Review: Icarus Rising

Icarus Rising by N.W. Moors
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Wow - what a great start to a new series! I couldn't put this book down! If you are into paranormal romance, this one will knock your socks off!

Icarus (who we all know from high school mythology reading, right?) has done his time in hell for his mistakes. He finally gets "forgiven" and sent to Earth only to discover that maybe not all the gods agree with his release. Every time he gets comfortable, Artemis and Apollo show up to ruin whatever life he has started building for himself. At Athena's recommendation, he ends up in a small town staring at a help wanted sign for the bookstore/coffee shop. Seems simple enough, right? Start over and make a life (again), hopefully avoiding more meddling gods.

Eve is the owner of the bookstore and she is in desperate need of an employee. Icarus (or Russ) is exactly who she needs - someone independent who is happy to work and learn. These two hit it off right away, but don't quite realize they've hit the jackpot until pushed together by Eve's horrible ex and Athena. Once together, there's really nothing they can't accomplish. Even when tasked with an impossible quest, these two put their heads together to solve one of the oldest mysteries. The true selling point of this book was the relationship between Icarus and Eve. They were my absolute favorite and kept me rapidly rooting for them every step of the way. I can't wait to see what else this author delivers as part of this series!

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Review: Made In Hell

Made In Hell by Celia Kyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

When is Caith going to get a break??? It seems like this poor girl runs from one world destroying disaster to another. I think the next book should really just be her and Sam on a honeymoon of sorts. Sadly, I don't think that day will ever come. Someone has to hold Florida together.

We join Caith still raising her adopted brownie-kid (who appears to be aging at an alarming rate). It seems like only yesterday that he was saved from a demon-virus-thing and now he's speaking in tongues. Sigh. A new church/cult that moves into town is the likely culprit, but aside from the hornier people around, there isn't much to go on. Chances are good that someone Caith pissed off is out to get her (again).

Aside from solving this mystery, Caith is also trying to balance a rather unconventional relationship with Sam. He's sort-of-kind-of her mate, but they can't actually find satisfaction together. When will these two get a break?! Just when things start making progress, Uncle Luc also decides to stop by and drop his baby mama in the safe keeping of these magical/supernatural big wigs. There's fighting, blood, magic, demons, and the always awesome Caith in a great showdown at the end of the book. It was so good that I kind of forgive her for not making more relationship progress with Sam (sigh).

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Review: Ready Player One

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow - I don't know why I waited so long to read this book, but I'm glad I finally did! Sure, it sounds like something I might not like - dystopian futuristic - but there are no steampunk airships or high fantasy thrown in, so it still met my strict reading criteria.

The book is told from Wade's POV. He's a poor kid growing up with his aunt, who mostly ignores him. The world has drastically changed and is now low on energy and jobs, but has given them the ultimate escape: The OASIS. The world's largest game developer offered this fully immersive virtual reality game for only a quarter. Like most games like this, there are ways to spend your money once inside of it, but for a quarter, you can't beat it. Wade even attends should in the alternate reality, which is how he gets a console that lets him connect and become his avatar for the majority of this days and nights.

The real story here, aside from the commentary on society as a whole, is essentially a quest. The game designer has passed away, but rather than leaving his fortune and the world he built to someone he knows, he issues a challenge. Whoever can find his easter egg can keep it all. There are clues buried in oodles of pop culture and gaming references that "gunters" (egg hunters) become obsessed with. Wade is a self-proclaimed gunter and is the first to make a breakthrough and show up on the scoreboard. Throughout the quest, there are bad guys (the sixers), some really bad guys (the head of the sixers), and some really awesome friends (who I will misspell because I listened to the audiobook).

The astounding knowledge of the 80s, super fun references and action, and misfit friendships had me hooked from the start. If you don't smile while reading this book, there is something wrong with you. Yes, I rooted for the romance (of course), but the real star is Wade and his mad skillz. While I wish there was even more in this book, I ended it satisfied and happy. I can't wait to see how they make this into a movie and if it even comes close to the book.

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Review: Days Of You And Me

Days Of You And Me by Tawdra Kandle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This series needs to be read in order. For you to fully appreciate the heartache and drama that exists in this trio, you absolutely need to start at book 1. That being said, all the hard stuff makes this ending even more satisfying.

We join this book where we left Quinn, Nate, and Leo. Quinn and Nate are married. Nate is still dying. When I picked up book 1 I immediately braced myself for the heartbreak of his death. Now, at the end of the series, I was desperate for some sort of miracle to happen. I don't think I'm actually spoiling anything by saying that this book keeps the "realness" going by taking you through the familiar and traumatic loss of a loved one with painstaking detail. If you've ever lost someone, this book will remind you of going through that all over, except through the remaining members of the trio.

After Quinn married Nate, I thought I would never forgive her. I thought I wanted her and Leo to stay apart forever as punishment. I know that this is ultimately a romance and there needs to be some semblance of a happy ending for us to make the bad times worth it. Still, it was hard for me to forgive Quinn (and Nate). While I'm still not sure I ended up forgiving Nate, the book really showed me a lot of growth in these characters. After all, we joined them in their youth and they are now pretty much grown-ups. Did this book make me cry? Oh, god, yes! There was a lot of ugly crying happening here. Even with being put through this emotional rollercoaster that is the Keeping Score trilogy, I really enjoyed where we ultimately ended up.

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Review: My Wild Irish Dragon

My Wild Irish Dragon by Ashlyn Chase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This second in the series gave even more fun new twists to the world of paranormals. Who knew there was such diversity out there?

We met Chloe in the last book and know that she is trying to figure out a life for herself in Boston. As a dragon shifter, it makes sense to follow a fellow dragon shifter into the ranks of the Boston firefighters. She's pretty much indestructable in fire and can more quicker than any human. She should be handed the job, but it turns out she has competition. Ryan's entire family is firefighters so it is obvious that he should follow in their footsteps. His supernatural abilities give him an edge, too, but not enough to get the job handed to him.

These two really lit the pages on fire (ha!) with their chemistry. While Chloe comes across as innocent and naive, she really is a firecracker (ha!) who is not to be messed with. Ryan seems like the perfect guy, but he's got secrets. In the end, these two manage to give us a nice HEA, despite mother nature coming along to muck things up. While we don't get *everything* a perfect ending would give us, it was still pretty rewarding.

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Review: The Bear Who Loved Me

The Bear Who Loved Me by Kathy Lyons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

Yowza! I want more of this series right now! This book was a yummy paranormal romance that I couldn't put down.

Becca is a single mother for her adoptive son/nephew who gets her world turned upside down in a single night. Her son never came home, but being a teenager is filled with all sorts of strangeness. While working out her nerves at the bakery, the camp counselor of her son's shows up to inform her that the worst has happened - her son is missing. Carl, the aforementioned camp counselor, is actually the leader of a clan of bear shifters and her son might just be going through the typical first shift.

This much information would be a lot to take in for any normal human, but Becca also has to manage the undeniable pull she feels towards Carl. It's so distracting to the both of them that it's hard to keep apart. If they can just hold it together until her son re-appears (and they hunt down the bad guys that are lurking), they just might have an epic love affair. There are no cliffhangers, no unhappy endings, and it was enjoyable from start to finish. I loved getting to know all the characters and really want more from this world.

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Review: Keys to the Coven: Demonic Intervention Series

Keys to the Coven: Demonic Intervention Series by Vicky Loebel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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

This book showed me a completely new way to look at demons and demon hierarchy. In a crowded genre of paranormal romance, this one really stood out as a unique creation.

Max is a demon, but he's not really a bad demon. He collects karma, which fuels all sorts of things, and eventually pushes you up the ranks from demon, to arch-demon, to angel. It seems a little strange, but is explained beautifully. I was immediately rooting for the lonely, brooding, and sometimes slutty demon. A promise he makes to a sorceress in the heat of battle ends up pushing him onto Felicity's doorstep. Or really her mother's doorstep. Either way, the two of them immediately fall into lust, which is a little awkward, because Felicity should be cleaning out her deceased mother's house for sale.

Felicity goes from logical and normal to rather extraordinary in a few short chapters. Inheriting her mother's house is the least of her inheritance. Turns out, all the magic tricks her mother was showing her were actually real and she's now the sorceress who must find an evil object or there will be much doom. Some abusive childhood stories aside, this book read like the most awesome of urban fantasies and had me hooked from the start. There was a good balance of romance, action, magic, and fantasy. I'm eager to see where these two end up in future books (of which I hope there are many!).

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