Juliana (Juliana: Book 1) by Vanda

Juliana - An LGBT Historical Fiction: Book 1 (Juliana Series) by [Vanda]

5 Stars

Publisher: New Sands Studio Press

Date of publication: May 28th, 2016

Genre: Historical Fiction, LGBTQIA

Series: Juliana

Juliana — Book 1

Olympus Nights on the Square—Book 2

Paris, Adrift—Book 3

Heaven is to Your Left—Book 4

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

She went looking for fame, and found her true self, instead.

New York City, 1941. Alice “Al” Huffman and her childhood friends are fresh off the potato farms of Long Island and bound for Broadway. Al’s plans for stage success are abruptly put on hold when she’s told she has no talent. As she gets a job to pay for acting classes, Al settles into a normal life with her friends and a boyfriend. It all changes when she meets Juliana.

A singer on the brink of stardom, Juliana is everything Al isn’t: glamorous, talented, and queer. The farm girl is quickly enthralled, experiencing thoughts and feelings she never realized were possible. Al finds herself slipping between two worlds: the gay underground and the “normal” world of her childhood friends. It’s a balancing act she can handle until the two worlds begin to collide
In a city bursting with change, can Alice find what she was looking for all along?

My review:

This book fooled me. I honestly thought, by reading the blurb, that it was going to just be a book on what it was like to be gay/lesbian during the early to mid-1940s. Which it does in a stunning way. But, this book also about a young girl finding herself and falling in love in a time that was turbulent. And I loved it.

I absolutely loved Alice (Al). Her transformation from this naive little country girl too, what one character called her, a New York girl was amazing. Her acceptance of the gay/lesbian scene and later on, of her own sexuality was brutally honest for that time period. Also brutally honest was how people perceived gays/lesbians during that time. Several scenes (Al finding out that Danny was having an affair with Max, Al being told about Shirl’s beating and rape, meeting Andy and the heartbreaking end to Al and Aggie’s friendship) outlined that.

Her relationship with Juliana was bittersweet. Al was in love with Juliana and Juliana, well, she considered Al one of her conquests. Al was warned about Juliana from several people (Max, Victoria, Shirl) but still sought her out. Even Juliana warned Al about falling for her. Of course, Al doesn’t listen to anyone and ends up losing her heart.

The sex scenes were very tastefully done and the author always ended the chapter before it got too graphic.

The end of the book was great and I loved the twist at the very end. I also loved that with the way the book ended, you knew that there would be a Volume 2. That is something that I cannot wait to read!!!

The afterwords from the author were great. She explained why she wrote the book, why she chose the 1940’s, went into the gay scene in the late 1920s-1930s in Greenwich Village, what it was like in the 1940s for gays/lesbians, and gave a detailed account from a woman who had homosexual friends in the 1940s. She also included a glossary of sorts of terms for gay/lesbian in the 1940’s….which answered a few questions I had while reading. Take for instance the term “beard“. In that time period, it was used to describe a woman who posed as a girlfriend or wife for a gay man so his homosexuality was not revealed. She also included a complete list of references that she used while writing the book and a guide if a book club would discuss it.

I would give Juliana an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Juliana. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

A Coronation of Kings (A Kingdom Divided: Book 1) by Samuel Stokes

A Coronation of Kings (A Kingdom Divided Book 1) by [Stokes, S.C.]

4 Stars

Publisher: Samuel Stokes

Date of publication: September 25th, 2015

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Series: A Kingdom Divided

A Coronation of Kings—Book 1

When The Gods War—Book 2

A Kingdom in Chaos—Book 3

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Tyranny. Desperation. Rebellion.

While Tristan may be the heir to the House of Listar, at heart he’s more a lad than a lord.

Mad with power, the ruthless and scheming Baron of Belnair will stop at nothing to gain the crown. In the dead of night, the Baron massacres Tristan’s family and burns their home to the ground. Desperate and alone, Tristan must fight for his life and his people.

With everything at stake, Tristan must unite the unlikeliest of allies to block the Baron’s ascent. For the first time in his life, he must become the leader he was born to be.

The Baron’s armies grow as an ancient magic stirs in the mountains. If Tristan fails, the throne, his freedom, and the love of his life will be lost forever.

A Coronation of Kings is the first book in this exciting new fantasy series. If you like fast-paced adventures, spellbinding sorcery, and wondrous new worlds, you will love Samuel Stokes’ A Coronation of Kings.

My review:

I love to read a fantasy novel and get lost in the worlds that the authors create. Having 3 kids, with one being a toddler, I need that escape sometimes. So, needless to say, I am always on the lookout for a book that can do that for me.

A Coronation of Kings is a book that you can get lost in. From the prologue, where Lord Marcus was burying his wife who died in childbirth to the middle of the book where Tristan joins The Guild of Thieves to the end of the book…I got lost in it. Which is a good thing. The world building and the character building that the author put into this book are astounding. You can’t help but imagine the mountains, the plains, the seas, the coastal cities that are featured in this book.

The storyline involving Tristan was pretty intense the whole way through. I kinda felt bad for him because he didn’t really get a break from all of the fighting throughout the book. It was one battle after another for him. But he never complained and I think he actually thrived on it. You could see the progression of his character from a carefree teen to a warrior. I loved it!!!

The storyline involving Syrion was just as intense but in a different way. Syrion takes after his mother, Elaina who is an Astarii (the best way to describe her is a sorceress). The scenes where he is training and learning to control his powers were awesome. He is beyond gifted with the power of sorcery and there is also the deal with the tattoo of the golden dragon on his back (want to know what the story about that….read the book).

I should also mention that Tristan and Syrion are twins. Elaina faked her death to leave with Syrion for sanctuary in Tolanis….a city that is fiercely guarded by its inhabitants. The reason she left is that Marcus’s people, the Listarii, were deeply superstitious and Marcus feared that Syrion wouldn’t be safe there if they found out about his tattoo.

There are some lesser storylines that are also in the book but they really didn’t add too much to the story and most of them were wrapped up at various points in the book.

The ending was pretty spectacular but the author did leave some storylines wide open. Which makes me think he is considering a sequel. Actually, I hope he is considering a sequel.

I would give A Coronation of Kings an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread A Coronation of Kings. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Necessary Evil (Sentinels of Babylon: Book 1) by Jamie K. Schmidt

Necessary Evil (Sentinels of Babylon Book 1) by [Schmidt, Jamie K.]

3 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept, Loveswept

Date of publication: November 1st, 2016

Genre: Romance

Series: Sentinels of Babylon

Necessary Evil – Book 1

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

In this steamy series opener from bestselling author Jamie K. Schmidt—whose writing has been called “hot and sexy, with just the right amount of emotional punch,” by Lauren Layne—a vigilante biker takes the power of love into his own hands.

Lucy Simmons comes from a rough family, but she’s a damn good public defender. Even though she hates to see criminals walk due to sloppy police work, the law’s there to make sure everyone gets a fair trial, and Lucy certainly doesn’t believe in the kind of justice meted out by the leather-clad ex-cop they call “Evil.” He’s stubborn, cynical, and out of control—but he plays her body like no man ever has. For once, both Lucy’s boss and her brother agree: The biker is trouble.

Evan Villiers took a sacred vow to let no killer, rapist, or pedophile go unpunished. When scumbags fall through the system, his motorcycle club cleans up the garbage. Although the Sons of Babylon and their methods may not be to Lucy’s liking, the beautiful lawyer has become Evan’s light in the dark. But his next hit is Lucy’s own brother—a murderer who got off on a technicality. Now, with his loyalties split, Evan must turn his back on his brothers . . . or lose the woman who has claimed his reckless heart.

My review:

Ok, normally I don’t complain about covers or blurbs that describe the book. I actually make it a point not to because there is a reason why the author chose the cover or the publisher wrote the blurb the way they did. But this time, I have to say something.

The guy on the cover does not match up to what the author wrote. See, Evan (aka Evil) has a beard, which was mentioned quite often in the book, and a huge tattoo of a spider on his chest, which was mentioned a few times because of Lucy’s extreme phobia of spiders. So I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the cover and if I had to suggest one thing to the author….change it. Get some awesome tatted hunk to pose for the cover and then put a huge spider tattoo on his chest. Seriously, just do it!!

Now onto the blurb. While some of it stays true to what the story is about but the bit about Lucy’s brother isn’t exactly true. He is suspected of murdering two people, not off on a technicality. Actually, he hadn’t been in jail for 5 years and lived out in CA before coming to NY to escape a psycho ex-girlfriend (or so he says). The suspicion of murder comes after he moves to NY. There is one person in the book who did get off on a technicality. They must have mixed them up.

I actually liked Evil, a lot. While I don’t agree with vigilante’s, I can definitely see where he, Warden, Sentential, Ryder, and the Judge are coming from. Evil is a retired homicide detective, Warden a retired prison guard, Sentential a retired Special Forces and Ryder retired CIA operative. They all have seen the worst of humanity and they all have seen obviously guilty people walk when they should have stayed in jail. Unfortunately, our justice system is flawed and it happens all the time.

Lucy, I was a little more on the face about. While she rocked at being a public defender, she sucked at her personal life (seriously). She supported her brother and made excuses for him. “He got picked up for everything because people automatically assumed he did it because our father went to jail” was the main excuse that she used and it made me want to smack her. Listen, I knew exactly where she was coming from. Having someone who you can’t trust or who is draining you dry of all your money is awful and that’s all I am going to say.

The slow burn, at first, between her and Evil, was delicious. Instead of instantly falling into InstaLove/InstaLust, the author made them have a 2-year history of wanting each other. And when they finally do give in (she went down on Evil in his bar), it is explosive and oh so good!!

I was a little put-off, though, by the amount of violence in the book. Also, I felt that while it was patterned after MC books, it wasn’t a full MC book. Basically, it was just 4 friends who are sick of the justice system and take matters into their own hands that happen to ride motorcycles. Also, there were a couple of loose ends. The slimy lawyer…what happened to him after the SOB’s visited him? And the storyline with the Pyros….it just disappeared after Lucy’s car got torched and the SOB’s took revenge.

The sub-story involving her brother was sad and the ending to that was awful. I felt bad for Evil to be put in that situation and for Lucy to have to be in it (want to know what happened? Read the book!)

The ending was not what I expected and I cried.

I would give Necessary Evil an Adult rating. There is mention of sex. There is mild language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Necessary Evil. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Rodeo Man (Cameron Cowboys: Book 1) by Margaret Watson

Rodeo Man (Cameron Cowboys Book 1) by [Watson, Margaret]

4 Stars

Publisher: Dragonfly Press

Date of publication: October 7th, 2016

Genre: Romance

Series: Cameron Cowboys

Rodeo Man – Book 1

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Rodeo star Grady Farrell is devastated when a gruesome leg injury ends his career. The rodeo was his life, and retirement gives him too much time to think about Becca Johnson, the woman who betrayed him. But when Grady buys a ranch in Cameron, Utah, he comes face to face with Becca again.

Becca is no longer the insecure teenager Grady remembered – she’s now a strong, confident woman. She’s never stopped loving Grady, but she knows she can’t get too close to him. Becca is hiding a huge secret – she can’t let him find out that her daughter is his daughter, too.

When Grady finds out the truth, will this new betrayal destroy their second chance at love?

My review:

Becca Johnson was once involved with rodeo star Grady Farrell. In an attempt to get him to come home from the rodeo, she told him that she was seeing someone else. It backfired on her big time when Grady basically told her to have a nice life. The prologue ends with her feeling sick to her stomach and thinking that it was due to the stress of her and Grady ending things. I was once a stupid teenager and did stuff like that to try to get a guy to come to me. Like Becca, it blew up in my face big time. So when I read that, I read it while smirking.

The book flashes forward 9 years later. Becca has grown up. She is now a veterinarian, owns a partnership in the practice that she works for and is the single mother to an 8-year-old girl named Cassie. She is doing well for herself but has never forgotten Grady. Well, wasn’t she surprised when she arrives at the Flying W Ranch to float horses teeth and finds out that Grady is the new owner. The old owner, Sy Ames, lost the ranch to Grady while playing cards. I did pause while reading and think to myself “They still do that (put the property up when there is no money)?”

Becky is carrying a lot of baggage due to her relationship with Grady. A lot and it shows in her interactions with him. She half-lies about things and withholds other important things. Very important things, which drove me kinda nuts. So I didn’t blame Grady for not being very happy when he found out her big secret. I would have been just as shocked and upset as he was.

There are sparks flying between the two of them which Becky tries to ignore. About half the book was her ignoring the sparks between them but when they gave in, the sex was out of this world good. And, guess what!!! They used protection. I swear I did a double fist pump when I read that (if you have been reading my blog, you know my views on fictional unprotected sex….lol).

Becca is also being stalked by someone. Who, she doesn’t know. She does have 2 suspects that she tells the police: Sy Ames, the ex-owner of the Flying W Ranch and Grady’s new ranch manager, Ron Perkins. The author did a great of keeping you guessing as to who the stalker was up to when he was revealed. I was surprised at who it was. Also, I loved Becca’s creative use of plastic wrap to keep the stalker in place while waiting for the police….lol.

I will say that Cassie was the cutest thing, ever. She actually reminded me of my daughter when she was that age. They both love horses and my daughter actually really loved watching the rodeo on TV.

The ending was pretty typical of a romance novel, not that it took away from the book at all. Everything was wrapped up nice and I am expecting Grady and Becca to have a HEA. I can’t wait to see where this series goes and who the book will be about next. The author introduced some pretty interesting characters.

I would give Rodeo Man an Adult rating. There is mention of sex. There is mild language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Rodeo Man. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Livia Lone (Livia Lone: Book 1) by Barry Eisler

Livia Lone (A Livia Lone Novel Book 1) by [Eisler, Barry]

5 Stars

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Date of publication: October 25th, 2016

Genre: General Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Series: Livia Lone

Livia Lone – Book 1

Where you can find this book: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis:

Seattle PD sex-crimes detective Livia Lone knows the monsters she hunts. Sold by her Thai parents along with her little sister, Nason; marooned in America; abused by the men who trafficked them…the only thing that kept Livia alive as a teenager was her determination to find Nason.

Livia has never stopped looking. And she copes with her failure to protect her sister by doing everything she can to put predators in prison.

Or, when that fails, by putting them in the ground.

But when a fresh lead offers new hope of finding Nason and the men who trafficked them both, Livia will have to go beyond just being a cop. Beyond even being a vigilante. She’ll have to relive the horrors of the past. Take on one of the most powerful men in the US government. And uncover a conspiracy of almost unimaginable evil.

In every way, it’s an unfair fight. But Livia has two advantages: her unending love for Nason—

And a lifelong lust for vengeance.

My review:

I am going to warn you all, this book is not an easy read. Not an easy read at all. The subject of human sex trade trafficking is awful and I am sure it was not easy for the author to write about, much less research.

Labee/Livia was a 13-year-old girl living with her parents, brother and 11-year-old sister Nason in her Lahu village in Thailand. The Lahu people live in the mountainous forests along the Burmese and Laotian borders. Labee has no clue about modern technology and lives a simple, but happy, life. That happy life ends when Labee and Nason’s parents sell the girls to human sex trade traffickers. That’s when her happy, carefree life ends.

She is put into a van with her sister and several other children and is driven to Bangkok and put into a shipping container (yes, one of those metal ones but this one seems to be open at the top?) that is put on a ship. While she is on the ship, the unthinkable happens. The people guarding the shipping box chooses Nason to go with them. Labee offers herself up to them, to protect Nason, and is forced to do unthinkable things to the men. But that isn’t enough and Nason is taken. Only to be brought back in a canonic state (use your imagination here).

She is soon separated from Nason and is eventually rescued when a SWAT team raids where her box is being kept and finds her. She is adopted by the prominent Lone family and soon realizes that her life with them is far from perfect. The only thing keeping her going is her quest to find Nason and her desire to get back at the men who hurt her and Nason. She becomes a master at jiu-jitsu and used it as self-defense one horrible night. That’s when she was sent to live with Mrs. Lone’s brother, Ralph.

While that story is being told, there is also a parallel story of a grown-up Labee, now called Livia Lone. She is a sex crimes detective with the Seattle PD. But she is more than that. She is a serial killer, a vigilante killer, who tracks down the rapists and child molesters and kills them. She has a name for her itch to kill. She calls it her dragon and it was formed during her imprisonment and her time with the Lone family.

She is trying to hunt down leads on where Nason could be. I am not going much into the book from here but let’s just say that there is a huge twist in the book. There were hints as to what it was after Livia came to America but I was still very surprised when it was revealed.

I honestly felt bad for Livia. She was shaped into the person she was because of events in her life. I am sure if her father decided against selling her or Nason, it would have been a different story. But it wasn’t.

The end of the book was gory. Not going to lie. vengeance was served and it wasn’t pretty. There really wasn’t a happy ending, not that I was expecting it there to be one.

Like I said above, this was a very hard book to read. But, in a way, I am glad that the author chose to write so honestly about child sex trafficking (heck human sex trafficking period). More light needs to be shown on the atrocities committed against men, women, and children. If you are interested, here is a link to a site that could really make a difference in eradicating it

Polaris

I would give Livia Lone an Adult rating. There is mention of sex. There is mild language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Livia Lone. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

A Night of Forever (The Disgraced Lords: Book 6) by Bronwen Evans

A Night of Forever: A Disgraced Lords Novel (The Disgraced Lords Book 6) by [Evans, Bronwen]

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept, Loveswept

Date of publication: October 25th, 2016

Genre: Romance

Series: The Disgraced Lords

A Kiss of Lies – Book 1

A Promise of More – Book 2

A Touch of Passion – Book 3

A Whisper of Desire – Book 4

A Taste of Seduction – Book 5

A Night of Forever – Book 6

A Love to Remember – Book 7 (expected date of publication: June 6th, 2017)

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book Synopsis:

Distrust is no match for desire as a proper young miss and a self-professed rogue hunt down a murderer in this thrilling Disgraced Lords novel from the USA Today bestselling author of A Kiss of Lies and A Taste of Seduction.

Arend Aubury trusts no one besides his fellow Libertine Scholars. After his family escaped from France, penniless and persecuted, only the Scholars took him in. So when the stepdaughter of the villainess who has been plotting against them approaches Arend with allegations against their enemy, he suspects a double cross. Yet Isobel is a tantalizing prize, with lips as sweet as champagne and skin as creamy as Camembert. Is she a feast for the senses—or a bitter trap?

Lady Isobel Thompson dreams of marrying an honorable gentleman with a spotless reputation, a trait that Arend seems to lack completely. But Isobel believes that her stepmother is responsible for her father’s death, and only Arend has the skills to uncover the truth. As a cover, Arend suggests a fake betrothal—and soon Isobel finds herself forgetting that their courtship is a ploy. He’s so different from the man of her fantasies, and yet he’s so terribly handsome, so dangerously intoxicating—and all Isobel wants is more.

My review:

I went into this book thinking that it was going to be one of those historical romances that the heroine was a dimwit, and the hero had significant trust issues and couldn’t get over them. I was right about the hero, but oh boy, was I wrong about the heroine.

Isobel surprised me. I thought she would be one of those heroines who got into trouble and then is like, “Why is this happening to me.” The only time that happened was in the prologue when the Libertine Scholar’s enemy kidnaped her and sent on a wild carriage ride with Marisa that resulted in Marisa being seriously injured. All of the situations that she found herself in after that, she took responsibility for it.

Arend Aubury, Baron Labourd, has some pretty dark secrets and was scarred by events that had happened to him while he was in Paris and Brazil. He refused to let anyone but the Libertine Scholars close to him and forget it if it was a beautiful woman. Then he froze her out. I honestly felt awful for him when he was reliving the past, and it was refreshing to see a historical novel that dared to touch on some darker subjects in detail.

Isobel has fallen under Arend’s radar because her stepmother, Victoria, is believed to be the madwoman stalking his friends and their wives. They think that Isobel is helping her, which is the farthest thing from the truth. Isobel believes Victoria killed her father and is trying to secure a marriage that will take her away from Victoria.

It doesn’t help that every time Victoria does something, Isobel is there or has knowledge of it. Still, even with all that hanging over her head, Arend manages to become very attracted to her. He also goes as far as to propose a “fake” engagement after Isobel tells him what I outlined above. His reasoning, it would be a great way to fool Victoria and for Arend to keep a close eye on Isobel.

Yeah, that didn’t go over too well. Soon, Isobel and Arend have consummated their relationship in a stable. That leads to Arend getting struck on the head with a piece of wood and Isobel being kidnapped with her friend Evangeline’s young son Sealy. It didn’t look well for her because her information (stolen from Victoria) led his friends in the opposite direction as to where Arend was. So yeah, it’s understandable why Arend and his friends didn’t trust her. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn’t either.

The sex scenes between Arend and Isobel were unbelievably hot. Like off the page scorching hot, which is another reason why I liked this book. Isobel actively went after Arend and told him what she wanted. Something other historical romances don’t do. Either they wait until marriage or the heroine’s first time is rushed. Isobel’s wasn’t nor were all the times afterward. They were like rabbits.

I cried when Arend finally opened up about what happened to him. Isobel’s reaction was perfect and was what Arend needed.

In a way, I did feel bad for Victoria too. For something that awful to happen to a young girl, it is bound to affect her and not in a good way. She let vengeance rule her life, and she was willing to sacrifice everything to get to the son of the person she held responsible for what happened to her.

The end of the book and the prologue made me bawl. There’s a twist that took me by surprise. There is a HEA for Arend and Isobel. The author did pave the way for book seven, and I can’t wait to read it. I also am going to eventually buy the other books too because I want to read the other couple’s stories.

I would give A Night of Forever an Adult rating. There is sex. There is mild language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread A Night of Forever. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Esper Files (Esper Files: Book 1) by Egan Brass

4 Stars

Publisher: Inkitt

Date of Publication: October 26th, 2016

Genre: Science Fiction, Steampunk, Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal

Series: Esper Files

Esper Files – Book 1

Esper Files: The Sky Cult – Book 2 (expected publication date: January 25th, 2017)

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book Synopsis:

When an experiment goes wrong in Victorian London, Espers, people with supernatural abilities are created. In order to counter this new potential threat, the Institute is set up to teach Espers how to use their abilities for good and how to hunt down those who want to use their powers for evil.

Gifted with a formidable but self-destructive ability, Nathan is one of the Institute’s top agents. When the evil Baron executes his plan to control the minds of London’s political leaders, peace is dependent on Nathan and his team.

Will he learn to control his powers in time to save the world? Or will he succumb to their self-destructive nature?

My review:

I was so excited when I realized that this was another steampunk novel. I must have missed it in the blurb.

This book is fascinating. It starts with the Professor giving a demonstration on Electro-Magnetic energy at The Oxford Academy of Science to a crowd of people, including some influential Lords. Unfortunately, there was an accident involving a storm that blew up the lab, which was called the Great Storm. But not only the lab was destroyed in the Great Storm. Something was released, and it began to affect 20% of the Earth’s population with paranormal powers and natures. That was the day that the Espers were created.

Fast forward 30 years into the future, and Nathan and James, who are Espers, are introduced. They are about to jump off an airship and use James’s power of teleportation (he can teleport anywhere he has seen once) to the Bank of England, where there is a robbery occurring. After a bloody and fire-filled fight (one of the rogue Espers could control fire), they end up back at the Institute with the rogue Esper, who was robbing the bank.

While Nathan is being healed that it is disclosed that he has a rare paranormal ability. Just by touching another Esper, he gets their abilities and the emotions associated with them. It is while interrogating Firebrand (the rogue Esper), they find out that there is a diabolical plan being set into action by a mysterious Esper named The Baron. The first plan was to rob the Bank of England for a mind-control device. The second plan is to kidnap a 9-year-old Esper called The Siren. The reason the boy is called The Siren is that he has a voice that can hypnotize people, and The Baron needs him for his diabolical plan.

That’s when Freya is introduced. She is The Siren’s (aka Cyrus) older sister and his protector. Freya is also an Esper, but she has repressed her powers until the night that a trio of blood-drinking Espers brutally murders her adoptive mother and father. After that, her brother is kidnapped by The Baron’s assassin.

Freya is rescued from the ice block she made of her house and neighborhood by Nathan and brought back to the Institute. There she is told about the plan to use Cyrus for a nefarious reason. That is when she decides to take action.

I felt terrible for Freya at first, but then she got on my nerves. She didn’t listen and found herself in some pretty dangerous situations while not knowing how to use her powers. I said to my Kindle, “Just listen to Nathan, you silly girl” during the last battle.

I liked Nathan, but I couldn’t imagine the toll his power had on him. What I liked, even more, was that he used Tai Chi to ground himself and to keep his emotions in check after gaining a new power. Plus, he was able to use it in battle at the end of the book when his powers wouldn’t have been able to help him, and I liked that. He was also a sarcastic, cheeky son of a gun, and his mouth did get him in trouble (and made me laugh).

Not going to go into the story from there but man, it was full of action and evil people doing evil things. There is one scene of an Esper taking over another Esper’s mind that freaked me out. Also, The Baron at the end of the book was downright spooky.

There wasn’t a happy ending with this book. Some storylines were wrapped up, others were left open, and new ones were started. It paved the way for a second book, which I can’t wait to read

I would give Esper Files an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is mild language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread Esper Files. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

SkyWhisperers by Natasja Hellenthal

SkyWhisperers: A Lesbian Dystopian Fantasy novel by [Hellenthal, Natasja]

4 Stars

Publisher: Beyond Books Press

Date of publication: January 29th, 2016

Genre: Fantasy, LGBTIA, Romance, Young Adult

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

With the disappearing of the winds, the magic held by the once-mighty, immortal Sky Whisperers was shattered. Their influence over the natural world lost. Now only the small powers are left to Xenthia and her people, helping to sustain life–what little remains. For the world of Lorian is hot, dry and dying.

Unaware of her involvement in this, crippled and one-eyed Nemsa, leads a small, miserable life in a mountain village, close to where she was found as a baby, twenty-five years before. When one day she meets the alluring Xenthia it becomes clear that her path lies far above and beyond all she is familiar with.

But what is expected of her? How can she trust what she has been told? And how can Nemsa even hope to stand up against the supremacy of a powerful, vengeful, and ambitious Sun Whisperer? Will the love and courage in her heart be enough?

Magic is at work, a fatal sickness is spreading among mortals and immortals alike, the sun is brutally beating down, and the fate of all hangs in the balance. And if Nemsa is to fulfill her destiny and save the world, she must find her way through it all . . .

Follow Nemsa and Xenthia in this Epic, Dystopian, YA Interracial Lesbian Fantasy tale of courage, true love, redemption, and hope.

My review:

SkyWhisperers starts 25 years past a catastrophic event that shakes the land of Lorian. The wind is gone, and when the wind disappeared, the land just stopped producing. There were barely any crops because of the relentless sun beating down. Animals started dying off, and the ones that did survive came out at night. Same with the birds. The rain was uncommon, and fires were rampant. In more recent years, a terrible sickness started cutting through the remaining human population. It was hell on earth.

Nemsa is a crippled outcast in her village. She is shunned because the villagers hold her accountable for the winds stopping. The day after they stopped, she was found lying on a path by her adoptive mother. She was treated horribly by those villagers when she was younger, but she got over it, and it made her into the woman I met in this book.

Nemsa is wandering some old ruins by her town when she meets Xenthia, a Sky Whisperer. There was almost an instant attraction between Nemsa and Xenthia (who Nemsa calls Blue), but neither is willing to act on it. If a Sky Whisperer becomes emotionally attached to a mortal, they lose their immortality and powers, and that is something that Xenthia does NOT want to do. So their attraction is held too long, stares at each other and longing.

Nemsa goes with Xenthia to the Upper Sky Dome (where the Sky Whisperers live) after finding out who her parents are. Her father was a Sky Whisperer and her mother a mortal. He lost his powers because he fell in love with her mother. Unfortunately, she didn’t return his love, and that enraged him. So he visited her and raped her….which caused her to get pregnant with Nemsa. Then, which was the kicker here, he found out when she was in labor, got very angry when she refused to be with him, lashed out with the powers he had left, killed her and severely injured Nemsa in the process (hence her blind eye and bad leg). Xenthia wanted her to go to Upper Sky to see if A) she could be a Sky Whisperer and B) to go and vanquish her father….who had imprisoned the 4 Guardians of the World and in turn, stopped the winds.

I loved the transformation that Nesma went through in this book. She went from a scared, disabled girl to a woman who had to be strong enough to defeat a madman and save the world. It was terrific, and I loved it!!

I didn’t care for Xenthia for the first half of the book. She was leading Nesma, but at the same time, she wasn’t. It is hard to explain, and you need to read the book to understand what I am trying to explain. The sex scenes, when it finally did happen, were tastefully written. Nothing explicit. More of just the feelings between these two women as they finally realize they are in love with each other.

On that note, I also liked that the author made same-sex relationships the norm in Upper Sky Dome. Nesma was amazed when she found that out. The reason why the Guardians are the only ones who can procreate, and they fostered same-sex in their children. Not saying that there were heterosexual relationships, there were, but same-sex relationships were preferred.

This story is in 1st person perspective from both Xenthia and Nesma’s perspective. This is the one time that I will say that I liked it. Usually, jumping from character to character in a book drives me nuts, but it worked here.

The rest of the story was fantastic, but I am not going to go into it. There is a twist almost at the end of the book that I did see coming, but when it was revealed, it still took my breath away.

I would give SkyWhisperers an Older Teen rating. There is sex. There is mild language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread SkyWhisperers. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Another Chance (Austin Heroes: Book 3) by Kathy Clark

Another Chance: An Austin Heroes Novel by [Clark, Kathy]

3 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept, Loveswept

Date of publication: November 1st, 2016

Genre: Romance

Series: Austin Heroes

After Love – Book 1

Almost Forever – Book 2 (review here)

Another Chance – Book 3

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Homeland Security agent Luke Archer returns home to Texas on a dangerous mission—a hands-on fight against a terrorist organization that has infiltrated the United States—yet it’s a chance encounter with his high-school sweetheart that really gets his blood pumping. Luke considers himself a lone wolf who doesn’t need a woman in his life. But as memories of their sweet, innocent affair stir him body and soul, Luke starts to wonder whether he should give love another chance.

A high-powered attorney, Bella Shaw has never forgotton how Luke left her behind in Austin to chase his dreams. But when she’s being totally honest with herself, Bella can’t deny that Luke is the one man she ever truly wanted. Though he tells her that the terrorists are using her land, she’s more worried about defending her heart from the advances of the sinfully sexy lawman. Still, Bella is willing to trust him again—if Agent Archer proves he’s worthy.

My review:

I was taken aback by this book. I thought that this would be a clichéd 3rd book in a series. You know the one that is used to wrap up all the other storylines, which this one did, and kind of sucks because there is no plot, other than the hero and the heroine declaring Instalove after the first couple of chapters and then the rest of the book is them banging everywhere they can with misunderstandings all around until the end. This book isn’t like that.

See, Luke and Bella were friends since 3rd grade and boyfriend/girlfriend all four years of high school. They were each other’s firsts (first kiss and first time having sex) and were madly in love. They planned on becoming marine biologists and sailing around the world together after high school. From Bella and Luke’s flashbacks, it was a sweet (but hot and heavy) first love that ended when each of them got Dear John letters from the other person. They never got over each other.

So fast forward 14 years. Luke works for Homeland Security and is tracking terrorists that are coming over the border from Mexico. He happens to run into Bella after he was involved in a sting that failed to capture five terrorists and had one commit suicide by a grenade. She lived in the condo’s that happened to be on the same street as the building that was damaged when the grenade went off.

What happens next is what sets the book apart from other romances. Luke and Bella never fell out of love with each other. So no InstaLove or even InstaLust. It was just two people who had a history and who were madly in love with each other discovering each other again. There was no drama in that department. Once Bella and Luke hooked up, there was no one else, and no one tried to break them up. It was very refreshing to read. I love how Bella classified their relationship towards the end of the book.

Silly, silly man. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to love me. I don’t care if you’re a cop or a fireman or a janitor. I loved you when you beat up that little boy on the playground. I loved you before your voice changed. I loved you before you scored you first touchdown. I loved you when you just wanted to live on a boat and count starfish. I loved you when you risked your life to save me from that terrorist. You’re the strongest, bravest, most wonderful man in the whole world, and I promise I’ll love you forever, so might as well propose

I had tears in my eyes reading that and his reply was just as good (not going to put it in here because, well you should read the book to find that out)

The sex was hot, and there was the mandatory “I am on BC, so it’s OK not to use a condom” (I am going to start a safe sex for fictional characters fund…lmao) talk. I liked that the feelings that they had for each other showed while they were having sex, even before the “L” word was mentioned.

Now the two other storylines that were featured in the book were pretty good, but I thought the one where the terrorists just happened to be operating out of Bella’s barn was a little far-fetched. Not saying that it could happen but still.

The storyline with Grammy was excellent. She has to be my favorite secondary character ever, and I loved that she was given her happily ever after.

The ending was great, but everything was wrapped up all at once. I would have rathered read an epilogue 5-6 years in the future to find out what happened, then it happening all at once.

I would give Another Chance an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Another Chance. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Paladine (Paladine Political Thriller: Book 1) by Kenneth Eade

PALADINE: Paladine Political Thriller Series by [Eade, Kenneth]

4 Stars

Publisher: Times Square Publishing

Date of publication: September 18th, 2016

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Series: Paladine Political Thriller

Paladine

Russian Holiday

Traffick Stop

Unwanted

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

From the best-selling & award winning author critics hail as “one of the strongest thriller writers on our scene” comes the unforgettable story of an unlikely “anti-hero” in Book 1 of the five-book Paladine Series. Robert Garcia was an unremarkable man, tapped out of a promising military career to become a death squad assassin for the CIA. Retirement was not in the cards for Robert, so he disappeared instead. After he comes out of the cold to answer the call to aid a fellow soldier facing a bum rap, he is thrust back into the spotlight when he kills a terrorist, thereby saving dozens of lives. He finds gainful employment in the slaughter of jihadists, which sparks an urban legend that Robert, a dangerous and unfeeling assassin, is a living paladin, whose mission is to rid the earth of evil for the betterment of mankind. Social media gives him the name: “Paladine” and God help whoever gets between him and his next target.

My review:

I am an equal opportunity reader. That means I will read anything (fiction, really don’t like nonfiction)I can get my hands on. I do have some genre’s that I read less of, and assassin thrillers are in that group. My grandfather used to read them all the time when he was alive and then pass them onto me with the words, “Jolie, dear, I think you will like this book.” Of course, I would read it. They were so dry and full of technical terms that I would never understand because the authors weren’t kind and didn’t include a glossary at the end. Then I would go to his house, and we would talk about the book. As he got older, the less he read (he had dementia, among other things), and we stopped discussing books. I accredit him for my deep love of reading, and I have a strong feeling that he would have loved Paladine.

Surprisingly, I liked Paladine, even though it is not what I usually read. One, this book is not dry. Two, the author kindly has a glossary at the end. I did do a fist pump when I realized this. The plot was pretty fast-paced, and it kept me on my toes as to what Robert would do next, which is what I need in these types of books.

I also like that Robert didn’t have any morals. Sure, he shoots a would-be terrorist through a window a McDonald’s, but he didn’t do it because it was right. He did it because he was in the right place at the right time. The same goes for all of the other terrorist killings. He only did it because he was being paid to do it. But he embraced the nickname Paladine, that a blogger gave him. Reluctantly, but he embraced it.

I also like seeing Robert evolving during the book. He went from someone who didn’t need family/friends to someone who missed having social interaction. I thought the scenes with the dog were sweet and added some humanity to him.

The action in this book was intense. It was a little gory, but I wasn’t expecting it to be anything less.

I also like that the author wrote from the police/FBI/CIA point of view too. But what I liked was that even people in those departments were like “he’s doing our job for us, let him be.” On the other hand, you had people on the opposite end and who were willing to go all out to try to get him.

The ending of the book was great. Lots of action and a little twist that I should have seen coming. The author’s ending comments also struck a chord with me (mainly the very end)

I would give Paladine an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Paladine. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

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