Tag Archives: Shifters

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Black Water

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Black Water
(Jane Yellowrock #6.3)
by Faith Hunter,
Khristine Hvam (narrator)




I’ve never read anything by Faith Hunter before but I liked this, maybe because it was a fast read. I did not read it even close to in order but still could figure out what was going on with the characters and what it was about. The Jane Yellowrock series is one I will add to my TBR.

Some might think this a waste of time, but even though I do not go into any detail I still enjoyed the listen . It is a short and to dive to deep means giving away all the plot.

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

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Moon Child

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Moon Child
(Vampire for Hire #4)
by J.R. Rain





Samantha Moon and her family and friends just continue to keep my attention no matter what they are doing. The story continues from the point it ended in the last book seamlessly.The characters are continuing to grow and become more well defined as to who they are and where they stand within this world. The locations are familiar and allow you to feel like you are truly a part of things as they happen.

Samantha has a hard decision to make and is not sure how she should move forward. Her seven year old son is dying and there is nothing the doctors can do, but she may be able to save him. If she does she is able to she may be giving up her own chance at becoming mortal again. What she finds out soon is that someone else wants her artifact in order to end their own immortality and he will do anything to get it.

Definitely recommend to fans of Samantha Moon series and anyone looking for something a little light with bite.



My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Danny was there, sleeping. He was sitting in one of the wooden chairs at the foot of the bed. His head had flopped back and he was snoring loudly up at the heavens. Probably irritating the hell out of God. One thing I didn’t miss from living with the man was all his damn snoring. Well, that and the cheating.


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Betrayed: Book Two

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betrayed Betrayed: Book Two – The Road to Redemption (Law of the Lycans #6)
by Nicky Charles

 

The characters are interesting and defined for the most part with only a few being vague outlines without a real personality. For anyone who has read the previous books in the series you will be caught up right away with what is going on here since it has only been a short time since the action in the last. The story is somewhat predictable, which is to be expected, but it still plays out perfectly and with a few surprises.

After everything that happened in Chicago Kane Sinclair has decided that he would like to take over the Chicago pack because it does not seem to be being run well. Samantha Harper, who has been illegally acting as the Alpha of the pack definitely does not agree with Kane. She thinks he is arrogant and if he had not used the Finding to take the Greyson heir for his pack then she would not have as many problems.

Kane sends his friend Damien, who had previously been a rogue being hunted by Lycan Link for various crimes, to get any information on the pack that might help with his takeover. Sam for her part is expecting a spy and tries to hire a rogue to play the part of Beta in order to fool Lycan Link into thinking her pack is growing. But things get crossed and they end up working together but still at odds, though only one of them knows that.

The romance is nice and develops at a nice pace that does not seem super rushed. The way things go from one locale to the other is smooth and allows for keeping up with the other characters from previous books. This is the perfect blend of romance and angst.

 

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

 

She looked at the man sitting across from her. Jonah was in his mid-thirties, both he and his mate, Laurie, were lifelong members of the pack. What would happen to them and the others if there was no money to support them in their old age? And even now, it cut her to the core to have to deny them. They’d yet to produce any pups; another couple falling victim to the genetic flaw most seemed to carry. While they’d talked of adopting, parentless Lycan pups were rare and there wasn’t money to pay for more fertility testing.

 

 

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What Creeps In The Night

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what creeps in the nightWhat Creeps In The Night: A Halloween Anthology
by W.J. May , Chrissy Peebles, Kristen Middleton

This anthology contains three novels which are the first in their respective series. The novels fit well together and form a nice cohesive whole. This was a nice way to be introduced to authors I had not read before and series I might have missed otherwise. The rating is based on an average of the stars I gave each book individually.
‘Seventh Mark’ by W.J. May, 4 stars
I got sucked right into this story from the very beginning and could not stop until I had reached the end. The characters were great and made me believe in their existence as individuals. The story was logical and made perfect sense. The language used by the characters and the descriptive language are what you would expect from the parties.
Rouge Riding is a foster kid who is about to turn 18 years old and be thrust into a world where she must depend on herself. She has never really cared about her past, but there may things which could make her better able to cope. First she meets Michael in passing while she is walking through the cemetery before school starts. On her first day in school she meets Grace, who turns out to be Michael’s sister. These siblings have a secret that could be deadly to an outsider, but is Rouge really an outsider or does she have a role to play in their lives?
‘The Zombie Chronicles’ by Chrissy Peebles, 3.5 stars
This pulled me in for the beginning but started to drag a bit toward the middle. The characters were well written and well fleshed making them real enough to feel for them and what they were going through for the most part. The story was interesting and flowed well.
The zombie apocalypse came out of nowhere and caught everyone by surprise in a big way. Dean and his family were lucky enough to escape to an island where his grandmother already had a home, which was isolated and easily defended. But even with that there have been secrets kept that he finds out about. He has a sister, Val, and after she makes the trip across country to find them she is infected and on the island that is an automatic death sentence. Dean plans on saving her both from execution and from becoming one of the living dead. There is a possible cure and he steals it and gets his sister out of the city with the unwitting help of his brother.
‘Enchanted Secrets’ by Kristen Middleton, 4.5 stars
This was my favorite of the three stories because it seemed to have everything to make me take notice. The writing was excellent and drew me in right away with action from the moment it started. The characters elicit an emotional response because of where they find themselves. The situations though fantastic in many ways are things that could happen to anyone.
Twin sister witches who are just coming into their power are witness to something horrible on the night they were to be inducted into the coven. After that night Vivian and Adrianne take very different paths in their lives. They were very different as girls and as women the chasm has grown even wider. One sister has had twin daughters of her own but has left them ignorant to their heritage and the power that they will need to learn how to control. But before anything else they must face a threat that wants to take away not only there power but their very lives.
The one thing that bugged me about each of these books was that they ended on a cliffhanger which means if I want to know what happens next I have to buy the next installment. I really hate cliffhangers but have to admit they work. I plan to read the rest of each series because otherwise I will feel kind of cheated. I would recommend this anthology or the novels separately. These are all YA with some light violence and harsh language.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars on average

“They’re certainly cute,” I said. Then something clicked and the blood rushed to my ears. “Yes?” he asked, prodding me. I looked at him in shock. “It’s my mother!” Tyler smiled. “Bingo.” I shook my head. “But she’s not a twin. My mom told me that she was an only child.” He shrugged. “I would too if my twin sister was a ruthless and evil witch.” “Excuse me?” “Your aunt Vivian and your mother are very powerful witches.”

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Betrayed: Days of the Rogue

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betrayed days of the rogueBetrayed: Days of the Rogue (Law of the Lycans #4)
by Nicky Charles

 

I started reading this story and was pulled in because it had an interesting premise. I like when you have a paranormal species who is doing something just a bit different then you may be used to them doing. I happen to love shifters of any type and these are some great Lycans, written in such a way that you can’t help but be interested in what they are involved in. The dialogue is good for the characters and fits the personalities of each as they have been described. There was no drag or slow moments to bog down the story so it just kept up the momentum and carried you along. This made you think and that is something that every good book should do, there should be a reason for you to become engaged with the characters, and that was the case here. I wanted to know what the mystery was and who was involved because I had pegged it wrong a couple of times.

Fae are being murdered and it appears that these murders are being committed by rogue wolves, though no one can figure out why. The rogues in question always end up dead or horribly injured and unable to speak about what happened. There are multiple factions who would like to see not only the Fae be wiped out but any and all non-shifters. Lycan Link was established to not only protect Lycans but also to aid the Fae, Human-Lycan hybrids, and any other combinations that exist from harm. They are not doing such a great job lately and seem to have traitors in their midst.

Eve is an artist who had been told as a child that she was part Fae, though she did not really believe it. As she got older she completely dismissed the idea until she started being assaulted by the emotions of all the people around her. Because of her awakening gifts she decides to go into the country where she can try to get control of her ability without the distraction of others. But her landlord is a good looking man who seems to dislike her, but she cannot read him and in a way it draws her to him. Rafe is a Lycan/Fae mix and a psychologist who has come to this small town and bought the fishing cabins to restore in order to get over a recent trauma. He did not plan on finding a woman or starting a relationship, but it seems he has no choice in it. Then there is Damien, an ex-enforcer for Lycan Link who has gone rogue. Why has he shown up in the area and what is his agenda? Is he there to kill Eve or is it merely a coincidence?

Good story, great characters, enough steam to satisfy! If you have a thing for conspiracies, betrayal, revenge, and serious manipulation then this may be for you.

 

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Masterson was at the top of the most wanted list. A onetime Enforcer, a member of the ACS, an elite squad trained to deal with Purists and rescue persecuted halves, Damien was probably more highly skilled than almost any Lycan Link employee. Some of the cases he’d worked on with his partner, Reno Smith, were now textbook material. Unfortunately, when his mate and unborn child had been killed, the man had gone rogue, somehow escaping the infirmary and had now been living on the lam for the past eighteen months.

 

 

 

 

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Bell, Book, and Sandals

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bell,book, and sandals  Bell, Book, and Sandals (Maxie Duncan #1)
by Melissa L. Webb

 

This was a fun little story with a girl who was annoying but seemed to grow a bit. The characters were fairly real to life because I really disliked Maxie when she started acting all stuck up and that type of dislike is reserved for someone I can relate to. The story got me interested and kept me interested to the very end with a few twists I did not see coming.

Maxie is a little rich girl who thought she was going to have the perfect little rich life. Then her fiancée dumps her just weeks before their wedding for a nobody girl named Sunday. Unhappy and just wanting to get away she runs to Hollywood thinking that she can become an actress, even though she has never acted a day in her life, and that she will become famous. Well, that is not the case and she ends up having to actually work for the first time in her life. She is lucky enough to find someone who offers her a place to live and a job.

When she meets Ryan, a real movie star and starts a relationship with him she starts to turn her back on the people who took her in and helped her. Thinking that she is meant for better things than simply working for a living. But there are things she does not know about Ryan or herself for that matter. When she finds out things are going to change in ways she could not have seen.

I got into this story and the characters and was hoping for more, but have been unable to find the next book.

 

 

My rating: 4 f 5 Stars

 

 

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Devious Magic

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devious magic

Devious magic (Stella Mayweather #3)

When I first started this series I was not so sure about it, but as I have continued it has managed to pull me in and make me really like it. The characters are fleshing out and becoming more real but the situations can sometimes seem a bit stretched as far as where they are. The aspects of magic they play with are good and creative since you do not see anything like it in anything else. The story does not grab you right out the gate but slowly reels you in which gives you a chance to see where it will be taking you.

Stella has settled into her new home and is sharing it with some of her friends for a while. Things seem to have calmed down and while she wants to move forward she still looks back at her childhood with feelings of regret and longing. Because she has become a bit lax she is not prepared when an old foe surfaces and throws her life into chaos. The Brotherhood has not forgotten about the one that got away and want her back in England by any means necessary.

When Annalise is kidnapped and taken to England as a lure Stella will follow to save her friend. But she finds there is more than she could have ever thought possible.

There is some romance, some violence, and some nice people.

 

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

“Did you just call my girlfriend a slut?” asked Evan slowly. I could see a glow lighting his hands, not fire but something else, something almost imperceptible. Clearly, Daniel hadn’t thought to protect the house from a daemon; he probably didn’t even know they existed. “Slut. Slut. Slut,” repeated Nameless, cackling, proving just how stupid he really was.

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Bonded

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bonded

Bonded (Law of the Lycans #1)

It was really hard trying to figure out what order to read the books in this series. I have read the first 4 out of order with this being the last one I read, but it still has not lessened my enjoyment of the story. I just convinced myself this was the way and they are just giving me background they didn’t have time for before, yeah I am good at self delusion, it’s why I read in the first place. This was maybe a little longer than I thought it had to be, it made things a little boring at times. But the overall feel was one that kept me interested and wanting to hear more from the characters.

Brandi is in her last year at the Academy and has a crush on the legendary Reno Smith,an operative for Lycan Link, and she gets a chance to meet him in person. Reno is teaching a class on self-defense in human form at the Academy as part of his duties and when his assistant fails to show up Brandi gets her chance to impress him. This encounter starts a on-off relationship that is bizarre in how it progresses.

While that is going on the Purists are pushing their agenda and causing a lot of harm across the country. Reno and his enforcers are in the middle and being targeted for their efforts to rid the shifter community of these bigots. The purists are going to cause trouble for everyone but especially for those not having the pure heritage they claim is important.

The story is two pronged here focusing on Reno and Brandi as well as the Purist movement. You also get introduced to characters that you are going to see in later books like Kane, Ryne and Damien who play key parts in other areas. This story has complications, devotion, loyalty, love, betrayal, and a cornucopia of emotions both good and bad. I cried for them and cheered and yelled at their stupidity. I loved it in other words, give me something that reaches into the mind and makes it a part of your reality and that is heaven for me. Definitely recommend!

 

 

 

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

 

“Lycan society is dominated by pack life. A pack is more than a large family. Each member is highly dependent on the others for nurturing and support. When one member falters, the whole pack suffers. For this reason, pack members are highly protective of each other, instinctively recognizing that the common good supersedes personal wants and desires.”
― Nicky Charles, Bonded

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Cry Sanctuary

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cry sanctuary

Cry Sanctuary (Shifter Town Enforcement #2)

This is a story that has an erotic feel but still has that police procedural element. You wouldn’t think they would work together well, but they really do here. The characters are interesting for more than the fact that they are shifters and not just ordinary shifters for the law enforcement, most of them are some type of canine shifter, meaning a dog. The characters have real personalities that can raw you to them or repel you depending on what you like. I was pulled in and so absorbed that I read this book in less than a day. I just did not want to stop until I had found out what was going to be happening.

The language was perfect for the characters and the region that they occupied. I could see them speaking exactly the way that did. The killer is actually revealed fairly early which I was worried about at first, but it actually added another layer to the story by my knowing who it was when they did not. The changing point of view was nice because it allowed me to get a feel for the full picture by giving a voice to everyone. It also gave me a look at my favorite characters from the first book on the side, and I always love that. There are a few word glitches, but they are minor and easily overlooked.

Holly Lawrence did her final research paper on a cold case that involved a serial killer who was never caught. By a stroke of luck she actually finds him, and is captured and becomes a potential victim. Holly does escape, the only person to ever do so, and becomes a target for an insane killer who does not like to lose. Caine Morgan is the Alpha of the Sanctuary Falls wolf pack and has had one of his wolves go missing, the M.O. fits that of the serial killer and Holly becomes involved in tracking him before any more women are killed. Wolfhounds and Wolves do not work together but Holly and Caine are about to change that. They will hunt this killer to protect his pack as the killer hunts Holly to finally bring her down.

There was a very real feel of tension and dread about what this guy was doing and how he was doing it. The feelings that Caine and Holly have for each other start a bit quickly but are not consummated right away which was good since they were being stalked. This should definitely be given a try!

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It wasn’t terror yet, not the blind, all-consuming fear that he would slowly train her to feel. No, she still had too much control yet for that. But they’d get there.
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Fool Moon

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13543656

Fool Moon (The Dresden Files #2)

by Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author), James Marsters (Narrator)

 

When it comes to Harry Dresden I always have a great time reading about him and his misadventures in the world of magic. He is a wizard who does not always see things as they are. The characters are all likable in one way or the other, even the criminals seem to have some type of redeeming quality. The bad guys are always dark and menacing in the best possible way. The world inhabited by these characters is so obviously ours but with a twist that makes it special.

There have been several murders that Murphy has not told Harry about until it becomes obvious that they are not just animal attacks. When he finally gets involved he lets her know that werewolves or some flavor of shifter has come to town and is doing damage to innocents and criminals alike. Murphy has called in the FBI and they are pushing her out of the investigation for their own reasons. The real question comes down to whether Harry can figure out who is doing the killing and keep himself on the right side of a jail cel.

The Alphas make their first appearance here as college students. Susan and Harry are still circling each other but not committing to a relationship. Karrin and Harry are still trying to find common ground for their friendship and working relationship. This is a good series that makes reading more than once a fun venture.

James Marsters or Spike if you are a Buffy fan is Harry Dresden. When he starts to speak you will be pulled to Chicago and the trouble that happens when is around.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“There’s more magic in a baby’s first giggle than in any firestorm a wizard can conjure up, and don’t let anyone tell you any different.”
― Jim Butcher, Fool Moon

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