My Top Reads of 2014

 I really didn't think I'd read enough good books to make a top ten list this year, but here it is...

My Top 10 Reads of 2014
(in no particular order!)

Sacrificial Muse

She is his muse, and the fates require sacrifice.

San Francisco Detective Sabrina Vaughn is able to shrug off the nine red roses being delivered to her office every day. But when only eight roses arrive on the same day a Berkeley student's mutilated body is found, Sabrina fears that the killer is taunting her. Forced into a partnership with a deceitful reporter who somehow remains one step ahead of her, Sabrina discovers that she's the object of a psychopath's twisted delusion . . . and there may be no escape.

You can read my review here
###

Chained by Night

THE FUTURE OF HIS TRIBE
Leader of the vampire clan MoonBound, Hunter will do what he must to save his people from extinction - or worse, a torturous eternity as vampire slaves and subjects of human experimentation. To keep his enemies at bay, he has agreed to mate a rival clan leader's daughter in return for peace between the clans and an ally in the looming war with the humans.

THE LOVER OF HIS SOUL
But survival comes at a price. First, Hunter must break an ancient curse by successfully negotiating three deadly tests. Then he must resist the searing passions of the gorgeous vampire warrior he despises but is bound to mate. Will Hunter stay true to his word? Or will he risk everything for the woman he really loves: the vampire seductress's identical twin sister?

You can read my review here
###

Being Jade

A tragic death. A family divided. Only truth can set them free.

Banjo Murphy is killed on the night he finally walks away from his wife, Jade, after twenty-five years of her adultery. In the aftermath, Banjo is bewildered to discover he still exists, and in despair he watches Jade collapse into deep depression and his daughters, Lissy and Cassandra, struggle with their unexpected loss.

Lissy is tortured by the mystery surrounding her father’s death. What compelled Banjo to leave the night he died? And why won’t Jade talk about what happened? Despite their volatile relationship, Lissy believes her parents’ love to have been enduring, but sensible

Cassandra sees things differently. When Cassy discovers a sketchbook chronicling Jade’s affairs, the truth of their parents’ relationship begins to unfold and Lissy’s loyalties are divided.

Searching for answers, Lissy contacts Jade’s ex-lovers. And watching from afar, Banjo aches as he discovers what these men meant to Jade – until Lissy’s quest reveals an explosive truth …

You can read my review here
###

Mrs D is Going Without

Lotta Dann was in trouble - her fun drinking habit had slowly morphed into an obsessive hunger for wine. One bottle a night was never quite enough. When she tried to cut down, she found it nearly impossible to have an alcohol-free day.

Everyone around could see her drinking, but no one realised what a serious problem it was. She was high-functioning, fun-loving Lotta, not some messy, hopeless drunk. Only Lotta knew how sick and twisted her thinking about wine had become.

Desperate and miserable, she was falling deeper and deeper into a boozy hellhole and running out of ideas about what she could do to stop it. What's a girl to do when her beloved wine becomes the enemy?

Here's what Lotta did. She stopped drinking and secretly started a blog that charted the highs and lows of learning to live without alcohol. Mrs D was anonymous, honest and, as Lotta would discover, surrounded by people who would help her on her journey, and whom she could help in return.

You can read my review here
###

Lead

As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, whether it's booze, drugs, or women. However, when a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call about his life and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant to keep him out of trouble. 　

Lena's not willing to take any crap from the sexy rocker and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far and Lena leaves, he realizes that he may just have lost the best thing that ever happened to him.

You can read my review here
###

Crave The Night

Born and raised to be an emotionless killing machine, Nathan is one of the most lethal Breed vampires in existence. A key member of the Order—an elite group of warriors charged with protecting both mortals and vampires—Nathan executes each mission with flawless precision and a total lack of mercy. Now he must pursue a powerful, hidden enemy. But Nathan’s hard discipline and training are no match for the fierce pull he feels toward a young woman he has no right to desire—a woman of wealth and high social standing who has long been promised to another Breed male, and who may also prove to be the key to rooting out Nathan’s elusive quarry.

Jordana lives a life of glittering privilege as a member of a prominent Breed family in Boston. Surrounded by fine things and fawning admirers, Jordana wants for nothing—until she crosses paths with a dark, intense warrior from the Order and finds herself swept into an impulsive, sizzling kiss that neither of them will forget. As much as she tries to deny her deep feelings for Nathan, Jordana cannot resist the craving to be near him, to break through his forbidding walls and see the man he truly is. But getting close to Nathan will thrust Jordana into a treacherous new world, forcing her to risk all she has and all she knows about herself and her past. And loving this seductive man could be the most dangerous temptation of all.
 
You can read my review here
###

Play

Mal Ericson, drummer for the world famous rock band Stage Dive, needs to clean up his image fast—at least for a little while. Having a good girl on his arm should do the job just fine. Mal doesn’t plan on this temporary fix becoming permanent, but he didn’t count on finding the one right girl.

Anne Rollins never thought she’d ever meet the rock god who plastered her teenage bedroom walls—especially not under these circumstances. Anne has money problems. Big ones. But being paid to play the pretend girlfriend to a wild life-of-the-party drummer couldn’t end well. No matter how hot he is. Or could it?

You can read my review here
###

Awakening

The cold spread like anaesthetic in her veins. Fear resurged, driving deeper into every cell.
"Why would my looking in a mirror help you see me?"
"Because I see through your eyes."

When Zelie Taylor pulls a lost necklace out of the icy waters of the lake, she has no idea what the consequences will be.
At first the pendant is just freezing cold - unnaturally so - but then she hears a voice inside her head and Zelie thinks she must be going mad. She's not. Seventeen-year-old Tamas' soul has been trapped in the silver necklace since 1918. His body is nearby, sleeping, and Zelie must help him awaken.

At first Zelie would like nothing better than for Tamas' moody, enigmatic presence to be out of her life, but after a while she isn't so sure. And what is waiting for Tamas when he does emerge? It seems that the sinister force that trapped him all those years ago has returned and is growing more powerful.

A hundred-year-old mystery steeped in dark magic will make Zelie question everything she thought she knew.

You can read my review here
###

Paris Letters

“How much money does it take to change your life?”

Unfulfilled at her job and unsuccessful in the dating department, Janice MacLeod doodled this question at her desk. Then she decided to make it a challenge.

Over the next few months, with a little math and a lot of determination, she saved up enough to buy two years of freedom in Europe.

But she had only been in Paris for a few days when she met a handsome butcher (with a striking resemblance to Daniel Craig)—and never went home again.

A love story in the vein of Almost French and Lunch in Paris, Paris Letters (February 4) is a joyful romp through the City of Light, and an inspiring look at what can happen when we dare to create the life we want.

Realizing that her Parisian love affair would be forever, MacLeod began her own business on Etsy, creating beautifully-illustrated letters from Paris inspired by artists like Percy Kelly and Beatrix Potter. She now paints and writes full-time, bringing beautiful things to subscribers around the world and reviving the lost art of letter-writing.

You can read my review here
###

Retribution

Her name is Evangeline and she is Nephilim.

Evie belongs to the Brotherhood Irin and together with all the other Nephilim of the world she is protector to humanity, protector against evil. But evil has found its way into the Brotherhood. Someone has murdered her guardian and Marcellus, the New Master makes demands of the warriors that go against all they stand for. Demands Evie just can’t carry out.

Evie uncovers Marcellus’ plan to collect a set of special seals, but when a high-level demon reveals the truth behind the Seals of Hades, Evie know there is no way she can allow the Master of the Irin to get his hands on them. But will keeping the Seals from Marcellus cause her to sacrifice more that she should? Will vengeance for her guardian’s death be enough or will she need more to satisfy her Immortal soul?

You can read my review here
###

Book Review ~ Being Jade by Kate Belle

Title: Being Jade
Author: Kate Belle
Release Date: June 1st 2014
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Source: Received from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review
 
A tragic death. A family divided. Only truth can set them free.
 
Banjo Murphy is killed on the night he finally walks away from his wife, Jade, after twenty-five years of her adultery. In the aftermath, Banjo is bewildered to discover he still exists, and in despair he watches Jade collapse into deep depression and his daughters, Lissy and Cassandra, struggle with their unexpected loss.
 
Lissy is tortured by the mystery surrounding her father’s death. What compelled Banjo to leave the night he died? And why won’t Jade talk about what happened? Despite their volatile relationship, Lissy believes her parents’ love to have been enduring, but sensible
 
Cassandra sees things differently. When Cassy discovers a sketchbook chronicling Jade’s affairs, the truth of their parents’ relationship begins to unfold and Lissy’s loyalties are divided.
 
Searching for answers, Lissy contacts Jade’s ex-lovers. And watching from afar, Banjo aches as he discovers what these men meant to Jade – until Lissy’s quest reveals an explosive truth …
 
One that will finally set their family free.

My Thoughts
 
Being Jade by Kate Belle has taken me on one of the most heartfelt and emotional journey’s I’ve experienced from a book so far this year.
 
I am a tear drenched, ragged mess of emotional goo, surrounded by soggy tissues and desperately in need of a restorative cup of tea.
 
I am emotionally spent.
I am exhausted.
I am overwhelmed by a myriad of emotions and feelings.
But mostly, I am elated at the author’s ability to make me feel so damn much.
 
Jade is a selfish bitch.
She thinks of herself first, her children, her lovers, and when pushed to, her husband. But all is not as it seems in Jades life.
 
Jade is an enigma, a misunderstood and lost soul.
She dances to the beat of her own drum, and nobody really seems to understand her.

Banjo, her husband has flashes of clarity, sees her true self, but he is so caught up being the good father, the great provider, the best man he can be, he forgets that Jade isn’t like other women. Jade requires constant attention and she’s hard work emotionally, but Banjo loves her and so goes above and beyond to make everything perfect for her, and Jade is seemingly happy for everyone else to put in all the effort – and then there are her numerous infidelities and frequent absences that further strain the family. Through it all, Banjo is the glue that holds them all together.
 
Being Jade is full of emotionally disabling writing that left the page, spearing my heart with its intense and honest grief. At times those emotions were hard to stomach, causing an almost physical pain that wouldn’t ease and I can’t praise Kate Belle enough for invoking my response; she is a master manipulator of words, thoughts and feelings and I am beyond impressed with her talented writing.
 
This fierce and raw story will stay with me for quite some time to come, 5 stars.

Guest Post ~ Kate Belle: Author

It is with great pleasure that I welcome author Kate Belle to
My Book Chatter today,
I hope you will all give her a very friendly welcome :)

Have you noticed how a bookshelf conveys much about its owner? What lines the shelves? Is it full of books or ornaments? Does it have nothing but big name hard covers or magnificently photographed coffee table books or smelly, ancient books covered in dust? Fiction? Non-fiction? Crime? Romance?

My home hosts a total of 7 bookshelves, 4 of which are in my study. The rest are in bedrooms and a play area. Two are dedicated to children’s books and are overflowing – but then again, so are all the others.

I thought it would be fun to take you on a virtual tour of some of the more unusual books in my eclectic collection and see what you make of it (and me).

1.       Encyclopaedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health

No, I’ve never been a nurse. But I have been a hypochondriac. This ancient tome was an absolutely indispensible source of self diagnosis in the years before the internet. I didn’t only use it to misdiagnose my own ailments, I used it to tell flatmates they had gout, siblings life threatening bacterial infections and friends complications to pregnancies. Sadly Dr Google has replaced its never ending wisdom so it’s found a new function – raising my computer screen to eye level.

2.       World Tales/Grimm’s Fairy Tales

I’m a sucker for a juicy old fashioned fairy tale. The older and stranger the better. I picked up World Tales in a second hand bookshop in Bendigo (Victoria). It’s a glorious and rare book, illustrated by world renowned artists. I fell in love with the striking pictures and the background of each story’s origins. I hate the way modern culture has sanitised our fairy tales (I’m looking at you Mr Disney). Fairy tales should be dark and dangerous, violent and magical, not saccharine and sweet.

3.       The Art of Sexual Ecstasy/Passionate Marriage/Tantric Secrets for Men

I bought these a long time before I started writing erotic fiction and they have become an invaluable resource for my work. They reveal what a deeply connected erotic relationship might look like. From these I gain much inspiration not only in a practical sense for the sex I write but also to articulate an authentic and intimate relationship between my characters.

4.       Erotic fiction collection

Anais Nin was the first author in this collection. She’s been joined by Nikki Gemmel, Tobsha Learner (my all time favourite), Susan Johnson, Linda Jaivin, Krissy Kneen, Emily McGuire, Dorothy Porter (an Aussie poet who writes gorgeous love poems) as well as many more lesser known authors. On a visit to Fremantle I discovered a bookshop with the largest collection of old erotic paperbacks I’ve ever seen. Needless to say I brought a bag full home and this collection now takes up a shelf and a half. And that’s not including the digital ones on my iPad.

5.       Aboriginal authors

A few years ago I had the great opportunity and privilege of working alongside Aboriginal community organisations in implementing Australian Child Protection reforms. For a white girl from the country it was a huge learning curve. I learned a lot about the shameful truth of settlement in Australia and its continued devastating impact on Aboriginal people. Up until then I’d been relatively ignorant of the still largely denied or dismissed early wars that took place as Aboriginal people tried to defend their right to the land they’d lived on for 50,000 years.

As a consequence I became interested in Aboriginal authors. At a huge local second hand book sale I came across an amazing collection of out of print books by Aboriginal authors, including a signed copy of Long Live Sandawara by Colin Johnson (Mudrooroo), one of the first Aboriginal authors to be broadly published and acclaimed in Australia. I’m very proud to be caring for these books and hope one day to be able to hand them back into the safe hands of the author’s descendents.

6.       The Benetton Campaigns – United Colors

There are times when words fail and only a picture will do. I love this book because a) the photos are wondrous; b) they make powerful political statements; c) the confronting images were used to advertise one of the best known clothing brands in the Western world. This was a bold campaign advocating for human rights while advertising a product, probably one of the few worthy advertising campaigns in existence. If you haven’t ever seen a copy of this book I urge you to do so. You will be moved beyond words.

I can’t imagine a home without bookshelves. In fact, I get nervous if I walk into a home without one. This is just a small sample of the kinds of delights you’ll find on my shelves. I’d love a peek at yours, if you’ll share.

What will I find on your bookshelf?

Kate is a multi-published author who writes dark, sensual contemporary women’s fiction. She lives, writes and loves in Melbourne, juggling her strange, secret affairs with her male characters with her much loved partner and daughter and a menagerie of neurotic pets.

Kate holds a tertiary qualification in chemistry, half a diploma in naturopathy and a diploma in psychological astrology. Kate believes in living a passionate life and has ridden a camel through the Australian desert, fraternised with hippies in Nimbin, had a near birth experience and lived on nothing but porridge and a carrot for 3 days.

Blog/website | Facebook | Goodreads

Twitter: @ecstasyfiles https://twitter.com/ecstasyfiles

The Reading Room: http://www.thereadingroom.com/kate-belle/ap/2394119

It’s 1978 in a country town and a dreamy fifteen year old girl’s world is turned upside down by the arrival of the substitute English teacher. Solomon Andrews is beautiful, inspiring and she wants him like nothing else she’s wanted in her short life.

Charismatic and unconventional, Solomon easily wins the hearts and minds of his third form English class. He notices the attention of one girl, his new neighbour, who has taken to watching him from her upstairs window. He assumes it a harmless teenage crush, until the erotic love notes begin to arrive.

Solomon knows he must resist, but her sensual words stir him. He has longings of his own, although they have nothing to do with love, or so he believes. One afternoon, as he stands reading her latest offering in his driveway, she turns up unannounced. And what happens next will torment them forever – in ways neither can imagine.

Read an extract here: (http://issuu.com/simonschusteraustralia/docs/the_yearning_by_kate_belle)

Purchase Links

Amazon
iTunes
Kobo

Print book: Target, Kmart, Myer, Collins, Dymocks, Big W, Eltham Bookshop and other independent bookshops (http://www.truelocal.com.au/find/book-shop/) and major airports. If not in stock just ask.

Reading group questions here (http://books.simonandschuster.com.au/Yearning/Kate-Belle/9781922052643/reading_group_guide#rgg)

Other Titles

The first in a series of erotic novellas, featuring different women whose lives are changed by Ramon Mendez, a handsome, charismatic lover...

Grace is a beautiful woman in complete control of her world. A long time ago she chose a career – as Associate Professor of Social Science - over children and marriage, and has never regretted it.

Then Ramon Mendez walks into her office.

Ramon is about to commence his PhD, a work on erotic literature, and from the outset there is something about him that makes Grace's blood run hot.

Aware of the need to maintain her professional reputation, she rejects his subtle advances, but he persists. And during their intimate supervision sessions, her defences start to crumble.

For Ramon's ‘work' is to expose desires within Grace she never knew existed…

~~~
 

The second in a series of erotic novellas, each featuring different women whose lives are changed by Ramon Mendez, a handsome, charismatic lover of women...

Thirty-six-year-old Emma's life looks as perfect as could be. She loves her straight-laced husband Gary, who has given her three beautiful children and a secure life. But something is missing in her marriage. Gary hardly notices her anymore and she feels frumpy and invisible.

Her friend, Lisa, talks her into joining a social boot camp class at the local gym. Emma immediately recognizes their instructor as the gorgeous runner she sees each evening while walking her dog in the park. He introduces himself as Ramon Mendez. In spite of herself Emma is besotted.

Before long her mind is filled with guilty fantasies of him. One evening, when things at home have become too much to bear, she bumps into him alone in the park. An opportunity presents itself and no one need ever know. Ramon promises and delivers everything that's missing from her marriage - passion, romance and excitement - but Emma must discover if they are the things she really wants.

~~~

Order up! 5 servings of food themed tales of love and lust available now. These Australian authors know how to take the heat from the kitchen and provide a smorgasbord of sensual delights guaranteed to whet your appetite!

Flavor of the Month – Bianca Sarble

When Cate Gallagher thinks her day can’t get any worse, Patrick Garrett comes along to prove her wrong. The sexy stranger awakens her long forgotten libido but she knows from past experiences his type is best avoided at all costs.

Patrick is sure the chemistry between them will set the sheets on fire, if only she would give him a chance. He hatches a seduction plan to show her exactly how right they could be.

But getting the girl isn’t the only obstacle to their Happy Ever After. Misunderstandings and assumptions bring their heat level to boiling point and threaten to scorch their love.
Can Cate overcome her past and let Patrick show her she’s not just the Flavor Of The Month?

The Chocolate Affair – Imogene Nix

Deanna has one love. The Scheherazade Chocolate Factory. When it’s bought out by an off world consortium, they send someone to inspect their purchase.

JD Ruan is their expert investigator. But JD has a secret. He’s a demon. And not just any kind of demon –a Pleasure Demon.

Secrets, abilities and hidden truths will find their way… especially when chocolate is involved

My Lord’s Table – Alysha Ellis

Gently-bred Susan arrives in 18th century London starving, penniless and desperate to find a job. When a chance-met acquaintance offers to help, Susan happily accepts a position as housekeeper in the home of Lord Winslade.

But the position is not what she expects it to be. She is greeted by a grim manservant, who locks her in a room and orders her to wear the scandalous costume she finds there.

She is forced to attend an erotic banquet of carnal and epicurean delights, presided over by the darkly sinister Lord Winslade.

Susan’s expectations of domestic service shatter as she is seduced into fulfilling appetites of an entirely different order.

The Banquet – Kate Belle

Banquet is a moment in the life of James, a less than attractive chef and restaurant owner who is obsessed with celebrity chef, Sheba. Sheba’s famed erotic recipes have saved James from a life of involuntary celibacy. After impressing Sheba with a special dessert of his own creation, James finds himself invited to the most exclusive and mysterious event on the hospitality calendar. Everyone who’s anyone in the hospitality industry knows of it, but the banquet itself is shrouded in secrecy.

Nervous and out of his depth, James attends and is introduced to a world where the boundaries between food and sex are entirely blurred.

Never on a Sundae - Seanna Smythe

Delicious delights you’ve dreamed of, but Never on a Sundae. Would his beloved Evie cater for the kind of party Aidan had in mind?

The sign advertised catering for parties, but he doubted they catered for the kind of party he had in mind…

Evie is running away from love and when things get a little too hot with Sydney-sider, Aidan, she disappears to Newcastle to buy an ice-cream parlor, Never on a Sundae. But fate conspires against her, and she finds herself out of business and places to run.

As she’s wrapping up things up, Aidan rides into town on his Harley looking for a unique idea for an ice cream cake for his brother’s bachelor party. He’s been searching for months for the only woman who can do wicked things with chocolate…and his heart.

~~~