It really pains me to give a two-star rating to any author, especially to one I so admire. First, let me say how stunning the cover art is. I love the colors and wish it was a painting on my wall. Second, if you read my reviews for the other two books in this trilogy, you'll understand this rating. I enjoyed the coziness surrounding Branna's home and work, but I was disappointed. There was too much dialogue and most of it was repeated by every character in nearly the same fashion. That and the predictability are my biggest complaints. I wish Nora Roberts had written about a couple of things she glossed over and made the final battle (which was exciting) a little longer. I still am in awe of her, though, and I don't think that'll ever change!

Very important read. I can see what others have said who gave it low ratings, but this book still impacted me in a way that I want to find more ways to help.

Being reacquainted with these characters and reemerging in this story was great fun. I was greeted by Crystal Collier's magical way with words that I admired while reading Moonless and Soulless.

In the third and final installment of this trilogy, Alexia has gone back in time (500 years) to stop the Soulless from becoming. The Soulless were once Passionate, but now they are "undying monsters who live in the darkness" and drain the Passionate of their vitality, turning them into Soulless creatures. Alexia is also eight weeks away from giving birth, and it's said that her life will end once her daughter is born. She's running out of time, and the future hangs in the balance. If she can't stop the Soulless from becoming, so many will be lost.

Alexia learns of a world where the Passionate live freely. This world could be the only safe place for the Passionate, if they can find it. Alexia and her comrades search for the gateway while battling men who keep hunting them down. In this story, Alexia is tougher than ever. It was nice seeing her grow.

Crystal has a way of storytelling that makes me sad and heartbroken along with her characters. Or swoon and smile at lighter moments. Not many authors' writings have that impact on me.

Timeless is a story of love...true and forbidden love. There's mystery with secrets finally coming to light (and they are mind-boggling), tension, action...everything.

There were moments that frustrated me a tad, such as the characters repeating their inner desires or debating over a romantic conflict in nearly the same way every time. I also kept screaming in my head, "Tell him. Tell him!" But when this romantic conflict plays out fully, it's worth it.

This story is everything you could ever want or expect with the Maiden of Time as the main character. A fantastic end to a great trilogy!

I highly recommend this trilogy!

*I received a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Death Stretch begins with Katie attending a yoga class after her best friend, Ginger, is blackmailed. Gingers suspects someone in her morning yoga class is the culprit. Morgan Anderson is the hot, muscular instructor and one of their suspects. During the class, they realize something is wrong when the instructor doesn't tell the class to end their corpse poses. Well, there's a reason for that...the instructor is dead. Ashantay Peters ends this scene with "Who knew yoga could kill you?"

What follows is an interesting murder mystery. Ashantay crafts an intriguing story with a fun character. Katie has a great voice and personality that had me smirking, A lot. Especially when it came to Detective Dirk Johnson aka Cop Sexy or Cop A-hole, depending on his mood. Their banter was entertaining. I laughed many times. And I do believe I blushed, too. I absolutely loved it when the two of them were together.

This story is fun from beginning to end. I read it in hours. I was so hooked, I didn't want to stop.

Highly recommended.

The children in this story are adorable and fun. My nephews laughed at the names Nick and Grace (step-brother and step-sister) called each other. And Gus, Nick's best friend, is a riot. Even Accident, their dog, was a lot of fun and very much one of the characters. Lily, Nick's baby sister, is also super cute...and sort of the star of the story.

I have to say that Beverly Stowe McClure nailed the characters. She knows how to write for children and about children. She teaches young readers about gardening, tackles the topic of animal abuse when kids pick on a cat at the park, and also parents that leave their kids for whatever reason. In this story, Nick's real dad left because he had a drinking problem and became abusive. But all of this is done in a light way that kids can understand.

There's a twist at the end that brings the family together (Nick, Nick's Mom, Grace, Grace's Dad, Baby Lily, Accident, and even the cat...Pirate Eye).

This is a sweet story with important lessons.

The only thing was the slang was dated (right-on, spiffy).

This is a retold fairy tale about Hansel and Gretel for adults (not children), and it's unlike anything you've read with zombies tied into the story we all know.

Hans wants to save his father's business, so he has to "marry" a woman for her money, but his fiance is not exactly a catch and gets them lost in the woods. After a long night, they come across a house where a lonely, senile woman lives. Hans soon finds himself stuck in a cage. For days, he tries to get out with no success. He manages to pry bricks out of the back wall, exposing a hole to a room. Inside the room is a young woman with cropped hair...Greta.

This story is slow, but I enjoyed the hints from other fairy tales in Han's and Greta's pasts.

The subtitle is accurate. This is definitely s dark version with a strange twist.

Three heartfelt Christmas stories with great lessons that we should all remember during this time of the year. I teared up at least once while reading each of these short stories.