This can be read as a standalone, but some details will be missed. See my review of book one HERE.

We briefly meet Dani when she helps our main characters in book one, Spell of Summoning. A preschool teacher and powerful witch, Dani has a fear that if she physically touches someone, she may accidentally hurt them with her powers. David on the other hand, is a perfectly normal human - with no special powers or abilities that he is aware of. So why did these crazy people kidnap him and Dani - and why do they think he's a necromancer?

A lot of the history between Dani and David comes out in the beginning while they are locked in the basement - but the first part of the story moved a little slow for my taste. Once they escaped from the basement things got a lot better story-wise. David was forced to confront the fact that he may be more than he thinks he is - and he will have to deal with it and learn how to use it in order to save his son and Dani.

David was a great character. I love when people don't blindly accept it when they discover the paranormal in books. David fought it tooth and nail and it made it that much easier to just fall into the story. His fear for the safely of his son drags him kicking and screaming into the paranormal world. Dani's fear seems a bit irrational at first, and I totally related to David's feelings towards her. As we learn more about her though, things are explained and her past has it's own share of hardships.

Dani and David try to find a way to rediscover themselves and find romance in the middle of everything. They seem to be perfectly matched, but their pasts and their present are working both for them and against them.

Did not finish. The story and characters were just a little too out there for my taste. I couldn't get into the story line and the characters were far from what I had hoped to find.

In book two of Shadow Jumpers we follow Abby and Basil as they fight against an old enemy with a new face and goal. After the shocking ending of Neverlove, Q has an all new plan on becoming more powerful. Abby and Basil are fighting for a life together, but that isn't a part of Q's plan for the world. With all new crazy henchmen and a double agent or two to make things even more interesting, Abby and Basil are fighting for more than just their lives together this time.

Angela Brown expands her world and the lore dealing with Hell and the history of the Society, really rounding out the history and characters a lot. The story line was much more involved and included many new characters while seamlessly working in some of the memorable side characters from book one. It isn't too often I enjoy the second book more than the first, but this one far surpassed book one in my opinion. I couldn't put it down.
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/#sthash.UCI8mmZ7.dpuf

This series is one of my son's favorites. The dragons are all so unique and somewhat mirror their dragon master's personalities. They all work together very well and in each story they have a new adventure featuring a different dragon. In book three we get to learn more about Shu the water dragon and find out what type of unique power he has.

The book is very engaging - even as a parent I was drawn into the story. There are just enough pictures for younger readers while still keeping a detailed plot line. I have really enjoyed learning about all the dragons. Up next is the fire dragon and I bet it will be very exciting.

- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2015/08/secret-of-water-dragon-by-tracey-west.html#sthash.Yn2u68lV.dpuf

What a wedding....if it could go wrong, it seemed like is was guaranteed to happen. From dresses and tuxes, to collapsing chairs, and a fire at the venue. Topping it all off, the groom is in jail!!!

There was a ton of humor in this along with some really great romance from a couple that seems just perfect for each other. I loved how each and every little thing was tied together - all the pranks and hijinks that seemed destined to tear our couple apart, only seemed to bring them closer together in the end.

An amazing and fun story - I think the cake was my favorite part. It had me laughing out loud and getting strange looks from the family. Can't wait to read more about Somewhere.

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

Forget You Not was a wonderful introduction to the world of Havenwood Falls. Being a person that just has to read series in order if at all possible, I really enjoyed getting the "first look" at the town along with Kaela as she takes on her dream job in the remote Colorado city.

But she soon discovers that the town really isn't all that new to her. As she rediscovers all memories, she has to face the fact that someone has been messing around with her life - and in a way that has some pretty bad consequences - like really really bad.

But this is a romance, and it's an interesting twist on long lost lovers - because Kaela doesn't actually remember him at first. I loved the twist and turns that begin to bring them back together. And the rich backdrop of Havenwood Falls and its residents is one I look forward to visiting again.

Love, Fate & Loyalty really takes a close look at the pull shifters have to their mates - whether they want to feel it or not. We have a set of dual relationships and love stories running through the story that revolves around two mountain lion shifter sisters.

At first, I felt like there was a good sister and a bad sister, but as the story unfolds and we get to know them, I came to realize that there were a whole bunch of misunderstandings running through their lives. Highlighting this strained relationship - Reeve returns home and "steals" Asters long-time boyfriend in a matter of minutes. But it's the mating call - so I can't really be too mad about it. Super sad for Aster, but even she knows there wasn't anything to be done about it.

But while Reeve's life may seem to be sunshine and rainbows, she has a mad-man (cat?) on her heels. And when he finds Havenwood Falls there are all sorts of horrible things that happen - and one really awesome thing.

This was a really great book, and I was shocked at how much story was packed into the pages. I hope we get to see more of the sisters, even as side characters, as the series continues.

Out of the Picture by Tracy Gardner is the first Hallmark Mystery I've read. And it didn't disappoint. The Shepherd Sisters were a riot and I want to be there forgotten fourth. The only major problem I had was telling them apart. With all the names starting with S, I got them all confused until the very end. Only Savanna, the main sleuth in this case, stood out.

There's an interesting mix of murder and theft tied together in Out of the Picture. And it really did seem to take the whole community to solve the case, which was a little different to me. While Savannah was the focal point, she really relied on everyone around her to help put the pieces together and catch the bad guys.

The small-town atmosphere and peeks into family gatherings really brought everything together. It rounded the characters out in a way that I don't always get to see. The side characters weren't just there for decoration, they were all very unique to themselves and had a reason for being there.

I'm excited to see where this series goes. And it looks like there are a couple of other Hallmark Mysteries that I may need to check out as well!

Blast Off to the Moon! was an incredibly fun trip to outer space to see why the moon seems to change shape when we watch it from Earth. Dr. Wonderful and Newton ask all the good questions and discover the answers as they explore the moon and how it works. The illustrations were beautiful and showed up very nicely on a tablet.

The information is presented in quite a fun way – more of an exploration than a lecture – and my 9yo enjoyed finding out how it all worked. I may have even picked up a new bit of information here and there (it’s been a long time since I took any science classes).

I highly recommend this for any space-curious kiddos out there.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**