Iron Ember (Skye Druids #1) by Donna Grant

Iron Ember blurb

Delve into the thrilling first installment of the all-new Skye Druids series by New York Times bestselling author Donna Grant, where magic reigns and danger abounds.

Skye isn’t just an island. It’s a home. A refuge. But not to Elodie MacLean. Not anymore. Tragedy tore her world apart and then took the one thing she felt made her whole. She vowed she’d never return, but that’s exactly where she ends up. Now, surrounded by the ghosts of her past, Elodie must navigate her version of Hell and try to make peace with herself and her family. But someone or something doesn’t want her on Skye, and she finds herself attacked—and this time not by her personal demons.

Scott Ryan has a mission: uncover who has been killing Druids and why. When his quest takes him to the beautiful Isle of Skye, he doesn’t think anything could captivate him more than the land itself—until he lays eyes on the breathtaking and confident beauty his leader sent him to find. However, it’s clear that she has trust issues, and he can’t reveal his plans—at least, not yet. But he’s always been sure of his ability to sway a person, and she’s a challenge he’s more than happy to accept, especially when he finds he will do anything to protect her.

With so much history and so many secrets, victory is anything but guaranteed for the couple and their allies. And the forces at work, those who wish to rule the Scottish isle and all those who reside there, have a plan that nobody will see coming.

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Iron Ember (Skye Druids #1) by Donna Grant

5 Stars

Dark World continuation

This is the first book of the Skye Druids series, but follows immediately after Dark Alpha’s Command.  In this book we meet Elodie MacLean, who has come back to Skye to help her sister get their parents’ house ready to sell.  A terrible tragedy happened over a decade prior, but since neither sister, nor an absent brother plan on living in the house it needs to be cleaned, repaired and sold.  Elodie is a druid, but her magic has been gone since the tragic event.  She meets Scot Ryan, and the brother of his best friend are on Skye, having come from Edinburgh to try and solve the murders of Druids there.  They are looking for Elodie, and when they meet her, and hear she is looking for help to get the cottage repaired, they offer their services.  Donna Grant weaves an interesting story reminiscent of her earlier Dark World books.  She plots out an intricate storyline for the reader to follow, and while following we get glimpses of other characters from prior books.  I can say that the start of this book dragged for me-I couldn’t figure out who these characters were and why they were important.  But Donna Grant had a plot, and it is full of twists and turns, and leads the reader to a satisfying conclusion.  I received and ARC of this book from the author through BookFunnel and this is my honest opinion.

Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle

4 Stars

Enjoyed the ending.

I started reading this, and the main character, Bettie Hughes, is an absolutely horrible person.  She is self-obsessed and feels she is entitled to everything she wants.  As the book goes on, the author explains Bettie’s reasoning for feeling this way, but she continued to be such a whiney, revenge driven person, I almost decided to stop reading.  But upon the introduction of the Holiday Spirit, I wanted to see what would happen to Bettie since Hall (the Holiday Spirit’s earthly name given him by Bettie) is such a giving person.  I don’t want to give away the story, so I will only say that after Hall’s arrival, the plotline starts to make a slow climb to acceptable.  By the end of the book, I was glad I had continued reading.  I was given an ARC of the book through NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion. 

A Guide to Being Just Friends (Jensen Brothers, #3) by Sophie Sullivan

4 Stars

Enjoyed the book.

I really enjoyed reading the first two books in the Jensen brothers’ series and anticipated reading this one.  In it, we meet Wes Jensen, the oldest brother, who has decided to join his 2 brothers by moving to the West Coast from New York.  But where Chris and Noah have a good outlook on life, Wes’ is more pragmatic and because of this he doesn’t believe in relationships and love.  Our second main character is Hailey Sharp who is open to new experiences even though she just went through a bad breakup.  She doesn’t want to rebound back into a serious relationship, so when she meets Wes, who tells her clearly that he only wants to be friends, she agrees to being his friend.  After this start, the books seemed to take a long time in telling us the readers that they were fine as being just friends, but in their minds that they might want more.  Finally, by the end of the book, Sophie Sullivan allows us to see how the two friends truly feel.  This is a well-written book, with fully developed characters.  It’s also book 3, and the author does allow characters from the first two books to be part of this book, but if you’ve read the first two, they are welcome additions to this book.  Question is will Sophie Sullivan give us the story of the 4th sibling, a sister who is still in New York?  This book can be read as a standalone, but for the best experience, read Ten Rules for Faking It and How to Love Your Neighbor: A Novel first.  I was given an ARC of the book through NetGalley, and this is my honest opinion.

The Ice Duchess (The Duchess Society #0.5) by Tracy Sumner

4 Stars

Short but good.

At only about 100 pages, this is a quick read, a prequel to the series.  We meet the main character Georgiana Whitcomb, Countess Winterbourne who is also known as the Ice Countess.  She says she’ll never marry again, after her husband dies.  Along with her friend, Lady Hildegard Templeton, they have created the Duchess Society to help young women make advantageous matches for themselves.  Enter Dexter Munro, the future Duke of Markham, who has made a promise to his dying father to marry in less than 12 days, by Twelfth Night.   This is a fun read with well-developed characters and a solid story.  And a perfect lead into the next book in the series.  I was given an ARC of the book by BookSirens, and this is my honest opinion.        

A Vampire’s Midlife Crisis (Misfits of New Orleans: Book 1) by Valerie Twombly

4 Stars

Mid-life romance

Having reached a time in her life, Sabrina, 53, is about where she wanted to be.  Her daughter is attending college, and Sabrina is running her own business.  But, going out one night with friends to a Vampire club-yes vampires are real, and humans are aware of them-Sabrina is mugged on her way home, and dies, or close enough that a vampire who turns out is her daughter’s boyfriend has no choice but to turn her or let her die.  The story becomes more engaging after that, and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.  I was given an ARC of the book from BookSirens and this is my honest opinion. 

Fae Witch’s Vampire Guard (Dark Lords of London Book 3) by Jessie Donovan

5 Stars

Fated time traveler

This book gives us Reika Hashimoto and Stone Riley’s story.  As the prior two books in this series, one of this couple is moved from the present day back into Victorian England.  This is a short book, but very enjoyable.  Stone is the half-shifter half-vampire head of security for Leo Yates and his wife, the witch Yesenia.  Yesenia has the power to bring fated mates together, which is the premise behind the stories.  Each of the books can be read as a single story but are better when read in order so the characters and background story mesh together.  I received and ARC of the book from the author through BookFunnel and this is my honest opinion. 

RELEASE DAY! Dark Alpha’s Command by Donna Grant

From New York Times bestselling author Donna Grant® comes another action-packed installment in her thrilling Reaper series, featuring a brotherhood of elite assassins who wage war on the Fae at Death’s behest—and the women who dare to love them.

There is no escaping a Reaper. I am an elite assassin, part of a brotherhood that only answers to Death. And when Death says your time is up, I’m coming for you…

I’ve been a part of so many different worlds I’m not sure who I am or where I fit in anymore. Honestly, with everything I’ve been through, being called across realms and encountering the beautiful Druid who instantly captures my attention—and my heart—shouldn’t have surprised me. But it did. Not as much as discovering how it feels to brush against her magic, however. Now, we must navigate these new waters and fight against our latest threat, hoping that our combined power and that of our allies is enough to defeat our foe. Because the Fae Others want to end the Reapers, the Dragon Kings, and take over the realm, and their leader is one of the most formidable enemies we’ve ever faced. The battle won’t be easy, but with this strong, resilient mortal by my side and some help from our friends, it’s a fight I’m more than willing to enter—as long as it means she’s by my side. Forever.

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Huntress Reborn: Paranormal Women’s Fiction (Supernatural Midlife Mystique) by Brenda Trim and Tia Didmon

2 Stars

What a mess!

I don’t know where to start with this review.  So many things that concern me.  The main character is confusing, and I can’t figure out who and what she is and what she wants to become.  Her backstory isn’t enough to understand what she’s been through, or where exactly she’s going.  Secondary characters are even less developed.  I’m thinking this was supposed to be a prequel, but it reads more like the authors wrote out their notes and posted them as the story.  With what’s been written, I don’t even like the main character, and really don’t care what happens next.  The book needs so much, I cannot recommend it.  I received an ARC of the book through Booksprout, and this is my honest opinion.

Dark Alpha’s Command (Reaper #15) by Donna Grant

5 Stars

I love this book!

This book is one of the best in this series!  Donna Grant uses her Dark World effectively in writing her books, and this one doesn’t disappoint.  We first met Balladyn in her Dark Kings series, and he’s become an important part of this, her Reapers, series.  Balladyn is a complex character, and this book brings almost all of his facets together for the reader to enjoy.  This is the only part that I have a concern with, and it’s from prior books he has been in love with and in hate with another character.  Here in Dark Alpha’s Command, he has completely moved on…after thousands of years invested in his feelings, he’s over them in a blink of an eye.  But if I ignore that concern, this book is outstanding.  The two main characters are well-developed, both have interesting back stories, and present themselves as people you’d want to know.  The continuing story is intricate and the arc from the last few books continues to build, and because of that, additional characters from Donna’s Dark Sword and Dark Warrior series make appearances.  With a tight story line and fast pace, I didn’t want to stop reading.  This book is not a cliff hanger, but the overall story arc isn’t finished yet.  But Dark Alpha’s Command is a satisfying read.  I cannot wait for the next book.  Well Done Donna Grant!  I received and ARC of this book from the author through Book Funnel and this is my honest opinion.