Hot Blooded by Amanda Carlson

I received a free copy of this e-book from the publishers with the intent to read and leave an honest review.

This book starts were the first book finished. Jessica is getting ready to go and get her mate back from Selene, who just happens to be a wicked powerful goddess. She just has to wait for two vampires to arrive who are on loan from the Vampire Queen who had her kidnapped in the first book.

Before she even gets to set off, she has to contend with Ray Hart, a local police detective who has been harassing her and trying to pin anything he can on her. He just knows there's something off about Jessica. And he's about to find out just what that is. When Jessica gets home from talking to her father and persuading him not to kill Ray, she finds out that her building supervisor was a were-weasel and he had been caught breaking in to her apartment by one of her were-wolf friends. He had had to change and ended up killing him but the detective had seen it happen so he ended up stuffed in her wardrobe. Now he's going on a trip with Jessica, her brother Tyler, friend Daniel, the two vampires on loan from the Vampire Queen to get back her mate, if not he's going to end up dead.

Setting off in the bright yellow hummer that her brother has bought, they head north to Canada. On the way she realises that they will have a problem with Ray at border patrol so she has the vampires fly him over the border, hoping it will make him change his mind and realise that in order for him to stay alive he will have to comply with the Alpha's demands.

As they get nearer to Selene's lair they have to leave the hummer behind and start to hike. This is were I started to get annoyed again.

Whilst the book has a great story line and clips along at a good rate, it's spoiled again by the constant conversation, argument or telepathic conversation when danger is imminent or they are in the midst of a fight. It ruins the flow of the tale for me.

This was a fault that I found in the first book and I was disappointed to see it had continued on in the second book. I also found it annoying that no matter what they came across, after the argument, discussion, whatever, it would turn out to be her blood or only her power that could fix whatever was wrong. I understand that she is the main character and that she is something more than a were-wolf, she is turning into the True Lycan but I really hope that the third book doesn't follow in the same lines or that it's not constantly brought up.

That said I will definitely be reading the third in the series.

Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson

I received a free e-copy of this book from the publishers with the intent to read and give an honest review.

We start this story with Jessica changing into a wolf for the first time. To say she is shocked is an understatement, she never expected to change as there are no female werewolves, at all. She is only alive because her father is Alpha and her mother died giving birth to Jessica and her twin brother Tyler.

Having changed though, she now needs to keep this information secret as she will surely have the other wolves out for her blood due to a prophecy that states that a female werewolf will bring about the downfall of the wolves.

You would think it would be easy to keep a secret as she has been living under an alias for seven years but you would be wrong. Not only does someone know, they want her dead. It could be anyone too. Not just the wolves but the other sects out there, vampires, witches, warlocks, demons, you name it, they are gunning for her. Not only having to contend with that she also realises she's not quite a werewolf, she is a Lycan.

After returning home after visiting her father to try and work out what's going on with her, she's attacked in her apartment by a rogue werewolf, this just after using a cover story of a break in for the damage she did herself during her change. Now she's being dogged by a police detective who knows there's something different about Jessica but he's not sure what but he's determined to find out what it is.

It all sounds like a great story and it is, kind of. It canters along at a good pace with interesting characters and backstories but the one thing that spoilt it for me was the action scenes. Just as a fight was getting started or something dangerous was happening, Jessica would start to have an argument or conversation or start to talk telepathically with some one and it would stall the flow of the story. Even when she calls on the use of her wolf, she starts to talk to her and it distracts from what is going on.

Other than that I really liked the book and I shall be following the tale of Jessica McClain in the next book in the series.

Wait For You by J. Lynn

I received this book from the publishers with the intent to give an honest review.

First of all, I have to say I found the characters to be quite believable and likeable. I thought the subject matter was handled with care and was very well-written.

I liked the fact that Cam was a decent guy who admitted to having a few faults, well, eventually. He was quite charming and the Sunday morning breakfast routine was hilarious. I loved his pet tortoise, he should have had a bigger role. Lol.

Avery was a very sweet and shy girl, she had gone through a very difficult period and although she moved away from home, she didn't really move on with her life. Her past had a very strong hold on her.

Jacob and Brit were like a breath of fresh air. Jacob with his wonderful comebacks and Brit with her totally random comments. They made the perfect friends for Avery.

I found the story to be slow at first, it took a while to get engaged with Avery and once the story got going I found that it seemed to flow better.

I liked how she went home and confronted her parents and I totally understand the need to talk to Molly, although the blame lay firmly at Blaine's feet, along with his parents and Avery's.

Now I'm probably going to get shot for this but my one fault that I could find with this book was the fact that there was no mention of safe-sex. Yes, Avery was a virgin but Cam wasn't and he admitted to hooking up with Steph and he was supposedly a bit of a man-whore in high school so why wasn't there any mention of using condoms. I'm not saying that the sex scenes were bad, they definitely weren't but it doesn't exactly promote healthy sex.

I look forward to book two in this series and I would certainly encourage any one else to give it a try. :-)

Blood and Magick by James R. Tuck

I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers on the condition that I write an honest review.

First things first, I haven't read the first two in this series but I'm now on a mission to find them.

I found Deacon to be just the right side of Alpha without coming across as a total Tarzan, "me say you do this, so you do this" type. I found him refreshing and also at times a little vulnerable, especially when he's remembering the family he lost.

I wasn't sure at first as to what was going on, I mean who starts out a story in a restaurant but from the first paragraph, I was hooked. From the very first scene, where he isn't happy about wearing a suit that doesn't fit to describing Tiff. That was it for me, hook, line and sinker. Then we get the explosion and that's when the action really takes off. It's a non-stop rollercoaster of action with barely a moment to breath, well except from a quick little shower sex scene but that just added to the story.

I loved his priest, a chain-smoking, alcohol-drinking holy-roller. As is mentioned in the story by one of the characters "Best. Priest. Ever". Which is saying something as I don't believe in religion, no matter what form it comes in. But that's just me. I loved all the references to all the different types of Were's he knows or has killed. My favourite mention of all is the shout out to Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake and Jean-Claude, as if they are his shooting or monster hunting buddies. That just made me smile, it's not often another authors creation gets a little mention.

I loved the triplets, they sound so cute calling him "Unca Deacon" and constantly changing from one form to another, never all the same. The whole book is full of wonderful characters that I could picture in my head which to me, makes a book. If I can picture them as they are portrayed it makes it seem more real. There's a better connection.

I felt his pain at Kat's demise and he was right, it was all Larson's fault, he brought the whole shebang down on their heads by messing with things he didn't understand. Although I think leaving Larson as he did is probably going to bite him in the ass at a later date. I did actually laugh at him describing the Cockatrice, just picturing it in my head was mental.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy and paranormal. I would rank Mr James R. Tuck up there with Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison, Laurel K. Hamilton and Patricia Briggs.

Ink (Paper Gods, #1) by Amanda Sun

I received a copy of Ink from the publisher with the intent that I give an honest review.

I'm going to try to write this review without giving away too much of the plot, which is going to be difficult so bare with me.

To say this is a good book would be an understatement. Yes, we have the pre-requisite young girl, uprooted and dropped off in a country that is as complex and dictated by manners as Japan and we have the leading guy, who everyone thinks is bad but deep down he's really good, just misunderstood.

When I started to read this book, I felt a little at sea myself. I could connect with Katie on this level as she tries to find herself and make a home with her aunt. She has to learn a strange language just so she can fit in at school and learn what is the right thing to do and say in certain situations. When she's a witness to a break-up between a couple she tries to hide and not be noticed by them and that's really when the story gets on a roll.

When a drawing that she is doodling starts to move, she starts to panic and then her pen explodes and the ink goes everywhere. When she looks up, she notices Tomo and realises that he's seen what happened and she starts to think it's his fault, especially the pen exploding.

After that she starts to follow him and gradually they get to know each other. When they start to see each other, they realise that there is something more going on. With Yakuza and Kami trying to get Tomo onto their side, Katie tries to keep this from happening and to save them both from anything bad happening.

I look forward to the next book in this series, I can't wait to see what happens with Katie and Tomo, how the Yakuza and the Kami decide to deal with them and if they get to have their Happy Ever After.

True by Erin McCarthy

"I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rory is a shy girl, but not so shy that she has no friends. On a night at her friends boyfriends' house she is rescued by Tyler from a dangerous situation. Tyler is a couple of years older and training to be an EMT.

When Tyler starts to call her and try to get her to hang out with him she's unsure how to act. Eventually she gives in and starts to spend more time with him. After a Halloween party, he asks her to stay the night at his but things happen and she ends up back in her dorm. To her horror, she finds out that her friends paid him to take her virginity. But because she isn't like other girls, she tries to work out why he didn't make a move on her and comes to the conclusion that he likes her.

Despite their different lifestyles, they seem to fit well together. Rory is from a well-to-do family while Tyler is from a bad part of town, has three brothers and a mother who is a drug addict.

When Tyler breaks up with her at Christmas, Rory is devastated and doesn't quite know how to handle it. She partly blames her father as he has looked down on him and tried to forbid her from seeing him.

Rory's other friends are more outgoing than her and try to get her to open up more, but they come over as quite pushy at times.

Erin writes her characters so well that they come to life, I found myself reading until late into the night just so I could find out what would happen next and how they would cope with the next obstacle in their way."

Loving an Ugly Beast by Danielle Monsch

I found this to be a quick enjoyable read, I read it in one sitting whilst wasting time at the hospital. I found Nissa to be funny, loyal and very likable and Benton to be what any leading male should be. I thought it was funny that when his wish was done, he changed from being a huge, strong male to being smaller and almost feminine. The catch at the end with Nissa also having had a wish was an interesting turn. I liked that Benton wanted to protect her even from her past. I think Danielle has...more I found this to be a quick enjoyable read, I read it in one sitting whilst wasting time at the hospital. I found Nissa to be funny, loyal and very likable and Benton to be what any leading male should be. I thought it was funny that when his wish was done, he changed from being a huge, strong male to being smaller and almost feminine. The catch at the end with Nissa also having had a wish was an interesting turn. I liked that Benton wanted to protect her even from her past. I think Danielle has written all the characters really well and even though it's set in the past, I like that the language was more modern. She also doesn't bog you down with a lot of unneeded details and she doesn't gush and go over-board when describing how everyone looks. I found it to be a well-written re-write of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, I shall be on the look out for more of Danielle's books.

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

I received this book free from the publisher on the condition that I give an honest review. First of all I think I should make it clear that I haven't read the first book in this series, in fact I was unaware that this was the second in the set. I have to say that, having not read the first book in no way detracts or undermines this story. I wasn't already familiar with the characters in the book so I didn't have any preconceived ideas about who should be with who. I will state now that this book...more I received this book free from the publisher on the condition that I give an honest review. First of all I think I should make it clear that I haven't read the first book in this series, in fact I was unaware that this was the second in the set. I have to say that, having not read the first book in no way detracts or undermines this story. I wasn't already familiar with the characters in the book so I didn't have any preconceived ideas about who should be with who. I will state now that this book caused me many sleepless nights, as I had to know what was going to happen next. I had the worst case of O.M.C, ( one more chapter ). I had to have the kindle taken out of my hands as I fell asleep reading on more than one occasion. I loved the fact that its written from both Beth and Ryan's prospective. I instantly fell in love with both of them. Beth is one tough cookie or so she would have you believe and the longer she stays with her uncle and dates Ryan the softer she seems, to Ryan anyway. Ryan is the quintessential good guy, he's practically perfect, he's captain of the school baseball team, a good student and loyal to his friends. That's just on the surface though, he is a good guy but his life isn't perfect, his parents have kicked his older brother out after he announced that he was gay but no-one can know, they'll go to great lengths to hide that fact and they expect Ryan to do the same. They insist that he's got to go pro when he finishes school, they refuse to entertain the idea of him going to college and furthering his education and they insist that he doesn't date Beth. When Ryan accepts a dare to ask Beth out he doesn't think he's going to fall for her but he does...hard! There's nothing he cares more for, he even forfeits the dare. He's such a good guy he tells her about the dare and that he forfeited it because he likes her. After she gets done yelling at him, she admits that she likes him too. As they iron out the kinks, she gradually tells him about her life before moving to her uncles but not why and not what she's planning to do. To be fair, she does put herself through an emotional wringer, as well as her uncle, Ryan and her best friend, Isaiah. Especially when Ryan's ex-girlfriend spreads rumours about her, which triggers her into running away but first trying to rescue her alcoholic, drug-addicted mother from her abusive boyfriend. Ryan turns up and saves her from being beaten up by her mothers boyfriend but they both end up in hospital though. When Ryan's parents find out that he's seeing her and try to forbid him from dating her he ignores them. He finally stands up for himself and for his choices in life which include Beth. I cried on more than one occasion and laughed as well and just basically went on an emotional roller coaster with them. I would recommend this book to anyone, no matter what their favourite genre maybe. And I'm going to be buying the first book and the next book too.