Erin the Fire Goddess: Jo's Story (#3.5) by Lavinia Urban

I love this author. I don't care that she writes books geared for a teen and young adult audience. I know with her name on the cover I'm in for a great read, characters I love to both love and hate, and the unexpected. This book takes us through Jo's childhood and her years of working with Dr. Hammersmith where we finally learn why she's really working for the doctor.

The story opens with Jo telling about growing up in the fairy community hidden in the forest outside Galladale. With her mother dead at her birth and a father blaming her for her mother's death, Jo was living with relatives at an early age. Having seen the good her uncle has done in his job for others, Jo decides she wants to follow in his footsteps and become a lawyer. Fate has other ideas for the immediate future.

Jo goes to work for Dr. Hammersmith, one of her father's more important clients. On one of her days off from working with Dr. Hammersmith, her former teacher tells her there are things she wants to be told of if Jo should learn anything about them. Once the characters from previous books reach their teen years, Urban takes us quickly through crucial events in the first three books from Jo's point of view. We learn what happened to Jessica after Erin's final test of her powers.


Were you paying attention in the first three books? Urban gave clues to some of the characters being more than you thought at first look. Some of those clues culminate in revelations in this book. Jo's history is revealed and we learn Erin is very important, but why? This is definitely not a stand-alone book. You won't get the full impact of this story without first reading the other three. Believe me, you WANT to read all of them. I know book four is coming out next year; is it next year yet?

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You can pick up your copy at Amazon.

Three Days of Rain by Christine Hughes

This isn't your ordinary love story. And because I don't do spoilers, I have to be careful what I say to not give anything away. This book is both hard to read and compelling at the same time. (How the heck did she manage that one?) The story starts with the kind of guy many women won't admit to dreaming of. You know, the stranger who pulls over to change the flat tire just because he's a nice guy? Yeah, that one.

Jake met Lily doing exactly that. Flat tire by the side of the road and no cell phone signal. So he turned around, headed back to her, changed her tire and went on his way. What he didn't know was that Lily was going to bring a change to his life the whole town had been waiting two years to see happen. (Don't you just love small towns?) He has a lot of pain and anger to let go of that he's been holding on to for two years. It seems he isn't the only one, but until Jake can let go, no one else can put their pain in the past either.

By the time I finished the last page, I was reeling. This was an amazing story in that it doesn't follow the path of a book typical for its genre. The book is so well written that it uncharacteristically for me, pulled me in. Not only was I up too late reading it last night, but I opted to finish the book before moving on to what I was supposed to be doing at work. The characters are believable and easy to engage with (or hate, as the case may be). I just don't get hung up in love stories. Something about this one wouldn't let me go.

What do you want from a book in this genre? Love, pain, complications and a nice resolution? Try adding hate, guilt, death, drug abuse, and alcohol. This story has it all, including the small town where everyone not only knows everyone, but everything about everyone. I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review. (The cover art is being redesigned and is unavailable at this time.)

So... honestly? She can't get the next one out soon enough to suit me. I have certain titles on my Nook that I just don't archive after reading. When I got to the last page, I knew this would be one of them. As a romance story, the nice guy needs to be popped upside the head. But I have to stop so I don't spill it all. If you enjoy the genre (and she may have convinced me to try others in this vein) you will absolutely love this book. Get it, read it, tell your romance story friends about it. I never thought I'd be giving five stars for a romance book, but this one is not your typical love story. Hughes has earned every one of them.

This book is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Crimson Shadow: Sins of the Father by Nathan Squiers

In this second visit into the worldscape of Crimson Shadow," Xander and Marcos, his friend and mentor are the sole remnants of the once proud Odin clan. Together they attempt to continue the work Xander's father started while taking out rogue supernaturals for the council. With his training finally complete, it's now Xander's job to hunt down rogues as Marcus gets the assignments. With a lot of pent up rage over the hand life has dealt the year-old vampire, he's more than happy to vent on the rogues of the Mythos world too stupid to stay under the human radar.

His best friend and confidant is happy to have him back in her life. As the young witch still looks out for her friend, their relationship changes and grows, giving Xander hope that his feelings for Estella may be returned. His nightly visits with her are where he finds a few treasured moments of peace. Even those  visits aren't completely at ease. He fears his willpower is weakening each time she offers to let him feed from her, that she will see the monster he believes himself to be and fear him.

Someone has it out for Xander, leaving bodies around the city with his name on every corpse. The culprit has a very personal vendetta against the Stryker family. Unfortunately for Xander, he's the only member of the family left. The trick is to learn who before everyone he knows is killed, including Estella, the best friend he secretly loves. Help comes from an unlikely, though very determined source. Will it be enough?

Once again Squiers has set a fast pace and kept it going throughout the entire story. I enjoyed this story immensely and am very much looking forward to the third book. The characters are well developed and continue to grow. I would really like to see this series continue on for a while. If you enjoyed the first book, you will definitely enjoy this one. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is available from Amazon.

Immoral: Tales of a Vampire Hunter, One by Zander Vyne

Vampires and vampire hunters have an uneasy truce while they attempt to correct an experiment they now feel was a mistake. Oliver Ripley comes from a long line of vampire hunters, but something about him is different. So different in fact that he hasn't felt as though he were a true member of his family. What is so different about him? Why does his mother keep telling his brother to make allowances for those differences? He has all the charismatic attraction the rest of his family has to ensure his first hunt is successful.

With her ability as a mind reader, Miranda Vladula was the only witness to the death of her sister. Made a vampire by her mother at the age of twenty, Miranda is sure if she kills Oliver, her family will finally embrace her as one of them. She just has to figure out how to do the job without succumbing to his hunter's charisma.

When Oliver and Miranda meet, the attraction is as instant as it is combustible. Now that they have met, both of their lives are in danger, so Miranda takes him the only place she believes to be safe. Paris, to her father, where explanations await that will shake everything he thought he knew about himself, his parents and the world he lives in.

I truly enjoyed this story. I always enjoy coming across a book where the author has provided a twist on an old favorite. Zander Vyne has done just that. She has taken the old pairing of vampires and and those who hunt them and put her own unique twist on everything. There's something so desirable about the vampire hunter that vampires can't resist. At least there is if the hunter keeps their mind shielded so vampires don't know that hot date isn't about to be their last one.

Got a stake? Prop open a window with it. Vyne's vampires are taken down with a kiss and sex. In this first book of a new series, it's as fast paced and full of action as you could want. Someone played with nature and didn't like the results. And now that the end results have come together, everyone has them in their sights. Even better is the peek into book  two at the end of this one. Well written, great characters, I'm looking forward to the next book coming out. If you like vampire stories with a twist, you'll definitely enjoy this book.

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is available on Amazon.This is a worldwide link that will automatically redirect you to your local Amazon.

Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden

Alien ships have been hovering above the Earth and something is finally happening. Rumblings are heard and strange animal-like creatures are seen attacking people. Those who are bitten by the Shisa are infected with an unknown agent that causes them to become violent, seeking only to bite as many others as possible before dying.

Nineteen year old Jennie, her five year old brother, and their father are trying to get back home. Having safely made the trip back home from the hospital, they discover someone has broken in and taken all their food. Their father sets out alone to find more. Unfortunately, he is bitten before he can make it back home.In an effort to protect his children, he boards up every window before the infection takes hold and makes him a danger to Jennie and Mickey. The kids are on their own. Their father's last instructions were to get to the church as soon as Jennie was sure he was gone.

When Jennie and Mickey finally reach the church, they find a few other people have already taken refuge there. The plan now is to give everyone a chance to recover from fleeing the Shisa, then try to make it to sanctuary at the military base on the nearby island. The island doesn't stay the safe haven everyone thought it would be. The Shisa have attacked and the race is on to find the answers to their problems.

Creeden has written a plausible story of an alien invasion while focusing on the experiences of just a few main characters, Jennie and her five year old brother, Pastor Billy and his wife, and brothers Hugh and Brad who are complete opposites of each other. Sanctuary is a well written story of mankind's struggle to survive an alien invader with no apparent weaknesses to exploit. On the one hand, I was disappointed that the ending was left open, and the story was unresolved. On the other hand, I am hopeful that this means a sequel may be coming to take us further. We still don't know the reason for the attack.

While not a story I would normally pick up and read, Sanctuary was interesting. If you enjoy end-of-the world books with a touch of faith, this is definitely right up your alley. The writing was strong and the editing was excellent.I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is sold at Amazon.

Life Over Love by Cheryl Seagraves

This story is both one of tragedy and one of hope. It opens with Brianna checking herself in a mirror, cataloging the various bruises, hating herself and her life. It quickly becomes apparent she is in an abusive marriage and feels hopeless. Brianna has one daughter and another child on the way. She no longer recognizes the man she is married to as the boy she fell in love with when she was a girl of fifteen.

Plans are made so that with help from her mother, she escapes with her children to a shelter where she can feel safe as she tries to build a new life for the three of them. Brianna goes through a lot to build a new life for her children in a home where she feels safe. A new man comes into her life, but the emotional scars left behind won't let her open herself to him until it's almost too late.

The author has clearly captured and portrayed a woman who knows the next beating could be the one that kills her and is ready to escape. A lot is left unsaid in this book, but I don't think graphic depictions of the beatings and her battered body are necessary. The author gives enough detail that anyone with an imagination can easily fill in the blanks. 

Because of the numerous grammatical and punctuation errors, I am reluctant to give this book three stars. However, the story itself was very well written, which does go some way toward compensating for the lack of proofreading. Although leaning toward a two-star rating because of the missed errors, I am giving this book three stars because of the quality of the writing.

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Master Wizard (Apprentice to Master) Book 4 by James Eggebeen

I enjoy a good fantasy and this book is certainly that. Master Wizard is the fourth book in a series which the author assured me would work as well as a stand alone story. He was right. The story starts out with a young boy, a teen really, being rescued from a Priest who is all set to steal the boy's magic. Kedrik had been sold to the Temple by his father for a gold piece shortly after his magic came to life.

Safely whisked away to Amedon by Lorit and Chihon, Kedrik is healed of his injuries inflicted by the priest as he was tortured. Kedrick has a lot to learn about his burgeoning powers, not the least of which are the ethics of using your power to force someone else to do what you want. Across the border in Veldwaite, the queen rushes to locate an item of power before the Priests have the chance to find and use it to take over the kingdom. What ensues is a game of cat and mouse as the item is located, rushed off to Amedon for safety, then stolen from its messenger. Now the race is on to rescue the item before it's too late.

Eggebeen has woven some of my favorite elements of fantasy into this story. Wizards, sorceress', dragons, curses and spells all combine create an engaging story. I thoroughly enjoyed this story from start to finish. While the author was quite correct in stating this book would work well as a stand-alone story, I very much want to read the first three books in this series.

Master Wizard is well written with characters that I could easily engage with as well as respond to their various situations. Near perfect editing leaves me struggling to give this book a fair rating. For me, errors would normally result in a reduced star rating. However, due to the fact that there was only one that created a "hiccup" in my reading, I feel comfortable giving this book four stars.

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book ise available on Amazon. This is a world wide link that will automatically redirect you to your local Amazon.