I love when a "bad guy" falls in love. They make such a great story as they learn to be better people and come to grips with their past. Belen is not your traditional bad boy. He really does do some bad things, and one of those bad things sets off the chain of events that leads to his eventual redemption.

Belen was a very interesting character. He chooses to follow his darker side. He thinks his lighter side is tainted by his mother's abandonment and he walks away from it. When this decisions puts Faith in danger because of his actions, he begins to second guess everything he's done. The catch, he really doesn't want to be a better person at first. It was great!

Seeing Belen with Faith was like watching a different person than when he was with everyone else. She really was his angel and showed him how powerful good could really be. He is determined to walk away from it all, but when his love puts her life in danger, he needs to make the final decision of whether or not her life is worth his immortality.

There was quite a nice little twist in this story that only made it work even better. Again, I loved the fact that it wasn't love or lust at first sight. The characters had a history that the story really built on and it adds a layer of reality to a paranormal that makes it work so well.

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

Such a good book. This one seemed to have just about everything. We have a wife on the run from her horrible husband, the beautiful setting of historical Paris, dark family secrets, and a love affair. These are all woven beautifully together to create the story of La Lune and Sandrine.

I'm not even sure where to begin. You are eased into the paranormal elements as more of a family legend. But when the legend seems to be slowly coming to life, things begin to really take off. Sandrine is the focal point of this and her time in Paris was amazing. I loved watching her slowly changing to become more that what she really was. This is seen in her personality, her art, and even the way she dresses. But it happens so slowly that we don't really notice it all coming together until her grandmother throws it in your face!

The history was fantastic. M.J. Rose really draws you into 1890's Paris and the art scene as it changes and evolves under the influence of mysticism movement. People are more and more interested in the occult and it just adds a nice element in the layering of the story.

My only complaint was the ending. It came very fast and very sudden. It was a great climactic scene, but I felt like I didn't have a chance to really enjoy everything coming together and being revealed before it was just over. I'm really hoping the series continues with this storyline. I still have so much more I want to see.

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

I was a little leery of this one at first. After hearing everyone talk about how good it was going to be, I was afraid that it wouldn't live up to expectations. I was completely wrong. There was very little I would even consider changing in the book. I was drawn in from the get go and it just never let me wander too far away from it. I just had to keep reading.

Maksimilian (Maxim), is a hard man to crack. He has his way of doing things and well, that's all there is to it. So when Catarina (Cat) wanders into his life, well, he's in for a surprise. Cat is brutally honest while not ever telling him everything. She's running for her life and sees his pocketbook as a way to get the heck out of dodge. Being her first (and only) escort job means things don't go the way either of them planned.

There was a great mix of suspense and romance in the story. While there isn't necessarily a lot of action, we can feel the cloud hanging over Cat the entire story. But it isn't the center point all the time. We get to see Maxim and Cat fall in love, learn to trust, and just have a ton of fun together. Watching them experience joy together for the first time was the best part of the book.

Then ending was equally suspenseful and satisfying. A lot happens in the last couple chapters but it really takes everything and pulls it together masterfully before giving you a blow out of a HEA. I will be picking up the first book in the series as soon as my wallet gives me permission.

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

This was a pretty good story. There was a lot more adventure and action than I usually see in a historical romance, which I really enjoyed. What just didn't quite work for me was the resistance between the characters.

Portia is determined to marry for love, and to do that she must make Grayson fall in love with her. But throughout the story, it's rather obvious that he has fallen in love, but he just is far too stubborn to even admit it to himself. When Portia believes that he doesn't love her, then she goes off in another direction. It was just too much pulling apart "just because" for my taste. They both needed to just get their heads on straight and work it all out.

The mystery behind who is out to get the Libertine Scholars was the best part of the story. I really want to know who this mysterious plotter is, because they are very good at causing all sorts of trouble. We find out quite a bit about them in this story, and now I just want to know more.

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

An amazing conclusion to this serial romance. Cory is faced with the consequences of her actions and how best to move on with her life. We get to see a lot more of Jillian and it was great to see just why Cory wanted to protect her so much. Van's reaction is somewhat expected, but we all know there's going to be more to it eventually.

Watching Cory finally start getting her life back on track was probably the best part of this. Until you get to the end at least. The ending totally rocked! It was beyond perfect and I loved it.

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

This paranormal story allowed me to indulge in my guilty pleasure - The Originals. I love their story even more than I love Vampire Diaries. It will definitely help to have watched parts of the shows to understand the basic history and lore behind the Mikaelson family, but if you haven't you can still just enjoy the story.

The Rise really highlighted each sibling's strongest personality trait - almost too much so. Elijah was the controlling planner, Klaus was the hot-headed impulsive one, and Rebekah was just sort of lost because she cares too much about everything. I think she was my greatest disappointment. She has become a much stronger person since this story took place and I was sad not to see that part of her character more.

It was fun to watch their beginnings in New Orleans and see how the start of all the fueds between the various species began. This is a must read for fans of the series. It ties in well with what I've seen of the series and really opens up the family's past, making how they act now even more exciting.

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

House of Ravens continues Scarlett's story as she begins to really embrace her role as Nighfall. She discovers just how difficult it is to have a secret identity - it's really hard to be a "superhero" and you don't get a lot of sleep. No glamorization here.

She begins to make new friends in training and there's even a bit of a love interest, but Nighfall once again gets in the way. This book had a lot of loss in it. From the idealism that Scarlett has about the world and people in general, to friends, and discovering those hidden agendas that seem to multiply around her.

Her crusade to help Zeniths continues to meet with some very extreme resistance, and she finds that some of her enemies are soooo much closer than she first believed. There are also some unlikely allies. The royal family makes for some great side characters and gives the reader a chance to see the other side of life and how other parts of the world are managed.

I'm still blown away by how detailed and exciting the lore behind this series is. Everything ties together so well and each scene, no matter how small, somehow plays a part in pushing the story forward - so pay attention to all the amazing details. I can't wait to see what may happen in book three.

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

This was a very fun romance. Emily is on her way to becoming one heck of a bluestocking, and she's proud of it. She reads about anything and everything - which I always like in a character - and it's given her a unique perspective on quite a few things. She's also a reformist. She wants to abolish slavery and punish those that are still illegally buying and selling them. When her goals of finding information on a slave trader interfere with an investigation in process she finds herself caught up in quite an adventure.

Blackstone is a spy. He's trying to find who has been trading English secrets to the French and suddenly Emily is in his way. He finds he rather likes her there - it's making his life interesting. But he owes a debt to her father and finds his wishes don't align with his mission for a change. So he writes a new mission - the Miss Mirren Mission.

Watching these two dance around their growing feelings was actually very fun. It didn't get overly tedious as they both discussed why they would never marry. It was just a part of who they were. As this romance involves spies - there is quite a bit of adventure and intrigue mixed in and it merges just about seamlessly with the romance until they are all tied together.

Such a fun historical with a lot of really great characters. Hopefully, I get to see a few of them again when book two comes out.

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

Another really exciting story full of all sorts of action. Another strong female character with a SEAL that just loves that part of her. Book two in the Seal Brotherhood lets us go visit all the seal team guys again - wish I had seen a little bit more of our couple in book one, but the rest of the guys were definitely present in a big way. Cooper (owner of the Babemobile) is about to find the woman that is going to change his world. And he really needs that after losing his entire family.

Libby is awesome. My only fault is the whole "I loved you at first sight" thing. I just don't buy it - lust, yes. But not love. Libby is a fighter and she's not going to let anything bad happen if she can do something about it. She was fun and quirky and she loved her cat. Her family was a bit weird though.

Libby's father was my least favorite part of the story. He was supposed to be a bit off I think, but he was just really not a person I could imagine staying with Libby and her mom. Wanting to put everyone in danger just because he thought he was smart just didn't seem like something a dad would do.

The ending was out of this world. I loved the build up of suspense. Watching the SEALs in action was fantastic and my heart was pounding the whole time.

This book had a lot going on and I really enjoyed just about every second of it. Serena is about to find out that she has magic in her blood - which means her hand in marriage is for sale to the highest payer. She's used to being owned though, she's been owned her whole life - all females are. I loved how she seemed to rebel in little ways and watching her adapt to her various situations.

The barbarian she ends up with is not what she expects though and at first she is afraid that it is all some big trick. She expects to be punished for every little slip and wrong no matter how small. Society has taught her that she is only worth as much as how many warlocks she is able to bring into the world. But when that begins to change things get soooo interesting.

There is a lot of dystopian elements mixed with some classic fantasy (warlocks, fantasy world, tournaments) and I loved how they blended together so well. I really had a hard time putting this one down. My only complaint is that the resolution between Serena and her barbarian comes too close to the end to really enjoy it.

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