Apocalypse of Angels: Seeing Angels
by Harmony Lawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Cami has always known that she was different, she has always been much more mature that her peers, but maybe that is more of an effect of the fact that Cami can see angels. Oh they don't look like the pictures in the books, very rarely can she glimpse their wings, usually it is only by the glow of their eyes that she knows they are angles, but she has just always known they were. It's just a secret she keeps to herself. Cami lives with younger sister Beth, and her parents in a small trailer in Winston, Oregon. She is a wonderful artist, but dreams of going to college to study art are not going to happen for her, there isn't that kind of money laying around. Lately Cami has been noticing more angels. The new guy in town Earl, is asking Cami out, and she normally doesn't go out. Then she's having freaky dreams. Finally at the Spring Fair, she sees some paintings that she loves, and when the guy working the booth talks to her, she almost melts at the sound of his voice, only to turn around and notice that he is an angel! She has never talked to one before. What is going on here? In Apocalypse of Angels Harmony Lawson has created a normal all-american teen-ager in a lower working class family and given her a special ability.
Apocalypse of Angels builds from this simple story of Cami, a normal teenager who just happens to see angels, to a teenager that evil demons, or fallen angels want for some reason. As the book goes along Harmony Lawson does a wonderful job of giving Cami a basic knowledge of angels and faith, but without the taint of organized religion, and as she learns more everything is greet with an air of faith with question, giving it a more believable feel. The story revolves around teenagers at the end of high school so you could call it a coming of age story, but I feel the tone and style of writing lends itself to being read by a wide variety of readers. As an adult reader I enjoyed and as I mentioned parts to my own pre-teens, they wanted to read it. That is what I like, and to me that says this is a good book!
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Wildflower
by Janine Carbone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed by Michelle Randall for +Readers' Favorite .
Faith is determined to make it through college without getting close to anyone, and so far she has made it to her junior year with only her freshman dorm mate, Casey. This year is going to be different, Jason is determined to get to know the beautiful girl running on the track. Faith has had a rough upbringing and Jason will have to break through her walls. Professor Jillian has been there all through the years to encourage and help Faith try to take a few steps out into the world and out from behind her walls, and as her relationship with Jason blossoms, she will encourage her even more. At the same time, repressed memories of her childhood will start to haunt Faith. Janine Carbone does a wonderful job of mixing a number of ideas and storylines into one larger story. Wildflower will get darker yet before it gets brighter with the addition of a serial rapist on campus.
Janine Carbone has mixed a coming of age story, with a mystery story and a romance story to come up with a wonderful story that blends the elements and makes the whole story greater than the sum of the parts. Wildflower is prefect name for the book, but you will need to read until the very end to understand the meaning of the name. This book is definitely a young adult book, but adults and even younger readers will get something from the story. Aside from the mention of the rapist, there is no other sexual situations in the book, which is nice for a book these days.
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EDIT:
" Hi Michelle:
Thank you for the wonderful review of "Wildflower"! I loved it so much that I placed it on my personal website, social media accounts and on the back cover of the book!
- Janine"
The Frailty Of Perception
by Joey Rawlings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed by Michelle Randall for +Readers' Favorite .
Asher Bloom knows nothing of from where he comes, but that doesn't bother him. He has Raglan, and that is all he needs. Raglan found him when he was young, took him in and has raised him and taught him everything he needs to know to survive, or at least up until now that had been the case. Suddenly everything that Asher knew has been turned upside down. Joey Rawlings takes us on a journey into a fantastic world where Asher is not only unique among the normal population, but even among the special population of his type that is trained, he is unique. THE FRAILTY OF PERCEPTION is a fantasy tale that follows Asher Bloom as he learns who he is and what his role in this new world will be.
As you read The Frailty of Perception, you will notice similarities to other fantasy stories, but at the same time you will see differences. Asher enters the training school and is immediately befriended by a young girl and boy, the trio becomes one. Yet this trio is nothing like any fantasy story trio you have ever read about before. Joey Rawlings does a wonderful job of using parts of classic fantasy stories that draw readers in and mixing then with new ideas to make a brand new fantasy that takes the reader to new and better heights. Young adults and older readers both will enjoy this book as both will find different levels of meaning in the book as they read. This is one that parents can share with their children.
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Hidden Agenda
by Peter Berman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book reviewed by Michelle Randall for +Readers' Favorite .
A year after his wife's death, Jeremy Hart, from the DA's office, is attending a fund raising gala at the advice of his therapist. She wants him to talk to at least two single women, when he spots Claire Carlton, he is smitten, after an innocent dance he finds she is married and she will later pay the price at the hands of her husband for the dance. Hidden Agenda follows Claire and Jeremy as they talk, becoming friends and then lovers. Claire wants to leave her husband, but Peter is not a man you walk away from, so they talk about it but you can tell it will never happen. One night Peter is shot in his driveway, and Jeremy is arrested for the murder, but did he do it? Or is he being framed? Author Peter S. Berman introduces us then to Ulysses and Jennifer, the Detectives on the case and what they find or don't find. All the while, there are side vignettes of a stranger that is attacking women. How does that tie into this investigation?
Peter S. Berman does a wonderful job, breaking the book in three main sections, one about each duo of characters as it might be, and telling what is happening from their perspectives. The beginning of the story is all about Claire and Jeremy, the middle is all about Ulysses and Jennifer and the last about another. Hidden Agenda is aptly named in more that one way, as there is more than one hidden agenda going on in the book! As you go through reading you find so many people doing things, just under the surface to right a wrong that the system failed them on in the past. Now that is not an endorsement of doling out justice, but it makes an amazing and captivating story for all readers.
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How Barbie Met Ken
by Chelsie Nikol
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Barbie has it all, good looks, popularity, the rich and handsome boyfriend, she's cheerleading captain and a beauty pageant winner. So then why is she so unhappy? Maybe it's because the handsome boyfriend is actually an alcoholic who is also taking steroids, and has a tendency to be a bit violent with her. Or maybe it's because she wants something more out of life than the plastic dreams being told to her. Kenji is the loner of the school, his father passed away and he is into photography. Everyone calls him a tattletale, and he doesn't care. He just wants to survive long enough to get out of high school and be on his own. He is dealing with more adult stuff than anyone in high school. How Barbie Met Ken pairs these two people from opposite ends of the social spectrum in high school together for a class project, and how it ends up effecting them each. Chelsie Nikol does a wonderful job of creating characters we can visualize by using these familiar names, and adding in modern pressures and trials.
How Barbie Met Ken is a wonderful young adult and teen book, set in the senior year of high school, that talks about popularity, boyfriends, cheating, drugs and alcohol, college and careers, family and friends and so much more. It goes into all aspects of everyday life, but it does so with two characters that we can easily see in our minds, Barbie and Ken. Chelsie Nikol brings these two iconic names into the modern world and then turns it upside down as they become real people with real issues and problems to deal with. This is an excellent book for that high school age reader.
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Haven Lost
The Dragon's Brood Cycle, Book One
by Josh de Lioncourt
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Emily is a high school hockey star in Minneapolis, with an extremely dysfunctional family life. For the most she is a typical teenager, except for her strange ability to know when and where another player on the ice is going to move. One day it all changes when she starts seeing the reflection of a boy in mirrors and windows, and when she gets home finds her mother dead of a drug overdose. She runs away and when she awakes she is in another land, another time, another world? Haven Lost is the tale of Emily's discover of what is important to her and her life in this strange place. She makes friends, decides without any prior knowledge of people who is good and who is evil and sets out on a quest she doesn't understand. Along the way she picks up a best friend in Celine, a ward in Michael and someone who just might become more than a friend in the future, Corbbmacc. Together they travel the land, looking for the answers that they need to understand what is going on. Josh de Lioncourt has done a wonderful job of mixing history, fantasy, and magic together into a tale that is compelling and exciting.
Haven Lost is set to be the first book in a series titled The Dragon's Brood Cycle. This first book sets the story up very well, you have a grand adventure, and it is not a short adventure either. It takes time to tell, yet the story never seems to get bogged down or drag, it is always moving along and begging you to turn the next page and keep going. The answers always seem to be on the next page. Josh de Lioncourt is a wonderful storyteller in that he is able to keep your attention and have you guessing the entire book. I never saw the reveal from the last three pages coming until I got to them, and that is not usually the case with mos books. This book and series has the potential to sky-rocket into the forefront of youth and teen reading, becoming the next Harry Potter series.
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Before I Wake
by Tamera Lawrence
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
When Christine wakes in outside her car in the parking lot, she has no idea what she is doing there or why. Her body hurts and she can't remember anything. Slowly small memories come back to her, but it turns out they aren't recent memories. Before I Wake is a romance suspense story of a woman who loses five years of her memory. Why she would want to forget the last five years becomes evident as the story goes along, and we are introduced to the players in her life. There is the original boyfriend from that time, who is the father of her daughter, the current husband, who is having an affair, and assorted friends. Tamera Lawrence does an admirable job of mixing romance and suspense. Why is she bruised and battered? Was it the old boyfriend or the current husband? Which story to believe? Who to trust? And can she figure it out before it is too late?
Before I Wake is what I would call a Romantic Suspense Novel. There is a basic romance in the story but there is an added element of suspense. In this story Christine has lost her memory of the last five years, she thinks she is still engaged to her old boyfriend and pregnant with his child. Author Tamera Lawrence is able to blend the two into a compelling story that keeps your attention from start to finish. There are times when you want to yell at the old boyfriend for his behavior, other times when you want to yell at the current husband for his behavior. Neither are perfect, they sound like real, true life men, but at the same time, you want to keep reading to find out what happens and will Christine figure it out in time.
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Guardian
by A.L. Crouch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
As a child Alex was in the car when her parents were killed, saved only by a voice and vision that only she could see. She ran from her small town home and the memory of that vision, but fate has brought her back home now, at age twenty-five. Her original goal was to get in and out of town as fast as she could, but once there, and in her old home, the vision from the past returns. Memories of the murder also return, and to keep herself alive, Alex must learn to have faith and trust in something that she cannot see. Guardian is a warming tale of the idea that there can be someone out there watching over us, loving us and keeping us safe, even if we can't see or hear them. A.L. Crouch does a wonderful job mixing faith and paranormal together to come to this unique blend in this story of seeing a vision that is not really there yet is.
Guardian is unlike any other story about a guardian angel that I have ever read. It is not that there is a heaven that sends those to watch over you, but is something entirely different, and it takes just the faith to believe in the unseen to see them. A.L. Crouch has written a story that gives you adventure, romance, suspense, mystery and intrigue along with faith and the paranormal, all wrapped into one amazing tale. It is something to read, and one that you will be hard pressed o put down before you finish it.
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Dream Killing
by Magus Tor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Drew is an ex-CIA agent, who finds himself in a complex killing game each night in his sleep. Starting the night he first uses the new alarm clock he won in a raffle at the local coffee shop.
Max is a kindergarten teacher who has been in the game for awhile and wants nothing more than to get out. She and Drew are introduced in the real world by a mutual friend, T who is also playing the game.
As the three try to work together to stay alive and get out, T turns up dead. Drew and Max think there is something more to his death, and start looking into it. As they delve deeper, Drew renews his CIA connections and brings Max along, and together they make an excellent team.
There is mild romance between Drew and Max, but its nothing much. Mostly the book is focused on the killing game, the complex technology that it would take to produce such a game and to run the game, and who would want to do such a thing. There are twists and turns at every chapter.
It is well written and easy to read. Great for all readers.
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No Tears For My Father
by Viga Boland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
No Tears For My Father is a non-ficton book, and that being said there are some readers that can not handle the subject matter of the book. Viga Boland recounts her life with an abusive father, not only physically but sexually as well. She does not sugar coat the truth, but she does not get graphic just to sell books either. She walks a very fine line between the truth and reality, and she does so very well. This book follows her from her earliest memories until she writes this book, with most of the coverage being during the time she lived with her parents and underwent the abuse.
No Tears For My Father is a wonderful book for the healing of those that have experienced abuse at the hands of a parent. By writing this book, Viga Boland has set the record straight on her own history and freed herself from her father's grasp. By reading her words, other survivors can heal and realize that they are not alone, that others have went through the same things and survived. It is even good for those going through it currently, in that it gives them the hope to get out. For those readers who have never experienced the abuse, reading this book can help to give them insight into what goes on and how difficult it is for someone to get out. This is a courageous book and one that, as a reader I am thankful the author took the time to write.
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Veil of Midnight
Midnight Breed Novel, Book Five
by Lara Adrian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Veil of Midnight is the fifth book in the Midnight Breed Series, and as a Vampiers series, I have to say this is the longest and best series I have read. Typically with a Vampire series, I get bored with it after a few books because it is always the same and yet this series has kept me guessing, it has followed different characters each time, but brought back familair loved characters too and kept me wanting to read more.
Veil of Midnight follows Nikolai on a misson that brings him into danger with an older Gen One Breed male and as he witnesses the cruel and inhumane ways of this male, he meets a woman, a Breedmate, who know nothing of the Breed except what little she was exposed to with the older cruel Gen One, and he has the task of explaining that the whole world is not like that and that there is a whole world of Breed out there completely different.
Reneta is a Breedmate, and she has only known the cruelty of the Gen One male that controls her. She wants to escape, but has no idea how, and is not sure what to make of Niko, he is so different than t=what she is used to, but at the same time she feels she can trust him.
Mira is a little girl, also a breedmate, caught up in this whole story, used as a plaything by one male and a pawn by another. The only person who cares for her is Reneta, and she has promised to take care of Mira, now Reneta must look to Niko to keep her promise.
It is a completely different story, yet at the same time, the same major fight is at the root of this story and they same things are going own but in such a different and unquiet way that it feels like a whole new story in a whole new setting.
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Lara Adrian
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/Lara_Adrian
Website Link: http://www.laraadrian.com
Midnight Breed Series
0.5 A Touch of Midnight
1. Kiss of Midnight My Review
2. Kiss of Crimson My Review
3. Midnight Awakening My Review
4. Midnight Rising My Review
5. Veil of Midnight My Review
6. Ashes of Midnight My Review
7. Shades of Midnight My Review
8. Taken by Midnight
9. Deeper than Midnight
9.5 A Taste of Midnight
10. Darker after Midnight
11. Edge of Dawn
11.5 Marked by Midnight
12. Crave the Night
12.5 Tempted by Midnight
Dragon Chalice Series
1. Heart of the Hunter
2. Heart of the Flame
3. Heart of the Dove
Warrior Trilogy
1. White Lion's Lady (currently free on amazon.com as a kindle download)
2. Black Lion's Bride
3. Lady of Valor
Midnight Rising
Midnight Breed Novel, Book Four
by Lara Adrian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Midnight Rising is the fourth book in the Midnight Breed series. I have to admit up front at this point, after having read and reveiwed three of theses books, and starting this fourth, that I really like this series. I like the overall concept of the Vampire, yet not undead, a living being that reproduces and is in all rights a being much like a human, just other worldly. In this series, there is never the making of a new vampire, only a minon, and that process, while we find it still happening was outlawed as inhuman. So we find that they are cultured and normal and living within what are the normal perimeters of human life, and that appeals to a great deal of people.
Once again this book follows the Order on their never-ending missions to stop those out there that want to take over and get rid of the human race or at the lease enslave them. At the end of the last book, we found them in a border mountain not far from Prague where they found the hibernation chamber of an acient one that had already been awakened and removed. Rio; poor battered, bruised, and unstable Rio asked to stay behind to close up the cave and the rest returned to Boston.
We have to return to the first book to pick up Rio's story, on a mission one night Rio took the majority of an attack only to return badly injured and barely alive to find out that his Breedmate Eva had sold the Order out to force him to leave the Order, which Rio would not do, so he denounced her, and she killed herself. This left Rio in and even worse state of mind than state of body. We worked for a year, through the books to recover enough to be able to go on the final mission of book three with them. But still, he was not all well.
In book four, months have passed since the team left Rio in the cave near Prague. He is still hidden deep within, but he is giving in to his mind and the dreams and the anger. He feels he is of no use to the team, the scars are too much for him to bear and no one will be able to look at him like that anymore, he is sure of it, his plan, to use the explosives he has with him him to close of the cave and close himself into the cave. The problem is that he is weak, he is no longer feeding and he is having trouble standing or concentrating. He just sleeps.
On an unplanned vacation of her own, Dylan Alexander is walking past the caves when she sees a ghost asking her to help him, help who she thinks, Dylan hates this, she has seen random ghosts all her life and she has never understood why, on curiosity she wanders into the cave, only to awaken a sleeping Rio and notice a drawing on the wall that has her confused, it looks exactly like her own birthmark. As she takes pictures, the confusions clears from Rio and he realizes he has a mess to clean up.
I am always so impressed with the writing and the way the story flows in this series, that I am turning page after page and before I know it I am done with the book and I am still wanting more. I love this series. I really feel it is well written and easy to connect to and even if you don't like a typical dark, foreboding vampire series, you might like this. These vampires are anything but dark and foreboding. The are powerful warriors. Each over six feet tall, well built and full of muscles with patterns of glyphs, sorta like tattoos that they are born with, over a majority of their bodies that change color depending on mood.
Even though this is book four, and you get a great deal of Rio's story in the previous books, you could still pick this book up and read it without reading the others. Of course if you did that, you would probably be hooked and running out to catch up!
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Midnight Awakening
Midnight Breed Novel, Book Three
by Lara Adrian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Midnight Awakening is the third book in the Midnight Breed series. Even though it is a part of a series, and it is best read in order, if you happened upon this book and read it without knowing of the first two books, you would be able to follow the story and enjoy it well enough.
This book finds us focusing on Tegan, who is a first generation breed and his struggles over the many centuries he has been around, his hurts and how he has shut his emotions down so deeply so as to not awakening the feelings that almost killed him in the past. He has fought the dreaded Bloodlust and come out on top, but it cost him the ultimate sacrifice. Tegan is over six feet tall, has the glyphs and the sexist thing, he is described at one point in a pair of blue jeans with the top button undone. The image of this is enough to make my knees go weak! Something about the glyphs and the muscles of these Breed males just does me in!
We are re-introduced to Elise, who has been raised all her life in the Darkhavens, but after the deaths of her mate and her son, she has taken it upon herself to fight the rogues herself. Elise is also the sister-in-law to Sterling, or better known as Harvard, and he has always wanted her for his own, even when she was married to his brother. This truth comes up, Elise never realized it in all the time she lived with Sterling.
We also travel to Germany in this book and met, Andreas, who is a Darkhaven member, but one who has been helped by the Order in the past and is willing to go out of his way to help them now. He is above the corruption that is being found in the Darkhavens in the previous books, and most likely in the future books as well.
I loved the book, as well as the first two, loved the way it was written and how the story and characters flowed. I got into them and wanted to know more about them and to find out what happens. But I find that the more I read the books, the less I feel able to reveal in the reviews, because I don't want to give away too much, and I kinda feel protective of the story's now that I have read so far into the series.
All I can say is it is gonna be a LONG wait for the next book to get here next week!
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The Juice Of Life: (Children's Picture Book On How To Be Grateful) (Ages 4-8)
by Assaf Marcus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As a parent and an part of Children's Ministry, I am always looking for books to teach and instruct children of all ages.
I got this book and the author's other book, Peaceful Lion.
I loved it! It really spoke to the level of children, but not just young children. In fact, I am thinking of sharing this one with our youth group kids. Although it is written in easy to understand terms, I think the story itself will appeal to the teens and make more sense to them than a number of other things.
Once again I find that the author has done a wonderful job, and given me a book that I want to share with the kids and I think will work wonders in explaining and getting across the message.
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The Peaceful Lion And The Nagging Crow
by Assaf Marcus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Books for kids and helping them to understand abstract concepts are always something I love. I have kids, I am active with other children's programs and schools and so I am always looking for something I can share with those children.
I got The Peaceful Lion and the author's other book, The Juice of Life.
This book is so spot on. It explains the abstract concept of not allowing someone else to influence your attitude in a way that the youngest of children can understand.
I will be using this book with a couple of different children's groups, and with one in particular I will be adding some concepts because of their ages, but this is something that I think every primary school age teacher should have in their own personal libraries. In fact I might just have to buy some copies for some of my favorite local teachers!
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Kiss of Crimson
Midnight Breed Novel, Book Two
by Lara Adrian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the second book in the Midnight Breed Series, and if you have read the first, then you are a step ahead and already know a great deal of the background, but I was impressed that even if you hadn't read the first novel, you could actually read this one and not be lost, although you would probably be tempted to go back and read the first if you are like me, but this one could stand on it's own.
In this book, we learn more about Dante, he is an older Breed but not a first generation, and he has inherited his mother's gift of seeing death. His mother was able to foretell her own death and his fathers death. Dante has been seeing visions for years of what he thinks is his own death, and he has been running and fighting as a warrior to keep ahead of the vision.
We return to the main compound to find the same warriors; Lucan, Gideon, Rio, Nikolai and Tegan along with the Breedmates; Savannah and Gaberielle. We are introduced to a new Breed male, someone who has always lived in the Darkhavens, which would be like the cities specially for the Breed and the Breedmates, Sterling Chase, who soon is known as Harvard.
At the end of the first book the Warriors had gotten a leg-up on the Rogues by blowing up their headquarters with the help of Gabby's photos. Now the Rogues are back and working on a new plan.
Quite by happenstance, or fate, Dante ends up at a low-rent vet clinic run by Tess, who turns out to be a Breedmate, and the fun starts there. As with all Breedmates, Tess has a special ability, but for most of her life she has seen it as a curse, and only with Dante's help is she albe to own her ability and realize that it is a gift, not a curse.
Dante is just a perfect specimen of maleness. He is tall, over six feet, like most all the Breed and well-built, muscles for days on end. Then there are the glyphs, a natural occurring marking, sorta like a tattoo that all Breed are born with covering the skin. They change colors and hues depending on the Breed's moods. The older generations, or those closer to the original Breed, have more glyphs than those younger or newer Breed. There is just something about the way these guys are described that makes the reader weak in the knees!
I loved the book. I loved the first, and I have to say there was still a great deal of character development. I learned about Dante and Tess, and got to know them and to want to see what happened to them and to root for them. It was well written, so much so that I just had to finish the book last night before I could go to bed, I had to know what happened. I just was that involved.
I am looking forward to the next book, because from the teaser in this book, it is a direction I did not forsee, it almost changes one of the characters in the story from what they were in book one, and yet I am finding that interesting.
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Kiss of Midnight
Midnight Breed Novel, Book One
by Lara Adrian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the first book in the Midnight Breed Series, which follows a lineage of Vampires bent on protecting the Human race from learning about their exsistance.
We are introduced to Lucan, probably one of the oldest of the Breed and learn the history of how the Breed began and was started. We also meet the other warriors working with him, Tegan, another older Breed; Dante, Rio, Nikolai, Conlan and Gideon. As we learn of the Warriors and what they do and how they protect the human race from "Rogue" Vampires, we learning another interesting fact, all of the Breed are male.
There are a line of females, called Breedmates, that are actually human woman that have a specific genetic difference that allows them to mate and produce offspring for the Breed. They are highly valued and honored and respected. The thing is, can you image what a shock to the system it is to the women when they find out they are Breedmates?
The first book follows Lucan through a rough period where he is fighting an addiction called Bloodlust, it is the taking of too much blood, more than needed to sustane him, and it is what turns vampires rogue and very dangerous. As an older generation vampire he must fight it more and be weary of it all the time, and as he is fighting he discovers a woman that has the uncanny knack for actually seeing the vampires, for photographing their homes and for not being susceptible to the memory erase that the vampires use when they have to on humans to allow them to forget encounters with vampires. Then, while trying to protect Gabrielle he discovers she is a Breedmate, and he knows even more that he has to protect her, and he has to explain everything to her, which doesn't go as well as he wishes.
All of this is occurring as the Rogues are organizing and launching a full war on the Breed, things are changing and life is getting more and more dangerous for the Breed and the Humans, and can this small bunch of warriors be enough to fight them all off.
I loved this book! I loved the way the story line developed, I felt for both the mains in the book, and in fact I was so excited to see where the next book would go and to keep following all the characters. I really enjoyed the depth that the author went to, to bring the people to life, to give them a real personality and a history and to make you feel for them. You wanted them to work things out, you wanted happiness and you wanted the good guys to win. It was so well written and flowed so well, that I sat to read and before I knew it the book was done!
The other thing that I really was impressed with was the descriptions of the Breed. The men are large, usually over six foot and well built with lots of muscles. They also carry dermoglyphs, which look kinda like tattoos, but are naturally occurring and change colors based on moods. i can picture these men in my head, and they are something else. There is just something about them that attracts you and makes you wish they were real.
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Loxy Quum and the Merge Experiment
by Ricky Mon
My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Loxy and his sister Lana live on a far away planet. They and their parents, along with four other families were sent there to determine if the planet could support life, and if so to build a colony. Loxy and Lana, as well as the others on this planet are what are called merged humans. This means that they have human and animal DNA merged together. One day the parents on the planet all disappear, and it is up to the kids to find out what has happened, and to find out all the truths of the world outside their small planet that their parents have hidden from them throughout their lives. Loxy Quum and the Merge Experiment is science fiction, but there are real life morals and applications from the story that can be applied to real life. Ricky Mon does a wonderful job in merging the science fiction story to attract the attention of the readers with the moral and ethical issues that need to be learned about and learned from.
Loxy Quum and the Merge Experiment is a young adult book, but I definitely feel it could be read by Middle School children, in fact I think it might be a great book to read in school. While the story is science fiction, there is real life application. You can trace the treatment of the merged humans to slavery and more in history. This is what makes this book one that would work well in a school setting for kids to read. While they get a fun story, they also learn of the real life impacts of discrimination. Ricky Mon takes some tough ideals in discrimination and puts them into a story that most pre-teens and teens would enjoy reading. This is a win-win book, and something that teachers would be pleased to take a look at and possible teach from. Even if not in school, I think this is a book worth reading for that age set.
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Silver Moon Deja Vu
The Deja Vu Chronicles
by Marti Melville
My rating: 4.2 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
When we first met John he is a paramedic working on a patient, upon arrival at the hospital he sees a nurse that he thinks he knows, in fact he is sure she is someone from his past. Very quickly we find out that when he means his past, he means his long ago past life! Silver Moon Deja Vu is John's story. In a past life he was a pirate captain in love with an Irish lass named Kathryn. There are trials and setbacks, good times and promises and a romance that lives on past their lives. Add in some superstitious pirate crew members and a hussy lady pirate and you have a wonderful story. Marti Melville mixes Irish and Caribbean traditions, Druids and Voodoo to give a story that is part romance and part adventure, but all enjoyable.
Although Silver Moon Deja Vu is the second book in the Deja Vu Chronicles, it can stand on it's own quite easily. I had not read the first book and had no trouble following the story or understanding what was going on at all. Of course it is probably even better if you have read the first, but it was good without. John and Kathryn are characters that are so real, they have flaws that lead them to mistakes that hurt them, but they love deeply and have tempers. Marti Melville adds in some paranormal aspects into the story with the Irish folklore and ideal that Kathryn has a gift, she is a witch in the Irish tradition and able to heal. Her role on the pirate ship is the ship's doctor or healer. There is also some Caribbean Voodoo since the ship is traveling and Kathryn can't ask her grandmother questions, she searches out those where they are at, which just happens to be Trinidad. This is a wonderful story for those who love romance, adventure and paranormal or any of those. Definitely one that you want to check out.
The Deja Vu Chronicles
Book One: Midnight Omen Deja Vu
Book Two: Silver Moon Deja Vu
Book Three: Onyx Rising Deja Vu
Book Four: Cutthroat's Omen: A Crimson Dawn
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The Nightlife: New York
The Nightlife, Book One
by Travis Luedke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
New York is the beginning of a series called The Nightlife by Travis Luedke, which is a vampire novel, but it is sexy.
Aaron is a college aged kid working as a waiter in a local New York restaurant, dealing with the older lady patron that likes to drink too much and grab his ass. After work this night his roommate Kyle calls and asks him to bring home beer, his ex-girlfriend and some of her friends are there and they want to party. Just what Aaron needs, Delia was his first serious girlfriend and she dumped him.
Michelle is drop-dead gorgeous, five foot blonde bombshell. She happens t be walking by the restaurant when Aaron walks out for the night and he is fascinated. He can't believe she even glanced at him, he is so far out of her league, but she does.
Fates conspire and events happen that end up causing Michelle to make the decision to take Aaron home with her and heal him by turning him into a Vampire like her. When Aaron finally awakens four days later he doesn't believe her story at first, finally she gets through to him, and she tells him she will be his master, since she changed him and he will always answer to her.
New York is all about Michelle teaching Aaron to be a vampire, and Michelle learning some things that she didn't know because her former master wasn't a good guy. The two of them developing a relationship. At the same time, getting a little revenge on Delia and rescuing Michelle from two corrupt cops who are hell-bent on taking her down.
It is a great story, lots of romance and sex between Aaron and Michelle, but even more a relationship and true bond forms more than just the master because I turned you stuff. The revenge and rescue was great. It was just a fun and wild read, and something worth the time. Pretty fast read.
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Circumstellar
by J.W. Lolite
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Ingrid has always been a bit different, her eyes are purple, and there aren't that many of those around and then of course there is the fact that they have a sort of glow to them, but her Aunt Kaline won't say anything about it, won't talk about her parents to her or about much of anything else for that matter. So Ingrid counts on her best friends Lesia and Ty for what she needs in life. They have been best friends since the time Ingrid moved to Dust Veil and they have always been there for her. As things begin to get strange, and she uncovers information about her parents they are still there for her and it turns out there are reasons the three of them were drawn to each other in the first place. J. W. Lolite brings the story of a child of mixed parentage, who has some secrets but the abilities to help, but doesn't know it yet in Circumstellar. It is more a story of the loyalty of friendship and family than the other worldliness of the parentage.
Circumstellar is a great story for teens and young adults. Although it is in this popular ideal of a child who has special abilities but was raised as a human child and only finds out in their teens, it is not about those abilities as much as it is about the loyalty of the friendships, the family and the connections to people. The abilities are second and don't play much of a role in the story, in fact they are hardly developed and are not in play in what Ingrid needs to do, it is friendship and loyalty that is what decides what happens. J.W. Lolite gives the reader a story that will attract the young reader because of the genre, but attract the parents because of the message and delight both with the story.
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Stuck
by Stacey D. Atkinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Odette is twenty-three, living at home with her mother and younger sister, working at the local convenience store where she has been since high school and just rolling along with life. She finally realizes that she is restless,she is Stuck, that this isn't what she wants out of life, that she wants something more, but she has no idea what she wants or how to go about it. This is the summer she will meet Henri, a rich kid from the yacht club and Ben a research scientist in the area on a project. Henri introduces her to sailing, but she keeps information about he life from him which leads to trouble. Ben knows all about her, in fact he understands her better than she understands herself sometimes. Stacey D. Atkinson gives us a story of growing up in a small town, and breaking free. Finding out what you want for yourself and going for it.
Stuck is what so many people become. We just go with what we are doing, never questioning and looking for something better. Stuck is not only the story of Odette, but it is also the story of her younger sister Sophie and her mother too. They are all living in the trailer together, in a poor town with poor expectations. Only when Odette makes plans to get out, to do something more does Sophie also realize that she can do more, she doesn't have to follow in her older sister's footsteps and marry young and have kids. You might call it a coming-of-age story, but it is more an awaken o what life can be outside of what you know. This is a great book for young adults and adults alike.
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Primary Fault
The Schattenreich, Book One
by Sharon Kae Reamer
My rating: 3.2 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Primary Fault is the first book in a series called The Schattenreich, which is a realm or another place in the book. The story is set in Germany, where Augustus and his father have always lived. Now that his father has passed away, and his mother also, Caitlin, who lived in American with her mother, has returned to Germany to be with her brother. Augustus is an earthquake researcher, and where they are is along a primary fault line, so there are earthquakes in that area. Augustus is kidnapped and a doppelganger is going around committing crimes that Augustus is being blamed for, Caitlin alone is determined to find the truth. Sharon Reamer brings together other realms, people from those other realms interfering with life here and earthquakes to form a unique story.
As Primary Fault is set to be the first book in the series, it does not really explain the whole Schattenreich idea to you. It is mentioned, and you sort of figure out that it is another realm, and this one family is in charge of guarding the gateway, but that someone has broken through which caused the kidnapping of Augustus. What you never figure out is what is actually is, why they protect the gateway, and who this family is. Maybe that is to come in the later books. Sharon Reamer does a good job in writing a story that you want to read to figure out what is going on, but at the same time you are a bit disappointed in the end that you haven't figured it out. Which is good for a series, but not so good for readers.
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Shadows of the Past
Others of Edenton, Book 2
by Brandy L. Rivers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Amethyst Lakes is running from her past. She wants to start over, away from the memories of a crazy stalker ex-boyfriend, so she heads to Edenton. The place that everyone goes to get away and begin again. She has friends there in Fallon and Jess.
As she gets to town, she is pulled over by an officer and taken to the station for speeding, a little bit of overkill on his part, but at least the Sheriff, Hayden Hunter is there to take care of things and get her back on track. Of course the poor sheriff is smitten with Amethyst.
Unfortunately, the ex-boyfriend, even though he is physically dead, is still a problem, since he was a warlock, and he has unleashed a problem that is making life very difficult in Edenton.
We catch up with Jess & Slater and Fallon & Brody. Some other old friends from the first two books are also here again, and some new people are introduced. Edenton is still the place that everyone wants to be, and is the place that you can fall in love with and want to live. This book is almost like returning to a hometown after a couple of years away, it all still feels the same, yet there is some catching up to do.
The whole series is so well connected that each book flows into the next, and you just feel like you are keeping up with friends, and even though each story is about a different couple, you still see and read about the couples and people you already knew about. It's one of those series' that you never want to come to a close because you have come to think of the people in the town as friends and you want to know more and more!
Others of Edenton
New Beginnings My Review Link
In Too Deep My Review Link
Shadows Fall My Review Link
Shadows of the Past My Review Link
Falling Into Place My Review Link
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Shadows Fall
Others of Edenton, Book 1.5
by Brandy L. Rivers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Shadows Fall is a short story that gives us more background into Amethyst Lakes. Amethyst's story is told in the next book, but there is a great deal of background that has to be left out, so this short story was added in to fill in that information.
Amethyst is a nymph, and she has been dating a warlock, Carl, but things aren't going well and she breaks things off. Carl doesn't take the rejection too well and starts to stalk her. She does everything she can to get him to realize that they are over, so he decides to be vindictive and reports her to the Silver Council saying that she bewitched him.
Amethyst is taken into custody, and things look really bad for her, because the guy in charge of the investigation has a history of abusing nymph's when they are brought in, but lucky for her, one of the guys who picks her up recognizes the name and her mother, and calls a family friend, who arrives just in time to prevent anything untold from happening.
This story then tells of the councils findings and Carl's actions, and what finally drives Amethyst to leave and move to Edenton, where her good friend Fallon is living, along with Jess.
Others of Edenton
New Beginnings My Review Link
In Too Deep My Review Link
Shadows Fall My Review Link
Shadows of the Past My Review Link
Falling Into Place My Review Link
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In Too Deep
Others of Edenton, Book One
by Brandy L. Rivers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fallon's best friend Jess moved to Edenton, and before she went she tried to tell Fallon that they guy she was seeing was cheating on her, but Fallon wasn't listening. Now, after finding out on her own, she is riding her beloved Harley on the road to wherever, which just seems to be leading her to Jess and Edenton. On the road, she crashes into a werwolf, who happens to be being chased by two vampires. Fallon heals the werewolf and helps get rid of the vampires, and he finds himself attracted to her.
Brody has spent the last few years mourning the death of his wife, and hasn't been interested in women or dating, but when he runs into Fallon on the road, something is sparked in him that hasn't been there before. Of course Jess is trying to keep her mouth shut because she has already seen this over two years ago, but she know how Fallon hates for her to interfere with her physic gifts.
The attack by the vampires is something that needs looking into, and so Slater and the pack are working on what it going on. Turns out that someone is looking for Fallon too. Can Brody get over his wife? Can Fallon give in and let her desires for Brody take over? And can they figure out what is going on, and take care of it without getting hurt?
This is the second book in the Others of Edenton series, and you get some background into both Fallon and Brody. You also learn more about the people living in the town. Again it really makes you want to be in this town, to wish there was actually some place like this in real life.
Others of Edenton
New Beginnings My Review Link
In Too Deep My Review Link
Shadows Fall My Review Link
Shadows of the Past My Review Link
Falling Into Place My Review Link
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New Beginnings
Others of Edenton, Prequel
by Brandy L. Rivers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Normally alcohol doesn't effect Jess, but when someone brings homemade moonshine to the party, Jess ends up drunk at in bed with her pack Alpha, Gregory. This is the granddaddy of all mistakes! She wakes up and runs to her friend Gabe, she has to leave town and soon. Greg is a jerk, and once she has slept with him he is going to expect it all the time and won't take no for an answer. So Gabe gives her a lead on a bar for sale in Edenton, now she just has to buy it and get the pack alpha there, Slater to give her permission to move.
Slater is the pack alpha in Edenton, his second Liam is an old guy who is walking on shaky ground and the pack knows it, but they don't want to let him go without a good reason. Then there is the newest wolf, Brody, who Slater is good friends with and made an enforcer, which didn't set well with Liam at all. Slater and Brody are ready for Jess, who is not a wolf but a psychic and gets visions of the future to move to Edenton.
Edenton is a town of mostly others, the werewolf pack, some other shifters, a fae sheriff and a vampire. There might be a few humans in town too, but for the most part, it's a great place to be if you are on that other side of the realm. Jess is sure that this will be a great place to start a new beginning, but she is immediately attracted to Slater. She refuses to go there, she has sworn off wolves and alphas even more after the Gregory incident. Now she just wants to run her bar and have a good life.
Liam, and a need to avenge some wrong he feels was done will create havoc and chaos in town and within the pack. Will Jess's visions of this place come true? And what about her relationships with Brody and Slater?
This is a great start to a series on a town filled with others. Love the werewolves, but even more love that there are other people of other talents mixed into the town and they all work together and interact. There is a balance and a friendship that really makes you want to live in a place like Edenton. It sounds like and feels like a real hometown community.
No matter what you preference, shifters, fae, mage's, you will find them in Edenton and in this series and it is a great deal of fun. Each book plays off the other, so I really recommend that you read them in order, but you could go out of order. It just would introduce new people to town without the details if you did.
Others of Edenton
New Beginnings My Review Link
In Too Deep My Review Link
Shadows Fall My Review Link
Shadows of the Past My Review Link
Falling Into Place My Review Link
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