Things don't look so good in the Mikaelson family at the end of book one, but they are looking a tad bit better at the beginning of The Loss. Rebekah has moved on from the loss of her love and is enjoying her "life" again. But Klaus - always the brooding type - refuses to accept the fact that his love is gone.

In typical Klaus fashion, that I've grown to love to hate, he takes off on his own path and finds a way to get what he wants. But, as always, it comes with a price that he doesn't realize. Soon the family finds themselves under attack by strange undead zombie like creatures. And every night there are more of them. Instead of banding together the siblings really fragment and go in three different directions here. While I expected Klaus to do his own thing and not really give a crap, I was surprised to see it from the other two, especially the oh so mature Elijah.

Over all this was a very exciting addition to their history. I really enjoyed seeing just how all the witch/werewolf/vampire rivalries got started and their affect on the lives of the people of New Orleans.

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

Absolutely amazing! Marie Force has continued the story of Sam and Nick with another incredible book. With two murder investigations underway and Nick's new senatorial appointment, they seem to have a bit of a hard time connecting. And with one of those investigations involving one of Nick's close friends, there's more than enough stress to go around.

The murders take the story in two different directions at the same time. The main one is of the Supreme Court nominee and most of the story revolves around this case, but in a super close second we have one that may be a lead into Sam's father's case - a very good lead that takes Sam on a roller coaster ride of emotions.

Through all of this their relationship has a whole new set of trials. While they seemed so strong together at the beginning, there were times I was afraid they wouldn't be able to work out a compromise and make it all work. To keep with the romance theme, there are two more hovering in the background just to make sure the reader gets enough, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of them.

An engaging story line with some spectacular characters really seem to bring this series together. I can't wait to see what Sam and Nick have to tackle next in their lives as they try to make their relationship into what they both want and need.

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

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Sam and Nick - DC's favorite couple. As they prepare to get married, Sam finds herself investigating yet another high profile murder case. When it comes to light that a Senator has been sleeping with a member of the cleaning crew - and she winds up dead - Sam knows there's more to the story than what first appears. Her gut rarely steers her wrong, and it's absolutely correct in this one. She finds herself investigating several political figures - some in very high places.

But the murderer is convinced he's untouchable and begins to make threats against Sam. Meanwhile, Nick is trying to plan their wedding and keep Sam safe. To top it all off, Sam's ex-husband is back in the story causing problems again. Sam and Nick's relationship really seems kind of settled in this one, so Marie has introduced a new romance that is so incredibly sweet.

Detective Gonzalez (Gonzo) has just found some incredibly exciting and scary news. He's afraid that it will tear his new relationship with Christine apart. But they are both amazing people and you just know they are meant to be together. It was a lot of fun to have this couple finding true love - even though their story wasn't the main event - it was prominent enough that it really stands out.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review - my copy included the novella, Fatal Destiny*

Fatal Destiny -
Nick and Sam's wedding is almost here, and Nick is determined that nothing will keep Sam from being able to make it. He refuses to let her work get in the way this time. I loved watching Sam's more girly side come out as she gets excited about she gushes over shoes and dresses.

But Sam may have caught a break in the case of her father's shooting - and it will be hard to keep her focused on the wedding and not work. And the break is a very dangerous one.

I loved the wedding planner, Sam calls her Tinker Bell and now I can't remember what her real name was. Every time I picture her like a little pixie making magic happen. And that's just what she does for Sam and Nick. Their wedding comes together beautifully and there are quite a few very touching scenes spread out nicely throughout this fantastic novella.

Lots of good things about The Duke's Disaster. I enjoyed that it seemed more "real" than some historicals in terms of how marriage worked. You didn't fall in love and get married - you got married and hoped you liked each other. Noah and Thea are trying very hard to like each other at the beginning of their marriage, but they got off to a bit of a rocky start.

The are a great match in so many ways, and watching them discover this was a lot of fun. The mystery surrounding Thea's past is a tiny bit too dramatic at times - maybe. It just seems to never go away even when she tries to tell the secret to Noah. I think I would have preferred one big huge blow out scene where it was revealed instead of the little bickering and sniping that happens throughout the entire story.

The language of the story was also very formal - even when the characters weren't speaking. I actually really enjoyed the formal sounding dialog bewteen Thea and Collins as they layered meaning into their words that were quite funny at times. It was just not quite the type of thing I expected from the rest of the narration and took a little while to get used to.

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

Two really fun steampunk stories. Short stories can be a little hard - sometimes they just aren't long enough to get a full story into them. Both of these balanced the length with the plot very well. We had all the important parts and you still really fell into the story and got to enjoy it before it was all over.

In the first story Of Souls and Steam, we have a bit of a mystery/suspense theme. Maryanne is out to find who is killing people when an even more intriguing thing literally walks (or stomps destructively) right past her. Her investigation takes some very interesting turns and was really fun.

The second story, Of Fate and Gears, was my favorite of the two. Felisa works as fate, marking people for death to find. But this case is different. Not only can he see her, but his fate is completely unclear. Their story is also full of surprises and just a bit of romantic element at times - but not what you would expect in an actual romance. The fates and how they worked was also a fun little addition and something I hadn't expected.

These are both fantastic reads for lovers of paranormal or steampunk.

Another book with a hero that I just couldn't like. It seems to be trend lately. Sam is a very well to do lawyer now, but he wasn't when he met Camilla. Now that she has shown up with his son several years later, he automatically thinks that she's only after his money. I get that - I really do. But he doesn't give her a chance to really prove herself AT ALL. And the times she tries to show him that she isn't a money hungry witch, he throws it in her face and shows her just how little he thinks of it all.

Camilla bears it all in good form, she's more worried about making sure her son stays with her than the opinion of the man she hasn't seen in years. She's a pretty great mom and sister and I really loved how dedicated she was to both of them. She's had a bit of a rough past and is trying really hard to make a better future.

Eventually Sam comes to his senses, but not until it was too late for him in my mind. I did enjoy the story and the basic premise behind the romance was a good idea. Sam just really needed to turn into a good guy a lot sooner.

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

Mia Ross is my go to for sweet romances with some amazing characters and lots of emotion. She wraps up her Barrett's Mill series with a wonderful pair that you just fall in love with. I'd liked Jenna from the moment I met her in a previous book. She is the epitome of the wandering artist without a care in the world. Her carefree spirit was contagious, but she was still grounded enough to appreciate the community around her.

Scott has a record in his past, quite literally. He's on parole and being stuck in his small home town where everyone knows everything is very difficult. He finds there are two groups of people - those that want to give him a chance to prove himself, and those that judge him and want nothing to do with him. As he isolates himself at his grandfather's "homestead", using his time to fix the place up, Jenna was exactly what he needed in his life.

Watching the two of them bring out parts in each other that no one realizes were even there was so much fun. While there is a hint at religion here and there - do not let that scare you away from this series or from Mia Ross. There's no hitting you over the head with a bible in this one, just a sweet romance in a small town.

I really loved Fintan. Perhaps it is because of his academia side with his scrolls and knowledge of history, but he was just a really great character. Beth isa great match for him. Both were incredibly well developed with history and emotions that really ran deep. Beth is denying herself and what she really wants to follow a dream that isn't hers. But Fintan is willing to try anything to make her see what's really there and embrace it.

The ties to the Selbovae Celt past were a very nice touch and really helped give me a better understanding of the family history. Beth history is a very important part of the story and it was a bit of a surprise to see just how much it affected her. We have a nasty sibling living with Fintan that really does her best to ruin everything - and actually comes very close! They had me worried for awhile about how it was all going to work out right!

I think this couple may have been my favorite so far, and the setting was just about perfect.

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

Two moons of Sera is an interesting take on genetic experimentation. A little bit of mystery, a little bit of potential romance, and a little bit of a thriller. I wish it had been longer.

There were a few things I really loved about this one, and a few things I'd have rather done without. I'm never a big fan of lies, but since this one was just about the relationship to stranger instead of to the people in the relationship, it didn't bother me. It was actually a clever way to drum up business for Olivia, she just didn't think far enough ahead for a way out. This is something that Mason was quick to take advantage of.

Mason's reasons for a pretend relationship are much different that Olivia's. Mason is out for revenge - and after hearing his story I totally get why. But Olivia gets caught in the crossfire and he doesn't seem to want to see that. He hurts her a lot by the way he acts, and that made it difficult to like him a whole lot. On the other hand, he really was a good guy that had his outlook on things warped by some bad people.

The way some of the issues were resolved (I can't say too much or I risk ruining some things) just didn't seem to feel right. Too much was still left undone or unsaid. While the relationship definitely wrapped up nicely in a bow, the side events that caused all the conflict just didn't give me any real sense of resolution with them

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