Kiss of the Dhampir by Katrina LaFond

Amazon US

Rating: 3.5 STARS

Marissa is a Dhampir half human, half vampire born to a human mother after a vampire attack. Her mother dies leaving her in the care of a group of individuals called The Daybreak Society, who are led by a powerful man named Reece. Eventually Marissa agrees to marry him and does so only to discover that not everything is as it seems. She is a powerful vampire hunter, but in a moment of weakness she lets badness into her life and winds up on the run. Marissa begins to discover secrets about herself and those around her and learns of a legend that might be her future.

 "A female dhampir will come, an accomplished vampire killer, a woman of incredible beauty, power and intelligence, who will find her destined mate among the vampires. He will be a man of magnetism, of sensuality and power, enough to match the dhampir, perhaps even stronger. He will be immune to her powers and she will be immune to his. And they will love each other, beyond all doubt, beyond all reason. One will die for the other and the survivor will go on, with all the powers of both, the most powerful being ever to walk the earth."

On the run she meets Gabriel a very powerful vampire who she is immediately and undeniably attracted to... but she's been raised to kill vampires, is it possible for her to love one?

I have really mixed feelings about this book. I found it to be a little choppy and the flow seemed a bit off while at the same time I found the characters engaging and parts of the storyline really interesting. Marissa was a bad @$$ and I loved seeing her kick vampire booty. Gabriel is a sweet protective vampire with a temper you don't want to mess with. I really would encourage someone who enjoys paranormal to check this one out, you won't be disappointed.

Caitlin


(Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.)

The Hope That Starts by Heidi Hutchinson

Amazon US

RATING: 4 STARS

Incredible, hooking, heartfelt, with just a touch of nerd. OK, a lot of nerd.

Zelda Fitzgerald, photographer, nerd, fangirl. Harrison O'Neil, adorable, rock star, nerd. Zelda lands a job as an exclusive photographer for the band- her favourite band "Double Blind Study" during their next tour. And as she's incredibly stealthy, Harrison saves her from falling flat on her face on the first day of the cross-country tour, letting the love story unfold as it may from there.

For real though, this was a great story. It had a great combination of drama and laughter, characters that were easily liked, and easily hated, because what's a story without a villain, right? If you're looking for the happily ever after, super easy and not over-the-top steamy romance, then feast on this one!

Side note- this is actually the 5th book in the "Double Blind Study" series, but as the main characters are different (albeit interwoven), you can read it as a standalone and still love the heck out of it like I did. ;)


Keri



(Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.)

The Christmas Tree Guy by Railyn Stone

                                                 

Amazon US

RATING: 3.5 STARS

Sydnee Garrett is a 34 year old recently divorced black mother of 5 years old twin boys Travis and Charlie. After her husband left her for another woman 2 years previous, she has been solely focused on her and her two boys getting back to living a life they love. While out with the boys shopping for a Christmas tree she meets Quinn, a handsome very nice white 26 year old who offers to help deliver and set up her tree. The two begin an on again-off again relationship and we follow along as they struggle to beat down all the barriers in the way of their happily ever after.

This book was an easy romance read. While there were aspects to the story I struggled with, it was an enjoyable read that touched a bit on the Christmas theme; although not as much as you might think. Sydnee was not my favourite character unfortunately. She was a bit immature and her back and forth started to get to me after a while, always worried about what the snooty people in her life thought. Quinn however was fantastic, he was great with her boys and with her and I LOVED how he didn't let what the others were saying get to him. All he cared about was his relationship with Sydnee and the boys. All in all though it was a good, easy story with characters you find yourself rooting for till the end!

Caitlin

(Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.)



Zel by Shantaye Brown

Amazon US

RATING: 4.5 STARS

When Asher Winger meets Zelina he has no idea what he is throwing himself into. Zelina however won't give Asher the time of day when he shows up at the restaurant she works in often. After essentially stalking her and following her home he realises Zel is nothing like he thought she would be. Zelina has no time for anyone, if you ask her she'll tell you she has no emotions either except maybe anger. When Asher follows her home one time he makes a mistake that leads to a discovery he never imagined. People are after them and Zel takes it upon herself to keep them both alive. What happens when secrets are exposed, lies are told and relationships are changed?

This book was not your typical romance story in any way. Our heroine Zelina or Zel for short is the bad guy with a dirty mouth and a bad attitude. Asher is an arrogant college guy with an attitude that's crappy too. What happens when you throw the two together? CRASH, BANG, BOOM! This book has a dark theme to it and at first I found myself wondering just what I had gotten myself into, only to get caught up in all that is Zel. If you are squeamish, don't like swearing, violence, or rough intercourse do not pick up this book... if you are OK with those things however pick this book up right now and get ready to utter 3 words... WTF?

Caitlin

(Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.)

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Destined for Dreams by Ginna Moran

Amazon US

RATING: 5 STARS

Nadia Petrov has a unique ability as a nightmare creator. This is what she has to do to survive. Hunter was raised to destroy people with these types of abilities. However, Hunter is presently trapped in someone’s head and Nadia came across him one night and can’t help but to keep going back. She's drawn to him, and despite their polar opposite upbringings, they discover many similarities between them.

Ginna’s created relatable characters with so much depth, it’s impossible not to connect with their voices,  and feel everything that Nadia and Hunter are  feeling, every morsel of conflict, love. It’s an extraordinarily well written YA paranormal tale that you can’t help but sink into your comfy chair and just devour in one sitting. 

Keri

(Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.)

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Chosen by Jennifer Ortiz

Amazon US

RATING: 4 STARS

A paranormal book from the male character’s POV. I loved it. Cal’s inner dialogue was just perfectly funny. He is the stereotypical 20 year old in his behaviour; arrogant, confused, horny…And a Hunter, hunting demons to make the world a better place. 

Cal is fed up with his paternal relationship. His father has been less than stellar in his life, and as a result, Cal decides to leave a life he’s always known in search of something more. Along the way, he stumbles upon many secrets, discovering that his past is not what he had thought, and is set to task on a hell-raising demon.

This book is great, honestly. Cal kept me laughing, secondary characters kept me wondering, and it was a fantastic first book. I look forward to reading more from Ortiz!

Keri

(Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.)

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Family Secrets by Kat Nichols

Amazon US

RATING: 4 STARS

After the death of both of her parents, Sophia Morganthal is living with her best friend Abby and her mother while trying to cope with the fact that she is alone with absolutely no family left. That is until her friend's mom tells her she has been contacted by her long lost grandmother, her father's mother. After arriving at her grandmother's house though, Sophie quickly realises that thing aren't normal and that is confirmed when her grandmother tells her she is a witch. Sophie is quick to realise that something about her grandmother and cousin Alexa isn't right. Sophie struggles with trying to figure out exactly what is going on and who in this giant witchy mess she has been thrown into she can trust.

This was a really good, intriguing read that would be suitable for anyone in their teens and up. It had a good storyline, it kept me invested and truly interested in what Sophie was going to discover next. There is a little bit of romance thrown in as well but I was happy to see the story centers more on Sophie's journey of discovering who she is. This book does leave you with a bit of a cliff hanger that definitely leaves you wanting more.


Caitlin

(Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.)

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Up for Grabs by Heather Nichols Young

Amazon US

RATING: 4 STARS

What do you do when your funds run dry? Well, you get creative. And that’s exactly what Flannery Tate does.

This is a fantastic and quick read. It’s happy, and funny. Laugh out loud kind of funny, to the point of me needing to put the kindle down to laugh, for fear of dropping it. Flannery is a wonderful character full of wit, and a smart mouth- my favourite kind of female lead and Cain is the super swoon-worthy hunk that she falls for unexpectedly while off at college. Flannery is a hardworking woman that has had nothing in life handed to her, while Cain is the exact opposite, but he was unexpectedly sincere, which made me swoon just a little more.

If you’re looking for a book to add to your beach reads, need a quick pick-me-up or just love the New Adult romance genre, then add this one to your list. It’s definitely worth a read!

Keri

(Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.)

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Counteract by Tracy Lawson

Amazon US

RATING: 4 STARS

This is an easy read dystopian novel that hooked me from the get go. The fast pace kept me reading and needing more, learning how the OCSD and Government were wielding power, and how acts happened between the two organizations.

Two strangers; Tommy and Careen, find each other in a happenstance manner picking up their antidotes for a chemical threat. We follow along as these two fight to find out what is going on, and how they help themselves despite all the boundaries and barriers set in place by the current government.

If you’re interested in dystopian novels, then I urge you to pick this one up, if you’re not, then I still urge you to pick this one up! This book is edgy, and fast paced, bringing to light conspiracy elements, and leaves you feeling like you’re along for the ride from page one to ‘the end.’

Keri

(Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.)

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Prodigal Son by Michelle Day

Amazon US

RATING: 3.5 STARS

This is the story of Paul Jensen and his family. Paul is a 15 year old with a twin brother Matt and a sister Tessa. There's a difference when it comes to Paul and his siblings that makes his father have an immediate dislike of him as a baby. His mother tried to make up for Paul;s father by being super lenient when it comes to her younger son. This ends up getting Paul into some serious amounts of trouble throughout the story. Paul and his family must work together to figure out how to handle the problems that come their way which is easier said than done.

This book is a hard one for me to review. The story starts really talking about Paul when he's about 14 years old. This is the first time we witness Paul in a sexual relationship which I have to admit is a little young in my opinion, however my fiancé says it's really not too bad. There is also a forbidden romance in this book that I really struggled with. I found though, that even with me being uncomfortable with the story line I felt like I connected with the characters. I will read the next book in the series to see what happens next with my favourite characters.

Caitlin

(Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.)

The Witch, The Wolf and The Vampire by A.K Michaels.

      Amazon US

                                                              RATING: 4.5 STARS

This is the story of Peri who is a witch, Josef who is an ancient vampire and Gabe who is a werewolf. Peri has been running for a long time. Always making sure to use to little magic so they can't track her. As a cash for hire bounty hunter, she runs into trouble one night and thinks the only way to get out of it is to use enough magic they'll find her for sure. That is until Josef and Gabe step in to help her. Josef and Gabe are intrigued by the slip of a girl. They take her home and thus begins a steamy, twisty journey sure to capture your attention.

This book was a first for me. I have never until this story read a ménage romance before. I have to say being a little weary of love triangles, at first I worried I wouldn't be able to make it through the story. I couldn't have been more wrong. Although there were 3 main characters in the relationship, I found myself completely accepting of the relationship between Peri, Josef and Gabe. This book is not for the faint of heart, it was super steamy and an open mind is 100% necessary. If that's okay with you then I definitely recommend you grab this book.

Caitlin

(Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.)

Happily Evan After by Michelle Irwin

Amazon US

RATING: 4 STARS

Happily Evan After is the story of Evan and Rebecca. Evan is serving an unknown sentence as life of a Cupid, assigned to bring couples their true love. Rebecca is his next assignment, who for some reason seems to pull on our dear Cupid's heart strings more than any other assignment has in the past, leaving him to travel a little down memory lane, as he watches Rebecca meet up with Drew, and toys with the idea of breaking all the rules to serve both himself and his new assignment.

This story is low on angst, and brings a fresh perspective of romance and paranormal blending together. The characters were beautifully written, allowing us to feel, cheer them on and want to guide them down the path we just know is right.

I highly recommend picking up this book if you're wanting an easy read to bring you out of a rut. 

Keri

(Copy provided in exchange for an honest review.)

The Man I Love by Suanne Laquer

Amazon US

RATING: 4.5 STARS

Wow! What can I say about this one. It was a long book, when I first opened it, Kindle tricked me! It said that I'd finish in 1hr and 29minutes. And then I read a couple of pages and noticed that it changed... to nearly 10 hours! So this is a good read for a weekend, and not a quick little novella.

What else can I say? Well, this was fantastic. I felt Suanne was in depth with characters, and back stories. There was some elements of acceptance that I just ate up as well. The main characters, Daisy and Erik were wonderfully written, tugging at all my emotions through their ups and downs, same with the supporting characters.

I was honestly very impressed with this book. I would never have expected this to be from a debut author. My only nitpick, is that the beginning felt like it was dragging. It took some time before any real headway was made in the plot development. Looking back on this now though, I can see it was meant for the reader to really be able to move with the characters. Definitely a must read for any romance reader's list!

Keri

(ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.)