Lisa Sanchez e-book Winners!!!!

Congratulations to:

Lillie (AliseOnLife)

and

Danielle Gorman

who both won e-book copies of the series:
Eve of Samhain and Pleasures Untold, courtesy of Omnific Publishing!
You will be contacted shortly.

Blog Tour and Giveaway: Pleasures Untold by Lisa Sanchez

Today, the Hanaford Park Series Blog Tour stops here!

Pleasures Untold
~Lisa Sanchez

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 1878 KB
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Release Date: February 7 2011
ASIN: B004MPRBRE

Paperback: 191 pages
ISBN-10: 1936305593
ISBN-13: 978-1936305599

From Goodreads:
Hell hath no fury like a witch done wrong. Pissed off and packing an arsenal of witchy mojo, Martha is on the warpath. Determined to avenge the murder of her mother and grandmother, her mission is simple: kill every vampire, demon and underworld bastard she comes across, because one of those hell beasts might be the monster that stole her childhood from her. But when a sexy Latin vamp literally falls from the sky, saving her from becoming an undead Happy Meal, she has no choice but to reassess everything she thinks she knows.

Xan is an anomaly --a vampire born, not turned. A powerful warlock who walks in daylight, Xan spends his days, and nights, watching over Martha, protecting her from Lucian, the blood-sucking monstrosity whose sole mission in death is to drain her dry. Undeniable attraction and the promise of pleasures untold draw the two lovers into a frustrating dance of one step forward, two steps back. When Lucian throws down a deadly ultimatum, Martha is forced to choose between relying on her own mystical woo woo to save the lives of her stolen friends or succumbing to the lure of dark, voodoo magic. Xan and Martha must work together to save those closest to her and put an end to Lucian's reign of terror before it's too late.

Martha has a secret, she's not who people think she is. She's a witch on the run from a powerful and deadly vampire sorcerer. He killed her mother and grandmother, and he wants her next. She doesn't allow herself to get close to people to protect them from getting hurt. Case in point: she heads out for a night of fun with her roommates, and one of them gets attacked. Xan, the sexy bartender, comes to her rescue. Martha is instantly attracted to Xan - he makes her feel safe. When Martha learns not only what Xan is, but who he is, she must reassess everything she's been fighting against, and trust him to help her save her roommates and destroy Lucian for good.

My thoughts: When I read the first book in the series, Eve of Samhain, I didn't really connect with the Hero/Heroine, but I thought Martha, the witchy roommate, would have an interesting story, and she did. In Pleasures Untold, I like Martha - she's loyal to her friends and family and determined to keep them safe. I also like Xan, although his attraction to Martha kind of weirded me out at first, once we learned who he was and what he'd been doing for the last several years. Although Xan wants to protect Martha, he teaches her the skills necessary to defend herself, which was a nice twist on the "Alpha male protects his female"; I like that Martha and Xan were able to work as a team to fight the bad guys.

I also found Xan's friend Gabriel sexy and intriguing, and I'm hoping he's the hero in the next book in this series. There is a bit of a cliffhanger ending with regards to Martha's roommate, so I think/hope that's where Ms. Sanchez is taking us...

My Rating:

The giveaway: I have two e-book copies of this series to give away, Eve of Samhain and Pleasures Untold, courtesy of Omnific Publishing! Leave a comment and a way to contact you - that's it!! Open internationally and ends March 12 at midnight.

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Eve of Samhain by Lisa Sanchez

Eve of Samhain
~Lisa Sanchez

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 378 KB
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Publish Date: May 25, 2010
ASIN: B003O2SDBE

Paperback: 216 pages
ISBN-10: 1936305208
ISBN-13: 978-1936305209

From the author's website:
As a college senior and server at Hanaford Park's hottest nightclub, twenty one year old Ryann Pierce's plan was simple: work hard, make lots of money, and avoid the ass-grabbers at all costs. What she never planned for was Quinn Donegan-- the living, breathing advertisement for sinful behavior that waltzed into her life.

With an angelic face, a hard body and a butt-load of charm, Quinn had a way with the ladies––a lot of ladies. Cursed with a deadly, addictive touch, his trail of indiscretion blazed across five hundred years. Tired and jaded, Ryann is a shocking revelation Quinn didn't see coming.

Filled with desire, yet unable to touch one another, Ryann and Quinn embark on a daunting journey, battling frustration physical limitations while exploring their new love. In a race against the clock, Ryann learns she must plead for Quinn's life before...the Eve of Samhain. Determined to end her lover's suffering, not even the danger dogging her every move can keep her from her mission.

The Hanaford Park series is an interesting world of magic and mythological creatures. In the first book, Eve of Samhain, we meet Ryann Pierce, a young college student who's going to school and working in a bar to pay the billz. In walks sex-on-a-stick Quinn Donegan, and she drools...until he opens his mouth. He's rude and crude, and she's not impressed with him or his Barbie-clone companion. He comes into the bar again the next night with another leggy female, and Ryann notices that both nights he disappears, leaving his dates unfocused and confused about how they got to the bar. Later Ryann is attacked by a weird dog-like demon, and Quinn rescues her. He decides he's going to protect her and they become close. She learns what he really is, and why she's attracted to him. What she's not prepared for is his attraction to her. While all this is going on, Ryann is being stalked by a monster, and her angry-goth roomate might have the answers she's looking for, if she can work up the nerve to ask.

My thoughts: I didn't care for Quinn from the get-go; he was an obnoxious ass. And although he was devoted and kind to Ryann after they got to know each other, we really don't know why he was attracted to her over every other female on the planet (and trust me, he's had a few). Rhyann was spunky, but spent a lot of time either angry, crying, or obsessing over her butt. And while I found the dialogue a bit forced, there were several spots that made me laugh:

Wait. What? Please, no. My heart leaped into my throat and my stomach dropped to the floor. Why? Why did the professor have to call on Quinn?

"Could you please explain what occurs when a woman climaxes?"

"Oh, aye. I surely can." A smug grin crawled across his face and he sat back in his seat, stretching his long legs out before him.

Pompous, egotistical bastard.

The pencil I'd been gripping snapped, eliciting a snort from Quinn Before he spoke.

"Well, then. The muscles in the woman's vagina contract, along with the rest of the muscles in her body. Her heart rate and blood pressure peak. And of course, she usually screams my name several times."
Eve of Samhain, Page 123

I did like the Celtic lore. I also liked the goth roommate, Martha, who is the heroine in book 2, Pleasures Untold. I'm looking forward to reading her story.

My rating:

Come back this afternoon for my review of the next book in the series, Pleasures Untold (Witchy Martha's book)
and a Giveaway of both e-books!!!

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.