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What an outstanding ending to a really great series. It's not too often that a series will earn an overall 5 star rating, but this one really blew it out of the park. The big battle between Jasmine and Kiora is coming to a head and it's going to be a nasty one. It's hard to even describe the build up because there was so much going on (in a great way).
So far Kiora has managed to stay just ahead of Jasmine, but when Kiora realizes what Jasmine is really after she's not sure how to handle it at first. A plan slowly comes together, but it will come at the cost of many lives - some that Kiora holds very dear and I hated to see lost. Kiora's plans are brilliant, but come very close to falling apart several times.
Kiora's goal of uniting the various people and races is coming along nicely, too. But old hatred and prejudice die hard and it is an uphill battle to get people to work together the way she needs them to for things to work. I know I already said it, but this ending was beyond amazing. I think this will be a re-read for me because I already want to go back and visit all my characters.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/08/book-tour-review-and-giveaway-wings-of.html#sthash.vNJBNQgp.dpuf
So far Kiora has managed to stay just ahead of Jasmine, but when Kiora realizes what Jasmine is really after she's not sure how to handle it at first. A plan slowly comes together, but it will come at the cost of many lives - some that Kiora holds very dear and I hated to see lost. Kiora's plans are brilliant, but come very close to falling apart several times.
Kiora's goal of uniting the various people and races is coming along nicely, too. But old hatred and prejudice die hard and it is an uphill battle to get people to work together the way she needs them to for things to work. I know I already said it, but this ending was beyond amazing. I think this will be a re-read for me because I already want to go back and visit all my characters.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/08/book-tour-review-and-giveaway-wings-of.html#sthash.vNJBNQgp.dpuf
Unfortunately, this one got off to a rocky start for me. The first chapter is titled Xavier - so I assumed it was from his point of view. It's not. It's just where we meet him for the first time. Those of you who are not a fan of love triangles - this is one you should steer clear of as well. She does pick just one in the end, so the whole book revolves around this love triangle. Now, the triangles don't bother me all the time and this one was handled much better than most. Everyone was very in the know about the circumstances, and she didn't try to play one against the other - they did that to themselves.
The storyline of the book was very exciting. I love the concept of a fantasy island hidden away in the Bermuda Triangle. I may have to try more from the Invitation to Eden series. The island offers any type of fantasy you could want - they even have a dungeon. About half way through we are introduced to the suspense element of the story and I absolutely loved the way it was written. Drawn out just enough to make keep me reading and never really slowing down or dragging. The wrap up for everything at the end was just about perfect.
There is some light BDSM play, but nothing very hard core. It was more about exploring sensations than anything else. But this is also where the book lost me a little bit again. Most of the sexual encounters seemed very rushed and didn't always flow well. The scenes were often set up nicely, but I just didn't pull a lot of passion out of them.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
The storyline of the book was very exciting. I love the concept of a fantasy island hidden away in the Bermuda Triangle. I may have to try more from the Invitation to Eden series. The island offers any type of fantasy you could want - they even have a dungeon. About half way through we are introduced to the suspense element of the story and I absolutely loved the way it was written. Drawn out just enough to make keep me reading and never really slowing down or dragging. The wrap up for everything at the end was just about perfect.
There is some light BDSM play, but nothing very hard core. It was more about exploring sensations than anything else. But this is also where the book lost me a little bit again. Most of the sexual encounters seemed very rushed and didn't always flow well. The scenes were often set up nicely, but I just didn't pull a lot of passion out of them.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
I really loved Anna Silver's idea of what a dystopian society would be like. I couldn't imagine trying to live in a world where nothing was new. Now I'm not just talking about physical items. Creativity is gone - no new songs, new ideas, new books (perish the thought). Then London writes a new song - this is the big turning point and all hell begins to break loose. And she's not just creating - she's also dreaming (another thing that no longer happens to anyone). She gathers a group of other teenagers that also dream and they discover their dreams are more than just that - they are connections to another place, time, and people.
There is a great mix of action and discovery in this story. There is always something going on, but sometimes it's an internal realization or group conversation. There is also a "high speed" car chase, a shoot out, and several instances of running for their lives. A good combination to reach out to a variety of readers.
London is our main character and is very well developed. She is constantly evolving based on what she sees in her dreams and experiences around her. The rest of the crew does not seem to evolve as much, and I really wish I had seen a little more from them. Maybe in the next book they will shine a bit more. The Tycoons are the controllers of everything and a character unto themselves. They are this ominous figure always looming in the background. Their physical absence from most of the story only made them more mysterious and foreboding.
love a unique dystopian story, and with the genre exploding they can be hard to find. This one really fit the bill, and if those side characters had just had a tad more depth it would have gotten five stars.
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-otherborn-otherborn-1-by-anna.html#sthash.sknSuybA.dpuf
There is a great mix of action and discovery in this story. There is always something going on, but sometimes it's an internal realization or group conversation. There is also a "high speed" car chase, a shoot out, and several instances of running for their lives. A good combination to reach out to a variety of readers.
London is our main character and is very well developed. She is constantly evolving based on what she sees in her dreams and experiences around her. The rest of the crew does not seem to evolve as much, and I really wish I had seen a little more from them. Maybe in the next book they will shine a bit more. The Tycoons are the controllers of everything and a character unto themselves. They are this ominous figure always looming in the background. Their physical absence from most of the story only made them more mysterious and foreboding.
love a unique dystopian story, and with the genre exploding they can be hard to find. This one really fit the bill, and if those side characters had just had a tad more depth it would have gotten five stars.
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-otherborn-otherborn-1-by-anna.html#sthash.sknSuybA.dpuf
Death is a bitch - for real. But what else could you expect from a work-a-holic harvester of souls. Azrael wants her to relax and have some fun, some fun with him that is. Death was a great character and I loved seeing it portrayed as a female. I don't think I'd ever seen that before. Death is all business. She loves her job. Comforting the good souls as they pass and catching the ones that don't think it's really their time. The only draw back is Damien. The demon that tries to barter with the souls. He offers them a little more time in exchange for an eternity of servitude. He also has a serious psycho crush on Death that gets very out of hand
Damien was a great opposite to showcase Azrael as a good guy. Damien is everything you don't want in a guy. He's manipulative and controlling and he would do anything to make Death his - even trapping her until she "sees the light". The addition of Sisyphus from myths as his somewhat unwilling sidekick was a great idea and a fantastic way to tie the story into lore.
There is a lot going on for a novella and it was written very well. With two man-hunts and a backlog of work, Death has her work cut out for her - and Azrael has his cut out for him in trying to win her over. Death's family plays a minor role, as does Satan, and the mix was a great way to add some fun side characters into the story line.
Cate Masters is definitely a favorite of mine now. She does an awesome job with her lore and giving old legends and myths a modern twist to bring them into today's world.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
Damien was a great opposite to showcase Azrael as a good guy. Damien is everything you don't want in a guy. He's manipulative and controlling and he would do anything to make Death his - even trapping her until she "sees the light". The addition of Sisyphus from myths as his somewhat unwilling sidekick was a great idea and a fantastic way to tie the story into lore.
There is a lot going on for a novella and it was written very well. With two man-hunts and a backlog of work, Death has her work cut out for her - and Azrael has his cut out for him in trying to win her over. Death's family plays a minor role, as does Satan, and the mix was a great way to add some fun side characters into the story line.
Cate Masters is definitely a favorite of mine now. She does an awesome job with her lore and giving old legends and myths a modern twist to bring them into today's world.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
This book reminds me a bit of several TV shows - especially The Tomorrow People. A new breed of human has evolved with special powers. In Indigo Awakening, the powers are different for everyone - and the "normal" people that know about them are quite scared. A group knows as the Believers is determined to get rid of them all - they don't care that most of them are just kids.
Enter Lucas and Rayne Darby. Lucas is an indigo kid and Rayne is his normal sister who doesn't have a clue what is going on at the beginning. She only knows Lucas is in trouble. I didn't quite connect to either character - there was too much jumping around to really get attached. We also meet Gabe - he's something else completely different. I feel closer to him than most of the other characters by the end - and I really loved his "dog".
This story is full of build up as the Believers hunt for Lucas and try following Rayne and Gabe to find him. Lots and lots of build up to a knock down fight that just didn't quite live up to my expectations. It was good - things went bad, things went right, the story move don. I didn't expect such a major show down so early in the series and since it was seemed so big, I wonder where the author is going to take us next. I'll find out soon. Crystal Fire is in my bag and ready to go.
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-indigo-awakening-by-jordan-dane.html#sthash.NEmXVteA.dpuf
Enter Lucas and Rayne Darby. Lucas is an indigo kid and Rayne is his normal sister who doesn't have a clue what is going on at the beginning. She only knows Lucas is in trouble. I didn't quite connect to either character - there was too much jumping around to really get attached. We also meet Gabe - he's something else completely different. I feel closer to him than most of the other characters by the end - and I really loved his "dog".
This story is full of build up as the Believers hunt for Lucas and try following Rayne and Gabe to find him. Lots and lots of build up to a knock down fight that just didn't quite live up to my expectations. It was good - things went bad, things went right, the story move don. I didn't expect such a major show down so early in the series and since it was seemed so big, I wonder where the author is going to take us next. I'll find out soon. Crystal Fire is in my bag and ready to go.
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-indigo-awakening-by-jordan-dane.html#sthash.NEmXVteA.dpuf
This one wasn't quite as good as the first two in the series. Now, since the first two were huge 5 star books for me, that means this one was still pretty darn good. We met Candy in book two as an undercover DEA agent and sister to the main man. In Cop a Feel, it's her turn to find love. She's a hard ass undercover agent that doesn't believe in love (even though she's seen it with her brother's life). She live for her work and that's about all she has. When she realizes she's attached to not David she runs for the hills and promises to never call him again. It doesn't help that she found out he never told her his real name.
Not David, aka Luke, has quite a few surprises up his sleeve that I don't want to give away. He and Candy are assigned to protect Shoshanna LeHump (a return character from book one) from death threats. Their assignment takes them on quite a wild and hilarious ride to a special convention with an amazing name. Their romance really blooms and past wounds are healed here in some very unexpected ways. There are a lot of touching moments that really surprised me. There was also a lot of the humor I've grown to love from Robyn Peterman and who seems to come up with new words and phrases for sex and body parts with every book she writes.
The downside to this one was that I had a hard time really connecting. A lot of the scenes weren't as natural and flowing as they were in the first two books and I just didn't relate to the characters as easily. Don't get me wrong, they were still great characters and scenes. Robyn just set the bar very very high and this one just didn't quite reach my expectations.
The ending was beautiful. I loved Aunt Moon Unit's appearance and the final scene was so full of Happily Ever After-ness it was sickening in an amazingly romantic way. I don't know if this is the end of the series. There was an opening for a possible new romance and I really hope Robyn takes it and runs with it. I love these characters and the fact that we get to see them over and over again even after their story is told.
Not David, aka Luke, has quite a few surprises up his sleeve that I don't want to give away. He and Candy are assigned to protect Shoshanna LeHump (a return character from book one) from death threats. Their assignment takes them on quite a wild and hilarious ride to a special convention with an amazing name. Their romance really blooms and past wounds are healed here in some very unexpected ways. There are a lot of touching moments that really surprised me. There was also a lot of the humor I've grown to love from Robyn Peterman and who seems to come up with new words and phrases for sex and body parts with every book she writes.
The downside to this one was that I had a hard time really connecting. A lot of the scenes weren't as natural and flowing as they were in the first two books and I just didn't relate to the characters as easily. Don't get me wrong, they were still great characters and scenes. Robyn just set the bar very very high and this one just didn't quite reach my expectations.
The ending was beautiful. I loved Aunt Moon Unit's appearance and the final scene was so full of Happily Ever After-ness it was sickening in an amazingly romantic way. I don't know if this is the end of the series. There was an opening for a possible new romance and I really hope Robyn takes it and runs with it. I love these characters and the fact that we get to see them over and over again even after their story is told.
This was a fun little novella that was easy to read in one sitting. Larissa is easily lovable, but her two vampires Garrick and Ramon (I kept wanting to call him Roman for some reason) were harder to fall for. They blurred in my mind too much to get overly attached to either one of them. I think the author realized this, because part way through she threw in a bunch of historical information about them during a conversation. But I still had a hard time.
Both Garrick and Ramon were important vampires in their community. Their society was complicated and may have been better in a longer format. When rebel vampires plot against Garrick and Ramon, they use Larissa as blackmail. The blackmail plot had a few holes in it and a lot of good things just seemed to happen for no reason to help them out.
This was not a bad story, it was fun and entertaining. I just expected a bit more from it.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
Both Garrick and Ramon were important vampires in their community. Their society was complicated and may have been better in a longer format. When rebel vampires plot against Garrick and Ramon, they use Larissa as blackmail. The blackmail plot had a few holes in it and a lot of good things just seemed to happen for no reason to help them out.
This was not a bad story, it was fun and entertaining. I just expected a bit more from it.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
For the Love of Murphy
London Saint James, Rebecca Hart, Michelle Ziegler, Lisa A. Adams, Annabelle Blume
This was a very cute collection of sweet romances. They all revolve around the theme of happy accidents - or at least accidents that eventually lead to happiness. While the collection was fun to read, there were two that really stood out as favorites. A Slippery Slope and The Shamrock Incident finished the set off very nicely and I think I will be going back to re-read them again sometime.
