Don't Run From Me: Aaron (The McCabe Brothers, Book 3)
by Lorhainne Eckhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for Readers Favorite
Aaron McCabe is a great fighter, but what no one knows is that he uses his fighting to relieve his greatest failure, to exercise the wounds from his past that he can't heal nor let go of. Tonight is no different, expect that his brother Chase is there, and not about to let things go. Chase always has to fix everyone's problems, but this isn't something even Chase can fix. Don't Run From Me is the third book in the McCabe Brothers series, so far having oldest brother Vic's story in book one and next oldest Chase's story in book two. Author Lorhainne Eckhart builds from the previous books, although you don't need to have read them to understand this book, and moves on to the next brother.
The McCabe Brother's series follows each of the McCabe brothers, who are all four adopted, and their individual journey's as they look to fill voids left in their lives by loss and love. Don't Run From Me is the third book, and can stand alone on it's own, but having read the other books in the series does give you more insight to each brother. Author Lorhainne Eckhart is able to weave a tale that is both heartwarming and contemporary at the same time. This story plays on a natural disaster that effected a great number of people, and influenced the lives of Aaron and his girlfriend at the time. This is a good read and recommended for most any reader, although there are a few minor adult themes in small areas of the book, it is really a good book for all.
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Exiles of Forlorn
by Sean T. Poindexter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
When you are the thirdson, your role in the family is to die. Really, the first son is the one who inherits your fathers stuff, and then the second son, well now he gets your mothers lands and stuff if she doesn't have any living brothers, and the fourth son, well he is tucked away in the monastery in case something untold would happen. But the thirdson, they send you out to fight a war, a war that has been going forever, and for no reason except that it keeps everyone busy and employed. Lew is a thirdson, but he is sure there has to be more that this to life. Aboard a ship, the Songwillow, bound for exile, he becomes part of a band. The group includes Antioch, his defender, Uller, the magic student, Blackfoot, the street urchin and part time thief, and Reiwyn, the pirates daughter. The most unlikely band you will every see, but they stuck together, and straight to Forlorn, which everyone said was the end of the world. The Exiles of Forlorn is the story mostly of what happens to this little band of characters once they reach the shores of Forlorn, but there are looks back at how each of them got to be on the boat in the first place. Author Sean T. Poindexter does a wonderful job placing those looks back at pivotal points in the story where they make sense.
Exiles of Forlorn is Young Adult in the Lew and his crew of exiles are all in their late teens, still kids really, and so in some ways the story is their coming of age as they find their place in forlorn and what it means to live there. Are they just there for the time or are they going to stay. The technology and instruments that they rely on throughout the story gives you the feeling of the middle ages, but fantasy. Author Sean T. Poindexter makes sure to throw in something completely unexpected just when you are comfortably lured into thinking its the middle ages. This book has war, and with war comes fighting and death, but its not glorified, or anything, so I recommend it for middle school readers that can handle the topic.
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Scarred Warrior: (Dark Warrior Allaince Book Four)
by Brenda Trim and Tami Julka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
In a cage, deep underground Shea sits waiting to die. She is sure this is where she will die. Shea is strong and defiant. She takes the brunt of the abuse from the leader, in the hopes of keeping the rest of the girls safe. She is one of hundreds of women that have been kidnapped by the demons, and although there was once a promise of rescue, that was so long ago. She told the woman who wandered into the lair to find the Dark Warriors. Meanwhile, across town, the woman that wandered in has told the Dark Warriors and they are planning a rescue. The Mage Garrick is one of the lead men to go in as he will use his magic to take down their wards. Garrick is a strong, silent warrior who takes his job seriously. He lost his own mate years ago and fights to make sure no one else does. In the book Scarred Warrior, we finally learn all of Garrick's story. How he got his scars by using his time travel gift, and lost his mate. He also finds out that Shea is his mate, which rocks them both. Garrick because he can't understand getting a second mate, and Shea because of everything that had been done to her while in captivity, she can't believe anyone would want her. Authors Brenda Trim and Tami Julka once again have created a story to draw you into the world of the Dark Warriors.
Scarred Warrior is the fourth book in the Dark Warrior series. Authors Brenda Trim and Tami Julka are amazing writers in a number of ways, but it really shows in a series in the fact that you can read this book without reading the others and be fine. You will understand everything going on, but if you read them in order then you will have more of a dislike going for the villains by the time you get to this book. This book is filled with the magic and adventure. A good deal of fighting and sabotage. There is the fated mate pair, but only because I have read the other books, I feel this pair lacked a bit of sizzle, most likely because of both their fears. Still this is an excellent book and a great read.
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Deviant Warrior (Dark Alliance, Book 3)
by Brenda Trim, Tami Julka
My rating: 4.8 of 5 stars
Kyran may be a Dark Warrior, he may fight demons and skrim on a daily basis, but he has his own personal demons that he has yet to deal with, instead of pushing them under the surface all the time and numbing the pain with alcohol and deviant sex.
Mackendra may hide the scars on the outside with tattoos, but the scars on the inside run just as deep if not deeper, and she is pretty stubborn once she gets an idea in her head. She's been told twice now that the villains she's been fighting aren't vampire like she thought but skirm, and that vampire are good, but she refuses to listen.
When good friend Elise has a premonition of a fire at her home, Kyran is there is rescue her before anyone else knows what has happened, only probably, somehow Kyran and Mackendra slip though a portal to another realm that no one can seem to open again. Now they are stuck together, and she still thinks he's the enemy, to find a way home!
Deviant Warrior is the story of Kyran and Mackendra, and although most of the book is focused on them in the realm they landed and their struggles trying to get home, we do see the rest of the warriors on this side doing everything they can to find a way to get to them to help. Turns out the Goddess knew what she was doing when she trapped them away from everyone else with only each other to depend on.
This is the third book in the Dark Warrior Alliance, and it is amazing in that is brings some light on the history of Kyran and Zander, their upbringing, and their parents deaths. Kyran has always blamed himself, even though he was still a child, and his mother pleaded with him not to show himself, to save his brother and sister. It takes a hard woman like Mackendra, who grew up without the loving family he had to get him to see through his guilt and pain.
I'm serious, I can't get enough of this series!! I have enjoyed them all and wanted to learn more are more about each character. I honestly hope that are at least two more planned beyond what is already planned. They have to to hit everyone in the family at some point, or at least I want them to hit everyone!!
Dark Alliance Series:
1. Dream Warrior
2. Mystik Warrior
3. Deviant Warrior
3.5 Mistletoe & Mayhem
4. Scarred Warrior - (originally slated to release 2015 - not released yet)
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Mystik Warrior (Dark Alliance Series, Book 2)
by Brenda Trim, Tami Julka
My rating: 4.8 of 5 stars
Jace may be a doctor to the world around him, but he is a centuries old sorcerer with a heart of gold and scars that run deep. When he learns that Cailyn may be in danger, he is ready to run to her aid, even if thoughts of her sacre him to his core.
Ever since the day that Jace walked into her sister Elise's apartment with Rhys, to bring over a television, Cailyn has become undo. Her nice orderly world is in question. she thought she wanted safe and stable, but there is something in Jace that sets off every deep dark fantasy that she could ever dream of and then some!
Mystick Warrior is the story of Jace and Cailyn. How they learn to talk to each other, come together, over come their pasts and find that fated mates is something to enjoy and relish, not to run away from.
Mystick Warrior is the second book in the Dark Warrior Alliance Series, and in book one, we were introduced to Jace, the sorcerer and doctor, who lives at Zeum with the other Dark Warriors. Cailyn is Elise's older sister, and although she was in San Francisco most of book one, she does know what is going on, having been involved in a major fight outside a club on Elise's graduation. Still the whole fated mate thing, while she loves it for her sister, is scaring her just a little, and to that the fact that Jace doesn't seem to like her, she thinks.
In this story we learn Jace's history and the horrors and tortures that he endured, and with Cailyn's help, he might just learn to over come them, that is if he can release himself from the guilt and tell her about it all.
Let me just tell you, this series has me HOOKED!! I read book one in a couple hours, didn't even close my kindle, but immediately went and bought the rest of the series that was available at the time! Yes, I am one of those readers, when I find a writer - or team of writers in this case - that draws me into the characters to the point that I just have to know what is happening, then I have to read the whole series!!
Dark Alliance Series:
1. Dream Warrior
2. Mystik Warrior
3. Deviant Warrior
3.5 Mistletoe & Mayham
4. Scarred Warrior - (orginally slated for 2015 release - not released as of yet)
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Julian's Farewell (Bloodmates, Book One)
by Jaden Sinclair
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Society in general may have progressed past the chaste and class systems of long ago, but in the Vampire world, it is alive and well and strongly upheld. As the first-born of a Noble father, Julian was expected to take his place a Noble, maybe a seat on the elders and submit to an arranged marriage to a preselected bloodmate, even if she wasn't his true bloodmate. That's not Julian, so he took off, he's been tracking rouges and whatnot ever since, but this last mission is a dozy, track a wacko that thinks he can "cure" his daughter of being a bloodmate. Only problem, she is Julian's true bloodmate. Julian's Farewell is the story of Julian's search for them, his rescue of her and their life on the run for ten months. All the while a war is raging against the vampire community and they are being killed off in the greatest numbers ever, and no one seems to know what to do about it. Author Jaden Sinclair gives us a vampire war novel, with a love story overlain on top of it. At the heart of the book, is the killing of the vampires, what is going on and how to stop it, but up front you have this sweet, innocent, magical love story.
Julian's Farewell seems like an odd title for a love story, and it is, but I never thought about it until after I finished the book and then I realized it. He's been a rogue, rebel and doing his own thing for so long, but now he has found that one woman that can ground him. The book is the first in a series, and it does leave you waiting for the next installment because you are like, wait, what, give me more. Jaden Sinclair manages to make it a little different than the other vampire novels out there so that you are interested enough to read and find out about it. You fall in love with Serena's innocence, you love the way Julian acts with her. There are just so many things that are good about this book. Definitely an adult book, yes there is married couple scenes and although not overly graphic, you know what is going on, so I wouldn't give it to my teens. Great read, waiting on the next!
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Author Spotlight
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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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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Riduna
The Riduna Series, 1
by Diana Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Harriet always thought she had her simple life planned out. She would grow up on Riduna, marry and raise a family never leaving her tiny island home. Sometimes dreams aren't enough to face the realities of life, and the harsh realities of life can change even the best of dreams. Edward grwe up next door to Harriet and he had always dreamed of traveling, going to sea and adventuring but he always thought he would come back to the safe port of home in Riduna, and Harriet. When tragedies occur and Edward is far at sea and nowhere to be the rock that Harriet needs, his cousin Joe becomes her rock and protector. Riduna follows these three people through life and the developments of the world and war and all the changes that occur to change all of their dreams. Diana Jackson does a wonderful job of giving a family saga that touches your heart with love and heartache. You become involved in the family and want to know more and want to see what occurs.
Riduna is such a small island, but among the friends we met in the beginng, some can't wait to leave, some can never see leaving, and some who never planned to leave find things that they have no control over can change even the best of plans. Diana Jackson is a great writer and develops a wonderful story that has you feeling part of the lives of these people. You can almost imagine yourself on the island of Riduna right in their lives. There are historical events that truly occured mixed into the story that makes it feel even more real, and like this could really be someone's actual life. This is a great book, the first of two book in the series, and would be a wonderful read for anyone of interest.
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Wilding Heart
Faery Tail #3
by Deborah McNemar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Carradoc is tired and lonely, he his the son of the King of Death, and he has spent a lifetime on his own. It is time for him to die, but he has one last month to see if he can find someone strong enough to fight his father to save him. He travels to New York to visit his cousin Damien and is allowed to stay with him while he is there. Melody is a waitress and friend of Damien's, but before Carradoc finds that out he saves her from a mugging. She is instantly attracted to him, which he finds strange, most people want nothing to do with him. A sudden kidnapping of them both throws everything in the air. Wilding Heart is the story of Carradoc and Melody, as he tries to safely get her home to her own realm, while she allows her self to fall in love with the Heir to the Throne of Death without regard for who is his, but for what he is. Deborah McNemar blends a touching romance story, innocent and beautiful with a fight to save the Faery Realms and as an added bonus follows other characters in the realm as well.
Wilding Heart may be the love story of Carradoc and Melody, but they are not the only to people in the world. There is Carradoc's cousin Damien and his love Etne, who end up in this because of their connections to both Carradoc and Melody. Then there are the Faery Courts and areas they travel through and visit on their journey. You see their story as well and others. Deborah McNemar weaves and exciting tale of love and strength, and of how heart can be stronger than body. Carradoc was in search of someone strong, he thought is meant warrior strong. There is a beauty and innocence to the story of Carradoc and Melody that you don't find very often. Anyone, young or old, who is looking for a faery book, or a romance, or just something to make them feel good about the world again, then this is the book for you. It will touch you with it's tale and make you believe in the goodness of people once again.
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Faery Tail Series
1. Faery Tail - Centurni and Star's story Amazon Link
2. Griffin Feathers - Damien and Ethne's story Amazon Link
3. Wilding Heart - Carradoc and Melody's story Amazon Link
