Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light by Jaimie Engel

Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light

Title: Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light

Author: Jaimie M. Engle

Publisher: JME Books

Date of publication, September 24th, 2013

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Clifton Chase is the latest target for bully Ryan Rivales. But after he finds a mysterious arrow in his closet, he takes Ryan’s bet to see who can hit the target. Ryan nails the bulls-eye, but Clifton’s piece of junk arrow sails out of sight and when he finally finds it, something isn’t right. Somehow, Clifton has been magically transported back to 1485 England, where he meets two princes bullied by their tyrant uncle who locked them in prison to steal their throne. Only after Clifton learns the true meaning of friendship, bravery, and sacrifice can he help the princes escape and find the courage to face his own bully. Befriended by a dwarf, a mythical bird called Simurgh, and a cast of comical characters, Clifton’s fantasy adventure through medieval times is perfect for boys and girls of all ages, and the young at heart. For those who like fantasy kids books like Percy Jackson and Harry Potter.

My review:

I was setting up to review Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light and my 11-year-old happened to wander over and was looking over my shoulder. She was very excited after reading the blurb and begged me to buy the book for her once I was done reading it. I asked her what made her want to read it and she said “Mom, just read the blurb. A bullied boy gets transported back in time and help other bullied boys. Sounds like something I would love to read.”

I would have to agree with her about that. Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light was a book that I loved reading. Wonderfully written, I was taken on a journey of self-discovery and courage and Clifton realizes his worth and gets the courage to do what is right.

I will admit that Clifton was a little bratty at the beginning of the book. To be honest, I thought his first interactions with Ryan were more about jealousy than being bullied and he started to annoy me….big time. But the more I read, the more I started to understand that Ryan was being a bully and my annoyance with Clifton started to fade. By the time I got to the part of the book where Clifton’s parents were making him write an apology letter to the coach and Ryan, my annoyance faded and I felt bad for him.

I thought that the historical fantasy part of the book was fantastic. From the minute Clifton landed in 1485 England and met Dane, I was entranced. There were dwarves, dragons, sea monsters, mermaids, a magical arrow and a magical bird who has a human face. Add in that it takes place in 1485 England with real historical people, places, and events and I couldn’t get enough of it.

I did have a small complaint about the modern language that Clifton used with talking to Prince Edward, Prince Richard, and Lady Elizabeth. But, then I thought about it a bit and how was he supposed to talk. He was a visitor sent back in time….how was he supposed to talk? So my little complaint ended shortly after I had that thought.

The growth of Clifton in the book was great. He went from being an insecure little boy who didn’t know how to deal with a bully to a confident young man who had the wisdom to know when to walk away from his bully. While the transformation was gradual, it really showed at the end of the book with the choices that Clifton made both in his life in Melbourne, Florida and in 1485 England.

Speaking of the end of the book, I really liked it and I also liked that the author chose to leave it with the possibility that there could be a book 2. Which I hope there is because I can’t wait to see what adventures Clifton will go on next.

How many stars will I give Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light: 4

Why: This is a book that I would feel very comfortable letting both my 9-year-old and 11-year-old read. It has a great plot line with relatable characters.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Tween

Why: mild violence but otherwise a very clean book.  I will add a trigger warning because of the bullying scenes.

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

Roses (Golden: Book 2) by Melinda Michaels

Roses (Golden #2)

Title: Roses

Author: Melinda Michaels

Publisher: REUTS Publications

Date of publication: May 16th, 2017

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Number of pages: Unknown

POV: 3rd person

Series: Golden

Golden – Book 1

Roses – Book 2

Where you can find Roses: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

When Poppy Pruette comes home for the summer after her first year at college, she expects it to be just like every summer before it: filled with cookouts, nosy neighbors, town hall meetings and long, hot days.

She never expects a murder. Not in Miner’s Way, Virginia.

But the sanctity of her small town is shattered when Poppy’s widely beloved grandmother, Rose, is brutally killed the night of a neighborhood barbecue. No one knows what to make of it or who might be responsible, least of all Poppy—until Detective Owen Peirce arrives from out-of-town with strange questions and a family history far more sinister than Poppy ever imagined.

Owen believes Poppy was the intended target, not Rose. Now, to save herself, Poppy must go into hiding and learn the truth about her family legacy. What she uncovers will change her life forever.

A grim and delightfully plausible fairy tale retelling, Roses is the story of a young woman contending with the question: what do we owe to our ancestors?

My review:

I enjoyed reading Roses but I had issues with following some of the content. See, Roses is book 2 in the Golden series by the same author and the characters and storylines from the first book are heavily involved in the latter part of the book. Which made it very hard to follow at times because the characters (mainly Owen) would talk about events from the last book. If I had read Golden first and then read Roses, then I would have a better grip on the storyline.

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed the book. The original retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with shades of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and 1001 Nights thrown in really kept my attention. I also liked the distinctions between the Good,  the Others and the Storytellers(basically the fairy tale characters descendants, the villain descendants and the fairy tale writers descendants). I never gave thought to what happens after the fairy tale ends and there are children on both sides. Also, that both the fairy tale descendants and the villain’s descendants are destined to relive the fairy tale is pretty interesting too.

I felt bad for Poppy but that girl got on my one last nerve. She came across as a childish, spoiled brat who defied Owen at every turn. I mean, someone is out to kill her and she just takes off for New York City to go see her best friend. Doesn’t answer her phone and then acts like a brat when Owen tracks her down. Made me want to tear my hair out or reach through the book and give her a shake. She did grow on me after New York City and I actually liked her at the end of the book.

Owen, I liked and I felt bad for him. He had such a tragic backstory and what happened to him when he was younger did shape him into the person he became as an adult. I also liked, really liked, that he didn’t want to follow his story. He wanted to make his own story and in a way, he did. He did go to California to rescue his princess but came back for Poppy. If I had any doubt about his feelings for her, they were definitely cleared up when they reunited.

The end of the book really had me on my toes. The author did a great job keeping the killer’s identity hidden up until the end of the book. I was a little surprised by who the killer was but it fit perfectly with the book.

How many stars will I give Roses: 3.5 (rounded up to 4 on Goodreads and Amazon)

Why: Roses definitely kept my attention while reading. From the complex characters to a great plot, Roses is on my keeper list. Now, why I gave it a 3.5 rating: It is not a stand-alone book.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: This is a very clean book. Some mild violence and language and one kissing scene.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Trying It All (Naked Men: Book 4) by Christi Barth

Trying It All (Naked Men, #4)

Title: Trying It All

Author: Christi Barth

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: May 16th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: Unknown

POV: 3rd person

Series: Naked Men

Risking It All – Book 1

Wanting It All – Book 2

Giving It All – Book 3

Trying It All – Book 4

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Order. Attention to detail. Never leaving anything to chance. These are the qualities that make Riley Ness such a terrific federal agent . . . and a pain in the ass to everyone else. The only time Riley lets loose is when he’s hanging out with his closest pals. So when he’s thrown together with gorgeous, flighty Summer Sheridan, Riley’s brain tells him she’s a ticking time bomb—but his body doesn’t want to play by the rules.

Riley has to be the most irritating man Summer has ever met. The brooding hunk thinks he needs to teach her a few lessons about real life, while she’d rather show him how to enjoy it. But her BFF’s all but engaged to Riley’s best friend, and besides, their intense physical chemistry is all too real. Summer just needs Riley to try to meet her halfway and take a chance with the one thing that matters: his heart

My review:

As I have stated in my other posts, I really hate picking a book up and realizing it is the 2nd to the last book in a series.  There is so much backstory that I feel that I am missing out of and the other characters, who usually are in the book and I am left thinking to myself “What happened to them” and “What is their story”. Drives me nuts and yes, I know that it is all on me. I could just as easily skipped over these books when I was selecting them from NetGalley. But, no, I like to drive myself nuts and continue to request them.

I thought that Trying It All was a pretty interesting book. I loved Riley and Summer’s backstory. When Riley was a teenager, he was involved in a near tragic accident in the mountains of Italy that left him and his friends stranded for 3 days. Summer was the survivor of a mass shooting at her college. What made it interesting to me is that the author explored how to similar traumatic experiences could affect people differently.

With Riley, it made him hypervigilant to scenarios where something could go wrong. He was an expert with what to do in every sort of situation. He even took a job that used his talents (for lack of a better word). He was very detail orientated and never, ever did he take a leap without seeing where the leap would take him and if it was safe. He was so uptight that it hurt reading about it in the book. Which is why Summer didn’t like him. Her nickname for him was FunSucking DeathStar. I started dying laughing when I read that because it was so true.

Summer, however, decided that she had to live life like there would be no tomorrow after she left the hospital. So she did everything to the extreme and refused to let herself have a lasting, loving relationship with anyone. She even mentioned that the word long-term gave her a twitch. All because she might die the next day. I would say that she went the extreme opposite direction that Riley did.

Now, I don’t know how they interacted in the first 3 books, which peeved me because there was a lot of dislike of each other, but I will say that their mutual dislike was very short-lived in this book. Like a couple of chapters short-lived. Then they kissed and everything got turned upside down.

I liked how Summer was able to bring Riley out of his comfort zone on certain things….like paragliding. I do have to say that the kiss they shared while doing that was very, very hot but very unsafe. Good thing that Summer was able to see that and stop it before something happened. But Riley couldn’t make Summer see that sometimes playing it safe was a good thing until a very bad thing happened to her.

The sex scenes were off the pages hot and I liked that the author had them do the dirty in unconventional areas. They had sex on a beach (of course, while I was reading it all I could think of was…ouch sand….lol), in a car parked on the street and in a store on a rug in front of a sofa after hours. Normally reading about people having sex in public places don’t do it for me but this time it did.

I will say that I did agree with Riley when he did what he did and I agreed with Chloe when she called Summer out. Honestly, I think it should have been done earlier but hey, the rest of the book would have been boring. I also agreed with the intervention that Riley’s friends did. I think he needed it and again, something that probably should have been done earlier in the book.

The end of the book was typical with a HEA. I am waiting to see if Josh gets his own book. Not that should be interesting to read :).

How many stars will I give Trying It All: 4

Why: I thought that this was a good book with some hot sex scenes. I also liked that not so opposites attract angle of the book. It made for a very interesting read.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

The Archbishop’s Amulet (The Windhaven Chronicles)by Watson Davis

The Archbishop's Amulet (The Windhaven Chronicles Book 1) by [Davis, Watson]

Title: The Archbishop’s Amulet

Author: Watson Davis

Publisher: Unknown

Date of publication: April 17th, 2016

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Number of pages: 334

POV: Alternating 1st person and 3rd person

Series: The Windhaven Chronicles

The Devil’s Library – review here

Not Dead Enough – review here

The Archbishop’s Amulet

Where you can find The Archbishop’s Amulet: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

On the frontier of the Nayen empire, the last few human kingdoms cling to independence, and the Onei hide in their wastelands. The Nayen armies, a military force supplemented with creatures summoned from a list of hells, batter the human defenders while the newly built Nayen monasteries sacrifice conquered souls to the infernal realms to pacify their subjects.

Caldane, a young Onei shaman enslaved when his clan was destroyed, a survivor of several sacrifices, yearns to return to his homeland to find a new clan, until he learns his mother’s fate. Aissal, an idealistic blue-skinned coulven lass who chose to come to this world to fight the evil spreading through the realms, finds herself captured and alone in a world she does not understand. Rucker, a young southlander boy from Timyiskil, wants to go back to his family at the brewery and have things go back to the way they used to be.

Overseer Fi Cheen, a Nayen monk with his career path on his mind, tracks the escaped slaves across the southlander kingdoms to Windhaven. General Esmela Silverhewer, a Giantess from the realm of Stone, revels in her charge of conquering the human kingdoms and killing every last Onei on the planet, a commission straight from the Empress herself.

But when Caldane escapes, he takes more than a few useless slaves with him; he takes the Archbishop’s Amulet, a powerful magical item central to the Nayen spells used to remove the hopes and dreams of the subjugated populace.

My Review:

Dark Fantasy has been a long time favorite genre of mine to read. I actually started reading this genre around 2000. I had picked up Daughter of The Blood by Anne Bishop at Barnes and Nobles, thinking it was regular fantasy and ended up getting hooked. While I have expanded my view, greatly, on reading different genres, dark fantasy is and always will be one of my favorites to read.

The Archbishop’s Amulet is another great book written by Watson Davis. Told several generations after The Devil’s Library but before Not Dead Enough, it brings you full force into the Nayen Empire and their desire to wipe out all who oppose the Empress. It also tells a tale of a people who will fight the Empress and the Empire to their last breath. I really enjoyed, as I did in the last couple of books, how the author intermingled Asian and Norse mythology. Like in The Devil’s Library, it made for a very interesting book to read. Just the differences in the religions alone were fascinating to read.

Caldane was such a strong young man. To survive what he survived, no wonder he didn’t want to make friends or feel anything for anyone. He was just trying to survive in a world where he could die any minute and if he didn’t, any friends would die. So, I was a little surprised when he decided to take Rucker along with him and when he went back to get him after almost being free. Which resulted in him getting caught again and resulted in another sacrifice.

I didn’t understand the purpose of the sacrifices until that scene and I was sickened by it. But when it went horribly wrong and Caldane, Aissal, Rucker, and Cole were freed, I cheered. I cheered, even more, when Caldane took the amulet off of the Archbishop. The only reason I cheered was that I knew that amulet would play a huge role in the book. And I was right but you need to read the book to find out.

I did get annoyed by Aissal, Rucker, and Cole. Cole was beyond aggressive, Rucker was just annoying and Aissal was too optimistic. Even after everything that happened, two of them still got into shenanigans and wouldn’t listen to Caldane. Which made me want to rip my hair out of my head and smack a couple of kids upside the head. But then I got to thinking about it and they were acting like typical tween/teenagers…even though they were on the run and their behavior made sense.

The other storyline with Fi Cheen and General Silverhewer was very interesting. Very interesting because General Silverhewer was bribing Fi Cheen to get more money and Fi Cheen was going along with it because he wanted the slaves and the amulet back. Also added into the mix was that General Silverhewer had an ace up her sleeve when it came to the kids and she wasn’t afraid to use it.

The storylines were wrapped up perfectly at the end of the book, leaving Caldane’s open. I really hope that the author is planning on writing another book in this world because I loved it. He did such great world building and adding that the worlds are multidimensional, yeah, I need to read another one. I am actually hoping that Aissal’s people get a book because I would love to know more about them. Blue-skinned, white-haired witches from another dimension….sign me up!!

How many stars will I give The Archbishop’s Amulet: 4

Why: Again, another great book by Watson Davis. It has a great plot, characters that grow on you and enough action that I will be satisfied for a few weeks. Plus, don’t forget that it’s a fantasy, so there is magic all around!!

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence.

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

When The Gods War (Chronicles of Meldinar: Book 2) by S.C. Stokes

When The Gods War (A Kingdom Divided Book 2) by [Stokes, Samuel, Stokes, S.C.]

Title: When The Gods War

Author: S.C. Stokes

Publisher: Unknown

Date of publication: February 13th, 2017

Genre: Fantasy

Number of pages: 243

POV: 3rd person

Series: Chronicles of Meldinar

A Coronation of Kings – Book 1 (review here)

When The Gods War – Book 2

Where you can find When The Gods War: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Drought, desperation, deliverance.

Yaneera is the youngest Empress in the history of Andara. With her land in turmoil, she must use her wit and cunning just to stay alive. Severe drought has brought with it famine, starvation, and death. As her people waver on the verge of open rebellion, Yaneera must deliver them or perish at their hand.

Andara’s struggles have not gone unnoticed. Neighboring kingdoms stand ready to deliver the killing blow.

As chaos erupts across the land a stranger appears in the Empress’ court. Preaching the presence of a new God, Mythos, the newcomer promises deliverance for Yaneera and her people.

Mythos power is not without a price, and Yaneera soon finds herself facing a crisis of conscience. . .

Will she sell her soul to save her people?

If you enjoy action-packed adventure and frantic fantasy you will love S.C. Stokes’ When The Gods War. Grab your copy and enter this exciting new world today.

When the Gods War is the exciting sequel to A Coronation of Kings. It can be read as a stand-alone novel or as book two in the Chronicles of Meldinar Series.

My review:

When I started reading When The Gods War, I was a little confused but a little intrigued. What confused me was that the author chose not to include the characters from the first book until about halfway through. Instead, he built up the nations and people of the Sevalorn, who were briefly mentioned in the first book. I am actually glad that he did that because there was so much backstory to the nation of Andara, The Plains of Kairon, the kingdoms of Vitaem,  Tres Cidea, and Khashish, the forests of Diadri and the Dwarven Kingdom of the Everpeak. The confusion was because that was a move that I didn’t expect. Honestly, I thought that we would be seeing Syrion, Tristan, and Elaina sooner in the book…not later.

What I also liked was that there were no really bad guys. Yaneera did have a hand in all the drama and war that was started but, in her defense, she did it because she was backed into a corner by Vitaem and she would have done anything to save her people. Even if that meant aligning herself with a newcomer who promises her that he will save her. Just reading Yaneera’s thoughts and how she really didn’t like Jonas but needed him was fascinating. It made for a great read and made me alternately feel bad for her and not like her.

The storyline with Syrion and Elaina was interesting. Interesting because Elaina was trying to restore Marcus back to life (she had his soul that was entrapped in a stone) and Syrion was on a mission to find out who these Disciples are and to stop them from taking over his world. I will say that Elaina’s storyline surprised me the most because I wasn’t expecting certain people to show themselves. There is a small clue at the beginning of the book that I overlooked but other than that, nothing was mentioned about this person. So yeah, I was surprised

Syrion’s storyline did have its surprises too but I am not going to get into his storyline too much without revealing anything. Let’s just say that it was a very bloody battle and there are certain deaths that surprised me. Like really surprised me to the point where I said “Oh no you didn’t” out loud at 11 pm

The end of the book was very anticlimactic and it ended suddenly. But, with the way it ended, I could see a book 3. The reason I say that is because there were certain storylines there was not wrapped up and I need to know what is going to happen.

How many stars will I give When The Gods War: 4

Why: Like the first book, this book was very engrossing. It was also very fast paced and the characters were 3D.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Violence

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

Satan’s Son by Simone Elise

Satan's Son

Title: Satan’s Son

Author: Simone Elise

Publisher: Inkitt

Date of publication: May 10th, 2017

Genre: Romance, fantasy, Young Adult

Number of pages: 134

Where you can find Satan’s Son: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

You never expect to meet your soulmate after you die. And you definitely never expect your soulmate not to have a soul at all.

But that’s what happened to Addison. One minute she’s walking along in her average life, worrying about curfew, and the next minute she’s in hell.

Addison was living a typical teenager’s life before being dragged down to hell to atone for her sins on Earth. She must now make up for her bad behavior but is not expecting to meet her match in Ethan. Devilish good looks, charming smirk, an attitude to match, oh, and he’s Satan’s Son. Addison must now navigate the channels of hell with the reluctant guidance of Ethan as he atones for his own error. But could his mistake be closer linked to Addison’s death than she knows? Neither Addison or Ethan were planning to find love but now that they’re here, which will it be: Heaven or Hell?

My review:

I think that books about Hell/Heaven? Purgatory is a dime a dozen. But I was intrigued by the cover, the title, and the blurb. The first couple of chapters were really good. Like insanely good and I thought to myself “This book is going to be awesome”. Then the book fell flat and it became a chore to even finish it. Saying that I was disappointed is an understatement.

I mean, I loved the idea behind the book. Where Addison went after she died wasn’t Purgatory but it was kind of like a pre-Hell where people who straddled the line between good and evil were sent to atone for their crimes and then possibly gain access into Heaven or Hell. I do think that if more time was spent in developing that part of the book, then the book would have gotten a higher rating from me.

I couldn’t stand Addison. Listen, I get that there is a market for young adult women who don’t take anything from anyone and I like that. But there is a fine line between headstrong/sassy and being reckless/a witch with a b. Unfortunately, Addison crossed the line early in the book. She just came across as an immature spoiled brat who didn’t care who she ticked off and was used to people catering to her. I mean, even her explanation of her crimes, when she was alive (arson, defacing public property), was horrible. Nothing was her fault and that attitude, unfortunately, stayed the entire book.

Ethan, however, seemed to be an OK guy. Well OK for being the son of Satan. He has a thing for Addison, which I really couldn’t even begin to understand why he liked her. I understood where he felt responsible for her and I understood the reasons why Satan put him in charge of training Addison. But everything else, nope, couldn’t even come close to even understanding it. I wish more was put into his relationship with his parents and sister. Again, which blew my mind because who would think that Satan would be a family man. Not this chick.

The romance between Ethan and Addison seemed forced. Addison didn’t even like him for half the book and then, bam, Instalove on her part. I kinda went “Eh” when I read that part. As much as I thought Ethan was an OK guy, he did come across as stalkerish. Actually, the song Every Breath You Take by The Police is a perfect song for him when he was watching her when she was alive.

Even when they had sex, it seemed off. I am thankful that the author chose to not detail that because it really wasn’t something that I want to think about.

I do wish that the author went through with Satan’s plan to restore Addison to being alive sooner in the book. I think that it would have been a great twist in the plot to have her alive and gradually remember her time in Hell (well, pre-Hell) and then realize her feelings for Ethan than to drag it out for chapters.

There were a couple of loose ends that never got picked back up. Did Addison meet back up with Alex? And more importantly…..why was Satan never given a scene? He was mentioned a ton of times and Ethan actually met with him when he brought Addison to his house for dinner. But no Satan. I was a little disappointed.

The end of the book was technically a HEA with everything turning out alright.

How many stars will I give Satan’s Son: 3

Why: Now, I know most of you are like why a 3 if you didn’t like the main characters. Here’s my explanation: I think that this book could be something if the author took the time to do more world building, character building, fix up some of the dialogue and do an overhaul of Addison’s character. I see the potential in this book and what I see, I like.

Will I reread: Maybe

Will I recommend to family and friends: Maybe

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Language and some mild violence

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Return to Lan Darr (Heroes of Distant Planet: Book 2) by Anderson Atlas

Return To Lan Darr

Title: Return To Lan Darr

Author: Anderson Atlas

Publisher: Synesthesia Publishing

Date of publication: July 11th, 2016

Genre: Action, Adventure, Young Adult, Science Fiction

Number of pages: 353

POV: 3rd person

Series: Heroes of Distant Planets

Strange Lands – Book 1 (review here)

Return to Lan Darr – Book 2

Immortal Shadows – Book 3

Where you can find Return to Lan Darr: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Surviving Lan Darr not only changed Allan’s life, but it also rocked him to his bones. On Earth, he’s simply a boy in a wheelchair who got lost in the woods, but across the galaxy, Allan is a hero. He must find a way back there.

Returning to Lan Darr might just kill him. Though Allan’s learned the hard way that he does not die easily.

Back on Earth, Allan’s uncle and his best friend race after Allan without an inkling of how deadly Hubbu travel can be. Chaos ensues, spawning disorder, confusion, and panic as the travelers end up on different worlds at different times and face extreme ecosystems, mysterious enemies and push the clock of death to the absolute breaking point.

The second book of the Heroes of Distant Planet Series cranks up the excitement, the mystery, and even the humor. A perfect and inspiring story for 12 and up.

My review:

After reading Strange Lands, I couldn’t wait to read book 2. I couldn’t wait to get back to Lan Darr with Allan and see what adventures were in store for him. I wasn’t disappointed and was thrilled that different worlds were introduced. I love it when worlds are added in a series that had only one world. It totally changes how I see the book. Return to Lan Darr does this and it makes the book magical.

I felt bad for Allan, at the beginning of the book. He went to a wonderful land, became a hero and when he tells people, they think that he is hallucinating and the therapist discussed with Rubic that he may be suffering from a form of schizophrenia. But the biggest blow came when Laura, his best friend, doesn’t believe him and then steals his diary….only to lose it at school and the pages are photocopied and passed around the school. The humiliation (and the fact that Laura wasn’t allowed to hang out with him), made Allan do something rash. He went back to the mountain to prove to Laura and his schoolmates that he was right. Except, he didn’t land in Lan Darr with the first poof of pollen. Nope, he landed in a place called Peebleland (inhabited by bat people). To get to Land Darr, he has to go through a planet called Katonaay to get the flower for Lan Darr. Katonaay isn’t what it seems and when Allan gets to Lan Darr, he is in for a big surprise. If you want to know what, read the book!!

I did like that Rubic tried to be more of a parent to Allan in this book. He settled down, got a job (with a 401K and health insurance) and was preparing to be a “regular” adult (but is there such a thing as being a perfect adult?). When Allan disappeared after inhaling the pollen of a purple Hubbu flower, he does the responsible thing and looks for Allan, then Laura when it comes up that Laura is missing also. But evil is coming his way and when Jibbawk, the evil ex-ruler of Lan Darr, makes his appearance at the house, Rubic goes with him…..looking for Allan. Rubic and Jibbawk have their own adventures while searched for Allan on distant planets with the help of multicolored Hubbu flowers.

Laura has a different sort of adventure, and in a way, made up for her stealing Allan’s diary. Not going to go into it, because doing so would kinda ruin her story, but she isn’t as weak or as helpless as you think she is. She also shows great compassion for certain people at certain points in the book.  Again, I really can’t get into her story because there will be spoilers.

I was thrilled that Mizzi made an appearance in the book and  I was even more thrilled that Asantia was featured more in this book. There was a secret that was revealed in the book that I actually guessed in book 1. Not going to say what but I wasn’t surprised when the connection was made.

The end of the book was not what I expected….at all. I liked it because it was different and I usually don’t see these types of endings. It did leave the series open for a book 3, too. Which I can’t wait to read if/when it happens.

How many stars will I give Return to Lan Darr: 4

Why: I really enjoyed reading this book. From the unforgettable characters to the engaging plotlines, this is a book that any tween, teen or adult would love to read.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age Range: Young Teen

Why: mild violence

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

Beyond The Dark Gate (The Flow of Power: Book 2) by R.V. Johnson

Beyond The Dark Gate: Epic Fantasy Adventure (The Flow of Power Book 2)

Title: Beyond The Dark Gate

Author: R.V. Johnson

Publisher: Lost in The New World Publishing

Date of Publication: December 13th, 2016

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Number of pages: 532

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Flow of Power

Beyond the Sapphire Gate – Book 1 (review here)

Where you can find Beyond The Dark Gate: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads): 

The Flow of Power Rages On.

Faced with a choice that could save or destroy those Crystalyn loves, madness looms at the edge of her broken mind. Jade’s aura-reading ability develops, evolving beyond wholesome. Garn’s enslavement ends, something far worse taking its place.

Determined to destroy the foundation of power on Astura, the hooded man’s intrigues wreak havoc on the land.

A brilliant Dark robe executes a bold plan that, if successful, will unleash a great malevolence.

Enduring in the shadows for millennia, a new influence emerges. Gaining strength from others, its alien cunning has subjugated entire worlds with none the wiser.

With peril lurking everywhere, Crystalyn’s great and brittle strength becomes ever more imperative to her friends’ and families’ welfare…but only if she can hold up.

The epic saga continues in this action-packed second novel of The Flow of Power series.

My review:

There are times where I dread reading series, mainly series where I absolutely loved the first book. My expectations are usually too high and it’s a let down when the 2nd book isn’t as good as the first one. Fortunately for Beyond The Dark Gate, my expectations were beyond met and I was most definitely not let down.

Beyond The Dark Gate starts off almost immediately after Crystalyn, Jade and company returned to Astura through the gate in Ruena Day’s office. The reason why they decided to back to Astura, to find and defeat Darwin Darkwing, a powerful Dark User and one-time love interest of Crystalyn.

Jade seemed to get the short end of the stick in this book, again. Not only is she separated from Crystalyn fairly early in the book, but she is also taken over by the entity called The One Mind and is completely under its power. It takes over people by inhabiting their minds and forcing them to do its will. Jade is able to keep a part of her mind separate from The One Mind but she is aware of everything that it is doing. For some reason, it reminded me of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the old cult classic). Luckily, for her, before she got possessed, she actually met up with Garn. I say luckily because It listens to him.

Crystalyn, however, keeps getting sucked into battle after battle….on top of trying to locate her missing sister. I don’t know how she did it because I would have been overcome with exhaustion. Plus, she kept getting injured and bouncing back. I couldn’t believe it when she was up and walking after getting her head split open by Brother Craven. I did like seeing how she was a very strong female leader who didn’t take anything from anyone. Her anger issue was still there, from the last book, but she seemed to be better at controlling it and channeling it into her symbols.

The secondary characters were what made the book. From Broth, Crystalyn’s bondmate, to 8 foot tall Lore Rayna who was half tree and had a dress that was made out of leaves to Atoi, the Dark Child who has allied herself with Crystalyn for reason’s only known to herself to Hastel, the one-eyed warrior, and many others. They wove a rich backdrop and played vital roles in the story for both Jade and Crystalyn.

I think I was very surprised when Sureen, Garn’s wife and Jade’s and Crystalyn’s mother, showed up not only alive but as a User. There were hints in the first book but I wasn’t ready for her appearance in this book. Neither was Crystalyn. The talk that they had about her disappearance was exactly the one I would have had if my mother had disappeared on me years ago.

There were some unexpected deaths’ in the book that made me very sad and a bit surprised. I was not ready for this character’s death and I think I might have let a few curse words slip out.

The end of the book was fantastic and oh my, what an epic battle.

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

Why: 3 Dimensional characters and a plotline that kept my attention.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older teen

Why: Violence and talk of sexual situations (just talk, nothing is described)

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

Catch Me (The Donovan Family: Book 9) by Margaret Watson

Catch Me (The Donovan Family Book 9)

Title: Catch Me

Author: Margaret Watson

Publisher: Dragonfly Press

Date of publication: March 31st, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 342

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Donovan Family

Love Me – Book 1

Watch Me – Book 2

Find Me – Book 3

Trust Me – Book 4

Cover Me – Book 5 (review here)

Protect Me – Book 6 (review here)

Save Me – Book 7

See Me – Book 8

Catch Me – Book 9

Where you can find Catch Me – Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

When Chicago Bearcats baseball player Sam Marini witnesses a brutal confrontation outside a bar, he can’t help the victim. So he does the next best thing – shoots a video of the attack.

He assumes he’ll hand it over and be done with the case. But when the investigating detective is Julia Carleton, a woman he’d met at his sister’s wedding, he can’t walk away. Julia, however, hides dark secrets, and can’t get involved with Sam.

As they work together to ensure justice, their simmering attraction heats to combustion. But the father of the attacker is a wealthy, powerful man who doesn’t like to lose. When Dean Kirby grows more and more desperate to protect his son, the threats against Sam and Julia escalate.

Julia vows to protect Sam, but can she keep her heart safe? Choosing him means risking the job that means everything to her.

My review:

Catch Me is Sam and Julia’s story. Sam, if you remember from the past novels in The Donovan Series, is Priscilla younger brother and Julia is a cop on the force with the Donovan siblings/Priscilla. Both Sam and Julia have made appearances in the past books, so I was waiting for them to have their own story. I was a bit surprised that it was with each other.

I loved the storyline. Sam, a professional ballplayer with the Bearcats, was walking home from the game when he witnesses a crime. Having caught the crime on his phone, he is the star witness in the case….which was just assault and battery. Julia is the first detective on the scene and takes the scene over from an overbearing, woman-hating cop who was trying to intimidate Sam into giving his phone to him. When Sam’s name is released in a police blog, he becomes a number one target for the bad guys. When that doesn’t work, they move onto his mother. Which was a mistake.

The chemistry between Same and Julia sizzled. That is one thing that I look for in a romance novel when I read it. Chemistry that comes off the pages in waves and oh boy, did they have it. Poor Julia tried to keep it under control, tried to stifle it and well, let’s just say that it made for a pretty memorable first sex scene. Talk about needing a fan.

I thought the bad guys were pretty stupid in this book and not very bright. One was a roid head and the other one thought he could use his wealth to bully people around. Not going to go much into them but they got what they deserved in the end….all of them did.

The ending was very fitting for this book and I loved that everyone was at the hospital waiting for Priscilla to have the baby. I also liked that they were taking bets. I kinda laughed at that one because I had something similar happen with my youngest. Except no one won because she was in a hurry to be born (I had her 10 mins after being admitted to L&D).

How many stars will I give Catch Me: 4

Why: A well-written romance with a great plotline and characters that had some sizzling chemistry.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, and violence

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

Catch & Release (The Sloane Spadowski Series: Book 3) by Emigh Cannaday

Catch & Release (The Sloane Spadowski Series Book 3)

Title: Catch & Release

Author: Emigh Cannaday

Publisher: Silver Poplar Press

Date of publication: April 5th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 222

POV: 1st person

Series: The Sloane Spadowski Series

Jerk Bait – Book 1 (review here)

Slip Sinker – Book 2 (review here)

Catch & Release – Book 3

Where you can find Catch & Release: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Jaded from years of playing catch and release when it comes to men, Sloane is ready to land one for keeps. When she winds up stranded at the Barbie dream house deep in the heart of Texas, she sees it as a chance to cast her net on true love. What begins as a not-so-innocent play date quickly turns into a summer packed full of adventure and romance. Not wanting to rock the boat, Sloane keeps her deeper feelings a secret until the right moment comes along. But living in a world of make-believe can’t last forever. As the summer comes to an end she has to decide if she’s going to hang on and fight or cut the line.

* The Sloane Spadowski series is a whimsical, rowdy, dirty blend of Contemporary Romance and Romantic Comedy with occasional adult language and adults behaving badly. This is the third and final installment of a complete series.

My review:

Catch & Release was everything that I hoped it would be and then some. But what I didn’t expect was the emotional rollercoaster I went on reading this book. I went from joy to grief within pages of each other. Of course, we can’t forget falling in and out of love.

I enjoyed seeing Sloane growing up in this book. What I mean growing up, she matured big time. She went from being a self-centered girl who changed jobs and men as often as she changed her underwear to a woman who realized that she couldn’t keep that lifestyle going and needed to make personal and lifestyle changes. Of course, though, this happens all after her trip to Texas. Before that, I could see her changing.

I am not going to come out and say that I was unhappy that she and Andy broke up. They were not happy together. I do think that maybe Sloane should have broken it off sooner than later. I mean, Barbie did ask her to break it off as soon as they had sex but she couldn’t do it.

The whole showdown at Barbie’s Dreamhouse was heartbreaking. I actually felt for Andy and I didn’t blame him one bit for him freaking out on both Sloane and Barbie. They both deserved it. I mean they did have sex while Sloane was still in a relationship with Andy. What shocked me was the way he found out: Sloane talks in her sleep. Talk about ouch!!

The sex between Barbie and Sloane was hot, as usual. But what got me was the scene in the pool, after Andy left and both Sloane and Barbie were still reeling from Andy’s speech. OMG, the feels and the song that was used to set it. Wicked Game by Chris Isaak. Love that song!!

I was very surprised with the turn that the book took at the end. While I understand why it was written that way, I couldn’t get over why it was written the way it was written. Saying that I was shocked was an understatement. But, like I said in the beginning of this review, it actually went well with Sloane’s transformation.

I am going to miss this series and reading about Sloane’s shenanigans. The book couldn’t have ended on a better note (once I got over my shock) and I am hoping that Sloane, Andy, and Barbie make an appearance in another book or a short story.

How many stars will I give Catch & Release: 4

Why: This was a great ending to a great series. Sloane, Barbie, and Andy grew on me. The plot was great and the twist at the end of the book did shock me.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, and some mild violence

I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**