Touch If You Dare

Summary:

Stephanie Rowe is ready to knock out her readers with a high octane romp, involving a dangerous plan to trick Death himself and save the people that matter most…

Sexy warrior Jarvis Swain has spent the last 150 years tortured by a deranged witch, but what continues to torture him is the brother he was born to protect has gone MIA, and without his brother, Jarvis can’t control his temper, and will slowly turn into a powerful and deadly threat to humanity. But the only person who can help him save his brother has some issues of her own…

Reina Knight is the enterprising gal who works for Death himself, and is the only one who can save her sister from a particularly nasty creature. Reina’s terrified, reeling under the pressure of having her sister’s life in her hands. When Death presents an ultimatum to her that’s beyond Reina’s capabilities to accomplish, Reina knows she needs to call in someone who can make it happen for her. Someone so powerful that even she can’t screw them up… Who better than a bad ass warrior on a mission? Jarvis Swain is the ruthless, confident aggressor she needs at her back, and she knows if she can enlist his help, he can make anything happen…

Shelly’s Review:

Touch If You Dare is an inventive paranormal romance that will keep your brain churning with all the possibilities. I don’t think you’ll find another paranormal romance quite like it!

Jarvis thinks he’s Lord Hate, a warrior absorbing the world’s hate into his body. He needs Reina’s help before he explodes. Reina needs to save her dying sister and needs a little help from Jarvis. Together they become partners through quite a rollicking adventure, with major ups and downs and many climactic moments. Along the way, their spur of the moment sexual pit stops seem to lend empowerment to their actions.

The characters in this book are a force to be reckoned with. They all tie together in such a smooth manner, that makes them all seem to play a major role. Ms. Rowe will entrance you until you don’t even realize how quickly you’re turning those pages. The next thing you know, all will become completely clear to you and you’ll be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.

I have read the first book in this series, and now the second, Touch If You Dare. I look forward to any more books in this series and I know Ms. Rowe will make them well-worth reading, just as she has the first two!

Rated 5 Delightful Divas by Shelly!

The Plot:

Touch Jarvis Swain if you dare. Not only does the giant warrior come part and parcel with one hell of a massive sword that’s a seamless extension of his own body, but the man is the Guardian of Hate. Oozing the putrid black slime of all the word’s hatred, Jarvis is an infection that’ll taint any fool foolish enough to touch his skin. And while all of this dark mojo lends Jarvis one badass reputation, the poor guy has an expiration date that he’s managed by sheer force of will to extend by a hundred years. Jarvis isn’t ready to explode and yes that’s his end game, to explode. With determination to survive not only for survival’s sake but to watch the backs of this fellow warriors, Jarvis isn’t ready to go down without one last fight to save the world. With mere days separating him from his super nova finale, Jarvis needs to find his brother Cameron, the Guardian of Love, in order to stabilize the Earth from the aftereffects of his demise. There’s one tinsy little problem: his brother has been hired to reap by Death in some convoluted bid for world peace.

Reaping souls would be a whole lot easier if Reina Fleming actually had some minuscule desire to kill. Instead, the girl is pure heart but reaping her first soul is the final step towards being promoted to Reaper status and the powers she desperately needs to save her doomed sister. After a nasty Deedub with a sweet fetish bit and tainted her mother and eight sisters, Reina has been forced to watch each and every one of them die. Now, with only one sister left - and she’s showing the deadly signs of her impending demise - Reina is determined not to fail her like all the rest. Desperate to achieve the killing edge, Reina agrees to help Jarvis Swain - a warrior with no qualms about killing - retrieve his brother from Death and in return, he’ll help her save her sister. There’s one tinsy little problem: Reina has sworn to never give her heart to another doomed soul; she just can’t take any more loss. With Jarvis scheduled to explode, Reina tries to hold back her heart from falling in love but the warrior is making that endeavor impossible. Honestly, what girl wouldn’t fall for a guy willing to kill for her?

For one hundred and fifty years, Jarvis hasn’t been able to lay a finger on a single being for fear of tainting them with his hate. Sex, therefore, isn’t much of a pleasurable task for no sooner does he get his rocks off before the woman is screaming mad with hatred. Being the Guardian of Hate is an absolute sucker punch on Jarvis’s love life. But by some miracle, Jarvis’s black touch doesn’t infect Reina. In fact, touching her and her reciprocating that touch seems to hold his impending implosion at bay. He’s still scheduled to die of course but she gives him a few precious moments more of time. But no matter the hunger Jarvis feels for Reina’s touch, he can’t ever feel deserving of it. He’s hate and she’s heart. How in the world can they ever make it work? They can’t, at least that’s Jarvis’s thought and his constant self flagellation isn’t making him feel any better.

Reina knows that beneath Jarvis’s badass exterior is a man in possession of a heart for she feels and sees his love in all his endeavors. He’s a born protector, a man that would lay his life down in a minute not only for her but for his friends and even for his conceited brother. But no matter her arguments that run contrary to Jarvis’s own belittling view of himself, her protests that he’s a good and kind soul fall upon stubbornly deaf ears. Jarvis is a man that sees the world in black and white with him being the inky black. For Jarvis, hate isn’t some monster lurking beneath his skin, Jarvis is hate, he is the monster and the sooner Reina understands that, the better. But he does soon appreciate Reina’s determination to convince him otherwise. Having a female fight for him to see the good within himself is a previously unknown concept, one that has him falling head over heels for his little grim reaper. But this Happily Forever After is doomed. With so many out of control happenings, Reina and Jarvis are in for the ultimate fight, one that will test their very souls.

The Heroine:

Incredibly brave and utterly selfless, Reina Fleming takes care of those she deems as hers. Having failed her mother and seven of her sisters, Reina is determined to save the last of her family. There’s just the pesky little problem of having to reap her first soul. Simple fact is that she can’t do it and she can’t do it because she can’t stop herself from hopelessly loving others. Reina’s heart has become a huge liability.

If there’s one person out there that can help Reina become a cold-hearted murderer, it’s Jarvis Swain. He’s the meanest; most menacing warrior Reina has ever encountered so is it weird that he makes her heart flutter with desire? Maybe, but Reina’s willing to be at Jarvis’s mercy if it helps save her sister. Funnily enough, Reina feels no fear in the face of Jarvis’s hate. While it’s likely sensible to be afraid, Reina can’t muster that specific emotion. Lust however, well she’s feeling that in abundance. The thing is, Reina can sense a deep loyalty beneath Jarvis’s frightening exterior. He can’t be hate straight through to his soul. He just can’t! If only the man didn’t have to explode...

The Hero:

Jarvis Swain knows what he is: he’s hate. Period. It’s not as simple as a monster lurking beneath his skin like Reina believes. But God does it feel good to have her proclaim otherwise. Prior to Reina, females in general were bad news in Jarvis’s opinion, having been tortured by them and all for well over a hundred years. Nothing like an insane bitch of a black magic wielding witch to turn you off to the female sex. But there’s something so pure and genuine about Reina that’s stirring up all of Jarvis’s protective and possessive instincts.

Blinded from seeing his true self by the hate that consumes him, Jarvis, like Reina, is utterly selfless and would quickly sacrifice himself if meant that those he’s deemed as his are safe. He’s natural protector, one that has been protecting since the day he condemned himself to the life long servitude of an evil witch so that his brother, the Guardian of Love, could be safe. He’s a good, worthy warrior. Too bad he’s a ticking time bomb...

My Final Thoughts:

Superseding its predecessor in both plot and characterization, TOUCH IF YOU DARE is an entertaining and endearing paranormal thrill ride. Achieving a much needed harmony between both the action and the romance, Stephanie Rowe has made a fan out of me with this latest and greatest installment in her Soulfire Series. Here’s to second chances!

Jarvis is very much a hero but one that definitely feels undeserving of the title. But let’s look at the facts. One, he’s a man that literally carries the fate of the world within him as the Guardian of Hate and he values his responsibility. Two, he sacrifices his ever weakening grip on Hate when any one of his band of warriors needs his powerful energy to heal or kill respectively. Three, he’s constantly on guard and maintains distance so as not to inadvertently taint those he cares about and strangers alike. And finally, he’s willing to do whatever is necessary to help Reina save her sister. I mean this is a man that selflessly gives to those around him without a thought to what he’s forsaking in his soul to do so. This, my friends, is a hero.

Reina is the perfect pairing for Jarvis. She’s the light to his darkness. Selfless in her own right, Reina gives her heart to everyone, human, immortal, or animal. Within Jarvis, Reina sees him for all the good that he his and she’s convinced that he can overcome his battle with Hate by recognizing that very goodness within himself. It’s this love, this unwavering ability to believe in people, to believe in hope that makes Jarvis admire Reina and ultimately to love her as well. She’s a fun heroine and woman that readers can root for.

TOUCH IF YOU DARE embodies its share of action but the action flows very nicely with the romance, unlike its predecessor. Nothing overwhelms Jarvis and Reina. This is their show. Perhaps Rowe was able to focus more on the romance with TIYD because KISS AT YOUR OWN RISK (book 1) covered so much ground with regards to the world building. Also, I really enjoyed that there were reasons and evidence to substantiate the powers Jarvis and Reina wield. Things were explained to a much higher degree and that lent a more believable feel to the world and its characters.

A rompin’ good thrill ride that any paranormal romance lover can appreciate, TOUCH IF YOU DARE is good fun. And I’ll definitely be grabbing book three upon its release with every expectation that it’ll prove to be even better.

4 Stars

Review: HOLY COW!!! So....The first book that I ever read by Ms Rowe knocked my socks off. This one? Well, I guess I could say that it took care of the rest of my clothes :)

A rip-roaring ride from start to finish with action packed scenes along the way. No doubt that this is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat gripping the arms just waiting for what comes next. A totally rocking story that was so well done I might just be spoiled to all other paranormal authors from now on :)

My Thoughts:

Touch If You Dare is wickedly steamy and action packed from front to back cover. Both Jarvis and Reina are classic, paranormal characters – strong, independent and loyal. Touch if you Dare is a fun and flirty summer read, with lots of hunky guys who each have a secret that keeps them sane. I would recommend it for both those paranormal fans that love those offbeat quirky books.


I’ve read several of Stephanie Rowe’s novels and loved every one. So even before I read Touch If You Dare, I knew I would like it. What I wasn’t expecting was for it to be the best novel she’s ever written.

Jarvis Swain is fast turning into a hate machine, and if that happens, the whole world is doomed. Unless he can get Death’s sexy assistant Reina Fleming to help him…

When Death presents Reina with a dreadful ultimatum, Reina knows she needs to call in someone ruthless, powerful, and confident…

Jarvis Swain is the warrior Reina needs at her back, and she’s got the magic touch that ameliorates his dark side. But the two of them together are one heck of a volatile combination…

Enter the nonstop, action-packed world of Stephanie Rowe’s love stories-you’ll never think of the manly arts in the same way again.

Touch if You Dare is full of the humor, steamy romance and unique characters that Rowe’s readers have come to expect with each of her novels. From the very first sentence, I was laughing and sitting on the edge of my seat as the fighting between good and evil started off with a bang.

One might expect the Lord of Hate to be an evil, vile, greedy, moody man. Jarvis is none of those things (well, maybe a little moody, but given everything he’s been through, that’s not too bad). Even though he’s trying to prove his badass-ness after being held captive for 100 years in the Den of Womanly Pursuits, Jarvis is still a teddy bear at heart. A teddy bear that can kill a person before they even blink, but a teddy bear nonetheless. He would sacrifice everything to save the ones he loved because family comes above all else for Jarvis. Which is exactly why Reina, even though she’s a very capable warrior herself, had to accept his help in saving her youngest sister.

Reina, being one soul harvesting away from a promotion to becoming the Grim Reaper, is obviously a badass. Yet she has just as much of a soft heart as Jarivs, proven time and time again in her desperation to save her younger sister.

Jarvis and Reina are so perfect for each other that puzzle pieces would be jealous. Every aspect of their personalities either balanced or enhanced each other in a way that was not only completely believable but made their chemistry explosive.

Some of the secondary characters (like Death and the Godfather) had their own plots going on, but that in no way detracted from Jarvis and Reina’s story. If anything, it enhanced their story, and made the reader rush to the end faster to see how it all tied together while still leaving enough to guarantee a third book to this amazing series.

Touch if You Dare will leave readers laughing, and possibly crying too – either from the emotional family scenes or from, you know, laughing so hard.

Review: I like this series even if there is some chaos.

Reina is a an assistant to Death and she is trying to be promoted to assassin so she can save her doomed sister, Natalie. Reina has a plan to save Natalie by switching her bodies and souls at the moment of death with a disenfranchised angel who is immortal. Unfortunately, to be able to switch souls Reina has to kill on assignment to be promoted. Instead, she gets fired when she can’t kill the werewolf she was sent to harvest.

Jarvis, the Guardian of Hate, is beginning to implode. If he dies all of the Hate he carries will be released to poison the earth and every living thing. Jarvis is seeking his brother, Cameron, the Guardian of Love, who can save him. But Cameron has been abducted by Death for Death’s new plan to help people die happy.

Jarvis needs Reina to help him get to Cameron. Reina needs Jarvis, the warrior, to teach her to kill so she can save Natalie. Natalie is being irresistibly drawn to “The Godfather” who kills his lovers by orgasm. Augustus, one of Death’s Assassins, is trying to kill The Godfather and he has his scythe aimed at Reina too since she is getting in his way. Napoleaon is after Augustus who has taken Napoleon’s true love, Angelica.

Jarvis’ buddies, Nigel and Blaine, are mostly around to back him up but they are busy taking turns nursing the last group of friends they rescued from Angelica’s torture chamber. Add in a vampire clan who need Jarvis to save their leader who has been stabbed by a woman from a fanatic group of women who kill the lethally dangerous men they love. Yes - it’s convoluted. I particularly liked the character of the Grim Reaper who ends up giving aid to Jarvis and Reina.

Jarvis is careful not to touch others since he contaminates them with hate. But for some reason he is drawn to the sexy Reina and he is shocked to discover that not only can he touch her but instead of pain she brings him peace. I really enjoyed their sensual and loving encounters. I liked how Jarvis wanted to protect Reina and Reina was willing to love him unconditionally.

The story is fast paced and full of action. It is very busy and a bit confusing with all the characters and different attacks from different foes. But when you wade through all the extra activity there is a beautiful connection for Jarvis and Reina.

Stephanie Rowe is a new-to-me author who has acquired her newest fan. I will definitely be looking for more books from her in the very near future. I already have the first book in this Soulfire series ordered: Kiss At Your Own Risk. This is very much a stand-alone story although the background info really made me want to run out and get the first book immediately.

Touch If You Dare was a fast-paced, fun read for me. I jumped right into it and didn’t put it down until I’d finished every last tantalizing word. I really enjoyed the characters, especially those of Jarvis and Reina. The author is quite adept at making the reader like these people, even if they have some very rough edges. I must admit that Nigel is another of the men that I would like to see have his own story. He needs some love too.

The humor-infused plot moved along quickly and had some very interesting twists and turns. It was a very sexy and steamy read that had quite a lot going for it.

Jarvis Swain is a warrior that was held captive by a scorned woman. To torture them, Jarvis and his fellow warriors were taught skills such as needlepoint and hair design. Yes you read that correctly. Now that Jarvis has escaped, he must reach his younger brother. Jarvis is the Guardian of Hate and his brother is the Guardian of Love. Jarvis must find him before all the hate that is within him escapes and poisons the world. There’s just a small problem. His brother has now been hired by Death as a reaper. Death wants him to infuse love into those that are about to die so that the are not afraid when the time comes. Death can be a real softie sometimes. Jarvis also decides to look for Reina Knight, a woman that he can’t seem to get out of his mind. You see Reina once tried to kill him, but was not successful. Reina works for Death himself and wants to get a promotion to become a reaper. She must collect the soul of someone that Death wants first. In the mist of working she has to deal with the knowledge that her younger sister and last living member of her family Natalie, is about to die. She figures if she can find out exactly when Natalie will die, she can be the one to escort her soul to heaven. In order to do this she’ll need someones help and she decides that person should be Jarvis. He has escaped death several times and she feels a connection to him. They are stronger working together and vow to help save their siblings.

Because Jarvis is the Guardian of Hate, he cannot be touched by anyone or they will be poisoned. While working with Reina he realizes that she is the only person that he has ever met that is immune to hate. This makes their connection even stronger as she feels the need to bring Jarvis some relief. Her touch immediately calms him and during this time offers him words of support because he feels like a monster. She believes in him and Jarvis eventually begins to believe the positive words. I felt that they were perfect for each other. Reina felt safe with Jarvis and knew they were meant to be while Jarvis finally began to believe that he could be loved.

I’m Touch If You Dare a rating of:
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I gotta tell you that Touch If You Dare is a hilarious book that had me laughing from start to finish. I did not expect this at all and found myself howling out loud because of the characters. My favorite character was Death who thinks that he gets a bad rep because of what he does. He is extremely snarky and had the best lines in the book. There are vampires that refuse to take blood from humans. The Grim Reaper himself that isn’t that bad looking but must keep up the appearance of looking haggard. And then there is The Godfather, a man that can kill women with orgasms, but is tired of that life. He just wants to find a woman to love and that woman is Reina’s sister Natalie. I’m telling you this book is one wild ride and I’m now anxiously awaiting book 3 in the series to see what happens next!

MY THOUGHTS: Reina is an assistant to Death (and boy is he a pain to work with), given a next-to-impossible assignment whose completion is the only way she’ll be able to save her sister. Jarvis is one hot boiling mass of hate—literally Hate personified, although he tries to keep it under control. He, too, has a sibling in trouble, his brother Cam, who personifies Love. They have the inevitable Undeniable Attraction between them, but it’s really, really inconvenient considering the jobs they need to do.

I thought Touch If You Dare was a good, fun read. The humor is actually humorous—which isn’t always the case because humor’s really hard to write—but here, it works. The madcap nature of the story goes into hyperdrive a couple of times and I wanted it to calm down but overall it’s a fun read with a tuxedo-wearing Death that will have you laughing out loud. And it’s no coincidence that J.R. Ward blurbs Stephanie Rowe’s writing—if ever there was a tortured alpha male in the vein of Zhadist, it’s Jarvis—although he’s more funny than intense so don’t expect to want to save him in the way we all want to save Zhadist :-)

Touch If You Dare is an amazing follow up to Kiss At Your Own Risk. Stephanie Rowe is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite authors.

He’s just about ready to explode...
Jarvis Swain is fast turning into a hate machine, and if that happens, the whole world is doomed. Unless he can get Death’s sexy assistant Reina Fleming to help him...
She’s in desperate need of a badass warrior on a mission...
When Death presents Reina with a dreadful ultimatum, Reina knows she needs to call in someone ruthless, powerful, and confident...
Jarvis Swain is the warrior Reina needs at her back, and she’s got the magic touch that ameliorates his dark side. But the two of them together are one heck of a volatile combination...

Reina I really liked. She wanted to save her sister, and needed Death to promote her to Reaper. Again this was perfect for what I wanted to read at the moment. Besides saying her sister Renia has to help Jarvis the Guardian of Hate find his brother the Guardian of Love.

One of my favorite parts about Touch If You Dare was Death. Lately I have been on a grim reaper kick and loved that Death was in this book. Plus he was such a great character. Stephanie did such a great job with him. I really hope we will hear more about him in upcoming books, and my fingers are crossed he gets his own book.

Overall I really enjoyed Touch If You Dare. I have to say I enjoyed Touch If You Dare even more then the first book, Kiss At Your Own Risk. Now I can’t wait for Hold Me If You Can.

TOUCH IF YOU DARE by Stephaine Rowe is an exciting paranormal romance.It is Book 2 the “Soulfire Series”,but can be read as a stand alone. See “Kiss at Your Own Risk”. It is fast paced,action paced from the first page to the last. It has demons,vampires,a secret society,Death,the Guardian of Hate,Guardian of Love, Satan,demons,nearly immortal warriors, vampires,adventure,comedy,romance,sweet sensuality,and kick butt women. Jarvis Swain,sexy,dangerous,is the Guardian of Hate,immortal warrior, who has survived 150 years of tortureby women, by channeling his emotions into not only an aversion to the opposite sex by into destructive emotions not could destroy not only him but the world as we know it. Reina Fleming,is beautiful,Death’s sexy assistant,a kick butt warrior,has a magic touch,trying to save her sister from a horrible death and just as Jarvis needs her,she needs Jarvis. Together they kick butt,find love,save the world and Jarvis learns that he can feel something other than an aversion to the opposite sex. While Jarvis’ brother is the Guardian of Love,he also wishes for Death,so Death offers him a bargain he can’t refuse,or so he thinks.Reina and Jarvis is on a time schedule before everything is destroyed including Jarvis. Who just might explode.While this is a paranormal story with dark tendencies it is also hilarious at times.Who knew Death,and demons could have a funny side. With an adventure full of comedy,love,some romance,a few kick butt females and dangerous,sexy males how could any reader go wrong with “Touch If You Dare”.A must read for any and all paranormal readers who enjoy a trip through comedy demon style.This book was received for the purpose of review from the publisher.Details can be found at Sourcebooks Casablanca,an imprint of Sourcebooks,Inc.
RATING: 4.5

Reina Fleming has spent her entire life watching the people she loves the most die from a curse placed upon them when she was a young girl. The only member of her family to escape the curse, Reina has made it her mission to find a way to break the curse before she loses her last sister.

And time is running out.

Jarvis Swain has been the Guardian of Hate for one hundred and fifty years. That is a really long time, considering most Guardians die after only fifty years on the job. But things are getting dicey, and Jarvis has begun leaking hate to those around him.

No problem.

He just needs to find his brother, the Guardian of Love. Once he finds his brother - the Love should balance out the Hate. Well, that’s the plan, anyway.

There is a problem though. Death has taken Love - and Jarvis has no way to find him..unless he can get Reina to help him. That works for Reina, because she needs a little help herself.

Now the two just need to work together to accomplish their separate goals. Right? Right.

Touch If You Dare is a fun, quick read. I like the humor and the players and I’m looking forward to the next installment - Hold Me IF You Can - coming in 2012.

Do you love the self loathing tortured alpha-male warrior that finds his salvation, as well as his soft ooey-gooey center, in a strong, loyal woman? Then what are you waiting for, go read this book! If you need more convincing then read on…

Rowe has a unique voice I found entertaining and refreshing. What I loved most, was her fast paced witty dialogue. It was a virtual snark fest . If I had been in the room with the characters, I would have whip lash trying to keep up with everyone . It was an amazingly fun read. All the characters are well developed and original. The main theme of the story is that fine line between love and hate we all walk.

There are more immortal tortured alpha-males than you can shake a stick at in this story, but it focuses on Jarvis Swain (swoon), one of many warriors, that spent over 100 years as a prisoner of sadistic women. It would be safe to say, he has issues. Jarvis doesn’t think he deserves happiness or love. He is the Guardian of Hate after all. He is the ultimate pessimist.

Reina works for Death (and what a wonderfully obnoxious character he is!) and has to kiss his butt so she can be promoted to a full Reaper. She is a kind and gentle person, who feels the need to help everyone find the happiness she can’t seem to find for herself. Jarvis and Reina end up having to use each other to achieve their own goals and you can guess how *that goes!

I can’t wait to read how all the other deliciously tortured males, including Death, find their HEAs.

Format: Paperback

Dimensions
Length: 6.875 in
Width: 4.1875 in
Weight: 7.20 oz
Page Count: 416 pages