Review: Soul Reapers (An Eli and Ava Thriller) by Shay West

Published: November 30, 2015
Genre: Thriller
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review

Goodreads Summary

Detectives Elliot “Eli” Robbins and Ava Aguilar are stumped by a series of seemingly unrelated kidnappings. Utilizing all possible resources, Eli and Ava struggle to find answers despite little physical evidence and few witnesses. When a strange piece of paper is found at one of the crime scenes, it sends Eli and Ava on a chase for a killer who isn’t what he seems.

Buy Soul Reapers (An Eli and Ava Thriller) by Shay West today at Amazon

Eli bent down, grabbing a pair of gloves out of his jacket pocket. His heart hammered in his chest as he carefully picked up a scrap of paper. He turned it over, the red spot standing out against the pristine white. He’d been a cop long enough that he recognized the spot as blood. But is it Lucy’s?

The Good

I love Eli and Ava. They make a great team and not just as detectives in my opinion. The banter between the two feels real and I can really picture them clearly in their every day lives. The story itself kept me interested as I also wanted to see the killer caught and done away with. Also, for once I enjoyed the cliff hanger at the end of a book. And Irena is a fun new character I'd like to hear more about. 

The Bad

I hate to say bad as it's more have to live with it for the story's sake. Some of the investigation feels a bit long at times which I'm ok with as overall it makes it more believable. You have to have all the failed leads or it seems too easy.

The Romance

Eli is in love with Ava but they work together and the job frowns upon that. Plus he's not too sure how she feels about him. Ava play's her cards close to her chest though and start's a relationship with Eli's neighbor.

Conclusion

A great reminder that we always be aware of our surroundings. If you enjoy a good detective story with great banter and a fare bit of sarcasm you'll enjoy this one. Strong characters and a believable supernatural thriller. I totally recommend not only this one but book one as well. Love this series by Shay West.

Excerpts

He tipped his beer toward her. “Damn right he’s not. Tani and Keena defected, came to us with the truth of the murders, and risked their lives to stop Kelhar. Satrick never did any of that. Hell, he probably wishes he could go back home so he can return to being a Harvester.”


There were only a few hours left to perform the ritual. Plenty of time. The man moved about the cave, examining his handiwork thus far, crooning softly under his breath as he passed each corpse. It won’t be long now.


Eli held up his hands and laughed. “Sorry I said anything.” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re not going to curse me or something are you?”
“You’re a riot, Robbins,” she said as she got up from her desk. As she passed behind him on her way back to evidence, she leaned down and whispered in his ear. “Of course, if I do, you’ll never see it coming.”
He laughed, but swallowed hard when she was out of earshot. He’d heard stories of Ava’s grandmother and her practice of voodoo. Ava tried to convince him that voodoo wasn’t what he thought, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

Buy Soul Reapers (An Eli and Ava Thriller) by Shay West today at Amazon

Review: Hazard of Shadows (Goblin King Book 2) by Mike Phillips

Published: August 1st 2015 by Damnation Books
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format: paperback
Source: sent for honest review

Goodreads Summary

The enchanted creatures of legend still exist, taking refuge from an age of camera phones and government labs in a secret place called the World Below. 

After leading a revolution against Baron Finkbeiner, the despotic ruler of the World Below, Mitch Hardy has taken the throne. Unknown to him, ancient powers are at work.

The Lords of Faerie seek to revenge the death of Baron Finkbeiner and recover the mysterious Blade of Caro. Soon Mitch is fighting for his life against hellish monsters, the likes of which he never imagined.

Hazard of Shadows (Goblin King Book 2) by Mike Phillips today at Amazon

“Anyway, get thee gone to a distance of not less than five hundred miles from this place, and you will not be harmed.” 

The goat devil roared with laughter. “By you and your little kitty cats? How frightening,” he said mockingly.

The Good

This one so far has been a modernized version of normal guy meets a fairy princess and becomes the hero. Only the buddies he fights with are goblins. Yep, instead of fighting goblins he has pizza parties with them when not fighting other creatures. I really like the flow of this one as Mitch our hero spends half his time dealing with real life and regular friends and the other half dealing with magical creatures and their magical problems. Elizabeth his fairy princess is a carefree individual who is chill because she knows how powerful she is. Instead of reacting to threats she mostly just makes fun of them with sarcasm.

The Bad

The only thing I haven't enjoyed with the series so far is the goblins can be a bit gross at times. I wish those moments were left to the shadows and not discussed so much. Just a personal preference.

The Romance

Mitch and Elizabeth, one a normal guy and the other a fairy princess, are trying to make things work. Problem is Elizabeth keeps running off trying to track down her father and Mitch is feeling a bit left out.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed part 2 of this series. I felt like a lot of ground work was set up in order to prepare us for future installments. We get to meet more of the supernatural creatures in the underworld and a few that are hanging out up top blending in to normal society.  If you enjoy urban fantasy with a bit of a twist I think you’ll enjoy this series.

Excerpts

Shaking his head, Mitch said, “That’s no big deal. We’re all learning how to get along. Even Gullysack is using the toilet now.”
“That’s just it. We ain’t want to be no house trained poodle dog.


This too was all part of the magical defense. If the goblins told him how to defeat the security measures, then it would be vulnerable to discovery by magical means. He would have to figure it out by himself. His friendship would show him the way.

“You might as well let him go,” Beene suggested. “I don’t know the chap, never seen him before in my life. Be a good little monster and chase him away for me. That’s the best course of action. Ain’t no use spillin’ any more blood over little old me.”

“No ma’am, he’s right as sun on the daisies on that one.”
So unused was he to hearing anything but profanity from Thudrott, Mitch gave him a questioning look. “What? Just ‘cause you don’t know how to treat a lady, don’t mean the rest of us are the same way. Right guys?”
“Yeah,” the goblins replied.

Hazard of Shadows (Goblin King Book 2) by Mike Phillips today at Amazon

Sunday Cover Scramble [157]

Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Harry Potter Moment of the Week [100]

This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows.The idea is to share a favorite moment, magical item, character, spell, quote, object from the books, films or J.K.Rowling herself! Click the links to the blogs to see how to join up &  upcoming topics.

Favorite Charm Spell

via GIPHY

One of my favorite charms is the bluebell flames. The fire that Hermione can expertly craft would be a great benefit in my opinion. I'm often cold so it'd be handy for sure. Not to mention that the blue flames just seem so pretty.

What is your favorite charm spell?

ARC Review: Through the Veil (The Aisling Chronicles #1) by Colleen Halverson

Published: February 22, 2016 by Entangled Publishing, LLC
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: Sent through Netgalley for honest review

Goodreads Summary

Elizabeth Tanner is no Tinkerbell, and her life is no fairy tale. Broke and drowning in student loans, the one thing she wants more than anything is a scholarship from the Trinity Foundation. But after the ancient Irish text she's studying turns out to be more than just a book, she becomes their prisoner instead. And when Trinity reveals Elizabeth is half-Fae, she finds herself at the center of a plot to save the magical races of Ireland from a brutal civil war.

As Commander of Trinity's elite warriors, Finn O'Connell isn't used to having his authority challenged. He doesn't know whether to punish or protect the infuriating young woman in his custody. When he discovers the Dark Fae want to use Elizabeth's abilities to control the source of all power in the universe, he'll risk everything to help her.

At the mercy of Trinity and enslaved to the Dark Fae, Elizabeth finds herself alone on the wrong side of an Irish myth thousands of years in the making. Refusing to be a pawn in their game, Elizabeth has to fight her way back to the man she loves, but to do so, she must wage her own war against the magic that binds her.

THROUGH THE VEIL will be available February 22nd 2016 through Entangled Publishing.

Book 1 of the Aisling Chronicles Series

I knew two things. One: I was on my own. And two: I wasn't going out like this.

The Good

Fae! I love stories with the Fae because they have some amazing magic and are generally not to be trifled with.

I can't even imagine where the story will go from here.  It starts off with Elizabeth noticing strange things around her and throughout she's kidnapped numerous times, tortured, married, and it ends with her right back where she started. Through the Veil had twist after twisty twist and leaves you wondering how you'd fair in Elizabeth's shoes.

Elizabeth was living a completely normal life, almost boring even, and was ripped away from it to become a prisoner of the Fae where our laws don't matter even a tiny bit. I love how Halverson took us through Elizabeth's journey with harsh glimpses at what she was going through without lingering too long on it to where it would saturate. She really had a hard time of it. Elizabeth is stubborn through the whole story, but grows a lot darker and hard while still remaining soft and protective towards certain characters. She starts ticking a list off in her head of who she is going to exact revenge on and she's determined to see it through. Her powers are quite interesting too. I have a feeling by the end of the series she will be quite the bad ass. I feel like this series has a ton of potential.

The Bad

My only complaint is seeing some cliches here: the forbidden romance, the lost princess, and the big super awesome power that no one else has.

The Romance

Well, Elizabeth and Finn fairly sizzle with heat for each other. This was almost a lust-at-first-sight between the pair. There were definitely some good steamy scenes with the two of them as well as some truly heartfelt moments later on. I like these two together so it will be interesting to see how it plays out. Elizabeth's initial interactions with sexy Irish-man Finn had me laughing quite a lot. She has no intentions of letting him control her. This is not a YA romance.

Conclusion

Through the Veil is a very promising start to The Aisling Chronicles. So much went down in these pages, and there's still more to come which I feel will only get bigger and better from here. I loved getting to know Elizabeth who is flawed but incredibly strong as well as the other characters in the story. I also enjoyed the many twists and the magic that filled the story. I will definitely be continuing the series. Recommended.

Excerpts

My stomach gurgled in response. "Something you should know about me, Finn, is that I'll probably do just about anything for a free lunch." 
Finn winked, slinging the backpack over his shoulder. "I'll note that for future reference."

A well of silence opened up in the space, and I stared at the door Finn had bolted through, wondering in anguish if he would come back for me, if he was just going to abandon me here in this dungeon.

Swords don't appear out of nowhere. Giant snakes don't exist. I repeated this over and over, but the signal my eyes sent to my brain told a different story. I blinked hard, trying to focus the scene, trying to right itself again. It was like one of those Highlights magazines I used to look through at the dentist's office. What two things don't belong here?

ARC Review: Holding Court by K.C. Held

Published: March 1, 2016 by Entangled Teen
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mystery
Format: ebook
Source: Sent through Netgalley for honest review

Goodreads Summary

Sixteen-year-old Jules Verity knows exactly what's in store at her new job at castle-turned-dinner-theater Tudor Times. Some extra cash, wearing a fancy-pants dress, and plenty of time to secretly drool over the ever-so-tasty--and completely unavailable--Grayson Chandler. Except that it's not quite what she imagined.

For one, the costume Jules has to wear is awful. Then there's the dead body she finds that just kind of...well, disappears. Oh, and there's the small issue of Jules and her episodes of what her best friend calls "Psychic Tourette's Syndrome"--spontaneous and uncontrollable outbursts of seemingly absurd prophecies.

The only bright side? This whole dead body thing seems to have gotten Grayson's attention. Except that the more Jules investigates, the more she discovers that Grayson's interest might not be as courtly as she thought. In fact, it's starting to look suspicious...

"Who told you to say that?"
"What? No one. I have a blurting problem. It happens more when I'm nervous. Like now. My friend Cami calls it Psychic Tourette's Syndrome. PTS for short. I call it mortifying."

The Good

This was such a funny and cute story. The characters are wonderful. Jules Verity comes from a family in which the women all exhibit some sort of power. Her quirky grandmother runs a matchmaking company called The Aura of Romance with her ability to read auras and she drives a pink golf cart around town with advertisements plastered on it. Her mom has the ability to tell the history of an object by touching it. Jules is the best though. She randomly blurts out psychic premonitions that often sound more loony than accurate. For example, "Be alert to the squirt and smell the ketchup!".

Jules finds the best job for her possible as the Mad Maid of Kent at Tudor Times. It's a place for people to visit where everything is set in the time of King Henry the VIII. The Mad Maid of Kent is known to be a crazy psychic so it works quite well. This setting made for some interesting dialogue as well as unique weapons and storing places for bodies. The story is a mystery. She finds a dead body on her first day of work and rolls on from there with Jules investigating.

The Bad

While I'm sure there were flaws with the story, I didn't notice them. This was just what I needed at the time.

The Romance

Jules has had a crush on Grayson for quite some time. I like how in this one, Grayson has a girlfriend that Jules loves. She thinks Bree is one of the best people she's ever met, and I have to agree that she's pretty great. This sets up an interesting dynamic, and I'm glad about how everything worked out in the end.

Conclusion

Holding Court is a very funny, cute read. I laughed quite a lot while reading it. The characters are wonderful and the romance is charming. The setting at Tudor Times makes for a fun environment with interesting dialogue and the mystery of the dead bodies makes for a great who-done-it plot. Definitely recommended.

Excerpts

The only thing that could possibly make the situation more awkward would be for me to have one of my uncontrollable psychic fits. So, of course, I do. 
"The keeper of secrets keeps too much!" I blurt, then clap a hand over my mouth. 
King Henry looks like he's waiting for the punch line. "Indeed," he finally says.

"Sometimes it's beneficial for people to think you're nuttier than a fruitcake, dear. And this is one of those times."

"Grayson looks amazing in that Prince Charming outfit."
"I know," I whisper back miserably. "And Bree looks like Cinderella post-bibbidi-bobbidi-boo."

"Ruination is found in a sequined gown!"

Sunday Cover Scramble [156]

Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Fandom Mashups [10]

Fandom Mashups is a feature hosted by Lunar Rainbows Reviews. There's a different scenario each week, and you choose a "dream team" of five characters from five different fandoms whom you think are best suited for the situation.

This week's topic is:

It's Valentine's Day! What's your Fandom Crush Team?
 -OR-
Who are your favorite Fandom Couples

1) Morticia and Gomez - The Addams Family

You can just see the love oozing our of their pores for each other. It's one of those OLD loves too that has survived everything thrown at them as opposed to the fresh, new loves.

2) Cat and Bones - The Night Huntress Series

These two would go to the ends of the Earth for each other and protect each other at all costs. They also are both difficult and stubborn so I feel that they've met their match for who would put up with them as well.

3) Booth and Bones - Bones

via GIPHY

This pair is the example of opposites attract. Booth is all faith, hope, and gut-instinct while Bones is all fact, figures and logic. Somehow it works though as these two balance each other out perfectly.

4) Kate and Curran - The Kate Daniels Series

So I could read their dialogue all day long. I love the witty banter and sarcastic spars that these two share. Not to mention their chemistry is off the charts.

5) Daemon and Katy - The Lux Chronicles

He'd burn down the world for her. Literally. This pair is a lot of fun with the swoony Daemon and the book blogger Katy together. I think they honestly need each other like they need air.

Special mentions:

Barrons and Mac
Rowan and Aelin
Cress and Thorne
Mercy and Adam
Jace and Clary
Magnus and Alec

Who are your favorite fandom couples?

Harry Potter Moment of the Week [99]

This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows.The idea is to share a favorite moment, magical item, character, spell, quote, object from the books, films or J.K.Rowling herself! Click the links to the blogs to see how to join up &  upcoming topics.

Favorite Hagrid Moment

via GIPHY

I just adore Hagrid! My absolute favorite moment with him is when he meets eleven year old Harry.

I love everything about this moment:

• breaking down the door
• the mushed birthday cake
• Dudley's tail
• the loyalty towards Dumbledore

This was the first time that Harry had anyone show concern over his feelings and well-being. I think it's great that his first taste of the wizarding world is the outcast giant. Hagrid was so upset leaving Harry with the Dursleys so it's fantastic that Dumbledore sent him to rescue Harry from them.

Hagrid: "This boy's had his name down ever since he was born. He'll be goin' to the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world and he'll be under the greatest headmaster that Hogwarts has ever seen; Albus Dumbledore."
Vernon Dursley: "I will not pay to have some crackpot old fool teach him magic tricks!"
Hagrid: "Never... insult... Albus Dumbledore... in front of me!"

What is your favorite Hagrid moment?

Tour Review and Kindle Fire Giveaway - Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow

Welcome to our stop on the Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows Blog Tour!

Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing

Release Date: January 26, 2016
Series: Elementals #1
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Format: eBook
ISBN: 2940152448849
Source: Sent through Netgalley for honest review

Goodreads Summary

Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love!

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly … she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers—and, to her dismay, by Blake—the school’s notorious bad-boy.

Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect—it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town … and possibly the world.

Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

Only a week and a half into a new school, and not only was I a freaky super-witch who made a glass explode in class, but I also had extra homework.

The Good

I enjoyed how Nicole got wrapped up immediately into the world of magic. She's skeptical at first which is to be expected and there's a few Harry Potter references thrown in for good fun. I also enjoyed how the magic involved colors and energy. Each color represents different things. For instance, blue is calming and yellow is for focus. Now, I appreciated that take on magic as it shifted it away from Harry Potter. Then, we get some Greek mythology thrown in for good measure. I really liked how this look at magic and the Greek mythology meshed together to form this story.

The pacing is very good. I read the story incredibly quickly. It was pretty short at about 200 pages, making it a very fast read. I thought there was plenty of action and anticipation keeping it quite interesting. This story required a group of people working together in order to accomplish their task, and all characters are quite different with their own specialties. It was refreshing watching not just one person completely outweigh all the others with their magnificent powers, though Nicole does have the most important.

The Bad and The Romance

So in this one, it's the same category. The romance revolved around Nicole who formed an immediate attraction to Blake who also seems quite interested in her. The problem? Oh, he's got a girlfriend. She's a gorgeous creature who is also required in this team to complete the task. I can't stand cheating on any level so the fact that Blake was fine with kissing Nicole even when he's with Danielle rankled me and makes me dislike this love interest. Oh, but he's been planning on ending their relationship since before Nicole even showed up. This story would have worked just as well with Danielle as his ex when Nicole arrived on the scene.

Conclusion

So, bad romance aside, this was a good story. The writing was well done and moved the pace through quickly. The magic mixed with Greek mythology made it stand apart, though I do hope we get more information and world building throughout the series. It was a quick, fun read. Recommended.

About Michelle Madow:

Michelle Madow grew up in Baltimore, graduated Rollins College in Orlando, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. She wrote her first book in her junior year of college, and has been writing novels since. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

To get instant updates about Michelle's new books, subscribe to her newsletter and follow her on Amazon!

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads | Instagram

Michelle is offering up a fabulous prize during her Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows Virtual Tour event. One (1) lucky winner will receive a Kindle Fire 7”! 

To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Unwilling by K.D. Wood

Published: November 10, 2014 by Blue Tulip Publishing
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: sent for honest review

Goodreads Summary

Neely McIntire’s dreams warn her about the future but will not protect her from the danger hiding in plain sight. On graduation night, she plans to tell her best friend, Hayden Nelson, that she's in love with him. Instead, they argue. Neely's hurt feelings leave her vulnerable, giving her secret admirer, Andrew Huckley, the opportunity to put his mother’s monstrous plan into motion. When Neely gives into her broken heart and pushes him away, Hayden knows he must fight to recapture the spark he felt in their last kiss. But will he find her in time to reverse the damage or will she be changed forever?

Buy Unwilling by K.D. Wood Today at Amazon

Now hours later, the creepy feeling that I'd missed something, something important, held my attention, despite being in a sweltering room full of every memaw and cousin in Jones County. Sweat started to run out of my hair. The heat in the gym was slowly reaching nuclear proportions with so many bodies packed into the bleachers.

The Good

This was a crazy ride! Don't let the blurb lull you into a false security that this book is all about Neely and a broken heart regarding Hayden. While there definitely is a love story involved, there is so much wildness thrown into these pages.

It's really hard to describe this book without giving away spoilers, which is why I'm sure that the blurb for it is so light on details. Let me tell you, this is nothing like anything I've read before. While reading Unwilling, the POVs switch between Neely and Hayden. In between, there are little glimpses of dreams that Neely has that made absolutely no sense to me, but provided little clues as to what was going on. Even though it says paranormal, this is a mixture of mystery, horror, mythology, and romance, and it all mixes together wonderfully.

I read this book in hours. Over 300 pages, I couldn't put it down until I'd read the last word and it left me wanting to pick up the follow up book Unloved. Mostly, I was obsessed with finding out what happened to Neely and with making sure that she made it out of everything safely. What she went through is heartbreaking for both her and everyone that loves her.

The Bad

There were at least 10 grammar errors that I noticed while reading. Unwilling could use another pass through the proofreading process, but it did not take away from my enjoyment of the story.

The Romance

So good...and bad. But that's what makes the story great. Neely is in love with her childhood friend Hayden. When she tries to tell him, he ends up acting like an idiot so she never gets it out. Instead, it opens the way for McCreepy to sidle up next to Neely and cause so much destruction. Andrew Huckley, McCreepy, is in love with Neely and he has so many secrets along with the determination to do anything to have Neely love him.

Conclusion

Unwilling is fantastic. I gasped so many times while reading. The turns the story takes make for a roller-coaster ride of emotions.  The characters have an impact, and you want to see things work out. When you are in the mood for something different that grasps hold of you until you finish it, then I recommend reading Unwilling.

Buy Unwilling by K.D. Wood Today at Amazon

Excerpts

"Ivan Andrew Huckley Junior." The next name blasted out of the PA system. I glanced down to the end of the row and found Andrew staring at my exposed knees. His eyes flashed a bright green in the low light. Hungry.. He actually looked...starved...and that I might be exactly what he wanted on his plate.

"Sorry, little lamb." She tapped the syringe with a perfectly lacquered red nail. Moonlight silvered the single drop clinging to the point. "You've already had a good bit of this." Air rushed into my lungs when the needle bit into my flesh. "So try not to die on me."

The bone in her wrist looked huge. Her arm had become so thin. How had I not noticed before now? "Neely, please don't stop fighting."

Sunday Cover Scramble [155]

Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

ARC Review: Love Me, Love Me Not by Alyxandra Harvey

Published: February 22, 2016 by Entangled: Crave
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Fantasy, Romance
Format: ebook
Source: Sent through Netgalley for honest review

Goodreads Summary

Dating isn’t easy when you’re in the middle of a blood feud. 

Anastasia Vila’s family can turn into swans, but just once she’d like them to turn into responsible adults.

After hundreds of years, they still cling to the blood feud with the Renard family. No one remembers how it started in the first place—but foxes and swans just don’t get along.

Vilas can only transform into their swan shape after they have fallen in love for the first time, but between balancing schoolwork, family obligations, and the escalating blood feud, Ana’s got no time for love. The only thing keeping her sane is her best friend, Pierce Kent.

But when Pierce kisses Ana, everything changes.

Is what Pierce feels for her real, or a byproduct of her magic? Can she risk everything for her best friend? And when the family feud spirals out of control, Ana must stop the fight before it takes away everything she loves.

Including, maybe...Pierce.

This Entangled Teen Crave book contains language, violence, and lots of kissing. Warning: it might induce strong feelings of undeniable attraction for your best friend.

"When your day started with decade-old battle-blood and your aunt singing about making a harp from your bones and your hair, it's probably best just to go back to bed."

The Good

I've never read anything about swan shifters though I've heard of the folktales, so that part really intrigued me. This was a cute story about Ana and her family of swans. They only turn into a swan if they fall in love so this is largely a romance story as well. There is also a family feud here which added a lot of action, intensity, and mystery to the story.

I enjoyed the characters a lot. This was told through Ana's POV and alternated to Pierce's POV. Pierce is Ana's best friend and he knows all about her family's secrets. He is a great guy and quite gentlemanly, always trying to shield Ana even though she's the one with the magic. The magic in the story is fun. There's magic brought on by their singing, magic in their long blonde hair, and dancing at midnight to recharge their magic. The foxes were also good characters. I enjoyed the sassy Liv that Ana just can't get along with. I would read a story from her POV as well.

There's a lot happening. Swans' hair, cloaks, and even swans themselves are disappearing. There are also foxes being trapped and fox tails being taken. Naturally, this causes the feud to ramp up a lot. It ended with a lot of action and wrapped up nicely.

The Bad

There are a ton of side characters, especially in the two feuding families, and I had a hard time keeping everyone straight. I also would've liked to have seen even more personality fleshed out for those characters. While the main characters were strongly written, I would've liked to have seen more even from those Aunts and Cousins that were mentioned often.

The Romance

The romance was very cute. Pierce is Ana's best friend and he's in love with her. Yet, he helps Ana try to win Edward's attention so that she can get her wings. So there is a bit of a triangle here, but it works very well.

Conclusion

Love Me, Love Me Not is a cute, fun read. It's a short book and interesting the whole way through. There is quite a bit of action and the unique addition of swan shifters. I also enjoyed the family feud with the foxes and how Ana really wanted to stop carrying on with their ancestor's rivalry. Recommended.

Excerpts

Swans and foxes just didn't get along. To say my family was not like other families was an understatement. It wasn't enough that we had magic in a world that didn't believe in it, and that we had to keep our magic hidden at all costs - we also had the joys of a magical family feud. Which, by the way, started so long ago that no one could actually remember what the hell we were fighting about anymore. It had become an inherited quality, like blue eyes or lactose intolerance, only we had inherited stupidity. And I was so over it. Problem was, no one else seemed particularly bothered.

We had other weapons after all. Some of the prettiest flowers are poisonous.

Were they experimenting on Ana's family? It only got worse when I saw the cage. The girl was curled up in the back, dirt and salt stains on her cheeks. Her long blond hair was perfectly combed, at odds with the tears in her clothes and the bruises on her arms and throat. She was gagged. Her left eye was swollen shut. I wasn't even sure if she could see wewll enough to recognize me. But I recognized her.

Harry Potter Moment of the Week [98]

This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows.The idea is to share a favorite moment, magical item, character, spell, quote, object from the books, films or J.K.Rowling herself! Click the links to the blogs to see how to join up &  upcoming topics.

Rename the Books from Dumbledore's POV

Dumbledore and the Return of the Boy Who Lived

Dumbledore and the Petrified Students

Dumbledore and the Fugitive

Dumbledore and the Foreign Delegation

Dumbledore and the Ministry

Dumbledore and the Promise

Dumbledore and King's Cross Platform

and for a little more fun:

Dumbledore and Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

Dumbledore and All Clues Point to Voldemort

Dumbledore and More than One Innocent Life Can be Saved

Dumbly-door and What is the Meaning of Zis? 

Dumbledore and He's Got Style

Dumbledore and the Dead Hand

Dumbledore and the Tales of Rita Skeeter

What would you name them?

Review: Spirit Ascendancy (The Gateway Trilogy #3) by E.E. Holmes

Published: November 15, 2015 by Smashwords
Genre: YA, Paranormal Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: sent for honest review

Goodreads Summary

IN THE WAKE of their terrifying escape from Fairhaven Hall, sisters Jess and Hannah Ballard find themselves on the run, pursued by the two most powerful groups in the history of the spirit world. On one side, the Durupinen, determined to capture the girls and prevent their role in an ancient prophecy that promises to destroy them and unleash the spirit hordes on the earth. On the other side, the Necromancers, ancient enemies of the Durupinen, hellbent on bringing the same prophecy to fruition. When the girls are betrayed and one of them falls into the Necromancers’ hands, both face decisions with cataclysmic consequences.

Will the lure of power prove too great to resist, or will the bond between the sisters survive this last, most crucial of tests?

Buy Spirit Ascendancy today at Amazon

"There was still a lot I needed to learn about dealing with spirits, but one thing I had managed to learn at Fairhaven before torching the place to the ground was that a spirit was pretty set in its ways, much more deeply than a living person."

The Good

This was a really enjoyable series. I'll be looking for more from this author in the future.

Holmes created a world that felt quite real. I loved how this one went to another location and gave us a glimpse of more characters. This one, as the finale, was more intense in purpose and action. Jess was always on edge and rushing to find out more information and learn all that she could 'in time'. It put a nice pace to the story. I am a fan of Holmes being able to kill off characters as well.

I've very much enjoyed the characters. I love how they are all flawed in different ways and even how their quirks and personalities are all so different.

The way that it was summed up at the end was rather satisfying.

The Bad

My small complaint is that I saw the twist coming. It is really hard to surprise me though so I don't think every reader will.

The Romance

In the first one, Jess is drawn to a boy very quickly and none of that made a lot of sense to me. Throughout the last two, it looked like Finn and Jess were going to be a thing. I really loved Finn's character, but although you know they have feelings for each other, it ended quite in the air.

Conclusion

A lovely way to end the series. I enjoyed the many different settings, the array of characters, and the plot. This one was a little more on the action side than the previous two. I wouldn't read the series for the romance, but I would read it for the unique spin on the ability to see ghosts. Recommended for paranormal fans.

Buy Spirit Ascendancy today at Amazon

Excerpts

"No, you were right," I said, doing my utmost to keep the bitterness out of my voice. "All you were trying to do was save my life, and I attacked you for it. It was a shitty way to behave, and I'm sorry. I wasn't mad at you, not really. I was just mad that leeching was our only choice. But it really was the only choice, and I know it wasn't easy for you to make it. So thank you. Thank you for saving my life."

It was at the very zenith of our tension, just after Finn had shouted at me for drumming my fingers on the table, and I had opened my mouth to literally release the Kraken on him, when the door to the flat burst open. Everyone screamed, and Finn leapt to action impossibly fast, which would have been impressive, except for the fact that "leaping to action" meant tackling me to the ground and shielding me with his body.

Rough hands seized me by the shoulders and dragged me, half-conscious, from my seat. I was too started even to yell, but couldn't have made a sound even if I tried as a wad of fabric was stuffed roughly in my mouth. Muffled should told me that Savvy, Annabelle and Finn were also being pulled from the car. Sudden small flares of light burst in front of my eyes as I was thrown to my knees in the tall grass, and it was by these lights that my eyes adjusted and I could finally see who had attacked us.

Review: Wendigo Rising (Yancy Lazarus #3) by James A. Hunter

Published: November 3rd 2015 by Shadow Alley Press, Inc.
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, sci-fi
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review

Goodreads Summary

Bigfoot is real. Yancy Lazarus—mage, bluesman, and rambler—knows because there happens to be a nine-foot-tall, walking myth standing in the road, flagging him down. 

Yancy just can’t escape his reputation as a supernatural Fix-it man even when cruising through the forgotten backwoods of Montana. Turns out Bigfoot has a serious problem on his hands: one of his own has gone rogue, developing a taste for the flesh of humans and Sasquatch alike. A greater Wendigo has risen for the first time in thousands of years and if Yancy can’t stop the creature it could be a slaughter for the residents of a rural Montana town. 

But even with the monstrous threat looming on the horizon, Yancy has bigger fish to fry. He’s working as an agent of Fate, attempting to put the kibosh on a nefarious scheme, aimed at upsetting the tenuous balance between the supernatural nations. When your boss is Lady Luck, however, nothing is ever left to chance, and his two cases may have more in common than it appears. If he can’t figure out the missing link it could usher in a new world order: an age of inhuman creatures and walking nightmares … one where Yancy Lazarus doesn’t exist.

Buy Wendigo Rising (Yancy Lazarus #3) by James A. Hunter today at Amazon

They might’ve been homeless methheads, but that didn’t give anyone the right to tie ’em up, hold ’em against their will, and treat ’em like animals. Like slaves. Anger reared up inside me like some mean-ass mama bear watching someone mistreat her delinquent, wayward, druggie cubs. Let’s face it, I’m basically a dirt-caked hobo myself, so these were my people.

The Good

What can I say, Yancy has become one of my top 5 favorite characters to read about. He's rough around the edges and while full of sarcasm he's pretty straightforward in his actions. Plus, he has a knack for fighting the strangest creatures with extreme consequences hanging in the balance. I really love the banter between Yancy and pretty much anyone he tries to hold a conversation with for more than 2 minutes. By the way they talk, you would think him and the chief have known each other for years. The variety of monsters showing up in this series really leaves me hungry for more. Most often it’s just vampires and werewolves and if you're lucky a ghost of some sort. With this series, you'll be eager to turn the page and see what pops up next. One last thing I really love about the series is while it builds upon the last book they never end in crazy cliff hangers.

The Bad

I was left with a question regarding a particular magical item. A certain crown, hopefully in the next book we will get filled in as to what happens to it.

The Romance

Well Agent Ferraro is back and that means tension with how their last encounter ended up. Plus should I mention Co-ed hot springs?

Conclusion

Overall, I loved getting lost in this story. It brings plenty of memories from the first two novels while standing strong on its own. Between the different types of beings showing up and the wild magic items, I love to see new books for this series. I really can't get enough. The world itself has an amazing magical feel and the fact that you can end up anywhere at any given time is fantastic. If you like urban fantasy and haven't started this series, do yourself a favor and start it already.

Excerpts

“Stop calling me ‘mage,’ my name’s Yancy, alright? If I’m gonna be stuck with you and your inarticulate, ill-tempered, poo-flinging father, the least you can do is get my name right.”


“Wait, is this one of the flesh-eating Bigfeet you mentioned earlier?”
“No. No, this was the good one. Well, good except for the part where he ripped my door off— his name is Chief …” I faltered for a second. What the hell was his name? “Err, Chief something or other. I can’t remember. Chankoo-koo, Chwack-wack, Chi-hua-hua— something with too many syllables, kinda earthy sounding. I just call him Kong, ’cause you know, giant, hairy ape-man with a chip on his shoulder.”


Kids, this is exactly why you shouldn’t buy those tiny, cutesy pet gators. Sure, they start out adorable and snuggly, but sooner or later they get bigger. You end up flushing them down the crapper, and they, in turn, start having babies, who will one day invade the human world, murder you horribly, and sell your leftover pieces to the highest bidder. Consider yourself warned.


“Sometimes, Yancy, to get to the bottom of a mess like this, subtlety is required. And you … well, you’re about as subtle and vulgar as a monster truck show.


“So does that mean we’ll get invites to all the parties?” I asked.
Arawn laughed, a deep, rich bark. “No. It means I will consider not eating you if you should stumble through my land again uninvited.

Buy Wendigo Rising (Yancy Lazarus #3) by James A. Hunter today at Amazon