So, yes, I am finally starting this series after looking at it on my selves for a couple years (I actually have the old covers). The think that stood out the most to me was the world itself. It is so incredibly well developed. While it is based on our modern-world, the "dark areas" are taking over. Now these are some pretty seriously scary places that I would never want to visit. They were just so well written that I got chills any time someone had to go there.

The fae creatures themselves, both Seelie and Unseelie, were also very well developed. I loved the scenes of Mac running into the Seelie prince. They were humorous and a little frightening at the same time - it takes skill to write that mix well. The various lesser "baddies" that Mac runs into were also given plenty of details - Moning didn't skimp on them just because they may not have been as important. They were a vital part in setting the stage and atmosphere.

The story is a bit unpredictable - but it's in a good way. I was constantly wonder what was going to happen next and then I was surprised to find out what it was. There is plenty of action and a bit of sleuthing and detective work that really drew me in. I needed to know "who-dun-it". There is a bit of resolution at the end, but not nearly enough to satisfy me. I'm really glad I have more of the series ready to pick up as soon as I can.

This was a pretty good story, but I had a really hard time falling into the characters. Charley was a little too secretive - especially to me as a reader. I can understand her not wanting the world to know her past, but I got a little frustrated that I didn't understand why - because I didn't know what the secret was about. There's some hints along the way, but I was blind-sided when I found out what it really was.

Jude also has secrets. There were just too many of these to go around for me. His are just as deep seated and this becomes a case of two broken people making a whole once they put their pieces together. They are quite on again and off again, but it a very strange sort of way since they aren't ever "officially" on to begin with.

I wanted to have more of a personal connection to the characters, but I just never found it until the very end. I did enjoy that several of the side characters were well developed and I really enjoyed them throughout the whole story.

First off, I have to admit to being very excited to see an Egyptian mythology story. Good ones are very hard to find and this one was definitely a good one. I love how Cate Masters takes the stories, both well-known and more obscure, and weaves them into her reality. The gods, goddesses, and legends really come to life in the book and they will take over your world while you are reading.

Sandy is a fantastic character. I loved her passion for history, her love of cats (I wish I could have seven), and her quirky personality were spot on for me. Her journey from slightly insecure (but not overly so) museum curator to powerful goddess totally sure of herself was very subtle. At one point I remember wondering when it happened. But it was one of those things that changed just a little bit - but constantly - and then suddenly you realize you have something new and exciting.

Iker was all stiff formality - which is exactly what I picture an old mummy would act like. I enjoyed watching him interact with the modern world, trying to adapt to its "craziness". He was quite a mystery at times, keeping a lot of his emotions and thoughts hidden from the world. But I still couldn't help but love him.

As Sandy embraces her destiny and heritage, she performs a ritual that was just beyond incredibly written that it totally blew my mind. You will feel like you are there fighting and discovering right along with her the whole way.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

I absolutely adored Catherine. She was an incredible woman full of bravery and sass. She understand most social etiquette, but would just rather speak her mind and do things her own way. As she makes her way through the ton, she attracts much attention, but not the kind she really wants. But the isn't her primary agenda. She's out to solve a mystery - she needs to find a lost heirloom and the man with the key to finding it doesn't seem to interested in helping her out.

This man is the Duke of Boulstridge. He starts off a quite a pretentious jerk, but you can see in his eyes and in the slight smirk that there just might be more to him. He turns into quite a hero as the story goes on. They make a very great pair, but it does take them awhile to realize it. They are both so stubborn and set in their ways that they almost miss their chance.

There is a very exciting mystery that runs throughout the whole story. The heirloom that Catherine is looking for is also sought by some very dangerous people. When they think she is getting close her life is put in danger. This kept the story moving very quickly and excitement could be found on every page.

The ending was actually a bit of a surprise. Yes, our couple gets together, but other things didn't end quite the way I expected them to. When this happens I love it - always good to have a bit of a surprise at the end.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

Now this was a Christmas romance. It had family, holidays, love, and surprises in it. Just about everything a person needs for the holidays. I was a little worried about Cait and Noah for a long time in this story. Sherry Woods did an excellent job of drawing things out without making it tiresome. Both of our stars have reasons for wanting things done their way, and neither one is willing to completely back down.

Caitlyn was a little too focused on her goal of returning to countries in poverty and providing medical care (a very selfless goal). When life throws a baby in her path she can't seem to find a path where she has the family and her previous goal working together. She's convinced she won't be able to do what she planned with her life. Noah is set on showing her that she can have it all - just on a slightly different timeline. It takes a whole village (literally) to help bring them together, but it was well worth it.

I have not read other books in the Chesapeake Shores series and this worked nicely as a stand alone. There are several loving couples in Cait's family, and I'm going to have to add this series to my list of books to keep an eye out for, because I bet the rest of the stories are just as good.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

The world building and lore in this book really blew me away. It was like entering an alternate universe where so much was different, yet so much was still sort of the same. Magic users exist, and most of the Normals are afraid of them. So they have been rounded up into what is basically several ghettos. They are only allowed to leave for so long and their ability to live like the rest of the world is extremely limited.

Calla grew up in Zone 13. She's fairly happy there and was content to live her life making jewelry and occasionally hacking into the web to find out what was going on. But then Detective Asshole had to show up and she was drawn into something larger than either of them expected. Calla is hiding a lot of secrets, so this was bad bad news for her and some of her friends. But Nathan was fascinated by the girl and felt he just had to get to know her better.

There was a lot of excitement in this one. It was almost like a dash of suspense and sci-fi technology was thrown in small enough doses that it didn't take too much away from the paranormal aspect. The mystery they are investigating was very engaging and there were a couple characters from Zone 13 that you get to know fairly well and I really liked them. There was quite a twist at the end and I was surprised at the resolution, but it did feel a bit like the author wasn't sure how to wrap it up and had forced herself into a corner with no other options. But then that was how one of the characters felt as well so maybe it was intentional.

I'm interested to see where the series goes next. The world has so much potential to get very exciting.

This book was ... interesting. The majority of the characters seemed to be parodies or exaggerations of what people would expect from small town Wisconsin. It was beyond belief that every adult in town would be an idiot. From Kippy's father, to the the town lawyer, to every single police officer we encounter - they all seem to be the worst you could expect. There were decisions made and things said that made zero sense whatsoever.

Kippy herself started out quite interesting, but then she seemed to morph. The ended up being every single young adult heroine I've ever read about. With so much wrong with her and going wrong in her life it's hard to imagine how she could function. The most believable part of her experience was being locked up in a psych facility. The people there were crazy as well - but I guess that was OK for them. At least it made sense.

The most believable characters, and the ones I related to the most, were the dead girl's diary and Davey - the "boy" across the street. These were the only two aspects of the book that seemed real and believable. This leads me to think the author is capable of writing a fantastic story - she just needs to learn to reign in the craziness a lot.

This is an amazing introduction to a new series. The world building was fantastic and the history was very rich - something that I love in a series. There is a nice twist of real life incidents and organizations that have morphed into something new and different (and a bit scary). Scarlet is about to discover just what they are capable of.

Along the way she has to come to terms with the reality that she is changing. Not just her world view and personality, but her physical self as she becomes Nightfall. There were a lot of surprises along this journey and I loved that I never really knew what was going to happen next.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

This was a really great series about a small town named Christmas Town! The Christmas spirit is alive and kicking here, but there are a few residents that might need a little romance to keep their season jolly. The Banning family is about to find their true loves in some fairly unlikely places.

Callie's story (the second one) was my favorite of the bunch. It was full of emotion and I'm always a sucker for a cute little kid. This one was also a true Christmas miracle as the said cute little kid had given up on Christmas and family. The ending had me full of misty eyes and smiles and laughs.

Jack's story had some interesting twists and turns to it. There was a history to Jack that was very unexpected and heart wrenching. I'm so glad that no one gave up on him and he was dragged (practically kicking and screaming) to where he needed to be to move and put his past to rest.

Gina's story was just a lot of fun. She was my favorite character overall, and had an amazing personality - and some serious insecurities to go along with it. When all was said and done, the entire family had a beautiful surprise and quite the merry Christmas.

I got to the show a little late with this series, so I thought I'd try to pick it up now. It is possible to read the romance as a stand-alone, but there are some references that I didn't quite understand to other people involved with the hotel.

The beginning of the story is almost right out of a fairy tale. The handsome prince (or sheikh in this case) kidnaps the beautiful princess and whisks her away to his palace. Only this time the princess is a journalist, and she objects to being taken anywhere against her will. Not the best start to a new romance. But Sophie is trying to prove she's worth something - anything - so she will go along with the plan and try to get the biggest story of her life out of it.

Sheikh Zayn will do anything to protect the honor of his family - it is his duty. There is a lot at stake for him right now and I loved how strong his protective instinct was towards his sister. What I didn't like was how he thought it was his business to try and take care of everything all the time. It would really get on my nerves. He's also engaged already.

While you don't get the vibe of "he's technically cheating" too much from the story, it was still something I picked up on and wasn't fond of. My favorite parts of the story was the time Zayn and Sophie spent in the desert - they seemed so natural and in tune with each other there. Outside of this part of the story, they both seemed so very emotionally hard and cold. I wish they had opened up - even to themselves and the reader - just a bit more.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*