This book was not my style for several reasons (even though I still love the series). It was just too depressing for my taste. I think Stacey Kennedy hit the nail on the head with the emotional trauma that Mary was going through, but it was just too much on the down side and not enough hopefulness and strength. There are several scenes where we experience her husband's death with her all over again, and it just made me want to walk away from everything. In this case, Kennedy's amazing way of conveying emotions might have done more harm than good.

Elliott knows that he wants Mary, but at times it seems like he isn't willing to really go after her. He keeps leaving the ball in her court, which seems a little counter-intuitive for a Dom. I wanted to see him work through more of the issues face to face instead of her having to deal with so man on her own.

I really don't want to discourage anyone from reading this story. It was beautifully told and full of emotions - just not the right ones for me.

Red Rising was quit an interesting mix of ideas and concepts. We have a bit of a Hunger Games concept mixed with a dystopian science fiction beginning. Lots of mythological references and genetic engineering or planning births to achieve certain results.

Darrow is a red - the lowest color. And as such, he is relegated to mining underground for his entire life. But part of his spirit rebels and send him on a very interesting journey. His journey is a strange mix of sci=fi and medieval technologies. We don't get to see the space battles with ships and stations - but they are still an obvious part of the world.

As Darrow fights to bring chaos to the rulers of the galaxy, he is forced to learn a lot about himself and human nature. This could almost become a study in psychology and sociology. There are tons and tons of twists and turns throughout the story and there are quite a few times we think Darrow isn't going to win.

The end has a lot left open (this is a trilogy) but I wouldn't really call it a cliffhanger.

This series continues to get better. We have more of a traditional sci-fi feel in book one and it opens with a spaceship battle. We see a lot of the ships and technologies throughout the story. We also get to see a lot more of the politics that govern The Society and how poisonous it really is.

Darrow finds himself under attach once again - this time from the family he thought to ally himself with. In an effort to prove himself and regain his status, he alienates those that are closest to him and things just play out in a very interesting way.

There are tons of secrets revealed and lots of shocking situations that I never saw coming. Darrow learns a lot in the story - but mostly by making mistakes. This book has a very different feel from the first. We have much larger scaled battles with more space technology involved at all levels of the story.

The ending - one of the biggest cliffhangers I've seen. But it was so well done.

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

This book was just a little too harsh for my taste. It started out very well, but that ended up being just one chapter to introduce us to the curse and an ancestor. Both Knox and Storm refused to trust each other - and I never really understood the reasons why. We get a glimpse of them near the end, but it wasn't soon enough. It someone had just thought to open their mouth (preferable Knox) then things wouldn't have had a chance to turn into a story, but by starting things this way, it really tainted the story for me as well.

All the characters were a little too hard as well. They weren't just tough and resilient, they were hard in a way that made it difficult to get to know them and to fall for them as the leading characters. Even the side characters were overly tough - there wasn't any gentleness to balance it all out.

The concept behind the story and the history of the Credence family was well thought out and I enjoyed learning about it. I have a copy of book two, so I'm hoping that I can enjoy the character more in the next one.

This was a fairly easy to read text (for a textbook) the beginning gave a history of the Alinksy method as well as some of its pros and cons. Then it discussed some of the various other organizations that have developed.

My favorite parts were the portions on the more modern movements, especially the ones tied to Obama campaign.

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

Charlie was the star of the story. She was full of life and energy and took each stop along Route 66 and made it into something magical. Living the road trip through her made me really want to go visit all these places along the way. I think these are the same reasons that Connor fell in love with her as well.

They get off to quite an unusual start which had me chuckling, but it also led to a big old lie - and those I'm not a big fan of, but once Connor starts talking about what he thinks of Charlie's dad - I at least sort of understand why she didn't speak up earlier.

It was a very fun journey, with a bit of a rushed ending. But I enjoyed every minute of it.

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

I really enjoyed Luna and Corbin's story. Not only was it a fantastic romance on its own, but we also get to see how Jos and Pierce are doing. This boxed set is a great little romance with a ton of really good elements and a great HEA.

This book has a little bit of excitement in it - a bit of an attack and a lot of recovery and realizing who you can trust and what you really need. It was a great ending to Jos and Pierce's story. This short serial romance was very nice and fun. Once in awhile the dialog got to be just a tad forced and some of the scenes were a little beyond belief - but hey - if that isn't what fantasy is for then what is?

This review actually go delayed a day because I wasn't sure what to say or how to rate it. I went back and forth and I think I've finally made up my mind. All else aside, this one has definitely made me think about it more than any other has for awhile.

I really liked Jeanie. She was strong and fought for what she wanted in life. She didn't turn down a challenge and repeatedly stepping up to the plate She was fiercely protective of her daughter and was a "do the right thing" kind of gal. While her judgement of how to get the right thing done wasn't always spot on - the mistakes made her human.

Camden was a bit of an arrogant prick at the beginning. Confident in always getting his way and willing to pay whatever it takes to get it. He gets soooo much better as the book goes on. When he firsts offers the fake fiance/marriage of convenience type of contract I almost didn't want him to be the hero. He is one of the most dynamic heroes I've seen in a long time. He was a completely different person by the end of the story, but it happened in an incredibly natural and organic way that you didn't really notice until it slapped you in the face.

There are a couple side storylines to give the book some depth with both their families and some serious family drama, but I liked that it didn't get dragged into the romance every step of the way. It was just presented as a way to round out the characters and show a bit about why they were the way they were.

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

This was an amazing sci-fi romance. It had everything!!! We had spaceships and distant planets, strange and deadly native animals, and riders. I really want to have a rider - if I say pretty please will someone go find me one? This was a great addition to the story and allowed it to really blossom and go in so many great directions. A rider is a creature - sort of like a 2 dimensional mini-dragon - that lives on your skin. And they bond with you and talk to you and make you stronger and better. How awesome is that!

Tara is an independent trader. She doesn't work for one of the big families so she struggles to make ends meet and stay out of trouble. But it seems to find her. In this case, trouble comes in a really nice looking package named Trace. Now, he doesn't tell her the whole story when they first meet or she would have turned tail and ran in other direction. Instead they find themselves caught up in a search for Trace's sister that uncovers a much bigger plot that could have serious consequences for the universe overall.

Their journey was a very interesting one. Trace has a huge handicap that I don't want to say too much about because it's a pretty big deal. It almost ruins everything when Tara finds out the whole truth, but I forgave him for the lies and deceit because he really did have a good reason for them. Their romance was an odd one, with both taking a long time to truly trust each other.

The world building was amazing and the history of the characters was so developed that you couldn't help but just believe in them. I wish there was more to this story because I just don't want to let it go.

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