Review - Textual Encounters

Title: Textual Encounters

Author: Morgan Parker

Genre: Romance

Tour Host: Lady Amber's Tours

 

Synopsis:
Katie discovers an unlocked iPhone in the back seat of a taxi. But instead of turning it in to the driver as lost, she decides to keep it for herself. Outside of the usual clutter you would expect to find on a smartphone, what captures Katie's interest is the single conversation she finds on the phone's secure text messaging service, a three-month dialogue between a woman with an uncertain past named Christine and a single, eligible man named Jake. What starts out as a message intended for someone else ends up being the beginning of a relationship more powerful than anything Christine or Jake have ever experienced.

 

Excerpt:

For a brief moment in time while sitting in the cab, the stars align. I realize just how rare these moments are and decide to take advantage of it. I make a quick, mental shopping list of all of those other big things my parents never gave me – the Spring Break trip to Miami Beach for my senior year in high school, the congratulatory BMW for getting accepted to Columbia, the hot boyfriend who was supposed to propose after fourth year and help me avoid the hectic life that typically follows med school. Okay, maybe I couldn’t blame my parents for not getting me that last item, but if the Universe could deliver an iPhone, it sure as hell can find me a husband.

 

With my wish list ready and the iPhone in my lap, I close my eyes and channel all my energy, every last ounce of it, at the Universe. And that’s when it happens. The phone actually starts vibrating. My eyes shoot open and I look down in shock.    

 

My Review:

Katie finds an iphone in the back of a cab and decides to keep it. The phone holds three months worth of texts between Jake & Christine that details their entire relationship. The good, the bad and everything in between. She spends days engrossed in their texts, possibly falling for Jake right along with Christine.

 

The whole concept of the book is unique since the majority of the story is told through text messages. At some points I wished I could get more inside Jake's and Christine's heads, but then I reminded myself that that would've taken away from the mystery of the story. Never fully knowing what was going on behind the texts with these two people. Waiting for next crumb of detail to be discovered right along with Katie.

 

The story ends with a big old cliff hanger which has me wishing the next book was already out because I was left with a bunch of unanswered questions. What is really going on with Christine? Is Katie going to meet Jake herself? I need answers to some of these questions!

 

I guess I'll have to wait for those answers, but you don't have to wait to read the first installment of this awesome new series. I recommend it for any romance fan looking for a quick unique read.

 

Author Bio:

Morgan Parker is the pen name of someone who thinks he is more important than he really is. At 38 years old, Morgan has two young children and is married to a woman who puts up with his self-diagnosed hypochondria and literary obsessions.

 

Links:

Website: http://www.textualencounters.com

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Textual-Encounters-Christine-Affair-ebook/dp/B00AOVHK76/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

 

Review - Half Truths

Synopsis: *WARNING: This book contains sexually explicit scenes and graphic violence.*

The Helheim pack is still reeling from the abduction of their alpha’s mate. While Rhett begins the search to get her back, Vaile is distracted by a series of brutal murders at the local Goth club which have all the hallmarks of a vampire killer. Left to put the bloody pieces of the puzzle back together, he can’t help but think there is some sort of connection between the two occurrences.

Larissa Grey has just been assigned to the service of Vaile Wolfe, an intimidating, dominating detective who scares people to get his way. When the case they're working starts getting strange, she demands answers from her partner, but discovers only more questions. Will she be able to find the answers, or will Vaile prevent her from finding out the truth?




My Review:

It's not often that I think a second book is better than the first, because it's usually that first book that made me fall in love with the characters to begin with, but some how Half Truths did just that. Maybe it was because I got to see more from the other characters (I now have a serious fangirl crush on Vaile, maybe more so than Rhett) or it could be that I finally got to see more of Indi & Rhett together, either way it happened. I loved Half Truths more than Half Blood.

There's a new killer keeping Vaile and his new partner, Larissa Grey, busy and it looks like it might be the work of a vampire coming to get some revenge. The pack is trying to find a way to rescue Eaton without having to hand over Indi. Rhetts dealing with the fact that Indi can't keep her new "food" source down and it looks like it's slowly killing her. And they're all worried about the Seer finding out all of this and placing Indi with a new pack. This group of werewolves can't get a break, but hey if they did we wouldn't be as entertained.

Anyways, back on track. We see a lot more of Vaile in this book and I must say he is all broody and grumpy and hating the world, yet still all hot dominant male and I swear I swooned a little each time he was on the page I was reading. And Larissa is the absolute perfect character to match Vaile. She's strong, yet feminine and she's able to see past his rough edges to get to the great guy underneath. And does she ever. I won't give away too much, but let's just say you'll enjoy where these two end up by the end of the book.

There's so much going on in this book and I don't want to give too much away, but I will tell you that you won't be disappointed. Like, Half Blood, you'll be pulled through the emotional ringer with all the characters, whether it's Indi and Rhett or some of the characters that really got their time to shine in this installment. There'll be happy moments for some of the characters and heart wrenching times. I found myself bawling like a baby in more than one spot. And to me that's the sign of a well written book, when the author can pull the same emotions the characters are going through out of me.

Needless, to say, but I will anyways I recommend this book 100% to anyone looking for a good adult paranormal read.

  
About the author:

Lauren Dawes is a part-time ESL teacher, part-time promotion worker, part-time proofreader and full-time author. She put pen to paper when she realised that books like Stephanie Meyer's 'Twilight' were ruining the vampire genre Anne Rice so meticulously built.

She lives in Victoria with her husband and her cat, Oscar. She is currently working on her next book.




Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/authorlaurendawes?fref=ts

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Dawes/e/B007UWWNDI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6425337.Lauren_Dawes

Website: http://laurendawes.blogspot.com/