Author Archives: karenjvjohnson

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The Trials

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The Trials

The Trials (The Elite #2)

I have fallen in love with this series and this is only the second book! From the start I was ready to follow this story anywhere it wanted to take me, it had me at the first sentence. The characters are so well defined they seem like friends who decided to drop by and relate a new adventure. The language is straight forward and appropriate for the place and type of people they are. There is nothing slow about anything which happens, we keep moving from action to action with time for reflection that does not even slow down the pace. This was a perfect blend of action and introspection that allowed you to know the character and get behind or against them through their thoughts and deeds.

Connor Moore has been changed forever, he now officially belongs within the world of the Elites, but must still prove himself to be the Judge of the prophesy who will save his race and humankind from a darkness coming to claim them. To do this he must endure The Trials, which have not been used in over a thousand years but is the only way to garner support for a half-blood. When he accepts to undertake them he finds that he is told that he must pass the three trials which will test him mind, body, and spirit. Being eighteen is hard enough but to take on the role of savior is more than any teenager should have to do. The question is if he can do it before the darkness overtakes them. And to add to his burden he has not one but two girls who want to know where they stand in his life. That may have to wait until they see if they survive.

This is a smart, witty, action packed series that has eye candy throughout (great imagination from great descriptions) that anyone would enjoy. I have found characters that I can relate to and cry for or laugh about or hate and that is what good writing does, it draws you in and makes you care one way or the other. That is what I have here. It may not be for everyone but I would think if given a try it would do the same for anyone. And I for one cannot wait for the next installment, cliff hangers always make me anxious and I want to know what happens!

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Magic Possessed

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Magic Possessed (The Hidden, #2)

Magic Possessed (The Hidden #2)

I received this book from Goodreads First Reads for free.

I totally loved this book and would give it 4.5 stars because it grabbed me and kept me engrossed until the end. I will definitely be reading the first book in the series and following up with the rest. The characters are so well written that I came to really care about them and what they were going through. Of course some were filled out better than others but the main ones and most of the side characters made this worth while. The world they inhabit is like ours but just different enough to make it interesting.

With a number of mythical characters, chief among them dragons, sorcerers, and caidos (descendants of fallen angels). These people came from a place called Luciferia, a place that no longer exists except as the Bermuda Triangle we know today. When their home is destroyed they head to Florida and make a home for themselves there among the back roads and small communities. While they do not always get along they have managed to create a place they can live and thrive until someone decides that things are going to well and starts to shake the hornet’s nest.

Violet Castanega and her family are Dragon shifters and a bit of a rowdy bunch, along with most of her neighbors. She was a brawler when she was younger but has grown into a responsible woman and then the murders start. I liked Violet because she was a strong woman who was not afraid to do whatever was needed to protect her family and those around her. She was also able to trust when she had no reason to.

Kade Kavanaugh is a Deuce (sorcerer) and he works for the Guard, they are a police force for the supernatural folks in the area. They do not have any love for the dragons who they see as completely uncivilized and therefore are unconcerned when dragon bodies start dropping. That is until Violet shows up and he is ordered to assassinate her with no explanation or proof of wrong doing. Kade is an honorable guy who would never do anything he felt was wrong, and you have to love him for it.

This was a fun and emotional ride with mystery, hot sex, conspiracies, murder, revenge, and above all Love. I laughed, cried, yelled, and thoroughly enjoyed myself! If you want something that will take you away and entertain you, then you have got to read this. You will be missing out if you don’t give it a look.

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The Beast Within

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The Beast Within

The Beast Within (The Elite #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a great and exciting book! I was pulled into the story immediately and could not put it down. You may go in thinking you are about to read another vampire/werewolf story but you get so much more than that. The characters are well-defined and real, they have personalities which will make you run the gambit of emotions when you read about them. The plot starts with a kick and makes you want to keep going from chapter to chapter in order to see what will happen next.

Connor Moore is your average eighteen year old, he’s graduated from high school and lost his girlfriend of the last two years when she breaks up with him. His world is one of working for his mother, working out, and trying to figure out how to tell her he is not going away to college but staying close by, just your normal everyday things. But when he meets Laren Abelardus in the woods one day after a run things start to change for him, both for the better and the worse. Connor is drawn into a world that has been hidden but living alongside humans for generations, a world of human like creatures who live among us but do not interact with humanity on a daily basis.

Connor finds that what he always thought to be true about the world and himself is a far cry from where the truth lies. People he has known for years are not who they appear to be. He is not who he thought he was and things he has always held to be true are not.

If I say anything more I will likely give away to much and I wouldn’t want to do that. There is action packed moments, villains, heroes, sorcery, shifters, and betrayal. There is not a lot of teen angst, which I am happy for. If you like YA or even if you only read it on occasion you should give this a try. It is well worth the time.

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Untamed Magick

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Untamed Magick (Pentacles of Magick, #1)

Untamed Magick (Pentacles of Magick #1)

For me this was 4.5 stars because while it was very good, it did not reach that higher limit, though not by much. Having never read this author before I was pleasantly surprised that it was as good as I had hoped. This was a very quick and enjoyable read that caught my attention from the first page. I found the characters to be interesting and able to elicit emotion for their plight even while making this very hot. The way they interacted with each other was perfect for what was going on in their world, though there should have been more conflict. Once I started, I could not put it down and read it right through the night.

Anger,greed, and lust, all luring them to the evil potential of their magick.

The Scott family has lived under a curse/prophesy for centuries which tells of the destruction of the entire family. Two sets of twins each holding a magick which could corrupt and kill them all, they can never stay together for any extended period of time. It is said that a woman will be their eventual downfall and every man is wary any new woman coming into their lives.

Graelen Scott is rich, handsome, and a witch, he hides in his house wondering if he will ever be able to save himself and his brothers from the prophesy. Every day he fights the pull of the dark magick within him and he can feel himself weakening. Rena Gallagher is a researcher and historian at the Museum of Art History in San Diego, she also happens to be an empath. Rena has come into possession of Tarot cards which have been in the Scott family for generations and has come to Graelen to get answers she cannot find on her own, what she does not know is that they were stolen. Though she may hold his destruction Graelen is instantly drawn to Rena and she to him, and maybe the prophesy was wrong and she can be his salvation.

This book contains untamed desire, untamed rage, and of course untamed magick. Loved it and will be going on in this series.

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How To Break A Cowboy

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How To Break A Cowboy (Savage Tales, #1)

How To Break A Cowboy (Savage Tales #1)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I liked this and at the same time I did not like it . Confusing I know but there were just things that bugged me about how it was laid out. I liked the concept of the cowboys, particularly since we got to come out of Texas for them, but I would still have liked more about my surroundings. It moved along fairly well and the scenes between the characters were nicely done but the story was lacking. More to the point there was no complete story to enjoy.

Tessa Savage has a job which takes her all over the world, she enjoys her job and the fringe benefits of not being tied to one location. When she has a free weekend she decides to go visit her two favorite cowboys at the Lazy L Guest Ranch. Wade Messing and Connor O’Reilly have been together for six years and have a very fulfilling relationship with Tessa. When she arrives she knows that something is not right but since Wade says things are fine, she goes along.

Wade and Connor have added another hand to the ranch, one who makes Wade, a control freak lose control when he is around. Dallas is young and good-looking and Wade is pushing Connor into his arms because he cannot handle the feelings he has. When Tessa realizes what is happening she decides that they have to remedy the situation and decide that if you can break a horse how hard can it be to break a cowboy.

I liked the guys immediately, except maybe for Dallas, it took a while to warm up to him. They all sounded yummy and just what you would visualize a cowboy being. I never really warmed up to Tessa, she seemed a bit self-absorbed, even if she was willing to help, it was still about her pleasure in the end.

Like I have said I was a bit ambivalent about this but may give another one a try at a later date. This contains MM, a three-way, and a foursome, so be warned.

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Bump In The Night

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Bump in the Night

Bump in the Night

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a quick and fun read with a good mystery to solve. Nothing is better than a locked door mystery with multiple suspects all with good motives. The fact that so much information was able to be packed into such a short story is amazing. From the start I was pulled in and ready to try to solve the mystery before it got to the end. The number of characters is not large but definitely enough to make it more difficult.

Renni is a lawyer who made the mistake of sleeping with a co-worker and partner at her law firm. When Daniel shows up at 2am pounding on her door she lets him in to keep the peace with her neighbors. Though he is her ex she has a quickie and leaves him asleep on her couch, the next morning he’s dead and she has a problem. Who could have killed him? See if you can figure it out.

I have a total love of good locked door mysteries, well not just locked door. If you have a little time or are sitting and waiting somewhere this can be a great way to spend the time.

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Lie To Me

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Lie to Me (Redemption, #1)

Lie to Me (Redemption #1)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received this as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

If I could give this more than 5 stars I would gladly do so! Sometimes romances can feel a bit stale or been there done that, it is so not the case here. From the first sentence I was ready for an interesting and engrossing story, which is just what I got. I think for me it was even better because we got to know them as teenagers as well as adults and saw the evolution of their feelings for each other. The bond was so much more than about teen lust, this was forged in tragedy and heartache. An added bonus is that you actually get to hear from both sides in their own voice with chapters devoted to their perspective on the situation as it develops.

  The Main Characters

Harlow Chase has been in a bad place since the love of her life left her 5 years ago without any explanations and a few texts which stopped abruptly. Though life has been hard she has been dedicated to giving her young brother the best life she can. Harlow is a study in contradictions, she is a fighter who never gives up yet she has all these quirks which make her appear weak. But she truly is a loyal and caring person who will stand by those she loves no matter the consequences.

Marcus Roma never had a happy home life, he attempted to gain acceptance through boxing, a sport that his father always loved. When he saw this young, lanky girl hanging around he spoke to her and an instant attraction was born. He came to love her and would do anything to make her smile or feel safe but there were things happening that he didn’t understand. When he left her to go across the country and work it was with the thought that he would be back for her soon. But now 5 years later he is back, and he knows that if he wants to be in her life again he is going to have to earn the right. A teen who made bad choices has grown into a man who wants to make them right.

Alex Wolfe is Marcus’s godfather and at first glance seems to be a very nice and generous man. But he has a dark side that shows itself as he manipulates Marcus and threatens those he loves. He got Marcus to leave the girl he loved and now wants to assure that it cannot be resurrected. He has targeted Harlow and wants Marcus to be the one to strike the final blow.

  Short Summary

Five years ago Harlow was fairly happy with her life, she had her love and the prospect of gaining custody of her younger brother after her parents died. But then her love, Marcus, left without an explanation and she never saw him again until one rainy day as she was trying to catch a bus in New York. With his return she has to not only fight to save her home but fight the love she still feels for the man who abandoned her and left her broken. Can she ever believe or trust him when she asks him to “Lie to Me”?

I knew I was hooked the moment I started talking to the characters, not as crazy as it sounds, and telling them what I thought they should do. This book had me laughing at certain situations, then I was crying with them or for them, but I smiled a great deal also. Marcus and Harlow are a couple I would like to see more of in the future. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a happy ending.
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NightDrake

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NightDrake

NightDrake

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a great short story! You were able to get the story fast and know exactly what was going on without having that feeling of something missing. Before the end of the first chapter I knew what was going on in this world and then just had to sit back and let things flow over me. Though things moved quickly I did not feel like I was being rushed to a conclusion, but that I was being led to the start of something.

The world changed in 2066 when the Earth’s axis was reversed and calamity reigned as deserts became a part of the ocean and wide swaths of the coast disappeared under those waters. Three hundred years later and mankind lives a harsh life, but there were others that had only been thought myth who surfaced with the change. The Strange are shifters, hobgoblins, telepaths, and all manner of creature.

Nisha the Heartless is a mercenary who will deliver anything, no questions asked, for the right price. She hates the Strange and just wants to make her money and move on to the next job. Drakor is the cargo she will be moving, though she is unaware.

I was ready to dislike Nisha even though she was obviously the focus, but she is much better than I thought.

I really liked this story and wish there could be more about these characters. Maybe if I wish really hard it will happen one day. 🙂

 

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My Wish

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My Wish (Time Guardians, #1)

My Wish

(Time Guardians #1)

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
The reason I gave this 3.5 stars is because it did not really give a great story
from start to finish. It started out slow and I was not sure what was
going to happen but once she arrives home things pick up. The plot is
simple and based on the cover obviously has something to do with genies.
Though the characters do not really have much personality in the
beginning as things progress they begin to seem more real as they share.
The language sometimes seems stilted but that may have been intentional
since the men are supposed to be from another time. While I did think
the characters did not have a lot of personality I must say that I came
to like them.

Alana does not have a personal life and spends most
of her time looking for antiques for her business. One Saturday she
purchases a vessel which appears to be very old and odd at an estate
sale. The strange vessel turns out to be the home of Sami & Hari,
two gorgeous, hunky Djinn who travel through time and space to bring
sexual enlightenment to those in need. Alana is their next assignment
and they will not be leaving until she has learned everything they can
teach her. While she tells herself constantly that she must be
hallucinating it does not stop her from enjoying the lessons these guys
have planned for her.

While the first half of the book may be
nothing more than a wild romp, it is an entertaining romp that may make
you laugh, sigh, or just wonder how did they do that. The last half
gives you heart along with the heat, when you get to see that these are
more than just sex teachers, they are men who have a sense of a higher
purpose and longings for tradition. I really liked Sami and Hari in the
end, they were really good guys for genies. Be prepared for some wild
sexcapades though, they are packing serious heat!

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Kiss Across Time

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Kiss Across Time (Kiss Across Time #1)

Kiss Across Time (Kiss Across Time #1)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love vampires and I love time travel and to have them combined is fantastic. I actually was pulled into this story after the first page and would have read it straight through if I had not had to work and sleep. There is nothing ambiguous about the story or the characters, it flows naturally from plot point to plot point and fully engages. The characters are true to life and you can imagine either knowing them or having seen their type around at some. The conversations are believable as far as language and tone which makes it easy to follow.

Everything begins because of Taylor Yates, a history professor who has been researching her thesis on a man who does not seem to have ever existed. When she is fired from her position because of this research she is less than happy but is astonished to hear the lyrics of a poem written in 5th century England blaring from the apartment of her neighbor. Upon finding out that it is being performed by a death metal band she insists on meeting them by any means necessary. At the concert for Nocturnal Rain she does make it backstage and meets with Brody Gallagher, lead singer, and his partner Veris, two very handsome and virile Vampires. What starts out as an academic search soon turns into much more for all three of them as a kiss transports them back in time.

There is a story of history in the dark ages, a quest to bring a lost poet’s contributions back into the light of history, there is guilt, pain, love, and lust. All the elements which make a story worth reading. There are also some very hot sex scenes! If mm play does not appeal to you I would say avoid this, also if  a threesome are objectionable I would give the same warning.

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