Review: Southern Spirits

Southern Spirits by Angie Fox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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

This adorable read was a complete joy from start to finish. Quick paced, well written, fun, and cute, the book starts what could be a completely addictive new series.

Verity is a woman scorned and her small southern town will not let her forget her past. Being the polite young woman that she is, she has let her ex-fiance spread horrible rumors without stooping to his level. Unfortunately, his family pretty much runs the town and has led her to both her financial and social downfall. On the verge of losing her house, she has sold everything except a hideous vase filled with dirt. Here's here her luck turns around... I guess? Turns out, the dirt was actually ashes, and by rinsing them out in her rose bushes, she's trapped with a ghostly gangster sidekick.

The real mystery elements of the story come in when her ex-fiance's brother ends up contracting Verity for some ghostbusting work (against his better judgement). Throw in some detective work, and this book really makes for a pretty comprehensive read. You get everything you want in one nice little bundle - action, mystery, paranormal, romance, and adorable southern characters. I can't wait to see where this series goes!



View all my reviews

Review: The Second Lie

The Second Lie by Anna Richland

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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

It's been a while since I red the first installment of the series, but it didn't seem to have any impact on my enjoyment of this one. In fact, if you wanted to, you can probably just dive right into the series from here. While there is a larger storyline at work, there is certainly enough detail to help you catch up.

Stig is the central character in this one. He's masquerading as the imaginary partner to one very determined woman. Christina didn't realize how much trouble she'd be inviting into her life by making a fake male business partner. She's hid behind him countless times to gain entrance into the "boys club" world of wine. Now, when she's trying to track down who is counterfeiting bottles of wine she procured, she's confronted with her imaginary boss.

Christina and Stig's fun cat and mouse game quickly spirals out of control when other members of the immortal vikings club show up to force Stig back into a life of more dangerous crime. It would be easy enough for him, if he hadn't already forged a bond with Christina and developed a bit of flexible morals. There is a lot of action jammed into the continuous getaway schemes and a lot of fun along the way. The book reads like one big heist with the twist of having the thief be an immortal. The pairing of a paranormal genre with a more typical thriller story read like a non-stop action film. Oh, and there's romance. And sizzling scenes that will set your kindle on fire. And some heartache, but we get a very satisfying HEA in the end. For fans of action, drama, or even history, this could be a great book to get your feet wet in the paranormal genre.



View all my reviews

Review: The Darkest Touch

The Darkest Touch by Gena Showalter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I completely admit that I wasn't particularly looking forward to Torin's story. After many installments where Torin floundered around relationships, this just seemed like a train wreck waiting to happen. How can we get a sizzling romance when the couple can't touch? We watched his story with Cameo fizzle and I expected something similar to happen here.

At the end of the previous book we were left with an even more broken Torin. He touched Mari and ended up infecting her (I'm not sure how Cronus got around that one...). When Mari died (really? we met her just to have her die?), Mari's fellow prisoner ends up freed from the bond between them. Keeley is a curator, or some sort of mix between an earth spirit, a human body, an immortal and energy parasite. She (obviously) blames Torin for her best friend's death and swears vengeance. An ordinary person swearing vengeance on a Lord of the Underworld seems crazy, but Keeley is the Red Queen, the crazy powerful ex-girlfriend of Hades, who has powers greater than anything we've seen so far in this series.

Their battles end up making them respect one another and eventually grows to a sizzling chemistry. Their chemistry is, however, continually dampened by Keeley's sickening. I stupidly believed that we would be gifted with a woman who was immune to Torin. This put a bit of a darker twist on their "mistakes" because the afterglow was completely removed. Along the way, we are also introduced to the Lazarus/Cameo show. We also get some resolution to the realm wanderers (or inhabitants of the rod?). Oh, and the sympathetic twist with Hades.

Overall, the events of this book led to a much happier house filled with a new royal, happy families, returned warriors, and a bit of a path towards redemption (for Galen of all people). While the series might have deviated from a more satisfying smuttiness, it still delivers some zany characters that you can't help but love. I'll continue reading it until the very end.



View all my reviews

Review: Can't Bear It

Can't Bear It by Celia Kyle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Meg is on the run from her old lion pride. After being pretty much forced to mate with the male lions, she's determined to be in control. The leader/organizer of a small town of Strange Hollow somehow ends up connecting with Meg to offer her a place to stay with the rest of their "misfits." Jacob is one such misfit - a bear who wants to mate with both men and women. He's become a bit of a known slut in town, but it seems to work for him until Meg shows up.

Even after he has been warned off Meg, Jacob can't seem to stay away. Her scent, the way she looks, all of these things end up drawing him in. This story revolves around a sort of "love at first sight" type of mating, controlled by their internal animals. While I'm not a big fan of the rushed l word thing, this story manages to sell it (and throw in some bonus retribution for Meg).



View all my reviews

Review: Bite Me

Bite Me by Celia Kyle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This was a *very* short little read. If you've read the author before, you know that the smut level will be high and you've probably come to expect a bit of fun in the bedroom.

Constrained by the loss of her scale, this dragon shifter has been bound to a harpy for years. On one of her last days of enslavement she finds herself gifted to a sexy vampire. Somehow they end up marked as mates (I really have no idea how). The length of the story shows as much as it can, but it's obviously rushed.



View all my reviews

Review: The Darkest Craving

The Darkest Craving by Gena Showalter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This book finally gives Kane a chance to be more than a punchline. He's always been the joker, smirking in the background, but here is where we learn everything there is to learn about Kane.

Being trapped in hell has forever changed Kane. He's rescued by the most unlikely rescuer, a fae girl who has the ability to "borrow" powers from anyone she touches. Kane foolishly agrees to grant her request in exchange for his freedom, only to find himself reluctant to follow through. The two play a game of cat and mouse that only makes the fae girl (Josephina) that much more likable in my book. Josephina has lived her life accepting the punishments her sister, the princess has accumulated. Being the daughter of her father's indiscretion, she's shunned, beaten, and jailed most regularly. That all changes when Kane sets his eyes on her.

I love the idea that for the fae, the Lords of the Underworld are like a soap opera. It was fun to watch them swoon all over the keeper of disaster while he is destroying their palaces. This couple might have had a lot of obstacles, but the end result was worth the drama. I can guess that the next book will follow Torin as he recovers from his latest mistake.



View all my reviews

Review: Battered Not Broken

Battered Not Broken by Celia Kyle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Is it bad that it took me this long to figure out the Goldilocks thing? I guess I was looking forward to a nice fun, smutty read and wasn't looking for any deeper meaning or reference.

Gillian is on the run from her abusive ex-boyfriend. After her car breaks down, she is forced to hike through the snow for miles, heading towards the only house she can see. After she passes out in a bed, fighting off frostbite, the three bear shifters come home to find a strange woman in their alpha brother's bed. Turns out, this clan of bear shifters has a history of having all the twins/triplets/etc bonding with one mate. The brothers immediately identify Gillian as such a mate and proceed to "woo" her.

The chemistry between all the brothers and Gillian was pretty good and there were oodles of sexy scenes to keep a smut fan happy. Of course, you can expect the ex to show up and force the brothers to protect their mate. I'm never disappointed with the fun, quick reads from this author.



View all my reviews