His darkest fears…her deepest desires.
She-wolf Janna Macks knows trouble when she sees it, especially when it comes in the form of an irresistibly broody cowboy like Cole Harper. Her fledgling pack is already in the cross hairs of a ruthless group of rogues, and falling head over heels in lust with a human will only endanger her loved ones more. The problem is, her wolf knows her destined mate … destined mate when she sees him — and Cole is it.
Rodeo pro Cole Harper has never felt this off-kilter before. One minute, he’s lusting after Janna, the spunky waitress he can’t get off his mind, and the next, he’s growling at a dark inner voice demanding all kinds of crazy things — like howling at the moon and claiming Janna as his own. There’s only one thing stronger than the overwhelming need for Janna, and that’s the fear that without her, he’ll succumb to the strange inner beast wrestling for control of his haunted soul.
Behind the doors of the Blue Moon Saloon, alpha shifters confront their darkest fears and their deepest desires. This book is a complete standalone story that ends with a strong hook to the main character in the next book of the series.
* A paranormal romance with adult content. The perfect read for fans of strong heroines, alpha heroes, werewolves and shapeshifters, red-hot cowboys, romantic westerns, paranormal suspense, action-adventure romance, and fantasy romance! *
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Temptation is book two in the Blue Moon Saloon series by Anna Lowe. I am loving this new series by Ms. Lowe. Temptation can be read as a stand-a-lone, but it’s even better after reading Damnation, book one.
WOW the author pulls you in from the first to the last page. So much emotion, hurt, pain, and love. These characters captured me. Both Cole and Janna are trying to make a new life for themselves, move on from the past, but it’s never easy, so what does fate have in-store. Well it puts these two together and helps them find peace, forgiveness, and love.
I loved learning more about Cole. I’m a country girl and reading about the bull fighters and riders, well she made it so vivid and real. It just adds to Cole’s story. This was such a sweet love story, with a little bit of action, and whole lot of romance.
I also loved the ending. It’s a set up for book three, Redemption. I am on pins and needles for the next installment.
Temptation is full of sexy werewolf cowboy’s, life altering moments, whirlwind of emotions, action, suspense, and passion. I highly recommend this new series as well as her Twin Moon Ranch.
Rated: 5 Temptation Stars
*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary review copy provided by Anna Lowe with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
Title: Temptation
Series: Blue Moon Saloon
Author: Anna Lowe
Designation: Book 2 of Series, Long Novella (Approx 140 pages), *Can Be Read As A Standalone (See Notation), Paranormal Romance, No Cliffhanger, HEA
Reading Platform: Kindle eBook & Audiobook Editions
My Rating: FIVE DIVINELY ENTERTAINING STARS*****
*The author does an exceptional job of giving the reader ample backstory, and Temptation could certainly be read as a standalone, but please be aware there is an underlying interconnected conflict running throughout the series. For a richer reading experience and to avoid possible spoilers, this reviewer recommends reading the books sequentially. This is such an awesome series, so I’m sure it’s one decision you’ll never regret.
I adore paranormal romance and no one does it better than Anna Lowe! I’m a huge fan of Lowe’s work and own all of her books. She’s one of the few authors on my automatic buy list. When Lowe has a release, I never even bother to read the blurb; I just one-click and dive in. Don’t get me wrong; I adore everything Lowe writes, but the Blue Moon Saloon Series has become my new favorite! And I’m not the only one who loves it. Damnation, the first book of this series, was voted Best Shifter Book for 2016 by Reality Bites Magazine. Wow, that’s impressive! I first became hooked on Lowe’s captivating prose four years ago after reading Desert Moon, the first release in Lowe’s The Wolves of Twin Moon Ranch Series and have been completely addicted ever since. I’ve been a lover of the written word for over 65 years and during that time, I’ve read an incalculable number of books, written by a diverse group of talented authors. So when I say Anna Lowe is one of my favorites, that’s quite a recommendation in itself. It’s a little hard to explain why Lowe’s stories resonate so strongly with me, but I’ll try. Lowe is what I like to call a triple threat. I know that may sound a little ominous, but it’s really not. You see, some writers are stronger in certain aspects of the writing process than others. A few may have a great idea for a book or series but have difficulties developing the story and translating their thoughts to written words. Others may be crackerjack wordsmiths or great with story development but lack creativity and ideas. Lowe can create, develop, write, and publish, but Lowe’s talent doesn’t stop there. She’s not only a truly gifted storyteller and skilled wordslinger but also one of the most reliable authors in the romance genre today, consistently penning unique and highly imaginative storylines, set in fascinating worlds, populated with unique characters who will capture your imagination as well as your heart. Lowe’s books are all well crafted and edited with beautiful formatting and covers. And Temptation is no exception! In addition to having my nose stuck in a book for several hours every day, I also enjoy listening to audiobooks, which is another reason I’m so enamored with Lowe’s work. (Now don’t be a jealous Judas. I worked hard to earn my retirement so I could sit back and enjoy my golden years! lol…) Lowe almost always releases audio versions of new releases and Temptation was available, so I snagged it along with the ebook edition. (OMG, don’t you just love Amazon’s whispersync feature which allows customers to read or listen across multiple devices? And it syncs all my notes and bookmarks! Very cool!) There’s nothing better than listening to the characters of a great story come to life through the voice of a talented narrator, and Lowe uses one of the best. I love, love, love the artist Lowe uses for her books. Kelsey Osborne does a fabulous job and is one of my all-time favorites. Osborne’s reading and narration skills are exceptional, enhanced by her pleasing pitch, soothing dulcet tones, delightful and sometimes amusing voice inflections, rhythmic effortless cadence, always correct pronunciations, and obvious enthusiasm for her work. But as usual, I digress, especially when talking about my favorite authors and books, so let’s discuss a few details about the story itself.
Temptation is an emotionally gripping, fast-paced, well-crafted second chance paranormal romance filled to the brim with pulse-pounding danger, spine-tingling action, heart-wrenching drama, malevolent enemies, agonizing angst, fiery passion, steamy sex, dreamy romance, and laugh-out-loud humor. The narrative is beautifully written in the third person with clearly discernible his and her perspectives. The dialogue is smart, snappy, well executed and flows effortlessly. But hands down, my favorite component of every Lowe story is her cast of engaging characters. I found them to be intriguing, endearing, well developed, and at times, hilarious. I was immediately smitten with the two protagonists of Temptation, beautiful, bubbly Janna Macks and handsome, stoic Cole Harper. Janna and Cole were introduced in the first book of the series and these two could not have been more different. Janna was a wolf shifter and a little quirky. Cole was human and definitely the silent broody type. But Shifters weren’t allowed to reveal themselves to humans – ever. Being attracted to a human was trouble with a capital T and a problem Janna and her new clan didn’t need. For months, she and her sister had been on the run from a group of Blueblood purists led by Walter White, the same group of rogues responsible for murdering their entire pack back in Montana. But with help from the Twin Moon Pack and bear shifters Soren and Simon Boss, the Mack sisters finally found jobs and refuge at the Blue Moon Saloon, which was where Janna met Cole, a swoony former rodeo professional working at a nearby ranch and a man of few words, except for the new voice in his head that’s driving him crazy and just won’t shut up. Cole was a man with secrets, running from the past, but one thing he didn’t want to run from was Janna Macks, the lovely, spunky waitress from the Blue Moon Saloon. The attraction between Janna and Cole was mutual, but for some unknown reason, their good-natured flirting and banter had turned into something else and seemed to be growing stronger by the day. But Janna knew they could never be together. Mating with humans was forbidden and would only draw attention she and her new clan didn’t need. If the purists return, she didn’t want Cole to be caught in the crossfire – again. He’d already saved her life once, and it could have cost him everything, including his life. But the heart wants what the heart wants…. And we all know, fate won’t be denied. Oh my! I was immediately smitten with Cole and loved Janna’s bubbly personality, but there were several times I wanted to smack her upside the head. In trying to protect Cole, she made some bad decisions, but I think we’ve all been guilty of the same, especially when we’re trying to protect the people we love. Janna and Cole may have been polar opposites, but their chemistry was smoking hot! These two unlikely lovers literally exploded from the pages with a connection that sizzled in every encounter. And as it turns out, they truly complemented each other perfectly! It was a treacherous journey for Cole and Janna; so buckle up, it’s a wild ride!
Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! Would I recommend it? You bet, and I am but only for adult readers since it does include some steamy, dreamy sex scenes. Will I read this author again? Absolutely! Just as soon as she releases her next book. And finally, was I entertained? Completely! I giggled, snorted, sniffled, sobbed, fumed, and raged through the entire book. There were even a couple of scenes where I was swearing like a sailor and sweating bullets but by the end, I was happy, satisfied, and well entertained! Hey, don’t judge; I’m a very emotional reader. Lol… Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read! But just a little piece of friendly advice. Don’t try to listen to this book while driving. I tried while on the way to an out of town doctor’s appointment but kept having to pull over and stop because I became too excited and couldn’t concentrate on my driving. There was one scene where Cole and Janna rescued a child from a raging bull. And did I mention Cole was a former rodeo Bullfighter? Yes, bullfighter and NOT a clown! Oops, slight spoiler! lol… OMG, I thought my heart would beat out of my chest! I was speeding down the road, screaming like a banshee! And yes, Osborne’s narration was that good! lol…
Temptation: Reckless Desires by Anna Lowe
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense
3.75 Stars
It was a good read & better slightly better than the 1st as far as action. However, both stories really could have been so much better.
Both Cole & Janna were interesting, but the author ended up making Janna look unintelligent and naive.
This happened in two ways.
First, toward the beginning of the story when she realized what was going on with Cole and didn’t tell any of the people in her life that could have helped. Her reasons for not saying anything were not reasonable nor realistic.
Second, there is a great fight scene towards the end of the story. The things Janna Didn’t DO and her thoughts were ridiculously unwise & unintelligent. This lack of adult reasoning started long before the fight scene and continued to the end of it.
If the author had written more mature thoughts and actions the story would have been massively better.
The adult intimate scenes were pretty good.
The bull scene was awesome.
There is a lot of good, but not great.
GR bookshelves: paranormal, adult, romance
Twice in a Blue Moon (Blue Moon Saloon #1-2)
Good continuation of this series.
I have fallen in love with this series and was so looking forward to this book. Do yourself a favour and read the other books first, you will get a better feeling for this story.
I loved the background we are given on Cole, oh my, what a man. Loved him but felt for him with his guilt over the young rodeo cowboy who died. He is a wonderful person and did well with what happened to him.
I was really enjoying Janna and Coles story until Janna became some stupid idiot who did not tell Cole what was happening to him. I so wanted to slap her upside the head.
Poor poor Cole, he thinks he is going mad, hearing a voice and feeling things he did not know if they were real or imagined. Janna would have saved him lots of grief if she had explained what was happening to him. He also would have known how to fight the Purity idiots when they had Janna.
There are 2 other people this has happened too but does she ask for advice, NO, she just waffles along risking Coles life. Janna knows how close to the change he must be but she agrees to meet Cole to go dancing, at a rough, rowdy bar. Of course, Janna gets taken by the PURITY blue bloods who have been sending threatening letters which she has told no one about.
Really, a smart savvy woman suddenly does stupid things. Just because she is a wolf she is not invincible. I get annoyed when this happens. TSTL.
All in all this was a good gripping story but would have been better if Janna had stayed the same smart woman we met in book one.
I loved the ending with the reveal of Sarah, Soren’s lost mate. Wow, that looks like it is going to be a doozy.