Review: Dirty Blood

Dirty Blood by Heather Hildenbrand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow – what a wonderful read! This new spin on some old paranormal stories had me hooked from the start. It was filled with action, sigh-worthy romance, and oodles of family drama. Don’t let the gritty description of the book scare you off – this is a YA romance disguised as an urban fantasy.

Tara isn’t having the best night when we meet her. She’s just broken up with her best friend turned boyfriend and none of her friends are around to give her a ride home on this freezing cold night. Being the independent strong girl that she is, she heads right out into the cold and ends up getting attacked by some crazy girl-turned-wolf. Her muscles seemed to know how to protect her, killing the wolf-girl, but Tara is left a bit of a shocky mess. This is just the beginning of her journey down the rabbit hole that includes a hottie with serious animal magnetism.

Wes (the hottie) and Tara manage to keep this crazy night hidden from her mother while at the same time introducing Tara to a group called “the cause.” This world has Hunters (people genetically predisposed to hunting werewolves) and Werewolves (I think we’re all familiar with werewolves). The cause is working to find peace between the two groups, but is finding opposition in werewolves or hunters who don’t want to stop killing each other.

Take these issue, throw in a lot of familial surprises, some boyfriend/girlfriend drama and you’ve got an awesome mix of YA angst and romance. I loved the entire thing and was even rewarded with a sort of happy ending. Sure, not everything is tied up neatly, but that’s what sequels are for, right? I can’t wait to dive into the next book and get even more of Wes/Tara and their wild and crazy world.


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Review: The Dark of Twilight

The Dark of Twilight by Kate Danley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked up this book for free because I am absolutely in love with the author’s other series. Something about this one just didn’t do it for me. Maybe it was the period (it’s filled with castles and old-timey-ness) or maybe it was the characters – I’m not sure what turned me off about it. Either way, I think this is my last of the series.

The story follows Aein, a female warrior who has worked her way up from the orphan kitchen girl to a protector of her Lord Arnkell. While on her first assignment to the creepy swampland they encounter a horrible beast that forces Aein and her partner, Lars, to split up to go for help and protect the land. When Aein returns, it seems that the monsters have followed her back. With werewolves taking over the castle, she’s forced to trust herself and her newfound companion to do what is right.


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Review: The Bite of Winter

The Bite of Winter by Lauren Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Zoey is homeless and desperate for food when she is attacked by a knife-wielding crazy person. Bleeding out surrounded by her most precious possessions (her art), she is approached by an unlikely rescuer in the form of a vampire. Ian, an Irish vampire who has sworn off mortals, is immediately drawn to Zoey. While his last mortal, whom he shared with his best friend Connor, ended tragically, he’s determined to take a chance on Zoey and bring her home.

Where Ian is the romantic one, Connor is all sizzle and domination. While Zoey is still hesitant, she finds herself drawn to both of them in turn. Throw in some Christmas spirit, fated mates, some heartbreaking past experiences, and lots of attraction, and you get an easy paranormal read.


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Review: When Juro Met Lucia

When Juro Met Lucia by D.B. Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this scorching hot short story via the author's website. I think it has since been taken down, so I'm glad I grabbed it when I could.

This short story fills the gap between the meeting of Juro and Lucia and where they eventually end up. If you're unfamiliar with the series, you should obviously not dive right in here. This is more a little treat to the readers of the series who have wondered what goes on behind closed doors with Juro and Lucia. Juro is just as much of a softie as we all thought, while still coming out with some super hot moves. These two are absolutely perfect togehter and I couldn't have asked for more (except, you know, an entire book!).

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Review: Bitterroot Part 3

Bitterroot: Part 3 by Heather Hildenbrand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This final installment somehow managed to tie up all the loose ends and leave me with a happy smile on my face. With all the issues still floating around at the end of the previous book, it was nothing short of miraculous.

Regan’s world is changing. Her best friend might have more than friendly feelings towards her. Her pack mates might not all be telling her the absolute truth. She might have to marry a vampire just so she can become alpha. Going through all of this and being tasked with fighting your newly returned sister is not an ideal time in the life of any young girl, let alone one who is near the breaking point.

Charlie is finally starting to stand on her own and get some much needed confidence. All of this quickly heads out the window when – surprise – the test for alpha has begun. All she wants is to live her HEA with her vampire prince – is that so much to ask? Unfortunately, werewolf politics and drama are putting a halt to any such happiness. We all knew the battle for alpha would have to start sometime, but it seems so quick!

Worried about a cliffhanger or depressing ending? Don’t be – you get everything neatly tied up and these girls had me rooting for not one but both of them at the end. Who knew I could learn to sort-of like Regan? This was a great conclusion to what has been an interesting ride.


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Review: Time Mends

Time Mends by Tammy Blackwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Is it possible to love and hate a series at the same time? If so, that’s the case for this one. While this book grabbed me just as much as the first one, it had a decidedly depressing undertone. I finished the book pretty miserable and a little angry at the cliffhanger. Would I recommend this series? Probably, but I’ll have to hold my judgment until the end of book 3.

This book picks up after the horribly shocking events of the last one. We are left either believing Scout that Alex is still alive somewhere, or believing that she’s going crazy and imagining Alex still being present (at least in her dreams). This situation reminded me *a lot* of the Twilight series and put a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth. That’s probably where the similarities end, so it was a somewhat forgivable offense. So, we join Scout as she is still struggling to repair her body from the attack she suffered. Everyone is pissed/depressed/generally angry at one another which leads to a super awkward set of friends. That’s fine until the “incident” that I’ll try not to spoil. Sudden changes force them all to learn a new way of working with one another. Oh, and the Russian evil dude shows up again.

There was a lot of buildup in this book that I can only hope will be paid off in the last installment. I really hope the series manages to redeem itself for so thoroughly depressing me in this book. Maybe people are into that? I’m not one of those people though. I still enjoyed spending time with this mix of characters and was eager to see if Alex was real, but it made for a very draining read.


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Review: Always For You

Always For You by Tawdra Kandle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Ever wondered what happens when you meet up with your college crush after you’ve both entered the “real world”? This story is a fantasy brought to life that still manages to convince you it could happen.

Maureen has loved Smith ever since they met in college. She’s always been the shy one and has suffered in the role of his friend while he goes out to party and be cool. Smith has been in love with Maureen since around the same time, but every time he tries to invite her out, she puts him squarely in the friend role, inviting others to attend as well. They’ve both suffered through a series of missed connections that leaves them both believing the other one isn’t interested. Years pass but they happen to go into the same profession. Maureen, after purchasing the local veterinary clinic in town, ends up asking him if he’d like to become a partner in this venture, which is where this story begins.

This romance was certainly not an easy one, but it was well worth the struggle to get to the explosive results. Maureen and Smith have been waiting so long – how could it have gone any other way? It was also nice to “check in” with all the characters we’ve met in the previous sets of books. Reading this book felt like a wonderful vacation catching up with friends you haven’t seen in a while.


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Review: Christian

Christian by D.B. Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Wow – what a fantastic installment in the series! This far into the books I was shocked that there was still a new story to be told – and what a great story it was!

Christian is the rebel fledgling of the “big bad” from the previous book. While those involved in Raphael’s kidnapping were destroyed, there’s still the lurking zombie-vampire maker hiding somewhere in Mexico. Christian is trying to separate himself with the stigma of his maker’s wrong doings so that he can attempt to obtain the southern territory of the US for himself. It should be easy for him, having such strong and unusual powers, but there are a few surprises lurking in Texas.

Natalie is a forensic accountant tasked (or blackmailed, really) into helping Anthony (the current lord of the south) track down all the hidden money from the last lord’s reign. Her work is her life, until she meets the captivating Christian and is immediately swept up in his life. This simple decision leads them both into a world of surprise vampire attacks, backstabbing, and bloody battles. So what made this story so entertaining? I really loved Christian and Natalie. For once, the vampire did not get paired with a woman who has military grade skills and she – gasp – stays home! It was a nice turn of events and made Natalie a little bit more relatable in that fashion. More of a geek and jock pairing that still sizzled. At the end of this book we take one more step towards Raphael’s North American domination but yet are left with a cliffhanger from one of our earlier pairs.


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Review: Recaptured by the Pack: A Bayou Wolves Prequel

Recaptured by the Pack: A Bayou Wolves Prequel by Anne Marsh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

This book is dirty and wicked but still has a romance at the heart of it. Who can say that you're only meant to love one person?

Gianna is a very "by the book" woman who lives by the schedule, is always professional, and also happened to have a hot fling and maybe get married in Vegas 10 years ago. Once she figures out if she's married or not, she's determined to dive back into dating, starting with a sexy cop she met chasing down some evil bikers. Luc is an alpha wolf that knows Gianna is his mate. Rather than thrust this on her, he's let her have a life but the time has come to collect his mate.

These two seem to be able to jump right back into the bedroom (or living room, as the case may be), but that doesn't necessarily mean they can have an actual relationship (especially with the cop still eager for her affections). All of this comes to a head when the three of them meet up at the wedding of Luc's brother and the cop's sister. These three find some kinky ways to work together.

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Review: You're Kitten Me

You're Kitten Me by Celia Kyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This series is getting better and better with each installment! This one certainly delivers exactly what we all wanted - to see Veronica faced with her own mate.

Veronica, who we met as the outrageously vulgar and hilarious bestie to the alpha's mate. Their friendship was so wonderfully "real" in that way that two women who are close can be. Watching her mock the mating of the tiger alpha meant only one thing - karma was going to come back and bite her... literally. Turns out, while her best friend was working out the logistics of her relationship, Veronica was spending her evening snuggling with a certain second in command. When she was called home to her alpha wolf dad, she eagerly ran away from something she didn't want to worry about.

Now that the bad guys have gotten brazen enough to try to break into her house, she finds herself flung onto a plane heading back towards her confusing mate situation. Can a wolf and a tiger even mate? Well, if there's a way, the chemistry between these two won't let them *not* do it. This couple may have a lot of obstacles, but that's what makes the HEA even more enjoyable.

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Review: The Alpha's Temporary Mate

The Alpha's Temporary Mate by Victoria Davies
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

I love this series and all its wonderfully quirky characters. Fated mates seems like such an overdone story, but these books manage to give you a bunch of surprises along with some positively steamy chemistry.

Chloe has been doing her job making matches at Fated Match for a long time. She’s the optimist who believes in happy endings, but she has been focusing on everyone but herself. Sure, she’s good at her job, but she’s working to become the boss and she can’t do that without a big change. That big change comes in the form of a yummy alpha.

Kieran is determined to pay for a woman to pretend to be his mate and what better place to do that than a dating agency, right? Well, the agency in question had some qualms about doing that and jeopardizing their reputation until they started seeing the amount of zeroes at the end of his check. After breaking their resolve, though, he still can’t seem to identify the right woman for his ruse, other than Chloe. After some convincing, she signs on, determined to keep her heart out of the arrangement.

These two fought so hard not to end up together that I was rooting for them every step of the way. Keiran is a little broken from his past, Chloe is a little guarded because of her past, and together they are magical. The pack didn’t know that they needed a witch until they met her! What a fun read!


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Review: Serve Me

Serve Me by Celia Kyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I jumped into this series without reading the first few books. While that made it more difficult to understand who Eric was and why there was a bigger plot going on, I still enjoyed the dirty fun.

Margie is a dominatrix who feels that she might finally be ready to settle down. Sure, she can do that – if she just has one last weekend-long fling. Unable to ask her current submissive (since he has settled down already), she booked an escort service. Her best friend is not about to let that happen, though. Worried for her safety, she convinces her husband’s man-whore friend to take the escort’s place. She might not have conveyed the correct information, though, and while he thought he would be the dominant, that was quickly corrected.

These two are an unlikely pair that somehow manages to find romance in a series of misunderstandings and new experiences. I’d be interested to see if all the stories follow this same path and what other kinds of trouble are out there for these couples. While there was some BDSM, it wasn’t as much as you’d think in a book that had “kink” in the title. I’d recommend this for some fun dirty paranormal reading.


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Review: Alphas Uncaged

Alphas Uncaged by Meredith Clarke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

This collection of short reads had a lot of variety: bears, wolves, foxes. All of these paranormals ended up in situations that called for a fated mate, a companion, or a rescue of sorts. Some had a firm ending while a good number of them left you hanging (which makes sense in a “teaser” set like this). I won’t summarize all 11 stories, but I will say that there were some standouts like “The Write Bear”, “Bearly Breathing”, “Slice of Honeybear Pie” and “Promised.” These stories all had a varied degree of sexiness and story but ultimately left me smiling. It was a good intro to some authors that I haven’t heard of before but will be looking out for in the future.


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Review: Reap the Wind

Reap the Wind by Karen Chance
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Where do I even begin with this book? I feel like the action was relentless in this latest installment, keeping me on the edge of my seat until the very last page! Poor Cassie can’t catch a break. These books are definitely building towards something, and I hope that something is Cassie saving the world and then having a nice long vacation with a very angsty war mage.

This book picks up with Cassie and Rosier on the hunt for Pritkin’s soul. It’s on a death march back to the beginning of his life, which means lots of time travel with an ornery demon. While this is (obviously) going terribly wrong, Cassie also has to juggle about a million other things. These things include: Her newly rescued court of young girls who are her new roomies, a very overbearing yet distant Mircea, the Circle and their incessant demands on her, and being near exhaustion every step of the way. I seriously get tired just reading about all the stressful and draining situations Cassie manages to survive.

So, as most of the fans, I am actively rooting for more Pritkin in this book. Sure, we knew it wouldn’t be easy for Cassie to get him back and evade this curse, but I was stupidly optimistic. Don’t worry, we don’t have a book with zero Pritkin; instead, we get a book filled with an awesomely young Pritkin who gets to experience meeting Cassie in the past (which has got to mess up the future, right?). I’m not sure if these two coming together would make me like this series less, but the author certainly knows how to drag me along. While we made progress in this one (I think? I’m still not really sure…), Cassie is in for even more trouble in the next book. I guess the ending doesn’t count as a true cliffhanger, but it hurt just as bad as one. I wish I had the next book ready to read before breezing through this one.


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Review: Winter Court: A Paranormal Romance

Winter Court: A Paranormal Romance by SM Reine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

The tarot witches saga is starting to grow into some sort of epic fantasy that I was completely not expecting. What started out as a paranormal romance series with some hints at the larger story has managed to weave into one bigger tale that you should definitely not dive into without having read the first few books.

Jaycee is the best executive assistant a man could want. She’s tough, demanding, and does not compromise. Unfortunately for Pierce Hardwick, she applies the same rigor to her personal life. She’s not willing to take a plunge into a relationship with her one-night-stand boss, even if it could be her chance at happily ever after. Her career and his are too important to her to allow her to bend her rules. All of this changes when Rage (of previous book fame) has an early morning meeting with Pierce without Jaycee’s knowledge. Oh, and she also gets a tarot card in the mail. Being a witch, these magical occurrences are not necessarily bad, but she chooses to ignore the omen entirely.

Turns out, Pierce has been trying to cure the lycanthropy that threatens to kill Graham (who we’ve also met before). This takes them via helicopter to the gothy mansion that simply does not meet with Jaycee’s tastes. Unfortunately, what seems like a type of clinical trial they had done many times before turns into something significantly more personal for these two. There’s a lot of tarot witch magic (and sexy times) packed into this book that sets up a very interesting future for all of the characters involved here.


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Review: Destiny Binds

Destiny Binds by Tammy Blackwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was the best type of YA – filled with paranormal teenage romance. Who can resist the pull of awkward teenagers falling in love while dealing with paranormal drama?

Scout is a studious teenager who has been harboring a secret crush on her stepbrother’s best friend for ages. Her life seemed to be right on track to normal-town until a new boy started at her school. Scout’s brother warned her away from him (without really saying why) but she can’t seem to resist. These two are the perfect teenage pair, except for the paranormal world that wants to ruin their lives. There’s oodles of secrets, betrayal, and gushy lovey-dovey stuff, but what really drew me in was the adorable fated pair these two make.

This book read (for me) a little like the Twilight series. There was the setup phase (where Scout is trying to figure out why everyone is against their relationship), the discovery phase (where Scout figures out what is going on and keeps it a secret from the “bad guys”), and then the reveal (where all the bad stuff happens and everything is out in the open). While the ending was a combination bummer/cliffhanger, I still thoroughly enjoyed the read and am eager to dive into book 2.


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Review: The Devil's a Werewolf

The Devil's a Werewolf by Thalia Eames
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

I am in love with Juliana Perlas. She was a super-fun and outrageous character and I simply could not stop reading this book. If you enjoy wild and crazy main characters (who never quite do what you expect them to) – this is the book for you!

Jules has been burned before by famous guys and has decided to protect herself in all future endeavors. This is working out just fine for her while she hangs out with Cash, but all bets are off when his brother literally smashes his way into her life. Dashiell is the adventurous one, always taking risks and living life to its fullest. Oh, and he also can’t touch anyone without serious pain – at least that was true until meeting Jules. She seems to be the exception to his curse and he is determined not to take advantage of her.

These two play a silly game of self-control until their audience of friends and family insist that they take the plunge. When all their reservations are removed, the two of them simply light the pages on fire with their chemistry. Of course, you can’t have a really good HEA without some drama and misunderstandings along the way and these two have tons. This book was a fun and wild ride all the way through.


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Review: Love the Witch, Hate the Craft: A Romantic Paranormal Mystery

Love the Witch, Hate the Craft: A Romantic Paranormal Mystery by Nora Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

This book was filled with a really fun mix of interesting characters. There are witches of all different types thrown into a single magical town.

Rowan left the magical town of Secret Hallow years ago to pursue her dreams of living a normal life and going to college. Her parents, the absentee leaders of their magical town, are away on holiday, leaving the town to flounder about when the source of their magic (the Elder Tree) suffers. In a moment of desperation, Rowan decides to face her “demons” and head back to her childhood home. Because she couldn’t really carry on a relationship with a “normal” anymore, she broke up with her longtime boyfriend, Garrett, and headed home to try to fix the tree.

Nothing is really the way she left it, and while Rowan is determined not to stay, it still makes her incredibly angry that an arrogant man has swooped into her town and tried to save the tree without her. These two face off constantly, which leads to a horrible work environment for the both of them. Luckily, fate steps in (in the form of meddling parents and friends) to set them both back on the path they should never have left. This book was somewhere between a fantasy read and a romance, leaning more towards the fantasy/adventure aspects of the story.


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