Turned at Dark

Turned at Dark by C.C. Hunter

A Bonus Shadow Falls Short Story

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

March 2011

Pages: 51

Contemporary, Paranormal, Young Adult

Texas

Della Tsang is strong-willed and independent and she most certainly didn’t believe in ghosts.  At least she didn’t until she sees her dead cousin in a dark alley.  Della also didn’t believe in vampires until she became one.  Now she has to decide if she should follow her cousin and leave everything she knows or go to Shadow Falls a camp for special teens.

This is great short story that adds to the overall story plot of the Shadow Falls series.  It is short and sweet and gives readers some history on Della and helps readers understand her better.  It manages to cover a great deal of story in a very short amount of pages.  While it isn’t necessary to read to understand the world of Shadow Falls it helps readers to understand where Della is coming from and how her past shapes her life now.  It fits well with the other books. 

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH

Illusion

Illusion by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

April 2014

ISBN: 978-1-250-00284-6

Pages: 448

Contemporary, Paranormal, Young Adult

New Orleans

Nick Gautier is finding that as tired as he is of his destiny that sometimes when you wish for something else you might get it and that life just might end up worse.  He doesn’t want to be destined to end the world as the son of a demon.  He is also tired of demons and other preternatural creatures that want him dead.  He is wishing for normal problems and to just be a normal teen.

Nick ends up getting sucked into an alternate reality where he finds that normality isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.  In the alternate reality his mother is married to his mentor and his best friend back home who is also an Atlantean god is in this reality a human geek.  Nick learns that no life is free of pain and that every person has their own place in the universe.  Even when you are the son of a hated demon.  More importantly he learns that the powers he thought were a curse aren’t and that the world needs a champion.  Especially when that champion is the last person the world’s enemies see coming to help the very people he is supposed to destroy.

Now as Nick works to restore his real world old enemies and new friends will square off for another battle that will either bring him back or end him forever. 

This is another book that takes the reader on a ride that will have them never seeing what is coming next.  It will also have readers eagerly counting down the days until the next book comes out.  This is proving to be one series that doesn’t get old and gets better with each new book that comes out.  Reading how Nick gets out of all the trouble he constantly gets into makes for a very fun series that will keep readers laughing at his antics.  It is also interesting to see how Nick’s early life it changing and evolving.  This one proves to be fun with all the characters being completely different in the alternate reality that has a great deal of humor and blindsides the readers with everything that comes at Nick. It is fun to see Nick approach all that comes at him with his usual humor and smart mouth.  This is proving to be a very entertaining series.

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH  

Welcome to Denmark Warlocks and Witches in America: Book 1

Welcome to Denmark Warlocks and Witches in America: Book 1 by Aiden James

Publisher: Aiden James Fiction

August 2014

Pages: 253

Contemporary, Paranormal, Young Adult

Denmark, Tennessee

Sebastian Radu is not like most normal eighteen year olds.  Especially since he is a warlock that looks eighteen but is actually one-hundred-twenty-five-years-old. 

His family of Romanian warlocks and witches have lifetimes that extend beyond six hundred years.  The Radus also have been at war with another family, the Mateis, which have the same kind of gifts.  The Mateis have stepped up their efforts to wipe the Radus from the face of the earth which forces the family to flee their home in Chicago to a small town in the south.  They find their new home in the quirky and quaint town of Denmark.  The homes there are pre-Civil War antebellum that still manages to have some race issues and is also home to the “World’s Largest Frog Leg Fry”.

The Radus find that Denmark is the perfect place to hide where the life is much slower in pace not to mention non-magical. Their new home, an old plantation house is known there as Twin Magnolias. It also allows the family to settle into a life where something new and humorous seems to happen daily.  At least until their old enemies, the Mateis show up in their lives yet again.

Sebastian and his family are faced with choices that affect not just their well-being but also the town they are starting to call home, because they are facing the threat of war that is steeped in deadly sorcery.  Though they just might also have the first chance to take some steps that will lead to healing the rift.  They are either going to have to resolve their long and bitter dispute with the Mateis or the ancient conflict will destroy them all.

While this story is more paranormal there are some romantic elements in it.  The characters are intriguing and keep the story moving at a quick pace.  The back story build up is done in such a way that it all blends together seamlessly and makes for an action pack book that takes readers on a ride they won’t soon forget.  This is the first book and if the other books prove to be as well written this is going to be an amazing series.  This does end with a somewhat cliff hanger that will leave reading getting antsy as they wait for the next book.  The descriptions in the book really bring this world to life for readers that will have them thinking they are actually there with all the quirky town people that make for a town that would be a lot of fun to actually visit. 

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH

The Rising

The Rising by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Harper

March 2014

ISBN: 978-0-06-179709-5

Pages: 406

Contemporary, Romance, Paranormal, Young Adult

Vancouver, British Columbia

Maya and her friends are getting desperate.  They are being hunted by two Cabals, the powerful St. Clouds and another rival group.  They are also running out of places to hide. 

They have a name of someone who just might be able to help them by giving them answers they desperately need.  Answers like why they are so very valuable in the first place.  Also why their supernatural powers seem to be getting increasingly out of control.

What Maya is not prepared for are the truths that she finds waiting for her.  Also whether she likes it or not she needs to face some demons from her past if she has any hope of having a future and moving on with her life.  Maya is finding out that she can’t keep running forever.

This is a great way to finish a trilogy that has proven to be fun and a roller coaster ride.  Readers will be sad to see the end of the trilogy but will find it was definitely worth reading.  The reader gets to see how the characters grow through the adversity they are forced to deal with while trying to get their lives back.  The action never stops and keeps the story moving at a very fast pace.  It will also have readers hoping for more about the characters set maybe father down the line to see just what happens when the characters get a little older.  This proved to be a very fun trilogy that will have readers re-reading them just to revisit some fantastic characters.  This is a must read.

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH

Feral

Feral by Holly Schindler

Publisher: Harper Teen

August 2014

ISBN: 978-0-06-222020-2

Pages: 432

Contemporary, Young Adult

Chicago, Illinois & Peculiar, Missouri

Claire Cain is trying to deal with the after affects of a brutal beating she took months ago in Chicago.  She is haunted by the words she keeps hearing “it’s too late for you.  You’re dead.”  Now her father has been offered a job in another state and Claire hopes that means a new start for her. 

When Claire arrives in Peculiar what she ends up finding is an overwhelming sense of danger.  That is confirmed when she discovers the body of a popular high school student in the icy woods behind the school.  A body that is surrounded by the feral cats that occupy the town.  Claire is determined to find the truth because she is sure there is more to the accident than meets the eye.  The closer she gets to the truth though the closer she gets to discovering more about herself.

This is a story that will take the reader on one very wild ride.  While there are some romantic elements in the story this is more of suspense story.  Reading how Claire is trying to cope with what happened to her really give the reader a prospective of what others that have dealt with in a similar situation and really makes readers think.  It manages to do this with a story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats wondering just what is happening in the town of Peculiar.  This takes some great twists and turns while keeping the reader guessing just what happened to the dead high school student. When the truth comes to light it makes for an excellent ending to a story that keeps turning everything on its head.  This proves to be a hard book to put down even with the heavy subject that is covered.  A subject that is handled in such a way that it doesn’t overwhelm the reader and makes for story that will be hard to forget even after the reader finishes the book.

I give this one 5 red roses

LRH

Mercy

Mercy by BJ Daniels

Publisher: Harlequin HQN

August 2014

ISBN: 978-0-373-77895-9

Pages: 352

Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

Seattle, Washington & Beartooth, Montana

Rourke Kincaid is a U.S. Marshal and for him there is the law and then there is his law.  If they don’t always agree he goes with the one thing he can trust…his instincts.  In the Northwest there has been a strange killing spree going on with a connection only Rourke can see.  Now the old rules of justice no longer apply.  He has been forced to turn rogue to find the answers. Going undercover to track a mysterious woman suspect he ends up in a quiet, unassuming café located in the wild, isolated mountains of Beartooth.

When he encounters Callie Westfield his mission gets complicated in ways he didn’t expect.  She gets to Rourke with her fragile beauty and sexy charm even though she seems very suspicious.  Now the gory crimes have begun again.  His heart is suddenly at war with his instincts, which leaves him with only two options.  He has to turn Callie over to the law or he will have to put everything on the line, both his heart and his badge if he wants to protect her.

This is a great romantic suspense that keeps readers guessing until the very end.  With the twists and turns this story takes readers are never sure just what will happen next or where the threats are coming from.  While this is part of a series and would be better read as a whole the story can be read as a standalone book.  For readers that start with this one they will definitely want to check out the other books in the series just to get more from this author.  This is one suspense that is hard to put down though with all that happens in it the story will definitely have readers thinking twice about turning out the lights at night. 

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH

Way of the Shadows

Way of the Shadows (Shadow Agents: Guts and Glory) by Cynthia Eden

Publisher: Harlequin

September 2014

ISBN: 978-0-373-69783-0

Pages: 218

Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

Alaska

Noelle Evers was kidnapped fifteen years ago.  After two days her abductor was dead and she was left with no memory of what actually happened.  Now she is an FBI profiler and she uses her past to get into the minds of killers.  The one that she can’t seem to read is her new partner.  Thomas Anthony is an EOD agent that is controlled, dangerous and hauntingly familiar. 

Thomas has been covertly watching Noelle’s back for a very long time.  He wanted to tell her the truth but to do that would have compromised his mission and blown his cover.  With their latest mission a link to her past has been revealed.  Now is the time for Thomas to step out of the shadows especially with the desire that is between them and a predator that is hunting Noelle.  If he doesn’t he is going to lose the second chance he has to save the only woman he has ever loved.

This is a great addition to a series that is proving to be very addictive.  The characters are well written and they bring the story to life for the reader.  It is also a nice way to revisit a world that is full of action and suspense.  This is fast proving to be a series for the keeper shelves.  While the stories can be read as standalone books they are much better as a whole when the full series is read. The story also takes some great twists and turns and will have readers wondering just what could possibly happen next and they won’t be disappointed with the next twist that comes at them.

I give this one 5 red roses

LRH