Review: A Touch of Darkness

A Touch of Darkness by Yelena Casale

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a mix between a fallen angel love story and an epic good versus evil showdown. There’s a slightly heavier emphasis on the action, but still a pretty good amount of romance (and steamy scenes).

Cassie works at a diner, works pretty hard to avoid going clubbing with her BFF, Zoey, and happens to suffer from catastrophic headaches that end in purple light pushing out of her body. After a psychic calls her the devil, she figures she’s pretty much screwed. Gabe is a fallen angel assigned to protect Cassie at all costs. In order to get back into the “Light” he has to search for his own redemption. After a sort of shaky start, the two of them find a hesitant alliance while Cassie learns about her birth parents.

Since this was the first installment to a series, there was a lot of character introduction and world building that went on. The writing style was easy and addictive. I loved Rafe and his band of fallen brothers, Zoey and her awesome best friend attitude, and even the unexpected angels and demons. Overall, this universe was beautifully built and interesting enough to warrant many more books. Are there more keys? Is Cassie alone? What happens after a Cassie and Gabe are not under constant attack? Will we see more from Rafe and Zoey? I’m eager for book 2!




View all my reviews

Review: Mind Games

Mind Games by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a short story prequel to the Mindjack series. Theoretically you can read this before the first book, but I did in in a reverse order. It's a very very short story, so don't be surprised when it ends!

This little story gave us all a look into Raf's mind, his motivations, and his sappy puppy dog love for Kira. It was adorable and cute to watch him get flustered and beat himself up a bit. It brought me back to a time before Kira's life spiraled out of control.

For fans of the series, this was a nice little gem to add to your kindle.



View all my reviews

Review: The Park Family: Lauren: The Awakening

The Park Family: Lauren: The Awakening by Lisanne Valente

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this was probably a 2.5 star read. The concept and the story in general grabbed my attention enough to request the book. It's a unique world of "Mistdreamers" that drew me in, and one I'd like to see more of in the future.

Lauren is, to be blunt, an obnoxious girl. She's whiny, spoiled, self-centered, and easy to anger. Combine that with a very unpredictably developing talent and you've got a very complicated situation. Turns out that Lauren's family has been hiding from the angels to protect their family from their meddling. The angels (aka the mistdreamer protectors) are now in a scramble to find the hidden mistdreamers, train them, and figure out who is selling their secrets to the demons. There's even a bit of an awkward love story between Lauren and her instructor, Forcas, that gives us a relatively HEA in the end.

I don't like to really focus on the negatives, but I really struggled with this book. I picked it up and put it down a number of times because it was a little difficult to get into the story. There's a lot of POV changes, oodles of characters introduced, and a very complicated world built in a short amount of time. These could all just be related to the fact that this is the first book of a series. There's a lot of work to be done and not a lot of time to do it. That being said, this is still a very good story that could really pick up in future installments. I'm never one to write off a book based on the first book of a series, and this is no exception.



View all my reviews

Review: Copper King

Copper King by Vivian Arend

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't have a lot of experience in the author's other books, but this was a fun, quick read filled with an adorable love story and lots of steamy scenes.

Jim is a control freak, a bear shifter, and determined to win a longstanding bet with his best friend, Damon. Damon, however, is determined to let his friend have fun and escape from his all too serious world for a week. Soon after arriving in Vegas, Jim ends up drawn to a mysterious and twitchy shifter named Lillie. This mystery woman continues to surprise and astound him at every turn. Lillie is on her "last hurrah" trip to Vegas and determined to have a good time. Lucky for her, Jim seems like the ideal partner to spend her "last days" with.

It was a really fun time to read the cat and mouse (or bear and ... bear) game play out. There are some unexpected twists and turns and ultimately this short story left me wanting even more. We get a nice, satisfying HEA that left me smiling and happily checking out the other books by this author.



View all my reviews

Review: Trusting an Angel

Trusting an Angel by Missy Jane

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As the start of a new series, this book had a very unique spin on your usual angel story. These angels are fighters, lovers (yes, sex happens), and protectors of the human race.

Zerach is a nightclub owner, known womanizer, and an angel. He’s been happy with his place in this world until Isadora. Dora has been his assistant for years, but it took a pre-arranged marriage (via blackmail) to really bring out Zerach’s true feelings for her. She’s a true innocent (yeah, that kind) and they seem a most unlikely pair.

The romance between them was unconventional but really heartwarming. Oh, and there’s lots of sexy time. You can see the setup of future installments and further plotline development that makes me curious about which direction Zerach’s “brothers” will go. This was a quick read and a bit of a departure from your typical vampire/shifter paranormal romance genres.




View all my reviews

Review: Stop Dragon My Heart Around

Stop Dragon My Heart Around by Susannah Scott

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve not read the first book in this series, but if it is as fun as this one, I might have to go back and check it out. This book had dragons, Vegas, Native American ceremonies, lots of action, and ultimately a good love story.

Tee and Leo have been working together and lusting after one another for far too long. Unfortunately for Tee, Leo’s hiding a dragon sized secret (ha-ha, get it?). After kissing his mate, a mark should appear, but, to Leo’s dismay, there’s still no mark on Tee’s hand. No matter how steamy a kiss they shared, Leo feels trapped by his Dragon mate destiny.

Obviously there’s more to the story than this, but it tends to get a little bit spoilery after the general description. There was a lot of heat, some silly fun, and lots of romance in the story. Who doesn’t like the crazy Vegas antics mingled with a race of dragon shifters hiding in plain sight? Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable paranormal romance that I’d suggest checking out with or without having read the first book of the series.




View all my reviews

Review: Don't Blackmail the Vampire

Don't Blackmail the Vampire by Tiffany Allee

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This second installment was just as much fun to read as the first. While I think you should read these books in order, you can probably pick this one up as a standalone, too. There’s a lot of humor and heart snuck into this “Sons of Kane” series – enough to keep even the most experienced paranormal romance reader entertained.

Rachel is determined to get her sister to break up with her jerk of a boyfriend (readers may remember him as Alice’s ex from the first book – still just ask jerky). On a ski trip turned double date, she ends up learning more about Charles than she ever imagined. She seems to handle the whole vampire thing rather well, and even turns it into blackmail. While working together, the two of them get much more than they originally bargained for.

Rachel is a seriously hurt and broken woman, and she fully embraces it. Charles is broken in his own way, but is determined to keep Rachel by his side. The struggle and the compromises were great to see and it was wonderful watching their relationship evolve. We get some good HEA with some bonus big picture plot thrown in for good measure.




View all my reviews

Review: Seeress

Seeress by Ednah Walters

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was filled with oodles of YA goodness. There was teen angst, controlling boyfriends (and alpha males), smoldering looks, and action action action! I recommend reading these books in order so you get the full impact of the Raine/Torin (and Cora/Echo) story.

Raine and Torin are the sizzling couple we’ve come to expect from previous books. There’s no smutty goodness, but it’s as good as somewhat caste YA gets. Between that, there’s also some pretty unique and engaging story. The pages flew by, filled with Norse mythology and witches brewing up trouble. Raine is still working on becoming the seeress that everyone expects her to be, but when she starts predicting trouble on the horizon, everything changes. Torin ramps it up into crazy overprotective mode while at the same time keeping lots of his past from Raine. We do eventually get lots of information about Torin’s history, but it take a lot of pushing, stress, and outside factors to make that happen.

Cora and Echo remain my new favorite couple. I’m sorry Raine and Torin – I just because completely addicted to them in their book. Luckily, they play key roles in this one and continue to be their awesome selves. I look forward to a lot more from them in the future. There’s also the usual cast of characters, complete with drama and unrepentant attitudes. This gang of misfits has completely grown on me now, too. We even got some new faces thrown into the mix.

Overall, this installment pulled at the heartstrings a bit (Raine’s father plays a big role) but still managed to be the action packed YA read I wanted. There’s no major cliffhanger, but there’s still lots of unanswered questions that will keep me coming back to this series no matter what. I really hope, though, for my own peace of mind, that Raine and Torin find a better balance between their personalities. It was nerve wracking watching them battle over even the littlest of things. Making up was fun, though.




View all my reviews

Review: Caged Wolf

Caged Wolf by S.M. Reine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of this author, I was very excited to see this new paranormal series would have a more erotic tilt. This book combined all the gritty and addictive writing style I’ve grown to love in the previous books, but threw in the added bonus of some steamy, sizzling scenes. Fans of this world will be pleasantly surprised to find an erotic tale with some really substantial story.

Ofelia is a woman on the run from her past. She’s hiding in the magically protected town of Lobo Norte along with a misfit gang of bikers and paranormals. While she’s usually able to stay away from the roaming bikers, a man rolls into town with a pack that she just can’t keep her eyes off of. The chemistry sizzles from the start and we find that there’s even more to this group of bikers than Ofelia originally suspected. In an effort to escape her past, and heed the prophetic warnings being sent to her, she and this biker hottie must find some common ground for more than just a tumble.

There was a lot of intriguing setup (and some tie-ins to the other books) in this story. I’m eager to see where this tale will go and how many tarot cards we will actually see crop up. Will the storylines intersect? Will the rest of the “Fang Brothers” get some time in the spotlight? Where will Ofelia end up? While we get a good ending, there are still a million questions pinging around in my brain. I can’t wait for the next one!




View all my reviews

Review: Forged

Forged by Jacquelyn Frank

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is, by far, my favorite of the World of the Nightwalkers series! It even had cameos from my favorites of the original Nightwalkers books, for those of you who have read all the previous ones.

Ahnvil has been a main character for a few books now and I was pleasantly surprised that he finally got his own book. This book primarily stayed with Ahnvil and Kat, his feisty rescuer. After his hasty escape from the bad guys, he finds himself pretty badly wounded and passed out on Kat's secluded property. Trapped in a snowstorm with a hot Scottish gargoyle? Sounds like a recipe for a really great paranormal romance to me! Luckily we get that and more in this book. There's a big bad tough chick lurking inside the recluse that Kat has become. She's tough enough to stand up and melt the overbearing monster that comes out of Ahnvil.

Oh, and the chemistry! The heat and sizzle is off the charts in this book. We get a good amount of bedroom time and even more romance (and HEA!) to balance it all out. One of my least favorite things, bad guy POV, was severely minimized, making the POV hopping a lot less frequent and a lot easier for me to read. All in all, I think this is the book that has gotten me firmly back on Team Nightwalkers. I can't wait to see where all these amazing tie-ins and plot twists take us!



View all my reviews

Review: Silver Skin

Silver Skin by D.L. McDermott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow -- this was filled with the perfect combination of romance, action, sex, and paranormal plot to be a 5 star book for me. From start to finish, I couldn't put this book down!

Helene is the star of this one. Her friend Beth just left the country with her Fae hubby, but promised that the morally questionable Fae sorcerer, Miach, would be forced to leave her alone now. Unfortunately, Helene is trapped in a bit of a nightmare situation. She's losing time and is somehow unable to tell anyone about it. Out of options and probably more than a little drawn to him, she heads to Miach's house for help. Much chemistry, denial, dating, tough choices and sexy times ensue. There's also a new and horrible big bad that somehow they have to stop to protect the world.

It might just be because we already sort of know all these characters, but this book was really able to make me fall in love with this world. The writing style is rich and detailed without slowing the story's pace. There's some truly believable (if not realistic, because, c'mon, Fae) love story in this book. It's not all chemistry and attraction, there's a good deal of understanding and the joining of two people in more than just the physical sense. I might be getting a little poetic here, but this book just did it for me. Whatever it was, keep these books coming! I can't wait for more!



View all my reviews

Review: Marked by Hades

Marked by Hades by Reese Monroe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After Theo’s story blew me away, I had very high expectations for Justin’s story. I highly recommend reading these books in order so you can fully appreciate the hard time Justin gets in this installment. It’s not an easy love story, or a perfect one, but it’s a good journey for Justin and his lady.

Justin’s been tasked with being a Gatekeeper’s Companion. After almost dying countless times, he’s learned to “blow off some steam” by hooking up with oodles of women. A constant womanizer, of course he’s eventually going to be sent a mate to mess with his lifestyle. Yvonne is a woman who was forced to become a demon 200 years ago. As a demon, her name was Dyre and we saw quite a bit of her in Theo’s story. Now she’s being “punished” by existing as a human with the power to incinerate any living thing she touches – except her mate. Based on the fact that Justin was a pretty big womanizer before his mate came along, I expected a completely different story: one with lots of sex, some reluctant commitment, a bit of misunderstanding, and then a very clear cut happy ending. What we get is so much more than that.

Justin has to work, sacrifice, change, and ultimately be the patient and understanding man his mate needs. There are some dark elements to this romance that include abduction, rape, death, and other not so happy story elements. It made for a very hard read through the middle, but ultimately made for a rewarding ending. The overall story also got a big push in this book. You can see the direction that the series is headed and it’s only going to get better. If you’re looking for a good, rocky and imperfect paranormal love story – check this book out and you won’t be disappointed.




View all my reviews

Review: Mine to Claim

Mine to Claim by A.C. Arthur

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Somewhere between a 3 and 4 star read, this book was quick but filled with lots of good, solid story and character development. There was way more romance and story than smut, just in case that’s what you were looking for. Either way, if you’re a paranormal fan, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this solid start to a new series.

Grace is on the run from her controlling friends and family under the guise of attending college really really far away. She’s on the way to developing a stronger, happier Grace when she bumps into Aiden. He’s the typical bad boy with secrets and one of those happens to be paranormal in nature. Lucky for Grace, though, because he seems to always be there to rescue her from would be attackers and whatnot. The chemistry between the two of them is certainly more of a romance than a blinding all reason mate-type attraction. I certainly appreciated the brakes being thrown on your typical shifter-human romance.

This book was short, but really got me involved in this world. I’m eager to see where the series heads when given more time to develop. This author has officially been added to my “watch” list.




View all my reviews

Review: Twisted Miracles

Twisted Miracles by A.J. Larrieu

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a paranormal homecoming book mixed with a bunch of mystery and romance. There’s an intricate world that’s build in this first installment that promises much more to come as the series progresses.

Cass is on the run from her past. She’s finally established herself and managed to mute her mindreading/telekinetic gifts enough to act “normal” until her ex, Shane, reappears one night with some awful news. Mina, Shane’s sister and Cass’s friend (who she also ran away from) is missing and in an act of desperation, Shane asks for Cass’s help. To try to find Mina (and ultimately solve a bigger mystery) Cass must confront her demons and open herself up to both her past and her untapped potential.

The love story is a bit broken and sad between Cass and Shane. There’s a little love triangle action, some misunderstandings, lots of paranormal action, and a solid foundation to grown on. To me, this story was less about romance and more about this unique “Shadowmind” community that Cass is exposed to. A lot of moving pieces aligned to push Cass towards her destiny in this book, but where will we go from here? I would like to see more of the other characters, too. Jackson and his crew got a brief intro before disappearing to hopefully be heard from in book 2. This was a solid beginning to what could be a really interesting new paranormal series.




View all my reviews

Review: Aflame

Aflame by Krissy Daniels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of your "broken romance" genre, full of gritty and real people that have to fight to find their HEA (if they ever do). This book was a wonderfully gritty and dark paranormal romance filled with some amazingly tough characters and their beautifully imperfect love.

Grayce is the victim of years of abuse at the hands of a monster. After escaping, she was forced to be on the move at a moment's notice. Determined not to let anyone inside, she is fighting with all she's got against an attraction that's just sprung up out of nowhere. Zander is a powerful and genuinely supernaturally beautiful man on the prowl for his one true mate. Once he realizes it's Grayce, he's determined to give her time to acclimate to his wondrous world. Turns out that fate has other ideas when the monster from Grayce's past resurfaces.

There was a really great combination of alpha male protector and spunky tough chick in these pages. There's a lot of growth and the introduction of lots of characters I'd like to get to know better (in future books, please?). The romance was gritty, real, and at times went to dark places. If swearing is not your thing, that will bother you. For me, I like the grit and reality that some believable dialogue (or internal dialogue) gives me. I've never read this author before, but I'll be looking out for future releases -- this book was *that* good!



View all my reviews

Review: Eden's Fire

Eden's Fire by Samantha Holt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very quick, short look at an alternative realm paranormal romance. It had a very medieval period feel to it, but was set firmly in another "realm."

Eden is a loner, previously widowed woman who has been dubbed a witch by the townspeople. The ruler of the land has sent the world into an evil spiral, leaving many to die, unsavable by the gods. These gods are not like any I've encountered in other books. They have rules about only randomly visiting a person once or they will be punished in some unnamed way. Ty answers Eden's plea for fire one night (he's a fire god) and finds himself smitten. Since she ends up being even more important than just Ty's love interest, thing really work out in their favor (until they don't).

All in all, it was a quick and entertaining read with little bits of the beginning of a good universe.



View all my reviews

Review: Five Out of the Pit

Five Out of the Pit by Holli Anderson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! With such a solid first installment, I had high hopes for this second book in the series and it really exceeded my expectations.

We're still with the Five, training and making their way to where they're needed. The training has really ramped up and each member is coming into their powers. Sadly, Paige is still in the same state we saw at the end of the last book. She and John are also filled with oodles of YA angsty goodness. There's your typical "incubus forced me to kiss him" and "I just want to get my sight back" arguments that your normal teenagers have (right?).

This book was an awesome combination of action, story, heart, drama, and romance jammed into a sort of sci-fi book. I'm loving each and every character in these books more and more with each passing page. While we don't get a nice, neat ending, we certainly get a great one. I can't wait to sink my teeth into the next book!



View all my reviews

Review: The Wolf Siren

The Wolf Siren by Karen Whiddon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow – something about the combination of a broken but tough woman and her patient but very alpha protector really had me falling in love with this book. I’ve not read any of the other stories in “The Pack” but I had absolutely zero trouble catching up with the plot. I highly recommend this as a great standalone read with action, romance, and some paranormal goodies thrown in along the way.

Lilly is a very damaged wolf shifter. After a bunch of years of torture from a crazy cult, she was finally rescued with the help of Kane, a Pack Protector. Kane knew the moment he laid eyes on Lilly that she was his mate. Drawn to her and willing to do just about anything to keep her safe, he jumps at the chance to take her away from trouble and into seclusion with his boisterous family. Lilly, while scarred and scared, turns out to be a tough chick. Kane is also not your typical alpha male protector. Instead, he’s lovable, understanding and kind, making sure not to rush Lilly, almost to his detriment.

The love story wasn’t rushed, even though it was about mates and destiny. They genuinely grew to know one another before diving into a relationship. I would love to see more of their story and wish we had some epilogue thrown in to make the HEA even better. Great read!




View all my reviews

Review: Beloved Enemy: a young adult paranormal romance

Beloved Enemy: a young adult paranormal romance by Lacy Yager

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Unholy Alliance series continues with the story of Chad and Genevieve. Chad is one of Alex’s vampires from the Alex/Rachel storyline while Genevieve is the kidnapped MIT prodigy that Maggie and crew were helping to have study the Cats. Unlikely pair? Just like all the others, this one smashed these two characters together until I was rooting for their reluctant romance.

Chad is an almost 100 year old vampire with a chip on his should (or in his knee) who, during one of Genevieve’s failed escape attempts, gets saddled with “babysitting” duty. Genevieve is finally exposed to what she was originally kidnapped to study. The scientist and fighter somehow find some common ground that blossoms into yummy YA romance.

These books are quick and fun reads that are all ultimately pushing the bigger plotline. If you’re looking for a YA paranormal romance that will make you smile, laugh, and sit on the edge of your seat through the action of it all, this series is for you.




View all my reviews

Review: Circle of Desire

Circle of Desire by Keri Arthur

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This might be my new favorite of the circle spinoff! Something about the combination of sizzling chemistry, werewolves, and the reluctant pair in this one really grabbed me. It was a quick but totally enjoyable read all the way through!

Kat is a shifter working for the Circle with her grandmother, a seer. Together they are a type of crime fighting duo I haven’t ever encountered before. Ethan’s niece is the latest in a string of kidnappings by the paranormal big bad in this book. He’s your typical werewolf who hates what he is, fighting it every step of the way. Throw in the fact that he’s a cop with a bit of a rogue streak and you’ve got the combination to throw Kat and Ethan at each other full force. Their natural chemistry, plus the moon heat, plus the high anxiety case they are both working equals total hotness.

We get a neat and tidy ending to this book (and the series as a whole) which really just made me wish for more books of this type. I feel like it took this long for them to really hit their stride and now it’s sadly over. I guess we can hope for more from this author in a similar world sometime in the future.




View all my reviews

Review: Death's Daughter

Death's Daughter by Kathleen Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book blends a crime procedural with a paranormal romance with lots of witchy flair. Yes, there is some child crime, so if that isn't your thing, this might not be the book for you. Even me, a long time crime procedural avoider, however, found this to be a good change of pace to my straightforward paranormal romance reading.

Juliana is still the strong female lead we all remember from the first book. She and her mate are still at odds (and wonderfully attracted), work situations are still tense, and she's still fighting against being the wickedly gifted witch she can grow to be. There are a lot of things that happen in this book, but without spoilers, it's a bit hard to cover here. You get some resolution between Juliana and Thomas. You get a lot more turmoil for her to make up for the resolution. And we lose a character (or two) along the way.

This series seems to be gaining momentum as it goes along and I can definitely see myself getting sucked in for the duration.



View all my reviews

Review: Love and Other Cosmic Nonsense

Love and Other Cosmic Nonsense by A.D. Marrow

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super quick and fun read filled with magic and chemistry.

Evan and Maggie broke up over a year ago but they both are still wildly in love with one another. Maggie, however, is holding firm to the secret behind their breakup. Aside from being a witch (which Evan knew and was magically, haha, OK with), Maggie got a premonition that led her to believe breaking up was the only thing that would give Evan a prosperous life.

I love books that just dive right into it, and this story really had some great flow. We dive into the relationship drama filled with cosmic twists and turns. The characters are all really fun and fleshed out leaving me wanting more (which is what a short read like this should do, right?). I'm definitely going to keep my eyes on what this author will come out with next.



View all my reviews

Review: Unquenchable

Unquenchable by Tawdra Kandle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have a bit of a book hangover after this one. I’m happy that we get a beautifully unexpected HEA but I am so sad that there is no more book left to read!

This book picks up right where the first one left off… then it throws us into rewind-mode. I didn’t even read the description for this book before diving in, so I was a little surprised to find myself in Nell’s head. I mean – it’s Nell! She’s the bad/misunderstood guy. I didn’t think I wanted to be there. Oh, but I did. You learn pretty early on that the Nell we’ve seen from the outside is completely not the Nell in her own head. She’s hurt and a little scared (though she won’t admit that) and she’s now been caught up in the world of the Carruthers Institute (and the group of folks we’ve met along the way). There are some familiar faces and some tied in short stories, but ultimately this book is about Nell and Rafe.

At first thought, I was completely not on board with the Nell/Rafe story. Poor Rafe has had just about everything I can think of thrown at him. He must be just filled to the brim with heartache that I couldn’t even wrap my head around the idea of Rafe doing anything other than healing in this book. Somehow, the wonderful Tawdra Kandle made me believe. A lot of time passes in this book. Because of this, you can completely get sucked into the reluctant and unlikely romance of two very broken people. I LOVED it! Are you worried about this love story? Well, don’t even spend a second worrying about it. You will be rooting for these two every step of the way. From the spunky attitude to the amazing chemistry, I couldn’t get enough of these two.

The world from these books ties in quite a bit, but I’m sure you’d be able to grab on to the Serendipity Duet books as standalone. Hopefully they get you as hooked on the series as I am and you’ll go back to check out the entire original King series books (and short stories). They are worth a read if you are even remotely interested in paranormal romance.




View all my reviews

Review: Turned

Turned by Virna DePaul

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

FBI secrets about vampires and hot gang babes combine in this sizzling hot paranormal romance. There was love, action, and vampire sexy times a’ plenty.

Ana is a woman trying to atone for her past. She was involved in a gang as a way to escape her abusive home life. In an effort to protect her sister, she also got her into the gang. Once she realized her mistake, she realized that she’d have to change her life to get her and her sister out. After some prison time, Ana has emerged and is living a relatively normal life (or so she thinks) until Ty shows up. Ty is an FBI agent who was forcibly turned into a vampire. He’s riddled with guilt about having lost his sister in the process and is essentially your typical brooding vampire. There’s a lot of sexual energy tied to this vampire mythos and it shows in all of the Ty/Ana scenes.

The twist in this tale is that the FBI has known about vampires all along and was even having people turned to make “super soldiers.” Now that Ty’s group of fellow “do gooders” knows about this, they are on a mission to put an end to the Rogue vampires (the one who have been turning humans). The team has now grown to include Ana herself, for lots of twisty turny reasons. This book was hot and had a pretty interesting plot line. You can see how this could turn into a long running series in the future.




View all my reviews

Review: Heartbitten: A New Adult Vampire Romance Novel

Heartbitten: A New Adult Vampire Romance Novel by Aubrey Rose

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a cute love story between a scientist and a vampire. As a scientist, I wholeheartedly endorse scientist paranormal romance twists!

Liz is a scientist/grad student running a blood lab. Her boss just happens to be Robb, a vampire trying to figure out the key to the healing power of his blood. Obviously, this vampire has some emotional baggage (what vampire doesn't?), but they would both be crazy to fight the insane amount of attraction between them.

Yes, there's misunderstandings and your typical martyr syndrome, but the love story was still pretty adorable. There's some solid story and characters in this book that beg for more -- is there more? I'm a sucker for a good HEA and this book delivers.



View all my reviews

Review: Bite Me

Bite Me by Shelly Laurenston

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having not read any of the other Pride books, I didn't have the back story on all the side characters mentioned in this one. While I'm sure knowing about the was a great tidbit, I don't think these books really need to be read in sequence.

This book was an awkward love story between Livy and Vic. Livy is an aggressive and slightly homicidal honey badger shifter who is out for revenge. Vic is the socially awkward hybrid shifter who suddenly finds himself sucked into Livy's complicated world. The two of them most definitely should not mix well, but somehow the super awkwardness of the two of them together totally works. I think I'd enjoy any character hooked up with the wonderfully witty (and, yes, super awkward) Vic. Both of their extended families are hilarious and filled with heart.

It was certainly the most unlikely combination of random characters and events, but it was an enjoyable read. Some smut, some action, and some love story goodness -- exactly what I expect from a shifter romance.



View all my reviews