This book was not quite what I expected. As the first in the series there was a lot of world and character building - setting the stage for the story. But it seemed like that was all it was. I just couldn't seem to figure out what the big conflict was for the story. Almost the whole book was about the two couples trying to be "together" and all the doubts and insecurities they experienced trying to make this happen. I thik it would have been nice to this once or twice, but not for the majority of a 400+ page book.

It wasn't until the last 10% or so that I really got a fee for what was going to be happening - it still hadn't happened yet until the last few pages. I love character and world building, descriptive passages, and anticipation. This one took it too far for me though.

There were some things I really liked, too. In the beginning, we are introduced to our main characters and part of the world history as they are taking their last final exam at college. The essay questions Rainer was answering and a bit of his internal dialog about them were a great way to introduce The Gifted political system and some of both the character and the world history.

I'm hoping that book two will be a little more interesting. I'm curious to see what the last few pages of the book will lead to now that we have what I think is our major conflict. I do enjoy to concept of their energy. It's not exactly magic, more of a way of manipulating the world around them. .

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

- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/04/review-within-realm-gifted-realm-1-by.html#sthash.nEq3n2l4.dpuf

I really enjoyed the world of created by S.J. Pierce. A world where paranormals aren't unheard of, but aren't really part of society either. Creating Kat with a mix of paranormal and angel may seem far fetched at first, but when we hear the story of how her parents met and fell in love, it all makes perfect sense. This love is something Kat hopes to find in her life, but she's not sure if she ever will. She's willing to except that for now - she's only seventeen after all. She had a great outlook on life and love and what she wanted out of both. But two things happen at about the same time that change her life completely.

The first is the strange dreams and visions of a boy in the woods. Sounds pretty harmless, but they are incredibly lifelike and she feels a physical pull to find out who he is. Her dream visitor will open her eyes to things she never would have imagined (and that's saying a lot from someone who moves things with her mind and bunks with a fire starter).

The second is the staff and students disappearing without a trace around campus. The two events seem completely unrelated, but both lead her deep into a web that she becomes trapped in. She's afraid to talk to her friends, and her boyfriend Levi knows that something is up and that she just won't open up about it.


The storyline was very well developed and kept moving along very nicely with bits and pieces coming out at just the right times. At one point I think (and maybe I just read it wrong) the count of missing students compared to names got off and didn't match, but other than a quick double take to make sure I had things in my head correctly I didn't find any reasons to put the book down and when I had to for real life it was very difficult.

I'm very interested to see what will happen to these characters in book two.

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

- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/04/blog-tour-review-and-giveaway-captivate.html#sthash.DfkeorjA.dpuf

The Shadow Queen delivered much more than I expected. Full of intrigue, scandal and secrets - religious cults and fantastic plays. The tale of Claudette begins as a poor player and spans many levels fame. From helping her mother become a famous actress to being the confidante of The Shadow Queen - with much in between.

As part of a family of players, Claudette leads a very interesting life surrounded by some very unique people. One of these people is knows as Athenais - met in a variety of ways throughout the year, Claudette finds herself the woman's confidante. This leads to quite an interesting series of events as Athenais tries to maintain her place as the king's favorite mistress. There was a surprising amount of action in this - duels, floods, missing people - at times the book got quite exciting for a historical fiction novel that wasn't about a war.

I loved the way the story was told. I really felt like I was there watching it all from a hidden little nook in the wall. The clothes, the rooms, the people - all come to life very nicely. The ending was very nice and I loved how Sandra Gulland wrapped up so many of the pieces so nicely and naturally. I don't know much about the time period, but she did include a little bit at the back covering where she too literary licence and what was considered fact which helped me understand the time even more.

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

- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/04/reviwe-shadow-queen-by-sandra-gulland.html#sthash.FgVlxUqk.dpuf

Book Three, Righting a Wrong, ends with Lydia being given an opportunity for a summer vacation (and maybe a fling). Lost & Found picks up at the end of summer, where Lydia has finished her summer vacation and hasn't had the grand adventure that she had hoped. When her plane home gets cancelled and she meets Blake the opportunity for some excitement opens up for her again.

Lydia was a great character, she was awkward and shy, not sure how to handle the social scene sometimes. Blake is an over-worked lawyer that doesn't realize he's been spending so much time at work that he's been missing his life. When Lydia joins him on his quest to find a box from his grandfather that was left with a long lost friend - everything seems to go right for them. Lydia comes out of her shell and Blake takes a break from the stress of work and actually enjoys himself.

This was a cute addition to the Ripple Effect series with lots of really great moments. It was more syrupy than the others and I wish there had been a little less internal worrying from both characters. I'm still very excited to see what the next book has in store. This is going to end up being one of my favorite novella series I think.

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

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/04/blog-tour-review-and-giveaway_29.html#sthash.fIuZMGCx.dpuf

Book two of the Advent Trilogy strikes off and leaves the realm of young adult, in my opinion. It is a much more adult novel with a much darker feel to it. There was quite a bit of jumping around from place to place and person to person, I had a very hard time following parts of it.

I don't think I really "got" what the story was trying to say in this one. I enjoyed book one, Advent, but I struggled to finish Anarchy. Since I wasn't able to follow where the author was trying to with this one I'm afraid I just didn't enjoy it. A reader who is able to follow the story better or fall into the characters will probably love it - it just wasn't meant for me.

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

An Unsuitable Husband was a light hearted and humorous story. Theresa and Emile get married for the strangest of reasons - and an agreement to divorce in one year, no strings. The only problem with their arrangement is that they seem to be having too much fun. Theresa and Emile have a connection - even though they don't seem to have much in common - they make each other laugh and stop to enjoy life for awhile.

Emile was the shining star in this one. He was everything I imagine a playboy frenchman to be. He was teasing and had innuendo coming out everywhere. Theresa was a little more flighty. She didn't seem to know what she wanted, other than to annoy her mother - which while it may be fun to annoy your mother, it shouldn't be the motivating event in your life. *This book was received in exchange for an honest review* - See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/04/review-unsuitable-husband-by-ros-clarke.html#sthash.pVei6Blf.dpuf

Far too lengthy and drawn out for my taste. I stopped about 25% of the way through.

The third book in The Sullivans centers around Gabe Sullivan - the heroic firefighter and the mother and daughter that he saves in a horrible apartment blaze. Now Gabe has a rule not to date fire victims, and Megan has a rule not to date guys with risky jobs. But (this is a romance after all) they can't seem to stop thinking about each other. With a little help from Megan's little girl, Summer, they keep running into each other.

This was a much better story than book one (I have book two on the way), the conflict was much more realistic to me. I know I would have a hard time bringing a man into my life that had a job that could easily take his life any day. The characters were easier to relate to and not a perfect. I loved Summer's role in everything. She was the cheerful little girl that wouldn't let anything get in her way to find happiness for her mom.

While we know they are going to end with an HEA there were times it seemed like it was all going to fall apart and I wasn't sure how they were going to get them together in the long run.

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

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/05/review-cant-help-falling-in-love-by.html#sthash.2K29wiiq.dpuf

I have been wanting to try out this series for a long time, so I jumped at the chance for a review copy. The Sullivan family is HUGE - there are six boys and two girls, so I know there will be a lot to read about. The Look of Love takes on one of the brothers, Chase, a reknown photographer. When he finds Chloe on the side of the road in a rainstorm his protective instincts kick in and he would do anything take care of her. Chloe on the other hand, is ready to keep running. She can't trust men and isn't sure what to think of her apparent knight in shining armor.

This was a decent start to the series with lots of background early on about the family. I liked how other members of the family were brought in on occassion so I could get to know them a little along the way. I hope to see more of Chase in future books as well. Some of the story dragged just a little - too much "I love you but I shouldn't" for me to really get into the characters. There were also some amazingly hilarious scenes that had me almost laughing out loud.

If you like a nice happy contempory story with a beautiful ending and more to look forward to, I suggest you start this series. It looks to be a great one.

- See more at: http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/03/review-look-of-love-by-bella-andre.html#sthash.wGs2SdDq.dpuf

Comparing this book to The Scarlet Letter and Minority Report was spot on. As the government begins testing for HTS (Homicidal Tendency Syndrome) and branding people with the syndrome that have reported done anything even slightly violent, Davy finds herself caught up in the net. Kicked our of her private school because here DNA has tested positive, she is sent to "the cage" - along with 5 other carriers.

Davy's story was brilliantly written. Her shock, shame, and confusion of her suddenly changed circumstances. As she meets new carriers and discovers that there are others that are just like her - branded without reason - and others that have embraced their status letting their baser insticts take over. Sean seems to straddle the line between the two. A seemingly violent person, yet different than the others in his reasons for letting it out.

I was amazed at how quickly this book took over my day and I had a very difficult time stopping. At the end we have a semblence of a resolution, but I can tell there is so much more to be told still.

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

- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/05/uninvited-by-uninvited-1-by-sophie.html#sthash.S7jbGCOy.dpuf