Witchfall is book two in The Tudor Witch Trilogy and from the first page, pulls the reader back into Meg Lytton’s story. She is a maid to Princess Elizabeth and also happens to be a witch….during a period of time where it is definitely not safe to be one (or just identified as one).

Book one left off with Meg fighting off Marcus Dent and Alejandro proposing to Meg and things pick up shortly after the end of that book. Now that Elizabeth has been brought back to court with the King and Queen, they are not only hiding the fact that Meg is a witch from the Inquisition but they also are trying to hide their feelings and relationship as well.

As the story progresses, it is clear that Alejandro is struggling with doing his duty as a priest and keeping Meg safe. She continually puts her safety aside in her service to Elizabeth and despite the fact that she really does love Alejandro; she continues to push away his offer of marriage. It was hard to see him think that Meg was putting him third to her service to Elizabeth and her magic and every time she did it I thought for sure he would finally walk away. Kudos to him for holding on.

Along with the relationship challenges she is facing, being at court puts Meg into more danger with the Inquisition. Senor de Pero knows there is more to Meg and he definitely believes the rumors he has heard about her. He will also do what he can to get to Elizabeth and ultimately his best route is through her maids. By taking them in for questioning, he hopes to get some sort of evidence to put Elizabeth in jail. Despite the treatment she receives at the hands of de Pero, Meg is able to escape the questioning without implicating Elizabeth through the outreach Elizabeth did to get her released.

The characters are a key part of what keeps me interested in this story. Meg still has her strength and I like that about her. The problem is that despite all she has been through so far, she continues to do things that put her in danger.

What bothered me most was the fact that Elizabeth was only ever concerned about herself. Yes, she is a princess so there is a sense of entitlement but she never really thought about the consequences to the things she asked Meg to do. When she asks Meg to bring her mother back so she can talk to her, Meg does it because she was basically ordered to do so, but Elizabeth then proceeded to blame Meg for all of the problems after, it made me want Meg to tell her it was mostly her fault.

I enjoyed seeing William, Meg’s brother, come back into the mix in this book. Meg was awful quick to forgive him for the betrayal he committed in book one and to be honest, I’m not sure that I remember that happening but I can see why she would have jumped at having a familiar face/person around when he showed up, regardless of what happened in the past.

Alice is a question mark for me yet. There are times where she comes across as a real friend to Meg but other times where I thought she was up to something. Perhaps that is just me being untrusting of her motives but I just am not sure how I feel about her yet.

Richard was an interesting character but I felt like his confession to Meg when he went to tell her what happened with Marcus Dent came out of nowhere. There was no build up to him telling her he loved her outside of the jealousy that Alejandro felt seeing them work together. I didn’t feel like they had enough time to develop a relationship like that.

As the story progresses, we learn that Meg is continuing to have visions and she is having a hard time determining what is really in store for her future versus what is just a nightmare. Regardless, she has been having visions that include Marcus Dent and when William tells Meg that he is back and not happy, she knows something is going to happen.

As things come to a head, Meg is definitely tested and ultimately things follow the path of her visions. When she comes face to face with Marcus, she realizes that he won’t rest until she is dead because he believes that she is the witch that he was told would kill him one day. They are enemies and he won’t rest until she is dead and he has control.

I look forward to the final book of this trilogy. Not only to see what happens next for Meg but how things will get resolved. Will Meg give up her magic? Will she decide to marry Alejandro? What will she do to defeat Marcus considering he most likely won’t stop coming after her until she is dead. What about Elizabeth – will she come back into the story? Will we see her become queen? So many questions yet unanswered! Definitely check this series out if you haven’t already – it combines the historical with the magical and mixes in a bit of a love story. All things I definitely enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Teen for the review copy!

The Wicked We Have Done by Sarah Harian is the first book of the Chaos Theory series and I found that I was quickly pulled into this story. It was a fairly quick read that had me continuously wondering what was going to happen next and contained enough action and mystery to keep me on the edge of my seat.

Having been accused of murder, Evalyn is given the option to either complete her trial (where she would most likely be found guilty) or be sent to one of the Compass Rooms that the government had created. A Compass Room is something that was developed to determine whether the criminals sent there were truly a threat to society. The idea is that through technology and studying the participants (?) brainwaves, the technology would determine whether the person would survive their tests or be executed. Evalyn decides that this is her best chance at survival – even though she knows she doesn't deserve to continue living.

As the group of participants are transported from prison to the CR, we get an introduction to each and every one. The main characters that become the focus of the story in addition to Evalyn are Casey, Jace, and Valerie. All the others play roles in the full story but these are the four that build relationships in the CR and end up working together to survive not only their tests but also the craziness of the CR.

Overall the characters were good but no one really won me over and had me invested in what happened to them. I liked Evalyn but I didn't love her and I thought the relationship that was developed with Casey was interesting. One minute he was threatening to kill her and then the next he is saving her from the fire at the house.

As the CR kicks off the testing of each person, Evalyn starts to see an issue with the way they system is operating. A few times she notices a glitch just before a test begins and eventually she comes up with a way to push the system and take advantage of a loophole. If the CR malfunctions/glitches, all remaining candidates are removed and then retried with the information that was gathered. As they work together to try to try to make this happen, things don’t turn out exactly as Evalyn thought it would. I’m not going to give anything away on what happens but I was definitely not putting the book down until I finished as I needed to know who eventually made it out.

I thought this book had an interesting summary and that is what ultimately drew me in. Harian does a great job developing a story that includes action, mystery, and a bit of romance. By weaving in the chapters of the past I was able to learn more about Evalyn outside of her crime and understand who she is as a person…not just a criminal. As a debut novel, it was done well and I look forward to reading the next book of this series. I’m not sure where it is going to go but I’m definitely interested.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for the review copy.

AHH - When does book 2 come out??

I loved Death Sworn by Leah Cypess. It has a strong sorceress who will do whatever she must in order to save/protect her people and is exactly what I love about Fantasy novels. There are strong characters, magic, assassins, and great mystery. Also, that cover is perfect! There is so much going on in this story that I am already expecting to ramble so if I do, I apologize.

Because Ileni has been trained as a sorcerer but has recently found out her magic is fading, she was chosen for the dangerous mission with the Assassins to find out what has happened to the Sorcerers/Teachers that were sent before her. The first one lived there for ten years and the one after that only made it a few months. As she enters the hidden cave, she realizes just how much danger she is facing especially because she has a limited amount of magic left.

I really liked Ileni. Her life has been turned completely upside down since the day she found out from her second testing that she was not the sorcerer that would be leading the Renegai. Having spent her whole life preparing for that role as well as planning to spend her life with Tellis, she knows her value to the Renegai has severely plummeted. When the elders ask her to go to the Assassin’s cave, she agrees to go and assumes it will be the last thing she does. Despite her lack of magic, Ileni is still pretty tough and willing stand up for herself as well as throw in a bit of sarcasm even if she is completely scared out of her mind. Yes, she and Sorin start to develop a level of trust and I might call it friendship and potentially even more. Ileni definitely comes to depend on Sorin – at times for protection but at other times for someone she can trust. Their relationship builds slowly and I appreciated that as they both had reasons not to trust the other.

As Ileni first enters the cave, she is met by Sorin and he is tasked by the Master to watch over her and protect her. Even though he tries to keep her at arm’s length, Sorin begins to care about her and when things get really dangerous, he has to decide whether he will stick with his mission or choose to protect Ileni. I liked Sorin as well. He is considered one of the better assassins and has developed a reputation within the group. Because of that, Ileni is somewhat protected but not always.

The Master is running everything from his area of the caves and has each and every assassin at his beck and call. He also can get them to do anything he wants them to with a simple order. With that in mind, his ultimate goal is to destroy the Empire.

As the story progresses, we begin to find out there is more here than originally thought. Ileni eventually finds out what is really going on not only with the past sorcerers but how it all fits into the Masters big plan. Ileni makes a decision that, despite the fact that it will create larger issues for her, she knows in the long run is the right decision.

I do wish we would have had some more background on the Empire and although fairly extensive, the caves were pretty one dimensional. I look forward to the next book when we venture outside the caves and see more of the world.

I absolutely could not put this book down and thought Cypess did a great job of building the story out and creating some wonderful characters. I am definitely looking forward to book two in this series and if you enjoy the fantasy genre, recommend you check this one out as soon as you can.

4.5 stars for this one. Review to come.

2.5 - 3 stars

Burn Out by Kristi Helvig was a solid book one and a fast paced, quick read. It is full of action and quite a few twists and turns.

Tora is seventeen and living on her own on an Earth that is now a wasteland. The sun has wiped out all of the sources of water and a good portion of the population. On top of this, before Tora’s father died, he told her all about the weapons he created for the Consulate (the government) as well as the fact that for her security and to thwart the Consulate, he keyed them so that they would only work with her vibrations.

Spoiler

I didn’t really get the “vibrations” thing and it was never explained why James was able to bypass the lock. I wish we would have gotten a bit more explanation of both things.

Tora is tough – she has had to be and I thought she was a good character. She tried hard to keep the weapons out of Markus’ hands but when he came back with help, she really didn’t have much choice. I appreciated her sarcastic wit and her ability to maintain her attitude even when faced with odds that were not in her favor.

James is still a mystery to me. I have no idea what his agenda is although it is clear he is some sort of double agent…at least that is where I think that storyline is going.

The other characters were interesting. Britta did a complete 180 and there didn’t seem to be a real explanation. I liked Markus but when he and Tora had their first interaction in the book I had the sense that he was pretty much all about doing what was right for him and again, his character completely changed about halfway through the book.

Alex confused me as I wasn’t sure what he was supposed to add to the story. We got brief snippets of his background story but I’m curious about what he is going to add to this one other than being someone that Kale can manipulate.

Speaking of Kale – it would have been great to get more information about his motives and what he was trying to accomplish. Yeah he wanted to get one over on the Consulate but I feel like there is more to it than that.

Don’t think that I didn’t like this story because I did and I think it has a lot of potential. My challenges mostly come from the fact that this story was short. It comes in at about 270 pages but there didn’t seem to be enough time for me to get everything I needed from this book and the ending felt really rushed and abrupt.

Overall this was a solid story that pulled me in and had me rooting for the main character. There is quite a bit of action, a little bit of romance, and a lot of question about who can be trusted and who can’t. I will be interested to see where Helvig goes with the rest of this story and will definitely pick up the second book when it comes out.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

I really like this one. I would rate it a 4.5 out of 5 stars if I could.

The story is about Gwyneth Shepherd, the de Villiers family and their ability to time travel. Gwyneth grew up thinking her cousin was the one fated to be the time traveler of her generation but despite her mother trying her best to keep Gwyneth away from that life, she ended up being the one with the gene. On top of all of that, she also sees and can talk to ghosts.

I love the characters in this story. Gwyneth has a personality and the parts with her interacting with Lesley and Gideon were my favorite. In addition to Lesley and Gideon, I also liked Dr. White, Mr. George, Robert, and James - they all added to the story.

I will say I felt like this book flew by and I didn't get enough. There is a definite mystery here of who's good and who isn't. From Paul and Lucy to the Count and the Guardians...it was definitely hard to figure anything out. The prologue and epilogue that focus on Paul and Lucy have me wondering something but I will hold out until I read the next book...which I am hoping is soon.

If you aren't a fan of series books that don't have a conclusion - hold off until you can read them all as this one drops off right in the middle of the story...both the larger time travel piece as well as the first kiss. I will definitely continue with this series.

I enjoyed The Midnight Witch by Paula Brackston as it was an engaging story and Brackston created some interesting characters. I will admit that although this was a good story, I enjoyed some of Brackston’s other books more.

Lilith is a witch and next in line to lead the Lazarus Coven. She is also the daughter of the Duke of Radnor so she leads a pretty visible life that is dictated by the rules of society. She has grown up trying to mix the two worlds and when her father passes away, feels she is absolutely prepared for the next step. Lucky for her, her fiancé is also a member of the coven and one of society’s most eligible bachelors so she is able to balance the two parts of her life with the assistance of a select group of people around her.

At the same time that Lilith is transitioning into her new role within the coven, the Sentinels – a group of sorcerers who are dedicated to getting back the elixir the coven took from them long ago, decide to make their move to not only get the elixir but also begin eliminating the threat of the coven. While Lilith is a strong necromancer, she definitely faces some challenges and has to figure out what she needs to do to protect the members of the coven and their secrets.

While all of this is happening, Lilith also comes to the conclusion that while she loves her fiancé, Louis, she does so more out of her friendship and the fact that she grew up with him, not because she is desperately in love with him. I personally liked Louis and it was clear he truly cared for Lilith. He was a bit removed from what really was going on with the coven and only entered into the story here and there, but what I read of him was great and made me want more. He definitely got the shafted when storylines were handed out but he took things well which only made him a better character in my mind.

Bram Cardale is an artist who comes to London to work with his mentor, Richard Mangan, a well-known sculptor. When Lilith’s best friend, Charlotte, decides to have Mangan create a piece for her parents, Lilith is introduced to Bram and they ultimately find themselves drawn to one another. As their feelings develop, so do the dangers that not only Lilith faces, but also, now Bram as Lilith discloses who she really is and what that means for them.

I really did enjoy this story but there were some things that threw me off a bit. It was odd that there were such large time jumps throughout the book and where they happened was a bit confusing. And not just a minimal amount of time…typically years would pass. Also, about half the book covered the time span immediately following the death of Lilith’s father and then the remainder jump years ahead which I’m not sure were necessary.

Overall I enjoyed the characters that Brackston developed. They were interesting and kept me engaged in the story. Lilith was strong and determined but still felt the constrictions of society. I also thought Charlotte was a great character as she provided the support Lilith needed in the non-witch world and could help her figure out what to do about the things she wasn’t so sure about….like the men in her life.

Another solid book by Brackston and if you have enjoyed her other books, you might also enjoy this one. While The Witch’s Daughter still holds top place in my list of favorites by Brackston, this story is solid and brings the reader into a dangerous world and interesting time in history. If you enjoy historical fiction with a bit of witchcraft woven into the story, definitely check this one out.

Another great story by Ruthie Knox.

The Roman Holiday serial by Ruthie Knox is another great romance adventure that only makes me love her stories more. If you haven’t read any of her stuff, definitely get on it. Her books have some great characters, interesting stories, and some hot/sexy stuff in them.

Ashley Bowman has been living a pretty aimless life and when she finds out that her grandmother, the woman who raised her, has passed away and sold her property (Sunnyvale) to Roman Diaz, a Miami real estate developer, she takes some drastic steps to attempt to stop him from demolishing the land. It all begins with her chaining herself to a palm tree on the property. In exchange for removing the chains, Roman agrees to take Ashley on a road trip as she believes if she can show him what the property truly means to the people that have vacationed there; she can get him to change his mind.

Roman is a fairly closed off character in the beginning. He is drawn to Ashley but is against everything she represents. He loves order and structure while she is chaos personified. As we get to know more about Roman we get to learn more about his life growing up and why he is the way he is. It is easier to be with Carmen and not worry about the fact that their relationship is what it is mostly due to convenience rather than the fact that they truly love each other. Don’t get me wrong, I do think they care for each other but they clearly don’t love each other.

As Roman and Ashley travel around and they start to learn more about each other, they realize not only are they attracted to each other but they see something in the other person that makes them want to be better and different from what they have been. There are ups and downs and as they start to face their feelings, they realize they can help each other.

I loved seeing the change in Roman’s character. He was wound so tight at the beginning of the book and by the time he and Ashley get together, he is clearly very different in both his willingness to work with Ashley as well as his appearance. As the story progresses, we see a bit of a change in Ashley too. Roman called it a quest and I think it is somewhat appropriate. She is on a mission to find out what happened with her grandmother but also find out more about herself. Seeing herself through the eyes of others, she sees that she needs to change and her relationship with Roman becomes the motivation she needs.

One thing I love about Knox’s stories, in addition to the story, is how she writes the actual romance and holy hell can she write a hot sex scene. All I can say is the scene in the Airstream and the one in the tent….both were perfect. (I know…that’s kind of mean but you definitely want to read these for yourself without me giving anything away).

I really did enjoy this serial and I loved the approach Knox took to this story. The episodes were broken up in the perfect spots. As the story builds, so do the character stories and as usual with anything Knox writes, she pulls you into the lives of these characters and won’t let you go until the story is complete. One thing I wasn’t expecting was the link to Knox’s Camelot series and it was nice to revisit some of those characters within this story. As I repeatedly say, if you haven’t read any stories by Ruthie Knox, I’m not sure what you are waiting for…get on it. She is definitely on my autobuy list and I encourage you to do the same!

Liked this one...I mean, a hot Irishman? I'm on board!

I really enjoyed this story by Cara McKenna. As with any short story, there are things I wanted to know more about. Like why did Noel break up with Jamie and what was Conner's misspent youth like. Also...just more Conner and Jamie. Despite those items, I though McKenna did a wonderful job of developing these characters in the time she had.

Jamie is in Ireland looking for something to distract her from her break up and enjoy something of her summer before she goes back to school. When she ventures out to the local pub where she is staying in the country, she crosses path with a charming (and handsome) bartender named Conner.

They move very quickly and by the end of the night, they have both made it clear they are attracted to each other. Since Jamie is only in Ireland for 10 days, they both know it isn't going to be anything permanent but decide to take advantage of what time they do have together.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for the review copy.
As the story moves forward, they both realize that in the short time they have had together, they have both developed strong feelings for each other and in the spur of the moment, Conner mentions Jamie could consider moving to Ireland for school. Unfortunately this brings back her feelings of giving everything up for Noel and she doesn't want to get in that same situation again. Because of that, she decides she can't do it and ends up going back home.

As these two characters come to understand what they are and aren't willing to do for the love they feel for each other. It was a quick read that pulled me in and gave me a lighter story from Cara McKenna than I am used to from her...and I liked it.

I definitely would recommend this to anyone looking for something quick and fun to read. Also...who wouldn't want to hot Irishman?

I really enjoyed this one. If you liked cruel beauty you might like this one too. Maia and Anax were great and I loved the link to Cinderella.