**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**The Thirteenth Gate is the first book in the Dominion Mystery series by Kat Ross. I have previously read The Daemoniac by her, which I thought was going to be the first book in the series, but really ended up being more of a prequel. I have also real the first book in her Fourth Element series, and I while I enjoyed that one was well, the Dominion series is really shaping up to be my favorite! But, what is cool about The Thirteenth Gate is that there is character overlap between the two series. It was very creative and well done on her part. I enjoyed getting to see Alex and Vivienne, though I have not read all the books in the Fourth Element series. The Thirteenth Gate did not disappoint. I loved this atmospheric read. It was exactly what I wanted, and I can't wait for more.

The Dominion series 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 too 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. It was very well done. I was instantly transported to that time. I loved watching the interaction between all of the characters. I am really hoping and pulling for more of a romance in the next book. It was just hinted at in The Thirteenth gate and I am itching to see more of it.

Bottom line: The Thirteenth Gate 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. I think this might be my very favorite Kat Ross book yet!

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
Bad Breed is the third book in the Gaslamp Gothic series by author Kat Ross. The gaslamp Gothic series, was previously known as the Dominion Mystery series, which includes The Daemoniac and The Thirteenth Gate. I love Kat Ross' books. Her writing is always so on point and engaging, which these days is one of the most important aspects I look for when I picking what books I want to read. And I think Bad Breed might be my favorite Kat Ross novel yet! I am such a big fan of reimaginings, and lately I have been loving darker reads, so a dark reimagining of Beauty and the Beast is right up my alley! I loved this book!

Though Bad Breed is the third book in the Gaslamp Gothic series, it can be read as a standalone, so if you really don't want to, you do not have to reads the first two books. However, I really enjoyed both The Daemoniac and The Thirteenth Gate, so if you love a good dark series, I would read them all in order. Bad Breed works well as a standalone book. You get to know the characters just fine without the backstories from the other books in the series. The only new concept to you is something that is introduced in Kat Ross' other crossover series- The Fourth Element Series,where you learn all about the history of the Deavas and their bonds. That is another great series, and I totally recommend it, but you don't need to read it in order to fall in love with Bad Breed.

In Bad Breed, we meet Ann, who is an occult investigator and is such an awesome character! Our story here is set in the late 1800s in Texas, but we get to travel over to Europe in the course of the story. We also meet the slightly dramatic but definitely intriguing Gabriel. And fans of the series get to see older characters like Vivienne and Nathaniel, which was a big treat for me. This story is completely magical and enthralling. I loved the romance, I loved the intrigue, and I loved that it has all kinds of my favorite elements- the paranormal, secret societies, secrets galore, and a gothic atmosphere. Kat Ross, you wrote this book specifically for me!

Bottom line: Bad Breed is my favorite Kat Ross book to date! Perfect for fans of the Jackaby series and of the Netflix tv show Penny Dreadful, and fairy tale reimaginings with a dark feel. 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

This book was ok. A little rushed in my opinion, but I liked it well enough to want to continue on in the series. I loved the secondary character of Ava (Mor's best friend) she was my favorite character in the whole novel.

The wolf shifters were also interesting and I would love to see more from them in the next book and get to know them a little better. There was not much romance in this story, but the little hints that there were felt a bit forced to me, so I will have to see how that aspect works out in the next novel. Jury is still out on that.

Bottom line: if you like reverse harem's that feature a magical academy with lots of mean girls and many different types of creatures, this series might be right up your alley.

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**Forever Chosen is an adult paranormal romance novella in the vampire brides series. The books in the vampire brides series are each standalones, so they can be read in any order, and they are all written by different authors and have different lengths and heat levels. I like the concept behind a series like this, and I think it would be perfect if you are craving some vampire romance. My problem is I think I am just over vampires at the moment. Most of the time, they don't feel unique or different enough, and that was kind of my experience with Forever Chosen. This book was ok. It was well written and the story and characters were fine. It just didn't excite me because I didn't really want to be reading about vampires. That is entirely a me issue, not a book issue. I think if you are in the mood for a vampire romance, this book and this series will be right up your alley.

Forever Chosen is the story of Katherine, a human girl and Hayden. The story starts out with Hayden being turned into a vampire, and let me tell you it is not a pretty tale of turning. He was turned by a very cruel master and then he was tortured for a very long time, which is saying a lot for an immortal creature. So his torture has stuck with him. Even so, I really enjoyed Hayden. I felt his struggle and I felt his emotion towards Katherine. Their story was a nice one. It clocked in at about 175 pages, so I flew through it very quickly, but in the end I was left with the impression that it was just ok. I have read other books by K.L. Bone and I really enjoy her writing style. I would recommend checking out her Rise of the Temple Gods series. Forever Chosen was just an ok read for me.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

Spark is the first book in the Academy of Unpredictable Magic series by author by Sadie Moss. I have to say, I enjoyed this book even more than I enjoyed the last series I read by Sadie Moss. Perhaps it is because I am a sucker for an academy romance, and this one has a harry potter vibe going on (specifically chamber of secrets), plus the whole reverse harem thing and you pretty much have a winner in my book.

I really enjoyed getting to know Elliot and all four of the guys. They are all great characters, and I like that they are each different but they are all equally awesome, and sweet. Elliot is a total badass, and I really appreciate the great relationship that she has with her sister.

I can't wait to learn more about the different types of unpredictable magic. If you ask me, all of the interesting powers are categorized as unpredictable, so people who can weild it are the real winners in this world...in my opinion. I bet Elliot is going to have some interesting powers developing as we learn more about them.

Bottom line: If you are a fan of academy reverse harems, the Academy of Unpredctable Magic is one series that you do not want to miss! I can't wait to read more.

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

Dragonslayer is the first book in the epic fantasy series of the same name by author Duncan Hamilton. I have been so into fantasies lately and I have always been intrigued by and love books that feature dragons, so I knew this was going to be right up my alley. The cover of this book drew me in immediately, and it kind of reminded me of the Eragon series. Though I will say, Dragonslayer is more adult and is more on the epic fantasy scale. I am super excited to read the next book in this series. The world was confusing for me at times, but that can sometimes be the case in Epic fantasy, and Duncan Hamilton does include a world map, which really helps when I am trying to place things for context.

Dragonslayer is the story of Guillot dal Villevauvais, also known as Gill. Once Gill rescues Solene, the story really started to take off for me. Solene was more interesting to me than Gill because of her magic, but I really did enjoy the dynamic between the two of them throughout the story. I didn't dislike Gill per se, but I didn't love him like I loved Solene and the drgaon. In fact, my favorite part of the story is that we did get to see things from the dragon's point of view, which was completely awesome. Most of the time, I felt like I understood the dragon and motivations more than some of the other characters! Because we got to catch a glimpse, even more than a glimpse really, inside the Dragon's mind, I was so firmly on his side, rather than the people who were hunting him's side. (#teamdragon)

At times I was hoping for a bit more detail, both on the character building front and in the world building arena, but what the story did not lack was action. Dragonslayer is action packed, so if you are a fan of action filled adventure fantasies, this is going to be an awesome series for you to dive into.  There are still many questions left unanswered by the end of Dragonslyer. I am hoping that we get many of those answers in the next book. Dragonslayer is set to be a trilogy, and it is one that I am interested in continuing. 

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs