Review: Lone Wolf: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance

Lone Wolf: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance by Tessa Clarke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This was a relatively short read that had a big time romance jammed into a smaller package. There's shifters, family drama, and some sizzling chemistry.

Delany has just moved into town to become a country veterinarian when a housecall brings her to Leif's ranch. He's got oodles of baggage leftover from his time overseas and has become something of a loner (with the exception of a woman to warm his bed most nights). Even with that warning, Delany still can't deny the attraction between them. What begins as just a one night stand grows into so much more than either intended. This standalone story gives a good, solid HEA that is worth any drama leading up to it.

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Review: Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire

Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books are like little wonderful candies. Sure, they deliver what you expected with little deviation from the formula, but I love them just the same.

This book gives us Russell and Jia. We met Russell a while ago and he has turned up every now and then to brood and swear vengeance against the leader of the “evil vamps.” I hadn’t given him much thought except when he swooped in to save the day without looking for reward. That was a little sneak peek at who he is beneath the gruff exterior. Jia is a sheltered (aka “caged”) princess among the tigers. She’s desperate for revenge and has somehow managed to join up with someone who wants it just as bad as her. Both Russell and Jia lost their family to the evil Master Han in very different ways. There’s a bit of mystery there for Russell and we spent most of the book waiting for the big reveal.

Yeah, there’s fighting and lots of supernaturals (angels and demons now, too?), but the real story is the adorable love story of Russell and Jia. Russell really tries to fight the attraction, especially because Jia has been promised to another tiger. Jia, on the other hand, is someone who just loves to dive into life. She knows she wants Russell, but is a little unsure if he wants her back. These two do a cute little dance of insecurity that ultimately ends up in a *fabulous* HEA. We even get to see all the characters from the previous books in an awesome set of reunion scenes. Is this the last book of the series? If it is, I’m super upset that we have to say goodbye to this world. While all the loose ends are tied up, I would’ve read anything set in this universe!


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Review: The Dark Vampire

The Dark Vampire by Kate Baxter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This series has been hinting at Jenner needing a mate for a little while now and I was super excited when I saw that he finally got the attention he deserved. Sure, on the outside he is a little rough and standoffish, but when you get down to it, he is just as loyal and worthy of a mate as the other two previous stories.

Jenner is a little bit broken. He was turned into a vampire and hasn’t yet found a way to master his desires. We’ve watched him be a pretty big vampire whore in the previous installments, but in the first few chapters of this book, we get to watch him react to suddenly becoming tethered. Don’t get me wrong – this is not an easy transition either. Why should anything ever be easy for Jenner, right? Even if life hands him something, he is bound to make an attempt at being difficult. Bria, on the other hand, seems like the most innocent girl in their world. She’s been sheltered and hid away because of some mysterious evil that is hunting her. She has barely been taught about vampires before she is suddenly tethered to the most intimidating vampire out there.

These two certainly hit some bumps in the road, but it is a happy ending well worth all the strife. Oh, and the smutty bits are certainly sizzling hot! These two spend the majority of the time fighting – either each other, the bond, their family history, or actually fighting for their lives. This book was a wild roller-coaster or a ride that took you to the lowest lows before giving you a cheerful HEA. This story certainly begins to lead into where the rest of the series will go, giving us hints and clues to who might be next in the mating game.


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Review: Ghost of a Chance

Ghost of a Chance by Ani Gonzalez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books are adorable and fun to read. I'm having a good time rotating them in between some of the darker reads. This one brings us back to Banshee Creek to follow the tale of Elizabeth and Gabe. She's had a crush on him forever, but isn't going to let that stop her from trying to shut down his baby - the paranormal element. Yes, it seems to help the paranormal themed places, but as a real estate agent, Elizabeth's job is on the line. Who wants to live in a haunted house?

Gabe might have thought that his best friend's sister was off limits in high school, but he's having a harder time keeping his hands off her this time around. They've both grown up and could use something to shake their foundations. This big shake up comes in the form of some pretty disastrous house viewings that only end up bringing them closer together. There's oodles of baggage, but it was fun watching them get their happy ending. These characters are always so much fun!

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Review: Demons

Demons by Ednah Walters
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've been dying to get inside Eirik's head all throughout the original series. He kind of got sidelined and this series was something I've had on my "to-read" list for a while. I dove in, expecting the happy-go-lucky kid we originally met, but sort of forgot about all the crap he has been through. And his obsession with Cora was a little bit of a cruel reminder. This book may have ended up in a good place that left me wanting more, but it definitely took a little while to get there.

We start this journey with Eirik showing up at his mom's house. Sounds innocuous but his mom happens to be a pretty bad lady. Thrown into a cell before the day ends, he's being faced with some tough lessons. Celestia is a witch who goes to witch school somewhere that witches are apparently normal things. She's been gifted with the ability to project herself and help save people. Somehow she ends up as a soul in Eirik's cell and in for away more than she bargained for.

These two don't immediately have a good relationship. There is a lot of denial and fighting that happens and even when we think they are almost on the right path, they manage to mess things up all over again. Sadly, I had a pretty hard time enjoying their banter when I knew the entire time Celestia was with Eirik, her body was comatose. Eirik was a bit of a selfish bastard for not trying harder to help her escape and not have her family freak. These two are definitely still in the early phases of their relationship and the cliffhanger didn't help me much at all. I want to see where they end up, I just wish there was some payoff in between that made me like them more.

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Review: Blood Bond

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

This book picks up right where we left Tara and her wacky love triangle situation (or is it a trapezoid?). Don't worry, for the most part, this book doesn't exactly face that head-on and instead worries about the chaos that the evil hybrids are bringing to the already tense CHAS/Cause situation. Tara and her friends are fighting to beat CHAS to the hybrids in the hopes that there might be some way to cure them and bring them back to the people they were before becoming infected.

On top of this monumental task, Tara's also got to say goodbye to Alex (who she might want to be with, but is decidedly torn), try to reconcile with her mother (and build some seriously busted trust), and find a mystery cure that only a crazy guy might know about. Yes, there is a lot of typical "rush into things and think later" situations that Tara gets into, but she's mostly a pretty tough chick throughout. She manages to sacrifice herself just enough to get the job done and then patch up quite nicely.

There's a bunch of twists and turns, some sad betrayals, and, yeah, a cliffhanger. This cliffhanger didn't seem to bother me as much as the last few. I guess it depends how invested you are in the character involved. For me, I didn't want to throw my kindle. I did, however, wish I could just keep reading. This book was pretty hard to put down.

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Review: Trial by Charm

Trial By Charm by Jolene Buchheit
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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

This book is filled to the brim with awkward teenage angst and mythology. As the start of a new series, it sets the scene for more books to come.

Julia is a strange teenage girl. She has absolutely zero interest in boys and a lot of interest in sleeping all the time. The sleeping thing might just be typical teenage behaviour, but the lack of interest in boys is concerning, even to her friends. All signs are pointing to her being asexual, until a night of mischief turns into something more magical and confusing. During a slumber party with her swim team friends, they decide to break into the school for a dip only to discover the hottest boys in school already there. Vander "ridiculous last name" Thelxinoe ends up trying to bespell all the girls into thinking they never saw them. Julia, however, appears to be immune to his charms.

While Vander tries to detective out why Julia is the exception to the rule, Julia rapidly discovers that she is the only one to remember that night the way it actually happened. Oh, and she gets suckered into assisting the guy's swim team (and Vander) for her troubles. Being forced to interact, Julia and Vander develop a very strange relationship filled with Vander being a jerk and Julia slowly becoming more attracted to him. Through even stranger events, these two end up inseparable. There's some fun mythology stuff, lots of mystery, and everything you could want in a romeo/juliet high school relationship.

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