Review of Her Vampire Husband by Michele Hauf - sexy chocolate sauce lovin'

Author's blurb: An arranged marriage between a werewolf and a vampire.

There will be blood.

She may resist his bite, but she can't resist his charms...

Werewolf princess Blu Masterson won't allow her seductive vampire husband to consummate their marriage with his bite, marking her forever. Alone in a secluded estate with her sworn enemy, Blu curses the marriage arranged to bring their rival nations together, especially since Creed Saint-Pierre calls out to her most feral desires.

When Blu uncovers her pack's secret plot to destroy the vampire nation—and Creed—she is forced to confront her growing feelings for her sexy undead husband. Will she choose the only life she's ever known or accept his vampire bite? 

I didn't know what to think of this book when I first read the book blurb - would I really like a werewolf princess and an older than dirt vampire getting together? Can that ever work and be convincing? Thankfully I took the chance and loved the characters and book, I'm so glad I did because it was a really sexy and suspense-filled read. The book starts out at the wedding of werewolf princess Blu to elder vampire Creed. The wedding is being touted as a way to bring peace to the two warring groups and while the council that approved of the wedding believes that peace might happen, both factions have other plans. Blu sees the wedding as a way to escape her evil father who is the pack alpha as well as escape the predominately male pack in general. Creed faces this wedding as a responsibility that his vampire clan has trusted him with - neither party expected to develop feelings for each other.

Blu is like a whirlwind in Creed's life, she's young, sexy, and stubborn and doesn't fit in with Creed's much more sedate life as first. Blu also has been hurt, used, and has a lot of defense mechanisms to keep others at bay. One of her protection mechanisms is to be over-the-top to push people away, particularly in the sexy and flirtatious department. Blu has numerous colorful wigs, revealing outfits, and hooker heels to maintain her image and to catch the interest of her new husband. And man do I love reading about playing sexy dress-up. As Creed spends more time with Blu he can't help but be attracted to her but he begins to realize that there is more to her than meets the eye and he starts to care about his former enemy. And man when the two of them start on the path of seduction and get more physical - it is hot! For Creed being such an old vampire you definitely get the idea that he has been quite the ladies' man in the past (apparently the 1800s were really good to his sex life). I will leave the little teaser that one of the best scenes involves gourmet spicy chocolate sauce - yum!

While the romancing is hot enough to fill up the book, the background battles between the werewolves and vampires are definitely action packed as well. You wonder if there is any resolution to this story that ends up with Blu and Creed together and if they will chose their budding romance or their responsibilities for their separate vampire and werewolf factions. While I don't want to give away the ending it definitely kept me on pins and needles till the end. 

This is a 4 out of 5 stars for me, an improbable but heartwarming and steamy romance between two former enemies...and chocolate sauce.

This book is being released March 30th 2010 from Harlequin, I received the ARC through NetGalley. To learn more about this book and read the first chapter or to learn about the previous books in the series (though you don't have to read the previous books to understand the plot in HVH) you can check out the author's website here and you can follow her on twitter at @Michelehauf

Wicked Wednesday Quickie Review Featuring Cry Sanctuary by Moira Rogers & Giveaway

Wicked Wednesday Quickie Review is a new feature I’m starting that will be dedicated to hot ebook reads that tend to be shorter than the average novel (~100 pages vs. 200+). I love these shorter reads but find them hard to categorize next to full length novels, so I thought I would start a separate review category to feature these books. Let me know what your think!

So before I get started on the review, I have to admit I have a bit of a fangirl crush on Moira Rogers books. The characters are always well written and the love scenes are smokin’. So far I haven’t picked up a book from them I didn’t like if not love so if you like sexy werewolves I recommend to go out there and download one of their books. There’s also a free read on their website that takes place before Cry Sanctuary that you can check out here.

Goodreads blurb: Keith Winston is tired of fighting. The war between werewolves and wizards rages on in Europe, but he's come home to Red Rock, Montana in hopes of finding a bit of peace. Instead he finds more strife as he struggles against the pack’s dictates that he resume his place as the alpha’s right hand man. When he rescues a new wolf on the run, he knows his instant attraction to her could cause trouble. What he doesn't expect is to find himself embroiled in another battle that goes against all his instincts—and his heart.

Abigail Adler learned about the existence of werewolves only when she became one. With her life is threatened by a corrupt alpha, she flees to the only sanctuary she knows: Red Rock. While she’s grateful for the pack’s protection, she chafes under its unbreakable rules of conduct—except when it comes to submitting to the passion Keith stirs in her. Then her tormentor kidnaps her sister in an attempt to lure her out of hiding. To save her, Abby and Keith must be willing to do the very thing that could get them all killed—break all of the rules.

Warning: This review contains references to steamy werewolve sex, deadly pack alphas, and some bad puns!  (Inspired by Samhain publishing book warnings – I love them.)

Keith is the perfect flawed hero, he has many scars from his past that keep him separate from the people that care about him, but when he sees Abby his inner wolf howls. Abby doesn’t realize that she is a dominant wolf, even her friend Dylan, who is more submissive, shies away from her touch. But Abby’s strength and sexiness call to Keith as well as other unattached wolves in Red Rock. As Abby get’s settled in to Red Rock she learns that she must pick a Guide to help her through the first few months as a werewolf. Guides also help fulfill the needs of a new werewolf including any sexual desires that rise up due to the werewolf changes. Keith fights with his instincts to just take Abby but decides to give her room to choose her Guide while Abby only seems interested in Keith. The sexual tension between these two is smoking hot from the first night they meet and it only builds throughout the story.

In addition to the werewolf love going on in the book, there is also a lot of action and suspense as Alan, Abby’s old alpha, tries to manipulate her into coming back to his pack. Abby turns to Keith and his friend Joe to help out and Kieth flips those girl swooning switches with what he goes through to save and protect Abby. This is an excellent quick and naughty read and I recommend you to go out and get it!

*GIVEAWAY: Since this is the first Wicked Wednesday Review and it's ebook week I decided to giveaway an ebook copy of Cry Sanctuary. (And also due to the fangirl love). You need to be 18 or older to enter and the ebook is available in multiple (non-DRM) formats.

To enter answer this question: Who is your favorite fictional werewolf?

Additional entries (let me know in your comments)
- become a blog follower (+1)
- twitter follower (+1)

Giveaway goes till March 17th!!