Review: Ashes of the Phoenix

Ashes of the Phoenix by Jess Haines
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

This was a really short, quick, supernatural read that gives a teeny tiny taste of this uniquely magical world.

Lyra is essentially a guardian of magical books. She’s got no magical power to speak of, but she knows her artifacts. She’s also super determined to keep a certain book away from her thieving ex-boyfriend. She might have been a little too blinded by that goal, because she ends up getting duped by an even more evil fellow and turned into a mythical being. Unfortunately the only person she knows who can try to help her also happens to be said thieving ex.

There’s mystery, mayhem, and maybe a little romance thrown into this short story. It is certainly an introduction to this world but felt pretty rushed. I wanted to know more about Lyra, her relationship with her ex, and even more about the magical world that they seem to be a part of.


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Review: Stroke of Midnight

Stroke of Midnight by Lara Adrian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was another short installment in the Midnight Breed series. While it doesn’t really involve the critical main characters, it certainly takes place heavily in their world.

Jehan is a breed warrior who has been living his own life for many years before getting his family’s summons. Through some archaic mindset, if his family and another do not have a living mated pair, the world will end. When the previously surviving pair perishes, he’s forced to step up to the plate. He fully expects to go through the motions and then leave, but finds himself quickly falling for the mysterious stranger.

Seraphina is just as reluctant, having never even known that side of her world. As a breedmate, she knows the dangers of falling for a breed male, so she’s been avoiding them while trying to save the world in her own way. These two are a perfect match, but it was fun to watch the quick courtship misunderstandings resolve themselves in sexy ways.


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Review: Boundary Lines

Boundary Lines by Melissa F. Olson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I still love Lex. She’s tough and actually handling all the dramatic changes relatively well. When she aligned herself with the vampires she somehow managed to separate herself even more from the witches. It probably works out better for Lex, though, because all the supernatural factions are going through some issues of the magical variety.

The short story that takes place in between books really sets the stage for Lex’s future run-ins with werewolves, which factor prominently in this book. They really bring home the point that werewolves are just like humans – the bad ones can be bad and the good ones can be good. They all just suffer through the same “curse.” Also, yuck, there’s a really yucky big bad that’s up to no good (as if they need more bad to hunt).

I’m not sure what to make of the romantic element in this story. I much prefer Lex to be independent and awesome on her own without having all these entanglements. Maybe that’s what we’ll ultimately get? I hope so, because I don’t really want another Scarlett situation. I also much prefer Lex’s way of handling strange situations without a partner. Watching her figure things out using her experience and intelligence is more satisfying than the “phone a friend” option, in my opinion.


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Review: The Bite Before Christmas

The Bite Before Christmas by Lynsay Sands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As I'm just now up to 15.5 in the Argeneau series, this was the one I just read and reviewed this year:
FINALLY! I’ve been waiting for Teddy to have his story for a while now. He’s been ever-present as a background character in the vampire-friendly town, but it seemed unclear if he would find a life mate or if he would just fade away. I was hoping for the life mate story, and wasn’t disappointed by his surprise meeting.

This story was pretty short and sweet, but I had some real trouble seeing old Teddy as the match to Katricia Argeneau. Maybe it’s because I’ve grown so accustomed to the matches being human woman to vampire male (or vampire/vampire). Either way, I’m still happy that we finally get to “keep” Teddy in the Argeneau family for the near future. It was very satisfying.


I read and reviewed the Night Huntress story back in 2015:
It always amazes me how quickly the Night Huntress world can suck me back in. All the characters are so engaging and addictive that I put off reading this short and the following book because I knew they were the last in the series. These characters will be sorely missed.

This story is set during the holidays (obviously) where Cat mistakenly believes she can have a nice “normal” holiday with all of their friends. A surprise visit by someone who claims to be Bones’s long lost brother (who also just happens to be a vampire) sets of a chain of events that almost ends in tons of death and destruction. Cat is one of the few unaffected by the mystery man’s mojo that seems to have wrapped all the incredibly strong vampires around his little pinky. She, Denise, and Ian (the most unlikely ally, always) manage to formulate a plan to get their friends and lovers back and out of harm’s way.

I admit, this story was almost as good as a full length book, with the action at extremes and the risks super high. Ian was a surprise highlight of this story and somehow forced me to begin enjoying his company. Who knew? All in all, this is a must read (especially for further connections?) for all Night Huntress fans.

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Review: The Reluctant Vampire

The Reluctant Vampire by Lynsay Sands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love coming back to this series. Just when I think they can’t spin the same old story in a different direction, it proves me wrong.

Here we meet Drina, sent to act as a bodyguard to the mysterious young girl with the fascinating powers. Of course, there are games within games in the Argeneau clan, and Drina knows that a fellow bodyguard, Harper, could be her life mate. Since there is a near 100% chance, Drina jumps on a plane and arrives to meet her mate.

Harper, however, has just lost his mate. She didn’t survive the turn and he has been understandably crushed. He’s so absorbed in his own guilt that he barely notices the signs that Drina just might be his mate. If not for their teen charge, they might never have actually gotten together. They certainly would have never been able to get over their own issues.

These books are filled with danger, smut, and an ever-growing world of wonderful characters. I’ll keep reading them until they stop getting written. I’m especially curious about where the teenage vampire will end up and how that will shape things to come.


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Review: Scheme of Maneuver: A Career Soldier Military Romance

Scheme of Maneuver: A Career Soldier Military Romance by Tawdra Kandle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love these books. They are fun, flirty, and full of unexpected romance. While these can probably be read as standalone, it is so much more enjoyable to get the full story. It was particularly satisfying to see Owen meet his match.

Owen is the last man standing. All his other friends have fallen in love, gotten married, had kids – you know, grown-up stuff. He’s still hitting the scene, or at least that’s what he thinks is happening when he sort-of hooks up with a fellow wedding goer named Jacey. Turns out, however, she is way more than he bargained for. He soon finds out that she is related to one of his friends (which is off-limits), but she is an addiction he can’t seem to quit.

This short and sexy read had me flipping pages at light speed. I love the way you leave these books – smiling and content.


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Review: Reborn

Reborn by C.C. Hunter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Admittedly, I have no read any of the original “Shadow Falls” series of which this is obviously a spin-off from. That being said, this appears to be a separate storyline following Della and her friends (and drama) so I hope to not be missing too much. There is some missing set up of this world, but other than that, it seemed OK as a standalone read.

Della, the main character, is a vampire teenager who has daddy issues, awesome friends, and an unyielding determination to prove herself worth of school mentor’s praise. Oh, and she’s got drama. Lots and lots of drama. She’s trying to avoid officially dating a hot shifter, even though he’s pretty much bending over backwards to take care of her. On top of that, she’s also in a hate/love/hate relationship with the obnoxious new vampire kid in school. The bigger story? There’s a murder, a weird illness, a missing cousin, and Della wants to find out if anyone else in her family ever became a vampire like her. What gets solved? Not much other than the murder. There are so many starts to stories in here that it’s clear there are going to be many more books to follow them to the finish.

Even with all these loose ends, there was really only one reason I think I’m done with this series – I hate Della. I really tried to like her, especially since we are in her head 100% of the time. She is a teenager who is filled with way too much angst and attitude for one person to handle. She constantly snipes at everyone around her. Sure, there are supernatural forces at play, but that doesn’t give you my “pissy pass.” She is probably the only reason I am not dying to pick up the next book in the series. I don’t think I want to go back into her head… ever. I kept waiting for her to get better or grow on me, but I just constantly wanted to smack her.


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