The Blood Code by Misty Evans Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway

 

Title: The Blood Code (A Super Agent Novel)
Author:  Misty Evans
Publisher/Publication Date:  Entangled Edge, June 17, 2013
Format/Source: e-arc, Publisher
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes& Noble/Kobo/iBooks

Synopsis

Fifteen years ago, Anya Radzoya fled Russia with her grandmother after the suspicious deaths of her parents, but she can’t escape the royal genes that make her one of Russia’s last living princesses. When President Ivanov blackmails her into returning to Moscow to be his future wife in exchange for her grandmother’s life, Anya discovers he’s planning to unleash a nuclear war. With no one else to turn to, she join forces with CIA operative Ryan Smith.

Undercover at the nuclear summit, Ryan is happy to recruit Anya to find proof Ivanov is resurrecting the Cold War, but he suspects his new asset is a double agent. Anya is determined to rescue her grandmother with or without his help, however, and Ryan finds himself falling for the beautiful princess before he even trusts her. He refuses to let her go it alone, even if it means risking his own critical mission.

Trapped inside the Kremlin with a cunning and ruthless opponent, the two must risk their lives and their hearts to save Anya’s grandmother, as well as millions of innocent people.

My Thoughts

The Blood Code by Misty Evans can best be described as a nail-biting, spine-tingling, edge of your seat thriller. The book is just chilling. I just couldn’t fathom how Ivanov would be stopped or how Anya would get out of the dreadful situation of being held captive before it was too late. Anya is so feisty and at times it puts her in further danger. Oh and President Ivanov is so creepy, I just cringe when I think about his character. He is so unstable that I couldn’t predict what he would do next.

I liked Anya’s strong will. She added excitement to the story. She was a relentless character that wouldn’t let anything stop her and had no mercy on her enemies.

What the characters were feeling at any moment was clearly depicted. I could only imagine the chills flowing throw Anya’s body while she was alone with Ivanov as I read the following quote: “The heat from the fire might as well have been the north wind blowing outside” (80). At other times I could absolutely understand Anya’s feelings of fear, uncertainty, and hopelessness.

Overall, I appreciated the pacing of The Blood Code. At times the pacing was slow and at other times there was a heightened intensity. In the beginning a mysterious woman Anya shows up at the outpost of the special ops team which piqued my interest. Then there is a period of time in which background information is revealed and Anya and Ryan contemplate their next move. There were shocking developments along the way. And finally, the fast paced action is put into motion when Ryan and Anya constantly take dangerous leaps of faith in an attempt to stop Ivanov from wreaking havoc. I really couldn’t fathom how this would end well, and Evans kept me in suspense until the very end.

The Blood Code was well-written and just had one of the most nerve-wracking endings. If you love suspense novels with a strong heroine, I would definitely recommend this novel.

Rating- 4.5/5 

I received an e-arc of The Blood Code by Misty Evans for an unbiased review. Thank you.

About Misty:

 
Misty Evans is the author of the award-winning Super Agent romantic suspense series. Books in the series have won a CataNetwork Reviewers’ Choice Award, CAPA nominations, the New England Reader’s Choice Bean Pot Award for Best Romantic Suspense and the ACRA Heart of Excellence Reader’s Choice Award for Best Romantic Suspense.

Misty likes her coffee black, her conspiracy stories juicy, and her wicked characters dressed in couture. When not reading or writing, she enjoys hanging out with her husband and their
twin sons. Learn more and sign up for her newsletter at www.readmistyevans.com.



Website/Twitter/Facebook/ Goodreads

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Blog Tour

 



 

 Official Tour Stops

 

6/17/2013      So Many Reads      

6/18/2013      Notes From A Romantic's Heart   

6/19/2013      Reading Between the Wines       

6/20/2013      Going in Circles      

6/21/2013      Storey Book Reviews         

6/24/2013      In My Humble Opinion       

6/25/2013      The Flirty Reader    

6/26/2013      Meredith's Musings

6/26/2013      Paranormal Book Club      

6/28/2013      Reading on the Rocks  

Review: Deja Voodoo by Elle James

 Title:  Deja Voodoo (A Cajun Magic Novel; Click on the Link for Synopsis)

Author:  Elle James

Publisher/Publication Date:  Entangled Suspense, June 24, 2013

Format/Source:  e-galley, Publisher

Genre:  Romantic Suspense

Goodreads  Barnes & Noble  Amazon

My Thoughts

I have mixed feelings about Deja Voodoo by Elle James. There were some aspects of the story that I liked and others that I could have done without. It begins as another fun and enjoyable read.  Since the end of Voodoo for Two a lot has happened. Lucie is now living in Baton Rouge and she has started her life with Ben. She is back to her old antics of creating spells. Lucie sends Alex a Voodoo charm just as another undercover agent assigned to a case arrives in Bayou Miste. So if you’re a fan of Voodoo for Two, you know where this story is headed.  

There were moments of intense high flying action on the bayou that had me on the edge of my seat. Yet, there were action scenes involving criminals with fast-moving cars that were too similar to those found in Voodoo for Two.  It was just the same actions with different people in a slightly different place at a different time.

And once again we follow another Louisiana State Police, Ed, as he is undercover and pursues a love interest, Alex. Alex and Ed have an instant physical attraction, and I did enjoy their story.  Alex struggles with her quest to remain independent and is rather fickle.  One moment she is oh so totally falling for Ed and the next she is pulling away.

The problem that I had with this book was the voodoo spell that went awry and brought a new man, Sport, into Calliope’s life. I really disliked the setting and circumstances surrounding Sport’s transformation. Calliope’s interest in Sport is overplayed. She just appears to be desperate and sells herself short. I just couldn’t connect with the whole relationship between the two of them or Calliope’s desperation to have a man. There were funny aspects of Alex’s interactions with Sport; however, the story surrounding Calliope and Sport had a profound effect on my opinion of Deja Voodoo.

Rating 2.5/5-The book was okay

I received a copy of Deja Voodoo from the publisher for an unbiased review. Thank You.

Review: For Love or Money by Cathy Perkins



Title:  For Love or Money
Author: Cathy Perkins
Publisher/Publication Date:
Entangled Suspense, May 27, 2013
Format/Source:  e-book, won
Goodreads  Amazon  Barnes&Noble

My Thoughts

I love suspense novels that have you looking for clues in all the wrong places. Cathy Perkins does a good job of building up the suspense by providing just enough information to make multiple people look guilty.   For Love or Money was filled with corruption and characters who were so temperamental that it was difficult to discern who could be trusted. There were several people in Holly’s life from love interests to her clients that either had a shady past, made questionable statements, or acted bizarre.
Then there was Holly’s mom who occasionally made an appearance. She was so undependable, and I began to think that she was hiding something.  

And Holly, Holly, Holly. All I can do is shake my head and say her name. This is another case of a strong-willed heroine who thinks that she can take care of herself. She got herself in so deep with the murder investigation, because she couldn’t stop snooping. Yeah, her character was believable enough; because she’s similar to the people out there that just don’t know when to stop asking questions. I guess being in a series of dangerous situations wasn’t satisfying enough—she needed answers. Her actions just led to alarming outcomes that kept me turning the pages in search of answers.

I loved how JC dealt with the unresolved issues between him and Holly. There was just so much tension between them.  And at times I found it amusing when JC’s interrogation of Holly went astray as he was gathering her personal information.

There were several occasions that I was left shocked by the events that unfolded and could only hope to find answers as I continued on my journey reading this book. Then finally the ending arrived, and it just left me saying—“What?! I should have known, but I didn’t see that coming.”

For Love or Money was a quick enjoyable read, and  I would recommend it to fans of  romantic suspense novels. Rating 4/5

I received a copy of For Love or Money from the publisher for an unbiased review. Thank you.

It's Release Day for Rapture's Edge by J. T. Geissinger

Title:  Edge of Oblivion
Author:  J. T. Geissinger
Publisher/Publication Date:
Montlake Romance,
October 2, 2012
Genre Paranormal Romance
Format/Source:
Paperback, Won
Amazon  Barnes &Noble
Goodreads

Title: Shadow's Edge
Author: J. T. Geissinger
Publisher/Publication Date:
Montlake Romance
June 12, 2012
Genre:  Paranormal
Romance
Format/Source:
E-Book, Purchased
Amazon  Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
 



Title:  Rapture's Edge
Author: J. T. Geissinger
Publisher/Publication Date:  Montlake Romance, June 18, 2013
Genre: Paranormal Romance
 Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Goodreads

My Thoughts

It's Release Day for Rapture's Edge (A Night Prowler Novel) by J. T. Geissinger, the third book in her edgy paranormal romance series.

Edge of Oblivion was the first book I won from a blog contest and A Night Prowler series was my first adventure into the adult edgy paranormal romance genre. While I waited for Edge of Oblivion to arrive, I purchased & read Shadow's Edge. I just loved the story of  Jenna as she learned about her background and the Ikati Tribe. The ending of book one left me looking forward to reading more.

At the completion of Shadows Edge, it was suggested that a war would ensue. Edge of Oblivion picked up where Shadow’s Edge left off and centered on Morgan’s mission and Xander, the assassin.

The characters were well developed as J. T. Geissinger provided the reader with further insight regarding the background of Morgan and Xander. Their histories were touching and it made me think that who these characters were wasn’t as black and white as I first thought.  There were other characters  that were just unlikable, but were essential to the developing conflict. One example, was Dominus the king of the Expurgari who was ruthless and added dark elements to the plot. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Edge of Oblivion. Although, I missed Leander and Jenna’s presence as the story progressed, I am definitely looking forward to reading Rapture’s Edge, because I was left wandering what the future holds for Jenna, the Ikati Tribe, and Eliana, the daughter of the king of the Expurgari.

Happy Book Birthday J. T. Geissinger

Review: The Sword Dancer by Jeannie Lin

 

 Title:  The Sword Dancer (Tang Dynasty #4)

Publisher/Publication Date:  Harlequin Historical,  May 21, 2013

Format/Source:  Paperback, Author

Genre: Historical Romance
Barnes & Noble     Amazon     Goodreads

 

Synopsis from Goodreads

The Thief Who Stole His Heart

Sword dancer Li Feng is used to living life on the edge of the law—a woman alone in the dangerous world of the Tang Dynasty has only her whirlwind reflexes to trust. She will discover the truth about her past, even if that means outwitting the most feared thief-catcher of them all...

Relentless, handsome and determined, Han sees life—and love—as black and white. Until he finally captures the spirited, courageous Li Feng, who makes him question everything he thought he knew about right and wrong. Soon he's faced with an impossible choice: betray the elusive sword dancer he is learning to love, or trust his long-disregarded heart and follow her to dangerous, tempting rebellion...
 

Review

I loved the world building in The Sword Dancer by Jeannie Lin as it whisked me away to another place and another time. I was captivated as I witnessed the amazing romantic tale of Li Feng, the sword dancer aka a thief, and Han, a thief catcher, unfold. It was set in the Tang Dynasty AD 848. The descriptions were so well-written that I could conceive a clear picture of the setting, people, laws, and values of the time period. From the hierarchical justice system to the customs and beliefs, Lin skillfully weaves bits of history throughout this fantastic tale.

The strong female heroine was intriguing, and I just loved how Han chased after Li Feng as she kept slipping out of his reach. I liked the fact that Li Feng was so strong that it compelled her to stand firm by her beliefs and fight for what she believed in.

As for the plot it took a slightly different turn than what I’d foreseen. And I was shocked by some of the twists along the way as Li Feng searched for answers regarding what happened to her family.

I am definitely looking forward to reading books 1-3 of the Tang Dynasty series and future work by Jeannie Lin. If you’re looking for an exciting historical romance novel, The Sword Dancer is a must Read.

Rating-5/5

I received a copy of the Sword Dancer from the author, Jeannie Lin, for an unbiased review. Thank You.