Windburn by Juliette Cross (Nightwing #2) ~Review & Excerpt~
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Romance/New Adult
Publisher: Kensington
Publishing/Lyrical Press
Date of Publication:
February 3, 2015
Cover Artist: Renee Rocco
In the Gladium Province,
the boundaries between humans and Morgons, the dragon-hybrid race, continue to
blur as a new generation surrenders to long-forbidden temptation…
Sorcha Linden does whatever
she wants whenever she wants, and no one can stop her. Least of all a man.
After all, they’re good for only one thing—warming her bed. But then she meets
Lorian, brother of Lucius Nightwing. Seductive and iron-willed, Lorian is
determined to melt her emotional defenses—and warm her rebellious heart.
The beast within Lorian
longs to cage Sorcha and mark her as his own. Forever. Yet the man within also
longs to protect her. When a stalker starts leaving Sorcha suggestive gifts
with cryptic messages bearing an ancient blood cult symbol, Lorian’s dragon
side takes over. With her life at stake, Sorcha can no longer deny the love
they share. But when evil tracks her into the night, will she be too late to
claim it?
This is how you write a
follow up book in a new series. No rehashing the world building plots
and dragging it down with tons of retellings. Nope, nuh-uh, no, right
into the thick of it! Well done Juliette Cross!
At the end of my last review I stated that “Soulfire is off to a great start and I will be sticking with this series in hopes that we will get a bit more emotionally in-depth in the next book.” I am pleased to say that is just what I got, tons of real emotion and an alpha male with real intent. It’s the female lead that had the issues for once. The drama from childhood has created an emotionally unavailable adult. Using sex as a tool and keeping it that way, Sorcha gets what she wants and needs with little connection or afterthought… until Lorian Nightwing shows up. Yep, game changer.
A great read: Windburn is fun and action-packed with tons of suspense. I am officially a Nightwing series fan!
At the end of my last review I stated that “Soulfire is off to a great start and I will be sticking with this series in hopes that we will get a bit more emotionally in-depth in the next book.” I am pleased to say that is just what I got, tons of real emotion and an alpha male with real intent. It’s the female lead that had the issues for once. The drama from childhood has created an emotionally unavailable adult. Using sex as a tool and keeping it that way, Sorcha gets what she wants and needs with little connection or afterthought… until Lorian Nightwing shows up. Yep, game changer.
A great read: Windburn is fun and action-packed with tons of suspense. I am officially a Nightwing series fan!
Throughout our discussion,
Lorian hadn’t said a word. He tapped his forefinger on the glass-top table, an
agitated movement. There seemed to be a consensus of agreement, whether he
liked it or not. Finally, he stood and spoke, but not about the name.
“Ground-breaking for the
site is tomorrow at ten in the morning. I expect you all there as news teams
will be covering it. I expect everyone on time.” A malicious glare at me.
“Dismissed.”
Willow and Belka gave each
other a questioning look, obviously wondering how our first meeting lasted all
of ten minutes. Like soldiers, we fell out toward the door. Fast.
“Ms. Linden. I’d like a
word with you.” Hard, grating words.
I swiveled, catching
Fallon’s sympathetic smile as he passed. Marching back, I stood in front of
Lorian. He said not a word, hard gaze meeting mine, towering above me. Knowing
he wanted privacy, Willow closed the door behind her.
I waited, back straight,
chin set at a defiant angle. I only came to the top of his chest, but it didn’t
faze me in the least. I imagined what it would be like to be covered by all of
that hard muscle. His biceps and forearms flexed from tension. Rather than
frighten, I longed to trail my fingers up them to see if he would relax under
my touch.
“Ms. Linden, you came
highly recommended, but don’t think because your best friend is married to my
brother I will be lenient with you. I expect my employees to be on time, every
time. Not one minute late. Not two seconds late. Am I clear?”
I bristled. “Crystal. Am I
dismissed, Mr. Nightwing?”
Sharp eyes narrowed.
Oh, yes. He caught the
slight dip, the edge of sarcasm and defiance leaking into my voice. Big boy
didn’t like that. A wonderful shiver rippled down my body.
“And another thing.”
“Yes?”
“Be sure you take a shower
before you show up for work.”
“What?”
“I can smell a man on
you.” He leaned forward, fury lining his face in hard edges. “And I can smell
everything you did with him last night.” Steely, steely words. Oh, he was so
pissed.
I’d forgotten about
ultrasensitive Morgon senses. Oops. I opened my mouth to make a snarky remark,
but what could I say? He was right. And though it was none of his business, I
still didn’t want Lorian knowing I’d had sex last night. Oh, hell. Nor did I
want the rest of the damn team knowing. No wonder the men were looking at me as
if they knew a secret. I’d just broadcasted to the lot of them my extracurricular
activities. Heat flared in my chest as embarrassment swept through me, a
sensation I rarely experienced. My attempt to transform going-out Sorcha into
professional Sorcha this morning did no good, because they still knew I’d
recently stumbled from another man’s bed. A flush of heat crawled up my neck.
“My private life isn’t any
of your damn business, but I’ll be more sensitive to your animal senses in the
future.”
“My animal—?” he
stammered. His eyes narrowed, jaw clamping shut.
“Why don’t you just stop
sniffing around me?” He didn’t retreat when I edged into his personal space.
“Trust me. If I could toss
you out the door, I would.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
I tilted my chin higher, a
clear challenge to Lorian. I tucked a loose curl behind my ear. His intense
gaze followed my hand, lingering on my cheek before landing on my lips. I
moistened them. Lorian’s whole body jerked as if he’d been slapped. Wild eyes
captured mine.
“Be at the building site
at ten sharp. Don’t be late or you’ll regret it.”
I leaned over to grab my
portfolio and bag, my breasts nearly brushing his arm, but he moved just in
time.
I whispered my response.
“I’m shaking all over, Mr. Nightwing. Something makes me want to be late so I
can see what kind of punishment you’d have in mind.” I shocked him into
silence, then gave him my best bedroom smile. “But I’ll be a good girl.” I
swished toward the door, feeling his eyes following every sway of my hips. “For
now.”
Juliette calls lush,
moss-laden Louisiana home where the landscape curls into her imagination,
creating mystical settings for her stories. She has a B.A. in creative writing
from Louisiana State University, a M.Ed. in gifted education, and was
privileged to study under the award-winning author Ernest J. Gaines in grad
school. Her love of mythology, legends, and art serve as constant inspiration
for her works. From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in
love with the Gothic romance--brooding characters, mysterious settings, persevering
heroines, and dark, sexy heroes. Even then, she not only longed to read more
novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own.
Website: https://www.juliettecross.com/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Juliette-Cross/e/B00MQ18Z1W/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Juliette__Cross
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/crossjuliette/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/XeKIn
This one sounds good!
ReplyDeleteI don't read much Paranormal anymore, but I have been looking for one to add to the TBR when I get "in the mood" again.
You say this one has a sexy alpha male and a strong heroine, so I'm in!