Humans and Vampires live and know about one another, but still have a tenuous relationship.  Vampires receive donated blood through Red Cross rations and most clans yearn to live peacefully among humans.  However, to prevent going extinct the vampires must have willing recruits.  Edith is a one hundred year old vampire belonging to the Heartsong Clan.  This weekend she is running a recruitment event, a live action role playing event of Vampires vs. Humans.  When Vampire Hunters Dan and Darren Paxton sign up for the event, things go off script.  Mr. Heartsong takes the opportunity to use Dan Paxton to set an example for all Hunters.  Edith becomes tangled in Dan and Darren's situation and must make a choice between her clan and the humans that link her to her past. 

Hunted is a fast-paced new adult paranormal romance.  I was intrigued by this setting in which humans knew vampires existed and vampires had a very different set of rules than I was used to.  These vampires can go out in the daytime, eat normal food and most importantly, can die after they have changed seven people. I was pulled into the story by Edith's backstory and how she was turned by Mr. Heartsong.  From there, the story alternates between Edith and Darren's points of view. I liked seeing how a vampire and hunter viewed one another.  This was a shorter story and moved quickly, I didn't get a good feel for Darren's or Dan's characters, but the glimpses into their backstory helped.  I knew where Darren and Edith's story was going to go from the moment they met, although I'm not sure how I really feel about their romance yet, especially since things progressed so quickly and under extreme stress.  The story ended rather abruptly and on a huge cliffhanger which makes me want to keep reading just to see what will happen next. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

​After the death of his mother, Corbin becomes depressed.  He has never known his father and he knows that child services will send him to live with his Aunt Graciella in Connecticut.  As Corbin is wishing for a way out of the situation, he locks eyes with a crow outside his window.  Soon, Corbin realizes that he has transformed into a crow himself and follows the crow by his window to his nest.  Corbin lives as a crow for years, transforming back to a boy to explore the nearby farm.  He is discovered by Maxim Moritz Grobian who knows Corbin's secret and wants to teach him more about being a mage.  Maxim rescues Corbin and helps him to regain his life as a boy and a mage, enrolling Corbin in Maxim's school for magical beings.  Corbin feels a heavy weight of gratitude towards Maxim; so when Maxim asks Corbin to go on a dangerous mission to Hexenheim, Corbin readily agrees.  The quest involves finding Maxim's estranged daughter, Lorelei while being tracked by a ruthless Inquisitor.


Smoke and Mirrors: The Trueheart is a young adult fantasy with magic, romance and intrigue.  I was pulled into the story from the prologue where Corbin makes a daring escape by turning into a crow and flying away.  After that Corbin's story delves into the world of mages. Corbin's character was intriguing.  He was easily moldable by those around him since the loss of his mother and finding his new magical abilities without any support; however, Corbin is able to see the truth behind the intentions of those around him, magical or not.  I was impressed by the many types of magical beings and their origins as well.  Most of all, I liked seeing how Corbin and his classmates came together to subdue the Inquisitor who was against magical beings while realizing that the magic within them can be used for good to enhance the world and themselves. While some of the plot may have been expected, Smoke and Mirrors: The Trueheart is a fun, fantasy adventure with wonderful characters and a cliffhanger ending that makes me want to dive right into the next book.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.  

After the death of her mother, seventeen year old Chloe Madison leaves her Florida home to live with her Aunt, Uncle and Cousin Abby in the secluded Adirondack town of Keene Valley, NY.  The move is hard on Chloe, especially after losing the only parent she has ever known.  Luckily, Chloe's cousin Abby helps her adjust to her new school along with fellow new kid, Trent Halstead.  Chloe falls into a new routine and becomes friendly with Trent.  However, Chloe seems to be haunted by strange visions and panic attacks.  Then, a series of deaths of their classmates rocks the small town.  Chloe's visions intensify and force Trent to reveal the truth about his family along with another family in town.  Now Chloe's life is in danger as she is caught in the middle of a century long family feud. 

Eternal Curse is the first book of a vampire paranormal romance series.  The author is upfront about this series being inspired by Twilight and The Vampire Diaries, so there are obvious similarities. Eternal Curse offers a unique storyline with some familiar elements along with well developed characters. Chloe captured my attention with the mystery surrounding her mother's death along with how she was carrying her grief while trying to fit into a new school and home.  Trent's character wasn't as deeply explored, however, I did like the story of his creation, his family and the curse.  The addition of the Zoya family also took the story in a different direction.  I did like that Chloe's Aunt and Uncle were very involved and protective, especially with the deaths in town.  The romance was sweet and not super rushed, although it seemed to move pretty quickly.  I absolutely loved the setting in the Adirondacks.  I have visited this area before and could easily imagine the waterfalls, back roads, school and even Adirondack Street. The suspense in the story swiftly picked up and continued through the surprising ending.  I definitely want to see where this series goes next.  

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ​

​Will is a man in his 20's who spends his days perfecting his physique at the gym.  In his quest for vanity, Will decides that he needs a tattoo; however, it needs to be unique.  A sketch of an alluring woman in front of a volcano catches his eye and he finds himself unable to stop thinking about the woman in the picture.  Once Will sources the money, he gets inked.  Then, the dreams start.  Will is transported to the  land of his tattoo when he sleeps.  He meets the woman inked on his chest, named Hel and becomes obsessed.  Hel's world is more dangerous, with a constantly erupting volcano, ghostly guards and strange creatures. Will is transfixed by Hel and the dreamland.  The more he dreams, the more it affects him in the real world.  When Will's dreams begin to affect his real life, Will must decide what he values more. 

A Strange Man Named Will is a book in the Sleeper Chronicles which can be read in any order and add another perspective to the story.  Will's story captured me from the beginning.  His character is not exactly someone I would like.  Will is overly obsessed with his appearance, lives with his parents without contributing and doesn't seem to care about the people around him.  Despite this, I was fascinated by the choices he made in his life and within his dreams.  Will's time within the dream world of Rehen was definitely more intriguing for me as he attempted to desperately search for Hel and navigate the different landscape.  In the real world I was very interested in Will's interaction with Jill and am still wondering what connection she has to the dream world and where her fixation with Will stems from.  Will's new capability within the real world is also very mysterious and I wonder what impact it will have in Rehen.  With an abrupt ending, I hope to continue reading Will's story again very soon.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Alongside our world is another dimension, the Arcana, whose people live and work with ours in order to keep our dimension working properly.  Rachel Wilde is one of those Arcanans who works as a demon collector.  Rachel catches malfunctioning daemons and brings them back for repair.  Rachel's latest caseload involves a bunch of unusual assignments:  first, a riot daemon who no longer wants to affect humans negatively and is assigned to live with Rachel since it is unable to be repaired at this time; second, a human man who is trying to break down the inter-dimensional barrier to bring back the daemon Apep and lastly, the woman who is the last gatekeeper for Apep, keeping the daemon locked in the wasteland.  Rachel's assignments turn sour as the two human marks cross paths, but she may finish her assignment with the help of some new friends. 


Gatekeeper is a fun daemonic adventure through alternative dimensions and a diversity of daemons.  The prologue sucked me in as a mysterious murderer brutally kills off what he believes is the last of the gatekeeper line.  Rachel's character is strong, edgy and impulsive.  I was very interested in the other dimensions and Rachel's dimension of Arcana.  Arcana seems similar to ours, but with a better social structure.  I would love to explore more of Arcana and how the people there came to be in charge of the daemons in the different dimensions.  I also really enjoyed the human Oracle, Bach.  I know that he probably has a great backstory, but it hasn't been explored yet.  The riot daemon is a wonderful addition and I hope it doesn't get sent away just yet.  I have a lot of questions about Apep and why a human would kill to have the daemon back on Earth.  The ending was suspenseful and kept my interest up right until the end.  There is definitely a lot more to explore in the series and I want to know what happens next!

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Andie Robertson has relied on her mentor and PhD adviser, Dr. James Corwin for much of her life, especially after her mother left.  All of Andie's life, she has had strange hallucinations that take her into an eerie shadow world.  After Dr. Corwin is mysteriously murdered in Italy, Andie finds some research of Dr. Corwin's that is out of his field of study along with  drawings that looks exactly like her hallucinations.  With the drawings, Andie finds the Star Phone, a strange device that leads her on an adventure with a series of clues.  The clues are associated with a secret society, The Leap Year Society and The Ascendants.  On the other side of the US, a disgraced investigative journalist, Cal, is desperately trying to find the people who ruined his career.  Once Andie and Cal figure out that they are both being hunted by a very dangerous and secretive group, they team up to help one another on the perilous path that has befallen them

Unknown 9: Genesis is a complex science fiction thriller featuring secret groups, code breaking, hidden history, conspiracy theories and mind bending scientific breakthroughs.  This is the first book of a trilogy and the beginning of the book was a gradual set up of characters, events and background before getting too heavy into the plot.  The writing gripped me from the beginning, building suspense as Dr. Corwin is running for his life.  After that, the set up bounces back and forth between Andie, Cal, Omer who is contracted to deliver them, and Ettore in the 1930's.  This lends to a slower pace in the beginning, however it does a wonderful job of creating deep characters and intriguing story line that is compounded, but easily followed.  I enjoyed the fast paced adventures in Egypt and Italy's historical spaces.  I'm deeply interested in the Leap Year Society and the secrets they want to protect.  I was absorbed by the idea of The Fold and the potential it could unlock.  There is much more to explore with all of the characters and the journey they are on, I can't wait to read more. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Mythical Girls is a short story collection that focuses around what happens when girls are given control of mythical objects.  With eleven stories total, there is a good variety of stories, objects, and characters.  With any anthology, there were stories that I liked more than others and some that I disliked.  Luckily, I really enjoyed most of the stories in this anthology.

The book started out strong with Daybreak where Queen Rajakumari takes leadership of a kingdom after the King dies.  The writing quickly sets the scene and allowed me to get to know Queen Rajakumari and what she was up against.  I loved how she didn't take crap and used the other Queens as allies instead of enemies.  This was definitely a story that I wanted to stay in longer.  

Another story I enjoyed was An Unexpected Weapon. I have read other stories by this author and with the same characters that are in this short, so I really enjoyed being with the characters again and seeing them gain confidence in a new situation. 

The Witch's Staff  is also a story I enjoyed, incorporating fun otherworldly characters and a great message about bullying and forgiveness in two different worlds. 

 The Rishika of the Manika  was another great story.  I really enjoyed the fantasy elements and the mythical object.  The lessons in power, leadership and getting what you wish for are very strong. 


Most of the stories are aimed at Middle Grade readers, however some seem more appropriate for young adult or even new adult readers.  I love the idea of giving girls the power of all of these mythical objects that are generally controlled by by men and seeing the choices that they make. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

​Dalia is a member of a Mayan tribe whose members rarely have contact with the outside world.  Her family has been chosen to keep the secrets of the Temple Cave and be the Bloodborne priestess to save her people.  In a prophetic dream, Dalia's mother saw her living in the city, so for the past several years Dalia has lived in the city with the nuns and away from her people; but with the Mayan calendar coming to an end, Dalia is called back home.  When she arrives, Dalia finds that the stories she has heard might just be true, her sister has died of a mysterious illness and now another sister is missing.  It is now up to Dalia to face the dangers and save her tribe.

This story intrigued me since it was set within a modern Mayan tribe and featured some Mayan lore.  Dalia's character grabbed me in her struggle between her two worlds.  I also enjoyed all of the supernatural elements, it was interesting how vampires and dragons were melded into the Mayan stories to fit so well.  I am very interested in the lohil- Carrick as well as the force within Dalia's amulet.  I really want to know what will happen between Dalia and Carrick as well as what Dalia decides to do with her life.  The story ends on quite a cliffhanger, so I will definitely be reading on. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.