doors. I felt the pressure of his hand on my back. All of a sudden, I wanted him. I felt the pounding of my heart. My legs were moving almost as if I had no will over them, and all I wanted was to be with Dante. We walked out the door, and he gave a ticket to the valet.

He turned to me, saying, “Now my dear, we’ll take in the best sight in Vegas: my hotel room.” He kissed me, slowly, deliciously, and all I wanted to do was be with him. My brain focused on nothing else. I even didn’t mind the cheesy line of being taken to his hotel room. The valet pulled up in his black Lamborghini, and he helped me get in. I leaned back in the leather seats, shaking my head for a minute as he broke contact with my arm. But it only lasted for a minute, because I felt his hand caressing my hand after he got into the driver’s seat. “Lean back and relax Cassie. It’s not a long drive.”

That’s when I felt my eyes starting to close slowly. Outside the car, someone was calling my name, but I didn’t see who because everything went dark.

About the Author:

Marilyn is a paranormal romance novelist. She enjoys the characters that just don’t fit in. From witches to time traveling researchers, she is letting her imagination soar to explore new worlds and write all the details down. Marilyn has traveled to Paris, London, Sydney, Munich and Las Vegas. She loves to include these settings as much as possible. Best of all is letting her reader enjoy them through the perspective of a character. She currently lives in Northern California with her husband and cat. The cat, of course, is the center of attention.

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Website/Blog: http://marilynvix.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarilynVix

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7340842.Marilyn_Vix