Tag: ARC Reviews

Any Witch Way But Goode: A Cozy Paranormal Mystery by Michelle M. Pillow

4 Stars

Continuing the story from the first book

This book follows the first one, giving us more of the story of Lily, Dante, Mira, Aunt Polly, and Nolan.  It’s well-written, and has an interesting plot, but I still don’t particularly like Lily.   Her character hasn’t grown any, while the other most important character, the wolf shifter Nolan, has now moved into the “boyfriend” category – maybe.  I enjoyed reading it, but it frustrated me with how Lily can’t (or won’t) make a decision and stick to it.  Reading the first book, Better Haunts and Garden Gnomes will help with understanding this book.  I received a copy of the book from the author through BookSprout and this is my honest opinion.

Beard with Me (Winston Brothers #6) Penny Reid

5 Stars

Oh my gosh….

I started reading Penny Reid with her Neanderthal books and have continued on with the Winston brothers series.  I have enjoyed each and every book…. until this one.  This one is hard, and full of hurts.  But as a middle of the series book that is actually a prequel, it explains a lot of the hurts that happen in the other books.  This deals with Billy Winston, brother two of the six boys, and Scarlett St. Clare.  Scarlett is the daughter of the head of the Iron Wraiths Motorcycle Club and is nothing like her parents.  We’ve met both of them in the other books, and while this story fills in a lot of the blanks, it was difficult for me to read.  Penny tells us in the beginning that the book isn’t going to end happily and that it can be skipped. I wish I could have skipped it, but I’m invested in the entire interconnected series.  I had to know the details of some of the things that were alluded to in other books.  I did have to skip a section-I just couldn’t bear to read what I knew was going to happen… that being said, this is a great book.  Penny Reid does a wonderful job of conveying emotions for her characters, specific to each character she writes.  I will say don’t read this book unless you’ve read the prior Winston brothers books.  But this book will give you hope for both Billy and Scarlett, that each will live on stronger because of their pasts.

My Fiery Valentine by Donna Grant

5 Stars

Dragons can be romantic

This short novella is re-visiting Vlad (V) and Clare, who’ve had multiple problems in their short time together.  Set at Dreagan, with cameo appearances of some of the other Kings and their mates, we see both Clare and V embracing the ideas of Valentine’s Day.  Each has decided to surprise the other with romance.  An enjoyable, well-written story, we get a glimpse of what life is like for those who call Dreagan home.  Donna has written this story to include only those who are residing there, and how they spend their time.  A reader will find only good thoughts and happy times in this novella, which is fine after all the extended family has gone and will go through. Having read all the prior books will make this book easier to understand.  I received this ARC of My Fiery Valentine from the author through BookFunnel, and this is my honest opinion.

Not Her Dragon: Paranormal Romantic Comedy (Not This Series Book 8) by Annie Nicholas

5 Stars

Love will find a way

In this fun series Annie Nicholas takes us to a world with dragons, werewolves, vampires, and other shifters.  And in this book our two main characters have played parts in other books of the series and are finally getting their stories told.  We’ve met Cedric in Not His Dragon, and Bella just happens to be Eoin’s sister.  Several other characters from prior books make appearances.  But this is the story of Cedric and Bella and it’s a great one.  There’s enough tension at the start, and then action and a bit of attraction between them to make the book one of those you don’t want to put down.  Annie Nicholas has given us a well written and well-rounded book that will leave you wanting more!  I’m looking forward to the next book and can’t wait to see who it will be about.  I was given an ARC by the author thru Prolific Works, and this is my honest opinion.

Better Haunts and Garden Gnomes by Michelle M. Pillow

4 Stars

Different from what I’m used to from Michelle

This is the first book in a new series by Michelle M. Pillow, and it’s different from her previous series.  This one has a mystery as part of the plot, along with the main character Lily figuring out who she is, and what her place in life is supposed to be.  The other main and supporting characters are Nolan, a building inspector; her brother, Dante; and her distant Aunt Polly.  The story which is set in a small town called Lucky Valley, is well set up, and the main characters are well developed.  Garden gnomes do play a part in the book, and I hope that in the next book we will learn more about them-they are inanimate objects of course!  I would call this a light mystery involving paranormal occurrences with a small romance on the side.  I enjoyed reading this ARC provided through Booksprout by the author, and this is my honest opinion.

Broken Chains: A Paranormal Protector Tale (Heart of Stone Book 1) by Demelza Carlton

5 Stars

Tor’s book

I read the prequel Heart of Stone, and I thought I knew where this story was going…I was so wrong.  The only correct thought was that it would be in Australia, which is where this book takes place.  We first meet Catena, or Cat, who is dealing with many different things.  One of them being Tor, a gargoyle. Tor is one of three brothers who are stonemasons.   I don’t want to spoil the story, but I will tell you that this is a well written book, with mostly well-developed characters.  It took me a couple of chapters to adjust to the story after having read the prequel, but once in, I enjoyed reading Broken Chains.  The plot moves along, but not too quickly to follow, and Demelza Carlton builds the suspense.  This is not really a stand-alone book, so plan on reading the series.  I received an ARC of the book from the author, and this is my honest opinion. 

How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan

5 Stars

What a great story!

This is the first book I’ve read by Sophie Sullivan, but it won’t be the last.  How to Love Your Neighbor is book 2 in the series.  Grace Travis has inherited a house from her grandmother.  But she hasn’t been able to move into it due to attending school for interior design, and everything else in her life.  Noah Jansen is her next-door neighbor, whom she hasn’t met.  He wants to purchase the empty house so he can expand his property.  Grace and Noah meet before they realize they are neighbors, and both have an instant attraction, but don’t plan on pursuing it.  When Grace finally moves in, and Noah offers to purchase her new home, the differences in their lives become apparent.

  This well written book takes us on the journey of these two people, who could have an instant friendship; that actually starts out adversarial, and then becomes a working relationship for both.  This book made me feel good-that the main characters were people whom I like and were hoping that they could move past the expectations that they had to become more…better people, better friends, and truly connected.  The story is complete, and if you don’t read the first book, that won’t matter.  But now having read book 1, this second book is even better. 

  I received and ARC of the book through NetGallery from St. Martin’s Press.  This is my honest opinion. 

The Last Dragon (The Treasure of Paragon Book 9) by Genevieve Jack

5 Stars

Book 9 in the series

I’m sorry to see this series end.  Every book has been well written with great character development and exciting plotlines.  If you haven’t read the prior books in this series, you need to for this story to be enjoyed to the fullest.  The entire series deals with the children of the royal family of Paragon-The Treasure of Paragon.  Earlier books take place on Earth, but the last couple have been on their home realm of Ouros.  And this book is Marius’ story, the oldest son, who was beheaded 300 years ago.  I won’t say anything further concerning this book, but if you like reading Paranormal Stories about Dragons, then you need to read this book and the series.  Even though Genevieve Jack has said this is the final book, I hope she will consider writing more, telling us more of the family’s futures and how they decide where they will have their homes, any challenges they will face and if any children are born, reading about them and their future tests.  In any case, I look forward to reading future books by Ms. Jack.  I received an ARC of The Last Dragon from the author through BookFunnel and this is my honest opinion.

Dragon Unbound: A Dragon Kings Novella

Donna Grant                               

4 Stars

Another look at things in Zora

This book continues on in Zora, with Cullen as the Dragon King from Earth visiting the realm.  As has been the case with the last couple of books dealing with the Kings, one of them visits Zora, and there is some kind of problem that needs their help to solve.  Tamlyn has magic and has a secret.  This book is well written and progresses the underlying story.  I waited to write my review because I enjoy Donna Grant’s stories very much, but this new series has become very predictable.  I miss the action of the earlier Dark World books and would really like to have one of the new stories at least include the situations that she left open at Dreagan. Characters that are important to the series, who were in nearly all the prior books have been delegated to minor supporting roles-including the King of Dragon Kings. If you haven’t read any of the previous novels, I’d suggest starting at the beginning with the Warriors books.  But you could read this book without having read the others first.  I was given an ARC by the author, and this is my honest opinion.