Review: The Satyr's Curse

Title: The Satyr's Curse
Author: Alexandrea Weis
Publication Date:  June 1, 2013
Source: Author
Summary (from Goodreads):
Gruesome murders are rocking New Orleans.

But Jazzmyn Livaudais is too busy running her restaurant to pay attention to the sensational headlines. And when the charismatic Julian Devereau enters Jazzmyn’s life, she becomes even more distracted by the handsome stranger.

Seduced by Julian’s charm, Jazzmyn is swept up in a passionate romance. Then she learns the horrific truth about Julian and the murders. Cursed to an unending life where no woman can satisfy his lust and no wine can quench his thirst, Julian needs Jazzmyn’s love to free him from his torment.

But Jazzmyn is in love with someone else. And Julian isn’t very happy about it.

He vows to keep on killing until Jazzmyn submits to his will.

For Jazzmyn Livaudais the nightmare is just beginning.

No one can ever break The Satyr’s Curse.

I know a great book is about to hit my email inbox when I get a message from this author! 

The Satyr’s Curse did not disappoint.

I love how all her books are set in New Orleans. I’m a huge fan of the South—whether it’s the food, the culture, the hot accents, I love everything about it. So to be able to read a great book set in my favourite location makes me oh so very happy.

If you read the summary for this book it pretty much gives away exactly what the book is about and what happens. Or so I thought. There’s enough little surprises along the way that made the summary not as simple as it seemed.

Love. Lust. Voodoo. Curses. This book has it all.

And can I just say how much I love Kyle. *swoon* Adding him to my list of book boyfriends. Yes he was hot tempered and acted like an ass at times, but he was also sweet and adorable and just wanted what was best for Jazzmyn and sure that made him act like a jealous dick sometimes but that’s okay. We forgive Kyle.

The most surprising thing for me was the ending. I thought for sure it would turn out totally different than it did and everyone would have closure in some way—even if it wasn’t in a good way. I don’t want to give too much away, but I definitely saw something different happening to Julian. But the ending does leave an option for a sequel. I would love to see what happens with these characters x amount of years down the road.

Another winner from Ms. Weis

 

**I received a free copy from the author in exchange for a honest review.

Diary of a One-Night Stand by Alexandrea Weis

Title:Diary of a One-Night Stand
Author: Alexandrea Weis
Publication Date: August 1, 2012
Source: Author
Summary (from Goodreads):
   
Resilient and practical, Kara Barton has continually strived to live a respectable life. She went to college, embarked on a promising career as an attorney, married a great guy, and always appeared to be the perfect wife and mother. But all is not what it seems, and the troubling past Kara has been running from her entire life is about to catch up with her. Urged on by her insecurities about growing older, and desperately wanting to feel one more night of passion, Kara agrees to share a tryst in a hotel room with a sexy business associate, Scott Ellsworth. But Scott wants more than one night together, and Kara quickly discovers it is impossible to resist him. Soon Kara finds herself transformed into the kind of woman she vowed never to become, and the secure world she has struggled all her life to build begins to fall apart. Kara Barton is about to find out how a one-night stand can change everything.

                                 Review

I know not many people are fans of them, but I enjoy novels centered around cheating – if the plot is well written and thought out and the character(s) isn’t cheating with everyone in sight “just because”.

Diary of a One-Night Stand tells the story of a woman who I think many could relate to.  She’s married to a man who works too much, spends too little time with their daughter and who she no longer finds attractive – in any way.

During a work party, Kara suddenly finds herself drawn to Scott Ellsworth who easily convinces her to meet him at his hotel room one night and well, the title is born. But of course nothing is ever just that one night, is it? More sex, more complications, a divorce and then the surprise ending all happens along the way.

I can’t say that I was a fan of Kara’s. I wish she had been a little stronger in an independent sort of way. She went from living with her husband, to living with the guy she had the affair with to...well, I don’t want to spoil the ending so I’ll just say that not once did she try and make it on her own. She was so determined not to be like her mother but that’s exactly what she was – depending on men to take care of her. You don’t go from leaving your husband to moving in with some guy you’ve known a couple of weeks, especially when you have a kid and take her with you! No child should be confused like that. I would have respected the character more if she had left her husband and stayed on her own with her daughter.  

Scott…yeah, I couldn’t warm up to him either, although I liked the way Weis wrote him. He presented himself as this great guy, a changed man, but really what a load of bull. Most men with his reputation do not change overnight just because of one great lay. And as devious as you find out he is in the ending I liked how the author made him the same old snake he always was. It made the character more believable.

Surprisingly, my favourite character was Cal. Yeah he could be a prick and he really needed to get his head out of his ass but once he did he was the kind of guy that could definitely sweep you off your feet. Or re-sweep in this case.

There were two things that bugged me: 1) there’s a part in the book where Kara asks Scott how he really feels about her and he (of course) instead of giving her an answer in words he shows her with sex. If it had been slow and gentle and sweet that would have told her what she wanted to hear. But instead he took her hard and rough. Sure, it might have been passionate (for him) but there was nothing loving about it and that’s what she wanted from him. After he was done he told her that’s how he felt about her. Um, okay. So he thinks you’re a quick, hard fuck. Because that’s exactly what the sex was. But she thinks it means he cares for her. Can we say miscommunication?

And 2) the ending. Not the epilogue, because I thought that was good, but the actual ending. The way Kara wasn’t made to choose at all between the two men and fate, if you want to call it that, basically chose for her. I wish she had been made to examine her feelings for both men and (after living on her own for a while!) made it her choice who she wanted to be with.

However, despite those two things, and the way Kara irked me, I still enjoyed the story. Alexandrea Weis creates a very believable plot and characters - yes, as frustrating as Kara’s character was she is believable because there are so many women like her. 

 

Interview with Alexandrea Weis

Afternoon all!

Back in March I wrote a  review for Broken Wings by Alexandrea Weis. She also wrote a guest post following the review. Well, Alenxandrea is back with another book, another blog tour and an interview this time around.

About the book:

Describe your book in one sentence. Head of an organization of elite spies, Dallas August is asked to uncover what secrets a reclusive woman, Gwen Marsh, is hiding about a mafia kingpin’s death. 

                                                                                                           

Give me a quick blurb about the book and do pitch on why you think readers will enjoy it. A roller coaster ride filled with intrigue and plot twists that will leave the read hungry for more, the life of Dallas August, secret broker, is about to get very interesting.

As the head of an organization of elite spies, Dallas is asked to uncover what secrets a reclusive woman, Gwen Marsh, is hiding about a mafia kingpin’s death. Dallas must pose as a bodyguard in order to get close to Gwen. Soon Dallas learns that others are interested in Gwen when he stumbles upon the FBI monitoring her every move. But Gwen does not make it easy for Dallas and he is challenged by her intelligence and stubbornness at every turn. But with the FBI and the Mafia vying for the woman’s information, he can’t afford to lose his objectivity When Gwen finally lowers her defenses and confides in Dallas, his job is done. He returns to his organization in New York. Ann unexpected turn of events leads Dallas back to Gwen’s doorstep, where he discovers the Gwen Marsh he thought he was protecting, wasn’t Gwen Marsh at all. Who was Dallas protecting? And where is the real Gwen Marsh? Dallas August is about to find out how dangerous life can be as one of …The Secret Brokers.   

How did you come up with the idea for the book? It is part of a series but I like exploring the characters in depth. The storyline comes as I write it. I never know where a novel is going half the time and surprise myself in the process.  

When did you start writing it, and how long did it take you to finish it? The entire novel took about 2 to 3 weeks. I write pretty quickly from start to finish. Then I go back through it and fill in more detail. The entire writing process takes about a month.

If your book was made into a movie, who would you want to play the main characters?

 I don’t like to pin my characters to an actress or actor in my head. It takes away from what I am writing. I think I would have to go through a lot of casting calls until I found someone who fit what I was writing. There is a lot more to it than looks for me.

About you as writer:

When did you begin writing? I was eight and stared with poetry, by high school I was writing mostly short stories.

When did you first think, wow I have made it as a writer? I am still waiting for that moment. I think all writers are still waiting for that moment.

Do you have any special rituals you do when you sit down to write? Gum. Always have plenty of gum on hand.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers out there? Write. No matter what just keep writing. The more you write the better you get.  

Silly questions:

Favorite color? Red

Salty or Sweet? Salty

Favorite author? Ian Fleming

Favorite book? The Nature of Alexander/Mary Renault

One thing you cannot live without? Running.

Vampire or werewolf? Vampire

Guest Post from author Alexandrea Weis

I'm so excited to have my very first guest post today. Alexandrea Weis is the author of Broken Wings, a book that I read, reviewed,  and loved last week. Today she's here to tell us all about her other life as a wildlife rehabber.....

Dedication for Broken Wings:  For all the wildlife I have rescued, rehabbed, fretted over, stayed up all night with, cried into their fur, and lost. Thank you to all of my wonderful wild babies. You have made my life complete.    

  One of the most fulfilling aspects of my life is working as a permitted and certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries. When I am not writing, my days are taken up with caring for orphaned and injured wildlife brought to me by concerned individuals. Now, more than ever, the wildlife rehabbers are working to save animals injured from interactions with society, or dealing with orphaned wildlife during the height of the spring baby season. And yes, it can be dangerous, especially when dealing with rabies vector creatures such as raccoon, fox, and bats. So why do I volunteer to put myself in harms way? Quite simply, I love animals.

     My evolution from rescuing dogs and cats to wildlife happened about eleven years ago when a neighbor brought me an orphaned baby gray squirrel. Her name was Widget McFidget McFee and she taught me how to love wildlife. The challenges with raising any wildlife orphan are much greater than raising a domestic baby. Chewed furniture, scratches, bites, and the occasional nut being buried in your shoe, can all result from raising a baby squirrel. But when you hold that fuzzy ball of fur in your arms, watch it grow, and see that little personality flourish, there is no difference, at least to me, between a human child and a wild child.

       The day I set Widget free was a mixed blessing of tears and joy. My house seemed empty without her, but she gave me the confidence to raise more baby squirrels and return them to the wild. After her release, I started taking in more babies, and eventually received my wildlife rehabbers permit. Today I work with foxes, flying squirrels, fox squirrels, gray squirrels, raccoons, opossum, skunk, rabbit and the occasional otter. All of which would have never have been possible without Widget. And I was not abandoned completely by my first wild baby. Over the course of the next few years, Widget would bring her babies to me. She would bring every litter she had to my front door for a visit. Unfortunately, after hurricane Katrina, I never saw Widget again. But she is still with  me every day. With every orphaned baby I take in, or with every injured adult I help, I think of Widget and the wonderful gift she gave me. Never let it be said that you cannot learn anything from an animal. I was taught the greatest lesson there is from a squirrel. I opened my heart to a world that I never knew existed, and I have become a better human being because of it.    

Alexandrea and baby Rodney

Rodney all grown up, snuggled in his bed reading 

                                                                    

Thank you, Alexandrea, for posting today!