Saturday, April 23, 2016

Review: Supernatural Freak by Louisa Klein

Supernatural Freak by Louisa Klein
*mild language, some innuendo (no sex)
Supernatural freakWhen paranormal expert Robyn Wise is offered an outrageous sum of money to cure a boy who is turning into a dead tree, she’s very sceptical. A politician ready to pay that much to make his son stop growing branches instead of hair? Come on! She’s more likely to be abducted by aliens. This is a trap. Or much worse. And, of course, it’s much worse.
The child is turning into a dark portal, created by a powerful entity determined to absorb Fairyland’s power. This means that not only queen Titania and her court are in danger, but the very balance of the magic fluxes.
She’d rather stick a pencil in her own eye, but to learn how to destroy the portal, she has to sneak into the Wizardry Council, a place full of wizards who are hiding something—though it’s certainly not their dislike of Robyn.
There, she discovers a secret that could help to overthrow Fairyland’s enemies for good, a secret that puts her in the midst of an ancient and deadly war, and not as a bystander, but as the main target.
An action-packed yet romantic urban fantasy where Harry Potter meets Nancy Drew meets The Dresden Files, meets Darkest Powers meets Buffy The Vampire Slayer!
  • File Size: 1866 KB
  • Print Length: 199 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Lost in Fiction (November 14, 2012)

My review:  Supernatural Freak by Louisa Klein 
3 1/2 Stars 
Interesting story!  I had no idea where the story was going to go next.  Starts out strong right into action with a werewolf chase of Robyn the main character. The book moves pretty fast paced with more chases, fights, magic. 
There is ghosts, wizards, demons, shamon, evil monsters, fairies are just some of the characters you will find in the story.
There is swearing in the book.  I am tired of reading F bombs.
The names bothered me. Too much general names. For example the uncle almost always calls her niece. Robin's roommates are the geeks. ghost.
Robyn Wise is a paranormal with some unique skills.  She is asked to help a boy who is turning into a tree.  She thinks it is a joke or a trap because someone is trying to kill her.
I could see this book being the start to a new series because she has only found a few of the good guys there are more out there she needs to find.  If she does I would like to read the book.
I was offered this book free in exchange for a honest review of Supernatural Freak.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Elementals 2: The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow

The Blood of the Hydra (Elementals, #2)demigod who can kill with a touch. It's an ability that must be kept secret, even from those trusted most.

Finding out that she was a witch was strange enough, but now Nicole must face the realization that she has the rare power to kill with just a touch. No one can know her secret -- not even Blake, who she's had undeniable chemistry with since first moving to town.

Now Nicole, Blake, and the three others with elemental powers must journey abroad to stop a series of monsters that they previously believed to be dead from rising once again and destroying the mortal world. Will they all survive the quest? And how long will it be until Nicole is forced to use her ability to kill in front of everyone, revealing the true darkness of her powers?

Find out in The Blood of the Hydra, and join the Elementals on their mission to save the world -- or die trying.

My review: Elementals 2: The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow

4 STARS

This is the second book of the series.  It is best to read the  series in order.  I read the first book yesterday and I would start the third book right now if it was out.  I like this series so far.  It is a clean YA, fantasy that i hated to put down.

It is full of drama, witches, demigods, Greek gods, monsters and teenage angst.  5 teenagers have to fight monsters and save the world.

Nicole is the main character.  She just found out that witches are real they are descended from Greek gods.  She was told she is one.  She can heal people.  She likes Blake but thinks they can't be together.

Blake just got fire element. Kate is earth element, Chris is air element and Danielle is water element.  The five of them received the powers during a comet.  They are the only witches to have the powers.  Most witches only have mental powers not physical powers.  They are to go on a quest to stop the monsters and the Titans from raising again.

I like the world building.  The different choices they have to make.  It all works together to believe and get lost in the story.

These are the first two books that I have read by Michelle Madow but I look forward to reading more books by her in the future.

I got this book on Kindle Unlimited.


The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals #1) by Michelle Madow

The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals, #1)Witches are real. They're descendants of the Greek gods.

Nicole Cassidy is the new girl in town with a new problem -- she's a witch descended from gods. Despite doubts about her new found abilities, she's welcomed into an ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers -- and by Blake, the town's notorious bad-boy.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, and three others are gifted with mysterious elemental powers. But the comet has another effect -- it opens the portal to another dimension that has imprisoned the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes, it's up to them to follow a cryptic prophecy in time to save the town... and possibly the world.
  • File Size: 579 KB
  • Print Length: 309 pages
  • Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing (January 26, 2016)

"Harry Potter meets Percy Jackson with an added twist of teenage angst, hormones, and uncertainty... I am officially HOOKED!"
-Kim T. Goodreads Reviewer, ★★★★★

A thrilling fantasy adventure in a contemporary setting with Greek mythology and sweet romance, Elementals is a YA series that fans of Percy Jackson will love!



My review: The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals #1) by Michelle Madow 

4 STARS

When I was looking for a book to read I saw this was for fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson I had to stop and read it.  I enjoyed it.  Right after I finished reading it I got the second book to read.  Now I am going to start the third.

This is a clean exciting YA adventure series.  It has witches, demigods, gods and Titans.  5 teenagers have to try and save the world.  No pressure, right. 

Nicole Cassidy is starting  at a new high school. She walks into a new home room and finds witches are real.  They tell her she is one. They also gave her all honors classes. 

Blake is the hot guy in her home room that she is drawn too.  He has a girl friend who gets really jealous.  

Witches are descended from the Greek Gods.  The others all new they were witches because one of their parents were too.  Nicole had no idea that she was one.

I got this book on Amazon Unlimited program.

Sunday, April 17, 2016

An Amish Match by Jo Ann Brown (Amish Hearts #2)

Description

  • File Size: 2320 KB
  • Print Length: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Love Inspired (May 1, 2016)





My review: An Amish Match by Jo Ann Brown (Amish Hearts #2)

4 STARS
This is a nice clean Amish romance.  It also deals with abuse and alcohol which you don't think of in the 
Amish.  There is plenty of cute characters, Amish lifestyle.  Just a good story.

Rebekah Burkholder is a widow.  She has a toddler son and a baby on the way. She is hiding secrets.
Her husband and her friend from childhood,  Joshua Stoltzfus asks her to marry him.

Joshua is a widower with three children.  He needs help with his children. He is still in love with his deceased wife.  He also feels that he should have done more for his friends widow.  Rebekah was beautiful and a good friend.

Rebekah is afraid to tell people about her abuse because she is afraid that people will always look on her son to see if he acts like his father.

I like them trying to blend their families and grow closer together.  There are some real funny moments in the story.

I would read more books by Jo Ann Brown in the future. 

I was given this ebook from NetGalley and Harlequin.  In return I agreed to give a honest review of An Amish Match.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

The Detective's 8 lb, 10 oz Surprise by Meg Maxwell (Hurley's Homestyle Kitchen, #2)

Description

  • Series: Hurley's Homestyle Kitchen (Book 2475)
  • Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Harlequin (April 19, 2016)


My review: The Detective's 8 lb, 10 oz Surprise by Meg Maxwell (Hurley's Homestyle Kitchen, #2)

4 STARS

This a cute story. Lots of drama, small town with characters you want to see again.  It does have a few love scenes that I admit to skimming over. 

Nick Slater is gone from the Police station for just 10 minutes.  When he comes back he finds a baby on his desk.  No one around.  A note asks him to watch the baby for a week.  He was not abandoned.

Georgia Hurley comes back to town with a surprise of her own.  She is four months pregnant and Nick is the father. She volunteers to be the nanny for a week and help her prepare for being a mom.

Nick is a detective.  He just got through with raising his sister and sent her to college.  He does not plan to be a father or husband.

Georgia has come back to town to work in her family dinner. She could not come back when her family almost lost the dinner when her grandmother was ill a few months ago.

I want to read the next book in the series.

I was given this ebook to read by Netgalley and Harlequin.  In return I agree to give a honest review of  The Detective's 8 lb, 10 oz Surprise.

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Heart Like Mine by Maggie McGinnis (Echo Lake #2)

Description

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

What We Find by Robyn Carr (Sullivan's Crossing #1)

Description

Mortal Dilemma by H, Terrell Griffin (A Matt Royal Mystery #10)

Description

Want Ad Wedding by Cheryl St.John (Cowboy Creek)

Description

  • Print Length: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Love Inspired Historicals (April 1, 2016)
  • Publication Date: April 1, 2016


My review: Want Ad Wedding by Cheryl St.John  (Cowboy Creek)

4 STARS

Want Ad Wedding is set in Cowboy Creek, Kansas April 1868

Three friends after the civil war decide to start a town in Kansas.  The Texas trail herds are coming up to their town for the railroad.

Daniel Gardner convinced the town to send away for mail order brides.  Lots of single men come out to meet the first four woman. 

 Leah Swann  is a widow and with child.  She has lost her whole family.  She hopes to find a good husband.  She is surprised to find two childhood friends Daniel and Will behind the town. In fact she was engaged to Will at start of war but they broke up.

Both Daniel and Will are glad to see Leah again.  Leah when she sees them does not feel so alone in the world anymore.

There is plenty of drama, mystery and it is fun to see them build their town.  Someone is trying to Sabotage the town.

I want to comeback and read more books in the Cowboy Creek series.

I was given this ebook to read for free from NetGalley and Harlequin. In return I agreed to give a honest review of Want Ad Wedding.  

Proposals and Poison by Rachelle J. Christensen (A Wedding Planner Mystery #3)


Proposals and Poison
Proposals and Poison by Rachelle J. Christensen
Love can be a very dangerous thing.
At least it seems that way to Adri Pyper, the premier wedding planner in Sun Valley, Idaho. When one of her clients dies mysteriously, Adri takes the advice of the local detective and swears she will stay out of the investigation . . . this time. Luke Stetson’s involvement in the case, along with the possibility of a kiss between the two, should be enough incentive to keep Adri out of trouble. But when a dog-themed wedding is almost ruined by a suspect, Adri and her assistant, Lorea, are thrust into private eye mode. When poison enters the picture, even a reluctant sleuth can’t steer clear of danger.
  • File Size: 2292 KB
  • Print Length: 270 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Peachwood Press; 1 edition (April 12, 2016)


My review: Proposals and Poison by Rachelle J. Christensen (A Wedding Planner Mystery #3)

4 STARS

I like A Wedding Planner Mystery series.  Proposals and Poison fits right in,  Plenty of drama, mystery, different craft ideas, recipes at the start of each chapter.  Familiar characters and plenty of new characters.  Lot of weddings.  A clean read, there is kissing.

Adri Pyper is a wedding planner.  She has been dating local divorce lawyer Luke.  She also does crafts on a blog with her mother.  

One of Adri's bride is murdered.  It hits her hard.  When the groom is the chief suspect Adri thinks he is innocent and decides to prove it.

Luke  Stetson is local divorce attorney.  He is busy with a custody case.  He does not want to be married again.
The setting is Sun Valley, Idaho.  A Small town.

Some of the craft ideas are ones I would like to try. She gives a real blog address to the blog.

I was given this ebook to read for free and in exchange I agreed to give a honest review. 

Saturday, April 2, 2016

First Light by Michele Paige Holmes (Forever After Series)



First LightFirst Light by Michele Paige Holmes
Seventeen-year-old Adrielle doesn’t believe in magic; she merely possesses it, though no one has ever mentioned that her unusual gifts—exceptional speed, a flair for fire, and an intimate knowledge of flora—aren’t things she was born with. When Adrielle starts a fire that burns down the family home, she must deal with both her grief and her siblings’ hurtful rejection.
While journeying to far away Tallinyne, in search of her older, estranged sister—the only relative who might take her in—Adrielle is separated from her escort when the carriage is beset by thieves. Alone, she is thrust into a dangerous and unfamiliar world where she encounters fairies and gypsies, a wild boar, a drunk cook, and an evil queen whose curse is sweeping death across the land. Adrielle also finds love, falling hard for a kind, funny, handsome—and completely unavailable prince.
From the glowing pearls tucked beneath her mattress and keeping her awake at night, to Queen Nadamaris’s curse that seems to thwart Adrielle’s every effort, Adrielle struggles to navigate a world of magic she never imagined, where people she knows and loves are not always what they appear to be. With the glowing pearls—and her fondest desire—within her grasp, she is forced to make a choice no girl should ever have to—satisfying her own heart or saving the kingdom.
Series: Forever After Series
Paperback: 494 pages

  • Publisher: Mirror Press (March 22, 2016)

  • My review First Light by Michele Paige Holmes (Forever After Series)

  • 5 STARS

  • A good fairy tale. While it had some elements that you could see coming their were plenty of twists and turns I did not expect.  Now I have to wait till the next book comes out.

  • Adrielle is 17 The youngest of 11.  Her family is really poor.  They live on a farm and there has been a drought for years. Adrielle forages in the woods for food and plants to help the sick. 

  • After Adrielle's family home burns down and she is blamed she runs to find her oldest sister Cecilia who she has never met.  None of the rest of her family wants her.

  •  There is a curse on the land, Queen Nadamaris's wants to gain more power.  She wants the Princess to marry her son. She is a evil Queen.

  • There is a lot of drama dealing with magic, gypsies, fairies and beasts while Adrielle travels to the castle.  There is romance, with a gypsie, a prince who has to marry to save the kingdom.  There are choices to help or to be selfish.

  • It is a good exciting clean read.

  • I was given this ebook to read for free in exchange for a honest review of First Light.
  • Friday, April 1, 2016

    Silver Cascade Secrets by Rachelle J. Christensen

    Silver Cascade SecretsIn this romantic suspense novella, SILVER CASCADE SECRETS, by Rachelle J. Christensen, Jillian is the master landscaper at a beautiful park. Meeting Travis there soon after breaking up with her boyfriend, Jillian is wary at first. Travis seems like a great guy, but Jillian had fallen for great guys before. When she learns that his brother, Craig, was murdered six months before, her heart goes out to Travis. True to her curious nature, she starts asking questions and learns about Craig’s close connection with the park. But finding the answers puts Jillian’s life in danger, and she must decide who she really trusts.
    • File Size: 3919 KB
    • Print Length: 82 pages
    • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
    • Publisher: Peachwood Press (September 8, 2015)


    My review: Silver Cascade Secrets by Rachelle J. Christensen 

    4 Stars

    This is a romantic suspense novella.  It is very good story that you can read in just a short time.  It has mystery, drama, romance and danger.  It is also a clean read.

    I have enjoyed reading Rachelle J. Christensen books.

    Jillian is working in a park planting flowers. She loves her work.
    Craig is a mechanic that has moved back to his home town for his sister.  His brother-in-law was murdered.  The killer was never caught.
    Craig and Jillian meet at the park when Craig is searching for his keys. 
    I was given this ebook to read for free in exchange for a honest review of Silver Cascade Secrets.

    A Cowboy's Claim by Marin Thomas (Cowboys Of The Rio Grande #3)


    Description


    • Print Length: 240 pages
    • Publisher: Harlequin American Romance (April 1, 2016)
    • Publication Date: April 1, 2016


    My review: A Cowboy's Claim by Marin Thomas (Cowboys Of The Rio Grande #3)

    3 STARS

    This is the third of  the Cowboys Of The Rio Grande series but the first one that I have read. It was cute rodeo romance.  I thought it stood alone well I thought. Might be better to have read all 3 books in order.

    Victor Vicario goal he has been trying to get the rodeo finals champion win.  He has made it to the finals three times but no win there.  He has no plan till he makes the goal.  He has been given temporary custody of his four year old nephew.

    Tanya McGee is a barrel racer who has a wild horse.  After her divorce she is trying to come back from injury.  They have a one night stand,

    They decide to travel together and help each other and take care of 'Alex.  While they try to help him and compete in as many rodeos as they can.  Alex does not speak.

    I was given a ebook to read by NetGalley and Harlequin.  In return I agreed to give a honest review of A Cowboy's Claim