New York.times Book Review Novels & Stories

When Caterina Mari Santelli--daughter of a Capo--was born, she became a living curse. It was against the Italian mob to fraternize with the Russian enemy. And when her father decided to marry her late Russian mother, their family was walking on a thread in the Mafia industry. So, here comes Lucas De Marchi--a Boss--pure Italian from the greatest and legendary bloodline. His goal is to marry Caterina for her to be stripped off from being a curse, for him to be, someday, head of both clans and another dark mission he has to fulfill. But Caterina isn't a damsel in distress. When she met Lucas and discovered the truth, she knew there was blood to be shed. Only she didn't know whose.

At twenty-two, Skylar Carnell is a spitfire who doesn’t believe in cliché romances and has dreams of her own to chase. What happens when she has to honor her parents' dying wish and marry into the St. James family? Skylar tries hard to avoid the disastrous marriage to the oldest son, Sebastian St. James, and luck favors her although momentarily. Soon Sebastian elopes with the woman he loves. It leaves her with no other option than to meet the youngest son, the cocky, full-of-himself, infuriating Christian St. James. He's notorious, mysterious, and full of surprises. Skylar fights him at every step, but he offers her a contract marriage she can't ignore. Why does he want to marry her? Is it only to honor his parent's last wish? Can Christian tempt the spitfire and make her stay? Will Skylar walk away when the contract term expires? What will happen when unexpected circumstances bring them closer?

"Is this the life-like doll Paige got me as a Christmas present? Wow, it looks just like that beautiful best friend of hers…" My best friend's father mistakes me for the Christmas present she has prepared for him. Things start to heat up in the room. The man eagerly spreads my legs, ready to experience the scalp-crawling pleasure I can bring to him.

Second Installment to the Alpha Inc Series. This is Marcus' story. Marcus lost his mate when he was very young, taken by lycans in the woods where they first met. After years of blaming his brother--the Alpha--he is pulled into a battle with dragons that opens up the supernatural world around them. In the midst of his brother--Luther's--drama, he finds out that his mate is still alive. Now he will do anything to find her. Even if it means taking on The Lycan King.

We all have secrets revealed to us throughout our lives. Secrets that many have kept hidden from us. How bad can the secrets be when you have grown up knowing you were adopted? For one girl, it is nothing short of a movie when her past that she never knew existed comes back to haunt her. She never felt like she fitted in, and when her partner goes missing she goes on a mission to find him but stumbles across a world she has only seen in movies. With the fact she is faced to accept werewolves, witches and everything else that goes bump in the night exists, she is left even more shaken to find out she is a witch, the last of the strongest bloodline that were all murdered. Will her love for the werewolf be fate, or is it all produced by magic to stop the war that has raged between the three worlds for centuries.

ICE: The Alpha’s Unwanted OMEGA BOOK 3 "I told you to stay off my ice, Parker. The next time you cross the red line into my territory, I won't just break your skates. I'll break your wolf." Ethan Carter is the undisputed King of the Mysticfall winter league—a brutal, dominant Alpha who rules the arena and his pack with an iron fist. He needs a political alliance with the powerful Bennett family to secure his territory's hunting rights before the full moon freezes the valley solid. What he doesn't need is the intoxicating, infuriating presence of Collins Parker back in his den. Collins is a fierce, defiant omega from the northern hills who refuses to kneel to any captain. He thought his bond with Ethan was a sacred vow spoken to the moon. Instead, he got a one-way ticket to exile and a shattered heart when Ethan chose a blood-contract wedding with Chloe Bennett over their mate-bond. Driven away to the frozen border cabins of Skydrivee with two young pups and his pride torn to ribbons, Collins swears he is done chasing a ghost. He scrubs Ethan's scent from his furs, sharpens his steel blades, and prepares to run the winter wilderness alone. But a true Alpha’s mark can never be fully erased. "You sold your body to a rival house to save your franchise, Ethan. Don't look at my pups. Don't come near my bed. You chose your altar. Now sleep on it."

Blurb: Crystal isn't really mute—she's just been forced to act that way for years. At her new elite secondary school, life only gets harder. David, the senator's son, won't stop noticing her. And every time he does, Queen, Zeenat, and the newly-returned Keisha make her pay for it. Hated by the girls, cornered by secrets, and weighed down by her stepdad’s control, Crystal can only count on Asher, the troubled boy who sees her as the sister he never had. But how long can she hide the truth? Will she survive the jealousy, the betrayals, and the endless drama? Or will her silence destroy her before her voice is ever heard?

Born and raised in the palace, Amara, a lowly maid, found herself drawn to one of the Alpha’s twin sons, Damon. But she kept her feelings hidden, hoping that on her eighteenth birthday she would meet her fated mate and forget about him. Fate, however, had other plans. On that fateful day, Amara discovered that she was mated to Damon—the very man she’d secretly loved all along—but he kept his distance for reasons she couldn’t understand. Five years later, when their paths cross again, Amara realizes that despite the rejection, their bond still lingers, and her heart still belongs to the same man who once saw her as nothing more than a servant. Seeing her heartbroken, Darius, Damon’s twin brother, offers her a deal she can’t refuse. But what starts as a simple arrangement quickly spirals into a dangerous triangle of love, betrayal, and forbidden desire. Because when Damon begins to show interest in Amara again, Darius isn’t ready to let her go—not now, not ever.

18 year old Caitlin Paine finds herself uprooted from her nice suburb and forced to attend a dangerous New York City high school when her Mom moves again. The one ray of light in her new surroundings is Jonah, a new classmate who takes an instant liking to her. But before their romance can blossom, Caitlin suddenly finds herself changing. She is overcome by a superhuman strength, a sensitivity to light, a desire to feed--by feelings she does not understand. She seeks answers to what’s happening to her, and her cravings lead her to the wrong place at the wrong time. Her eyes are opened to a hidden world, right beneath her feet, thriving underground in New York City. She finds herself caught between two dangerous covens, right in the middle of a vampire war. It is at this moment that Caitlin meets Caleb, a mysterious and powerful vampire who rescues her from the dark forces. He needs her to help lead him to the legendary lost artifact. And she needs him for answers, and for protection. Together, they will need to answer one crucial question: who was her real father? But Caitlin finds herself caught between two men as something else arises between them: a forbidden love. A love between the races that will risk both of their lives, and will force them to decide whether to risk it all for each other… "TURNED is an ideal story for young readers. Morgan Rice did a good job spinning an interesting twist on what could have been a typical vampire tale. Refreshing and unique, TURNED has the classic elements found in many Young Adult paranormal stories. Book #1 of the Vampire Journals Series focuses around one girl…one extraordinary girl!...TURNED is easy to read but extremely fast-paced....Recommended for anyone who likes to read soft paranormal romances. Rated PG." --The Romance Reviews

"A book to rival TWILIGHT and VAMPIRE DIARIES, and one that will have you wanting to keep reading until the very last page! If you are into adventure, love and vampires this book is the one for you!"
--Vampirebooksite.com (Turned)

CRAVED is Book #10 in the #1 Bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, which begins with Book #1, TURNED!

In CRAVED, 16 year old Scarlet Paine struggles to find out exactly what she’s becoming. Her erratic behavior has alienated her new boyfriend, Blake, and she struggles to make amends, and to make him understand. But the problem is, she can barely understand herself what’s happening to her.

At the same time, the new boy in school, the mysterious Sage, comes into her life. Their paths keep intertwining, and although she tries to avoid it, he directly pursues her, despite the objections of her best friend, Maria, who has her own eyes set on Sage. Scarlet finds herself swept away by Sage, who takes her into his world, past the gates of his family’s historic river mansion. As their relationship deepens, she begins to learn more about his mysterious past, his family, and the secrets he must hold. They spend the most romantic time she can imagine, on a secluded island in the Hudson, and she is convinced she has found the true love of her life.

But then she is devastated to learn Sage’s biggest secret of all: he is not human, either, and he has only a few weeks left to live. Tragically, just at the moment when destiny has brought her greatest love, it also seems fated to tear them apart.

As Scarlet returns to the high school parties leading up to the big dance, she ends up in a huge falling-out with her friends, who excommunicate her from their group. At the same time, Vivian rounds up the popular girls to make her life hell, leading to an unavoidable confrontation. Scarlet’s forced to sneak out, making matters worse with her parents, and soon finds pressure building from all sides. The only light in her life is Sage. But he is still holding back some of his secrets, and Blake resurfaces, determined to pursue her.

Caitlin, meanwhile, is determined to find a way to reverse Scarlet’s vampirism. What she finds leads her on a journey to find the antidote, deep into the darkest corners of rare libraries and bookstores—and to an ancient discovery she can hardly imagine.

But it may be too late. Scarlet is changing rapidly, barely able to control what she’s becoming. She wants to be with Sage—but fate seems set on tearing them apart. As the book culminates in an action-packed and shocking twist, Scarlet will be left with a monumental choice—one that will change the world forever. How much is she willing to risk for love?