Winter's Awakening: The Metahumans Emerge (Winter's Saga, #1) by Karen Luellen

Winter's Awakening: The Metahumans Emerge by Karen Luellen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The book is suitable for all audiences. It would be considered fantasy I think.

Book Summary

Assumptions
I am a normal human being.
I'm an average fifteen-year-old.
I have always lived here, and I always will.
This year will be like every other.

But I'll soon find out none of these assumptions are true.

******

Extraordinary teen Meg Winter and her brothers Alik and Evan are shoved into a new reality when they discover life is not what they thought it was: there is evil hunting them, they are not normal teens, and their mother's captor wants them back to continue his plans for the perfect race.(less


My Review
OMG! This book was amazing!

So how did I like this book? Let me count the ways. The story intrigued me from the first page and I was completely sucked in by the end of the first chapter. The point of view is mostly told from Meg’s prospective but the story weaves in effortlessly other points of view throughout. There is a bit of romance, not much but the story doesn’t need it. There is mystery, action and intrigue all woven through.

I really loved Meg, Alik, and Evan. These siblings’ whole world is turned upside down within the first few chapters. We follow their journey to turn it right side up. The author does a wonderful job at just everything. I don’t know what more to say without giving away the story. And I don’t do spoilers when I don’t have to. But it is a must read.

I recommend for everyone of all ages. Nothing inappropriate here. I especially suggest those fans of James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series and the two adult book When the Wind Blows and Lake House for which that series was derived.


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Falke's Captive by Madison Layle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is an adult paranormal romance novel and is not appropriate for young readers.

Book Summary

A graduate student working in animal genetics, Beth Coldwell is in town to track and tag big cats in the wild. Her prospects for the summer only improve when she meets Kelan and Reidar Falke and decides the sexy brothers are the right pair to fulfill her other, less than scientific, desires...
But her research is a threat to the Falke family secret. When Kelan, in cougar form, is captured, that secret comes closer than ever to being revealed. He escapes, but not before Beth draws a blood sample, and analysis shows this is no ordinary mountain lion.

Kelan and Reidar cannot deny the powerful attraction they feel toward Beth. She might just be their destined mate. But if they reveal themselves to her, will she embrace who they are or see them as just another science experiment?

My Review

This novel is a second in a series. Unfortunately, I had not read the first. However that didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the book. I really liked this one. In fact, I plan to read the first in the series soon.

The book captures our attention with two of six brothers. Hot! I must say, I was intrigued with Kelan from the first time he crossed the page of the novel. He’s strong but has passion everything I could love in a fictional character.

There is a story why the brothers are the way they are. Some of it was explained but not overly so, as I would expect in a second in the series. I wasn’t lost, but wished I had a deeper perspective of the back story because I liked the characters so much.

The plot was not totally predictable which is always nice. I will be reading more from this author in the future.

I recommend for those paranormal romance fans who like extra "spice" in their story. This story has explicit scenes so beware.


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Eden (Eden Series, Book #1) by Janelle Stalder

Eden by Janelle Stalder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.


This is a fantasy novel with some romance.

Book Summary

Stuck in the cruel world of hormones and high school bullies, Aiden is convinced life has something more to offer. A stranger soon brings him to a world that co-exists alongside our own called Eden. Here he will learn to trust himself and those around him, as all of Eden finds itself on the brink of war. With the handsome rider Wolf, his sidekick Logan, and the beautiful archer Elisa at his side, Aiden will battle to save Eden and learn just what he is capable of.
Being the only girl in the King’s Army, and the Captain’s daughter, Elisa constantly feels the need to prove herself. It doesn’t help that she is betrothed to Wolf, who challenges her at every turn, and who she refuses to marry. With the new stranger, Aiden, now involved, Elisa finds her life even more confusing than ever.
Rose is a prisoner of the war, taken by the army from the North. Her captor, the exiled Prince Callum, intrigues her and terrifies her all at the same time. Now she must choose to either betray her heart, or the memory of her family.
Eden is packed full of romance, adventure, humour, and action.

My Review

I’m going to say Wow. This book was fantastic.

When I began the book I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. Not for anything more than I thought it was about a genre I don’t normal read but one I watch often on tv. But before the prologue was over, I was hooked. I couldn’t put the book down. I read straight through with minor breaks.

This story has multiple storylines that some authors can’t pull off. Not Janelle Stanlder. She takes it and runs away and as a reader you just sit back and enjoy the ride.

This story is told mostly from the point of view of a young male, Aiden and Janelle also pulls this off with flying colors. The story has romance but not enough to be considered a romance novel and that is fine. The story doesn’t need more than what it has to be great.

I’m personally in love with Callum. I really enjoyed the story line between Aiden/Elisa/Wolf and Rose/Callum. I can’t wait for the sequel, so I hope Janelle works double time! I also really love Turk and hope to find out more about him.

This is a fabulous read and I highly recommend to anyone.


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Indie Spotlight - Visions by Anna James

Visions by Anna James

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received this book as a part of Read 2 Review.

This is an Adult Mystery Novella with a bit of paranormal activity

Book Summary

Prudence Bailey has just learned that Laura Bailey, the woman she has always believed to be her mother, is in fact a distant cousin. Laura adopted Prudence when she was four years old after her father, Joshua Adams, brutally murdered her mother, Jane, then killed himself.

She has no memory of the past and, after Laura’s death, decides to return home to Salem Massachusetts to learn more. Twenty years have now passed since the murder / suicide took place.

Almost immediately she meets Detective Matt Cavanaugh, her neighbor. Matt is gorgeous and sexy and Pru is instantly attracted to him. Matt is also linked to her past. His father, now a retired police officer, was first on the scene the night of her parents’ deaths.

From the moment she returns Pru experiences visions that lead her to believe that the circumstances surrounding her parents’ deaths are not as they seem. The facts don’t add up. And when a recent murder that Matt is investigating is linked to the past they discover that Pru is right and the killer is still on the loose.

Will they discover the killer’s identity in time or will history repeat itself?

My Review

Overall, I really liked this book. The mystery part of the story was well told in novella format. The writting was well done and flowed making the story easy to read. I was very surprised by the “who done it” part of the book which I’m generally not easily fooled. So that was a good thing.

For a novella, I know that an author has limited time to unfold a story. But for me the romance all be it for the most part realistic, felt rushed and not needed. If not for the romance, this story would have been five stars and here is why.

I know that meeting someone and having sex can happen very quickly. Wham bam thank you mam comes to mind. But here is my problem with how it was handled in this story. After a first date, Matt drops off Pru and home and gives her a kiss. But next thing we know his hand is on her breast and she’s ok with that. From her mind, she’s only just met the guy. I might have been ok with that if not for me stopping and re-reading the previous pages to see if I missed something. And I hadn’t. Prior to this moment, Matt’s hair and eyes are described and nothing else. Nowhere did I find that Pru saw he was attractive or she lusted for him, giving us any reasons why she’d be ok with this. A sentence even saying why she was ok with his forward behavior would have gone a long way. So as I’m reading I’m thinking I’ll let that go. Until the end when he confesses love for a girl he’s met again a few days ago and now is asking to marry her. I just can’t buy it. Even though it flowed as a story, it just wasn’t believable for me.

So if I had half stars, I would say this is a 3.5. But I’m going to round up, because the mystery part of the story was so well done, I have to give credit for that.

I would recommend for adults who enjoy mystery. There are aspects of paranormal but not ones that readers who are paranormal fans wouldn’t enjoy.


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Indie Spotlight - Coexist (Keegan's Chronicles #1) by Julia Crane

Coexist by Julia Crane

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received this book from Read 2 Review.

This is a young adult urban fantasy novel with some paranoral romance.

Book Summary

Sixteen-year-old Keegan is struggling to keep her huge secret from her friends--she's an elf, descended from a long line of elves that live in secrecy alongside humans. In elfin society, mates are predetermined but not allowed to meet until they are eighteen. Against tradition, Keegan's brother Thaddeus told her Rourk's name because his visions warned him she'd need Rourk's protection, especially since Keegan will play a key role in the coming war between the dark and light elves.

Rourk finds himself drawn to Keegan's side every time she thinks his name. He wants to talk to her but remains in the shadows, silently guarding her every time she mentally beckons him. A twist of fate thrusts the two of them together when Rourk is forced to step up his protection and make his presence known. An ancient prophecy deeply entwines Keegan's family and the future of their society. Somehow they must find a way to thwart fate and win the battle...without losing Keegan. With war brewing, and dark forces aligning, will Keegan and Rourk ever have the life together that they both desire?

My Review

This book was nearly 5 stars for me. I really like it. From the first page, I was drawn into the story and felt invested into it. Other than Tolkien, I haven’t really read about elves, so that was nice. The mythology was great. The story line was believable. I really felt for Keegan.

So why not five stars? Somewhere a little after halfway through, I felt cheated with Keegan and her beau. I felt that the weekend they shared which could have really drawn me to love the guy was rushed. Although I was connected with him, I felt there could have been more.

Also, the war just seemed to happen. I know that it was prophesied. But if the other side wasn’t aware of the Thaddeus’s recent prophecy, how would they know to go to Ireland for a war if everyone was in the states? It seems to me the ‘light’ elves themselves brought the war on by gathering in Ireland. I guess a paragraph before they actually went to Ireland to war saying that “spies” confirm that the dark elves were preparing for war, might have gone a long way to believability. The only thing we got was once they were in Ireland ‘dark’ elves’ scouts were spotted, unless I missed something???

All in all, I’m looking forward to reading the sequel which thankfully is already out there so I don’t have to wait. :)

So, I would recommend to YA paranormal romance readers!


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Indie Spotlight - Therian (The Bloody Crescent, #1) by Roxanne Kade

Therian (The Bloody Crescent, #1) by Roxanne Kade

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received this book from Read 2 Review.

This is an older young adult paranormal romance novel. POV is college aged.

Book Summary

All Amberlyn Darksky has ever wanted is to be normal. But what if normal is everything supernatural and legendary?

Amber has never been ordinary. She has a gift, the ability to see memories through simple touch, and for her it’s a curse. Especially when she has to relive her mother’s death, the night she was born, through her father’s eyes. Leading a sheltered life for years under his constant watch has her yearning for freedom and her acceptance into Cyprus Falls University gives her just that.

She is immediately plunged into a world of true love, heart ache, seduction and horror. With a deepening affection for Tayelon Cree, whose sparkling hazel eyes leave her breathless, and the undeniable allure of Lucard Colbaine, who seems to be immune to her gift, can she accept what either of them represent in her life? And what about the steely eyed vampire who invades her dreams? When the blackouts and nightmares begin, Amber fears the pain that rips into her soul and threatens to destroy her. Before long she is faced with the truth of her destiny, as well as the devastating secrets that surround the people she holds dearest; dark secrets that will truly change the course of her very existence. Amber doesn’t know if she has the strength to accept the hand fate has dealt her. She will have to fight as hard as possible to remain human while the beasts inside her rage to take over.

My Review

Overall, I really liked this book. One very positive thing about this story is that the setting of the book is college life. This is the gap that is missing in current market place. There just aren’t that many book that surround college life.

I do feel conflicted over this book, though. I really liked all the characters and felt they were believable for the most part. However, I found some of the situations and choices to be unbelievable at times.

Tayelon is the leading quarterback on the football team, yet he’s only date one girl and that was in his freshman year. Even if I could buy that, I would expect girls would be circling him. I didn’t get that sense. There were other things surrounding his character that just didn’t ring true but not enough for me not to enjoy the book.

But with that said, I never once felt forced to read it. I wanted to read it and did it straight through. I enjoyed the book despite the few flaws. I find myself thinking about the characters and wanting the sequel now. The cliffhanger is making me crazy wondering what’s going to happen next. I can’t wait to read more about Lucard and Lynke, but I’m a big fan of their species. Don’t get me wrong, I love Taye too!

So, I would recommend to paranormal romance readers!


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Indie Spotlight - Malice by Griffin Hayes

Malice by Griffin Hayes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is a Horror novel with a bit of paranormal activity.

Book Summary

Something unspeakable is murdering the townspeople of Millingham and only seventeen-year-old Lysander Shore knows what it is. A dark shadow that possesses its victims and forces them into grizzly acts of suicide. Lysander knows because he has seen it and he's pretty sure it saw him too.

Now he can't shake the eerie feeling he's being watched. And when his friends and neighbors begin to die under mysterious circumstances, he knows his only hope is to uncover what the shadow wants.

Lysander's frantic search for answers leads him to a dark secret. One that traces back to a witch's brutal torture and execution 350 years before. A secret about himself Lysander never knew. A secret he desperately wishes he could forget.

My Review

I really liked this book. I would consider this book more horror than paranormal, but there are paranormal aspects to the book. I was riveted by every chapter. Not a whole lot of romance, but the story really didn’t need it. So if you’re looking for romance, this is not necessarily the book for you.

What this book does deliver is mystery and horror. The story is very well developed and kept me captivated. The back story was well delivered at perfect timing. Chapter to Chapter the flow was a bit jarring but I have a feeling that the author wanted the reader a bit off balance.

I recommend this book to those who like horror and paranormal type books. I look forward to reading more form this author.


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