Review: UnEnchanted by Chanda Hahn

Title: UnEnchanted
Series: An Unfortunate Fairy Tale, Book 1
Author: Chanda Hahn
Publisher: Self Published
Length: 216 Pages approx.
Publication Date: December 30, 2011
Available Format: Paperback, Kindle Edition, eBook
Source: Free Download
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Get it @: Amazon | Goodreads

Book Description:

Mina Grime is unlucky, unpopular and uncoordinated, that is until she saves her crush's life on a field trip, changing her High School status from loser to hero overnight. But with her newfound fame brings misfortune as an old family curse come to light. For Mina is descended from the Brothers Grimm and has inherited all of their unfinished fairy tale business. Which includes trying to outwit a powerful Story from making her its next fairytale victim.

To break the fairy tale curse on her family and stop these deadly events, Mina must finish the tales until the very Grimm end.

Picture yourself in high school, those awkward years. Now, not only are you a high school student, you are also a very clumsy one. One, so epically clumsy, that you are the school's outcast. You are such an epic klutz that some pretty weird, explainable things happen to you all the time. And that every single time one of these things happens, your Mom packs up and forces you change zip-codes. Now, imagine what it feels like to one day discover that the reason behind all of your misfortune is because you (and your kid brother) are the last descendants of the Brothers Grimm and as such you have inherited the family curse.

I was surprised as to how much I enjoyed this book. First heard about it when my sister asked me to buy her the second book in the series, then explained to me that she had stumbled into the first one (for free) at Amazon. I was intrigued by the premise so I went and downloaded myself a copy. This book turned out to be a great twist on the fairy tale realm. And much like my sister, now I want to get my hands on the next story.

Review: Bewitching the Werewolf

Title: Bewitching the Werewolf
Author: Caroline Hanson
Publisher: Host of the Hills
Length: 62 Pages Aprox.
Publication Date: September 25, 2011
Available Format: Kindle Edition, eBook.
Source: Free Download @ Amazon
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Get it @: Amazon | Goodreads

Book Description:

When witch for hire, Megan Stephens, is assigned to help the local werewolf pack leader find a mate, she thinks the job will be easy. Get in, get it up and get gone. But when she meets Zack Connor, she realizes her future might have a lot more dog jokes in it than she ever imagined.

I bought this book on a whim because I wanted to read something new, but had no idea what. So I went into check Amazon and stumble upon this baby. I'll admit it, the cover was the reason I got the book, that and the fact that it's a short.

Turns out that it's a really fun and quick story with lot's of witty lines that had me smiling through the whole thing. Short enough that it can be read in minutes, a little rushed, yet satisfying for such a short story. I'm looking forward to read more about this author.

Best part is that so far it's still FREE at Amazon; click on the corresponding link above to check it out. It includes an excerpt for Love is Darkness, the first book in the Valery Dearborn trilogy.

Quotes (said by Megan):

"Fortunately, I’m the best Wiccan in a two state area. So my personality literally can’t get me fired. (Kindle Locations 43-44)." 

"...endless windows giving the impression of being outside. It was exactly how I liked nature— air conditioned and bug free. (Kindle Locations 58-59)."

Review: An Enchanted Season by Maggie Shayne, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh, and, Jean Johnson

Title: An Enchanted Season
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Length: 341 Pages
Publication Date: October 2, 2007
Available Format: Kindle Edition, eBook, Paperback, Mass Paperback
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
Get it @: Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Book Description: (taken from Goodreads)

It's the time of year when dreams come true, miracles happen every day, and love is the greatest gift of all. The holidays always seem to bring out the best in everyone, with heartfelt hugs for long-missed friends, sincere smiles in the spirit of the season, and a feeling of magic in the air...

This scintillating collection of paranormal romances celebrates the holidays as never before. From a shape-shifting leopardess who wants a pack-mate to be her soulmate, to a sudden snowstorm that brings a surprise gift, these four tales will stir readers' spirits in all the right places.

An anthology of Christmas stories, perfect for the holiday season. It includes four shorts: Melting Frosty by Maggie Shayne, Charlotte’s Web by Erin McCarthy, Beat the Temptation by Nalini Singh, and Gift of the Magi by Jean Johnson. Because these are short stories I can’t really tell you what they are about without risking revealing the whole thing up, but I’ll do my best to review them without spoilers.

So I read this book due to the Vet VS Newbies challenge at Goodreads’ Gotta Have Paranormal Romance with a Kick Group. The book showcases spirits, witches, werewolves, and the magi and I totally love it. I usually stray away from Christmas books unless I want to read a story from a particular author. It’s nothing against the books, just not what I normally read. Which is why I’m so glad that I was given this book as one of my alternatives, otherwise I would have missed it completely. All four stories are worth the time and can be read in one sitting.

Here is the breakdown:

Blog Tour: The Viking's Witch

Welcome back my amazing followers, today I have another author Spotlight for you. We are being visited today by Kelly A Wilkins, who’s touring the blog-o-sphere promoting her new novel, a Historical Fiction named The Viking’s Witch.

Who's the Author?

Review: Dreamwalker by Andrea Heltsley

Title: Dreamwalker
Series: Persephone’s League of Immortals, Book 1
Author: Andrea Heltsley
Publisher: Andrea Heltsley
Length: 951 KB
Publication Date: May 22, 2012
Available Format: Paperback, Kindle Edition.
Source: Supplied by the author through IO Book Tours
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Get it @: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Description:

Noel Kennedy lost her boyfriend, her job and her dignity all in one week. Then something happened and she began to dream of this stranger she had never met. She couldn’t resist the man of her dreams named Jared especially when she met him in real life. Entranced, she slowly unraveled a world she was meant to stay out of. Her life was not what she thought it was once a sexy Boone stepped into the mix and shook things up. Can she escape a life of servitude or immortality for a chance at love?

I really wanted to like this story because it has a great concept; unfortunately the elements that I didn’t like were far too many for me to enjoy this book.

Some of the characters (like Sam and Autumn) are intriguing and kept the story fresh. However, I just had problems with the way the main characters were portrayed. The story focuses heavily on two elements that have become my pet peeves when reading books, the love triangle between Noel, Jared and Boone and her “lust at first sight” reaction to both guys.

Review: Crimson Midnight by Amos Cassidy

Title: Crimson Midnight
Series: The Crimson Series, Book 1
Author: Amos Cassidy
Publisher: Self Published through Kindle Direct Publishing
Length: 341 Pages
Publication Date: March 15, 2012
Available Format: Kindle Edition
Source: Supplied by the Author
My Rating: ★★★★★
Get it @: Amazon

Description:

Rose wants excitement, bright lights and late nights, but she gets more than she bargained for when she swaps her wholesome country life for the hustle and bustle of London.

The city night is home to hungry shadows, eager to consume her. Rose discovers there is more to this world than what the mundane eye sees, and that she herself is a part of it. Unexpected friendships are forged and unwanted, sometimes dangerous, attractions flare.

London becomes a playground for magic, danger and supernatural threat. While her life, and those of who she loves, hangs in the balance, she must endeavour to embrace her new nature and assist in identifying the hidden threat before it succeeds in its dark purpose.

An Urban Fantasy filled with moon-praising, flat-dwelling vampires, chic corporate werewolves, bar-tending warlocks, ravenous demons and much, much more.

Step inside…

This book is right up my alley, it has all the Urban Fantasy elements that I love:

• Crafty and powerful Witches and Warlocks ü 
• Strong and pretty friendly vampires ü
• Hot and steamy werewolves ü
• Deadly and somewhat unhinged fairies ü
• Unknown superpower as the main character ü
• Some nasty demons  ü
• Action and adventure ü
• A good fast paced storyline ü
• And a great city to host all the paranormal activity ü

Crimson Midnight is one of those books that once you pick up its hard to put down unless absolutely necessary. You know which ones I’m talking about, the ones that you eat while reading because you can’t stop; yup, one of those.

Review: Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Title: Hounded
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 1
Author: Kevin Hearne
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
Reviewed Format: ePub
My Rating: ★★★★★

To be honest, I picked this book because of its cover. I thought I had found a book that I had seen in Goodreads some months ago but I couldn’t be more wrong.

Let’s start by clarifying, this book is not the one I originally thought, this is an Urban Fantasy novel (I was expecting a Paranormal Romance) about the last druid on earth and his battle to protect our planet from the destructive forces of evil.

When I started reading it and realized that it wasn’t the right book and I had no idea what to expect off of it, I hadn’t research it before hand and it sure wasn’t following the plot I had pictured. However, I cannot be more pleased that I made this mistake. For it allowed me to discover a fantastic action/adventure story, and an UF nonetheless; I had missed those recently.

Atticus O’Sullivan is the last druid alive, he is a 21-year-old Irish man (a 21-centuries-year-old that is) living in hiding from the rest of the magical community, calling a small town of Arizona home. His life is rather simple, he owns an occult shop near the University campus selling everything from tarot cards to medicinal teas to the town’s people, he trims the garden of an old lady near his house and has the occasional spat with a neighbor. He also had man’s best friend by his side; a beautiful Irish wolfhound named Oberon that, hands down, is my favorite character in the entire book. You see, Oberon can talk to Atticus through a mind connection; by far the funniest lines in the book are always spoken by Oberon. I enjoyed this book a lot, is one of those reads that you can sit back and finish it in a day or two while just loosing yourself in the story and forget your problems; after all Atticus has enough to go around. The book is action packed, and beautifully written. My favorite part of the book is its intrinsic connection with nature and the role it plays in the healing of both the body and the mind.

Evangelina Green by Susan Firtik

Title: Evangelina Green
Series: The Color Guard, Book 1

Author: Susan Firtik
Publication Date: August 9th, 2011
Reviewed Format: Kindle Edition
Length: 144 Pages
Source: Bought
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Get it @: Amazon

Evangelina Green has recently undertaken the mighty job of restoring her and her sister’s childhood summer home into its former glory; coincidently she is trying to, hopefully, help revitalize the town as well. However, being back to this house doesn’t only bring back memories; it also brings back secrets and stirs huge trouble that is somehow connected to her past. More intriguing it is that all the unraveling events are somehow connected to her unknown father; demonstrating that when destiny knocks on your doorstep there is little you can do to avoid it.

The authors of most – if not all – of the series I have read so far, when having multiple characters to develop, have a tendency to give each characters his/her own book to fully explore their story; meanwhile those character’s participations in other installments of the same series tend to have little showcasing. Something I found refreshing and ended up enjoying about Firtik’s writing is that she took the time to feature other sisters and their love interests; even thought this seems to be a series just like any other. However, I felt that it chopped the story a bit in some places while in other there was a natural transition between the intertwining stories.

The world construct presents sexy werewolves, mysterious vampires, an evil witch and a demon; all very well defined characters. My only complaint is that, in a few parts, the action in the story slowed to a crawl; this parts usually where too centered on brushing and cleaning and re-building the House to its former glory. The House is another character in the story; one that hopefully will have a major plot line in future books. However, this is the first book of a series so the foundation for the story needs to be set.

Overall I enjoyed the story and I am looking forward to the next installment, Tatianna Yellow (from which an excerpt is included at the end of the book). Her story was left hanging and I want to know what will happen to her and her sexy vampire.

Triad by Lauren Dane

Title: Triad
Series: Witches Knot, Book 1
Author(s): Lauren Dane
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Publication Date: 2005
Reviewed Format: Kindle Edition
My Rating:  ★★★☆☆

My first erotica read. I found this book while I was searching the kindle store at amazon a few weeks ago; In there, I organize the entries based on the book’s prices and always begin with the lowest price ($o.oo) first. This book was free and even though it was originally published in 2005 the description hooked me right away.

The book in incredibly steamy and the plot is very engaging. However, I have a few problems with the book. As a disclaimer let me say that, not only is this my first erotica read it is also the first book that I read by Lauren Dane.

Here is my own summarize of the book’s plot, spoiler free:

Lee is the strongest witch her family has seen in generations, with her power of dream walking her job, along with the rest of her family, is to protect the people of New Orleans. Lee has been dreaming with a mysterious guy for the past two months, she doesn’t know the guys but feels an inexplicable connection to him. When she finally meets him a series of events threaten to break her, her family and the peace in New Orleans apart while a new series of dreams about another man threatens her relationship with her dream man. Can Lee be strong enough to face this new evil that is on the mists and is she capable of loving one man and lusting for another?

Now, what I liked about the book is its story and its characters, they are both very well written and interesting. What I don’t like is that the action takes place way too quickly.

DISCLAIMER: After the SPOILER ALERT mini banner below there will be some plot spoilers, I try to keep them at a minimum but some of them are hard. If you don’t like spoilers of any kind do not read what comes after the banner.

SPOILER ALERT – SPOILER ALERT – SPOILER ALERT

Cassie Palmer Series by Karen Chance

Title: Cassie Palmer Series
Series: Cassie Palmer Series, Books 1, 2, 3, and 4; Bundle Set
Author(s): Karen Chance
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: July 28, 2011
Reviewed Format: Kindle Edition
Source: Bought
My Overall Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Ok, I have mixed feeling with this book, maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood to read it, maybe it just irked me. This is a bundle edition of the Cassie Palmer Series. It contains the books 1 through 4.

Touch the Dark
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Get it @: Amazon | Book Depository

The concept is really interesting and refreshing; I don’t remember reading about a clairvoyant book before and I kind of like Cassie. However, from the moment the book begins is a parade of famous character after famous character and that particular detailed kept distracting me from the plotline. I guess I’m the kind of girl that likes the characters – specially the world renowned ones – to be eased into the story rather than all thrown into it in the first 3 chapters. So I’m still trying to decipher whether I liked the story or not; might need to reread it to know for sure.

** I will update and add the reviews of the other books at a later time.