Review: Break the Day

Break the Day by Lara Adrian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't think I can quit this series, no matter how much I am going through the motions with these latest books. I think it has something to do with the audiobook narrator, but like I said - I just can't quit!

At this point, all the books are leading up to some sort of massive Opus Nostrum showdown. This book, however, does not get there. Yes, we get some steps taken to get closer to these bad guys, but in reality, this is a love story. Rafe, who was duped in the previous book by a double agent, is on a secret mission to get into a gang supposedly linked to Opus. It's on this mission that he discovers Devony, a daywalker who has an even bigger reason to hate Opus. They end up teaming up (in more ways than one - get it?) and they fight the good fight together.

This book didn't really distinguish itself from the rest, except that we get a different view of the tragedy that happened. The repercussions are obviously huge, and Devony is just one of what will probably be many people wanting revenge. Not really sure why everyone feels the need to go after the on their own, but we get that again, too. The weapons are firmly in Underworld territory now, so that should ramp up the fighting when we get there.

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Review: Bloodlines and Broomsticks

Bloodlines and Broomsticks by Robyn Bachar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am so glad I continued on with this series. This book is so much better than book#1 and gave me some more enjoyable characters, while still building in this world. You could probably start here if you really wanted to, but as a series, I'm sure it will all connect in the next book even more than in this one.

This book introduces us to the mysteriously untrained magical family of the previous liaison between the fae and human worlds. In the last book, I didn't really understand why she wouldn't have trained her family in magic, but we don't really get that answer here. Instead, we watch Riley, newly introduced to the magical world, be tasked with trying to train for a fight she is woefully unprepared for. She's got her own baggage from her somewhat recent divorce, trying to make her own way when she gets this extra burden. Oh, and people start trying to kill her.

During the first real attempt on her life, she escapes through a mirror, only to be accidentally struck down by a shifter. There's all sorts of badness and prejudice associated with shifters, so this makes Riley's life even harder (ugh). But, bonus, she gets a shifter bodyguard who used to be a sorcerer assigned to her. So - why did I enjoy this book more than the previous one? The magic just seemed more fun. The love interest was not a horrible person. Riley was way more enjoyable and, well, I am kind of on her team in whatever fight that may ensue. Bring on the next book!

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Review: The Spellslinger

The Spellslinger by S.M. Reine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't even know where to start reviewing these books any more. There is so much baggage and world building that happened prior to this installment that you should go way back and start at the beginning in order to appreciate the gravity and importance of everything here.

Lincoln and Sophie are in bad shape at the start of this book and it only gets worse. We pick off where we left off with the whole end of the world business (again). Sophie is still pregnant and Lincoln is still a pretty big jerk. I've never been a real big Lincoln fan, but in this book I turned a page in that book. Everything changes here (maybe even in other timelines and who knows what else? timey wimey and all that...). The ultimate goal of these two is to set things right and head back to their timeline.

Without too many spoilers here - do they do that? Yes? Kind of? Sort of? Only time (ha-ha) can tell if things have been set right or maybe even better than before. Part of me is hoping for changes, part of me is hoping for going back to the old timeline for everyone but Sophie and Lincoln. There's a lot of changes that I cannot wait to see happen between these two, and I wasn't even mad about this wild, messed up universe and all of its graphically awful things.

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Review: The Enforcer

The Enforcer by Abigail Owen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a continuation of this series of dragon enforcers, but somehow managed to feel totally fresh and new. I really enjoyed the stubborn romance in this one.

Cami is a tough as nails woman who knows how to speak her mind and stand up for herself. This is probably why she was trying to catch the last of her baby goats and load them into the truck when Drake, a dragon shifter fighting the fire that threatened her land, first spotted her. It was pain in the ass at first sight between these two and only got more complicated from there. Drake is his usual glum self, made even more so by his impending death if he doesn't find a mate. Is he looking for one? No, of course not. Well, like it or not, Cami is a possible mate.

Cami does not take the easy path to mate-dom. It takes a visit from the elusive Rune to get her away and safe, only to be reintroduced to Drake. These two were stubborn in the most awesome, reluctant way. I was also reluctant to be on team Cami/Drake, but I got there by the last half. The way they work together is *amazing* by the end, and, of course, we are delivered a solid HEA.

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Review: The Goddess Gets Her Guy

The Goddess Gets Her Guy by Ashlyn Chase
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the last of the wild and crazy installments in this world (I think), so maybe this isn't the place to start the series. Instead, if you've been watching this all play out, it wraps up things nicely for all involved.

Gaia, aka Mother Nature, has played a big role in the previous books set in this world. Some more than others, but she is almost always pretty mean about it, even when she's helpful. I have to admit, I had a really hard time liking her. Sure, I guess everybody deserves to get their HEA, but she's just... so... mean. The book starts with her yelling at all her paranormals about breaking her "one rule" again, but then seems to mellow out a bit with the help of her sisters.

Aaron, the father of a set of witches we met previously, finds himself in a bit of a transition. Due to his failing health, he can no longer be a doctor, but without his job he finds it hard to pass the time. His daughter (the one not mated to a phoenix) ends up getting dumped by her husband while pregnant, leaving them to team up and head to Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is now apparently filled with all our favorite paranormals from previous books and welcomes them with open arms. It's here that Gaia and Aaron end up hooking up.

Again, I had some trouble giving Gaia her HEA, but I supposed everyone deserves one. With all the characters, I also found it a little hard to keep up, so was mostly just along for the ride here. As an ending to this series, it makes sense Gaia would find her match in a human-ish person.

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Review: Boundary Haunted

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

This book was near perfect in my mind - filled with mystery, action, paranormal tough chick goodness, and everything that makes Lex awesome. If you're joining this show already in progress, I'd recommend you back it up and start with Book#1. This world has a lot of baggage you'll want to unpack.

Lex is beautifully broken in this book. She's human (kind-of), so she's actually showing the strain of the traumatic events she's recently gone through. Shocker, right? Usually we power through and the tough girls just ignore what's bothering them. Don't get me wrong - Lex tries the ignore option, but supernatural drama puts her in the unique place to face her fears and accept an out of town assignment that will involve lots and lots of ghosts. You know, the thing that traumatized her in her most recent death defying adventure.

Right after she shows up, it's clear that the job was not truthfully explained. Beau, the local crazy head honcho vampire, also sees ghosts, so these two have something in common. They begrudgingly develop a bit of respect for one another, only to have everything get turned on its head and go badly. There's injuries, not Dresden-level ones, but still, these books are filled with wounds, both physically and emotionally. I fell more in love with Lex in this one, though, and now I'm firmly Team Lex.

Since this is a road trip type book, we don't get everyone for as much as you'd expect - namely Quinn and Maven. I think this was a nice change and gave us a chance to see Lex as her own person. Maybe that's why I think I liked this book best so far out of the series? It was nice to be pretty surprised by a book that's 5 into this series and several into this world. I can't wait to see what Lex does next!

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Review: How to Run with a Naked Werewolf

How to Run with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this third (and last) of the series, I wasn’t exactly sure how we were going to tie this whole world together, but boy oh boy did it ever! I’m sure you can start here and catch up quickly, but as a Molly Harper fan, I’m glad I’m filling in all the blanks.

Remember Anna Moder? She’s the doctor that works on the werewolves, but is not one herself. How does one lure an actual, legit doctor to a werewolf community and swear them to secrecy? Well, they’ve got to be on the run from something. That’s just the background that matches “Anna.” That’s not really her name, but since we use it a lot, let’s stick with that. She was on the run from an abusive husband and hiding out in all sorts of strange places. She eventually got sent to Grundy to act as doctor to this secluded group by her anonymous contact. Said anonymous contact ends up being unmasked by the end (and it’s awesome), so no worries there. So, Anna, she’s back on the run again because she found out her ex had caught up with her trail to werewolf-land. On the run, however, who does she end up getting caught up with? Another werewolf.

Caleb is a werewolf bounty hunter type person who ends up having his life saved by Anna. They pair up in a nice buddy comedy sort of way, except with way more sexual tension. There were just too many secrets between them for it to go smoothly, though, so we get the usual mistrust, deception, reveal, sexy times combo. In the end, we all get a nicely wrapped up ending that doesn’t involve any more violence than you need. As the end of a trilogy, this works nicely. I’m happy I went along for the ride with these werewolves.


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