REVIEW: Whatnots and Doodads by Stacey Kennedy (with Giveaway!)

Good morning, all, and welcome to our next stop on the Romancing Your Dark Side Paranormal Book Tour! Joining us today is the lovely Stacey Kennedy, who has been gracious enough to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a copy of her latest, author of Whatnots and Doodads. Full details following my review!

Stacey's urban fantasy/paranormal and erotic romance series have hit Amazon Kindle and All Romance Ebooks Bestseller lists. If she isn’t plugging away at her next novel, or tending to her two little ones, she’s got her nose deep in a good book. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband.

Before we get into my review, let's take a quick look at Whatnots and Doodads.

For Bryanna, a witch from the Asheville Coven, magic is on the fritz. Shunned by her coven and her boyfriend Layton for her unruly magic, she seeks a new life for herself. It just so happens, fate steps in and brings her to Strange Hollow--a place where being different is not only acceptable, but encouraged.

When Bryanna arrives in Strange Hollow, Zeke, a demon gone good, is burning with Hell’s fire over her. Not only has she set his world ablaze, but he’s found one soul he can save. He’s determined to free her from the insecurities that have damaged her soul.

Together they experience lava-hot passion as they weave their way through a tornado of emotions. But when Layton returns for her, will Zeke’s attempts to break the unworthy cage woven around her be enough to keep her in Strange Hollow forever?

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One of my pet peeves with the paranormal romance genre isn’t the fact that the darkest, most sinister monsters from mythology are so often defanged, but that the domestication is done so casually, and without comment. That’s where my love for Whatnots and Doodads – and, by extension, the shared world of Strange Hollow – begins.

Here, Stacey presents us with a paranormal romance full of mythological monsters, all of whom are fully aware of their outcast nature. In fact, the lovely little town of Strange Hollow exists solely to give these outcasts a home, a refuge from others of their kind who look down upon them for their domestication. With Whatnots and Doodads, she introduces us to the romantic pairing of an outcast witch who can’t control her magic, and an outcast demon who would rather save souls than steal them.

What makes this work so well is the fact that Bryanna is fully aware of what a mythological demon should be. Her initial reaction to Zeke is precisely what you would expect from someone, especially a witch, upon encountering a “spawn of Satan” – she demands he stop the car, afraid he’s going to eat her! It’s this reaction that so naturally opens the door for Jacinda, outcast Fae and founder of the town, to explain the paranormal sanctuary that is Strange Hollow.

The love story that follows is sweet, seductive, and oh-so-hot. Zeke may be a demon, but he may as well be a knight in shining armour. He takes Bryanna under his wing, helps her get settled, and makes it his mission to make her see that she’s different, not damaged. He wants her to love him more than anything else in the world, but only if he can first make her accept that she is as worthy of love and respect as any other witch. He is patient, kind, and gentle when he needs to be, but also completely capable of taking charge and ravishing his love.

As for Bryanna, she’s a delightful young woman, as different and as wondrous as the whatnots and doodads so eccentrically produced by her magic. Part of her revels in her outcast nature, as evidenced by her gothic manner of dress (which leads to a steamy scene in the dressing room involving a new corset and a black lace thong, all chosen for her by Zeke!), but she’s been raised to believe she’s damaged, an embarrassment to her family and her coven. When she makes the decision to give in to Zeke’s seduction, it’s initially as an act of rebellion, but she soon comes to revel in the feeling of being loved, rather than possessed.

The romance and the seduction here is just breathtaking, the kind of story that makes you feel warm and content all over. It takes a while for the spark of attraction to kindle into flames of passion – as it should – but when it does, the sex is absolutely magical. It’s light-hearted and fun, like first loves should be, and never takes advantage of Bryanna’s fragile emotional state.

A fun, sexy, altogether enjoyable read, Whatnots and Doodads is a book I’ve already insisted several friends read. I loved it, and I suspect you will too.

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If Whatnots and Doodads sounds like the kind of story you'd love to give a read, and you'd like to get your hands on a copy of your very own, then you're in luck! Stacey has offered up one electronic copy to one lucky reader!

To enter, simply leave a comment below . . . it's that easy . . . and I'll pick a winner via random.org on September 7th.

For bonus entries, let me know in your comment if you're a follower of mine here at Bibrary Book Lust or a follower of Stacey on Twitter; whether you've added Whatnots and Doodads to your Goodreads shelves; or whether you've 'liked' my review over at Amazon.

Thanks so much to Stacey Kennedy for stopping by. If you'd like to follow her, and the rest of the participating authors, check out her schedule on the Calendar of Events page at The Virtual Book Tour Cafe or check her out at http://www.staceykennedy.com/.

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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of The Virtual Book Tour Cafe' and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by The Virtual Book Tour Cafe', no payment was received by me in exchange for this review nor was there an obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*