Category: Non ARC

The Door to Forever (The Land of Magic: Book 2) by Shirley Martin

The Door to Forever (The Land of Magic #2)

Title: The Door To Forever

Author: Shirley Martin

Publisher: Books We Love Ltd

Date of publication: November 9th, 2016

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Number of pages: 218

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Land of Magic

The Door To Forever – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

As a teenager, Kaylee suffered an attempted sexual assault. Now a woman, she remains fearful of men. She vows she’ll avoid the opposite sex.

When her dreams take her to an alternate world, a land of peace and harmony, she wishes she could stay in this world. There, a psychic with a crystal ball tells her she will find love, for he sees a man reaching out to her. He tells her she must learn to trust men.

Kaylee has no idea who this man is, and she knows she can never put her faith in a man. The memory from her teenage years is too painful.

Then she meets Logan. Will he be the man to change her mind? World-weary and cynical, Logan declares a respite from women. When he meets Kaylee, he knows she is a woman like no other. His head tells him to stay away from her, but his heart refuses to listen.

My review:

I really didn’t know what to expect when I started reading The Door To Forever. I honestly, don’t think that the blurb does this book justice at all. There is more meat to the story than what is described. This is one instance that I would say, don’t go by what the synopsis says….read the book.

Kaylee did have some major issues at the beginning of the book. She was deeply scarred from an attempted rape at 13 and then another attempted sexual assault when she was in college. After those experiences, she didn’t trust men. Which I don’t blame her. But then she starts dreaming of a land that she can only get through by opening a door in a dark, dismal forest. The land is called Vestoria and it is the home of elves. On her first journey there, she meets an elf called Nemek. After a few visits, she tells Nemek about her tragic past and he is appalled that men are allowed to treat women that way in her society and not be punished. It was at this point that I put the book down and applauded the author for putting this in because it is the truth. Sexual assault and attempted sexual assault are not like other crimes and only a small handful go to trial.

Vestoria is a land of peace and tranquility. Just reading about it made me wish that Vestoria was real. Violence towards women (or anyone really) was not tolerated and was swiftly dealt with. But it was a backward society. Women were expected to stay at home until they found their lifemate (ie got married). But it called to Kaylee (like me). After a few visits, she was granted visitation with the king and he told her that she needs to heal. To learn to trust men again and to find love.

I think Logan was the right person for her. He was the 1/2 owner of the restaurant she worked at and he taught English at the local university. He also came from money but he didn’t rely on his parents to pay his way in life. He was attracted to Kaylee but he didn’t want to go too fast because he sensed that she had been hurt in the past. He was the one to find out who was behind all of Kaylee’s mishaps at work and he was the one who stuck up for her when his friend wanted to fire her. Which he should have. I mean she didn’t come into work for a few days.

The romance between Kaylee and Logan was very sweet. To be honest, I was surprised when certain events happened because, honestly, I didn’t think it was going to happen. I really thought that Kaylee was going to end up with Nemek or someone from Vestoria.

The bad guys in the book, Gitta and Drummond, kinda annoyed me. Drummond seemed like he was a tool and Gitta, well she was power-hungry and didn’t double-check to see if the people she killed were really dead. Because she was surprised when she met up with her arch nemesis, Zurina, a witch from the first book. I was also a tad disappointed at how easily Gitta was defeated. But, Drummond escaped and I know he will make an appearance in the next book.

I liked the ending and loved how everyone was so happy. Normally I am a poop and I don’t like super happy endings but I loved this one!!

How many stars will I give The Door to Forever: 4

Why: I really liked this book. This is one of those books that you could read at the pool or a beach. The plot wasn’t too involved and the characters likable. While rape and attempted rape are mentioned, it wasn’t thrown in your face the entire book. It was part of who Kaylee was and the author didn’t dwell on it.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Some violence and both of Kaylee’s attempted sexual assaults were kinda graphic. There is one sex scene, at the end of the book, but it isn’t very detailed.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Beyond the Sapphire Gate (The Flow of Power: Book 1) by R.V. Johnson

Beyond the Sapphire Gate (The Flow of Power, #1)

Title: Beyond The Sapphire Gate

Author: R.V. Johnson

Publisher: Lost in New World Publishing

Date of publication: March 8th, 2015

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Number of pages: 438

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Flow of Power

Beyond the Sapphire Gate – Book 1

Beyond Terra – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Raw power. Dark betrayal. A family shattered.

On a world where a frothing river of magic underlies the land, Crystalyn may become Astura’s greatest power if she can master her ability of using symbols though she seeks no glory. She wants only to find the dear sister she raised; the sibling she lost on another planet by her own doing. Dark Users of magic, political Light Users, and a horde of deadly creatures stand in her way. But when had it ever been easy for one afflicted with an unbalanced, broken mind?

The epic first book in the thrilling Flow Of Power fantasy saga!

My review:

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a welcome change from the books that I have read. A change that was definitely needed.

The world-building in this book was beyond fantastic. This was not a one-dimensional word. It was a three-dimensional world.  It was like an onion. When one layer was peeled back, another aspect of the world was revealed. Which is what made is such a good read. You never knew what was going to be revealed and that, along with other things, kept me glued to the book. I did like small twist towards the end of the book about what Astura was. The way the author explained it was fantastic!!

Crystalyn had to be my favorite character in the book. From the beginning, when she was studying the book with symbols to her journey to Surbo, where the Circle of Light is, she was spunky and wanted to do things her way. When it was decided that she would go to Surbo with Lore Mother, Lore Rayne, Cudgel, Hastel, and Atoi, she started to find out that she could use her symbols in new ways….from healing to defense to attacking. But using them came with a price. I also loved her fascination with Darwin Darkwind. He was a bad boy (I think). Also, I loved Broth. Just saying to have a bond mate who could talk to you in your head is pretty sweet.

Jade was my other favorite character. She was unfortunate enough to end up in the Dark Citidal. Actually in an armory, of all places. She meets Cameo shortly afterward and he decides that he would help her escape after she told him what images she could see in his aura. I think Jade might have had it a bit rougher than Crystalyn about how bad her journey was. Jade had to crawl through a sewer to escape…..yucky. Cameo wasn’t a joy to travel with either. He was so distrusting of her and Burl it wasn’t even funny. It was only when Burl saved both of their hides, that he was coming around.

I wish Garn was featured more in the book and that he was reunited with his daughters at some point. But, I can see why the author chose not to do it and I do hope that he is reunited with his girls in the next book.

The fantasy/sci-fi element was very well written. The magic usage in the book was either very subtle or in your face, depending on who was using symbols. Crystalyn’s magic was in your face while Jade’s was more subtle. It was those differences that kept me glued to the book. I also liked that while there were deadly magical creatures, they weren’t all over the book. The wraiths and spiderbees were really the only ones that were detailed. To be honest, the spiderbees scared me.

The end of the book was a bit of a shocker. I was not expecting certain things and when they were revealed it did throw me for a loop. I do have some questions and I hope that they will be answered in the next book!!

How many stars will I give Beyond the Sapphire Gate: 4

Why: This is a very well written fantasy that I got really into reading. While I did put the book down, I really didn’t want to. I needed to know what would happen with Crystalyn, Jade and everyone else.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Young Teen

Why: Violence. Otherwise, it is a very clean book. There is one kissing scene and a couple of scenes where Crystalyn is very aware of Darwin but nothing that would hold me back from allowing a 13-year-old to read.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Not Dead Enough: Tales of Windhaven by Watson Davis

Not Dead Enough: A Windhaven Chronicles Anthology (The Windhaven Chronicles) by [Davis, Watson]

Title: Not Dead Enough

Author: Watson Davis

Publisher: Unknown

Date of publication: September 20th, 2014

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Paranormal

Number of pages: 99

POV: 1st person

Series: The Windhaven Chronicles

The Devil’s Library – Book 1 (review here)

Not Dead Enough – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (through Amazon):

A Vampire Assassin and a Book of Evil.

With the Empress’ soul bound into the pages of a book, all Gartan the Cursed has to do is destroy it to be free of her forever, free to wreak his vengeance on those priests and nobles who treated him like a subhuman animal, free to return home to the ruins of a city he ruled centuries before.

But the Empress did not escape from Hell by accepting Her fate, and She is nothing if not cunning.

In this collection of sword and sorcery short stories set in the world of Windhaven, Watson Davis takes us on a harrowing series of adventures through ghost towns and vibrant cities, into the mouths of angry volcanoes and across stormy seas filled with monsters.

Continue reading “Not Dead Enough: Tales of Windhaven by Watson Davis” →

Framed and Burning (Dreamslippers: Book 2) by Lisa Brunette

Framed and Burning (Dreamslippers, #2)

Title: Framed and Burning

Author: Lisa Burnette

Publisher: Sky Harbor Press

Date of Publication: November 17th, 2015

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, General Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal

Number of pages: 391

POV: 3rd person

Series: Dreamslippers

Cat in the Flock – Book 1

Framed and Burning – Book 2

Bound to the Truth – Book 3

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A couple of PIs with the ability to “slip” into another person’s dreams find themselves defending one of their own. Someone sets fire to Mick Travers’ studio, killing his assistant, and Mick won’t give an alibi. Eccentric Granny Grace and her level-headed granddaughter Cat hope to prove his innocence and hunt down the real killer. Will they discover that a jealous rival was out to destroy Mick’s art—and reputation? Or is something even darker behind the arson and murder?

My review:

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I am going to admit, the main reason I requested it was because of the cover. I fell in love with it and decided that if the story is anything as good as the cover, then it would be a great read. Well, I am glad that I got approved for it. The story was great!!

The storyline about Mick’s assistant being killed in a fire was awful and wasn’t clear-cut who set the fire until literally the last couple of chapters. To be honest, like Cat, I thought that Mick did it by his dream until the evidence found at the scene. Also, him not giving an alibi was pretty shady. Everything and everyone is not what it seems in this book and that’s what I liked about it. It kept me on my feet.

I also liked that dreamslipping was not the only way that Cat and Grace caught criminals and solved mysteries from years past. They did it by some good old-fashioned detective work. Both Cat and Grace researched and followed leads. That’s the part of the book, to be honest, that caught my attention the most and fascinates me in real life.

I will say that the art part of the book kinda bored me. I just couldn’t get into Mick talking about his past as a successful artist and all the drama that went with it. While it went with the book and added depth to the characters, I just couldn’t keep my attention on those parts. To be honest, I skimmed over those parts, but I did reread them if it became clear that it was relevant to the book.

What I also didn’t like was that Mick was acting like a vigilante and the police really didn’t do anything. I mean, he roughed Candy up (smacked her around) and got a confession out of her about burning his beach house and he did basically the same thing with the child porn guy. Both times the police followed him or showed up where he was. It made me think that they were waiting for him to lead them to the victims.

I thought the end of the book was pretty good and who the killer ended up kinda blowing my mind because it was literally the last person I thought it was.

How many stars will I give Framed and Burning: 4

Why: I liked the book. It was an original, fast-paced mystery that definitely kept my attention. There are so many red herrings thrown into this book that when the killer was revealed, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, violence, and language

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Capturing the Bear (Bear Shifter Games: Book 3) by A.J. Tipton

Capturing the Bear: A Billionaire Shifter Adventure (Bear Shifter Games Book 3) by [Tipton, AJ]

Title: Capturing the Bear

Author: A.J. Tipton

Publisher: AJ Tipton Enterprises

Date of publication: August 27th, 2016

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Paranormal

Number of pages: 67

POV: 3rd person

Series: Bear Shifter Games

Coaching the Bear – Book 1 (review here)

Conquering the Bear – Book 2 (review here)

Christmas with the Bear – Book 3 (review here)

Capturing the Bear

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Amazon):

A billionaire bear shifter afraid to leave his business behind. A controlling rabbit shifter who wants everybody to have fun her way. Lost on a tropical island, can they save each other?

Alpha Toby Toleri has spent his entire life ensuring the financial security of his clan. When he wins a tropical vacation with a beautiful stranger, his struggles to unplug put them both at risk. With torrential storms, deadly creatures, and hazardous terrain looming on all sides, can Toby save his dream girl before it’s too late?

Jadyn Hopper is a holistic therapist who thinks she has everything figured out. When she wins a trip to a resort with Toby, she pushes him to appreciate the wonder of nature on her terms. But when her well-intentioned hiking trip ends up with the pair lost in the jungle, she must reevaluate whether the handsome Toby may have more to offer than he seemed.

Capturing the Bear is a standalone paranormal romance novella in the “Bear Shifter Games” series, set in a contemporary world filled with unexpected wonders, magic, and suspense. If you like steamy romance, muscle-bound shifters, and tropical liaisons, you’ll love AJ Tipton’s breathtaking book.

My review:

Capturing the Bear features Jadyn, a rabbit shifter, who tied for first place with Toby, a bear shifter, and won a tropical vacation. Jadyn was excited (I mean, who wouldn’t be) but was getting more and more PO’d at Toby. See, Toby is having trouble unplugging….a problem that most people these days have. The whole plane ride and car ride to the resort, he was nose deep in the phone. Which drove her nuts (and to be honest, it would have driven me nuts too). So, once she got there, she decided that Toby and herself would take a hike on one of the paths in the jungle.

Toby was not happy about being dragged into the jungle and managed to keep his phone. Not that it did any good because it lost signal in the jungle. Which ticked him off because he was in the middle of a deal when he lost signal.

I really couldn’t get a feel for either Jadyn or Toby at first. Jadyn came across as pushy and Toby, well he couldn’t keep his attention on Jadyn. But that did change once they got lost and his phone lost signal. Then they had to depend on each other to outwit animals and weather while having beyond wild sex.

The sex, as always, was beyond hot. I did have a slight disconnect with them but I think that is because Toby didn’t take his darn head out of the phone until they were in the jungle.

The end of the book was pretty sweet and there was definitely a HEA!!!

How many stars will I give Capturing the Bear: 4

Why: I loved that this book was set in paradise and the hero couldn’t take his head out of his phone long enough to pay attention to the heroine, at the beginning of the book. Towards the end, he definitely paid attention to her. Oh yes, he did!!

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it

Christmas with the Bear (Bear Shifter Games) by A.J. Tipton

Christmas with the Bear: A Forbidden Shifter Romance (Bear Shifter Games Book 4)

Title: Christmas with the Bear

Author: A.J. Tipton

Publisher: AJ Tipton Enterprises

Date of publication: October 2nd, 2016

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Paranormal

Number of pages: 64

POV: 3rd person

Series: Bear Shifter Games

Coaching the Bear – Book 1 (review here)

Conquering the Bear – Book 2 (review here)

Christmas with the Bear – Book 3

Capturing the Bear – Book 4

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A billionaire bear shifter longing for his forbidden love. A brilliant inventor, unable to control her temper. When these shifters from warring families fall for each other, will the feud tear them apart?

Billionaire architect Cabe Gabel has something missing in his celebrity-studded lifestyle. When he returns to his hometown to cheer on his nephew in the Christmas Shifter Games, Cabe comes face-to-face with his childhood friend and first love, Megan McPhee. The problem: Megan’s family has been at war with the Gabels for generations. Can Cabe defy his family’s heritage for his lost love?

Megan McPhee has a thriving business and a loving family, but she never forgot her first love, Cabe Gabel. When she sees him again, she vows not to let this second chance pass them by. But when their families’ past threatens the couple’s rekindled love, will Megan’s temper get in the way of what she truly wants?

Christmas with the Bear is a standalone paranormal romance novella in the “Bear Shifter Games” series, set in a contemporary world filled with unexpected wonders, magic, and suspense. If you like steamy romance, muscle-bound shifters, and Christmas magic, you’ll love AJ Tipton’s breathtaking book.

My review:

Christmas with the Bear is fashioned a little after Romeo and Juliet. I say a little because there were certain elements that reminded me of the play. The warring families was a huge one. The Gabel and the McPhee’s have hated each other for decades after the patriarch of the McPhee’s took the eye of the Gabel patriarch. Then there is also the romance between Cabe and Megan that was stifled in high school….because of the darn feud.

While this book is a Shifter Game short story, it is not focused on the adults. Lola made a version of the game for children. Cabe’s nephew and Megan’s niece are competing against each other in the game and the book takes off when Cabe takes his nephew to their secret training area and meets up with Megan….who also knows about the training area. It is there that Megan and Cabe’s relationship is jump-started again.

I loved that Megan was given an anger control problem. For some reason, it tickled me to read that. She was so touchy. I mean, the poor guy at the Ferris Wheel got the brunt of her temper at the Wonderanium.

I will say that the end of the book was pretty much a surprise to me. Only because it kinda came out of left field. But, it did explain all the hard feelings between the patriarchs….lol.

How many stars will I give Christmas with the Bear: 4

Why: I enjoyed the book. A great, short story in one of my favorite universes….ever.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it

Conquering the Bear (Bear Shifter Games) by AJ Tipton

Conquering the Bear (Bear Shifter Games #2)

Title: Conquering The Bear

Author: A.J. Tipton

Publisher: AJ Tipton Enterprises

Date of publication: July 20th, 2016

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Paranormal

Number of pages: 103

POV: 3rd person

Series: Bear Shifter Games

Coaching the Bear – Book 1 (review here)

Conquering the Bear – Book 2

Capturing the Bear – Book 3

Christmas with the Bear – Book 4

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A shy billionaire hiding from the world. An easy-going hunk with a secret. Can they win the shifter games without losing each other?

Handsome billionaire Marc Rochester hates the fame that comes with his infamous family’s fortune. He works as a small-time veterinarian and he keeps to himself until his best friend pushes him to compete in a supernatural competition: the shifter games. When he meets Sylvester at the race, Marc finds there may be advantages to getting out of the house after all. Can Marc take the leap to let somebody in?

Sylvester Burrows is a confident competitor who can’t resist his passionate attraction for Marc. There’s one problem: in just a few short months, Sylvester is moving across the globe for his dream job. He tries not to get too close to the sexily aloof Marc, but Sylvester cannot deny his feelings for long. When fate pushes them together, Sylvester knows he will have to choose between his dreams or his love.

My review:

So this is going to be the dreaded short review. The reason why it’s short: I have two other reviews in the same series to write, an hour to do it and I will not be home tonight to write a longer review (taking my older two kids to a play: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe). So I apologize in advance to those who don’t like short reviews!!

I really enjoyed reading Conquering the Bear. As with Coaching the Bear, it was full of action, the shifter games, and some pretty hot sex.

I enjoyed seeing Marc and Sylvester’s relationship grow from competitors to friends to more during the course of the book. As competitors, they were the ultimate rivals and pushed each other during the game. As friends and lovers, they were sweet!!

I did feel for Marc. He was so shy and uncomfortable in social situations, it wasn’t even funny. I thought he might have anxiety but the reaction people gave when his last name was mentioned was self-explanatory.

The sex was hot, hot, hot!!!

I did like Lola’s way of setting them up. A romantic dinner and cleaning the house in a green speedo. The romantic date, I was like “Awwww” at but the speedo…I got the giggles.

I loved how the book ended up. I didn’t think it would happen!!!

How many stars will I give Conquering the Bear: 4

Why: I enjoyed reading this book. It was sweet but filled with sex and action!!! I honestly can’t get enough of this universe!!!

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Language and sex

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it

Coaching the Bear (Bear Shifter Games) by A.J. Tipton

Coaching the Bear (Bear Shifter Games #1)

Title: Coaching the Bear

Author: A.J. Tipton

Publisher: AJ Tipton Enterprises

Date of publication: June 10th, 2016

Genre: Romance, Erotica, Paranormal

Number of pages: 83

POV: 3rd person

Series: Bear Shifter Games

Coaching the Bear – Book 1

Capturing the Bear – Book 2

Conquering the Bear – Book 3

Christmas with the Bear – Book 4

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

A debonair billionaire struggling to improve his company. A voluptuous personal trainer with nothing left to lose. Can their passion save the people they love?

Handsome bear shifter Walter has the vision and drive to save his family’s company, but not the power. After months of watching his older, playboy brother, Raymond, destroy the family business, a drunken bet finally gives Walter the opportunity to win it all back. Everything comes down to the shifter games: a contest of strength, speed, and cunning, where the winner takes all. One problem: Walter has never won before. Until he meets the strong woman of his dreams…

Katherine is an accomplished personal trainer who has lost her job due to Raymond’s negligent business practices. When she flies into town to confront him, the last thing she expects is to become embroiled in a bitter feud between the brothers, where the outcome will determine the fate of everyone she loves.

While Katherine trains Walter for the competition, private coaching gives way to life-changing passion. Will Walter be strong enough to win the games…or will his brother’s devious ways crush Walter’s dreams?

Coaching the Bear is a short paranormal romance novella in the “Bear Shifter Games” series, a set of stand-alone stories that sizzle and satisfy. If you like steamy romance, muscle-bound shifters, and magical action, then you’ll love AJ Tipton’s breathtaking book.

Buy Coaching the Bear to get in the game today!

My review:

If you want a short story that is crammed full of sex, action, and intrigue….then this is the short story to read. I have read novels that were 500+ pages (two back to back and yes for review) so this is exactly what I needed.

Katherine was amazing!!! She was willing to go and tell off the owner of the resort chain, who closed down the resort she worked at. What she didn’t count on was his very hot younger brother to get involved and back her up. I think my mouth would have hit the floor if that happened. I also don’t think that she expected to be as attracted to Walter as she was.

Walter was everything Raymond wasn’t and he was willing to do a special shifter game to get hold of the company. The only thing….he has balance issues. So when Katherine said that she would train him, he jumped on it. I will say, she did do wonders in the week that they had together.

I wasn’t expecting the storyline with Raymond to go the way it did. I had to laugh at newt nuts being an artificial stimulant that caused shifters who took it to burp butterflies. I was dying laughing at that and I died laughing when Walter switched the newt nuts with salamander testicles. I couldn’t breathe, I was laughing so hard. On the other hand, Walter also found out that Raymond was siphoning money into an offshore account. Even if he didn’t win the race, I would think that alone would be enough to unsurp Raymond (and this is where the intrigue came into play).

The sex, when Walter and Katherine did have it, was page burning hot.

The end of the book definitely kept you on the edge of your seat….even though you knew who would win. Still, the action up until the end was great. To be honest, I did feel bad for Raymond because without his newt nuts, he kinda sucked….lol.

How many stars will I give Coaching the Bear: 4

Why: A short story that packs a lot into it. The sex was great, the action was great and I liked that it made me laugh (newt nuts…haha).

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Bride of the Dragons by Selina Coffey

Bride of The Dragons: Shifter Menage Fantasy Romance by [Coffey, Selina]

Title: Bride of the Dragons

Author: Selina Coffey

Publisher: Unknown

Date of publication: August 30th, 2016

Genre: Romance, Historical Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Erotica

Number of pages: 330

POV: 1st person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Elokon and Siron have yet to find a mate.

Elokon became the alpha of his tribe three months ago, and since then, the human towns nearby have sent a dozen women in tribute, and even the women of nearby dragon tribes have sought them out. Elokon’s tribe is powerful and any dragon would be pleased to bear a child of his bloodline.

But neither he nor Siron has seen a single woman that awakens the mating instinct. At long last, the High Dragon has passed down an edict: find a mate, or Elokon will be stripped of his power and banished. There is no place in the Dragonlands for an alpha who will not carry on the old bloodlines.

As the third daughter of an impoverished Earl, Adelina has no dowry and no prospects.

Desperate not to become a priestess, she makes a plan: when the High Dragon’s court comes for their historic meeting with the human king, she will be so alluring that she can steal the heart of one of the richest noblemen at court. She has worked late into the night, sewing herself a dress that will catch anyone’s eye.

During the festivities, she knows she can tempt someone into an indiscretion…

But much to her shock, that someone isn’t human. Furthermore, it’s not one someone, but two. And now that they’ve found their mate, Elokon and Siron aren’t planning to let her go.

Author’s Note: This book contains mature language and themes, intended for adults only!

My review:

Bride of the Dragons would be a perfect book for the beach/pool. The storyline is not complicated and it is pretty easy to pick up if you had to put it down. So no confusing plotlines to remember. Just a straightforward story with a bit of romance, a lot of sex, some intrigue, and action is thrown in.

I felt bad for Adelina during the course of the book. She goes from being desperate and willing to do anything to avoid going to a nunnery to being an outcast within Elokon and Siron’s Blue Dragonflight. She had to deal with Fera and Fera’s attempts to drive her out. I think that I actually said, “grow a backbone” and “Stand up for yourself” to myself in a fit of book rage. I couldn’t believe how she let this woman walk all over her. I seriously wanted to go into the book and shake her (well Fera and Adelina….but mainly Adelina). But, things do change, for the better, and I was very happy with the end of the book.

I really liked how the author described the ménage between Elokon, Siron and Adelina and ultimately, the love story. See, the dragons mate for life with their soul mates. They know who their soul mates are as soon as they look at them and usually, the feeling is mutual. What was interesting in this case was that Elokon and Siron have to share a mate. They are the Alpha and Omega of their Dragonflight…which means that they balance each other out and they cannot have separate mates from each other. So, when Elokon felt that spark with Adelina, so didn’t Siron and fortunately, Adelina felt it too.

There was a lot of controversy around having Adelina marry them (well technically she married Elokon). Like I said above, dragons marry for love and for life….while humans marry to promote the best bloodlines and humans required dowries to marry. Which is true in the olden days, for the aristocracy required it and the marriages were marriages of convenience….marriages without love. Elokon didn’t understand how humans could do that. He also couldn’t understand the dowry (to be honest, neither do I….lol).

The sex scenes between Adelina, Elokon, and Siron were pretty hot. Normally, a threesome is not my cup of tea but this one was actually pretty good.

The sub-storyline of the Naga was very interesting too and I liked the twist that the author threw in regarding them. Looking back, it actually made sense (read the book to find out what I mean).

How many stars will I give Bride of the Dragon: 4

Why: Great plot, great characters, and great sex.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and violence

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Every Dead Thing (Charlie Parker: Book 1) by John Connolly

Every Dead Thing: A Charlie Parker Thriller by [Connolly, John]

Title: Every Dead Thing

Author: John Connolly

Publisher: Atria Books (original publisher: Pocket Books)

Date of publication: June 16th, 2015 (original date of publication: 1999)

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Number of pages: 467

POV: 1st person

Series: Charlie Parker

Every Dead Thing – Book 1

Dark Hollow – Book 2

The Killing Kind – Book 3

The White Road – Book 4

The Black Angel – Book 5

The Unquiet – Book 6

The Reapers – Book 7

The Lovers – Book 8

The Whisperers – Book 9

The Burning Soul – Book 10

The Wrath of Angels – Book 11

The Wolf in Winter – Book 12

A Song of Shadows – Book 13

A Time of Torment – Book 14

A Game of Ghosts – Book 15 (expected publication date April 6th, 2017)

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (taken from Goodreads):

Hailed internationally as a page-turner in a league with the fiction of Thomas Harris, this lyrical and terrifying bestseller is the stunning achievement of an “extravagantly gifted” (Kirkus Reviews) new novelist. John Connolly superbly taps into the tortured mind and gritty world of former NYPD detective Charlie “Bird” Parker, tormented by the brutal, unsolved murders of his wife and young daughter. Driven by visions of the dead, Parker tracks a serial killer from New York City to the American South, and finds his buried instincts — for love, survival, and, ultimately, for killing — awakening as he confronts a monster beyond imagining…

My review:

This book spooked the pants off me and I don’t normally get spooked by books. From the beginning, when Charlie’s wife and daughter were murdered by the end…..I got chills. Put it this way, I couldn’t read this book at night because of how creepy it was. The one time I did, all I dreamed about was human beings being cut open and flayed. So yeah, I read this book during the day.

I felt awful for Charlie. I mean, I can’t imagine coming home to my family murdered. I don’t even think I could cope. Actually, I know I couldn’t cope. So I was a little surprised when it looked like he had moved on. New job, new house. Then everything came to a head when he takes a job to find the missing girlfriend of the son of influential women and clues show up about his wife and daughter.

My favorite characters had to have been Angel and Louis. A thug and an assassin in a relationship, yes please!!! Louis I liked because of his fashion style and the fact that nothing seemed to phase him. Also, I think I would want him as a backup when things when south. Angel was very cute (but also very dangerous) and you could tell that he genuinely loved Louis.

The action in this book was insane. It went from zero to bloodshed within a chapter. Which is OK with me. Sometimes I need that!!!

I liked that the author really didn’t play up the paranormal part of the book until the end. And even then, it was understated. Creepy but understated. With everything else that was going on in the book, I liked that.

I will say that the author did have me going about who The Traveling Man was until the end of the book. I did have a suspicion as to who it was but with everything that was going on in the book, I kinda said “Nah”. Well, color me surprised when it ended up being who I originally thought it was.

The end of the book was very good. All of the storylines were tied up, for the most part, and I could see where the author left an opening for the next book. Which I am going to have to read because I got hooked on this series!!

How many stars will I give Every Dead Thing: 4

Why: A very intense mystery will keep me guessing and I refused to read at night. The violence and bloodshed might be a little much for some people but I didn’t care.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sexual situations, violence, and language

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**