Review: Sapphire Flames

Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I joined this series, already in progress, based on the description of this book. It sounded like everything I wanted and more! I wasn't disappointed in the storyline, or the writing. I'm going to warn you, though, I had a really hard time with the ending. Are all of these books like this? If so, I may rethink my plan to go back and start at book 1.

We join this book, with Catalina stepping into the role as head of the house. It’s kind of like Harry Potter, except with way more murder, betrayal, and sexy chemistry. Catalina has siren powers, which is good when she gets the chance to save a young boy from a ledge, but bad in that she can’t exactly have normal relationships. Her family is filled to the brim with quirky characters, all of which were a wonderful joy to meet. As a PI firm (kind of?), she ends up being tasked with tracking down an evil doer that conspired to murder a young woman’s mother and sister in a supposed house fire. Things get much worse and more confusing from there.

There’s also the other bright spot in the story – Alessandro. He’s someone that Catalina has a serious crush on, who also happens to have crazy super powers. Their paths cross and there’s oodles of sparks. I mentioned the cliffhanger, right? Well this falls under that heading, too. Sigh. Overall, the story sort of wraps up, but I still wanted to chuck my Kindle at the wall to vent my frustrations. I’m angry, but not angry enough not to read the next book.


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Review: Selkies are a Girl's Best Friend

Selkies are a Girl's Best Friend by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love the author, and the series, so it was a pretty sure bet that I would enjoy this book. I did, of course, and it even did some unexpected things along the way. Oh, and there's pie. There's always pie.

Sonja is a beloved character of this series, and the town people of Mystic Bayou acknowledge her awesomeness pretty unanimously. Will, however, is unaware of Sonja's near-god-like abilities and high unofficial (and official) rank in town. Having been away for years, he returns to take the open doctor position and, kind of shockingly, pokes at Sonja. Poke is probably not the right word (but we get to the fun poking later). They almost tested one another from the start. They are both clearly from out of town, though Will originated in town, and they are both determined to prove themselves in one way or another. Being forced to work together manages to smooth out all the rough edges, though.

Will is a Selkie and has a bunch of baggage. I guess most of it goes along with the whole Selkie pelt nonsense, but there is also the usual family drama. One super awesome bonus of this story was the introduction of John, who I hope we see again. Will's brother was simply a delight! While Will and Sonja work out their relationship, there's still the larger story of the rift, what's happening to it, and who the evil folks are. In typical paranormal formula, we get the romance, the smutty goodness, the misunderstandings, some evil doers, and then a nice HEA. I love these little yummy audiobooks and will happily continue to devour them as they are released.

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Review: Listening: Learn to Really Listen and Develop Active Listening Skills

Listening: Learn to Really Listen and Develop Active Listening Skills by Christian Olsen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I grabbed this audiobook based on the short amount of time, and the content. I guess I should've been prepared for it to be a very cursory look at active listening for the approximately 40 minute read time.

If you're looking for something in-depth, there are definitely other books out there. This reminded me of the things I already knew to do, almost like a refresher. It did get a little bit preachy about attention, phones, etc. and, for some reason included a list of quotes at the end. Overall, I guess you get what you pay for. As a brief introduction or a refresher, this hit the spot. Anything more, look elsewhere.

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Review: Wishful Thinking

Wishful Thinking by Helen Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book blew my socks off! There was just the perfect combination of cursing, magic, sexual chemistry, and relatable workplace characters that I couldn’t put this book down. As the start to a series, you’ve got me ready for book 2 (and 3 and 4… you get the hint)!

Saffron Sawyer is not in the most glamourous job when we first meet her, but she is doing her best for her clients. As a dope fairy, she guides them on a journey of sorts, but ultimately the choices are up to them. Her ambition has always been to become a fairy godmother, but the position is coveted and the wait list is long. There is also a bit of a class system in the fairy world, leading the same families to have several generations of fairy godmothers, not leaving room for newcomers. All of that changes on the day her boss informs her of a surprise interview to become one of them! It seems her dream has come true, but, as with most jobs, it’s nothing like she expected.

The fairy godmother workplace is filled with anxiety over some missing employees, leading to them being overworked, suspicious of everyone, and not exactly welcoming to poor Saffron. She manages to make the best of it, though, focusing on her clients, but also getting drawn into the mystery of who is making fairy godmothers disappear. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that she ends up in close quarters with an attractive Devil’s Advocate. All of the twists and turns had me eagerly (digitally) flipping pages only to be surprised by how it all ends. I loved the characters, and most of all this world! I can’t wait to read more and get to know them all even more!


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Review: Beware the Darkness

Beware the Darkness by Alexandra Ivy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book picks up exactly where the last one leaves off, so I don’t recommend diving in to this as your first book in the series. I’ve jumped in and out of the series, and while the author does a good job catching up, I enjoyed this one a lot more having met most of these characters previously.

Tarak is newly freed from his prison, having learned his lesson about the evil of the mermaid ruler. He’s determined to find his vengeance and also equally determined to ignore his affection for the mermaid princess that visited him to keep him “fed” during his captivity. Waverly, the aforementioned princess, is also in denial, but willing to do just about anything to keep her sister safe and do whatever is right for her people. Riven, the ruler of the mermaids, is doing some horrible things to her people, so when things start to indicate that he may not have been mystically chosen as he said, Tarak and Waverly team up to take him down.

Oh, and there’s also the wonderfully amusing and always catastrophe filled gargoyle sub-story going on. And the romance elements. And some visits from familiar faces. All in all, this was a nice, new spin, making me re-thing mermaids as a paranormal main character storyline. I can’t wait to see where this world goes next.


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Review: Blood Truth

Blood Truth by J.R. Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I gotta say, I wasn’t really dying to hear about Boone. Sure, he is essentially what started them learning more about the shadows attacking people, but he was never really a super mystery I wanted to know more about. This book felt like a bit of a filler book, which is sad, because the rest of the series was fun and new, which is exactly what the BDB needed to get me re-hooked.

Boone, as I said, is the one who came to the brotherhood to warn them about the big party filled with treason (and shadows, surprise!). He’s got a rough home life, what with his father essentially disowning him and his mother having passed away without much ceremony. The fake lifestyle he’s forced to hold up when he’s there is a bit of a drain on him. Oh, and he’s also dealing with tendencies to take the fighting a little too… dark. He doesn’t go for the quick kill and instead draws things out like a serial killer. For something that we spend a lot of time learning, this ends up going nowhere (yayyyy, more loose ends!).

When Boone finds out his father was killed at that party, he rightfully has mixed feelings. In an effort to avoid being along with his thoughts, Butch offers to train Boone on investigative techniques. It’s through this investigation into a serial killer (not Boone) that he meets Helaine. The expected mate dance begins there and has some bumps in the road, just like all the others. This book manages to tie all the separate stories into one by the end, leaving the typical loose ends, but giving a happy ending none the less. As a close to the spinoff, this was not really that satisfying – we barely saw the other trainees – but as a story, it delivers something entertaining, if not completely wrapped up.


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Review: Accidental Sire

Accidental Sire by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Man, I enjoyed Meagan so much more in this book than the previous short story. She gets a fully formed personality that was a lot more enjoyable than the one that paired up with Ophelia. Her being friends with Ophelia just seemed like more of her being an awesome open hearted person.

So, we join Meagan after Ophelia has introduced her to Ben and they appear to be having a great time. The start to a wonderful relationship? Not in this universe! Vampires end up breaking poor Meagan in a confusing accident that ends with her being turned. Things kind of spiral out of control from there, ending up with Meagan and Ben's relationship becoming even... more. Don't worry, though, because Jane steps in to... help?

The story takes a lot of twists and turns, taking me from wanting to punch Ben, to wanting to punch Meagan, and finally to punch all of their enemies. It takes a lot of doing, but they eventually get to a happy ending in their new and unique life together. It was very nice to finally close the book on "poor Ben." Is there anyone left here that doesn't have their mate yet? Maybe the next book will be about new characters that also get drawn into Jane's web of madness.

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