Tangled Tides : Review

Tangled Tides (The Sea Monster Memoirs #1)

by Karen Amanda Hooper

Blurb

Yara Jones doesn't believe in sea monsters--until she becomes one.

When a hurricane hits her island home and she wakes up with fins, Yara finds herself tangled up in an underwater world of mysterious merfolk and secretive selkies. Both sides believe Yara can save them by fulfilling a broken promise and opening the sealed gateway to their realm, but they are battling over how it should be done. The selkies want to take her life. The merfolk want something far more precious.

Treygan, the stormy-eyed merman who turned Yara mer, will stop at nothing and sacrifice everything to protect his people--until he falls for Yara. The tides turn as Yara fights to save herself, hundreds of sea creatures, and the merman who has her heart. She could lose her soul in the process--or she might open the gateway to a love that's deeper than the oceans.

My Review

Yara doesn't have any idea that sea monsters are real. When a hurricane hits she finds out soon they are very real and now she has been turned into a mermaid. Not only are the merfolk real but, selkies, sirens, gorgons and more exist and they all have plans for Yara. She is the key to unsealing the gateway to their realm. The selkies and merfolk are fighting over how it needs to be opened and Yara is yanked into the middle. Her whole life she has been lied to and now she has to figure out how to save them without dying herself. The merman who saved her also has his own plans for opening the gate. Treygan is all about saving his people until he falls for Yara. Now their hearts are on the line along with the welfare of the sea people. They may have fallen for each other but is their love worth the sea peoples lives.

At first I didn't care for Yara. She whined and acted like a child for a while. Then I thought well she is only 18 years old. I can see she doesn't want all this thrown on her and could see why the author made her the way she did. However as I read I saw her slowly becoming a better person. She really became someone who was not selfish and really used her head to try to make everyone safe and happy. Treygan seems standoffish and wasn't really nice at first. Then as you got to know him and his secret you see he is a person who will do anything for the merfolk. He cares deeply for them. Once he falls for Yara he will also do anything to help her even if it breaks his heart. I loved him.

This is a different type mermaid book as it isn't just about merfolk. You also have selkies. They are also different as they are different from others I have read about. They are a darker selkie than I have read about. I like how the author makes the merfolk different colors to show their rank. As you read you discover more about these sea creatures and their world. Yara has been lied to her whole life and now has to face the fact she is the key to saving all these people. She learns to love some of them and learns not to trust others. There is an element of danger in this book as the selkies want her dead and there is also the danger of the sea. I really enjoyed this book and discovering all the secrets. It kept me interested all the way through it. If you like books with mermaids or selkies or just looking for a different type paranormal book to read give this one a try.

4 out of 5 Bats~Pam

Such Sweet Sorrow : Review

Such Sweet Sorrow

by Jenny Trout

Blurb

Never was there a tale of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo…But true love never dies. Though they’re parted by the veil between the world of mortals and the land of the dead, Romeo believes he can restore Juliet to life, but he’ll have to travel to the underworld with a thoroughly infuriating guide.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, may not have inherited his father’s crown, but the murdered king left his son a much more important responsibility—a portal to the Afterjord, where the souls of the dead reside. When the determined Romeo asks for help traversing the treacherous Afterjord, Hamlet sees an opportunity for adventure, and the chance to avenge his father’s death.

In an underworld filled with leviathan monsters, ghoulish shades, fire giants and fierce Valkyrie warriors, Hamlet and Romeo must battle their way through jealousy, despair, and their darkest fears to rescue the fair damsel. Yet finding Juliet is only the beginning, and the Afterjord doesn’t surrender souls without a price…

My Review

Juliet is dead but Romeo won't give her up. He has survived the poison and now following the clues a witch has given him he goes to find Hamlet who is the key to getting him into Afterjord and bringing Juliet back. Hamlet doesn't have the crown of his murdered father but he does have his gift. When Romeo ask him for help getting Juliet back Hamlet agrees as he wants some adventure and maybe the chance to avenge his father. The underworld doesn't let it's souls go back easily and finding Juliet is only the beginning. They must fight Valkyrie warriors, fire giants and many more monsters. They also all learn something about their selves.

This was a very interesting book as it has many twist and turns. Romeo is very headstrong and stubborn. He will let nothing stop him from getting Juliet back. He jumps in a lot of times before he thinks and it shows. You can't deny he loves Juliet with everything he has but I have to say I didn't care for him a whole lot. Hamlet has an ability to go into the Afterjord and he is dealing with his father being murdered, his mom remarrying and so much more. He likes an adventure and once he likes you he will have you back through anything. Juliet for me was the highlight of the book. She saves the guys many times and is a really strong female character in this book. She may be scared but many times it doesn't show.

I enjoyed this book after I got past the first couple of chapters. At first for me the book was slow but once in the Afterjord it really picked up and I loved all the different creatures they have to face their. It is full danger and they all have to dig deep and look inside to find the drive to really push through everything the underworld can throw at them. Once the action started I didn't want it to end. You get to see different sides to these characters and the bonds that they grow. If wanted more of these characters or ever wonder what happened or what if you may enjoy this one.

4 out of 5 Bats~Pam

Dance of the Red Death : Review

Dance of the Red Death (Masque of the Red Death #2)

by Bethany Griffin

Blurb

Bethany Griffin continues the journey of Araby Worth in Dance of the Red Death—the sequel to her teen novel Masque of the Red Death.

In Dance of the Red Death, Araby’s world is in shambles—betrayal, death, disease, and evil forces surround her. She has no one to trust. But she finds herself and discovers that she will fight for the people she loves, and for her city.

Her revenge will take place at the menacing masked ball, though it could destroy her and everyone she loves…or it could turn her into a hero.

With a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, Bethany Griffin concludes her tragic and mysterious Red Death series with a heroine that young adult readers will never forget.

My Review

I would recommend reading the first book in this series before this one. If you don't you will be confused in this book. The world has been ridden by plague. Araby must try to find a cure and stop the ones from spreading it even more. Her life and the life of her friends are in danger and she has to find her father before it is to late. She also has to sort her feelings about who she really loves.

I am going to do a shorter review so I hopefully don't have any spoilers. This book picks right up where the first ended. I love the darkness of this book. It isn't like others where it has dark and light sides. If anything it gets darker as you read. The author does an excellent job of writing this as she describes everything to where you can see it clearly from their hunt to find a cure, to the plague victims and so much more. you actually feel like you are along with them on their journey. Araby to me got so much better in this book. She grows up and has to face facts about her life. She feels like in some ways the plague is her fault and she has to deal with those issues. She stands strong as she has to stop the plague and find a cure. The only thing I didn't like about the book was Will and Elliot. I know some people are team Elliot and some team Will.For me neither really stood out as the perfect one. They both had faults which in some ways is good as the author didn't try to make them seem perfect. I just didn't care fore the romance part. For me the action and darkness is the great part of this book for me. I couldn't get enough and I had to see what would happen next. If you like Edgar Allan Poe's work you will like this book. 

4 out of 5 Bats~Pam

Big Bad Beast : Review

Big Bad Beast (Pride #6)

by Shelly Laurenston

Blurb

When it comes to following her instincts, former Marine Dee-Ann Smith never holds back. And this deadly member of a shifter protection group will do anything to prove one of her own kind is having hybrids captured for dogfights. Trouble is, her too-cute rich-boy boss Ric Van Holtz insists on helping out. And his crazy-like-a-fox smarts and charming persistence are making it real hard for Dee to keep her heart safe...

Ric can't believe his luck. He's wanted this fiercely-independent she-wolf from day one, but he never expected teamwork as explosive as this. And now is his last chance to show Dee what she needs isn't some in-your-face Alpha male-but a wily, resourceful wolf who'll always have her back in a fight…and between the sheets.

My Review

Dee-Ann Smith is an ex Marine who will stop at nothing to protect other shifter and hybrids. She won't back down from any fight and never backs down from danger. The only thing she has trouble with is Ric Van Holtz. He is her boss and not like the shifters she is used to. He is smart and charming and while he won't back down from a fight he is more a lover than a fighter. When they have to work together to save the hybrids from the dogfights and figure out who is behind taking them. Ric has always known Dee is the one for him. Working together may give them the chance to see that they are perfect for each other.

I liked this book as all the different shifters and hybrids were a joy getting to know. Dee is one of the toughest female shifters I have read about. You would think she belongs with a tough male shifter everyone is afraid of but Ric actually seems perfect for her. He is the one who gives balance to the relationship. While she may be tough he is tough but he is also the one who uses his head and keeps calm. He shows his tough side a few times but for the most part Dee is the head one in the pair. They are opposites in many ways and their families don't see eye to eye but they work great together. They have lots of chemistry in the bedroom. Dee has to see it's ok to show a softer side at times. There is plenty of action in this book as Dee and the others try to save the hybrids and even take on each other at times. If you enjoy paranormal romance books with shifters you may want to give this book a try.

3 out of 5 Bats~Pam

The Girls’ Guide to Dating Zombies : Review

The Girls’ Guide to Dating Zombies

by Lynn Messina

Blurb

Hattie Cross knows what you're thinking: Zombie sex? Ewwwww. But she also knows that since a virus turned 99.9999 percent of human males into zombies, it's statistically impossible to meet-let alone date-the remaining 0.00001 percent. So she writes "The Girls' Guide to Dating Zombies" to help her fellow single women navigate the zombie-relationship waters. Her practical how-to impresses the CEO of the largest drug company in the world, and before she knows it, Hattie, a reporter for a downmarket tabloid that specializes in conspiracy theories, is sitting down with the woman who single-handedly invented the zombie-behavioral-modification market. Granted access to the inner sanctum of zombaceuticals, she meets an actual, living, breathing M-A-N. Now Hattie, the consummate professional, is acting like a single girl at the end of the twentieth century: self-conscious, klutzy and unable to form a coherent sentence without babbling. Worst of all, the human male appears to have impaired her ability to think clearly. Because all of a sudden she's convinced a conspiracy is afoot at the drug company and it seems to go all the way to the top!

My Review

There is very few men left in the world after a virus turned all men into Zombies. Hattie Cross has written a book called The Girls' Guide to Dating Zombies to help other women into the new world of dating zombies. How to train them, what to do and not to do and what kind of drugs they may need. Her book gives her the chance to interview the CEO of the largest drug company in the world. There she meets something she didn't think she ever would. A real life man who isn't a zombie. Now the deeper she digs the more it seems there is something behind this drug company and the zombies. As she looks into it her life may be in danger as some may not want the men to come back but stay zombies.

I love books about zombies and if I see one with them in it I have to read it. When I saw this one I figured it would be one of the funnier books and it does have several laughs in it. It also has a mystery which turned into more than I expected it would. Hattie is a reporter and while she wants to be more than just one for a tabloid she doesn't get many chances until her book gets a lot of notice. She is a loner and has been burned and betrayed by a friend in the past and while she writes books about dating zombies she hasn't dated one in a while. When she meets a real man she doesn't know how to act. She falls for him but doesn't know if he can trust him. As she looks into the drug company she finds a lot of info that leads her to wonder about his motives. I will say there was a few little twist didn't see coming and wasn't expecting. If you like books with zombies you may enjoy this one. It isn't a horror zombie book but one with laughs and a lighter side.

4 out of 5 Bats~Pam

Born In Blood: Review

Born in Blood (The Sentinels #1)

by Alexandra Ivy

Blurb

Born In Blood

Sergeant Duncan O’Conner has seen it all before. A beautiful erotic dancer is found murdered in her home—no suspect, no motive. But there’s one clue: she’s missing her heart. It’s enough to make the hard-bitten Kansas City cop enlist the help of a necro—one of the dead-channeling freaks who live in the domed city of nearby Valhalla. It’s a long shot, but desperate crimes call for desperate measures. 

Unlike the other “high-bloods” in Valhalla, Callie Brown considers her abilities a gift, not a curse. But when she reads the dancer’s final thoughts, she senses a powerful presence blocking her vision. This is no ordinary homicide. This is the work of a legendary necromancer who controls souls. A ravenous force that will put Callie’s skills to the test, O’Conner’s career at risk, and both their hearts on the line…literally.

My Review

Duncan has a corpse missing her heart and has to call in the help of Callie. She is what the normal people like to call a freak but Duncan doesn't see her that way. Callie uses her abilities to look into the dead girl's memories to see her last memory. She has done it before and never thought this would be any different. She doesn't see her memory but a necromancer who Callie knows she will have to stop. Duncan and Callie have to work together to find and stop the evil necromancer. They both like each other and as they work together they see it may be more than just liking each other. They will have to open up not just their hearts but will have to dig deep down into their own powers to stop this evil.

Callie is used to being called a freak by normal people. She doesn't let it bother her as she is proud of her gift. She helps people and enjoys her life. She isn't one to stand by the side either. She is willing to get her hands dirty and even while she may be afraid she fights through it. She also isn't afraid to let Duncan know what she wants even if it;s to let him know she isn't onto commitments. Duncan is a great character. He seems to have several qualities that make him stand out. Unlike others he doesn't call the people who live in Valhalla freaks. He respects them and works with them. He is out of his own element a few times and even with his job is on the line he still does what he thinks is right. He is very sexy and while he can be pushy sometimes and not being perfect makes him that much greater. He also has a few secrets of his own he isn't sure he wants to come out. Both work well together and try their best to protect each other.

I really enjoyed this book as it built the world up as you read. You learn more about this new place you find yourself in and you learn about the new characters. The main characters Duncan and Callie themselves are great and when you add in the other characters you see just how wonderful this series will be. I am already looking forward to reading the side characters stories. This book has lots of action and you keep wondering what next. It definitely kept my attention the whole book. You also have love as Duncan and Callie see that they care deeply for each other even if Callie isn't sure where she wants it to go a few times. I did get a few laughs as I read as well as Duncan likes to make a some remarks to who he calls Lurch. This is a great start to a series and if you like paranormal romance I am sure you will like it as well.

4 out of 5 Bats~Pam

White Hot Kiss: Review

White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

Blurb

One kiss could be the last. 

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses. 

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever. 

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul. 

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

My Review

Seventeen year old Layla has always been treated different. She is half demon half gargoyle and doesn't belong in either world. She can do things others can't and most of the Wardens don't want her around or alive. She has to stay out of the way and keep the demon side of her under control. She has always crushed on Zayne and always hoped they could have a future. He is the one of the few Wardens who don't look down on her and he is always there for her. Roth enters her life and she doesn't know what to expect. He is a demon and he seems to know all about her. Things that the Wardens have kept secret from her. Now the demons seem to be coming more often and it looks like Layla may be the reason they are coming. She has to see who she can trust Roth or Zayne and she has to be careful cause she may just cause the world to end.

I have to say I love Layla. At times you can see the teen she is and others you see just what she really is. She isn't afraid to help the Wardens in the hunt for demons even if in some ways it is going against part of who she is. She is confused, scared and doesn't know who to trust at times. It all makes her a great character. Zayne has always been there for Layla and isn't afraid to be near her or help her when she needs it. He is the one she has always liked and dreamed about. He is sweet at times and the bad thing about him is sometimes I can see him treating her like a little sister. That isn't to bad a thing but for Layla it is. Roth may be a demon but I love him. He is the bad boy but yet he in a lot of ways is a wonderful guy. He tries his best to protect and to help Layla as well. The more I read about him and learned about him the more I fell for him I think.

Ok I read the prequel to this book and loved it. I just couldn't wait to read this book. Demons and Gargoyles and a wonderful plot makes this an amazing book. I have read a few books about Gargoyles and I have to say i believe this is my favorite one. The author has created a fresh take on both paranormal creatures that have left me dying for more. Layla stood out in some ways in the prequel and I thought I knew where it would go in this book. I was so wrong. I loved her story and the author created twist and turns that kept me intrigued. I was surprised numerous times and I like when a book can do that. There is tons of action as the demons and the Wardens fight. Layla has so much she learns in this book and she does take it pretty good considering she is young. I have to say Roth was a favorite to me I love how he shows a sweet side at times and how he stands up for Layla. If you want something to read you can keep wanting to read over and over till you get the next one here it is. Be sure to pick this book up as it is a favorite of mine.

5 out of 5 Bats~Pam

I would like to thank Harlequin Teen for the review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The exclusive excerpt at the end of the novel will ONLY be available in the PRINT EDITION of WHITE HOT KISS.