**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**The Daemoniac is the first book in the Dominion Mystery series by Kat Ross. Earlier this year I read The Midnight Sea by Kat and I really enjoyed it. It was more of a high fantasy action adventure. This book felt completely different and I really liked this one too. Kat Ross is a very talented author. I am very happy that both of the books I have read by her have been so diverse and so excellent in their own regard.

The Daemoniac is a young adult detective mystery story with a flair of the paranormal. It felt like the anime Ghost Hunt (which I am super upset is no longer on Netflix! Why does Netflix keep taking all the good shows off? But I digress, that is a rant for another day.) mixed with the Jackaby series by William Ritter, and a touch of Penny Dreadful. I loved the atmospheric setting paired with all of the paranormal elements. I can't wait to read more in the Dominion Mystery series. I think it might be my favorite series yet by Kat Ross. It takes place in the late 1800s and 19 year old Harry is Author Conan Doyle's neice, and she paired with her friend John, are a detective duo I loved reading about. I am really on a sherlock type story kick and The Daemoniac really hit the spot.

I never know what is toot little or too much to divulge in reviews of mystery books, so I will leave the plot out of it and stick to some general highlights of the story. I loved how the story unfolded. I thought Kat Ross did an excellent job laying clues out, but at the same time making this one feel like a dark adventure. But my favorite of all is the setting. I felt like we were on the dreary streets of London in 1888, with the fear of Jack the Ripper looming and the people didn't even know about it. It was very well done. I was instantly transported to that time. There are a lot of characters to keep up with. Maybe a tad too many, however I feel like they will mostly be reoccurring characters, which will make it easier to keep track the more we see them. At times, I did wish we could strip out some of the superfluous secondary characters and focus more on just Harry and John.

Bottom line: The Daemoniac is a great read. Perfect for fans of the Jackaby series and of the Netflix tv show Penny Dreadful. I really enjoyed the ride this mystery took me on. Read it in the fall for a great atmospheric mystery.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**

All I need is the fourth book in the adult romance All In series by Callie Harper. I didn't realize this book was part of a series while I was reading it, so suffice it to say it can be read as a standalone. I would be interested in seeing who the previous three books featured. I wasn't sure if there was character overlap in this world or if they are really standalones. All I need had a contemporary beauty and the beast vibe. I enjoyed this book throughout, but it didn't blow me away. The writing and romance were good, but I think the main male character rubbed me the wrong way so I didn't fall head over heels with him.

All I need is told in dual narrative between Annie and Ian. Annie is hired by Ian's father to be a live in caretaker for Ian, who was injured as a teenager in a boating accident. I liked Annie but Ian was way too much for me. Too much everything. Too much of a jerk, too much of a control freak, too brooding (if there is such a thing.) I didn't like him at all at the start of the book, and in fact I almost set this down in favor of something else lighter, but I kept with and I am glad that I did. Ian got better for me. The more he got to know Annie, the better he got. He was still a little too intense for my tastes and still kind of a jerk, but he grew on me. (to an extent.)

The romance developed at a nice pace and I felt invested in the characters throughout the whole story. I read this one almost in one shot, so I did like it. I just didn't love it. But if you are looking for a very dark very brooding main character with a very innocent ray of sunshine counter part, you will really did this contemporary take on a modern beauty and the beast. I have no idea if that is what Callie Harper was going for, but that is the major vibe I was getting. All I need was a good read. I'm not sure if I will read the other books in the series or not, but I am going to check them out.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**

Internet Famous is a young adult standalone by author Danika Stone. I loved Danika's previous novel, All the Feels so much, so when I saw that her latest novel was about a blogger, I knew this was another fandom-centric novel that I was going to really enjoy. And I really did enjoy Internet Famous. Not quite as much as I loved All the Feels, but I thought Internet Famous was a great read. It was fun in a different way than I expected it to be.

In Internet Famous, our main character, Madi is a famous movie and tv show blogger. She does these live re-watches of all kinds of movies and tv series that sound epically awesome! I want to find a blogger that does something similar, because I really love the idea! I enjoyed Madi. She is a normal girl with her own set of teenage issues that made her very relate-able. I loved that the book spoke the jargon of fandoms and internet communities. The glossary at the start of the book was a brilliant and really fun idea.

At first glance, this book looks like a ton of fun, which it is but it also deals with some pretty serious issues- like cyber bullying, hacking and various family issues as well. Madi is wonderfully teenage. Meaning she is not perfect at all. She over-reacts sometimes, she makes mistakes, but throughout all of it, she is an admirably hard worker. Honestly, I respected the way she treated her blog. (Yes she made some mistakes in her past. but you have to read on in the book to find out what they were and if they are haunting her present.) but who hasn't? I loved her relationship with her special needs sister, Sarah. Sarah might have been my very favorite character in the whole book. I loved her. And speaking of other characters, my only annoyance with Internet Famous was Madi's mom. She was awful, and Madi seemed to be getting the brunt end of stick for calling her mom out on being so absentee. Why was it Madi's responsibility to pick up all the slack when it came to Sarah? I'm over crappy parents in general in young adult stories. It is such a pet peeve of mine. But putting my feelings for Madi's mom aside, I loved the mixture of sweet first romance with geekiness galore that we got in Internet Famous. No one writes stories full of fandom goodness quite like Danika Stone. This book will be perfect for fans of Geekerella and All the Feels.

I loved Internet Famous. It was exactly what I was looking for in a fun story about an internet famous blogger, and it was an extra unexpected surprise in the direction that Danika Stone took the story of. I am such a fan of her books. She is an auto-buy author for me, for sure.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**

Twisted Twosome is a standalone romantic comedy by author Meghan Quinn. I have really enjoyed all of Meghan's books that I have read in the past, and twisted Twosome was no exception. This was a fun banter filled romantic comedy about an unlikely couple that I downed in one sitting. There was really only one thing that bugged me, which we will get to later, but I doubt it will bug many of you. I think I am just weird. Let's start with all of the things I loved about Twisted Twosome.

I loved that this book was told in dual narrative between Racer and Georgiana, or Georgie as he calls her. I loved all of the bickering, bantering and pranks galore between the two of them. They were constantly trying to one up the other one, and I found it to be hilarious. Meghan Quinn is so good at writing romantic comedies. Her books always have me laughing. I also love the way she writes romantic tension. She is oh so good at crafting a slow burn romance. I loved Georgie and Racer. I loved them so, so much! Twisted Twosome was a whole lot of fun. The plot moved at a brisk pace and honestly, there really were not any dull moments. I had a lot of fun with Twisted Twosome.

And now for the one thing I didn't love. And I should warn you, I don't think this will be an issue for a vast majority of readers but it did irk me. Racer is busting his butt, working multiple jobs to try and pay back his dad's mountain of medical bills. So as I am reading, I felt so bad for him, thinking he was dealing with a sick father on top of everything else. But then I found out his dad had passed away, and I was even more upset for him. But then I thought about the medical bills. Which is son is not responsible to pay after his father passed away. It just bummed me out that Racer was working his butt off for something he doesn't have to do. So it annoyed me a little bit that the research was off on that point, but like I said, I'm weird. I don't think many people would even notice this, let alone be annoyed by it. So take my annoyance with a grain of salt. Other than that, I loved Twisted Twosome. The book was funny, sexy and all kinds of fun.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**Alex, Approximately is a young adult standalone romance by author Jenn Bennett. This book was so stinkin' cute and amazing, I can't stand it! In the best way of course. I expected to enjoy Alex, Approximately, but I didn't expect to fall so completely head over heels in love with it like I did. This is one of my favorite reads of the year! I mean business when I say Alex, Approximately deserves every bit of these five stars.

Alex, Approximately is the story of Bailey and Alex. Bailey, or Mink, and Alex, met online where they instantly bonded over their love of classic movies. Bailey knows that Alex lives in the same town in California as her dad, but she gets gun shy when it comes to telling Alex that she has moved in with her dad. She is nervous about taking her online friendship offline. Bailey is trying to search Alex out with the bits of information she knows about him. At the same time she starts working with this guy, Porter. I Absolutely loved seeing Bailey's internal struggle over her online friendship with Alex and her real life hate fest with Porter. Watching Bailey with Porter was hilarious, and awesome and OH-SO-SWOONY! I seriously loved them. Porter for sure takes the top spot of Book Boyfriend of the year. I love him so much.

But I also loved so many other things about Alex, Approximately. I loved Bailey and all of her quirkiness. I loved her new friendship with Grace. I loved how the whole online and offline relationships were handled, I loved all the movie references and I really loved the freakin' awesome mansion turned museum that Bailey, Grace and Porter work in. I want to visit!! In fact, there was not a single thing about this book that I didn't like. Jenn Bennett cast a magic spell of love over me. I fell in love with everything about Alex, Approximately. This is a book that you need to read. You need to read it now and you need to read it over and over again. This is one of my favorite books of 2017. It gave me all the feels. (and honestly, writing this review is making me want to re-read this beauty right now!) Do yourself a favor and read Alex, Approximately.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**One True Pairing is the second book in the Fandom Hearts series by Cathy Yardley, but it can be read as a standalone. I have not read book one, nor did I know it was part of a series when I first picked up the book, but I had absolutely no problem following along. The tag line for One True Pairing is "a geek girl rom com". I mean, does that not sound like something right up my alley. It totally does, and it totally was. It is like a new adult version of Geekerella. I really enjoyed this fun story, where one girl gets to live out every fandom girl's dream- having the actor fall for you.

One True Pairing is a really fun story. I enjoyed it a lot. It has some issues and roadblocks, but largely this book was pretty lighthearted, which is just what I was looking for. I loved all the fandom elements. I am finding out that I love a book that has a con. Jake is part of a show that is pretty similar to supernatural, so he is all kinds of paranormal bad-a**. (I think one of his co-stars is going to be the focus of another fandom hearts novel, and I am so so hoping that I'm right about that. ) I loved Jake hardcore in One True Pairing. I also really enjoyed Haley, though she did rub me the wrong way a few times. She is a tad too stubborn for my liking, but everyone is entitled to be pig headed at times I suppose. Either way, I thought Jake was super patient with Haley and I loved that. Their connection felt very genuine to me, which was the biggest key to winning my heart in this story. It didn't feel forced at all. The whole progression and relationship was beautifully developed and felt really natural. That was the best part about One True Pairing in my opinion.

Bottom line: If you are a fan of fandom (he-he) you will love One True Pairing. You will totally geek out with this story. It was so much fun. It is great for fans of Geekerella that are hoping for a new adult version of the story. I am now hooked on the Fandom Hearts series, I need to get book one and I can't wait to see what the next book will bring. Get ready to geek out over this adorably cute love story. 

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
**I have tried really hard, but it is unavoidable. This review will have spoilers of book 1. Do not read unless you have read book 1 of this series**

I LOVED The Vault of Dreamers (you can check out my review of book 1 HERE) when I read it last year, and I have been anxiously awaiting the release of book 2- The Rule of Mirrors. And you know how sometimes you love the first book in a series so much, and you are so excited for the second book that you start out with such high expectations, and sometimes the book falls a little flat? That is always the most disappointing thing for me, because I want to love it so bad! Well, that was not the case with Rule of Mirrors at all. I loved this book every bit as much as the first one, and I went into with a very high level of excitement and expectation.

The first book left off at a pretty critical cliffhanger. Rosie had uncovered a major secret of what was happening at her school, and she was expelled. But that is only the start of her (even crazier) journey in book two. The book is told from Rosie's point of view, but it is split between the Rosie we all know and love and the time Rosie is spending in someone else's body. You just have to read it to see what I mean. It is equal parts fascinating and terrifying. Caragh O'Brien is a master storyteller.

One of the frustrating things, but I also kind of loved it, was how much was going on in the book, and how much of it was very very mysterious. It was a confusing atmosphere for Rosie, and for the reader. The Rule of Mirrors still has a lot going on, but a good bit of confusion from the first book was cleared up and explained. The vibe of this book felt a bit different for that reason. Because I already knew and loved the characters, it was easy for me to fall into an addictive rhythm with this story. I really could not put it down because I felt like every time I would want to stop reading (you know, to run an errand, clean or actually get something done.), I would read just a couple more pages and something crazy would happen and I would get right back sucked in again.

Bottom line: if you like dystopians, and even if you are burnt out on them, the combination of dystopian and psychological thriller in this series is a huge hit in my book. I think it is a story that needs to be read. If you have not read the first book, read it now! You will want to dive right into the second book, I can almost guarantee it.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

full review to come

I have been back and forth on this book. I wasn't quite sure what exactly to talk about in the review or what to rate it. Normally I have a good list of specifics that I want to bring up, after reading a book.

But after reading The Birth of Jaiden, I found that I didn't have such a list. I just had some vague impressions. I enjoyed the book, and I would love to read more by Jennifer Malone Wright. The plot was really interesting and there was a lot going on, but for some reason I wasn't completely drawn into this book.

I was kind of neutral towards most of the characters, and I think that is what threw me for a loop. Normally I can pick out who I love and who I dislike, but here I kind of felt the same way towards a bunch of the people. It could have been because there were a lot of central characters and not too many secondary ones. Everyone played a pretty big role in the story. I will say I was not a fan of how quickly Alex liked Isabel. I would have liked to see more build up there. But I did love to read about their interactions later on in the story.

The book is right around 300 pages, but so much is going on that it feels a lot longer. I liked that about it- I love long books. However, some parts of the book felt a little choppy and confusing. It jumped around from character to character because there were so many people involved and a few sub-plots that I become confused a few times and would have to re-read parts. This is not a book that you can passively read. But once you really get into the meat of the story, it is really interesting!

The Birth of Jaiden certainly deals with some dark themes, so be prepared for that. These are not happy vampires, that's for sure. It can be quite heavy at parts.

I was intrigued the whole time I was reading The Birth of Jaiden though. I wanted to know what was going to happen. On a final reflection of the book, I thought it was good. I would like to see more from this author in the future.

Wow! This book was great. It totally took me by surprise so many times. So unexpected! Full review to come.