Jennifer’s Review – Page 18

July 5, 2014July 4, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Be Careful What You Witch For by Dawn Eastman

I’m delighted to have Dawn Eastman here to discuss her new book, Be Careful What You Witch For. This is the second book in her Family Fortune Mystery series and it is just as delightful as the first. Please welcome Dawn to Books-n-Kisses.

1. Tell me about your new release.

Be Careful What You Witch For is the second novel in the Family Fortune Mystery series. It takes place in October, a few months after Pall in the Family ends. My main character, Clyde Fortune, helped her friend, Diana, to plan and organize the annual fall festival. Because Diana is Wiccan, she planned a ceremony in the woods on Halloween as part of the festival. Right in the middle of the ceremony, one of the participants dies from an allergic reaction. Accident or murder?

2. Where did you come up with the idea for this series?

I have two versions of this story – one is the out-of-the-blue version, the other is that it percolated for many years! I was working on developing a series that would be entertaining and unique. I had written a couple of “practice” novels and focused on fixing the things that didn’t work in those books for developing a new series idea. I knew I wanted to write something lighter, like a cozy.

The characters themselves seemed to just show up. I saw Clyde and her mother and aunt talking and arguing about the family business. I wondered what kind of family business they might have, and once I realized it was a psychic business I wondered what kind of a town would support such a business. I decided to place the town in one of my favorite places – Western Michigan – and before I knew it, a bunch of other characters showed up and started populating the town. A psychic tourist town amused me and I thought I could develop some entertaining stories with that setting and the new characters that were lining up to live there.

3. What was the most interesting thing that you had to research as a writer?

Because I have psychics and Wiccans in my books, and I am not psychic or Wiccan, I have been able to research all sorts of interesting things. I’ve researched psychic phenomena, ghost sightings, Wiccan philosophy, and divination techniques. It would be difficult to pick one interesting thing since it is all fascinating to me and whatever I’m currently researching is always the most interesting.

4. Which authors do you feel have influenced you to become a writer?

I love all sorts of books and have always been a reader. My obsession with mysteries began with Nancy Drew and quickly moved to Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle. When I discovered Janet Evanovich and realized that mysteries could be funny as well, I was sold. I had to try it for myself.

5. What are you working on now?

I’m finishing up book three in the series and working on plotting out the next few.

6. Favorite TV guilty pleasure? Favorite Food? Favorite book that you’ve read recently?

TV: I can’t pick one. I’ll go with Castle, Murdoch Mysteries, and anything on Masterpiece.Food: chocolate chip cookies and tea. Book: The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan.

Thank you for being here today on Books-n-Kisses.

Thank you for hosting me on your blog!

About the Author:

Dawn Eastman is the national bestselling author of Pall in the Family, the first book in the Family Fortune Mystery Series. She lived in Michigan for many years in a house full of animals, unusual people, and laughter. She now lives in Iowa with her husband, son, daughter, and one extremely bossy small dog.

Website/Facebook/Twitter

Leaving a traumatic police career behind, Clyde Fortune has returned to her seemingly quiet hometown of Crystal Haven, Michigan. In spite of the psychic powers of its residents, there’s no telling what trouble is brewing in this burg…

The highlight of the fall festival in Crystal Haven is a bonfire with a witch’s cauldron resting over it. Clyde’s best friend Diana leads a ritual to divine the future, but it seems no one foresees that one of their own will drop dead—or that Diana will be a prime suspect.

Clyde already has her hands full with her eccentric family, runaway nephew, and burgeoning secret romance with a hunky homicide detective. But after another coven member is attacked, Clyde suspects there’s a witch hunt afoot and focuses her psychic and sleuthing skills to clear her friend’s name and catch a killer.

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of Be Careful What You Witch For

Review (4.5 Stars): I am a big fan of this series because Ms. Eastman has written a delightful series with memorable characters, supernatural elements and laugh out loud humor that will have you clamoring for more. Be Careful What You Witch For is the second book in the Family Fortune series and I was hooked from the very first page. Clyde is a great heroine for me because she used to be a police officer so she is smart and strong but just happens to be a member of a family full of psychics. This mystery involves Clyde’s best friend, Diana, who is suspect in the murder of a family friend during a fall festival ceremony. Clyde is on the hunt for the true killer to clear her friends name and protect other people from getting hurt.

This book was fast paced and well-written so I had no trouble following along with the story. I love Ms. Eastman’s humor in these books and Crystal Haven is definitely a fun place to visit. I can’t wait to read the third book in the series and see what these zany characters are up to next.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of Be Careful What You Witch For.

This giveaway is for US Residents only. To be entered in the drawing by July 11th, please leave a question or comment for Ms. Eastman:

(Please include email address in comments)

June 16, 2014June 7, 2014

Jennifer reviews Aces Wild by Amanda Carlson

TITLE: Aces Wild
SERIES #: A Sin City Collectors Novella
CHARACTERS: Nevada Hamilton, Jake Troubadour
AUTHOR: Amanda Carlson
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/29/14
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Welcome to Vegas. Home of the Sin City Collectors. The job description is easy: Bring the offending supernatural in to the Boss and don’t ask any questions.

Nevada Hamilton has learned a few things since becoming a Sin City Collector, and staying away from vampires is one of them. After botching her first Collection, the vamp getting away after causing as much damage as possible, she hasn’t been assigned to another one since.

But when she receives her next playing card, she’s in for a surprise. Not only is a vampire her next target, but they’ve paired her up to make sure she gets the job done right. Refusing a Collection is not an option, but when she discovers who she’s working with, making the mission as difficult as possible for her new partner becomes top priority…

Being a hellhound isn’t enough to protect Jake Troubadour from Nevada Hamilton, no matter how thick his skin is. Finding out he has to work with the beautiful dhampir, after not seeing her for three years, is a low blow–but Jake is a professional. He takes his Collections as seriously as he does running his bar. He’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done, but after that, he’s out. No more chances for the girl who wrecked his bike and scarred his soul so long ago. But even with his heart dead set against it, this hellhound quickly finds he’s not immune to love after all.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts I’ve been a big fan of Ms. Carlson’s Jessica McClain series and I jumped at the chance to read her new Sin City Collectors series. Right off the bat, we are introduced to Nevada “Neve” Hamilton who works for the Collectors, bringing in supernatural beings like a paranormal bounty hunter. Neve usually works on her own because she hasn’t needed anyone to help her because she has supernatural skills, she’s a dhampir. Her next assignment is to bring in a vampire and they have paired her with the worst person possible, Jake Troubadour. Jake runs a bar in Las Vegas, is one of the few hellhounds in existence and the one man that Neve has a complicated romantic history with. The only thing is that this assignment will challenge them like never before and have them facing romantic feelings about each other that they have been trying to deny.

I think that this is going to be one of my new favorites because I loved Neve and Jake together in this story. Neve and Jake have been trying to deny what happened between them three years ago and every time that they are together sparks fly. Neve is very independent and has spent most of her life doing things on her own. She doesn’t know much about her past and there hasn’t been anyone in her life to teach her about her dhampir side. She has always been drawn to Jake in the past and can’t understand why she has a hard time resisting him. For Jake, Neve is the one that got away. He has always had feelings for her and thought that she had felt the same toward him even though she turned her back on him after that night. This is the one chance to make things right and he will do whatever he has to do to protect her on this assignment.

Aces Wild is an action-packed thrill ride with enough sexual chemistry to make your heart race. I loved seeing Neve and Jake as a couple and this story provided some answers regarding Neve’s mysterious past. I thoroughly enjoyed this novella about the Sin City Collectors and this series shows a lot of promise. The next book in the series is Ante Up and I’m looking forward to learning more about these characters and their adventures as supernatural collectors.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

February 5, 2014February 2, 2014

Jennifer reviews Somebody To Love by Lori Wilde

TITLE: Somebody To Love
SERIES #: Cupid, Texas #3
CHARACTERS: Jericho Chance, Zoey McCleary
AUTHOR: Lori Wilde
PUBLICATION DATE: 12/31/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Sexy cowboy-scholar Jericho Chance always knows exactly what he wants and how to get it. And after sauntering back home to Cupid, he’s shocked to discover that he wants Zoey McCleary. After years from home, he takes one new look at his bubbly best friend, with her lightning smarts and luscious body, and it hits him like a bolt: she’s his somebody to love and he’s not leaving town again without her.

Settling down always seemed like a time waster to Zoey, a man magnet with a trail of broken hearts behind her. She’s not meant to marry–but how can she resist someone as persuasive as Jericho? There’s no way they can ignore the explosive chemistry seething between them…even if it means risking their friendship….

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts I’ve always loved Lori Wilde’s books and Somebody to Love is no exception. Zoey and Jericho have been best friends since childhood but each have been wanting their friendship to turn into something more. When Jericho comes back to Cupid for an opportunity of getting him dream job in Archaeology at the local college, it looks as though they finally have a chance to take things to the next level. The only problem is that Jericho will lose his dream job if he gets caught in relations with a student and Zoey just happens to be a student on his archaeological dig. They make a pact to keep their hands off each other until the end of the program, but being in close quarters is making it difficult to not give in to temptation.

I thought this was a great book and Zoey was an adorable character to me. She was such a free-spirit wild child that everyone believed had no direction in her life. When she finally committed to her archaeological studies, she finally felt that she found what she had been looking for and it would bring her closer to Jericho.

They had been best friends for ages and when Jericho arrived back in Cupid, he was surprised at how seeing Zoey would affect him romantically. He was always attracted to her, but never really knew how she truly felt even when she kissed him on her 21st birthday. Now, there was no denying the sexual chemistry between them but he had to stay away from her or he would lose his job. Easier said than done when they kept ending up situations that tempted them to break that pact.

Somebody to Love was a heart-warming friends to lovers romance that was hard to put down. I love every book in the Cupid, Texas series and Somebody to Love is a delightful addition to an already fabulous series. I can’t wait to read more from Lori Wilde and the residents of Cupid in her next book, Love With a Perfect Cowboy.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

January 6, 2014January 4, 2014

Jennifer reviews Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill

TITLE: Some Girls Bite
SERIES #: Chicagoland Vampires #1
CHARACTERS: Merit, Ethan
AUTHOR: Chloe Neill
PUBLICATION DATE: 4/7/09
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it was mine. I was doing fine until Chicago’s vampires announced their existence to the world–and then a rogue vampire attacked me. But he got only a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker…and this one decided the best way to save my life was to make me the walking undead.

Turns out my savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now I’ve traded sweating over my dissertation for learning to fit in at a Kenwood mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan “Lord o’ the Manor” Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred-year-old vampire, he has centuries’ worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects my gratitude–and servitude. Right….

But my burgeoning powers (all of a sudden, I’m surprisingly handy with some serious weaponry), an inconvenient sunlight allergy, and Ethan’s attitude are the least of my concerns. Someone’s still out to get me. Is it the rogue vampire who bit me? A vamp from a rival House? An angry mob bearing torches?

My initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war…and there will be blood.

REVIEW: This is the first book in the Chicagoland Vampires series and definitely should not be missed. One thing that I loved about Merit was that she wasn’t your typical heroine because she never asked to become a vampire and this wasn’t how she envisioned her life to be. She was a grad student with the hopes of becoming a teacher and all that changed the night that she was attacked. I enjoyed watching her internal struggle as she tried to decide what to do with her newfound vampire powers. The choice of becoming a vampire was taken away from her originally, but Merit could now decide to enter that world on her own terms and I loved watching the decisions that she made right in front of my eyes.

Chloe Neill created a magical paranormal world where vampires are commonplace and people now make the conscious decision to be turned and join a vampire house like it is a celebration. The chemistry between Merit and Ethan was so intense in this book and I enjoyed how their personalities clashed on every little thing. Merit wasn’t going to back down from anyone and that included the master of the Cadogen House. Also, there are very hot-looking vampires in this book and I am hoping that Merit will get together with at least one of them (please let it be Morgan) in the future. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series because I have a feeling that it is going to be very entertaining watching Merit’s interactions in her new vampire world.

December 25, 2013November 24, 2013

Winter Romance Review: Jennifer reviews The Christmas Cookie Collection by Lori Wilde

TITLE: The Christmas Cookie Collection
SERIES: Twilight Texas
AUTHOR: Lori Wilde
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/29/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: There’s a legend in Twilight, Texas. It says that if on Christmas you sleep with kismet cookies under your pillow and dream of your one true love, he will be your destiny.

Carrie, Raylene, Christine, and Flynn are all members of the Christmas Cookie Club. Each has a story to tell, and each discovers the miracles of the season and the power of love.

REVIEW: I loved each of these wonderful stories which is the perfect romance collection for the holiday season. Each of these stories revolves around a member of the Christmas Cookie Club that are having a hard time around the holidays due to losing someone that they truly cared about or have yet to find their true love.

The first story involves Carrie who hates the holidays because her high school sweetheart, Mark, left her after having their marriage annulled eight years ago. She never has gotten over the pain of that event and has recently found out that a reality television show is coming to Twilight to prove that their first love legend is only fiction. To Carrie’s horror, she learns that the host of Fact or Fiction will be in Twilight as well and is none other than her ex-boyfriend, Mark.

Mark has never gotten over his relationship with his high school sweetheart, Carrie and is hoping that coming to Twilight will help him finally get over her or to make amends. He never expected the feelings that he had for her to come rushing back to him the moment he laid eyes on her. The only thing is that Carrie wants nothing to do with him and is avoiding him at every turn. Can he convince her to give their love another chance?

This was one of my favorite stories out of all of them. Carrie never has gotten over the love of her life and the holiday season only reminds her of what she had lost. They married right after high school and Carrie ended the relationship after learning that Mark was accepted to a big college and she never wanted to stand in the way of him pursuing his dreams. She didn’t want him to stay in Twilight if he had the opportunity for bigger and better things just because he was with her. Very sweet story and I loved that they never stopped caring for each other and that love will always find a way.

The second story involves Raylene, the owner of the Horny Toad Tavern, who is just as bitter about the holidays as Carrie. Raylene is having a hard time around Christmas because her husband left her a year ago after learning that she had a child before they were together and she had given that child to the wealthy grandparent’s of the father. She has never forgiven herself for that decision and now she has lost the only man that she has ever loved.

A mysterious young woman comes into town and ends up on Raylene’s doorstep looking for a job but is really there for a different reason. Shannon Dugan has come to Twilight to learn more about the mother that had left her behind and see if she can build a relationship with the only remaining family that she has left. Shannon gets more than she bargained for when she meets Nate Deavers, a man that would do anything to show Shannon that family isn’t the only thing that she can have while she is Twilight. Shannon now has the opportunity to make a home in Twilight and find that everything that she has ever wanted has been waiting for her in this small Texas town.

I think that Raylene’s story was the best because it dealt with two people finding something that they had always been searching for. Raylene never forgave herself for giving Shannon to her paternal grandparents because she felt that since they were wealthy they could provide her with a better life. Shannon grew up with a silver spoon but never really had the love that she needed from her grandparents and recently had her heart broken from a two-timing con man. I loved Nate in this story because once he saw Shannon, that was it for him. It was love at first sight and he treaded carefully as to not scare her away from the possibility of a relationship with him. Shannon was afraid to love again after her last disastrous relationship but I loved how caring and considerate Nate was with her. Was so glad that everyone found their happy ending in this story and Raylene was able to find the love that she once thought that she had lost.

The third story is Carrie’s and it was a cute one. Carrie has always been wanting a family of her own but after a car accident as a teenager, she learned that she could never have a child. This fact prevented her from having a true relationship because the jerks that she dated before ran when they learned that she would never be able to conceive. Happy with her successful bakery, Carrie yearns for something more when Eli walks into her shop one day. Eli, is a face from her past, a high school crush that she never forgot about and neither did he.

Eli is a widower raising four kids of his own and has heard great things about the bakery in Twilight. So he entered Carrie’s bakery on a mission to have her make a birthday cake for his teenage daughter, never expecting to find the girl that he once kissed behind the high school bleachers working there. The two of them have a second chance at love but have to face a few obstacles along the way. Great story but I would have loved their story to be just a little bit longer.

The last story in this collection is called Grace and involves Jesse and Flynn Calloway. On Christmas Eve, they venture out into the snowy night to bring presents to a family who wouldn’t have much of a Christmas otherwise. Flynn is nine months pregnant with their first child and could give birth at any time so they try to rush home so Flynn won’t be out in the cold for very long. On the way home, Flynn and Jesse get separated and Flynn is involved in a car accident and Jesse will do whatever it takes to get to his wife and unborn child. Very short tale but the perfect ending for this collection.

Lori Wilde is a great writer and knows how to write fabulous small town romances that will tug at your heart strings. I love her Twilight, Texas series and I think that The Christmas Cookie Collection will be a book that you can read over and over again this holiday season.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

November 28, 2013November 24, 2013

Jennifer reviews The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

TITLE: The Naturals
SERIES #: The Naturals #1
CHARACTERS: Cassie, Michael and Dean
AUTHOR: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
PUBLICATION DATE: 11/05/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But, it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides – especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms close. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

REVIEW:
Cassie lost her mother to a killer and has been haunted by that memory ever since. She also has the gift of being able to get into a person’s head and determine things about them just by looking at them. This talent gets her noticed by the FBI and they soon recruit her to be a part of a teenage task force known as The Naturals. The Naturals each have a different skill involving perception that helps agents solve cases and find the identity of killers that have eluded them. To Cassie, this means everything because there is one case that she has always wanted to find answers to, the unsolved murder of her mother and now a copycat killer is trying to finish what was started so long ago.

I loved the premise of this book when I first heard about it and The Naturals had me hooked from the very beginning. I loved Cassie and I could feel her initial apprehension about joining this group but I wouldn’t have been able to turn down an opportunity such as this either. The Naturals was an amazing thrill ride of suspense that made it hard for me to put down. I loved the dual viewpoints where the reader was able to see things through Cassie’s eyes as well as the killer’s eyes and knowing that made the book even more exciting. This was an intriguing story with engaging characters that has made me a permanent fan of of Ms. Barnes and hopeful that the sequel in this series is just as thrilling as The Naturals.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

November 21, 2013November 3, 2013

Jennifer reviews Barefoot by the Sea by Roxanne St. Claire

TITLE: Barefoot by the Sea
SERIES #: Barefoot Bay #4
CHARACTERS: Tessa Galloway and John Brown
AUTHOR: Roxanne St. Claire
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/29/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Tessa Galloway is a gifted nurturer–her verdant garden at Barefoot Bay’s new resort is living proof. If only the woman who can grow anything could grow what she wants most: a baby. Her friends think the right guy will come along, but Tessa doesn’t want to wait. All she needs is the perfect donor to make her dream come true. Then John Brown is hired at the resort. If anyone could make beautiful babies, it’s this gorgeous, mysterious man. So why does Tessa suddenly find herself wanting so much more?

It’s been three long years since John Brown had to leave his old life. Forced into the witness protection program, he’s desperate to be reunited with his toddler twins. When he gets the chance, there’s a catch–he must prove he’s got a steady job and a new wife. Landing a gig as a chef in Barefoot Bay is easy enough. And falling for lovely Tessa is even easier. The hard part? Can he win the heart of a woman who prizes honesty–when the truth may shatter it?

REVIEW: I fell in love with the characters in this book especially the four women who run the Casa Blanca resort in Barefoot Bay. Each of these lovely women have found their happy ending except for Tessa, who is the gardener for the beautiful resort. She has decided after heartbreak and betrayal, all she wants is to have a baby and is desperately looking for a donor to help those dreams come true. In walks John Brown, a sexy man that immediately attracts Tessa’s attention but has secrets of his own. He is on the run from his past and looking for a place to call home until he can retrieve his children from protective custody. When the two meet, sparks fly but they soon find very quickly that they both want two very different things in life. But John has to build a life in Barefoot Bay if he wants any chance of being reunited with his children and being around Tessa makes him want more out of life than just barely surviving.

Tessa was such a great character in this book. She wanted to have a child after suffering from heartbreak and was already in the process of making that happen. She was looking for a donor and to her surprise, the perfect man walked into her life and wanted to work as the new chef at Casa Blanca. She hated secrets because they only led to pain and John was holding quite a few secrets from Tessa because he didn’t want to fall in love with her and then end up leaving her.

John had been through so much after losing his wife and having his children go into protective custody. He wanted to start a new life but meeting Tessa wasn’t something that he planned on. She was everything that he wanted but he was afraid to love again especially if he had to leave to get his children and never return. I was irritated with him toward the middle of this book because he should have told Tessa about his previous life instead of creating more lies that were bound to be discovered. Especially when it came to telling her his real name was Ian. He redeemed himself by the end of the book but there was a point there that I wanted to smack him for Tessa’s sake.

Barefoot by the Sea was a wonderful novel that had me wanting to visit the beautiful Barefoot Bay and spending time with Ms. St. Claire’s characters. I loved Tessa’s and Ian’s story and I can’t wait to read the rest in the series especially the new spinoff series involving the new wedding planners.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

November 20, 2013November 3, 2013

Winter Romance Wednesday! Jennifer reviews The Entity Who Came For Christmas by Cat Devon

TITLE: The Entity Who Came For Christmas
SERIES #: Entity 2.5
CHARACTERS: Simon and Pru
AUTHOR: Cat Devon
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/15/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Pru Daniels should know better than to hook up with sexy Simon Howell. He’s a vampire Demon Hunter and a former knight at King Arthur’s roundtable. She’s a witch, a descendant of Morgan Le Fay. Clearly things could get complicated.

When Simon shows up in Vamptown while Pru is visiting a friend and fellow witch, he claims to have come for the holidays to visit fellow Demon Hunter Damon Thornheart. But things soon turn passionate as Pru and Simon join together to battle the forces of evil. The holidays won’t be the only thing ruined if Simon and Pru can’t work things out. Can this vampire Demon Hunter find his heart in time to save his love….and his immortality?

REVIEW: The thing that I love about Cat Devon is the humor that is in her books. Her characters have some of the best one-liners that I’ve seen and The Entity Who Came For Christmas is no exception. Simon Howell, is in town for the holidays to visit his protege Damon and search for the legendary Excalibur. What he didn’t plan on was running into the one woman who melted his rough exterior and placed a curse on sex life.

Pru Daniels thought she was done with Simon Howell when he left her and ultimately breaking her heart. Seeing him again brought back old feelings and she is stuck helping him find the Excalibur while he is town. Together, their sexual chemistry is so hot it melts the snow and they just can’t seem to stay mad at each other for very long.

This was a very sweet novella and perfect for the holiday season. My only problem with it was that I wanted it to be longer so I could learn more about Simon and Pru. I didn’t want their story to end. I also loved catching up with familiar characters and I can’t wait to read her next book, Love Your Entity, which is out later this year.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

September 2, 2013September 1, 2013

Jennifer reviews Asylum by Madeleine Roux

TITLE: Asylum
CHARACTERS: Dan Crawford, Abby and Jordan
AUTHOR: Madeleine Roux
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/20/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Once you get in, there’s no getting out….For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, a summer program for gifted students is the chance of a lifetime. No one else at his high school gets his weird fascinations with history and science, but at the New Hampshire College Prep program, such quirks are all but required.

Dan arrives to find that the usual summer housing has been closed forcing students to stay in the crumbling Brookline dorm–formerly a psychiatric hospital. As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, start exploring Brookline’s twisty halls and hidden basement, they uncover disturbing secrets about what really went on here…..secrets that link Dan and his friends to the asylum’s dark past. Because it turns out Brookline was no ordinary psych ward. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

REVIEW: I had heard wonderful things about this book and I was very impressed with Asylum from the very beginning. It is a dark, creepy and dramatic book about a young man who lives in a renovated mental hospital and finds that after mysterious circumstances that his dorm has developed a life of its own. Dan Crawford is a typical teenager who spends too much time involved in his studies of science and history but jumps at the opportunity to experience college life at the prestigious New Hampshire College prep program for the summer. He finds that the school was just what he was looking for and immediately starts to make friends with fellow students, Abby and Jordan. One night, they decide to investigate the abandoned basement of their dorm that used to be Brookline’s main office and holds case files of the asylum’s infamous residents. After their midnight excursion, strange things start to happen with no logical explanation and Dan finds that some secrets should have stayed locked away in Brookline’s abandoned rooms.

Madeleine Roux’s Asylum is a haunting novel that provides a thrilling mystery and creepy locales that will keep you up at night. The pictures that are laced throughout the novel are a perfect addition to the story and will make the reader feel as though they are there with Dan and had me jumping at every noise that I heard. Asylum is a well-written novel that I know people will enjoy and is now one of my top books for 2013. I’m looking forward to reading more from Ms. Roux but it will be awhile before I sleep without the light on.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

August 21, 2013August 3, 2013

Jennifer reviews Blurred by Tara Fuller

TITLE: Blurred
SERIES #: Kissed By Death #2
CHARACTERS: Cash, Anaya
AUTHOR: Tara Fuller
PUBLICATION DATE: 07/02/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: Cash is haunted by things. Hungry, hollow things. They only leave him alone when Heaven’s beautiful reaper, Anaya, is around. Cash has always been good with girls, but Anaya isn’t like the others. She’s dead. And with his deteriorating health, Cash might soon be as well.

Anaya never breaks the rules, but the night of the fire, she recognized part of Cash’s soul–and doomed him to something worse than death. Cash’s soul now resides in an expired body, making him a shadow walker, a rare, coveted being that can walk between worlds. A being creatures of the underworld would do anything to get their hands on.

The lines between life and death are blurring, and Anaya and Cash find themselves falling helplessly over the edge. Trapped in a world where the living don’t belong, can Cash make it out alive?

REVIEW: I’m sad to admit that I haven’t read Inbetween, the first novel in this series but that didn’t stop me from picking up Blurred. I instantly liked Cash from the very beginning and understood his frustration about his current situation. He was chosen to stay in his current body because he is “special” to the higher powers that be and Anaya was meant to watch over him until his time was truly up. He was meant to serve a higher purpose but darker forces wanted to get their hands on him first and Cash didn’t really know who he could trust. I adored Cash and Anaya together as a couple because they just seemed to fit together. They had this intense connection that neither of them could understand or deny. Whenever she was around Cash, he just instantly felt at ease, even when his life felt like it was falling apart around him. She also started having feelings for Cash and was afraid to act on those feelings because she felt that she was betraying someone that she loved in the past. Their love story was heartbreaking because they knew they could never be together but couldn’t fight their strong feelings for one another.

The ending of this book just about killed me because it showed what two people would do for love even if it meant sacrificing everything that they’ve worked for. I thought that this was a haunting love story with just the right amount of mystery about Cash’s true identity and tender romance that had me crying at the end. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series from the talented Tara Fuller.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

August 20, 2013August 3, 2013

Jennifer reviews All Out Of Love by Lori Wilde

TITLE: All Out of Love
SERIES #: A Cupid, Texas Novel #2
CHARACTERS: Lace Bettingfield and Pierce Hollister
AUTHOR: Lori Wilde
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/25/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Millie Greenway and her friends have tried for years to keep the Cupid legend alive in their hometown, but she’s not getting much help from her granddaughters. Lace Bettingfield knows the legend is bogus. As a teen, she left a letter at the Cupid statue and got nothing in return but humiliation. But now the guy she dreamed of is back in town, Lace begins to wonder if the tale might just prove to be true.

REVIEW:
This was the first book that I’ve read in the Cupid, Texas series and I enjoyed this book immensely. Lace Bettingfield was humiliated as a teenager because she left a letter at the Cupid Statue about Pierce Hollister, which was then broadcasted to her entire high school. Several years later, Lace has returned to Cupid after finishing her PhD and is working for the Cupid Botanical Gardens with the intent of putting her past behind her. At the same time, Pierce has returned home to recuperate after a football injury and help his ailing father. The two accidentally meet at the hospital and Pierce can’t believe that Lace is now this beautiful woman that used to follow him around as a teenager. Lace is determined to prove that she has gotten Pierce out of her system but every time he touches her, those old feelings come back, stronger than before. Pierce wants to prove to Lace that he has changed and that Lace is the only woman for him. But, Lace is afraid that she will be the laughing stock of Cupid all over again and her heart wants to believe that her and Pierce were meant to be together all along.

I absolutely loved Lace’s character in this book because I completely understood what she was going through. She took a chance by sending that letter out to Cupid and it backfired, but it made her a stronger person because of it. She was smart, sassy and I loved that she had curves compared to the other heroines that I’ve read. She wanted to prove that Pierce couldn’t get to her after all these years and he tried very hard to get her attention and make up for his past mistakes. I also liked the interactions between Lace and Pierce, because she had such a wicked sense of humor and she wouldn’t let Pierce be taken advantage of by others either. They were a very cute couple together and I’m glad to see that Pierce got his act together to prove that Lace was meant to be with him.

All Out of Love is a tender-hearted romance about second chances at love and I was impressed with the residents of Cupid, Texas. Lori Wilde has created a wonderful series that will pull at your heart-strings and will make you want to visit Cupid over and over again. I can’t read the next book in the series, Somebody to Love.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

July 22, 2013July 7, 2013

Jennifer reviews Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout

TITLE: Obsession
CHARACTERS: Serena and Hunter
AUTHOR: Jennifer L. Armentrout
PUBLICATION DATE: 05/31/13
ORDER LINKS: Amazon B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS: He’s arrogant, domineering and…To.Die.For.

Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.

Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something…unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.

Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable–breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life…or is it Hunter?

REVIEW: I have been a huge fan of Jennifer’s Lux series and I was excited to read more about the Luxen and Arum war. Hunter is a very different character than the Arum we’ve seen in the Lux series and I’m glad to finally learn that there are good and evil people on both sides. Hunter is a handsome, brooding and dangerous type of guy that is sent by the DOD to protect Serena after she had learned that the Senator’s sons are Luxen and they have placed a hit on her life. Her best friend died because of these secrets and now, Serena is on the run with Hunter with the Luxen close behind them trying to eliminate Serena before she talks to anyone else.

Serena is a strong character because she has lost everything and she seems to keep fighting back. Her relationship with Hunter is caustic because they seem to get on each other’s nerves but the sexual chemistry between them is electrifying. Very hot and steamy sex scenes in this book and it had me hoping that everything would work out for Serena and Hunter in the end.

Jennifer L. Armentrout is a very talented author and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Luxen-Arum war from the other side. This is a great companion book to the Lux series and I would love to learn more about these characters in the future. Obsession was a fun read that was action-packed and very entertaining and each of us need a little more of Hunter in their lives.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.