This is the first in Breene’s latest book series. I wanted to wait until the entire series had been released until I dug back into this one. I was excited for this since it is a retelling of The Beauty and The Beast storyline. I loved every word and detail of this world and its characters. Breene, as usual, set the first book up to be a series of epic proportioned. I loved our strong heroine, Finley, and the fact that she refuses to back down from Nyfain, especially in the face of his obvious physical strength over her. Hadriel became a favorite side character since he made me laugh a lot. He was a perfect dose of hilarity amongst the heavier tones within this. The pace remained quick while the world building was off the charts. This is exactly why I horde my other Breene books, like a dragon myself. No one does it the way she does. This is not a typical fairy tale, but it is Breene’s fresh take on it, that makes it something else entirely. (5/5 rating)
Tag: review
Book Review – Rising Queen – Court of the Sea Fae 3 by C.N. Crawford
This is the final book of the Court of the Sea Fae trilogy. In the previous books, we get to watch as Aenor gets her stolen power back and reclaims her birth rate. In this final installment, Aenor must find a way to release Salem from his watery cage without unleashing hell on earth. Aenor’s plan to release him, doesn’t end as she anticipated, and she is cursed to die a slow death for sins in her previous life. This finale was a fitting conclusion to this series, and I grew to enjoy Aenor’s journey to be at Salem’s side. They both sacrificed for each other to get to the ending they didn’t think was possible. If you’re looking for a compelling story about soul mates and magic Of the Seas and stars, then this is your series. (4/5 rating)
Book Review – Venom & Vanilla – The Venom Trilogy 1 by Shannon Mayer
This story follows Alena Budrene, a successful bakery owner, as she is infected with a deadly virus and subsequent healing by the mysterious warlock Merlin. Merlin removes the virus by turning her into a new supernatural being with mysterious powers. Alena is forced to relocate across a dividing wall that separates her new kind from the humanss. This Venom Trilogy series by Shannon Mayer is a dark new world full of Greek mythology, heroes and their monsters, but Alena is poised to tear the system down. This was chaos from the first page. There were points where I was frustrated with Alena and her thinking, but she redeemed herself in the end. This is a hard book for me to rate because I am still not sure what I read in these 250 pages. I did enjoy getting to the end, but I’m not sure how I feel about reading the sequel, which is unusual with this author. (3/5 rating)
Book Review – The Dark Bite – Vampire Hunter Society 1 by Leia Stone
This was my second series by Leia Stone after recently finishing her Wolf Girl series. This book picked up that storyline where theMated Girl novel ends. This novel is about Luca Drake, a vampire prince who is hiding out from royal life in Seattle, and a House of Thorns vampire hunter, Aspen. This is the first book of a trilogy. I was frustrated with Aspen at times, but I was glad to see she could think for herself in the end. I enjoyed this story and the slow burn between Luca and Aspen. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger and has me eager to continue to book 2. While there was romance in this book, I still felt that the plot made sense and the fact that Aspen’s reality was thrown upside down had me finishing this quickly. I’ll always enjoy a good vampire story. (3/5 rating)
Book Review – Demon Days & Vampire Nights 11 – Demon Days & Vampire Nights 11 by K.F. Breene
This was the last book of the series in Breene’s Demon Days & Vampire Nights world. It is bittersweet to see this one end considering this is one of my favorite all-time series. Reagan will always be my favorite female protagonist. In this conclusion, we finally get to see the war that was hinted at several books previously. This was a wild ride with all the power players colliding for our control of the realm and Reagan is at the center of it as usual. All the outstanding plot points were resolved, though I expected a different confrontation with Lucifer based on foreshadowing in the previous books. Breene proves her mastery with this epic conclusion. I would love to see a series for the Druid, since I really fell in love with his character. (5/5 rating)
Book Review – Shifter Wars – Supernatural Battle: Werewolf Dens 1 by Kelly St. Clare
I was excited to follow up with this series after beginning with her Vampire Towers Series last year. The first book in this series cover Addie just after her mother dies from cancer. She soon discovers a hidden gambling debt and is forced to sell their home. Amidst the cleaning, she discovers an earlier will that mentions where she was born. A town of werewolves and a wicked game. This was a fast-paced journey through Addie discovering her mother’s world and many of her personal effects. The deeply layered plotlines were gripping, and I never expected the ending. I will be finishing this series quickly! (4/5 rating)
Book Review – Year of the Chameleon 3 by Shannon Mayer
This was my first book series by Shannon Meyer as a sole author, even though she started the series with another author. This series has been on my TBR for a while, and I was grateful to finally finish this off. In this series ending conclusion, we get to see all the preceding drama come to head. Wild is compelled to hunt down a series of magical keys that are rumored to bring down their powerful enemy, Frost. With the fate of the magical world in the balance, Wild and her circle must do whatever it takes to save everyone. This novel was everything I expected a series conclusion to be, fast paced and action packed. I had to stay up rather late to finish this book, but it was so worth it. I really enjoyed Wild and her character as a totally untrained but kick a&& heroine. (5/5 rating)
Book Review – The Culling Trials – Shadowspell Academy 1 by K.F. Breene & Shannon Mayer
This is a new magical series by Breene and Mayer. This story takes shape around a magical academy that forces children into attendance. When the summons arrives for her younger brother, again, his sister Wild takes his place, pretending to be a boy. The beginning of this series allows Wild to see the world as it really is, and it’s nothing like her rural upbringing. I loved Wild’s sheer strength and stubbornness along this wild ride (pun intended). I’m glad I waited the song to begin this series, as I plan to devour the remaining 5 in short order. I am embarrassed to admit that this has been on my TBR since 2019. If you haven’t picked this up, do it now. (5/5 rating)
Book Review – Darkangel – The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 1 – by Christine Pope
This was my first novel by Christine Pope. This book was offered free as a lead up to the remaining series. The female protagonist of this story, Angela, is the prima in waiting for her witch clan. As she reaches her 22nd birthday, she must find her fated concert to cement her powers within the clan. Even though it was over 300 pages, I didn’t feel like anything happened of substance until the very end. I also had some issues with Angela and how she reacted to some situations. If the rest of them are this slow, I’m not sure I’m up for a book two. (3/5 rating)
Book Review – The Raven Spell (Conspiracy of Magic #1) by Luanne G. Smith
This was my first read novel by Luanne G. Smith, which is interesting since I already have her earlier novel, The Vine Witch title on my kindle, but I haven’t read it yet. I snagged this title as an Amazon first reads for January. Her cover of The Raven Spell was enough to draw me into the story behind it. This story was set in Victorian England and revolved around a series of missing people and murders. Private detective, Ian Cameron awakes along a London River without his memories and stumbles into local witches, the Blackwood sisters. Edwina Blackwood teams up with Ian to find his lost timeline, but they uncover secrets Mary will wish had been left hidden. The first in a new series, this is an intoxicating blend of magic and history and murder. The ending was a dynamite cliff hanger. I will be adding the sequels to my TBR! (4/5 rating)
