Wolfhaven
by Jay Shaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for Readers Favorite
In an isolated area of the country, far away from society in general live two groups, that long ago used to be one. Wolfhaven and Silver Ridge, over in Silver Ridge they detest their human side and avoid shifting into it, staying in wolf form at all times, living in caves and living a completely rigidly controlled life by a powerful alpha. In Wolfhaven, they embrace the human side as much as the wolf side, understanding that both sides are equally important. They have built a functioning society with a common house for meals and cabins for family sleeping, along with a structured hierarchy of rule. Wolfhaven focuses mostly on life in Wolfhaven, but not just general life it focuses on the Grandmother, who is the leader of the pack, and the two grandson's, the oldest that is expected to take over Trey, and the younger Connell. This is more than a simple romance, this is a love story against all odds, this is a family saga, this is life and death, this is democracy vs dictatorship. Author Jay Shaw has created a deep and multilayered story of relationships, give and take, ruling with heart and compassion and family life.
Wolfhaven is written in such a way that you feel that it is covering generations, when in reality it only covers maybe a year in reality, but so many things occur. Author Jay Shaw has created so many complex layers and stories within stories going on, that when you sit back and think about the scenarios he put forth, mates across pack boundaries, you can see society and marriages across racial and ethnical divides. Although this is listed as a paranormal romance, it is a family sage and a novel that if you take the time to read and think about what you have read, you can draw parallels and your own conclusions to society today. There is some violence, a dual for a mate, then an ambush along with some very sexist language from some parties, and consensual and nonconsensual sexual encounters, so I definitely recommend it for a more mature audience.
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Mated To The Werewolf King
by Alena Des
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for Readers Favorite
All her life, Belle has been raised as the daughter of a powerful alpha werewolf and his equally powerful wife. Just as her eighteenth birthday is nearing her world is shattered when her parents finally reveal that they are not her biological parents but that she was found on the edge of the pack boundary as and infant and they have raised her and loved her no matter what, but the Demon Lord is after her. Enter the Werewolf King, who claims he will protect her, but they immediately get off on a bad note, he doesn't believe she is a werewolf and she thinks he is joking. He thinks she is a witch, and she doesn't even think such things exist, oh the sheltered world you lived in Belle. Mated to the Werewolf King is the story of discovering who Belle really is and why the Demon Lord wants her, why he thinks she is his mate, and why his twin brother thinks she is his mate, but why she feels like the Werewolf King is who she wants, after she gets past his over macho attitude. Author Alena Des has created a paranormal fantasy world of werewolfs, vampires, demons, fae, witches and more all living in the same world while a single girl has the power to upset the balance of everything without knowing it.
Mated to the Werewolf King is a complex and mutilayered family saga. We are finally able to learn the turn story of Belle's parentage, but even then there is some difficulties as in her parents were being chased and he took Belle to safety because he was injured and thinking her mother was dead, only she wasn't quite, he died from his injuries. This story is not just your typical girl meets boy, falls for boy but has to prove its real for boy to accept, this is a whole girl meets boy, boy runs from girl, girl runs from boy, boy saves girl, girl saves boy, together they save the world and finally they can be together. Author Alena Des has created a story that is complex yet feels almost natural, you can understand each point of view and why certain characters did what they did, but at the same time, there is some much going on that this is one of those books that you could probably read two or three times and catch things each time that you missed the first time around. There is some violence, its an all out battle for the world, and some sexual scenes, but pretty average for todays standards.
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Crimson Moon (The Dark Woods, Book One)
by Sherri A. Wingler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for Readers Favorite
She might be young and she might be on her own, but she wasn't unable to take care of herself; not that Grey knew that exactly but he could tell there was something different about her. She wasn't fully human that was for sure, and why he felt the need to take care of her and keep her with him, he couldn't really say, of course his wolf wanted her but she was way to young, not even eighteen yet. Harlow was used to not trusting anyone, but there was something about Grey that had her wanting to trust him and then, once she had him and his wolf in her mind, she was even more inclined to trust him, although things got even more confusing. Crimson Moon by author Sherri Wingler is not your typical shifter novel, in fact even though Grey is part wolf, there is never any shape shifting, its more like a split personality issue.
Crimson Moon is a complex and twisted story that involves Grey and his past in a way, but mostly Harlow and the secrets about her life and her birth. Even when she finds out the truth, things are not going to be happily ever after, there is always going to be trouble when a wolf is involved. Author Sherri Wingler takes a completely different approach to the wolf-man hybrid and instead of having him shift his shape into the wolf, it is just a personality takeover, nothing in the body, physically changes, but as Harlow learns more about Grey she can hear the difference in their voices, the way they walk and talk, the way they hold themselves. This is not something I have encountered in a novel before and it made for interesting reading, although there was a real love-hate relationship between Grey and his wolf that I questioned. Since this is labeled as Book One, I would hope that Grey's past and some of the demons that created that love-hate relationship might be explored at some point in the future because at this point, I am confused by it still. There is violence and some intimate moments, so I would definitely recommend this for adult readers.
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The Awakening of Magic, Book One of the Wereding Chronicles
by Christian Boustead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
How to explain this novel without giving away the whole story, that has been my biggest question, because I want to give you enough that you want to read this - because it is definitely worth reading!! So bare with me friends, if this goes a little astray, for some reason, I have started and stopped this so many times, finding that I feel like I am telling too much.
Eloo, is a fae and her lover, Kye is a werewolf. They are out in the forest one day and rescue a human, Rose from an attack by someone they call Kain. Now why Kain is trying to kidnap Rose and take her away is a mystery and even after this book, it is still a mystery. We do get some glimpses into the fact that Rose is more than just a mere human, but what all her role is going to be is unknown. I'm still not sure what role Kain is playing in all of this yet, which is amazing! It just makes me want to read the next book all that much more!
Rose, was hard to like a first. She was a bit of a rich child, told to stay away from magic, and so even though she see's it's use for good, she still fears it as evil. There were times in the story that I just wanted to smack her! Honestly! It was like get it through your head that there is good and evil in everything, its how you use it, stop acting like everything is inherently evil. Ugh! But, at the same time, the fact that the author was able to write a character that evoked that much emotion from me was amazing! I usually do not get that upset at characters.
This book is the beginning of a series, The Awakening of Magic, and we watch the magic begin in this story, we meet the characters that will play the major roles in the rest of the story, and learn a bit of their backstory or history and yet it all works very well into a cohesive and compelling story. It's not just a telling of history. There is a purpose for the story.
At one point, the characters are traveling through a wasteland, area that was destroyed hundreds of years ago in a war, and there are the rusting remains of what used to be cars, but no one really knows what they are because they don't have that technology in the present time of the story, and I found that to be the greatest thing! The fact that the story is being told in the future, but that technology has progressed back and magic is more in use. Makes you wonder about our world now, are we over using our fossil fuels to the p0int that this is what we will become? Just a thought.
I found the story to be compelling, the imagery of the author to be breathtaking at times, and I got lost in the story. Yes, I got annoyed at Rose, but I think she can be redeemed, or at least I hope she can. I found like I liked the interplay between all the other groups. The fact that Eloo is a fae and has a werewolf as a lover, I mean that is perfect. Everyone needs to check this one out!
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My Familiar Stranger (Order of the Black Swan, Book One)
by Victoria Danann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
So I was posting a review the other day and a recommendation link to another book came up on my page. It was for this book, My Familiar Stranger, and I was looking at it and thought it sounded pretty neat, then I noticed a post from the author that said the book was available for free on Amazon at the moment, and I thought, well that if the perfect reason to sample the book. OMG! I am so hooked on +Victoria Danann ! I even listed her next to Sherrilyn Kennyon (my absolute all-time, favorite author in the world)in my kindle!!
So the story starts in a lab, where a teacher/professor is throwing his best student through a spiralling vortex after her entire family has just been massacred. She is scared, frightened and in shock, and you are thinking, what is going on. The next thing you know we are someplace else completely, with a whole new set of characters and new storyline and in the back of your mind you know the girl is going to come into play at some point, but you are getting into these muscle-bound men in the new line, when POOF, she appears! Only she is in no condition to talk, the vortex was not kind to her or her body.
This book is an adventure in paranormal! We have other dimensions and worlds, then we have vampires, werewolves, elves, fae, witches and who knows what all else we will uncover as the books continue! Welcome to Black Swan. Black Swan is a covert organization formed hundreds of years ago to protect the human population from the paranormal in the world. At the time it was founded vampires were their main focus, but over time other paranormals were discovered and included. Black Swan recruited the "second sons", those sons that would not inherit in the patriarchal society, and that were "hard to handle". They were trained to deal with things most people never dream of encountering.
The Familiar Stranger gives you an overview into the history of Black Swan and how it began, not its not a stiff and boring lesson, it's told in a way that makes it interesting and exciting and you are engaged in the story and learning all you can about this secret society keeping the world safe. It really sets the stage for the whole series, introducing you to some main characters, giving you just enough information on them to get you interested in them and you are starting to become party of the story.
There are many layers of story going on in the book, all at the same time, and the author does a wonderful job of weaving them all together so that you can jump from one character to another and it's almost like real life in that you see this story evolving with this person in your life and a completely different thing happening at the same time with a different person in your life, but yet it is all going on at the same time. It was amazing!!
The Knights of Black Swan VAMPIRE HUNTERS reading in order strongly recommended:
1.My Familiar Stranger (Black Swan 1) My Review
2.The Witch's Dream (Black Swan 2) My Review
3.A Summoner's Tale (Black Swan 3) My Review
4.Moonlight(Black Swan 4) My Review
5.Gathering Storm (Black Swan 5)
6.A Tale of Two Kingdoms (Black Swan 6)
7.Solomon's Sieve (Black Swan 7)
8.Prince of Demons (Black Swan Novel)
9.Vampire Hunter (Black Swan 8)
10.Journey Man (Black Swan 9)
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unvamped
by Elizabeth Stevens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Charles is a 700 plus year old vampire, or at least he was until last night, who has become just a little jaded to life on earth with humans. Petronella, or Ellie is a young witch who hasn't decided if this is a gift or a curse, she just wants to be normal. Lee is your typical teenage werewolf, trying to adjust to the monthly changes and not enjoying it, wanting to be normal. One night, quite by chance, all three would encounter each other and all their lives would become entangled. Charles would try to quench his thirst on Ellie, who would curse Charles turning him human, and Lee would see is all from a distance. No big deal right? Wrong. Now they find that they will each need each other to figure out this messed up thing called life as a teenage vampire, witch or werewolf. Unvamped is a catchy title for the story, partly of Charlie, who is no longer a vampire, but also of Ellie and Lee. Author Elizabeth Stevens takes normal human emotions of growing up and translates them to these paranormals and gives a divine story.
Although the title would make you think that Unvamped is mostly about Charlie, and while he is the main character, he has a lot to learn or relearn to shed his jaded ways. It is still just as much about Ellie, a powerful young witch with so much potential that she is a threat to some, and promise to others and she just wants to be a teenager. Lee is having trouble controlling his changes from boy to wolf, and this is causing problems, which only grow with the book. The funny thing is that Charlie is the one that seems to be the best equipped to help Lee out and deal with the issues. It's an uneasy alliance between these three in the beginning then becomes a friendship that changes so much about them all. Author Elizabeth Stevens gives the reader a wonderful story with so much to recommend it for any reader.
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Mortimer the Vampire: And Drake The Dragon
by Cameron Glenn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Forflick, Oregon is your typical small town in America. Nothing much to do as a teenager but hang out at the Carl's Jr/Green Burrito or the Dairy Queen. The cutest, most popular girl , which just happens to be Lizzy, dates the football star, Chad. Everyone talks of nothing more than getting out of the town and finding something more exciting! Excitement finds them, or at least Lizzy, the day a foreign exchange student Mortimer arrives. Lizzy decides to flirt with him, but he ignores her, which has never happened, then Lizzy starts dreaming of Mortimer. Now she is hooked, she just has to date him. Enter a second exchange student, Arielle and things get complicated. Mortimer actually likes her and talks to her, which peeves Lizzy, but help is on the way in the form of a third exchange student, Drake. Author Cameron Glenn writes a comical yet believable story of high school life and lust in Mortimer the Vampire, all told from Lizzy's point of view.
In Mortimer the Vampire, we get to learn how he became a vampire through the dreams that Lizzy has. The whole time she thinks that Mortimer is showing her his true self, and that he needs her. Lizzy is definitely your typical high school popular girl with nothing else on her mind but looking good, being popular, and dating. The trouble with the dreams are that we only see them in the very beginning, right after Mortimer became a Vampire, as he was still learning to deal with what he was and didn't like it. By the time Lizzy meets him in real life it's been a couple of centuries. Author Cameron Glenn does a wonderful job of weaving Mortimer's past into the story, making the reader feel for him just as Lizzy does. Not to spoil the story, but I should mention that there is also a wizard, a fairy, a werewolf and a dragon in this story. This is a good book for any age reader, even though it is focused on high-school aged. There is no real violence or sex in the book, so it's good to go for all readers. Enjoy!!
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GHOST (The Lycan Series, Book 1)
by P. Gordon Lamb
My rating: 4.4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Sara spends her late teen years learning to survive on her own, to fight, to take care of herself and to blend in with the woods. She makes vague references to "the incident" but it is only much later in the book do you find out what really happened and it changes your opinions of some of the people. As she grows up Sara becomes a world-renowned photographer and artist. Her ability to give life to her pictures is what everyone wants. One night, while sitting high in a tree, Sara sees something she can not believe, a group of men shifting into wolves, later a woman runs into the clearing, followed by a man, who is beating her, all the sudden the wolves return and save the woman. Many years later the picture that Sara painted from that night has gotten shipped to a small gallery instead of New York and she ends up in a Lycan community. Now just keeping their secret is not the only thing Sara faces and the pack faces an impending attack. Ghost is the title of the painting that brings this whole adventure in Sara's life to pass. Author P Gordon Lamb gives the reader a wonderful paranormal, shape-shifter novel that is educated and well written.
Ghost, the title of the book, the title of the painting, and an ancient type of Lycan that can not control their shifting that is much stronger. What a perfect word since we find all of these in the book. This is also billed by author P Gordon Lamb as the first in the series, and so we met all three of the Pritchard brothers in this book, although this one is about Hawk. So it sets a background for following books. It's a good, well-written, well thought out paranormal novel featuring the Lycan's. Some sexual situations, between married couples but not graphic, only one fight, no details really. Good read for young adult and adult readers.
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The Witch Who Cried Wolf (Cry Wolf, #1)
by Sarah Mäkelä
My rating: 4.1 of 5 stars
Mia is a shy little flower of a witch, and Jessa is her best friend, who runs and owns an herbal shop in town. Some people realize that she is really a witch, but most just come for the fun of it and the novelty. When a client asks Mia to make a potion, he doesn't give her enough information and the healing salve goes wrong. Now Mia has werewolves hunting her down and threatening her family and she doesn't really now which camp to believe.
Ethan has just spent the last year plus on deployment overseas and he is looking forward to being home, even if he isn't exactly looking forward to spending time with Mia. It's not that he doesn't like Mia, that's just it, he's been in love with her since seventh grade, but you just don't go after your best friends little sister, it is just not done.
This year, when Ethan gets involved in the werewolf attack on Mia, and then see's the treatment that a bad boyfriend subjects her to, it is almost more than he can handle.
This is a cute story of friends figuring out their places with each other long after college and if it's ok to finally date your best friends little sister or not. A story of a witch and a werewolf and a friendship and partnership to help each other when one is injured, but also to keep the supernatural hidden from the rest of the world.
Definitely a young adult type story, one sexual scene, not too explicit, but enough to be mentioned. Fun, enjoyable story for anyone who likes the witch, werewolf, paranormal genre.
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