Right away I was thrown off when one of the crucial characters from the first book was gone (with the snap of a finger). However, I loved the story! It was exciting, funny, and cute. Plus, I liked the ending, which is good because I was disappointed with the ending for the first book in the trilogy.

I immediately loved the characters: Rain, Jason, Allie, and A.J. They all felt so real and reminded me of my friends after high school. I am a big fan of anything supernatural and I wholeheartedly believe in ghosts, so I loved the supernatural and ghostly happenings that occurred throughout the story. The pacing was a bit slow for my taste, but it picked up halfway through and then I had to force myself to stop reading (4 chapters to the end) to get some sleep. lol

If I was Rain, I don’t think I would have been as forgiving toward everyone. I did like how motherly she was to her friends though and how she always wanted to cook for them. Where is she to cook my dinner? ;)

The romance in this story takes a backseat to the friendships, but I liked the romantic tension between Rain and Jason as well as the growing mystery surrounding Brandy’s disappearance. I did find it a bit silly that the characters couldn’t put together what Brandy, the ghost, was trying to tell them; it seemed too obvious to me. The ending was a shock though. I had a few theories, and none of them were right, which is a very good thing. If you like sweet romances with a ghost story mixed in, this is the book for you!

*I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.*

All of my friends who read 50 Shades of Grey loved it, but many of my writer friends thought it was terrible, so I had some serious reservations about this book. I didn't even pick it up until my sister lent me the trilogy and even then it took me several months to open it. With that said, I don't think the story was as amazing as I was led to believe. The story line was mediocre, but that's not to say it wasn't good because it was! And although it is an erotica, I've read steamier love scenes in normal romance novels. Also, the writing wasn't as horrible as I was led to believe either. Sure, there were cliches, redundancies, and repetition, but that doesn't make it bad in my eyes. I personally thought it was well written.

Now that that's out of the way . . . onto the good stuff! I loved Ana and Christian's first meeting. I found myself smirking at nearly everything they said. There were moments in the beginning though when I wanted to smack Ana. Twenty-one-year-old virgins aren't nearly as clueless as EL James made Ana. But I did see a little of myself in her, which helped me to identify with her. Certainly not her situation though. haha And I do love Christian Grey as a character. He's mysterious, strange, and yes, sexy.

Halfway through, I was actually anxious over Ana's decision. I even enjoyed all of their email exchanges, and the funny insights into Ana's subconscious and inner goddess, which I thought was pretty clever.

The ending was a shock too. I will definitely be reading 50 Shades Darker because I want to know more about Christian Grey. ;)

To read my review of 50 Shades of Grey follow this link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/803799972?book_show_action=false

4.5 stars

I noticed a lot of repeated phrases, words, and dialogue exactly like the first book, which got old quickly. The descriptions for most of the sex scenes seemed to be the same too, as if I was reading them over and over again, and that did get boring.

The story line for 50 Shades Darker is better than the first book though. There's more going on than just sex. Ana's and Christian's relationship grows, and there are interesting moments with a stalking ex-sub, Ana's boss, and Mrs. Robinson.

Two-thirds of the way in it gets really good. My heart actually broke a few times and there were moments that literally made my jaw drop.

I loved the masquerade charity event. I was wondering when the mask on the cover would come into play. The growing climax was entertaining and had me on the edge of my seat. At the end, I was biting my nails and cheering at the same time. While reading the last few pages, I was grinning like a fool. It was the end and the improved plot that bumped my rating to a 4.5.

And once again, I want to know what happens next.

I love mythology, so this was a real treat! I liked how Kelly Hashway turned the tale of Medusa and Poseidon into a love story. She writes vividly, manifesting stunning images in your mind while you're reading. Curse of Death is also heartbreaking. At the end, we find out how Medusa becomes the serpent-haired monster we all know her as. I highly recommend this short story to all mythology lovers!