Book two of the Something More series starts out with quite the bang. Tara West had my heart pounding immediately as we see Christina visiting baby Ty in the hospital with an unknown illness that could be life threatening. The pace of the story stays intense throughout the whole story as Andre and Christina examine their relationship and stumble over hurdles they didn't realize were there.

Both Andre and Christina will have some life altering experiences that have the potential to draw them even closer together or separate themm forever. There are several misunderstandings thrown in that only served to complicate things - just a little too much for my taste. Their lives have enough without the added drama. I did love the new family issues and experiences that they see, it explained a lot of their pasts and helped them move forward as individuals as well. There is a massive cliff hanger at the end.....I'm not sure when Book Three will be released, but I hope it's soon.

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

Frozen is a new look at what our world may come to if human consumption and trash get out of control. With the sun blocked from the sky, the land has become a frozen wasteland. Heat and real food are lucury commodities, and strange traits have begun to show up in people. Nat is one of these people, with a strange voice in her head she is capable of destroying things, but she can't really control it. She longs to escape the city and head for the Blue. A legendary place where the sun shines, its warm, and food is actually grown.

She books a trip with a runner named Ryan and off the go in search of a place most think doesn't exist. They run into amazing and dangerous things along the way, including slavers, pirates, and magical and strange beings. It was an exciting ride from page one. While mostly an adventure style story, there's a bit of romance thrown in here and there that threads the the story helping to hold the characters together and make them very real personalities. With a very surprise ending that leaves you wishing book two was already in your hands, I think Melissa de la Cruz has another hit series on her hands.
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2013/12/review-frozen-by-melissa-de-la-cruz.html#sthash.J9tWoNV3.dpuf

I think the highlight of this book is definitely the characters, particularly Hannah. She is that person that every needy child needs to have in their lives. She's the person that never gives up - on them, on their future, on finding them a place where they can belong. Unfortunately, this attitude sometimes gets her in trouble as she tends to bend the rules a little to make things happen.

This attitude is what leads her to Jackson Piece though - and at first he finds it a major turn off. She's pushy and thinks she knows whats best for him. Eventually he realizes that there is so much more to her, and realizes that she is right - he needs his new baby neice as much as she needs him.

As amazing as the message in this story was, I still had a hard time connecting. The characters and the story just didn't call to me like the other Victoria James novella did. There are still some amazing scenes and very wonderful dialog though - I think most readers would love this sweet story of hope.

Book six in the series is one of my favorite so far. It is an amazingly epic love story that will live through the ages in Victoria Danann's world. The elves and the fae have hated each other for generations - but no one seems to quite remember why. Imagine the surprise when the fae prince and the elf prince find out they are a true mated pair - that nothing can come between them - except maybe everything. The story walks us through their struggles to be together with an odd group of interlopers on their side. This book would by Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending.

The best part is we still get to see a few of our favorite characters from the previous books. I think that is what I love best about the writing - her ability to keep the story moving and just about everyone involved. I've come to love each and every character. They all have such a distinct personality and their relationships are all very memorable. This is a must read series - so get the Collected Tales while they're at 99 cents.

A cute collection of tales that any cat owner or lover could appreciate. Some had me laughing until I cried, but others just didn't seem do much. All were great examples of the strange feline personalities that you can run into though.

Mind Trace is a contemporary science fiction - which can be difficult to do correctly. It's hard to mesh an unheard of "technology" without leaping ahead many years. Holly McCaghren has set the stage perfectly to make it work. It almost has an X-Men like spin on her super-human, super-computer ability. But it has come at quite a cost. The CEO of the company she accidently dumped into her brain is out to find her, and he has the resources to leave no stone unturned.

The beginning of Mind Trace was a little slow for my taste. There was a lot to develop, but it dragged a little long. Parts of the storyline seemed to be repeating with just small differences in the details. A little over half way through things began to get extremely interesting as Alice begins to explore the full extent of her abilities.

Alice herself is a fun character. I loved the way the computer part of her brain was portrayed - almost like it was another person at times. It really emphasized how strange the situation was and made her reactions very believable. I give the story 3 stars, but if the beginning had moved along a little better it would have been four.
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2013/12/blog-tour-mind-tracce-by-holly.html#sthash.y3p1QRK0.dpuf

See my review for book one: Alice in Zombieland

Through the Zombie Glass picks up as Alice is recovering after the end of book one. Her special abilities are growing and she is struggling to get a grip on them and what they mean. We continue to learn more about the nature of the zombies, the evil corporation Anima, and the rest of the slayers. But Cole and Alice's relationship is at risk - their visions have shifted and something very unexpected begins to happen. There's nothing wrong with a little bit of romantic tension, but I really wanted to smack the crap out of both of them to knock some sense into them.

The slayers are noticing that the zombies are changing - they seem to be driven, but no one knows by what. When Alice becomes infected in a new strange way she must figure out how to cure herself before she ends up killing everyone around her. Book two was far more exciting and I think it made a big leap forward in the storyline. We know so much more about pretty much everything - and it would seem that all the secrets have been confessed (finally), but now that they are so much closer together - they realize they have so much more at stake than they thought.

This holiday bundle comes with two Christmas stories and two New Years stories - just in time for the holidays. I've been reviewing them individually as they were released on their own so I'm going to do some cheating with cut and paste here. The bundle should be available for purchase tomorrow!

Title: Tis the Season to Kiss Santa
Author: Kate Hardy
Rating: 4 stars

When a business man who is proud of his Scrooge like reputation is asked to fill in as Santa at a local children's hospice, he meets a very sexy head elf helper. When a blizzard strands them in her house she gets to show him what the holiday can really mean. A bit of a traditional storyline with a very cute twist, this was a great way to start getting in the holiday season and in the mood for Christmas.

Title: Tis the Season to Get Lucky
Author: Heidi Rice
Rating: 4 stars

Entangled has been doing well this season with their Christmas novellas. Tis the Season to Get Lucky puts Kate, a PR manager snowed into a department store with Ryder, the son of store's owner. I wish I had a chance like this - it would be so much fun raiding the different deparments for "survival supplies". Ryder jumps at the opportunity to get closer (and fulfil his dream of raiding the store as well) to the uptight Kate, and Kate decides to let her guard down and enjoy herself for just one night.

Of course things get interesting and just maybe this could be more than just one night. But they have a few issues to get over before that could ever be a possibility. Two people from two different worlds may just have what it takes to make the most of the situation. Both characters had some really amazing moments and had such great personalities I fell in love them right away and was cheering for them to get together the whole way through.

Title: Tis the Season to be Kissed
Author: Amy Andrews
Rating: 5 stars (favorite of the bunch)

I'm not even sure where to get started with this book. It was so very amazing that I think I will go back and read it every holiday season - maybe closer to New Years next time. Tamara was beyond perfect for a character. It can be difficult to really delve deep into a personality with a novella, but within the first few pages Tamara was coming to life beautifully as she goes on a drunken rambling to her best friend's little brother. The "little" brother, Luke, is on a surprise trip home and stumbles upon Tamara using the spiked egg nog to keep warm in the family's cabin. Luke's personality was just as big and he was everything I could ever want in a hero.

The story is full of humor, as both characters are very intelligent and can use their words to make some very interesting conversation. The scrabble game was amazing - won't say more or I'll ruin it. You must go read this book the holiday season. I don't think I would change a single word. I need to make a bonfire image because five flames just isn't enough.

Title: Tis the Season to be Tempted
Author: Aimee Carson
Rating: 2 stars (least favorite)

Evie and Wes are complete opposites. Evie is the wildchild that never follows directions and Wes had followed the perfect path and does everything right. Wes isn't thrilled to find Evie causing a scene on the plane, but something is different about her now - or maybe it's him that's different. It sounds like an intriguing storyline, but I had a hard time connecting to either character. It seemed just a little too one-night-standish to me.

Overall I would have to give the bundle a good 4 stars. It's pretty good when three out of four of the stories are really good.

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

Lady Willa has been thoroughly compromised - more than she even realizes. When she returns to the ton and a new season she puts on an icy facade and tries to enjoy the company of her friends. The Duke of Hartwell has been in India, and is unaway of Willa's compromised status. He is instantly fascinated by her intelligence and beauty and set to win her heart. Compromising Willa had a fantastic storyline, and Willa was an amazingly dynamic character - able to roll with the punches and keep her wits about her. The beginning of the story was a little slow though. There was a lot of throwing the word "blackguard" around - I know this was a major part of the times, but it was just overdone. About half way through the story, things become a little more clear and the pace really picks up. It has a lot of very nice twists and side stories.

Outside is two stories that are told at the same time. At first the jumping back and forth was very confusing, but as I got used to the two differnent voices and times, it turned out to work very well. One story is Riley's. Riley's search for her sister's killer takes her outside her safe zone (literally) and into what she refers to as Outside. The world has fallen apart and going outside of your secured compound can be very dangerous.

Eleanor's story is the story of how the world got this way. We watch the fall of society through the eyes of a teenage girl and her family. It is an interesting perspective and eventually we find how it ties to Riley's story. The two merge quite beautifully near the end.

There is a lot of adventure in Riley's story and a lot of teenage angst in Eleanor's. The book had a lot of tense moments spread out as if you were watching several TV episodes in a row - each with their own conflict and climax. It made it easy to forget the overall story arch at times. The world Shalini Boland has built is very interesting and believable - look for my review of book two in the next couple weeks.