Top 5 Sundays #45 – Books for a PNR 1st Timer! {A.K.A. The 700th Post}

Hello my dear readers! =) Top 5 Sundays time once again! YAY!

Let’s get right to it, shall we?

 

This week’s results:

UF Book Recs to Guys! = 10 (45%)

Books for a PNR 1st Timer! = 12 (54%)

 

The theme for today is:

Books for a PNR 1st Timer!

 

But first, a little bit about this feature and the rules to join in…

Every Sunday I will post a TOP 5 list on the blog. It can be about anything and every week I'll have a new theme {You can vote on next week’s theme on my left sidebar!} and I will ad the Mr.Linky bellow the post so you can do a list with the theme and add you link to it.

Rules:

1. Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.

2. Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.

3. Fell free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)

4. After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.

5. If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)

This week’s theme is Books for a PNR 1st Timer!

Seems that for the these last couple weeks it’s all about bookish first times =)

Paranormal Romance {PNR} is all about the HEAs {Happily Ever Afters} and I LOVE IT, so I’ll gladly share my favorite series in the genre.

*in no particular order

This series is amazing, because not only the smex is steamy but the world building is fantastic!

 

I love Dakota Cassidy’s sense of humor and her Accidental Friends series is so full of it that you will be laughing out loud in NO time =)

 

Larissa Ione rocks!

She not only writes some kick-ass paranormal heroes and heroines, but she just has such a way with words and the world she created is awesome!

 

Sexy Demon-Possessed Gods?

Gena Showalter haz them in spades!

 

Shelly Laureston is a PNR comedic genius! Her books are Extremely HOT and Hilarious all at the same time!

Totally recommend them!

 

Special Mentions:

 

 

Attention!

Please HELP!

If you have any theme ideas for the next Top 5 Sundays Posts, please leave them in the comments!

Your input would be much appreciated!

 

 

Now I can’t wait to see who is in YOUR List of Books for a PNR 1st Timer!

Write you post and leave your link so i can check it out!

Hope you guys have fun with it!

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Lala’s Book Corner Presents: Author Interview & Giveaway w/ Gena Showalter

 

The Giveaway is OVER! Thanks so much for Participating… Results will be up this weekend!

 

Hey guys! This tuesday I am very honored to have here the great Gena Showalter, author of one of my favorite Paranormal Romance series, Lords of the Underworld.

You can check out my review of each and all book in the series HERE!

She is also being kind enough to offer a lucky commenter a SIGNED copy of Into The Dark!

Giveaway deets at the end of the post =)

Enjoy the interview!

 

-         When did you first start writing? 

Over …ten years ago, if I had to guess.  Sadly, I lose track of time.

-         Have you always been interested in Romance? 

Yes! Relationships have always fascinated me.  How people get together, what attracts them, what keeps them coming back for more, I can’t get enough.-         What about in the Paranormal? 

Another resounding yes.  I love that anything is possible and death never really means the end.

-         Why writing Paranormal Romance? 

My two favorite things: falling in love and something beyond the scientific realm of explanation. 

-         Were there any Books, Movies or Writers that have inspired you?

Yes. Book -- Warrior’s Woman by Johanna Lindsey.  My first taste of paranormal romance.  Movie – Weird Science.  Writer’s – I’m constantly inspired by Jill Monroe, Kresley Cole, PC Cast, Karen Moning, Deidre Knight, Nalini Singh, Meljean Brook, Larissa Ione, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jennifer Cruise, and many more.  Reading a good book reminds me of my love for the written word.

-         What is your favorite subject in the Paranormal Romance Realm?

I change my mind a lot, but one thing that stays the same is my love for exploring the different shades of good and evil. 

-         The sex scenes in your books are amazingly hot. Where do you get your inspiration?

The characters.  To me, they are real, with pasts, experiences, likes and dislikes. 

-         Do you find it hard to write them? 

Nope.  Loves scenes are an extension of the story itself.

Favorites:

-         Favorite Paranormal themed Movie?

Always depends on my mood, but maybe . . . the time travel paradox.

-         Favorite Paranormal themed TV Show?

Maybe…vampires.

-         Favorite Paranormal themed Book?

Depends on the author, but I’m a huge fan of vampires, werewolves, Valkryie, mythology, time travel, angels and demons. 

-         Favorite Author?

Jill Monroe.  She delights me!

-         Favorite Paranormal Romance Author?

Kresely Cole.  She enthralls me!

-         Favorite one of your Books?

The Darkest Kiss.  I enjoy the chemistry between Anya and Lucien, maybe because they are such opposites.  She’s unrepentant and fun-loving, and he’s by the book and iron-fisted.  And yet, together, they just fit.  They compliment each other and offer what the other is missing.

-Who is your favorite of your own characters?

William the Ever Randy.  He’s a bad boy, an unrepentant narcissist, and he would stab his best friend for giggles. Hell, he has stabbed his best friend.  I love him because he’s confident, witty, and when he falls in love, he’s going to fall harder than any of my other characters.  

-         Which was the hardest to write?

Danika in The Darkest Plesaure.  She underwent such a change, from scared and unsure, to strong and determined.

-         What would you be if not a writer?

A weepy mess.  Writing is what I love.

Quickies!

-         Coffee or Tea? coffee
-         Up or Down? down
-         Virtual or Real?  real
-         Right or Left? right
-         Day or Night? night
-         Vampires or Werewolves? vampires
-         Angels or Demons? angels
-         Reading or Writing? Today, reading

-      What is your favorite part of the writing process? Holding the finished product in my hands.

-         What is your least favorite part? 

Obsessing over deadlines

-        The Lords of the Underworld series in your own words? 

Sexy immortal warriors who stole and opened Pandora’s box are now cursed to carry the evil they unleashed inside themselves -- and the women who fall in love with them. 

-         As a fan, I have to say that i really appreciate the triple release in these spring/summer months. I loved Into the dark for being such an unusual companion to the series. How did you come up with the idea to writing it? 

Readers wanted the three ebooks I’d written to be available in print, but we needed more to fill the pages.  So, the companion was born.

-         What is coming up next for you? 

The Darkest Passion (Aeron, keeper of Wrath in June) and The Darkest Lie (Gideon, keeper of Lies in July)  The romances are heating up, and the plot twists surprised even me.-         What are you working on right now? 

The Darkest Surrender (Strider, keeper of Defeat)  His book will come after Amun’s (who keeper of Secrets) and both their heroines are top secret.

-         Do you have any advice or tip to those like me that want to become a published Author someday? 

Write from the heart.  That’s where the magic is.

-         Anything you would like to say to your fans out there? 

Thank you so much for your support!

-         Thanks so much for being here!

Now The Giveaway!

You can win a SIGNED copy of Into The Dark by Gena Showalter!

To Enter:

- Leave a comment about anything on this post.
- Leave an EMAIL for contact! (if you don’t feel comfortable leaving it here, email me at larissa@larissaslife.com)

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+1 Add all your entries! (including this one!)

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Lala’s Book Corner: Into The Dark by Gena Showalter

 

 

 

“Three otherworldly tales from the master of paranormal romance . . . and a brand new Lords of the Underworld bonus guide!
The Darkest Fire
A Lords of the Underworld prequel
Geryon is the guardian of hell, more monster than man. Kadence is the goddess of Oppression, more angel than woman. Together they will enter the flames to battle a dangerous horde of demon lords -- and discover a passion unlike any other . . .
The Amazon's Curse
A tale of Atlantis
Zane, a fierce vampire warrior, has been enslaved by the Amazons. Nola, a lovely Amazon soldier, has been cursed with invisibility. Now, these two stubborn enemies must overcome the pasts that haunt them and embrace a love that can set them free...
The Darkest Prison
A Lords of the Underworld Tale
Once, Atlas, the Titan god of Strength, was the Greek goddess Nike's slave. Now, he is her master. And soon these sworn rivals destined to destroy each other will be forced to risk everything for a chance at love . . .”

From Goodreads.

• Publisher: Harlequin

• Release Date: April 27th, 2010

• My Copy: NetGalley.

• Author's Website

• Buy This Book:

Into the Dark: The Darkest Fire\The Amazon's Curse\The Darkest Prison (Hqn)

To be quite honest, I’m not a huge fan of anthologies in general, though i don’t mind reading short stories at all. Into The Dark caught my attention for almost all stories being set in the same world, Showalter’s Lords of The Underworld Series.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the stories and the bonus material in this book, it is a treasure trove for a  LOTU fan, and I am proud to be one =)

The Darkest Fire and The Darkest Prison are the two shorts that are set in the LOTI world. TDF is a prequel and a great look at the very beginning of the Lords history. TDP is a love story between two mortal enemies and even though it’s short, it’s very compelling and touching.

There is also a short set in Gena’s Atlantis series, however i haven’t read that series yet and I don’t like reading a short from a series I have yet to read, so I’m leaving it for a later time.

Now, the real gold is this book, in my opinion, are the extras. There is an Interview of Gena Showalter by her friend Kresley Cole. An interview of The Lords by William, a round table of the LOTU women, The Hunter’s Files on the Lords and more.

The Interviews made by William are hilarious! They got me cracking up. Kresley and Gena’s talk was also extremely funny and natural All these extras just add to an already amazing series and gives us some tips as to where the story might lead.

If you are a Lords of The Underworld series, this is a must read! You’ll get a closer look at the Lords life and I guarantee you’ll love it and laugh out loud!

  Smut Meter:

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Lala’s Book Corner: [ARC] The Darkest Passion [Lords of The Underworld #5]

 

 

 

“This is an another sizzling instalment of the "Lords of the Underworld" series as Aeron, keeper of the Demon of Wrath, finally meets his match...For weeks, the immortal warrior Aeron has sensed an invisible female presence. An angel - demon-assassin - has been sent to kill him. Or has she? Olivia claims she fell from the heavens, giving up immortality because she couldn't bear to harm him. But trusting - and falling for - Olivia will endanger them all. So how has this 'mortal' with the huge blue eyes already unleashed Aeron's darkest passion? Now, with an enemy hot on his trail and his faithful demon companion determined to remove Olivia from his life, Aeron is trapped between duty and consuming desire. Worse still, a new executioner has been sent to do the job Olivia wouldn't...”

From Goodreads.

• Publisher: HQN

• Release Date: May 25th, 2010

• My Copy: ARC from NetGalley.

• Author's Website

• Pre-Order This Book:

The Darkest Passion (Hqn)

This is the book that started it all for me with this series. I got the ARC from Netgalley and just had to get the other books before I could read this one and I am so happy I did. I am in love with this series right now.

The Darkest Passion tells the HEA of Aeron, the keeper of the Wrath Demon. There’ve been some chapters in the previous installments where we got to see his POV and he is such a brooding character. His relationship and beliefs in terms of mortality are so extreme that i was really curious to see who his better half would be.

Wrath explores weaknesses and sins, for that reason and for seeing people all around him perish throughout the ages, Aeron can’t stand the weakness of humans and can’t understand how they can live life knowing that their days are counted without begging for more time, over and over again for more time.

Olivia is an Angel. Originally a joy-bringer, she has been elevated to warrior and her first assignment is to kill Aeron. While observing him, she feels drawn to his strength and simply refuses to complete her task. She has fallen into hell and crawled her way up to earth in search of her obsession, Aeron, asking for help and wanting to warn him that another Angel Assassin would be sent at any time now. That is the moment they finally meet in person, even though Aeron has been felling her presence, watching him, for a while now. 

Olivia is a wonderful character. Being an angel she doesn’t really understand human emotions and the human ways. so it is great to see her having to cope with all that after she falls. She need to deal with pain and pleasure for the first time as well as with distrust, anger and so on. It was an amazing POV to follow, seeing and feeling with new eyes and skin and being able to do that what simply perfect.

I loved this book! I think it is my favorite in the series so far, and that is quite an accomplishment in my opinion. The path both Aeron and Olivia had to tread on to reach each other and the obstacles and the transformation that each of them need to go through are amazing and heart breaking. I wanted to give up, scream, I cried, I laughed and I feel that all just made this and even more exceptional book.

The heights to where Gena is taking this series intrigues me and I have to thank the all mighty that The Darkest Lie, Book #6, comes out only a month after this one, because the cliffhangers and open storylines that the author has left are infuriating and just make me love this series even more.

If you are a Paranormal Romance fan and have not read this series yet, I don’t know what is wrong with you. You need to get this series, like NOW!

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Lala’s Book Corner: The Darkest Whisper by Gena Showalter [Lords of The Underworld #4]

 

 

 

“He is the keeper of Doubt and his entire world’s about to be rocked.
Bound by the demon of doubt, Sabin unintentionally destroys even the most confident of lovers. So the immortal warrior spends his time on the battlefield instead of the bedroom, victory his only concern…until he meets Gwendolyn the Timid. One taste of the beautiful redhead, and he craves more.
Gwen, an immortal herself, always thought she’d fall for a kind human who wouldn’t rouse her darker side. But when Sabin frees her from prison, battling their enemies for the claim to Pandora’s box turns out to be nothing compared to the battle Sabin and Gwen will wage against love…”

From Goodreads.

• Publisher: HQN

• Release Date: September 1st, 2009

• My Copy: eBook Privately Purchased.

• Author's Website

• Buy This Book:

The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld)

 

It is just getting harder and harder to talk about each of these books without spoiling anything lol it’s one of the reasons I usually do a Series Review post sometimes =) but I decided to give it a try with this series hehe

Sabin is the Keeper of Doubt and though he is an interesting character, being the leader of the second faction of Lords that has been separate from our original ones for a few millennia, he was never one my favorites to get his HEA.

After The Darkest Whisper, he is still not my favorite, I am still dying for Paris’ and Torin’s HEA, but I do like Sabin and I did enjoy his story. However, the biggest appeal was with his counter part, which was a huge surprise and made for a great read.

Gwen is a Harpy and we meet her when the Lords save her and other immortal females from imprisonment and abuse by the Hunters. It was great to get to know such a different race full of history and very interesting customs and beliefs.

Sabin is a leader and a warrior through and through, his biggest goal in life is winning this war and he will do anything to get it. Gwen is known by her family and friends as Gwen the Timid and has her whole life felt like she was inferior and weaker than any one of her sister, until the day she meets Sabin and through their acquaintance, and  because Sabin sees in her Harpy powers and great weapon to win the war, she learns that she is much stronger than she believed possible.

As much as Sabin was never my favorite, him and Gwen together definitely sizzled my computer screen and worked out great in my opinion. As she felt more comfortable with being herself, she became more and more a strong, determined and powerful woman with a great sense of humor, a character that you couldn’t help but get behind a hundred percent .

I loved the plot in this book, secrets being reveled, a lot of action and a great storyline that just keeps you riveted and obsessed with each page turn. I’m really enjoying the twists and turns that Gena is throwing at us and I just cannot wait to see what come next in The Lords of The Underworld. If you have not read this series yet, what the hell are you waiting for?

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Lala’s Book Corner: The Darkest pleasure by Gena Showalter [Lords of The Underworld #3]

 

 

 

“Reyes is a man possessed. Bound by the demon of pain, he is forbidden to know pleasure. Yet he craves a mortal woman, Danika Ford, more than breath and will do anything to claim her—even defy the gods.

Danika is on the run. For months she's eluded the Lords of the Underworld, immortal warriors who won't rest until she and her family have been destroyed. But her dreams are haunted by Reyes, the warrior whose searing touch she can't forget. Yet a future together could mean death to all they both hold dear.…”

From Goodreads.

• Publisher: HQN

• Release Date: July 1st, 2008

• My Copy: eBook Privately Purchased.

• Author's Website

• Buy This Book:

The Darkest Pleasure (Hqn)

 

There is a fine line between pain and pleasure as Reyes, the keeper of Pain, knows very well. Since he’s been bonded to his demon, he hasn’t been able to find pleasure without pain for millennia, that is until he met Danika.

We met Danika in the first book in the series. Aaron, the keeper of Wrath, had been commanded to kill her and her family and the other Lords had kidnapped them to keep them safe until they could figure out what to do. Reyes let them go and told Danika to run far an wide.

On The Darkest pleasure, Danika has been found by Hunters and kept as prisoner. They are trying to use her as bait, as a spy and leave her to be rescued by the Lords. Reyes saves her and brings her back to the Fortress where they all live in Budapest. Will Danika betray all the secrets she discovers while with Reyes? 

Dani and Reyes’ passion is very strong, but he is afraid she will succumb to his demon if he let’s her inflict pain on him while making love and all Danika wants is to pleasure him completely. The kind of pain Reyes needs to feel pleasure is insane, but Danika is so in love with him that she wants to fulfill all his needs.

I have to say that, I do enjoy a bit of pain with passion, but Gena took this to a whole new level in this book, but I did appreciate the way things turned out in the end =)

I don’t want to get into the plot to avoid spoilers, but much happens and I do love where things are going and the war against the Hunters. The side story to this one was heart breaking and I just hope Paris, the keeper of Promiscuity, gets his HEA soon hehe.

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Lala’s Book Corner: The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter [Lords of the Underworld #2]

 

 

 

“She was tempted many men...but never found her equal. Until now.
Though she has lived for centuries, Anya, goddess of anarchy, has never known pleasure. Until Lucien, the incarnation of death--a warrior eternally doomed to take souls to the hereafter. He draws her like no other. And Anya will risk anything to have him.
But when the merciless Lord of the Underworld is ordered by the gods to claim Anya herself, their uncontrollable attraction becomes an anguished pursuit. Now they must defeat the unconquerable forces that control them, before their thirst for one another demands a sacrifice of love beyond imagining...”

From Goodreads.

• Publisher: HQN

• Release Date: June 1st, 2008

• My Copy: eBook Privately Purchased.

• Author's Website

• Buy This Book:

The Darkest Kiss (Hqn)

 

I am officially addicted to this series! I have just started the fourth book, The Darkest Whisper, and I just can’t stop reading them. If you haven’t read book #1 yet, there might be minor spoilers in the following review =)

The Darkest Kiss is Lucien’s, Keeper of Death, book and it was great to see the leader of The Lords getting his happily ever after.

Lucien has been doubly cursed by having to do Death’s deed and escort souls to heaven and hell and also being bonded to Maddox, by having to take and bring back his spirit from hell every night. Now, Lucien if free of the second curse and finds himself without knowing how to deal with his now found freedom.

Anya is the minor goddess of Anarchy has been on the run from Cronus, the Titans’ King, since the Titans overthrew the Greek Gods. However, she has found the time to create some chaos and even help The Lords, even though she has kept herself hidden, until now.

I already liked Lucian from the previous book, but I LOVED Anya in this book, she is such an amazing character. Gena has written such a strong, hilarious, vivacious, smart and determined character in Anya that it is impossible not to fall in love with her. She is definitely not perfect, not even close to it, but that only made her more special in my eyes and I can’t help but smile and even laugh out loud whenever she shows up.

Lucien is scarred, emotionally and physically and the fact that he does not believe that anyone could ever be attracted to him is very endearing and heartbreaking. It was amazing for me to see Anya’s attraction and later on, love for him and the power that their passion has on each other, specially despite all the obstacles they had to endure to be together.

I Loved this book, even more than the first. The plot is great, fast paced, full of action and thrilling. Despite being a PNR and having the danger of falling into the “all sex – no plot” trap, Gena Showalter has brought on a wonderful saga full of sexy and interesting characters along with great world building. Paranormal Romance can’t get better than that.

 

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