Review: Damned Either Way by Erin Hayes 5 of 5 stars

Damned Either Way by Erin Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The vampire Antony who killed my sister and her husband is currently in control of everything and I have nothing in comparison. I can't find my niece Amelia, Jude has run away to surrender the the hunger that is taking control of all the vampires across the world, and I'm no longer the Harker so can't fix any of it. Can I find the courage to take the one last chance I have left to save us all?

Oh WOW. This is the last book in the Harker Trilogy and has everything looking hopeless before building up slowly to pull the threads together into a dramatic finale that then leaves you feeling both relieved and heartbroken. Thank goodness for the Epilogue is all I can say about that!! I loved the story which was well written and everything was clear and easy to understand. I could feel all the emotions involved and was really routing for them to succeed in the story.

Buy from Amazon

Review: Dragon Bones by Jasmine Walt by Ines Johnson 5 of 5 stars

Dragon Bones by Jasmine Walt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nia Rivers is an immortal archaeologist with a serious memory problem. She has been concentrating on using history's ugliest stories to shed detail on her past but the 2000 year old relic that surfaces in the hands of a woman gets past Nia's misgivings about revealing the truth as a wealthy land developer wants to level and build on the site. It appears he is also an immortal and he has a grudge against her. There are some dark assassins that have stalked her for centuries and are determined to kill her (which may be fr the best from the little she is starting to remember).

Wow - this was a great start to the series and was a tale of immortality, love, friendship and misunderstandings. There was lots of action and twists and turns as the story unfolded and the truth became clearer. I loved the way the past came back to assert itself as part of investigating what really happened and the resolution at the end. I can't wait to see how it develops going forward.

Buy from Amazon

Review: The Unnaturals by Jessica Meigs 5 of 5 stars

The Unnaturals by Jessica Meigs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Riley Walker works for the Agency (US Government department) and is a highly skilled and lethal covert operative. After an assignment went wrong and she lost her partner she is determined to work alone. Then she is transferred to a new assignment looking at the deaths of a group of other operatives working for the Agency - and assigned to work with veteran Scott Hunter who is very much a stickler for following the rules. Then they are immediately passed to a Agency department they never knew existed and are introduced to the existence of monsters out of fiction.

I LOVED this story. It was a great mixture of a spy story based in an agency like the CIA and a paranormal story. Mixed seamlessly into this was some romance and fairly advanced politics. It was well written and I felt all the horror, emotions and confusion in the relevant parts of the story. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Buy from Amazon

Review: My Soul Belongs to You by C.L. Hunter 4 of 5 stars

My Soul Belongs to You by C.L. Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Katlyn Reynolds gave up a daughter for adoption at the tender age of 16 and has since developed a very successful advertisement company while refusing to get close to anyone to protect her heart from further hurt. Then she meets Deacon O'Mallery - a sexy Irish businessman who has put being an orphan with nothing to become second in command of a large intel company. On meeting her he realises Katlyn is his soul-mate and after hearing her story he realises he wants to find his birth mother. Katlyn on the other hand is confused - she feels comfortable enough to share her past but insists he find someone else for a future. Deacon tries desperately to find his birth mother while fighting to make Katlyn realise she has to become his - thankfully he has the spirits Thomas and Calista to help him.

This was a lovely story interwoven into a lot of Irish folklore. The agonies that both Katlyn and Deacon were going through were covered quite substantially and I felt that was a little too much as I started to find it boring. However I did enjoy the story and I did like the plot of the story. The writing was clear and easy to understand and feel.

Buy from Amazon

Review: Shadow Hunted by Jasmine Walt by Rebecca Hamilton 5 of 5 stars

Shadow Hunted by Jasmine Walt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Brooke Chandler has no memory of her history and her identity and is working as a servant girl scrubbing floors. Attempting to escape she ends up in the land of Faerie where nothing is as it seems as she ends up with her father - The Winter King. She hen starts to rediscover her past life and about all the allies and enemies waiting for her to return. Now she has an impossible decision to make - stay with the enemies who want her dead or return and confront the enemies who want her tried and jailed for murder.

This was a great third book in the series and filled in a whole series of gaps about Brooke and her background that we could only guess about in the previous books. It was well written (as you would expect from Jasmine Walt) and you could empathise with the emotions felt by all of the characters. I feel I understand Brooke a lot better and that can only mean the next book will be even more enjoyable.

Buy from Amazon

Review: Sword (Bridge & Sword: Awakenings #3) by JC Andrijeski 5 of 5 stars

Sword (Bridge & Sword: Awakenings #3): Bridge & Sword World by JC Andrijeski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Allie is all alone after the loss of her husband and then finds herself thrust into the role of the official face and voice of the seers. She then desperately tries to stop the two worlds that she straddles from an all consuming war. Then she discovers that Revik is not dead as she thought but instead is on the other side of the seer race and is already fighting the war against humans. There is no way she can compromise with him on this, but she has to do whatever it takes to save him from himself and save them all.

Wow - plenty of twists, turns, and agendas that are so hidden you can't pick them out until they happen. I loved the way the politics between the various groups came into things and how that affected all of the characters and their actions. As usual for this author, it was well written and I could feel and empathise with all of the thoughts and emotions involved in the story. The ending is a complete surprise and also pretty kick ass. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book in the series now.

Buy from Amazon

Review: Zohar by A.K. Michaels 5 of 5 stars

Zohar by A.K. Michaels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Zohar Drake is the Council’s most feared Enforcer. He feels that everything he has done for the council has left him tormented and feeling under a dark cloud. As The Hunger strikes him he knows that it must be a spell as the Goddess would never send him a soulmate. His best friend Danko begs to differ and sets out to hep him while they are on a mission to save a pack from a truly despicable alpha. The question is can he keep Zohar sane and outside of the Council’s infamous prison.

I loved this story. It was a nice slant to the hunger stories and the issues around the pack and their members added a different dimension with lots of drama and the odd twist and turn. I loved the dynamic between the characters and the way it developed. It was well written and everything was clear and easy to understand.

Buy from Amazon

Review: New Orleans Magic by J.L. Hendricks 5 of 5 stars

New Orleans Magic by J.L. Hendricks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Voodoo Dolls are a punk-rock band based in New Orleans who also run a tourist shop selling voodoo dolls and love potions/fudge. They don't actually have any magic themselves but two of their old school-friends ask for their help finding their missing triplet sister so they introduce them to their wolf shifter friends who they know can help.

Great story with lots of drama and a host of different paranormal races involved in the story. Everything was well written and clear to understand. I liked the link between a female punk-rock band, New Orleans and the host of different paranormal races as they fit together very well. They all had personalities and talents that were in keeping to what they are. There was a burgeoning romance which I hope develops in the series as it continues.

Buy from Amazon

Review: Milijun by Clayton Graham 4 of 5 stars

Milijun by Clayton Graham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set in Australia in 2179 Laura Sinclair and her son Jason see aliens arrive on earth. The aliens try to connect to humans in a symbiotic way and Jason is chosen by them to contribute genetics in an experiment to prove the spiritual compatibility between them and humans by impregnating human females with embryos that are hybrids of the alien race and Jason. Laura ends up arguing with Major General Sebastian Ord from the Australian Defence Force and Uriel who is head of a strange research facility called Milijun in the outback. Following some fights Jason is then abducted the aliens which pushes Laura to the limits of her sanity (or so it feels at times). Somehow she has to be able to save herself, Jason and a group of women with unborn children from both humans and aliens.

I loved the basic story of the aliens coming to earth and doing their experiment. The research facility was a nice addition and made the story pleasantly different to similar stories in the genre. There was a good level of detail and the technical side of things was definitely well covered. I found the character of Laura more than a little annoying which may have just been me but her dilemmas and thoughts/hesitancy just felt too much after the first few times.

Buy from Amazon

Review: Blood & Bone by C.C. Wood 5 of 5 stars

Blood & Bone by C.C. Wood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Chloe MacArthur leaves he pack she considers as her family because even though she has found her mate, he is not available. So she goes to her childhood pack as she has unfinished business there - but will she make it through the deadly game with shifters that are determined to keep the truth from her? Ian Lachlan lost his mate nearly two years ago and is still alive thanks to Chloe looking after him. Now she is the one that needs help and he is determined to step up to the challenge and help her. However being in close quarters with her he suddenly realises that he wants more than friendship with her. Can they get to the bottom of the mystery and can they take a chance with each other

I loved this story. It involved some of the characters from the Bitten series and it was nice to see them in a different story and different setting. I enjoyed the will they, won't they aspect of the story and the drama involved in both the unfinished business between Chloe and her childhood pack, and the potential relationship between Chloe and Lach. Everything was well written and I felt as if I could really understand and relate to all of the emotions in the story.

Buy from Amazon

Review: Marrok by Julia Mills by A.K. Michaels 5 of 5 stars

Marrok by Julia Mills by A.K. Michaels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Marrok Kilbride has a problem. He might be an alpha, but he has a mindless hunger, sleepless nights, hallucinations and his wolf just cannot be tamed. It all started when she came onto pack lands. Problem is by the time he realises and goes onto pack lands to claim her she has been kidnapped. Now he has to find her and make her his.

This was a great addition to the group of books. I liked the cross over between wolves and lions and the politics involved in the story. The characters were very well described and I could relate and empathise with what they were going through. The ending was nice and dramatic which I enjoyed a great deal.

Buy from Amazon

Review: Shield (Bridge & Sword: Awakenings #2) by JC Andrijeski 5 of 5 stars

Shield (Bridge & Sword: Awakenings #2): Bridge & Sword World by JC Andrijeski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Allie is still trying to get used to the concept that she is now this being called "The Bridge" and all that it entails. Plus she is also trying to work out the rules around the culture of being a Seer and how that affects her relationship with Revik - problem is no one will tell her the rules so she gets it wrong and into trouble! Even worse the Rook she helped get into the White House in the US is gunning for a war with China. Then confusingly a mysterious child appears that could be Syrimne but he should be more like 100 years old not a child. Then he announces that Allie belongs to him and is his wife! Can it get any worse?

WOW - so many things happened in this story. There were lots of twists, turns and moments when you just had to go with it until it became clearer (a bit like it was for Allie herself). There were times of joy and happiness which must have been a pleasant relief for Allie and Revik, but then ultimately a lot of sadness which means I absolutely have to read the next in the series in order to hopefully see the return of some happiness and normalcy even for a while. The book was well written and I could definitely feel the emotions and experiences the characters were going through.

Buy from Amazon

Review: Myra by Richard Dee 4 of 5 stars

Myra by Richard Dee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The person called Dave Travise is an ex-Navy ship navigator called Finn Douglas who is on the run and has the real Dave Travise's identity chip. He is on a galactic trading ship on the wrong side of the law and he is playing along and keeping his head down while he gets used to this very new life. To complicate his life he has also fallen for Myra the ship's engineer. Life then gets very confusing as they are also being pursued by a criminal gang - can they stay one step ahead of them?

The story is told from the perspective of Dave (Finn). The book started a little slow but soon got going as the action started to happen and events started moving along at a fairly rapid pace. There were a few twists and turns plus surprises in the story. Everything was well written so that I understood what was going on but as it was told from Dave's point of view it felt a little one sided. The ended was a little bit of an anticlimax but I still enjoyed the book.

Buy from Amazon