Prowlers and Growlers Boxed Set - Dark Melody by Megan J. Parker

Boxed sets can be a bit of a gamble, but then so can any single book by a new author. They can also be holders of hidden gems waiting to be discovered. There are some authors whose work I will always read. Their name on the cover tells me exactly what I'm getting and what I'm in for. As soon as I saw Megan Parker had a story in this set, I knew what I was reading first. It did not disappoint.

Megan, you've done it again. You've transported me, not quite to the romances of my teenage years, because this was a bit more adult than that. I love what you've done in Nathan Squiers' and Xander's world. A comfy, more grown-up romance with just enough tension to keep me absorbed page after page. Can I have a David? Pretty please?

My heart went out to Talia from the beginning. She didn't even have a name for cryin' out loud. She created one from the ID number the scientists gave her! Everything she knows of the world came from romance novels, and the few people she came in contact with in the labs. Many things she read she has no frame of reference for as she can't imagine what these things look like! Kept in a cage her entire life, her only frame of reference for behaviors she can expect from other people come from the scientists and romance books.

When the scientists learn that word has leaked of what happens in the lab, everything vital is packed up to be moved. This includes Talia and a fellow captive. Together, though in separate cages and trucks, they are transported in the convoy as the scientists move their operations. An accident and a getaway leave Talia placed where David can find her.

It takes a while for David to believe Talia when she says she's never seen/experienced something. Not to mention being able to trust he wouldn't hurt her when that is her only experience with other people. His friends are interesting themselves, one has quite the mouth on him. Language guy! I mean, really now. What will she think of you?

The pace of the story is steady throughout, something I have come to expect from books by this author. As I said, this is a comfy read. The kind you read curled up in an overstuffed chair, wrapped in a blanket, in front of a fire on a rainy day. Of course there's the requisite bad guy. But you'll have to figure out who that is on your own.

I love this story. I want more, so much more. I want a story for each of David's friends. Oh. And I want a David for myself. (I know you'll get right on that, Megan.) I badly want to give this 5 stars. But there were a couple of snags and errors that make that impossible.

As much as I wish otherwise, I can only give this book 4 stars. This book is part of the boxed set "Prowlers and Growlers" at Amazon. I'll get around to reading the other stories at some point.

Falter by Haven Cage

It isn't often anymore that I come across a book that grips me so tightly that I'm upset to not have reading time at work. Yet that was indeed the case with Falter. I've had this book since late last year and got about half way through when things got busy and I lost my reading time. So I finally pulled everything else to a screeching halt and started the book all over. I am so glad I did.

Falter centers around Nevaeh, a young woman who's been living on the streets from a young age, her only protection an elderly man named George. Given a chance to get off the streets, the two accept jobs in a small restaurant. The owner, Gavyn, gives them both jobs and a place to sleep at night. Shortly after moving into the restaurant, George falls sick. His death is the last normal thing in Nevaeh's life. What began as Gavyn comforting her becomes a desperate hold to keep her away from the demon that shows up to inhale George's soul. Now her life is filled with archangels, demons, guardian angels, a prophesy, and a deep-seated desire to rescue George's soul.

The writing is fast-paced and incredibly intense. I was sucked in once I was a few pages in. As you might imagine from the cast of characters, this is a story of the battle between good and evil. What makes it gripping is how this story is told. Nevaeh goes from total disbelief to grudging belief of her part in the balance.

Cage has woven a powerful story that I think many will enjoy. I set the book down three pages from the end, exhausted and needing to sleep, thinking I knew how it would end. Got up this morning and finished reading. Boy was I wrong. And so... I bought the next book in the series.

The setting is believable in spite of being a paranormal story. The plot is consistently intense even during the (very) brief moments of calm. Her characters are well developed and continue to grow throughout the story. This makes the second book I've read where I wanted to physically grab a character and shake some sense into them. Can't say who without giving away too much. Sorry.

For perfect editing (and by that I mean zero errors folks), consistent plot and amazing characters, and a gripping story that was very difficult to set aside (I'm mean really, I'm passing out with three pages left to read) I'm giving this story five stars.

This book is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

Twin Souls by DelSheree Gladden

I picked up this book because I knew it would be a clean read that involved a bit of Native American mythology. The story centers around a couple of teens, she is the daughter of the wealthiest man in town, he is the son of a rancher. Uriah has been in love with Claire for as long as he can remember. They come together when Claire orchestrates a fight with her boyfriend.

I am usually able to find something about a book that I like. I regret that is not the case with this one. The pace of this book is slow and uneven, at points boring. The editing is poor to non-existent.  I made it to page 95 before I finally had to give it up as a lost cause.

There are problems with missing words, extra words, incorrect words ("conceded" and "conceited" are NOT interchangeable). Some sentences read as though the author had a new thought/idea or just changed her mind mid-sentence. I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to readers in its current condition. I think the potential for a good story is in there somewhere, but at the time of writing this review, her book reads like a work in progress. I would urge the author to remove this book from sales and have it properly edited.

Because of the problems with the book at this time, I regretfully can only give it 2 stars.

Stolen and Forgiven (Branded Packs Book 1) by Alexandra Ivy and Carrie Ann Ryan

This story is set twenty-five years after a virus decimated the human population. Unable to stay hidden when humans began noticing entire communities not falling sick and dying, shapeshifters came out to humans and saved them. Their blood created the cure. As thanks, humans rounded up all shifters and forced them to live in containment camps, sorted by the type of animal each shifted into.

I read a lot of shapeshifter stories. By "a lot," I mean more than 75% of my library is shifter stories of some kind. I love them. I used to dream as a child that I could turn into this or that animal. Enough about that.

So... on to the story. This book is actually written as two stories. Stolen is the story of Ariel, an orphan experimented on by a sadistic doctor and left for dead just inside the wolves compound. I enjoyed the story. The authors have presented a scenario that is original for me, while at the same time, showing humanity at its worst - greedy, self-serving, and afraid of the unknown. I'm hoping as the trilogy progresses that humans sympathetic to shifters will come into play.

Throughout Stolen, I found the storyline to be somewhat predictable. There's the expected damsel in distress, the honor-bound alpha, and jealous ex-girlfriend. You get a bit of back story, just enough to understand how shifters came to be corralled together on fenced land. We're given a hard look at the brutality the humans have forced on the alpha as he adheres to laws enacted out of human fear. There is also a bit of propaganda that has to be reversed after Ariel recovers.

In Forgiveness, the story picks up with the punishment meted out as a result of an event at the end of Stolen. As in Stolen, there is a love story that plays out with all the usual aspects and a twist or two, though nothing shocking or completely unexpected. What I did appreciate about this part of the book was more details about why the shifters were rounded up and put in contained areas. I felt as though I had finally been given some "meat" in my story.

In addition to having more substance, the authors introduced some unexpected help for our intrepid shifters. Their presence is explained in a great way, and looking ahead at the next book in this series I can see they will play a more important part in the storyline.

Overall, this was a fairly decent book. Was it griping? Did it keep me up too late at night to finish reading? No. Did I enjoy it? I think I can safely say yes. I found a couple of places in my reading where editing missed a couple of problems, but not enough to reduce the stars. However, because I could easily set the book aside to do something else, I'm only giving this three stars.

This book is available at Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Legacy of the Dragonwand, Book 1 by Daniel Peyton

At sixteen, Markus wants to study magic and become a wizard. His parents want him to stay and someday take over the family farm. It's time for him to choose, and choose he does. Slipping out in the middle of the night, Markus strikes out on his own in pursuit of rumors of an wizard in the hope that he will find in him a teacher and mentor. Markus succeeds in finding the wizard, but the old man only lives long enough to pass on his wand and a quest that, if he is successful, will save his world from a growing evil. 

Markus' world is filled with different beings resembling one or another type of non-human life capable of speaking, Lizardkind, Rakki (having tails and fur much like wolves or dogs), and dragons. On his way to find the Dragon Citadel, he comes across a couple of Rakki losing a battle with an imp. Using a spell from his dreams, he manages to save the female, and is invited back to their village to rest and resupply as thanks. While there, Markus learns he has become is country's most wanted by the Guard.

I found this to be a clean, easy read. The story has all the elements a young (or old) reader could want for a fantasy novel. There's the requisite girl his age for Markus to become interested in, the obligatory over-protective father, understanding mother, a quest, forbidden magic, an evil wizard and greedy king.

With a couple of exceptions where I found passages the read like a word was missing, the story is well written and fairly well edited. The biggest exception to this is the difference in the title on the cover of the book versus what is on the inside of the book. An easy enough fix for eBooks, not so for the print copies. This should have been caught before going to press.

Due to the issues mentioned above, I can only give this book three stars. I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.

You can pick up your copy at Amazon (US, CA, AU, UK) and Barnes & Noble

Andromeda's Reign; Moonrising Book 2 by K.S. Haigwood

In this addition to the Moonrising saga, Mena, now calling herself Andromeda, is in the southwest with her bondmate to learn how to be an Alpha. Committed to thirty days away from Phoenix, she's full of anger and attitude. Not to mention fighting her growing feelings and desire for Ace, the Alpha lion of Las Vegas. All while still wanting to be back with Phoenix.

And of course nothing can be straightforward in any book with Haigwood's name on the cover. Members of his pride are everything from confused to downright hostile about her presence among them. On one page, she's paired with a woman who is definitely out to stir up trouble and does so quite effectively. Next thing I know, the two women have jointly conspired to pull off a sneak attack on Ace that leaves him somewhat, um, over exposed.

Some of my favorite characters from her Eternal Island series make an appearance and have an important role of their own to play. Ace, being the font of brilliant ideas, makes a deal and ends up with a major handicap. (What? Did you really think I'd give that one away? Not on your life.)

Throughout the hilarity, there is a serious side to the story. As in any good story where love is a thread, there is jealousy. And jealousy rears its ugly head at the worst possible time. When Haigwood told us we'd never guess who got the girl, she wasn't joking.

When I got to the end of the book, I found myself in the unusual position of being furiously angry at one of the characters. I don't think I've ever felt that way about any character in any book I've ever read. I told her at the first opportunity that I wanted to drag "so and so" from the book and kill him, bring him back to life and kill him again. She laughed. Hmph. The book has been live and available now for five days. I still want to commit "character-cide." (I may have just coined a new word.)

I've been reading Haigwood's stories for a couple of years now and have yet to get my hands on one that is merely "okay." Seriously now, I want to know how she manages to make each book better than the last one. Because that's what has happened. This book doesn't stop moving from the first page to the last. It's a fast-paced, wild ride. Highly emotive writing, fantastic character development (including one I want to kill), and perfectly edited. What more could a reader ask for? Do yourself a favor and get this book. Heck, get both of them. And the prequel. I guarantee it will be money well-spent.

For all the previously mentioned reasons, I'm giving this one 5 stars. I received an ARC of this book to beta read and review.

You can find this book at Amazon (US, CA, AU, UK) and Barnes & Noble.

Phoenix Rising: A novel of Anne Boleyn by Hunter S. Jones

I've read my fair share of stories about King Henry VIII and thought I had a fairly well developed opinion of the man. As a king I considered him to be a bully that people had to step carefully around. As a man, well, I suppose it's safe to say Henry VIII was a (royal) man of his time.

Hunter Jones presents a different facet to the story of King Henry and Anne Boleyn - one of two people deeply in love that were caught in the machinations of others. The story of the last hour of Anne's life is one that bounces around a bit in time as the characters revisit treasured memories. We are shown precious memories of love when it's new, hope for a different outcome than what history tells us happened, the respect of the populace for a condemned queen, and the grace of a queen as she asks for the crowd to "pray for a good and gracious king."

As the story developed, I found my opinion of King Henry starting to change. Before reading this book, I saw him as just another man in history who used and abused his power to get what he wanted regardless the cost to others. By the end of the book, I felt sorry for both Henry and Anne.

I find it a curious fact of history that mysticism was considered something apart from witchcraft and used fairly frequently by royalty and others. This is included in the book as Henry seeks guidance on an important decision pivotal to Anne's fate. The seer whom Henry consults shows up a few times letting us eavesdrop on certain people and events, a brilliant touch from the author.

Jones provides a bibliography at the end of the book which I appreciated. Her research shows in her writing. She was able to take what she learned and put a fresh and emotionally wrenching spin on an historical event - one that I think most people don't think twice about questioning what we were taught in school. We are shown Henry's thoughts about the decision he felt compelled to make regarding Anne's judgement and sentence. We are there with him as he suffers losing the love of his life. And we are there when the conspirators discuss how well their plans are playing out.

I love history and have a particular fascination with the histories of England, Scotland and Ireland. Time travel not being an option at this point in time, I have to make do with books. Jones did a superb job of presenting an alternate look at the events leading up to the execution of Anne Boleyn. She has made me feel compassion for a person I'd previously looked on with something bordering on disgust. She has reminded me that there are two sides to every story and it is the victor that writes the history.

I'm very glad I had an opportunity to read this book. Jones has a clean style of writing that was a joy to read. The editing was very well done. I found no errors to distract me from her work. History can be a touchy thing to not only write, but write well enough to keep the reader engaged. Hunter has done that.

For the quality of her writing, editing, research, and causing me to reconsider my opinion of King Henry VIII, I am giving this book 5 stars. I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is available at Amazon (US, CA, UK, AU), Barnes & Noble.